Strategies that Enhance the Retention of Women in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) workforce: An Integrative Review

The AEC workforce has serious professional skills deficiencies that affect the planning, delivery and maintenance of infrastructure. These skills disparities can be bridged by attracting and retaining women in the industry. Therefore, it is necessary to ascertain the strategies that enhance the retention of women in the AEC workforce. Despite the growing body of scholarship on employee retention, there is a lack of comprehensive review on this topic in the AEC literature. This study adopts an integrative review approach to synthesise knowledge on strategies that enhance the retention of women in the AEC workforce. In total thirty-three papers were extracted. This study identified twelve strategies, however only five retention strategies are discussed in this paper. The retention strategies are classified into organisational and societal (external). These include career development and career progression, family friendly workplace practices, supervisory support, social support from family and friends and support programs from professional networks. This review contributes to the understanding of the retention of women in the AEC industry scholarship. The study also highlights potential areas for future empirical studies to move forward. By understanding the effective retention strategies for women, organisations can design and implement strategies that create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace for women in the AEC workforce

Leveraging Undergraduate Expertise for Effective STEM Instruction: Insights from a Forensic Science Teaching Partnership

Although integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction has been cited as a viable instructional approach to increasing the number of students interested and prepared to enter the STEM workforce, teacher content knowledge can be a limiting factor to effective implementation (Ejiwale, 2013). To address this limitation, college STEM majors can use their content expertise to support the development and implementation of integrated STEM experiences for K-12 students (Ferrara et al., 2018). This research brief reports on a university-high school partnership where undergraduate students in a university forensic science club created and implemented integrated STEM lessons in a local high school classroom. Results indicate undergraduate students gained greater awareness of the complexities of integrated STEM instruction, while also developing greater confidence in their ability to plan and implement effective STEM lessons

Site-specific mechanical weed management for specialty crops through AI-driven robotics

Weed management is one of the most urgent and unresolved challenges in specialty crops in most regions in the United States. For crops like horseradish, which are largely cultivated in Illinois and Wisconsin, the weed issue is magnified because of the crop’s long growing season and sensitivity to chemical applications. Farmers in these states are responsible for more than 80% of the US horseradish market. However, for the current weed control practice, they rely on expensive manual labor, which is in short supply, or repeated application of unlabeled herbicides that degrade soil and lead to a herbicide-resistant weed population. Therefore, there is a need for a site-specific and environmentally responsible weeding solution that meets the practical realities of the horseradish growers. Thus, in an attempt to solve this problem, the mechanical weeding system was developed and deployed, which could identify and remove weeds in horseradish fields. An object detection model was developed to distinguish between weed and horseradish, which achieved an accuracy of more than 90%. A 2-row modular mechanical weeding system performed precisely during the lab-scale testing

Neurodiversity in Action: Understanding the Brain Basis of Dyslexia

Dyslexia, a specific learning disability (SLD) characterized by persistent difficulties in accurate and/or fluent word reading, is often misunderstood. This brief resource, written for non-neuroscientists, describes how research in cognitive neuroscience has revealed systematic differences in the reading brain between individuals with and without dyslexia

Quantifying Tree Height Variation Using UAV and Airborne LiDAR

Forests are not uniform environments; variations in elevation, sunlight, and edge effects create distinct microhabitats that influence how trees grow and thrive. For example, trees in low-elevation natural forests may exhibit different growth conditions than those at higher elevations, even when other factors remain constant. Uneven sunlight distribution across the canopy further shapes growth patterns. In this pilot study, we compared tree height at forest edges and within the interior of a monoculture stand at the Wright Forestry Center. Tree height was measured from LiDAR and drone-based photogrammetry data. We envision future data collection from additional monocultures and the application of a linear mixed-effects model to further evaluate the robustness and accuracy of our findings

Steel Joist and Joist Girder Design

This course starts with the basics of steel joist design, terminology, SJI (Steel Joist Institute) load tables, and special loading conditions, but then will take a closer look at many details on the construction of a joist that you probably haven’t seen before. You will learn what the extra clips and bars are attached to joists and what their purposes are. This will be a picture rich presentation

Exploring Definitions and Frameworks of Information Diplomacy: A Scoping Review Protocol

