Mathematics/Science/Engineering
May 2006

The following titles are available at Vairo Library. Film descriptions are from the LIAS CAT entries, most of which are copied or derived from the film containers. For more information on any of the titles, search the LIAS CAT by title, and limit the material type to Video Material.

30 years of National Geographic Specials. (1994)
Celebrates 30 years of televised specials by The National Geographic society.

The Aerospace engineer one in a series. (1990)
Faculty and students describe and illustrate the aerospace engineering program at Pennsylvania State University, including curriculum and facilities.

The Agricultural engineer one of a series. (1990)
Faculty and students describe the agricultural engineering program at the Pennsylvania State University, including the curriculum and facilities.

Applications of conic sections the eccentric professor. (1994)

The Architectural engineer one of a series. (1990)
Faculty and students describe and illustrate the architectural engineering program at the Pennsylvania State University, including curriculum and facilities.

Asia's water crisis the struggle within each drop. (1997)
This video profiles Sri Lanka, the Philippines and the People's Republic of China, and looks toward solutions to Asia's growing water crisis.

The Astronomers. (1991)
A look at the work and worlds of leading scientists and astronomers who are helping to unlock the mysteries of the universe

The birthday of the electron. (1997)
Born of fire creation of a bronze sculpture : lost wax method. (1991)
Gambaro, a Creek Indian, demonstrates the long, complicated process of making a bronze sculpture, using the traditional "lost wax method."

Cathedral the story of its construction. (1985)
Combines location sequences and animation to show the building of a Gothic cathedral. Begins with a tour of Chartres, Reims, Amiens, Bourges, Beauvais, Notre Dame de Paris, Laon, and the Royal Abbey Church of St. Denis. Discusses life in the medieval era and how churches were a center of life.

CELLebration. (1995)
Collection of research videos from the American Society for Cell Biology demonstrates the wide diversity of cell phenomena. The nineteen segments are Heart Beats, Ca++ Waves in Brain Glial Cells, Dancing Ear Cell, Growth Cone Interactions, Blood Vessel Formation, Proteus Swarm Cells, Pseudopodia in Amoeba, Migrating Fish Epidermal Cells, In Vivo Deep Cells, Fern Sperm Release, Streaming Chloroplasts, Mitochondria in Motion, ER Tubule Dynamics, Golgi Tubules and Vesicles, 3-D Animation of Vesicle Trafficking, E. coli Dynamics, Mitosis and Nondisjunction, Embryonic Chromosomes and Spindles, and Asbestos in Epithelial Cells.

The Chemical engineer one of a series. (1990)
Faculty and students describe and illustrate the chemical engineering program at the Pennsylvania State University, including curriculum and facilities.

The Civil engineer one of a series. (1990)
Faculty and students describe and illustrate the civil engineering program at Pennsylvania State University, including curriculum and facilities.

Deserts. (1983)
Travels to Death Valley, California, and, by means of field observation and laboratory experiments, tests the relationships between the chemical processes and geologic products that create a desert.

Dinosaur hunters. (1997)
Join a daring expedition of scientists from the American Museum of Natural History and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences as they uncover a treasure-trove of fossils, shattering long-held myths about the behavior of the Oviraptor.

EDO LiteRider NGV cylinders
Promotional video demonstrating the strength, safety and durability of these cylinders.

A. Einstein. (1988)
Presents a detailed account of the life and times of Albert Einstein through photographs, film clips, and the scientist's published writings. Shows the great social and political forces that dominated so much of Einstein's personal life and professional career.

Einstein's big idea. (2005)
Reveals the roots of Einstein's astonishing breakthrough in the human stories of men and women whose innovative thinking across four centures helped lead to E=mc2, and ultimately unleashed the power of the atom. .

The Electrical engineer one of a series. (1991)
Faculty and students describe and illustrate the electrical engineering program at the Pennsylvania State University, including curriculum and facilities.

Engineering science and mechanics one of a series. (1990)
Faculty and students describe and illustrate the engineering science and mechanics program at the Pennsylvania State University, including curriculum and facilities.

Evolution. (2001)
A documentary television mini-series on evolutionary science and its effect on our lives and on our planet.

Forbidden places unauthorized access. (1997)
Examines the world of technological crime, from computer hacking to telecommunications fraud involving vast sums, providing insight into the depth of the problem and what is being done to prevent it. Interviews with former FBI and CIA agents, and members of the "hackers" community present the problem from both sides of the law.

From swamps to coal. (1983)
Visits Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, where core samples and observations about its rich and varied life forms reveal the processes and history that create coal.

Geology of the Alps. (1983)
Examines the forces that created the Helvetic Alps, one of the most geologically complicated regions of the earth, focusing on evidence of mountain building and probable plate motion.

Glaciers. (1983)
Surveys traces of glaciers in the Alps and the Rocky Mountains, examining the various conditions necessary for the formation of glaciers and investigating the clues they left behind to environments that existed millions of years ago.

