The Wild Huntsman (A Message for the Semi-Educated Classes)

Utz Rachowski was Writer in Residence in the Department of German Studies in spring 2012. This story of youth, family, and homeland was originally published in German in 2006

Debris/Ice/TPS Assessment and Photographic Analysis for Shuttle Mission STS-38

A debris/ice/TPS assessment and photographic analysis was conducted for the Space Shuttle Mission STS-38. Debris inspection of the flight elements and launch pad were performed before and after launch. Ice/frost conditions on the external tank were assessed by the use of computer programs, nomographs, and infrared scanner data during cryogenic loading of the vehicle followed by on-pad visual inspection. High speed photography was analyzed after launch to identify ice/debris sources and evaluate potential vehicle damage and/or in-flight anomalies. The debris/ice/TPS conditions and photographic analysis of Mission STS-38, and their overall effect on the Space Shuttle Program are documented

Between Bath and Heaven

Second Prize - 2013 Stephen Crane Fiction Priz

Vol. 2 (pp. 677-1996). “Library notes” by researcher: summaries and long excerpts of testimony by workers about Margaret Schwartz’s death in the fire; engineers, laborers, and hardware dealer about condition of door casing, handrail, lock; and co-defendant/owner Max Blanck about his actions on day of fire

Vol. 2 (pp. 677-1996) “Library Notes,” picks up at page 677, continues to p. 1996 (61-page document), includes excerpts from transcript, more testimony from workers about the fire, what happened to Margaret Schwartz; testimony by engineer as to condition of door casing, handrail, staircases; testimony by engineer and hardware dealer about lock, laborers who found the lock; testimony of owner Max Blanck as to his actions on day of fir

Why do dogs (Canis familiaris) select the empty container in an observational learning task?

Many argue that dogs show unique susceptibility to human communicative signals that make them suitable for being engaged in complex co-operation with humans. It has also been revealed that socially provided information is particularly effective in influencing the behaviour of dogs even when the human’s action demonstration conveys inefficient or mistaken solution of task. It is unclear, however, how the communicative nature of the demonstration context and the presence of the human demonstrator affect the dogs’ object-choice behaviour in observational learning situations. In order to unfold the effects of these factors, 76 adult pet dogs could observe a communicative or a non-communicative demonstration in which the human retrieved a tennis ball from under an opaque container while manipulating another distant and obviously empty (transparent) one. Subjects were then allowed to choose either in the presence of the demonstrator or after she left the room. Results showed a significant main effect of the demonstration context (presence or absence of the human’s communicative signals), and we also found some evidence for the response-modifying effect of the presence of the human demonstrator during the dogs’ choice. That is, dogs predominantly chose the baited container, but if the demonstration context was communicative and the human was present during the dogs’ choice, subjects’ tendency to select the baited container has been reduced. In agreement with the studies showing sensitivity to human’s communicative signals in dogs, these findings point to a special form of social influence in observational learning situations when it comes to learning about causally opaque and less efficient (compared to what comes natural to the dog) action demonstrations