Quartzy: Free lab management for life scientists July 15, 2010
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Community Site, e-Science, science, Web 2.0.3 comments
In the lab where I’m doing PhD in genetics had to purchase a lab management software in order to make these processes clear inside the lab. That’s why it’s a shame I only discovered Quartzy, a free lab management tool for life scientists, now.
Quartzy, a company founded by two Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni, is garnering wide acceptance in the Life Science community. Quartzy is an online lab management tool that offers a new way to streamline the acquisition and cataloguing of reagents and other supplies that scientists need to conduct experiments. It also offers a standardized mechanism to organize laboratories and improve communication among scientists.
Science 2.0: New Community Site July 14, 2010
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Community Site, e-Science, science, Web 2.0.9 comments
I’ve recently come across Science 2.0, a new community site that doesn’t want to become a Facebook for scientists, but something different. Here is what Mark Hahnel, the founder, had in mind:
As you know, Science 2.0 is based on real time news and comments, which the users provide. Obviously, places like friend feed do exist and I don’t wish to take anything away from it. The idea of this place though, is a fluid evolving site, where users can suggest, edit or contribute in any way they wish. I’d really like to hear suggestions on what people would like to see, how we can answer the questions that science 2.0 poses collectively. I only started the site last week but the response has been great and the site has evolved quite a lot in a week due to user suggestions. There are several things I am working on in to develop the site, at the forefront of my mind is wikis.
Now it’s added to the extended list of Community Sites for Scientists and Physicians.
Sciyo.com: Free Science Books May 25, 2010
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in Community Site, e-Science, Medical Search, Medicine, science, Web 2.0.add a comment
I’ve recently come across Sciyo.com, where you can read, download and share thousands of free articles from exclusive Sciyo scientific journals and books database.
Publish with Sciyo open access academic publisher and join over 10 000 scientists from all corners of the globe. All journal papers and books published by Sciyo are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication. Publishing your work with Sciyo makes it accessible to a broader, world-wide audience. It increases its visibility and impact and creates a solid basis for the advancement of your academic career. All the while you retain the copyright of your work and the freedom to use it anyway you wish.
Webcam Laboratory May 3, 2010
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in e-Science, Education, Innovation, Medicine, science, Video, Visualization.add a comment
Webcam Laboratory offers a great way to teach students about science as it makes the whole process interactive and also interesting. It now has 4 functionalities: time lapse cam, kinematics, microscope and motion cam.
WebCam Laboratory allows you to observe things and phenomena that have always been there around you, but you haven’t had the chance to recognize them. Would you like to measure the depth of a Moon crater? The distance of a star or the length of a single-celled specie? Would you like to know how the circulation of the Sun changes, when the animals of the garden wake up, who tithe the nut in the basement or what kind of birds live around your house?
WebCam Laboratory is exactly what you need, if you are curious how your favorite plant grows day by day, how clouds form or swirl on the sky, or if you just want to see a whole day from the rise of the Sun until it sets.
And a few examples to see:
SciPlore MindMapping March 17, 2010
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in e-Science, science, Web 2.0.4 comments
I’ve recently written about the paper Academic Search Engine Optimization in Google Scholar authored by Jöran Beel and now he shared the software he is developing with me. It integrates mind mapping with reference and PDF management.
Are you using mind mapping tools such as MindManager, FreeMind or XMind? And reference management tools such as JabRef, Endnote, or Zotero? And do you sometimes even create bookmark in PDFs? Then you should have a look at SciPlore MindMapping.
SciPlore MindMapping is the first mind mapping tool focusing on researchers’ needs by integrating mind mapping with reference and pdf management. SciPlore MindMapping offers all the features one would expect from a standard mind mapping software, plus the following features for researchers:
Adding Reference Keys Manually
Adding Reference Keys (BibTeX) Automatically
PDF Bookmark Import
Monitoring Folders for new PDFs
You can download the tool here.
Grade Your Paper March 6, 2010
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in e-Science, science, Web 2.0.5 comments
When I write a manuscript and don’t know which journal I should choose, I always check what JANE (Journal Author Name Estimator) has to say. Now I also gave Pre-Grade Your Paper a try:
PaperRater.com is a free resource, developed and maintained by linguistics professionals and graduate students. PaperRater.com is used by schools and universities in over 46 countries to help students improve their writing.
PaperRater.com combines the power of natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, information retrieval (IR), computational linguistics, data mining, and advanced pattern matching (APM). We offer the most powerful writing tool available on the internet today.
UPDATE: Be cautious when uploading documents for them as according to the Terms and Conditions you give them the right to use your documents.
New Nature.com iPhone application February 11, 2010
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in e-Science, Mobile, science, Web 2.0.1 comment so far
Nature.com just released an iPhone application that lets you read the publications in e-book format.
What impact do posters have on academic knowledge transfer? December 12, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in e-Science, science, Web 2.0.add a comment
There is an interesting article in BMC Medical Education:
Research knowledge is commonly facilitated at conferences via oral presentations, poster presentations and workshops. Current literature exploring the efficacy of academic posters is however limited. The purpose of this initial study was to explore the perceptions of academic poster presentation, together with its benefits and limitations as an effective mechanism for academic knowledge transfer and contribute to the available academic data.
This pilot study is the first to explore perceptions of the academic poster as a medium for knowledge transfer. Given that academic posters rely heavily on visual appeal and direct author interaction, the medium requires greater flexibility in their design to promote effective knowledge transfer. This paper introduces the concept of the IT-based ‘MediaPoster’ so as to address the issues raised within published literature and subsequently enhance knowledge-transfer within the field of academic medicine.
You may remember my post in which I presented an interactive poster platform. The solution was designed by SciVee.TV, an online scientific video site. Postercasts might solve this problem and could make posters available for those who couldn’t attend a specific conference.
You can present your work in a video and show some details through an interactive poster.
How to Use the Journal/Author Name Estimator August 30, 2009
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in e-Science, Web 2.0.1 comment so far
Onw of the most useful tools I’ve come across recently is the Journal/Author Name Estimator. There are mainly 3 ways you can use it.
1) For authors:
If you’re about to submit your manuscript but don’t know which journal would be the best target, it helps you. Just insert your abstract or keywords and find the most suitable journals.
2) For editors:
When you receive a manuscript and have no idea which reviewers you should send it to, JANE helps again as it can list authors who might be experts in the field the manuscript was written in.
3) For people seeking collaborators:
It can help you which authors could be considered potential collaborators for your project.
