High School Student Reactions to an Interdisciplinary Teaching Method in Agricultural Education

Tomorrow’s agricultural workforce will face challenges in the form of complex problems that transcend disciplinary boundaries, including food security. Addressing these complex issues requires professionals to work within and across disciplines in ways that may not have been required in previous generations. Teaching using an interdisciplinary approach may be one approach to helping students develop the skills needed to address these problems. The purpose of this study was to explore student reactions to being taught with an interdisciplinary teaching method in a secondary agricultural education context. Overall, students reacted favorably to this interdisciplinary teaching approach. Several student characteristics contributed to their reactions. Multiple aspects of the facilitation process also impacted student reactions, as did specific features of the interdisciplinary approach. The interdisciplinary teaching approach produced several learning outcomes beyond the technical concepts, including gaining new perspectives and critical thinking. Recommendations for teachers and recommendations for additional research are provided

Cryptoendolith colonization of diverse substrates (1): cultivation and characterization

We are investigating whether cryptoendolithic microorganisms are able to colonize diverse substrates through biogenic weathering. This first part of the study involves the cultivation and characterization of microbial consortia from Antarctic sandstone habitats

The Theory of the Foundation European Initiative

The purpose of the Theory of the Foundation European Initiative was to contribute key insights into European foundations; and to look beyond the direct charitable activities or grant-making of European foundations and instead to explore and understand how foundations operate as organisations in their pursuit of mission and social impact. This we term a "whole foundation approach".Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) established a framework to stimulate discussion around the organisational form of philanthropy called "The Theory of the Foundation."1 Inspired by Peter Drucker's "Theory of the Business,"2 RPA's approach to framing philanthropic practice is detailed in Figure 1 and contains three core domains: Charter, Social Compact, and Operating Capabilities

A Journey to a Global Scholar Identity: An Autoethnography of Agricultural and Extension Faculty’s Experiences

Working in the academy can be a very rewording career, but more and more faculty and graduate students are considering non-academic careers. Understanding the career journey of faculty in academic positions working in international agricultural and extension education (AEE) could be insightful to better understand this niche discipline and be informative to other faculty and graduate students along their own journeys. This article explores the journeys of three faculty members in international AEE. We used an autoethnography to our stories. We are an assistant professor, an associate professor, and a professor. We conducted a focus group and then examined: (a) curriculum vitae, (b) scholarly research, (c) research statements, and (d) teaching philosophies. We found three themes in our journeys: (a) a forked path, (b) peaks and valleys, and (c) navigating beyond – to embrace our professional identities as global scholars in international AEE. Recommendations ae made for AIAEE and other international AEE scholars

Pathophysiology of acute experimental pancreatitis: Lessons from genetically engineered animal models and new molecular approaches

The incidence of acute pancreatitis is growing and worldwide population-based studies report a doubling or tripling since the 1970s. 25% of acute pancreatitis are severe and associated with histological changes of necrotizing pancreatitis. There is still no specific medical treatment for acute pancreatitis. The average mortality resides around 10%. In order to develop new specific medical treatment strategies for acute pancreatitis, a better understanding of the pathophysiology during the onset of acute pancreatitis is necessary. Since it is difficult to study the early acinar events in human pancreatitis, several animal models of acute pancreatitis have been developed. By this, it is hoped that clues into human pathophysiology become possible. In the last decade, while employing molecular biology techniques, a major progress has been made. The genome of the mouse was recently sequenced. Various strategies are possible to prove a causal effect of a single gene or protein, using either gain-of-function (i.e., overexpression of the protein of interest) or loss-of-function studies (i.e., genetic deletion of the gene of interest). The availability of transgenic mouse models and gene deletion studies has clearly increased our knowledge about the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis and enables us to study and confirm in vitro findings in animal models. In addition, transgenic models with specific genetic deletion or overexpression of genes help in understanding the role of one specific protein in a cascade of inflammatory processes such as pancreatitis where different proteins interact and co-react. This review summarizes the recent progress in this field. Copyright (c) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Competencies and Experiences Needed by Pre–service Agricultural Educators to Teach Globalized Curricula: A Modified Delphi Study

