Author: jsandy

3D Stereoscopic Vision Service Launched

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3D Stereoscopic Vision Service is now available in Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering. 3D stereoscopic vision allows users to view images and videos in three dimensions when using wireless glasses, 3D monitors, and specialized software. Rodgers Library has two workstations with six (6) 3D vision glasses. Recently, we hosted a biochemistry class that viewed biomacromolecules in 3D and a paleontology class that viewed CT scans of vertebrate fossils in 3D. We look forward to seeing many other applications of this technology in your teaching and research. This service is offered from the Rodgers Library 3D Printing Studio, located on the 1st floor of our building.  Please let us know if you are interested in learning more about this new service.

Contact:  Vincent Scalfani

vfscalfani@ua.edu

Take a Journey in Science 2017

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 TAKE A JOURNEY IN SCIENCE 2017 WELCOMES ALL

What: Take a Journey in Science:  a series of lightning talks on high-interest topics in science and nursing that shape our understanding of the world

When:   February – March 2017 (dates and times in table below)

Where:  Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering

Audience: All UA students and faculty welcome

How long:  10 minutes or less, plus Q&A

 

Schedule of Presentations
Speaker Title of Talk Day/Date/Time
Dr. Kimberly Genareau, Geological Sciences The Elusive Evidence of Volcanic Lightning Tuesday, February 14, 2:00 -2:15 PM
Dr. Mary Ann Kelley Capstone College of Nursing Breast Cancer Awareness and Survival: A Personal Journey Through Research Tuesday, February  21,  2:00 -2:15 PM
Dr. Douglas Sherman, Geography Castles Made of Sand: Sand Transport and Why it Matters Tuesday, February 28, 2:00 – 2:15 PM
Dr. Ryan Earley, Biological Sciences Why do Males Exist? Can Hermaphroditic Fish Provide Us With Insight Tuesday, March 7,  2:00 – 2:15 PM

Sponsor:  Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering. Join the fun and learn about science.  Contact:  John Sandy, jsandy@ua.edu, 348-2111

Software Training at Rodgers Library 2017

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Friday, February 10, 3:00-3:30 PM

SolidWorks Demo: How to Create a Wireframe Cube

This SolidWorks Demonstration is aimed at new users of SolidWorks and 3D Design. We will showcase how to use SolidWorks to design an open wireframe cube. Attendees will learn how to use the SolidWorks Sketch Plane, Extruder Boss, and Extruder Cut features. Lastly, we will explain how to prepare and export the wireframe cube for 3D printing.

Monday, February 13, 1:00-2:00 PM

Programmatic Access to Information Using Matlab

This workshop will be an introduction on how to programmatically access data and information from web APIs (Application program Interfaces) using Matlab. We will cover two examples using publically accessible U.S. Government data APIs. The first example will use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle API to access data about vehicles such as manufacturer details, models, and vehicle identification numbers. The second example will demonstrate how to use the National Cancer Institute’s Chemical Identifier Resolver to acquire chemical substance information. Attendees should have some basic exposure to Matlab before attending this workshop.

Friday, February 17, 3:00-3:30 PM

SolidWorks Demo: How to Create a Double Cube Assembly

This SolidWorks Demonstration will build upon our prior Wireframe Cube Demonstration. Attendees will learn how to add moveable parts to their 3D objects. We will add a moveable cube inside of a wireframe cube using the Reference Geometry, Scale, Mirror and 3D Sketches tools within SolidWorks. Finally, we will cover how to prepare and export the double cube assembly for 3D printing.

Tuesday, February 21, 11:00-12:00 PM

Visualizing Data with Origin Pro

OriginPro is a scientific graphing and data analysis program. This workshop will introduce OriginPro and cover how to import data, graph data, and export figures for publication. We will look at an example of how to import data from Knovel (a UA Libraries provided database) and visualize the data with OriginPro. This workshop is for new OriginPro users; no prior experience is needed.

