offers a bird's-eye view of the great challenges in physics today. Read about self-organization, network theory, superconductivity, superfluidity, supersolids, quantum mechanics, quantum computing, quantum cryptography, nonlinear equations, chaos theory, fundamental forces, grand unified theories, Higgs field, string theory, loop quantum gravity, supernovae, cosmic microwave background, neutrinos, dark energy, and cosmic rays. (National Science Foundation)

ED's Anne Hancock and First Book Senior Advisor Kit Lunney presented free books to Gulfport students as part of a Gulf Coast Summer Reading Initiative. In all, 250,000 volumes will be donated through a special public-private effort to schools, community libraries and homes in hurricane-affected communities across the Gulf Coast.

Two online science units for middle-school students. One recounts the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to Antarctica and how, when his ship became icebound and was crushed to pieces, he and his crew survived before being rescued two years after their journey began. (TERC, supported by National Science Foundation)

Secretary Spellings announced up to 1.9 million students could be eligible for Academic Competitiveness, National SMART Grants.

ED

Deputy Secretary Ray Simon, Texas Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley, and First Book Senior Vice President Chandler Arnold highlighted the importance of reading and presented free books to students during a visit to the Theodore Johns Library in Beaumont, Texas.

Learn about infrared light, how it was discovered, infrared astronomy, atmospheric windows, and more. An infrared astronomy timeline is included, along with links to news and discoveries, images, and classroom activities. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Learn about infrared light, how it was discovered, infrared astronomy, atmospheric windows, and more. An infrared astronomy timeline is included, along with links to news and discoveries, images, and classroom activities. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Learn about recounts Abraham Lincoln's growth from boyhood to manhood in the newly formed state of Indiana on the western frontier. Learn about his family's move there, his mother's death (when he was 9), his education, his various jobs, frontier life, and the books, people, and experiences that influenced him. (National Park Service, Teaching with Historic Places, National Register of Historic Places)

The June edition of Education News Parents Can Use will look at the ways that state and federal agencies are working with schools and families to promote healthy, active lifestyles in students. The show airs live on June 20, 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET.

Deputy Secretary Raymond Simon testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mental health and wellness experts, education leaders, law and drug-enforcement officials, a criminal judge and juvenile justice advocates from around the country met in Washington, D.C., for their first meeting as members of the newly formed Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Advisory Committee.

Secretary Spellings, First Book Senior Vice President Lynda Lancaster, and Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard highlighted the importance of reading and presented free books to students at Belle Chasse Primary School in Plaquemines Parish, Belle Chasse, Louisiana.

Under the department's Credit Enhancement for Charter Schools Facilities Grant program, seven grants totaling $36.6 million are being provided to organizations in New York, California, Arizona, New Jersey, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Texas.

Online simulations, learning modules, and interactive tools for learning about nanotechnology -- the design and production of structures, devices, and systems one atom or one molecule at a time. Analyze the electronic properties of different nano materials and the optical properties of nanoparticles. Explore molecular conduction, nanofluids, and nanowires. Create simulations of nanoelectronic and nanoelectromechanica­l systems. Registration required. (National Science Foundation)

ED has awarded Louisiana a $23.9 million three-year No Child Left Behind grant to help plan, design, and create new charter schools and increase the school choices that parents have to provide their children.

Literary works are paired with 7 paintings, including Mahantango Valley Farm, Jolly Flatboatmen, and White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas. These paintings and writings help students see the impact of geography, technology, economics, and politics as America moved west, shifted from farming to industry, and fought a civil war. (National Gallery of Art)

Notices inviting applications have been issued recently under ED programs that include the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program; Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education -- Comprehensive Program; Postsecondary Education Programs for Individuals Who Are Deaf; Disability Business Technical Assistance Center Coordination, Outreach, and Research Center; Disability Business Technical Assistance Centers; State Personnel Development Grants Program; and several ED programs related to Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities: Interdisciplinary Training in Analysis of Large-Scale Databases; Preparation of Leadership Personnel; and Combined Priority for Personnel Preparation.

Notices inviting applications have been issued recently under ED programs that include the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program; Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education -- Comprehensive Program; Postsecondary Education Programs for Individuals Who Are Deaf; Disability Business Technical Assistance Center Coordination, Outreach, and Research Center; Disability Business Technical Assistance Centers; State Personnel Development Grants Program; and several ED programs related to Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities: Interdisciplinary Training in Analysis of Large-Scale Databases; Preparation of Leadership Personnel; and Combined Priority for Personnel Preparation.

Secretary Spellings announced the award of more than $27 million in grants for emergency school repairs under the Impact Aid Discretionary Construction Program.