Facebook for Scientists Gets Millions in Funding, Seven Founding Schools Involved

From the Article:

The University of Florida, Cornell University and a handful of other schools have been awarded $12.2 million to build a social/collaborative network for scientists and researchers. The idea is to make it easier to find research and like-minded researchers in an effort to speed new discoveries.

The project, funded via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will initially take of the form of networks within each of the 7 founding schools but within two years could expand across the country. Eventually, the network will go worldwide, grant recipients hope.

Technologies used to support the effort will include VIVO, an open source discovery tool out of Cornell used to search for research information. It will also exploit concepts of the Semantic Web, Tim-Berners Lee’s vision for an even more useful Web that enables better sharing of data.

In addition to the University of Florida and Cornell, also involved in the project are Indiana University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Washington University in St. Louis, the Scripps Research Institute and the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico.

Source: CIO

Publisher’s Weekly Publishes Their Best Books of 2009 Lists

Lists: Top 10 Adult Books of 2009 as Chosen by Editors of Publisher’s Weekly
Yes, it’s true, the end-of-year lists begin rolling out some two months before December 31st. We love lists at ResourceShelf and welcome suggestions and links to include on the site.

This Top 10 list (the first-ever) from Publisher’s Weekly consists of both fiction and non-fiction titles. The books were selected from the 50,000 titles submitted to PW for review in 2009.

Nonfiction

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science, by Richard Holmes

Cheever: A Life, by Blake Bailey

A Fiery Peace in a Cold War: Bernard Schriever and the Ultimate Weapon, by Neil Sheehan

Stitches: A Memoir, by David Small

Shop Class as Soulcraft, by Matthew Crawford

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann

Fiction

Await Your Reply, by Dan Chaon

Big Machine, by Victor LaValle

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, by Geoff Dyer

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, by Daniyal Mueenuddin

This link will take you to the PW reviews of these titles.

The complete list of the 100 adult best books of the year, broken down by major categories, as well as 30 best children’s books of 2009, will appear in the November 2 issue of PW.

Source: Publisher’s Weekly