Communicating the world of infrared astronomy to the public is the main topic of the Cool Cosmos portal but certainly not its only goal. In the past few years the Cool Cosmos team has created a wide variety of educational products that explain the infrared as well as the multi-wavelength universe. We've produced a suite of award-winning websites (coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu) that speak to audiences as varied as kindergarteners to amateur astronomers. We've also filmed short videos about astronomy and infrared light and created posters and brochures that have become favorites with NASA education specialists as well as classroom teachers.

The arrow of time, from origin of the Universe to the present and beyond, spans several major epochs throughout all of history. Cosmic evolution is the study of the many varied changes in the assembly and composition of energy, matter and life in the thinning and cooling Universe.

Cosmology is the scientific study of the large scale properties of the Universe as a whole. It endeavors to use the scientific method to understand the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the entire Universe. This primer in cosmological concepts is organized as follows: The main concepts of the Big Bang theory are introduced in the first section with scant regard to actual observations. The second section discusses the classic tests of the Big Bang theory that make it so compelling as an apparently valid description of our universe. The third section discusses observations that highlight limitations of the Big Bang theory and point to a more detailed model of cosmology than the Big Bang theory alone provides. As discussed in the first section, the Big Bang theory predicts a range of possibilities for the structure and evolution of the universe. The final section discusses what constraints we can place on the nature of our universe based on current data, and indicates how WMAP furthers our understanding of cosmology. In addition, a few related topics are discussed based on commmonly asked questions. This site is hosted by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

As we move into an information society, the technological means for global surveillance of millions of individual people are becoming available to major governments. Cryptography has become one of the main tools for privacy, trust, access control, electronic payments, corporate security, and countless other fields. The use of cryptography is no longer a privilege reserved for governments and highly skilled specialists, but is becoming available for everyone to make use of.

Crystal Clear Chemistry is a free online resource for students learning and reviewing organic chemistry, particularly for standardized tests such as the MCAT or the GRE chemistry subject test. The tutorials in concepts section should provide a good summary of the important topics in organic chemistry. For test-prep, our study-sheets ("cheat sheets") and guides to reactions and mechanisms are the recommended way of studying and testing your knowledge of reactions and concepts.

In the late 1950's, prominent scientists around the world embarked on a race to map the method by which DNA is translated into proteins. Marshall Nirenberg and his colleagues at the National Institutes of Health joined the race, and in 1961 solved the conundrum, effectively breaking the "code of life."

This is the home of "Discovering Plate Boundaries," a data rich exercise to help students discover the processes that occur at plate tectonic boundaries. I have used DPB with students from 5th grade to Earth Science Majors at Rice University. It works well over this wide range because it requires the students to observe and classify data. It does not require prior knowledge of plate tectonics. However, I do vary my expectations of the students at different levels. The exercise is built around 4 global data maps: 1) Earthquake location and depth, 2) Location of recent volcanic activity, 3) Seafloor Age, and 4) Topography and Bathymetry.

Dive and Discover is an interactive distance learning Web site designed to immerse you in the excitement of discovery and exploration of the deep seafloor. Dive and Discover brings you right on board a series of research cruises to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and gives you access to the latest oceanographic and deep submergence research as it happens! Be at the front line of scientific inquiry and join scientists - geologists, geophysicists, chemists and biologists - who are exploring the seafloor and making amazing deep-sea discoveries. Daily updates, photos, videos, and e-mail correspondence with scientists aboard research vessels allow you to follow the progress of the scientific mission and find out about life on the floating laboratories at sea.

An animated primer on the basics of DNA, genes, and heredity. DNA from the Beginning is organized around key concepts. The science behind each concept is explained by: animation, image gallery, video interviews, problem, biographies, and links. Sections: Classical genetics, molecules of genetics, genetic organization and control.

Everything you wanted to know about DNA in an interactive multimedia website: history, code, manipulation, genome, applications, chronicle, DNA news.

What is the Earth Exploration Toolbook? The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) provides step-by-step instructions for using Earth science datasets and software tools in educational settings. Each chapter of the EET walks users through an examplea case study in which the user accesses data and uses analysis tools to explore issues or concepts in Earth system science. In each chapter, users produce and analyze maps, graphs, images, or other data products. How can I use EET? Chapters in the EET. Contribute a chapter. About EET.

A publication of the American Geological Institute. The Earth Science World ImageBank has photographs of all aspects of Earth Science available to the public, educators, and the geoscience community. Search the ImageBank's thousands of photos! Select multiple time periods from a list and display them on an Interactive Geological Time Scale. Get climate data from weather stations around the world. Investigate Careers in Geoscience and learn about job opportunities, degrees programs, and enrollment statisics in the Earth Sciences. Search for
Earth Science-related books and learn which are most popular. Participate in Earth Science Week and share your enthusiasm for the Earth Sciences with others. Play an interactive game to discover the excitement of the exploration for oil.

EcoHealth is rooted in serious science. In fact, it grew out of a graduate course at Johns Hopkins University. This website was developed as a tool for students and teachers. But it's also a great resource for anyone interested in the environment and human health. Our science team taps the latest research to keep the site up-to-date and accurate. Team leader Dr. Patz also co-edits the new academic journal EcoHealth. Photos, diagrams, maps, and video clips enhance our coverage of complex topics. Links take you to carefully-chosen sites where you can learn more. Lesson plans connect these vital topics to national science education standards. The news page links today's headlines to indepth analysis throughout the site. The glossary includes cutting-edge scientific terms and phrases.

This site uses the tools of modern economics and game theory to explore how the interaction of intelligent goal-seeking individuals determines social outcomes.

eFunda stands for engineering Fundamentals. Its mission is to create an online destination for the engineering community, where working professionals can quickly find concise and reliable information to meet the majority of their daily reference needs. eFunda is all about the basics, for most part, that means college level material covered in engineering schools. If you practice engineering, more often than not you would find yourself searching for something you knew but could not quite remember. eFunda wants to be your reminder of these formulas. Not only that, eFunda wants to tell you exactly under what conditions those formulas apply, so you don't have to read an entire chapter of the good old textbook.