Students’ perceptions of research projects in a first-year integrated science program

Science One at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is an intensive, integrated first-year science program in which the 75 accepted students take math, chemistry, physics, and biology in a year-long cohort. They participate in term projects each semester which are supported by lessons in Scientific Thinking & Literacy, faculty mentorship and reflective exercises. In the term 2 project, students are tasked with answering a scientific research question of their choosing through experimentation or modeling. The term 2 project culminates in a written and oral report at the end of the year. This is a unique opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience with the scientific method while placing an emphasis on transferable skills. We investigated the impact of the term 2 project on students’ perception of learning the scientific method. Students from the most recent cohort of Science One (2022-23) were recruited to participate. Using a mixed methods approach, we conducted a survey to assess the students’ perceptions of the project following completion of their final oral and written reports. Students were also invited to consent to the use of their term 2 reflection assignments to assess their attitudes and perspectives at multiple points throughout the project. This presentation will detail the process of the term 2 project for both students and instructors and provide a detailed discussion of our results. We will conclude with an analysis of the benefits and limitations of expanding small-scale research projects into the broader science curriculum. This research was approved by the UBC Behavioural Research Ethics Board

Singular Continuous Spectrum for the Laplacian on Certain Sparse Trees

We present examples of rooted tree graphs for which the Laplacian has singular continuous spectral measures. For some of these examples we further establish fractional Hausdorff dimensions. The singular continuous components, in these models, have an interesting multiplicity structure. The results are obtained via a decomposition of the Laplacian into a direct sum of Jacobi matrices

A metaproteomic approach to study human-microbial ecosystems at the mucosal luminal interface

Aberrant interactions between the host and the intestinal bacteria are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of many digestive diseases. However, studying the complex ecosystem at the human mucosal-luminal interface (MLI) is challenging and requires an integrative systems biology approach. Therefore, we developed a novel method integrating lavage sampling of the human mucosal surface, high-throughput proteomics, and a unique suite of bioinformatic and statistical analyses. Shotgun proteomic analysis of secreted proteins recovered from the MLI confirmed the presence of both human and bacterial components. To profile the MLI metaproteome, we collected 205 mucosal lavage samples from 38 healthy subjects, and subjected them to high-throughput proteomics. The spectral data were subjected to a rigorous data processing pipeline to optimize suitability for quantitation and analysis, and then were evaluated using a set of biostatistical tools. Compared to the mucosal transcriptome, the MLI metaproteome was enriched for extracellular proteins involved in response to stimulus and immune system processes. Analysis of the metaproteome revealed significant individual-related as well as anatomic region-related (biogeographic) features. Quantitative shotgun proteomics established the identity and confirmed the biogeographic association of 49 proteins (including 3 functional protein networks) demarcating the proximal and distal colon. This robust and integrated proteomic approach is thus effective for identifying functional features of the human mucosal ecosystem, and a fresh understanding of the basic biology and disease processes at the MLI. © 2011 Li et al

Archaeal Methane Cycling Communities Associated with Gassy Subsurface Sediments of Marennes-Oléron Bay (France)

En libre-accès sur Archimer : http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6165.pdfInternational audienceIn Marennes-Oleacuteron Bay, a macro-tidal bay located on the French Atlantic coast, kilometer-scale acoustic turbidity reveals an accumulation of free gas in the sediment. Large concentrations of organic matter and rapid sedimentation rates provide ideal settings for biogenic methane cycling. We integrate seismic, sedimentologic, biogeochemical and molecular genetic approaches to determine whether microbial methane cycling is involved in this process. Here we show that the acoustic turbidity upper boundary matched with X-ray facies displaying fissures with the highest methane concentrations, demonstrating the existence of methane bubbles in the sediment. 16S rRNA and mcrA gene clone libraries were dominated by sequences affiliated to the three known ANME lineages and to putative methanogens. Sequences related to the marine benthic group B (MBG-B) and miscellaneous crenarchaeotal group (MCG) were also detected. However, the highest methane concentration facies was the only section where active Archaea were detected, using reverse-transcribed rRNA, indicating that these communities were involved either directly or indirectly in the methane cycling process. Moreover, three metabolically active novel uncultivated lineages, related to putative methane cycling Archaea, could be specifically associated to these methane bearing sediments. As methane cycling Archaea are commonly retrieved from deep subseafloor and methane seep sediment, the study of coastal gassy sediments, could therefore help to define the biogeochemical habitats of deep biosphere communities