The 21st century graduate must be able to interact with people from all over the world and must also be knowledgeable about the world (Longview Foundation, 2008). In order to produce graduates that are globally competent, The National Council for the Accreditation of Teachers (NCATE, 1982) has mandated that multi–cultural education be incorporated as part of the teacher–preparation curricula. The purpose of this study was to identify competencies and experiences needed by agricultural pre–service teachers in order to teach globalized curricula. A modified Delphi method was used and the panel consisted of 13 (n = 13) experts in the field of agricultural teacher education with additional experience in international agricultural education or extension. Twenty competencies and two experiences were identified for pre–service agricultural educators to teach globalized curricula at the high school level

Using a Study Abroad Experience as the Stimulus to Globalize the Secondary Agricultural Education Curriculum

The purpose of this case study was to document how one preservice agricultural education teacher’s study abroad experience was used as a stimulus to globalize a secondary agricultural education curriculum. The lead author participated in a three-week study abroad trip to Costa Rica focused on sustainable agriculture. Upon returning from that trip the researchers developed a four-lesson curriculum on Costa Rican agriculture with lessons focused on Introduction to Latin America, Sustainability, Agroforestry, and Tropical Crops. This curriculum was delivered to a group of ninth grade students in an introductory agricultural education course. The students were taught one lesson per week over a four-week period. Students completed pre- and post-tests to assess their knowledge and a curriculum evaluation survey. Test scores doubled after the curriculum implementation. Additionally, students had favorable opinions about the curriculum. The activities undertaken in this project demonstrate a possible approach to expanding the educational impacts of a study abroad experience. The authors recommend that similar approaches be implemented in other contexts to see if the results can be replicated. The activities undertaken in this project appear to be an effective approach to expose a previously unreached group of young agriculturists to global aspects of their subject. The long-term impacts on these students are beyond the scope of this study but should be examine

Competencies and Experiences Needed by Pre–service Agricultural Educators to Teach Globalized Curricula: A Modified Delphi Study

The 21st century graduate must be able to interact with people from all over the world and must also be knowledgeable about the world (Longview Foundation, 2008). In order to produce graduates that are globally competent, The National Council for the Accreditation of Teachers (NCATE, 1982) has mandated that multi–cultural education be incorporated as part of the teacher–preparation curricula. The purpose of this study was to identify competencies and experiences needed by agricultural pre–service teachers in order to teach globalized curricula. A modified Delphi method was used and the panel consisted of 13 (n = 13) experts in the field of agricultural teacher education with additional experience in international agricultural education or extension. Twenty competencies and two experiences were identified for pre–service agricultural educators to teach globalized curricula at the high school level

Identifying Best Practices for a Successful Study Abroad Program

The purpose of this study was to identify the best practices of study abroad programs before, during, and after the experience. The results of this study will add further to implementing quality educational programs in agricultural and life sciences. A qualitative methodology with participant observation was employed to provide a thick and rich examination of a study abroad experience conducted in Latin America. Results provided specific best practices for activities before, during, and after such an experience. Recommendations and implications are provided

Protracted treatment with MDMA induces heteromeric nicotinic receptor up-regulation in rat brain: an autoradiography study.

Previous studies indicate that 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) can induce heteromeric nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR, mainly of α4β2 subtype) up-regulation. In this study we treated Sprague-Dawley rats twice-daily for 10 days with either saline or MDMA (7 mg/kg) and killed them on day 11 to perform [125I]epibatidine binding autoradiograms on serial coronal slices. Results showed significant increases in nAChR density in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, anterior caudate-putamen, somatosensory cortex, motor cortex, auditory cortex, retrosplenial cortex, laterodorsal thalamus nuclei, amygdala, postsubiculum and pontine nuclei. These increases ranged from 3% (retrosplenial cortex) to 30 and 33% (amygdala and substantia nigra). No increased α4 subunit immunoreactivity was found in up-regulated areas compared with saline-treated rats, suggesting a post-translational mechanism as occurs with nicotine. The percentage of up-regulation correlated positively with the density of serotonin transporters, according to the serotonergic profile of MDMA. The heteromeric nAChR increase in concrete areas could account, at least in part, for the reinforcing, sensitizing and psychiatric disorders observed after long-term treatment with MDMA