Synthetic Biology: scope, applications and implications is a report produced by The Royal Academy of Engineering. 

This 2009 report presents the findings of an exploratory public dialogue project, to explore uninformed and informed perceptions of and attitudes to synthetic biology in the UK.

The report is freely available as a PDF here.

A BBC news story reports that birds may use their feathers to feel their surrounds in the way that cats use their whiskers.

Findings of this discovery will be published in the journal Animal Behaviour as ‘Origin and maintenance of mechanosensory feather ornaments’ by Sampath S. Seneviratne and Ian L. Jones. A full-text PDF is available via the Library website, and the article is currently in its proofing stage prior to print publication.

Scientists at the Hanzaki Institute are studying the Giant Japanese salanander, or ‘living fossil’, which is 5ft 6in long and whose skeleton is almost identical to fossils from 30million years ago.  They are also the only salamanders with external fertilisation.

Read the full BBC News article here, also watch Dr Takeyoshi Tochimoto speak about the salamanders and a fight between two of the giant salamanders filmed by scientists at the Hanzaki Institute.

Please see the attached lists for new books received at the Central Library in February. Just click on the book title to go straight to the library catalogue record to see if the item is on the shelves, if it isn’t, you can place a hold on the item.

Biology and Biochemistry New Books February 2010

Haldane Collection New Material 0210

Please let Elizabeth know if you have any suggestions for titles to be purchased for the library.

Please see the attached list for new books received at the Michael Way Library, Silwood in February.

Just click on the book title to go straight to the library catalogue record to see if the item is on the shelves, if it isn’t, you can place a hold on the item.

Silwood New Books February 2010

Please do let Elizabeth know if you have any suggestions for titles to be purchased for the library.

MolecularMovies.org is a portal to cell and molecular animations which  presented in an organized directory. There is also a collection of original tutorials for life science professionals learning 3D visualization and a toolkit for using Molecular Maya – a free software tool that extends Maya’s capabilities for animating molecular strucures.

Their goal is to provide an efficient way for scientists and educators to browse and access existing animations for teaching and communication purposes.

The Library’s lunchtime training sessions for the Spring term have arrived! The sessions are primarily aimed at undergraduates and are delivered in the Central Library, South Kensington.

Life Sciences students may find the following sessions useful: 

Cambridge Scientific Abastracts (CSA) CSA covers major areas of research, including materials science, environmental sciences, biological sciences, engineering and computer science. The session will cover techniques and tips for getting the best results out of CSA and will include a practical hands-on session.

Google Scholar is a service which uses the Google search engine, but searches only scholarly resources. This session will cover search tips, what Google Scholar can do for you, and the advantages and disadvantages of using Google Scholar. 

Intelligent use of the Internet – learn which sources on the Internet to trust We all use the internet but we don’t always know how reliable it is. This session will show you how to decide whether the information you find on the internet is valuable research or just plain rubbish!

Cross-search multiple databases using Metalib, the library’s portal. This information portal provides access to databases and electronic journals subscribed to by the Library. Many of the resources can be cross-searched, where a single search is carried out on more than one database.

PubMed  – the most comprehensive source for biomedical articles. This session is for students who need to find information in medicine and related subjects. The session will cover techniques and tips for getting the best results out of PubMed and will include a practical hands-on session.

RefWorks – learn how to store your references and create a reference list using RefWorks, a web-based package that is particularly useful for undergraduates preparing projects and dissertations, and taught-course postgraduates who don’t use the same PC all the time.

Reading & Note Taking – shows you techniques for improving your reading and note taking skills. You will learn how to read efficiently and effectively and how to make clear and useful notes.

Web of Science – Web of Science is a multidisciplinary database covering a wide range of subjects including science, engineering, humanities, medicine, social sciences and statistics. The session will cover techniques and tips for getting the best results out of Web of Science and will include a practical hands-on session.

To book please complete the booking form  to register for any of these sessions.  Information on all the sessions and a timetable can be found here.

Thanks to everyone who completed our survey in November last year. Almost 2000 responses were received – about 15% of all Imperial students!

Areas of questioning included:

• Satisfaction with core library services e.g. study spaces
• Use and management of electronic resources e.g. adoption of social bookmarking tools
• Awareness and usage of library support services e.g. liaison librarians
• Suggestions for service improvement and change

The library team have a lot of information to work through. We will respond to your key concerns as soon as possible – we’re already discussing possibilities for more PCs with ICT.

In the meantime, see what you said about the Library at: www.imperial.ac.uk/library/survey

SpringerImages provides access to thousands of images,  many covered by the Imperial College London Library subscription. The images include photographs, graphs, histograms, figures and tables. 

The images may be used for most non-commercial purposes, such as lectures and presentations. Image copyright is listed at the bottom of each image details page.

Please note: SpringerImages is currently only available via IP address, so some users may have difficulty accessing the resource off campus. Please see college ICT for advice on connecting to the VPN to enable easier off campus working.

The latest issue of Impact, the library newsletter, is now available. This issue is a special edition which focusses on researchers and the library. It includes:

• Researcher interviews
• Library projects supporting researchers
• Open access publishing
• Working off-campus

There is also a brief look at the initial findings from our recent student survey – full results will be available shortly. 

Pick up a copy from your nearest library, or visit the Impact page of the Library website to view the current and past issues.