Global warming economic policy issues. (1998)
In this panel presentation, moderator Jim Glassman, Robert Hahn, and Paul Portney discuss the economic effects of global warming, especially emissions trading. They also discuss effects of the Kyoto treaty on the world economy.

Healing and the mind. (1993)
In Healing and the Mind Bill Moyers talks with physicians, scientists, therapists, and patients- people who are taking a new look at the meaning of sickness and health.

Hopkins 24/7 ABC News special. (2000)
Groundbreaking six-part documentary series filmed at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, by crews using hand-held cameras around the clock over a 3 month period. The series graphically depicts modern medicine as practiced at the hospital recently voted best in America by US News & World report. Each broadcast consists of a series of interwoven stories featuring staff and patients, their triumphs, tragedies and everyday routines.

The House on the waterfall. (1989)
Documentary about one of the world's greatest architectural wonders and one of its most famous homes. Explores its style, revealing the importance and meaning of the house to the home's original owners as well as to the world of architecture. Includes footage of the Edgar Kaufmann family, for whom Fallingwater was built.

How the mind works. (2000)
Steve Pinker, professor of Psychology and director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at MIT, proposes in a lively and humorous lecture that the mind has been shaped by natural selection to solve problems faced by our ancestors.

Ideal money and asymptotically ideal money. (2003)
John Nash lectures at PSU: Global competition of various monetary schemes and currencies may lead to the evolution of a system or systems of money of higher quality.

Inside volcanoes. (1983)
Views volcanic activity at Surtsey, Heimay, and Mount St. Helens, examining the kinds of lava flow and igneous rocks it produced in order to understand the processes that created many of the earth's landforms.

An interesting equation with relevance to space-time and gravitational waves. (2003)
Lecture (given by John Nash at PSU), is on a specific fourth-order covariant tensor equation and its possible interest in relation to generalized theories of space-time and graviatitional waves.

Intimate strangers unseen life on Earth. (1999)
Provides an overview of the microbial world and offers a clear and exciting picture of the field of microbiology.

Lava flows and lava tubes: what they are, how they form ; Kilauea : close up of an active volcano. (2004)

The Life and work of James Hutton. (1983)
Takes field trips to the sites in Scotland where the 18th-century scientist, Sir James Hutton, gathered his evidence for the seminal geologic theory, the theory of uniformitarianism, which hypothesized that the earth evolved through gradual processes over an immense amount of time.

Lost kingdoms of the Maya. (1993)
An exploration of the forests of Central America and Mexico on the trail of the ancient Maya. Distinguished scientists unearth artifacts, reconstruct cities and decipher the hieroglyphics of an extraordinary civilization.

Materials engineering the future
Promotional video for careers in materials science and engineering.

Math Assessment: Beyond Testing

Math Assessment: Introduction

Math Assessment:Elementary Assessment

The Mechanical engineer one of a series. (1990)
Faculty and students describe and illustrate the mechanical engineering program at the Pennsylvania State University, including curriculum and facilities.

Memory. (2003)
Introduces the basic terms used in the study of memory such as encoding, storage, retrieval, and looks briefly at the historical ideas about memory. Explains modern theories using diagrams and real-life examples. Discusses current research in the area of memory. Explores the reasons for forgetting, outlines the biological basis of memory, and examines ways of improving memory. Emphasizes the radical change in the past decade from laboratory-based research to the study of memory in everyday life.

MicroCosmos le peuple de l'herbe. (1996)
A wordless close-up view of a variety of the insects as they hatch from eggs, search for food and cope with a rain storm. Ants race to gather food as a pheasant gobbles them up while a dung beetle moves his prize up hill and down. Timelapse and mircophotographic techniques are used.

Minerals and rocks. (1985)
Presents basic techniques for classifying minerals and rocks, focusing on the physical properties of minerals, on their chemical composition, and on the three basic types of rocks and how they were formed.

The Miracle of life. (1986)
A documentary which shows the actual conception and development of a baby. Looks inside the male and female reproductive organs to show the formation of sperm and the passage of a fertilized egg through the fallopian tube. Uses a microscope to observe DNA, chromosomes, and other minute body details building up to the moment of birth.

Natural gas in motion. (1987)
Presents the benefits of using compressed natural gas as a fuel for automobiles and other forms of transportation.

The nature of space and time. (1995)

Nature's fury. (2000)
Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods: these colossal powers of nature have had dramatic consequences for humankind. But as massive as these forces are, the stories of heroism and tragedy are very personal. You'll meet heroes, fighting to save homes and lives, but see victims, too, suffering unspeakable tragedies. Join scientists as they study the elemental killers.

The Nuclear engineer one of a series. (1990)
Faculty and students describe and illustrate the nuclear engineering program at Pennsylvania State University, includes curriculum and facilities.

Odyssey of life. (1996)
Lennart Nilsson's micro-photography takes a look at the developing human embryo, comparing it to embryos of other species and revealing its shared ancestry.

The Odyssey of life. (1996)
The photographer who led us into the awe-inspiring world of the womb takes us behind the scenes of his own work. For the first time ever, Lennart Nilsson reveals the state of the art techniques that gave us "The Miracle of Life" and so much more.

