Breakout 1: Launching a Staff Learning Community

Are you interested in using a community-driven approach to improve the culture and processes here at PSU? Join the Staff Learning Community session, where a model will be unveiled that will allow staff to participate in a grassroots process to identify and tackle our campus challenges

Comparison of classroom organization and behavior management across elementary education teacher preparation programs within colleges and universities in New England

This study was designed to examine general education teacher preparation programs and how colleges and universities in New England approach classroom organization and behavior management in their syllabi. This replication study was based on the 2007 study by Oliver & Reschly who examined syllabi from special education teacher preparation in classroom organization and behavior management. Nine colleges and universities in New England contributed 91 elementary education syllabi. Results indicate that there is still insufficient training in teacher preparation programs in the areas of classroom organization and behavior management. A thematic analysis of the same syllabi was implemented to develop five themes, including Diversity, Professional Skills, Curriculum, Family and Community, and Social Justice. Limitations for the study are discussed along with further research needs in this area

Lichen Diversity and Abundance on Sport Climbing Routes at Rumney Rocks, New Hampshire

Climbing has rapidly increased in popularity throughout the last decade. As climbing grows, so does the demand for outdoor climbing establishment. Exposed cliff faces are ideal for climbers, as well as lichens. Lichens are slow growing, dual organisms made up of fungi and algae. They play a pivotal role in nutrient cycling, making nitrogen bioavailable to plants. Given the patterns of climbing and route establishment, we hypothesized that more challenging routes would have greater lichen coverage and diversity than the easier routes. We also expected that the tops of routes would host more foliose, squamulose, and fruticose lichens, as the end of routes may be less trafficked compared to the start. The first author tested this hypothesis by rappelling over climbs with a square meter, estimating coverage of each lichen type. We found that large amounts of crustose lichen are present throughout each climb, with little to no foliose, or fruticose lichen present. Our next steps will be to compare climbs with lichen coverage estimates “off-route” to determine whether there are significant differences in coverage due to climbing activities. Our study will provide much needed information on one of the most overlooked impacts of climbers: the lichen community

Gender Differences in Attitudes Towards Bystander Intervention

In the college environment, young adults are often faced for the first time with new and discomforting situations. In these situations, male and female students may respond differently. This study aims to examine these differences in reactions to situations that involve potential victims of sexual assault. Using 4 items from the Bystander Behaviors Scale (Banyard, Eckstein & Moynihan, 2009, 111) we measure students’ attitudes towards helping possible victims of sexual assault. Data were collected from a convenience sample of undergraduate students surveyed electronically in 2017, are used to examine gender differences. A T-test showed on average females reported attitudes more favorable of helping victims than males. This study aims to raise awareness between both genders on bystander attitudes and intervention

Caring Scoops Ice Cream

The Small Business Ice Cream II class is a special topics course that focuses on starting and running a small ice cream business. The class, alongside the Enactus student organization, have identified what resources are needed to start a small business and have evaluated the start-up considerations needed to bring this business to market. Our goal is to create brand recognition through the sales of our ice cream both on campus and through wholesale accounts in the greater Plymouth area. In order to do this, we are actively conducting market research, aligning distribution channels with our brand, and developing market strategies to promote the brand and cause. We plan to donate a percentage of the proceeds to the Bridge House, a homeless shelter serving veterans and their families in Plymouth and the Lakes Region. We intend to seek funding and support for the purchase of a mobile bike cart that will sell 8 oz cups of ice cream on campus and market the Caring Scoops brand. In addition, we are working on creating long-term vendor relationships alongside The Common Man chain of restaurants to distribute and sell pint-size containers

All Odds Against Them: The Superintendent’s Leadership in Rapid and Sustained System Improvement in Small, Rural, Impoverished, School Districts

This research is an examination of the instructional leadership practices of effective rural superintendents who oversee school districts in small, rural school districts in the most northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The study looked at the successful leadership practices of school district superintendents who have maintained a path of growth and improvement in districts that were small, rural and impoverished, however, they have overcome these limiting factors to show improvement in student achievement and instruction. The purpose of this study was to identify these successful leadership practices and to compare them to those identified in the meta-analysis done by Marzano and Waters in 2009. It is important to discover why these districts improved and identify factors that might account for their success as compared to other districts with similar demographics. There is value in studying the leadership in schools that have needed improvement and become successful and sustained their turnaround over time. Such information will provide a model school leaders can learn from and replicate in their own efforts in future school reform. A multiple case study approach utilized several steps to gather information from four cases selected using the model proposed in a case study done by Masumoto and Brown-Welty in 2009. This current study employed a multiple case study design using interviews with four superintendents, staff members (i.e., teachers and administrators and other educational professionals) at both the building level and at the district level during site visits to each school selected. Interviews were used as primary source data and were compared with documents related to the school district’s work. Results indicate that the factors identified in prior research related to effective district leadership, collaborative goal setting, establishment of nonnegotiable goals for achievement and instruction, creation of school board alignment and support of goals, and the allocation of resources to support the goals for achievement and instruction were present in these successful turnaround rural districts (Marzano & Waters, 2009). In addition, the research identified two new factors, high expectations and climate and culture that appeared to play an important role in the improvement of the districts with increased student achievement despite their challenging demographics. Recommendations as a result of these findings for rural district leaders are discussed

Hydrometeorological Characteristics of Ice Jams on the Pemigewasset River in Central New Hampshire

Ice jams regularly occur across the Northeast U.S. during the winter and early spring and can result in significant localized flooding, such as those that occurred on the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth, NH on 26 February 2017 and 13 January 2018. The hydrometeorological characteristics of 20 ice jams that occurred on the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth, NH since 1981 are investigated. Composite analyses indicate a period of slightly below normal temperatures over the Northeast U.S. from 1–2 weeks before the ice jam date that transitioned into a period of highly anomalous temperatures \u3e7˚C above normal from two days before through one day after the ice jam date. All 20 events were associated with a period of enhanced integrated vapor transport (IVT) \u3e250 kg m–1s–1during the anomalously warm period. The composite synoptic-scale flow over eastern North America was characterized by a plume of integrated water vapor values \u3e25 mm and IVT magnitudes \u3e600 kg m–1s–1into New England resulting in average precipitation totals of 30–50 in the Pemigewasset watershed

Peers Educating Peers: Healthy Living at PSU

Peer leaders worked with eleven students to lead small groups of students using a health and wellness curriculum (HealthyCARE® by Genavix, LLC). This pilot project was used to increase student’s knowledge, awareness and implementation of health promotion skills and behaviors that reinforce the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. This pilot project engaged students weekly and individually, in a collaborative approach to deliver education on nutrition, fitness and total well-being practices to promote healthy behaviors in college students in an open and creative environment. Peer health coaches support like- minded students individually in realizing their own wellness goals through a positive, strengths-focused approach. This project is aligned with Healthy PSU\u27s overarching goal of becoming one of the healthiest campus in the nation by 2020

Coffee with Colleagues

Join us coffee and light refreshment