MY EYES DUE SEE

My Eyes Due See is a multidimensional examination of the “black experience” in America. The installation is composed of a single-channel video, a music composition that utilizes music samples and live instrumentation, and sculptures made up of car parts and broomsedge grass. Each of these elements arranged in space share a nuanced and complicated view of blackness through the lens of a black man decoding personal history and American history simultaneously. Autonomy is the overarching theme throughout the work as it pertains to race, identity, urban and rural environments, and the relationship between generational trauma and nostalgia

22 - “Make Me a Sandwich” - “Poof, You’re a Sandwich!”: Ditransitive Syntax in the Brain

How does the brain distinguish between sentences with nearly identical structures? Neurolinguists have begun to form a fascinating picture of language in the brain in the decades since the first observation of event-related potentials during language tasks. A deeper understanding of syntactic activity—including pattern recognition, ambiguity resolution, and interpretation of functional constituents during sentence processing—would yield insights beneficial to the fields of language education, brain-computer interface, human-computer interaction, and neurolinguistic programs for language acquisition, speech therapy, and rehabilitation of communicative disorders. To map the brain’s responses to sentence structures, we will use scalp electroencephalography (EEG) to measure event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with two specific syntactic constructions. We have developed 250 sentences that use ditransitive verbs--100 ditransitive non-attributive (giving condition), as in “Francine called the clown a taxi”; 100 ditransitive attributive (characteristic condition), as in “Francine called the clown a liar”; and 50 that could be reasonably interpreted either way (ambiguous condition). At the beginning of the IRB-approved experiment, participants will be trained to classify sentences with ditransitive verbs as either giving or characteristic. Then participants will classify each of the 250 sentences, reading and responding to one sentence at a time, approximating a semi-natural reading experience as much as possible. We hypothesize that (1) syntactically ambiguous stimuli will elicit larger P600 effects, (2) misclassification of pre-assigned giving or characteristic stimuli will result in stronger ERN effects related to confidence indicators, and (3) correctness, response time, and confidence will correlate with level of exposure to grammar instruction and recent parsing or diagramming practice. Conclusions will inform a potential follow-up study combining EEG with eye-tracking methodology. By observing language processing in the brain, the study contributes to a syntactic map that will aid in overcoming reading barriers and neurological communication disorders such as speech aphasi

Polar plasmas as observed by Dynamics Explorers 1 and 2

Plasma measurements from the Dynamics Explorer 1 and 2 satellites were used to characterize the polar cap environment. Analysis of numerous polar-cap passes indicate that, in general, three major regimes of plasma exist: (1) polar rain--electrons with magnetosheath-like energy spectra but much lower densities, most intense near the cusp and weakening toward the central polar cap; (2) polar wind--low energy upward flowing ions with both field-aligned and conical distributions; and (3) acceleration events--sporadic events consistent with the acceleration of electrons and positive ions by parallel electric fields. (1) to (3) were observed at high altitudes by Dynamics Explorer 1, while (1) and (3) were also observed at low altitudes by Dynamics Explorer 2. The plasma parameters associated with these plasma regimes are presented and discussed in terms of source and acceleration mechanisms

Research reports: The 1980 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

The Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Program objectives are: to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants and institutions; and to contribute to the research objectives at the NASA centers. The Faculty Fellows engaged in research projects commensurate with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague

The 1982 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

A NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Program was conducted to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members, to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers

Bringing multilateralism back in: ending the war in Afghanistan is not a one-nation job

The United States’ unilateral deal with the Taliban in February 2020 needs to be expanded if it is to achieve success. Because the war in Afghanistan was never purely a domestic one, only a multilateral international agreement can end it and simultaneously empower Afghan stakeholders to determine their country’s future governance. A dual-track United Nations-led mediation platform, bolstered by a collaboration between Washington and Brussels, offers the best means to achieve this end. At the international and regional level, its goal would be conflict management: to end outside support for any faction unwilling to take part in the domestic peace process and to pledge support for any final negotiated peace agreement acceptable to a majority of the Afghan people. Since neither the Afghan government nor the Taliban can win a war or dictate the structure of a future constitutional order without such outside support, this would lay the groundwork for lasting conflict resolution within Afghanistan itself.Published versio

The Labor Force Experiences of Non-College Bound Youth in the South: A Ten-Year Perspective

Debates continue to abound regarding the importance of having an educated, well-trained workforce that can effectively fill the technology-sophisticated jobs emerging in the South. No doubt, the ticket to a decent job continues to be tied to a college education. But, the reality is that not all adults are able to secure a post-secondary education. The question is what prospects exist for those individuals who become non-college bound? This study devotes attention to the plight of young adults in the South who graduated from high school in 1982 and who pursued no post-secondary education of any type over the subsequent ten year period. Special focus is given to their job experiences over time, documenting the extent to which their occupational positions in the local labor market improved or deteriorated over the course of ten years. Our results reveal that serious challenges will plague those individuals who enter the workforce with no formal education beyond high school

The 1981 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program: Research reports

Research reports related to spacecraft industry technological advances, requirements, and applications were considered. Some of the topic areas addressed were: (1) Fabrication, evaluation, and use of high performance composites and ceramics, (2) antenna designs, (3) electronics and microcomputer applications and mathematical modeling and programming techniques, (4) design, fabrication, and failure detection methods for structural materials, components, and total systems, and (5) chemical studies of bindary organic mixtures and polymer synthesis. Space environment parameters were also discussed

Channel, a Model of Channel Erosion by Shear, Scour and Channel Headwall Propagation: Part 1. Model Development

In the research conducted under this project, models were developed which predict channel erosion resulting from shear in gradually varied flow, shearing forces resulting from submerged jets and hydraulic jumps, and shearing forces resulting from free jets impinging a plunge pool. These models are linked with a runoff routing algorithm to develop the CHANNEL model. This model predicts general channel erosion resulting from time varying gradually varied now as well as predicts the development and propagation of channel headwalls. At this writing, the model still has some problems handling the transition from open channel now to a free jet within the scour hole

Simulation of the Sedimentology of Sediment Detention Basins

Sediment detention basins are a widely used means of controlling downstream sediment pollution resulting from stripmining and construction activities. A mathematical model for describing the sedimentation characteristics of detention basins has been developed. This model requires as inputs the inflow hydrograph, inflow sediment graph, sediment particle size distribution, detention basin stage-area relationship and detention basin stage-discharge relationship. Based on this information the model routes the water and sediment through the basin. In this routing process the outflow sediment concentration graph, the pattern of sediment deposition in the basin and the sediment trapping efficiency are estimated. Comparison of predicted results with measured sediment basin performance indicates the model accurately represents the sedimentation process in detention basins. This report details the model, illustrates its use in design, explains how to process the model on a digital computer and presents a program listing of the model