Information diplomacy is an emerging concept that bridges information science, public diplomacy, and global communication. Although increasingly cited in scholarly and policy discourse, the term lacks definitional clarity and theoretical consensus. A systematic mapping of its explicit usage across disciplines is needed to support conceptual coherence and guide future applications. This scoping review aims to identify, analyze, and synthesize existing definitions, frameworks, and applications of the term information diplomacy in scholarly and gray literature. The review will explore how the concept has been articulated across domains such as international relations, information policy, and communication, focusing exclusively on sources that explicitly use the term information diplomacy, while noting conceptual intersections with related terms such as data diplomacy, library diplomacy, and knowledge diplomacy. Sources will be included if they explicitly use the phrase information diplomacy in the title, abstract, or main text. All publication years will be considered. Materials must be available in English and may include peer-reviewed articles, conference papers, reports, and institutional documents. Searches will be conducted in Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus, supplemented by gray-literature searches of organizational repositories (e.g., WHO, UNESCO, IFLA) and reference-list screening. Two reviewers will independently chart data using a piloted extraction form, capturing publication characteristics, definitions, theoretical framings, and contextual domains. Data will be synthesized thematically and visually mapped to illustrate conceptual relationships. The review will produce a synthesized typology of definitions and frameworks for information diplomacy, reveal disciplinary and contextual variations, and identify conceptual gaps to inform future research, pedagogy, and policy development

Exploring the Efficacy of a Source-Based Writing Tutoring Intervention for Multilingual Students in the Writing Center

Source-based writing skills, which include evaluating, synthesizing, and citing sources, are skills that students are expected to acquire as part of college-level writing. Unfortunately, many multilingual writers (MLWs), especially those in advanced degree programs, lack programmatic support and instruction. Thus, writing centers represent a critical site to offer MLWs tutorial-based support. Our study examined whether or not writing centers can help MLWs develop—and transfer—source-based writing skills in a sequence of three tutorials. We recruited five advanced student MLW participants from different cultural backgrounds who were uncomfortable with source use. Through pre-and postwriting samples, interviews, writing process recording videos, and a long-term follow-up, our findings indicate that our three-sequence tutorial significantly improved advanced MLWs’ source-based writing skills and transferred to the next semester. Improvements occurred in the areas of selecting, organizing, and connecting sources as well as in engaging in appropriate source use and avoiding plagiarism, although some areas showed stronger gains than others. This study contributes to the field’s development of replicable, aggregable, and data-supported best practices to explore the efficacy of tutoring for specific populations. We offer suggestions for writing centers to develop, test, and create tutoring-based MLW support programs

Unpacking Impediments to Digital Transitioning in the Built Environment: An Institutional Analysis Approach

In the rapidly evolving landscape of global development, the digital transition within the built environment holds significant promise for enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and innovation. However, this transition presents unique challenges, particularly in the context of developing countries. This study undertakes a comprehensive examination of the impediments to digital transitioning in the built environment of developing nations, employing an institutional analysis approach to uncover underlying factors shaping these challenges. These barriers can range from regulatory frameworks and governance structures to cultural norms and economic constraints. Understanding these complexities is crucial for designing tailored strategies that address the specific needs and contexts of developing nations. Utilizing semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from government, professional bodies, consultancy, and academia, we explore how market, corporate, and professional logic impede digital transitioning. Key findings indicate that traditional practices, risk aversion, policy misalignment, and inadequate digital solutions are significant hurdles. The research underscores the need for institutional reform to facilitate digital tools like BIM for sustainable, equitable infrastructure, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It calls for strategic policy and cultural shifts to enable a digitally transformed construction sector

The Automation of LAMP Biomolecular Assays Using the Eppendorf Epmotion™ 5075 Robotic Pipettor

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a nucleic acid amplification technique known for its specificity and efficiency in less controlled environments than laboratories. Designing novel LAMP reagents requires strict contamination control, and unlike the more commonly automated polymerase chain reaction, LAMP’s heightened sensitivity poses unique challenges to automation. To address this, we optimized automation procedures for LAMP using a robotic pipettor without altering the core assay itself. This project focuses on minimizing contamination using sealed plates, reducing operator intervention by automating pipetting, and preventing enzyme degradation using cooling plates. Our approach employs pre-slit pierceable seals and cooling blocks to prevent cross-contamination between wells and maintain primer integrity, enhancing the system’s scalability for large sample sizes. The implementation of this automated workflow resulted in an 81.6% reduction in processing time, reducing LAMP assay duration from 1 hour for 16 reactions in a 96-well plate to just 15 minutes. Comparative analysis between manual and automated runs shows no significant difference in reaction profiles, and initial evaluations indicate acceptable levels of cross-contamination. By extending this automation workflow, we aim to create a fully autonomous 24-hour LAMP screening system by integrating a nucleic acid synthesizer for on-demand primer production. Furthermore, this system will interface with AI-based experimental design models, enabling autonomous optimization of LAMP reagent design and assay development. By eliminating manual intervention, the diagnostic process is streamlined, accelerating assay development and enhancing response capabilities for emerging pathogens. This marks a significant advancement in biomolecular diagnostics, with potential for continuous innovation to address evolving public health needs