Tuesday, February 28, 3:30-4:30 PM

Text Analysis with Mathematica

Wolfram Mathematica is a technical computing program with a wide variety of applications in areas such as engineering, mathematics, data analysis, and text analysis. The workshop will introduce attendees to text analysis with Mathematica. We will select an eBook from Project Gutenberg, import the text into Mathematica, normalize the text, and then analyze the text finding the most common words and most common phrases. We will also look at how to create some basic visualizations of the text. This workshop is for new Mathematica users; no prior experience is needed.

All Demos/Workshops in the Rodgers Library Scholars’ Station (Room 119).  Contact: Vincent Scalfani, Science and Engineering Librarian, vfscalfani@ua.edu

AHS Download Technique

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The AHS International (The Vertical Flight Technical Society) database is sort of quirky.  When doing a search and seeking to download a paper, a screen pops up and appears to be asking you to BUY the paper.  But there is no cost.  Note the price is $0.00 since UA has a subscription.  Just click on “ADD TO CART” and “START CHECKOUT” next “CONTINUE” and then “COMPLETE ORDER.” A link will appear to the PDF of the paper.

AHS International

Software Training for Fall semester Announced

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Schedule of University Libraries Academic Technologies Workshops Fall 2016. Registration is not required.

For workshop descriptions, visit the Academic Technologies blog: http://bit.ly/acadtech Questions? Contact Melissa Green, mfgreen1@ua.edu, 205-348-3423.

Box Sharing with Box, Monday, Nov. 21, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; Communicating & Editing in Box, Monday, Nov. 28, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; Google Apps Academic Paper Formatting in Google Docs, Monday, Aug. 29, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library; Academic Paper Formatting in Google Docs, Thursday, Sept. 1, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; Microsoft Office Academic Paper Formatting in Microsoft Word, Monday, Aug. 22, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; Academic Paper Formatting in Microsoft Word, Thursday, Aug. 25, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library; NVivo NVivo 11 Overview, Thursday, Sept. 22, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; NVivo 11: Working with Text, Thursday, Sept. 29, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; NVivo 11: Working with Audio, Video, and Images, Thursday, Oct. 6, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; NVivo 11: Analysis & Visualization, Thursday, Nov. 3, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; NVivo 11: Working with Social Media Data, Thursday, Nov. 10, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; NVivo 11: Working with Survey Data, Thursday, Nov. 17, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; NVivo for Literature Review, Thursday, Dec. 1, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; Qualtrics Basic Qualtrics Survey Building & Distribution, Monday, Oct. 31, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; Advanced Qualtrics Survey Building, Monday, Nov. 7, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; Qualtrics Responses & Results Tools, Monday, Nov. 14, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 104 Gorgas Library; Reference Management Reference Management Basics, Thursday, Sept. 8, 9:30-10:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library; EndNote in 30 Minutes, Monday, Sept. 19, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library; EndNote: Gathering & Working with Research Sources, Monday, Oct. 10, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library; EndNote: Creating Bibliographies & Writing Papers, Monday, Oct. 24, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library; RefWorks in 30 Minutes, Monday, Sept. 12, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library; RefWorks: Gathering & Working with Research Sources, Monday, Sept. 26, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library; RefWorks: Creating Bibliographies & Writing Papers, Monday, Oct. 3, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 33 McLure Library

Oculus Rift – Virtual Reality at Rodgers

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Experience virtual reality.  Oculus Rift arrives at Rodgers Library on April 1.   Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset.  The headset and associated hardware is located in a large black box near the Rocket room on the 1st floor.  To get started check out a key for the box at the Circulation Desk.  The Rift features/offers:

  • OLED display
  • Integrated headphones with 3D audio effect
  • Rotational and positional tracking system
  • 3D space

Some content is preloaded for users to test, including a handful of virtual worlds and 360 ̊ video examples.  The system is completely unrestricted allowing users full control.  The account is auto login, a local administrator account, so users can install programs if so desired.  Users can experiment and have the flexibility to do so.

The system has the Unreal gaming engine installer and Unity for users to setup if interested in developing a virtual world. These two programs enable developers to create 3D worlds which can be tested on the Oculus.

Take Oculus Rift for a road test.  It’s an impressive piece of modern technology.  Enjoy!

