http://hdl.handle.net/1920/1178 http://digilib.gmu.edu:8080/dspace/retrieve/17377 http://hdl.handle.net/1920/1178 Search the Channel search http://digilib.gmu.edu:8080/dspace/simple-search http://hdl.handle.net/1920/2055 Title: Women's Careers in Science and Engineering<br/><br/>Abstract: Echo's Women in Science and Engineering project at George Mason University documented the career experiences of women in science and engineering in recent memory. Our online survey allowed women to tell about their career's in their own words, recording the experiences of women scientists and engineers permanently.The ascent of women in science and engineering has been dramatic during the past decades. More women than ever enter undergraduate and graduate programs and pursue careers in science and engineering. Women's career experiences are still distinct, however, characterized by obstacles and various ways of discrimination.Our aim was to create a rich public database, serving as an educational resource for scientists, scholars, corporate managers and historians alike. Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:46:28 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1920/2054 Title: Video Store Project<br/><br/>Editors: The Echo Project; Greenberg, Joshua<br/><br/>Abstract: This site was part of a larger dissertation project on the history of video retail and shifting attitudes toward motion pictures in America in the 1970s and 1980s. The person responsible for both the design and maintenance of the site (as well as the dissertation) is Joshua Greenberg, a PhD student in the Department of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University.The site is hosted by the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, who also supported work on this project through workshop and grant opportunities. This research was also funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. This project was conducted under the supervision of the Cornell University Committee on Human Subjects. Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:46:21 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1920/2053 Title: The History of USENET<br/><br/>Editors: The Echo Project<br/><br/>Abstract: Usenet, an Internet discussion board pioneer, marks its 25th anniversary in 2004. Users from around the world have gathered at Usenet’s virtual roundtables to discuss topics ranging from aeronautics to zoology, in the process creating vibrant global communities surrounding thousands of subjects and fields. To honor Usenet’s place in the Internet revolution, Echo created this site to gather important recollections of Usenet history. Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:45:18 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1920/2052 Title: The Accident at Three Mile Island<br/><br/>Editors: The Echo Project<br/><br/>Abstract: On March 28, 1979, one of the reactors at Three Mile Island, a nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, overheated. A combination of human error and a string of technical failures triggered a partial meltdown of the plant’s radioactive core and the consequent leakage of radiation into the environment. In the dramatic days following the accident, engineers, scientists and mechanics worked to minimize further release of radiation and to prevent a total meltdown of the core. Meanwhile, state and federal government officials hurriedly tried to come up with emergency response measures. Two days after the accident, Governor Richard Thornburgh advised preschool children and pregnant women within five miles of the plant to evacuate the area. Residents within a ten-mile radius were asked to stay at home, turn off their air-conditioners, and close their windows. Confused and frightened by conflicting information and sensationalist media reports, more than 100,000 people fled the area.Twelve days after the accident, the Governor declared the situation under control. According to officials, “no significant amount” of radioactive iodine and cesium had leaked into the environment; a considerable amount of radioactive noble gases, however, had been released into the air.(1) An extensive clean up of the highly contaminated plant took more than a decade. The radioactive debris and the melted core were shipped to Washington State and Idaho. Three independent government commissions investigated the accident, and several public health studies were conducted. Most studies found no increase in cancer mortality rates of the population living within a five-mile zone of the plant, though an epidemiological study published in 1997 concluded that cancer rates among the population downwind of the plant have increased since 1979. The debate over the medical effects of the TMI accident continues.(2)The TMI partial meltdown, which was the worst accident at an American commercial nuclear power plant, both altered nuclear regulation policies in the United States and shook the public's confidence in nuclear technology.Echo developed an online survey, which invited people to share their thoughts about the TMI crisis. We aimed to collect entries from a broad spectrum of people, ranging from residents who lived near the plant to people who lived in a different part of the country (or in another country) and followed the events through the media. Our aim was to build a free and public archive that serves as a resource for activists and scholars alike. Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:45:15 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1920/2051 Title: Claude Shannon: the Man and His Impact<br/><br/>Abstract: The Claude Shannon project seeks to preserve the memory of the man whose mathematical theories laid the groundwork for the digital communication technology underlying the Internet. Shannon’s ideas, initially applied to telephone switching systems and early computing, proved tremendously useful in other scientific fields including genetics, encryption, and quantum physics. Shannon, dubbed the father of modern information theory, also applied his theoretical work to one of his favorite hobbies, juggling. His famous juggling machines illustrated his creativity, inveterate tinkering and great powers of invention. Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:45:02 GMT