Explorations

Take a look at the profile of Burt Rutan presented in the Economist last week. Rutan is known for breakthrough aerospace designs, like the Long EZ, Voyager, and SpaceShipOne.

Learn more about Burt Rutan from a search at VCU Libraries.

Find research articles for biological sciences from the VCU Libraries search box.

Sample searches to paste in the search box:

alcohol* fermentation AND temperature change

saccharomyces cerevisiae AND fermentation AND temperature

Watch a search demonstration video.

Sample article record:

1. Details – abstract and keywords

2. Recommendations – more sources like this

3. Title – full text of article

Search for international patents with patentlens.net. Patents and patent applications are included from Australia, Europe, and the US.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch recently featured several articles on inventions and inventors in the Richmond area. Take a look at the articles to see who is doing the breakthrough research in RVA.

25- March Richmond research creates many consumer products

25-March Richmond region needs more support for inventors

28-March Research and preparation key in patent process

Have you tested the search options on the library homepage? Things are different now. In the past the default search option delivered results from the library’s catalog only. Today results come from multiple sources. This is an advantage for anyone curious about a new topic, wanting to get a sense for ‘what’s out there’. Consider it a first step.
As you try the default search assess what is happening. Do the results match your expectations? Try a general topic search like nuclear reactor safety. Do the results of your query make sense? Utilize the facet options on the left to focus results to a more meaningful search.

Access to Research Guides and subject specific databases are still available for in depth investigations. Look to the left of the homepage under Search Collections.

Remember the oil spill from April 2010? Surprisingly, the mess was significantly reduced within about three months of capping the well. The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday on an explanation for the quick elimination of the contaminant. The sloshing water currents of the Gulf of Mexico combined with an abundance of microbes that consume the crude resulted in quick elimination of the pollutant.
Learn more:
Wall Street Journal article from January 10, 2012: How Microbes Teamed to Clean Gulf — Scientists Studied 52 Species of Bacteria and Water Currents to Explain Demise of Oil and Gas Plume
The article refers to a report from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dynamic autoinoculation and the microbial ecology of a deep water hydrocarbon irruption. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published ahead of print January 10, 2012, doi:10.1073/pnas.1108820109
Follow the earlier conversation sparked by an article published in Science by Valentine and other researchers. Search:
author: Valentine
abstract: oil spill

How can one tell?
Evaluate My Sources Research Guides presents a video that explains the difference between scholarly journals, trade journals, and popular magazines. Look for: Scholarly or not?
Ulrich’s International Periodicals is an index of magazines and journals provides quick characteristics of periodicals. Search for the publication in question and look for a referee jersey. Refereed is equivalent to peer reviewed.