Software Training Spring 2016

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Registration is not required.

NVivo

NVivo 11 Pro for Windows Overview

  • Monday, March 7, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., McLure Library Room 33
  • Wednesday, March 9, 5:00-6:30 p.m., McLure Library Room 33

 NVivo 11 Pro for Windows: Working with Text

  • Monday, March 21, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., McLure Library Room 33
  • Wednesday, March 23, 5:00-6:30 p.m., McLure Library Room 33

NVivo 11 Pro for Windows: Working with Audio, Video, and Images

  • Monday, March 28, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., McLure Library Room 33
  • Wednesday, March 30, 5:00-6:30 p.m., McLure Library Room 33

NVivo 11 Pro for Windows: Analysis and Visualization

  • Thursday, March 31, 9:30-11:00 a.m., McLure Library Room 33
  • Wednesday, April 6, 5:00-6:30 p.m., McLure Library Room 33

NVivo 11 Pro for Windows: Working with Social Media Data

  • Monday, April 11, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., McLure Library Room 33
  • Wednesday, April 13, 5:00-6:30 p.m., McLure Library Room 33

NVivo 11 Pro for Windows: Working with Survey Data

  • Monday, April 18, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., McLure Library Room 33
  • Wednesday, April 20, 5:00-6:30 p.m., McLure Library Room 33

NVivo for Literature Review

  • Monday, April 25, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., McLure Library Room 33
  • Wednesday, April 27, 5:00-6:30 p.m., McLure Library Room 33

Box

Sharing with Box

  • Thursday, March 10, 9:30-11:00 a.m., McLure Library Room 33

Communicating and Editing in Box

  • Thursday, March 24, 9:30-11:00 a.m., McLure Library Room 33

Qualtrics

Basic Qualtrics Survey Building and Distribution

  • Thursday, April 7, 9:30-11:00 a.m., McLure Library Room 33

Advanced Qualtrics Survey Building

  • Thursday, April 21, 9:30-11:00 a.m., McLure Library Room 33

Qualtrics Responses and Results Tools

  • Thursday, April 28, 9:30-11:00 a.m., McLure Library Room 33

UA Libraries join BioMed Central

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UA Libraries are now a member of BioMed Central.  This STM publisher offers peer-reviewed open access journals.  BioMed Central is publisher of biology, health, and medicine titles, including BMC Biology and BMC Medicine and, in addition, several other health-related journals.

Research articles in BioMed Central journals are freely accessible online immediately upon publication.  Authors of BioMed Central articles retain copyright to their work.  Content in their journals is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

With this membership, UA faculty can publish in  BioMed Central journals at discounted rates.  Open access is a good way to leverage visibility of your research.  PubMed Central journals may be worth a second look if you haven’t already tried.

WorldCat Presentation on Feb. 3

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Rodgers Library will offer a short presentation on access to books for research, instruction, learning, and personal interest – primarily books found in libraries of other universities nationwide.

Where:  Scholars’ Station, Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering

When:  2:00- 2:30 P.M., Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Audience:  For all UA faculty and graduate students

The focus is on Worldcat.  During our presentation, we will share with you important information about the WorldCat database and how to use it in your work.  WorldCat is a master list of books found in most college and university libraries in the United States, plus books in many other libraries such as the Seattle Public Library.

Lectures on Health Topics Winter 2016

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UA’s College of Community Health Sciences is hosting a lecture series to explore medicine and health trends. Faculty will lecture on issues and advances in medicine and research, incorporating science, research, and clinical applications, with questions answered after the lectures. Attendees will learn ways the body works, hear about advances changing how we see disease and health; and find out which way cutting-edge research is headed. These events are free and open to the public and will be held at the Bryant Conference Center. All courses will be held at noon on each day.

