Diving into Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Evolution with Anne Thompson

On this episode of PDXPLORES, Assistant Professor of Biology, Anne Thompson, discusses her award-winning research work studying the diverse ecology of microorganisms found in Earth’s oceans. Thompson’s research examines microbial mortality impacts on the structure of oceanic food webs, carbon flow, and cell interactions that create dynamic patterns of nutrient and energy abundance within diverse aquatic ecosystems. Click on the Download button to access the audio transcript

The Benefits of Animal-Assisted Interventions: Perceptions of Social Workers Working with Veterans

Evidence-based practices utilized by social workers working with veterans experiencing physical (e.g., spinal cord injuries and loss of limbs) and/or mental health (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use) issues are widely used with this vulnerable population. The number of social workers integrating animal-assisted interventions (AAI) or animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as a complementary intervention to these practices is extremely limited. A significant amount of research has been published on AAI and AAT, yet there is a gap in research regarding AAI and AAT as effective complementary approaches when working with veterans. The qualitative method utilized in this study was interviews in which MSWs and LCSWs were asked to share personal experiences while employed at veteran-supported agencies and/or non-profit organizations. The qualitative method of interviews and content analysis were used to help identify the themes and sub-themes of this study. The themes and sub-themes supported the phrases and statements drawn from the seven interviews conducted for this study. Findings supported in this study addressed the value of the human-animal bond, how integrating AAI and AAT with evidence-based practices can assist the veteran in improving quality of life (e.g., a decrease in social isolation, increase in social activity, decrease in substance use), and how important it is to recognize the need to provide the education in this field to social workers. Findings from this study can help to provide the foundation for future research, can underscore the value of offering and integrating AAI and AAT education into more MSW programs, and can contribute to establishing policy where those who can benefit by AAI and AAT are given access to it

Investigating and representing inquiry in a college mathematics course

Recent calls by the National Research Council and the National Science Foundation have stressed the need for excellence in undergraduate mathematics and science education with emphasis placed on inquiry learning. The purposes of this qualitative study include (1) the examination of the pursuit of inquiry in two collegiate mathematics classrooms incorporating methods of mathematical modeling and (2) the generation of a quantitative representation of characteristics of an inquiry environment;Instructors and students in two classes of laboratory-based calculus for life sciences majors were observed. To capture descriptions of the environments and students\u27 mathematical modeling skills, the classes surrounding three science investigations were audio or video recorded; interviews were conducted with one instructor and six students in the researcher\u27s class; and copies of students\u27 lab reports were obtained. Transcripts were coded using various scales to produce graphical images of the classroom environments;The data were used to describe and document the effects of both classroom environments. Instructors\u27 goals and time factors influenced the development of inquiry, mathematical modeling, symbol and language use, and the amount of reflection. In both classes when time was of minimal concern, the class pursued students\u27 questions, developed students\u27 modeling methods and notation, and consistently and frequently linked the mathematics and science contexts. When pressured by time to cover specific mathematical topics, the class pursued instructors\u27 questions and methods and less frequently linked the mathematics and science contexts. Most students in both classes retained a process conception of mathematical modeling as they could apply the developed methods but relied on instructor prompts to relate the mathematics and science contexts;The pictorial representations of the classroom environments illustrated that both classes had periods reflecting a constructivist inquiry environment. The graphs highlighted the classes\u27 implementation of multiple cycles of inquiry, periods of consistency and inconsistency in connecting the mathematics and science, and intervals in which students\u27 or instructor\u27s ideas dominated discussion. Class observations suggested that the pictures lacked clarity in identifying periods of agreement or disagreement of the resonating concepts of students and instructors. Recommendations are made for future examination and representation of inquiry environments

