Science.gov Mobile: Top Ten in Federal Apps!by Linda McBrearty 03 Jul, 2012 in Products and Content
Hard work and innovation pay off! Government Computer News (GCN) and Information Week have published their Top Ten Federal mobile apps lists, and Science.gov was the only interagency mobile application named to both! Since last year, over 100 federal agencies have established mobile apps in response to a recent White House initiative requiring them to make their services available for mobile use. GCN evaluated the apps on their usefulness, how helpful they actually were, and also on that intangible “cool factor.” GCN applauded Science.gov Mobile’s surprisingly powerful search engine that checks science data from 13 federal agencies and said “It could probably even be a boon to researchers to keep them from duplicating research, and it will certainly help your kids get an A on their science papers.” Information Week published its “10 Handy Mobile Apps From Uncle Sam” and noted that: “(The) Science.gov site searches scientific information from more than 50 databases and 2,100 government-affiliated websites. On-the-go science buffs can now access that data trove via a mobile version of the website or a downloadable Android app. Users can get Wikipedia and EurekAlert! results related to their searches.” Researchers are like the rest of us. They’re pressed for time, often multi-tasking, and looking for that competitive edge. Discovery can come at any moment and it’s critical to have resources at your fingertips, now more than ever. That’s one of the reasons that Science.gov launched its mobile application in September 2011. And this handy scientific search tool isn’t just for scientists, it’s a great application for teachers preparing lessons or for kids doing... Related Topics: alerts, apps, mobile, Science.gov Read more... |
“Mobilizing” Scienceby Dr. Walt Warnick 05 Aug, 2011 in Technology
At the youngest ages, children are intrigued by Mentos in a Diet Coke. Figuring out what nature is trying to tell us, which is otherwise known as doing science, can be exciting. But, too often, young people become disabused of that excitement when they experience the drudgery of reading dry texts while confined in a stuffy cubicle or a study carrel. Now we are taking a step to help change that perspective. We are displacing text with video, and we are making it easy to find and learn science wherever you happen to be. It is an unfortunate circumstance that fun is too often taken out of science. We should want students of all ages to be happy, as happy people invest themselves more into what they are doing. We should want science to remain an avocation even as it becomes a vocation for some students and others move on to different interests. For too long, hours of silent study and nights spent in a dreary lab have driven out the joy like my five-year-old granddaughter felt last week when she caught a bright orange newt in the woods. Better to preserve the excitement and drive out the drudgery. ...Related Topics: apps, mobile, WorldWideScience.org (WWS) Read more... |
WorldWideScience.org Goes Mobileby Lorrie Johnson 19 Jul, 2011 in Products and Content
WorldWideScience.org recently released a new mobile version (http://m.worldwidescience.org). Scientists and researchers throughout DOE and the entire U.S. now have access to over 80 scientific and technical databases from preeminent libraries and information centers around the world, all via their “smart phones” or tablets. Operating in the same fashion as the computer-based version of WorldWideScience.org, the user simply enters a single query into the search box on the phone. Using federated search technology, the query is distributed to each of the approximately 80 databases and the search results are combined and re-ranked according to relevance. Search results are streamlined for easier viewing on mobile devices, but the user can still connect to the full citation at the originating source database. If full text is provided, users can view it on the phone/tablet, or they may choose to download it into e-reader software. Users also have the option of emailing the full set of search results to themselves, or others, for later viewing. As “smart phone” and tablet usage continues to grow at a rapid pace, Mobile WorldWideScience.org makes finding important scientific and technical information as convenient and easy as possible! Related Topics: mobile, WorldWideScience.org (WWS) Read more... |
Catch up on research info while you waitby Tim Byrne 13 Jun, 2011 in Products and Content Standing in line at the DMV, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, commuting to work on the bus or train, waiting for a meeting to start, whenever and wherever you get the urge to do a little energy-related research, you can do so now with your mobile phone via OSTI Mobile at m.osti.gov. OSTI Mobile allows you to search technical reports, journal articles, conference papers, data files, multimedia, software, project summaries, patents, and e-prints from a number of OSTI databases, including Energy Citations Database, Information Bridge, ScienceCinema, DOepatents andDOE Green Energy. Search results for a variety of resource types are available, or the results can be limited to specific formats. You can search for videos highlighting scientific research from Department of Energy (DOE) labs and CERN found in ScienceCinema. Innovative patents resulting from DOE-sponsored research appearing in DOEpatents can be found. Choose your search terms to retrieve citations on renewable energy and energy efficiency from DOE Green Energy. Close to 280,000 full-text STI reports are easily accessible, and over 2.4 million energy-related citations are conveniently available whenever and wherever. OSTI Mobile is also helpful if you just want to learn more about OSTI. Navigation buttons guide you to mobile versions of several OSTI sites. OSTI News will give you... Related Topics: DOE Green Energy, DOepatents, Energy Citations Database (ECD), Information Bridge (IB), mobile, OSTI Mobile, OSTI Youtube Channel, ScienceCinema Read more... |
OSTI R&D Plus News on the Moveby Doug Bales 23 Aug, 2010 in Technology
Ever wonder what innovations OSTI is developing to keep you informed while you are on the go? No need to ever wonder while you wander. Now you can get DOE R&D full-text reports, OSTI news, videos and more while you’re on the move. The new OSTI.gov mobile web page allows you to: Visit http://m.osti.gov/ to test drive or take it on the road with your mobile device. Doug Bales Related Topics: mobile, OSTI news, OSTI Youtube Channel, OSTIBLOG, RSS feeds, videos Read more... |
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