Scientists
Whether it’s the vaccination that protects us from polio or the telephone that lets us talk with the neighbor down the street or around the world, our lives are enriched by the work of scientists. But what motivates people to study how and why things work, to dream up inventions that save lives or enable space travel? And why is it important to study galaxies or to view the activities of a single cell? Learn about the fascinating lives and achievements of scientists throughout history through the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint
Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.
Level 1
People in Science: Jabir Ibn Haiyan is considered the father of modern chemistry, and Henrietta Swan Leavitt was an astronomer who discovered a type of star called a Cepheid variable. Read about scientists from ancient times to today’s astronauts and learn many interesting science facts.
https://msgc.engin.umich.edu/cgi-bin/tour _map.cgi/level.button.map(link=/people/people.html&sw;=false&sn;=324991&d;=/ images&edu;=mid&br;=graphic&cd;=false&fr;=f&tour;=?300,10
Careers in Microbiology: Did you know that microbiologists may discover new life forms that no one knew existed? Meet four microbiologists and hear about their work. Find out how studying microbes may require traveling to the rain forest or a volcano, and learn about microbes through some experiments you can do at home.
https://www.microbe.org/careers/careers.asp
History of Inventions: A Timeline: Swimming pools were invented almost 4,500 years ago in 2500 BC. Find out who invented such objects ranging from lightbulbs and computers to hot dogs and electric guitars.
https://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/the-lab /history-of-invention/default.html
Level 2
People in Science (Advanced): The Renaissance produced not only great artists but also important scientists such as Nicolas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei. Read about scientific discoveries throughout history in this illustrated collection of biographies.
https://msgc.engin.umich.edu/cgi-bin/ tour_map.cgi/level.button.map(link=/people /people.html&fr;=f&sn;=324991&sw;=false&tour;=&d;= /images&br;=graphic&edu;=mid&cd;=false?460,8
Academy of Achievement--Hall of Science and Exploration: Engineer extraordinaire Paul D. MacCready was an avid model airplane builder when he was growing up. Through interviews, photos and video clips, find out how 23 individuals chose to pursue the sciences.
https://www.achievement.org/autodoc/halls/sci
The Electronic Era: Who created the first digital information highway? Trace the history of electronic inventions through this collection of biographies and photos.
https://webstationone.com/era/
Level 3
A Science Odyssey: What are the stories behind Christiaan Barnard--who performed the first successful heart transplant--and Jocelyn Bell, who discovered pulsars? Read about 120 20th century scientists and their discoveries, try some interactive games in which you can learn about atoms and radio transmissions, and play a round of “That’s My Theory” with Albert Einstein.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/
Biographies: The Scientists: Get acquainted with the works of a variety of scientists such as Count Alessandro Volta, who developed the theory of current electricity and invented the electric battery.
https://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biographies/Science/Scients.htm
The Nobel Prize Internet Archive: Marie Curie won two Nobel prizes: one in physics and the other in chemistry. Learn about the lives and achievements of other scientists who have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
https://nobelprizes.com/nobel/
Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Carrie Beard, Christa Nick, Michelle Peterson and Anna Manring.
EXPLORER’S QUEST
The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.
How many materials did Thomas Alva Edison try until he found the right filament for the lightbulb?
CLUE: See People in Science
Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 100 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.
Answer to last week’s Quest: The word “dictionary” comes from the Latin word “dictionarium,” meaning words or speaking.