Iron and Prochlorococcus

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution June 2009Iron availability and primary productivity in the oceans are intricately linked through photosynthesis. At the global scale we understand how iron addition induces phytoplankton blooms through meso-scale iron-addition experiments. At the atomic scale, we can describe the length and type of bonds that connect iron atoms to components of photosystem I, the most efficient light-harvesting complex in nature. Yet, we know little of how iron influences microbial diversity and distribution in the open ocean. In this study, we assess the influence of iron on the ecology of the numerically abundant marine cyanobacterium, Prochlorococcus. With its minimal genome and ubiquity in the global ocean, Prochlorococcus represents a model system in which to study the dynamics of the link between iron and primary productivity. To this end, we tested the iron physiology of two closely-related Prochlorococcus ecotypes. MED4 is adapted to high-light environments while MIT9313 lives best in low-light conditions. We determined that MIT9313 is capable of surviving at low iron concentrations that completely inhibit MED4. Furthermore, concentrations of Fe’ that inhibit growth in culture are sufficient to support Prochlorococcus growth in the field, which raises questions about the species of iron available to Prochlorococcus. We then examined the molecular basis for the ability of MIT9313 to grow at lower iron concentrations than MED4 by assessing whole-genome transcription in response to changes in iron availability in the two ecotypes. Genes that were differentially expressed fell into two categories: those that are shared by all (Prochlorococcus core genome) and those that are not (non-core genome). Only three genes shared between MED4 and MIT9313 were iron-responsive in both strains. We then tested the iron physiology of picocyanobacteria in the field and found that Synechococcus is iron-stressed in samples where Prochlorococcus is not. Finally, we propose a method to measure how iron stress in Prochlorococcus changes over natural gradients of iron in the oligotrophic ocean by quantifying transcription of the iron-stress induced gene, isiB. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that iron metabolism influences the ecology of Prochlorococcus both by contributing to its diversity and distinguishing it from other marine cyanobacteria.This work was supported by grants from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (#495 and #495.01), the National Science Foundation (OCE-0425602), the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education established by the National Science Foundation (Z792093-02), and the Department of Energy (DE-FG02-07ER64506 and DE-FG02-08ER64516) to Sallie W. Chisholm. In addition, the work was supported by grants to Mak A. Saito from the Office of Naval Research (N00014-05-1-0704), National Science Foundation Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (Z792384), National Science Foundation Environmental Genomics Program (0723667), and National Science Foundation Chemical Oceanography Program (OCE-0752271 and OCE-0452883)

Satisficing: A Decision-Making Strategy For School Choice

The purpose of this study was to investigate parent decision-making regarding school choice. Data were collected through a survey on how parents approached the decision making task of choosing a school for their child. Parents of kindergarten and first grade students in one public school district in Minnesota and five private schools in surrounding communities were invited to participate. Four bodies of literature provide the theoretical basis of the study. They are education reform; school choice in Minnesota; factors parents consider when choosing schools; and decision-making theory. Satisficing, a concept drawn from Herbert Simon\u27s (1955, 1956) theory of bounded rationality became a key variable in the study. The Maximization Scale short (Nenkov, Morrin, Ward, Schwartz, & Hulland, 2008) was used to identify individuals who maximize, or continually look for the absolute best options in decision-making. Satisficers, in contrast, accept the first best option. The first research question addressed the relationship between the decision-making process parents use to select a school for their children, and the choice they make regarding the school in which they enroll their student(s). Chi-square analysis found a significant difference (X2 = 11.182, df = 4, p \u3c .02) between maximizers and satisficers in regard to the number of schools parents considered before choosing a school. However, there was no significant difference between maximizers and satisficers in the rates at which they enroll their children in schools outside of neighborhood schools. While maximizers considered more school options, these considerations did not translate into leaving the neighborhood school. The second research question examined whether or not there was a difference between parents of first grade students classified as satisficers and those classified as maximizers when asked how satisfied they were with their children\u27s kindergarten. The Chi Square analysis found no statistically significant difference; the satisfaction rates were similar for both maximizers and satisficers. Ninety-one percent (n = 40) of first grade students attended the same school for first grade as they did for kindergarten