From the National Academy of Sciences comes Extreme Event, an in-person role-playing game that simulates "build[ing] community resilience in the face of disaster." In this hour-long exercise, participants are assigned roles and choose between three different disaster scenarios (earthquake, hurricane, or flood), then work together to help their community survive. Extreme Event is designed to be...

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University is a research and education cooperative of some 120 PhD level researchers and several dozen graduate students, all dedicated to uncovering the origin, evolution, and future of the natural world. The organization operates its own federally funded research ship, and studies everything from polar science to atmospheric processes. From the...

Established in 1962, the Land Tenure Center (LTC) is perhaps one of the most well-regarded university-based institutions to deal specifically with land policy across the world. Essentially, the LTC "serves as a global resource institution on issues relating to land ownership, land rights, land access, and land use." The LTC is also highly regarded for its interdisciplinary research approach which...

From the Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah comes this collection of educational resources about the use of models in scientific research and communication. These resources, which include illustrated essays, videos, and interactive activities, help learners understand how scientists can use models to understand natural phenomena and create public policy. Science instructors...

From Salish Kootenai College in Montana comes the Living Landscapes Climate Science Project, a place- and culture-based educational curriculum that integrates "traditional knowledge (native science) and current climate science research." This unique resource offers a comprehensive set of climate science teaching and learning materials. The most prominent components are two college-level online...

Louisiana State University's earth station for NOAA polar orbiting and geostationary satellites collects, analyzes, interprets, and distributes earth environmental data. Researchers can view abstracts of the many publications authored by people associated with the laboratory. The web site offers a large quantity of detailed imagery from GOES, MODIS, and other remote sensing equipment as well as a...

This interactive map from the US Department of Agriculture displays US land use areas by color. Clicking on a region of the map takes you to a page featuring a blown-up map and a paragraph describing the major land use of the area (e.g., agriculture, residential, industrial, etc.). From there, you can also access regional elevation, climate, water, and soil information.

This website presents Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, "one of nine independent Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) founded in 1992 from a reorganisation of Government funded research in New Zealand." Manaaki Whenua has approximately 320 staff members engaged in research and they maintain collaborative relationships with universities and other CRIs. Manaaki Whenua's six main research areas include:...

In 1888, the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) was started in Woods Hole, and since then it has served as a place for world-class biologists and ecologists to gather and work together. Their ambitions are very broad and admirable, and visitors should start by reading through the introduction in the "About MBL" section before looking around further. Most visitors will then want to go to the...

Recently, the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided to redesign its educational resources website. Interested parties can take advantage of both the NGDC's internally generated material and vetted resources from other institutions and partners. First-time visitors should move on over to the NGDC Downloads area. Here visitors...