Scientists and Mathematicians Online
One advantage of telecommunications is the opportunity for learners of all ages to consult experts and celebrities...
Links
Washington University, St.Louis
http://www.madsci.org/One advantage of telecommunications is the opportunity for learners of all ages to consult experts and celebrities. The online services advertise these encounters weekly and some educational publishers, such as Scholastic, sponsor meet-the-author sessions. These sites typify one approach, maintenance of an expert bank for consult-on-demand.
The Math Forum at Drexel enjoys an excellent reputation. Not only are their lessons sound but the site was designed for online access so it is interesting and easy to use. Dr. Math provides clear explanations; students can search the archives or email a new math conundrum.
The Mad Scientist Network at Washington University in St.Louis is maintained by graduate and medical students. Questions from more than 20 different fields can be submitted to 200 scientists or so. Links and archives of past questions are available, too. The site managers have a good sense of humor.
After you click on Amateur Science at this Eskimo site you will find a very comprehensive list of online volunteer expert mentors, particularly in far-ranging domains of science from chemistry to oceans to neurobiology.
Scientific American (sciam)has volunteered its cadre of experts. For research projects in which this journal was used the authors can now be contacted and the range of topics is broad.
RefDesk lists experts in science from A-Z--birds, bugs, chemistry whathaveyou. At times it appears that an expert site was identified and a question devised rather than vice verse. You can meet several Dr.Sciences. This collection is still a more manageable approach than using most search engines.
Ask Dr. Universe will answer questions like "Why don't spiders stick to their own webs?" and "Do frogs sleep?"
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (hhmi) sponsors Cool Science for students in grades K-2. Answers to such mysterious questions as "What do snakes, lizards and monkeys have in common?" are explored. Since younger children seem to ask about darnest things, this site will help teachers who might not have raised such questions in the past two decades themselves.
Annotation
This approach facilitates exchanges among colleagues for general planning. That is, certain topics will be tackled but the schedule and precision are not well-defined. Access to a bank is handy as specific topics and queries arise serendipitously. It is best to seek an expert primarily for unusual questions to conserve this resource for special occasions.
The UCI site offers an excellent set of guidelines for building productive relationships with online experts.
See also entries, Project Experts and Mentor Networks.