Out of the fiery furnace. (1986)
Combining the disciplines of history, science, archaeology and economics, this series traces the story of civilization through the exploitation of metals, minerals and new energy.

Plate tectonics a revolution in the earth sciences. (1983)
Describes the evidence that supports the theory of plate tectonics, from the jigsaw-like coastlines of the continents that can be pieced back together to the electromagnetic studies of the ocean floor.

Precalculus: Chapter 1, Part 1 through Chapter 10

Raging planet : hurricane. (1997)
Follows a hurricane's methodical trip across the Atlantic Ocean, where it gathers momentum and air mass, drawing in warm, moist air and spinning in tighter and tighter circles.

Raging planet : lightning. (1997)
Captures lightning strikes on film and shows how this beautiful phenomenon turns deadly for folks in the wrong place at the wrong, stormy time.

Raging planet : tidal wave. (1997)
Tidal waves, also known as tsunamis are walls of water rising from the shallows, sometimes a hundred feet high and hundreds of miles wide, approaching speeds of 500 miles per hour, Shows how they form and surveys the consequences when they strike land.

Raging planet : tornado. (1997)
Every year in the United States, humid air flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico meets cool, dry air from Canada, spawning hundreds of the violent, twisting storms called tornadoes. Visit Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas where more people are killed by the fearsome funnels than in any other region.

Raging planet avalanche. (1998)
Describes the devastation of avalanches of snow, rock, mud, and ash.

The River a U.S. documentary film. (1985)
A documentary story of the Mississippi River. Traces the history of the Mississippi River and its tributaries ; shows that the destruction of forests has led to erosion and the loss of soil, floods, and the loss of lives and property ; emphasizes the need for conservation and rehabilitation.

The Road to clean air. (1993)
Explores the advantages of using natural gas as fuel for automobiles and trucks as an alternative fuel.

Roman city. (1995)
Shows how the Romans planned and constructed their cities for the people who lived within them and used these cities to link their vast empire into a commercial and political unit. Live-action segments visit historical sites and reveal how these structures were built and used. Animated segments tell the story of the construction and conflicts of a fictional Roman city in the newly conquered territory of Gaul.

Sandstone secrets. (1983)
Investigates the nature of the sandstone in a British quarry, using various sampling and observational techniques, in both field and laboratory, for interpreting sediments.

Skyscraper the vertical masterpiece. (1998)
Architectural experts "discuss the design and cultural significance of the world's tallest skyscraper--the Z-4 Project--currently under construction in Shanghai".--Container.

Studying cooperative games by modeling the actions of the players in a non-cooperative game involving agencies. (2003)
John Nash lecture given at PSU: A new computational approach to the old challenge of understanding cooperation through the study of the selfishly motivated actions of individual participants.

Teaching Math K-4 Tapes 1 through 24

Tsunami killer wave. (1997)
Travel the Pacific Rim to track the underwater earthquakes that spawn tsunamis and watch as residents of this seismically volatile region brace for the next killer wave.

The Tunnel of Samos. (1995)

Understanding: volcanoes. (1997)
Studies the forces that work to create a volcano, visits people whose lives center around real-life towering infernos, and examines the history of volcano study.

The Universe an amazing journey from the sun to the most distant galaxies. (2002)
A video tour of over 200 astronomical objects, featuring images from Hubble, SOHO, TRACE and NASA's other orbiting space telescopes.

Walking with dinosaurs. (2000)
Examines the 155-million-year history of dinosaurs from the aggressive Coelophysis, who first learned to hunt in packs, to Tyrannosaurus Rex, the most terrifying carnivore on the planet. Covers the Late Triassic, Late Jurassic, Early Cretaceous, and Late Cretaceous periods.

Water a cutting edge with time. (1983)
Examines the spectacular evidence of water sculpturing in the canyon of Utah and explores the science of hydrology through demonstrations and observations on a raft ride down the Arkansas River.

Where engineering begins. (1990)
A recruitment tape describing the facilities and programs in the College of Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University.

Why the towers fell. (2002)
For most people the image of the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, was not only a scene of unforgettable horror, it was a moment of unimaginable consequence. This follows a blue- ribbon team of forensic engineers as they begin searching for clues that would tell them why the towers fell. From a detailed examination of the buildings' original design to the relentless process of searching the scrap steel yards and Ground Zero itself for evidence, this was one of the most extensive and difficult disaster investigations ever undertaken.

Wonders of weather. (1996)

The World of chemistry. (1989)
Journey through the exciting world of chemistry with Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann as your guide. The foundations of chemical structures and their behavior are explored through computer animation, demonstrations, and on-site footage at working industrial and research laboratories.

The Wrath of grapes. (1986)
Illustrates the use of pesticides on commercial grape orchards. Presents interviews with owners and workers. Workers discuss their health problems induced by pesticides. Cesar Chavez, spokesman for the United Farm Workers of America, talks about the Union's demands for fair elections in the workplace, good faith bargaining, and testing for residue of pesticides.

Last Updated May 31, 2006

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