“A Promise To Support Us:” Undocumented Experiences On A Sanctuary Campus

This exploratory study examines the experiences of undocumented students at Hawthorne College, an elite, liberal arts institution with sanctuary status. Drawing primarily on a questionnaire and qualitative interviews, it considers 1) whether undocumented and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students on a sanctuary campus experience the characteristic psychosocial difficulties that mark the lives of undocumented students elsewhere and 2) the extent to which institutional policies mitigate these challenges. The research reveals that sanctuary is neither a panacea for undocumented students’ concerns nor is it a meaningless symbol. Students are protected from some typical barriers to college success, experience other barriers in classic ways, and face still other constraints quite differently in a privileged, high-pressure educational environment. The study adds to emerging research on the undocumented experience in higher education and offers preliminary insights into the promises and limits of the sanctuary campus movement

The Effect of Condensates on the Characterization of Transiting Planet Atmospheres with Transmission Spectroscopy

Through a simple physical argument we show that the slant optical depth through the atmosphere of a "hot Jupiter" planet is 35-90 times greater than the normal optical depth. This not unexpected result has direct consequences for the method of transmission spectroscopy for characterizing the atmospheres of transiting giant planets. The atmospheres of these planets likely contain minor condensates and hazes which at normal viewing geometry have negligible optical depth, but at slant viewing geometry have appreciable optical depth that can obscure absorption features of gaseous atmospheric species. We identify several possible condensates. We predict that this is a general masking mechanism for all planets, not just for HD 209458b, and will lead to weaker than expected or undetected absorption features. Constraints on an atmosphere from transmission spectroscopy are not the same as constraints on an atmosphere at normal viewing geometry.Comment: 6 pages. MNRAS, in press. New version fixes some incorrect numbers in Table 1. References update

The Stellar Population of h and chi Persei: Cluster Properties, Membership, and the Intrinsic Colors and Temperatures of Stars

(Abridged) From photometric observations of $\sim$ 47,000 stars and spectroscopy of $\sim$ 11,000 stars, we describe the first extensive study of the stellar population of the famous Double Cluster, h and $\chi$ Persei, down to subsolar masses. Both clusters have E(B-V) $\sim$ 0.52--0.55 and dM = 11.8--11.85; the halo population, while more poorly constrained, likely has identical properties. As determined from the main sequence turnoff, the luminosity of M supergiants, and pre-main sequence isochrones, ages for h Persei, $\chi$ Persei and the halo population all converge on $\approx$ 14 Myr. From these data, we establish the first spectroscopic and photometric membership lists of cluster stars down to early/mid M dwarfs. At minimum, there are $\sim$ 5,000 members within 10' of the cluster centers, while the entire h and $\chi$ Persei region has at least $\sim$ 13,000 and as many as 20,000 members. The Double Cluster contains $\approx$ 8,400 M$_{\odot}$ of stars within 10' of the cluster centers. We estimate a total mass of at least 20,000 M$_{\odot}$. We conclude our study by outlining outstanding questions regarding the properties of h and $\chi$ Persei. From comparing recent work, we compile a list of intrinsic colors and derive a new effective temperature scale for O--M dwarfs, giants, and supergiants.Comment: 88 pages, many figures, Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplements. Contact lead author for version with high-resolution figure

Using Image Analysis Software to Create a Physical Skull Model for the Facial Reconstruction of a Wrapped Akhmimic Mummy

As part of a larger program of research, several mummies from the city of Akhmim have undergone Computed Tomography (CT) scanning. Analysis of the images of these mummies is providing insight into the age, sex and health of these individuals. In an effort to gain an understanding of how specific people from the city of Akhmim may have looked in life, forensic facial reconstruction was undertaken. This paper is a discussion of the review, analysis and interpretation of the two-dimensional CT images of an Akhmimic mummy through the preparation of virtual on-screen and physical three-dimensional models, including a printed skull