In an attempt to raise the profile of worthwhile science education projects, Science magazine has started handing out the Science Prize for Online Resources in Education, or SPORE. This week's award is going to a project called Open Source Physics. Started by a group of college professors, the site offers simulation software on a wide variety of topics in the physical sciences (including astronomy), accompanied by guides and lesson plans that help integrate it into the classroom.

The software available on the site, as its name implies, all comes with the source code; it's written in Java so it will work across platforms. There are also libraries that take care of a lot of the heavy lifting for physics: drawing and plotting, differential equation solvers, exporting to animated GIFs and movies, etc., all available under the GPL for others to use to create their own simulations.

Setting up a useful site has been a learning experience for the people behind it; in accepting the SPORE, they write, "We learned that 'freely available on the Internet' is not enough. The process of establishing and cultivating an active international community that shares new simulations takes an ongoing commitment." That commitment seems to be paying off; the site is now serving over 10,000 visitors a month, which is pretty good for a fairly niche audience.