Jan 14: Dr. Richard Streiffer          
Choosing Wisely: Picking the Best Medical Care

Jan 21: Dr. Joe Fritz 
The Beat Goes On: Atrial Fibrillation

Jan 28: Dr. Alan Blum
I Don’t Inhale: Cigs, e-Cigs, and Marijuana

Feb 4: Dr. Jane Weida
Family Medicine Cares: Helping Haiti Heal

Feb 11: Dr. Jimmy Robinson
Preventing Athletic Injuries in the Elderly

Feb 18: Dr. Anne Halli-Tierney
Delirium: I’ve Lost My Mind

Feb 25: Dr. Jason Clemons
Diabetes: Managing Your Sugar

Mar 3: Dr. Tom Weida
To Be or Not to Be: Health Care Reform

Ways to Achieve Success at the Library

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There are many things to consider for getting the best results when using Rodgers Library.  Here are a few:

1.  Get to know library staff
2.  Consult the UA Libraries’ Web pages
3.  Renew books to extend loan periods or return them when due
4.  Ask library staff about resources and services offered by the libraries
5.  Visit the UA libraries often (Gorgas, Bruno, McLure, Rodgers, Hoole)
6.  Consult library-prepared research guides for chemistry, nursing, and other subjects
7.  Identify the most important databases in your field
8.  Use Interlibrary loan (ILL) to get books and articles not found in local collections
9.  Use citation management tools – Refworks/Endnotes
10.  Understand locations (Annex, Rodgers, Gorgas) for print books and journals
11.  Learn how to access electronic books and journals
12.  Use free scanners / scan & deliver
13.  Login and use academic software
14.  Collaborate with others in Group Study Rooms

Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering

Evidence Based Medical Literature Search in Databases

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Using PICO (T) as a guide to find medical literature in databases in Nursing and Allied Health Professions

What is PICO (T)? 

PICO (T) is an instrument used in medical and health research to help researchers formulate a question to get evidence based results.

Using PICO (T) format as a tool where applicable can help to base question to begin the literature search.

 

P = Patient, Population, and/or Problem

I = Intervention

C = Comparison

O = Outcome

T = Type of Study or concept of time

 

 

  • Plan a search strategy by identifying major elements of the question to subject terms such as MeSH, Keywords
  • After viewing the initial search results, one can narrow the search for the Comparison, Outcome, Time factors or Type of study

Example:  Does sleep hygiene among healthcare workers increase productivity at work?

 

Frame the question to include PICO (T) elements

 

Frame Natural Language
P (Problem or Patient or Population) Sleep deprivation, healthcare workers
I (intervention) Sleep, rest
C (comparison) Long shift, Not sleeping, stress
O (outcome) productivity

 

 

Key terms in the question  Database Terms –  MeSH*/ Keywords
 P (Problem/Patient/Population)  = Sleep deprivation, healthcare workers Sleep deprivation, insufficient sleep, Health personnel [MeSH]

sleep deprivation [CINAHL]
 I (intervention/indicator)= Sleeping 8 hours,

rest

 

 Sleep hygiene [MeSH]

Sleep hygiene [CINAHL]
 C (comparison)  Standards, Education [ MeSH, CINAHL]
 O (outcome)  Efficiency [ MeSH, CINAHL]

*Medical Subject Heading in PubMed/Medline

 

Useful Links for PICO/Evidence Based searches:

 

http://pubmedhh.nlm.nih.gov/nlmd/pico/piconew.php

http://learntech.physiol.ox.ac.uk/cochrane_tutorial/cochlibd0e84.php

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2127107/pdf/9251552.pdf

Post submitted by Mangala Krishnamurthy

Highlight of 2015

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Great fun was had by all at Rodgers Library’s 25th anniversary celebration in October.  Professor Alan Lane entertained our guests.  Thanks, Alan.

 

 

Photo By Layton Dudley

Alan Lane, a chemical engineering professor, becomes Doobie “Doghouse” Wilson, when he plays his blues and folk music in clubs around the area. CW | Layton Dudley

