The advance registration deadline of May 16 is quickly approaching. There may be Standing Committee meetings scheduled around the conference. Please check websites and listservs for details. NSDL has a strong presence at this conference. Check the detailed program at http://www.jcdl2005.org/schedule.html.

Important Dates
May 16, 2005 (midnight MDT): Advance registration closes
May 17, 2005 Late registration fees begin; online registration remains open
May 23, 2005 Last day to cancel (with a $25 processing fee). After this date, no refunds will be issued.
May 27, 2005 Last day for paper (mail or fax) registration
May 31, 2005 Online registration closes. Onsite registration available at the conference
June 7, 2005 Conference first day - tutorials and Doctoral Consortium
June 8, 2005 Conference
June 9, 2005 Conference; evening banquet and awards ceremony
June 10, 2005 Conference
June 11, 2005 Conference last day - workshops
Related Link: http://www.jcdl2005.org/schedule.html

Share news and events with the NSDL community. Post your project's highlights or event information at http://nsdl.org/community/.
Related Link: http://nsdl.org/community/

The 2005 Annual Report is taking a fresh look at the ways that NSDL is having an impact in the following areas: Evaluation; Using Digital Resources in the Classroom; Information Science and Digital Library Technology; Community Building; Libraries and Museums, and; by Audience, Discipline, and Geographic Area. If you would like to contribute highlights from your project that illustrates impact in any of these areas please call Carol Minton Morris at 607 255-2702, or email 100-200 word summaries to clt6@cornell.edu.
Related Link: http://nsdl.org

At the recent Policy Committee meeting in New York City the Sustainability Standing Committee (SSC) proposed that SSC work of the committee focus on public-private-university-government strategies to support the creation, maintenance and evolution of collections and services in the NSDL. Subsequently a proposal was made and approved to establish a relationship with the Federal Science Technology Information Managers Group (http://www.cendi.gov), which includes the National Science Foundation and 11 other federal agencies. CENDI produces science.gov (http://www.science.gov), which is a compilation of science and technology information from these agencies. There may be a mutually beneficial relationship between the NSDL and CENDI that would bring together:

-information-rich science content and an education-rich services; and
-compatible resources that would contribute to the sustainability of both activities.

The Sustainability Standing Committee will draft a specific proposal for the Policy Committee to create this strategic partnership with CENDI. This proposal will include relevance to STEM education and FY 2005 interagency research and development priorities that have been identified by the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Science and Technology Policy (see the White House memorandum on the Sustainability Standing Committee website - http://sustain.comm.nsdl.org/).
Related Link: http://sustain.comm.nsdl.org/

Searching the Web for formulas having particular mathematical elements of interest has been difficult and usually not very fruitful. Mathematics is generally indexed poorly in text-based search engines and there are a multiplicity of ways to express even simple mathematics. For example, the square root of x might appear in some instances as sqrt(x) and in others as x^(1/2).

As part of the NSDL-funded Second Generation Mathematic Resources project, new features have been added to the Wolfram Research Functions Website to enable genuine mathematical searching of the more than 87,000 formulas cataloged by the site (http://functions.wolfram.com/formulasearch/). The search interface allows students and researchers to search for formulas containing specific functions, operations, embedded patterns, etc. in a variety of combinations. Links are provided on search results listings so that users also can search for additional formulas mathematically similar to a formula discovered in an initial search. From this same site students also can view dynamically generated 2-D and 3-D plots of many of the functions cataloged (for example http://functions.wolfram.com/webMathematica/FunctionPlotting.jsp?name=Cos). This site illustrates new ways to think about searching for scientific resources and interact with mathematically rich content. Related link: http://functions.wolfram.com/ --William Mischo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Related Link: http://functions.wolfram.com/formulasearch/

The beautiful Ivory-billed Woodpecker was once thought to be extinct. Many citizens remember being taught that this species would be lost due to habitat destruction while they were still in elementary school. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker disappeared from the wild more than 60 years ago.

NSDL partner The Cornell Lab of Ornithology leads The Big Woods Conservation Partnership with The Nature Conservancy and includes the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, Arkansas State University, Louisiana State University, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Birdman Productions, LLC, Civic Enterprises, LLC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Organization of the 2002 Pearl River Expedition funded by Zeiss Optics led to the announcement of the confirmation of the the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker's rediscovery in the Arkansas Cache River and White River national wildlife refuges last week.

NPR/National Geographic Radio Expeditions story that includes a gallery of photographs: http://www.npr.org/

Read the article by John Fitzpatrick, Director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, et al., "Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) Persists in Continental North America," in the AAAS journal, Science (may require and institutional subscription): http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1114103

Additional links for the truly interested:
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/demo/account/Ivory-billed_Woodpecker/
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/
http://www.birdingamerica.com/Ivorybill/ivorybilllinks.htm
http://www.birdingamerica.com/ivorybilledwoodpecker.htm
Related Link: http://www.npr.org/

NSDL Pathways project The Shodor Education Foundation was recently selected by author James Lerman as one of the best Web sites for teachers on the Internet today. Mr. Lerman went through a rigorous process to select sites for his book 101 Best Web Sites for Secondary Teachers, published by the International Society for Technology in Education. This guide to the best Web sites for secondary education assembles a host of Internet resources that support independent learning, research, and technology-infused instructional practices. The book may be purchased at the ISTE store: http://www.iste.org/. ISTE is dedicated to providing leadership and service to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in K-12 education and teacher education.
Related Link: http://www.iste.org

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_cell_phone_directory.htm
Not everyone is convinced that cell phone users' numbers will be adequately protected as cell phone "411" directories are established by wireless providers. The Federal Trade Commission allows cell phone users to add their numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry - the same one already in force for landlines - either on the Web or by calling 1-888-382-1222.There is no deadline for adding cell phone numbers to the Do Not Call list.
Related Link: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_cell_phone_directory.htm

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1566717,00.html
A European project being described as an alternative to Google's online library is a coalition of nineteen European national libraries who have joined forces against a planned communications revolution by Internet search giant Google to create a global virtual library, organizers said Wednesday. The 19 libraries are backing instead a multi-million euro counter-offensive by European nations to put European literature online.
Related Link: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1566717,00.html

http://earthref.org/ERESE/projects/ALIA/
On April 25, 2005 San Diego High Tech High students Ryan Delaney, Daniel Staudigel and Blake English completed a month at sea with the NSDL ERESE Project of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography where they traveled the South Pacific studying oceanography. Experience their adventure through photo galleries and daily reports compiled by this seagoing student team.
Related Link: http://earthref.org/ERESE/projects/ALIA/