Click on the new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Learning Web at http://www.usgs.gov/education/ to try your hand at exploring the world of natural science. The site has a new look with an enhanced search capability and special areas designed specifically for students in grades K-12, teachers, and "explorers" (everyone else).

Students will find handy research tools, such as glossaries covering volcanoes, mapping, biology, and water; they can do searches for assistance with school project ideas and find help with homework.

Teachers and homeschoolers will find lesson plans with innovative activities regarding environmental concerns, fossils, caves, and much more.

"Explorers" can look into areas of special interest to them, such as understanding natural hazards, investigating careers in science, and tracing history through maps.

The special search wizard will provide web surfers with a simple interface to help narrow search results. A playtime wizard will provide engaging activities and three-dimensional pictures. The image wizard will bring to life a myriad of pictures to be searched. All visitors can become map wizards by creating their own maps.

The USGS serves the nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.

This press release and in-depth information about USGS programs may be found on the USGS home page: http://www.usgs.gov. To receive the latest USGS news releases automatically by email, send a request to listproc@listserver.usgs.gov. Specify the listserver(s) of interest from the following names: water-pr; geologic-pr; geological-pr; biological-pr; products-pr; lecture-pr. In the body of the message write: subscribe (name of listserver) (your name). Example: subscribe water-pr joe smith.