Rodgers Library Workshops Set for Spring 2016

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Date Time Workshop Instructor
Jan 28 2:00 PM Creating Scientific Graphs in QtiPlot and Basic Graphic Skills for Scientists and Engineers Vincent F. Scalfani
Feb 2 3:00 PM Effective Scientific Presentations Arian Abdulla
Feb 11 2:00 PM Introduction to Adobe Muse Website Design Vincent F. Scalfani
Feb 16 3:00PM Managing your References with EndNote Arian Abdulla
Feb 18 2:00 PM Introduction to Matlab Vincent F. Scalfani
Feb 23 3:00PM PubMed Search Arian Abdulla
Feb 25 2:00 PM 3D Design in Google SketchUp Vincent F. Scalfani
Mar 1 3:00PM Science and Engineering Online Presence Arian Abdulla
Mar 3 2:00 PM Introduction to Matlab Vincent F. Scalfani
Mar 22 3:00PM CVs vs Resumes Arian Abdulla
Mar 24 2:00 PM Chemical Information Resources Vincent F. Scalfani
Mar 29 3:00 PM Working with Google Docs Arian Abdulla
Mar 31 2:00 PM Endnote Reference Management Software Vincent F. Scalfani
Apr 5 3:00PM Web of Science Primary Literature Search Arian Abdulla
Apr 7 2:00 PM Locating and Discovering Science and Engineering Patents Vincent F. Scalfani
Apr 10 3:00PM MathSciNet Arian Abdulla
Apr 19 2:00 PM Searching for Chemical Property Data and Spectra Vincent F. Scalfani
Apr 21 2:00 PM Searching for Inorganic and Organometallic Substances in SciFinder and Reaxys Vincent F. Scalfani
Apr 26 3:00PM Creating Scientific Figures in Excel Arian Abdulla
Apr 28 2:00 PM Searching for Polymers in SciFinder and Reaxys Vincent F. Scalfani

 

Latest on Standards

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Standards are a basic tool of scientists and engineers. At Rodgers Library we use SAI Global to find and order individual standards. SAI Global covers standards from many standards organizations, such as ASME and SAE.  Our approach is to order most standards on demand.  However, since ASTM standards are in high demand, we recently subscribed to ASTM Compass.  In the case of SAI Global users can easily search the database, but the library takes care of the download piece.  ASTM Compass is handled differently.  It is delivered to desktops and users can search and download independently.

Chromebooks Here

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Rodgers Library is now circulating Dell Chromebooks. Chromebooks are laptops that run the Chrome operating system. Chromebooks boot quickly and automatically connect to the University’s wireless network. The Chrome browser loads, and apps such as Word and Powerpoint can be opened as tabs in the browser. Documents can be saved in the cloud or onto a flash drive. Users can sign into the Chromebooks with a guest account, myBama account, or personal Google account (e.g., an account at crimson.ua.edu or gmail.com). Come by Rodgers Library first floor Circulation Desk to check one out.

This post was originally posted by Karen Chapman on Bruno Library blog.

About Rodgers Library

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Rodgers Library is a world-class library.  Rich and diverse collections cover all the sciences, engineering, and nursing.  The library’s major goal is to connect students and faculty with state-of-the-art research done by the world’s leading scholars.   Using sophisticated databases and a broad range of electronic resources, delivered over the Internet, the library is ready to help beginners and sophisticated researchers.  Many users access the library’s resources by computer from remote locations on Campus and from home.  Others visit the library at its physical location near Shelby Hall, at the northeast corner of the Campus.  Enjoy Rodgers Library!

Tip 13: 3D Printing

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Tip 13:  3D Printing.  About three years ago we opened a 3D Printing Studio in Rodgers Library.  Services offered include: 3D printing, 3D scanning, training workshops, and do it yourself 3D printing.  Supporting 3D design and conversion software is installed on the workstations within the 3D Studio. The 3D printers are capable of creating a multitude of 3D plastic objects.

GO to Rodgers 3-D printing.

Go to College of Engineering 3-D printing.

Tip 12: Course Reserves

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Tip 12:  Course Reserves.    Many faculty use extra materials to enhance   instruction in the classroom.  In the library, we refer to these materials as course reserves.  Commonly faculty put books from the Rodgers Library collection or personal copies of books on reserve.  Other materials may be appropriate too.  If the content you want to use is in digital format it is probably more convenient to link digital content in your class syllabus or Blackboard Learn.  Learn more about how we handle course reserves.

Go to Course Reserves.