Ultra-Short Optical Pulse Generation with Single-Layer Graphene

Pulses as short as 260 fs have been generated in a diode-pumped low-gain Er:Yb:glass laser by exploiting the nonlinear optical response of single-layer graphene. The application of this novel material to solid-state bulk lasers opens up a way to compact and robust lasers with ultrahigh repetition rates.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Journal of Nonlinear Optical Physics & Material

Assessing thePrior Intercultural Experiences,Motivating Factorsand Deterrentsinfluencing4-H Members’ Intention to Participate an International Experience Program

International experience programs (IEPs), such as International 4-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) and other programs employed by U.S Cooperative Extension Programs and international partners, can forge students’ development of a global perspective. The purpose of this study was to determine 4-H members’ prior intercultural experience, perceived motivating factors to participation in an IEP, perceived deterrents to participation in an IEP, and 4-H members’ intentions to participate in an IEP; and to explain 4-H members’ intention to participate in an IEP. Results of this study suggest that 4-H members’ intention to participate in an IEP is predicted by prior intercultural experiences. The effect of prior intercultural experiences is mediated by motivating factors, that is as motivating factors increase, intent increases while reducing the effect of prior intercultural experiences. A recommendation for practitioners to use to bridge the gap between 4-H members and other cultures is to provide varied intercultural experiences in or near the youths’ own communit

Examining the motivations and barriers influencing the decisions of Louisiana state university college of agriculture freshmen to participate in international experiences

© 2015, Assoc. Int. Agricultural and Extension Education. All rights reserved. Over the past decade, universities in the United States (U.S) have increased time and financial investments put toward internationalizing their curricula, particularly in efforts to increase students’ participation in international experiences (IEs). Despite efforts, only 10% of U.S students participated in an IE in the 2011/2012 academic year, of which only 1.3% included students in agriculturally-related majors. The purpose of the study was to examine the motivations and barriers influencing the decisions of College of Agriculture (CoA) freshmen to participate in an international experience (IE). The majority of freshmen were interested in an IE, and they perceived their participation would be at least somewhat important to their education and future career. Overall life experience gained and looks good on a résumé were perceived as the most important motivations. Cost and lack of information were the greatest barriers perceived by freshman students. Freshmen who perceived the most motivations also had greater interest in an IE and viewed an IE as very important, while freshmen who perceived the fewest motivations were those who did not perceive an IE as important. It can be recommended that students who have participated previously in an IE deliver presentations during first year experience courses. These presentations should highlight global components of the curriculum using practical, job-oriented instructional methods that focus on the overall life experiences, career benefits, and résumé strength. To eliminate cost barriers and increase student participation in IEs, CoA administrators and faculty members should work with freshmen to help them locate scholarship opportunities early on in their college career

Walking the Pens: A Case Study of Secondary Agriculture Teachers’ Experiences Using a Serious Digital Game in an Introductory Animal Science Course

In a world where knowledge is a click away, today’s students need information delivered in ways that meet their expectations as digital natives. Serious digital games are one way to meet the demand. This particularistic case study sought to understand agriculture teachers’ experiences using a serious digital game in an introductory animal science course. Three themes emerged from the data collected: 1) the real-world context provided by the game; 2) the game’s potential to promote students’ agricultural awareness; and 3) teachers’ positioning of the game as a secondary teaching approach. Based on these findings, it can be recommended that professional development opportunities be created for teachers to learn how to use serious digital games more effectively in other situations. Inservice workshops focused on using digital games as a primary approach to teaching secondary agricultural education curricula, especially when simulations are necessary for teaching content. Because agricultural literacy was an unintended outcome, future research should focus intentionally on the impact serious digital games have on agricultural literac

Agriculture Teachers’ Use of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs): Teachers’ Perceptions of Innovativeness and Technology Integration

The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to assess the level of innovativeness of Oklahoma secondary agricultural education teachers regarding their use of the interactive whiteboard (IWB). The study also sought to determine if relationships existed between teachers’ IWB innovativeness scores and selected personal and professional characteristics. The findings of this study revealed that as a teacher’s age and years of teaching experience increased, his or her perceived level of innovativeness regarding use of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) decreased. Therefore, younger and less experienced teachers were further advanced in Rogers’s (2003) innovation-decision process. In addition, this study found that a majority of the agriculture teachers were in the implementation and confirmation stages of the innovation-decision process. Implications and recommendations point to creating professional development experiences for teachers in the knowledge and persuasion stages of the innovation-decision process to learn about effective use of IWBs, to acquire procedural or “how-to” knowledge of the IWB, and to have opportunities to practice using it. Additional research should examine how the use of IWBs affects student learning and achievement in school-based agricultural education

Protostellar disks and the primitive solar nebula

The objective is to obtain quantitative information on the turbulent transport of mass, angular momentum, and energy under the conditions that characterize the solar nebula, by direct numerical calculations. These calculations were made possible by research conducted on supercomputers (Cray XMP and Cray 2) by the Ames Computational Fluid Dynamics Branch. Techniques were developed that permitted the accurate representation of turbulent flows over the full range of important eddy sizes. So far, these techniques were applied (and verified) primarily in mundane laboratory situations, but they have a strong potential for astrophysical applications. A sequence of numerical experiments were conducted to evaluate the Reynold's stress tensor, turbulent heat transfer rate, turbulent dissipation rate, and turbulent kinetic energy spectrum, as functions of position, for conditions relevant to the solar nebula. Emphasis is placed on the variation of these properties with appropriate nondimensional quantities, so that relations can be derived that will be useful for disk modeling under a variety of hypotheses and initial conditions

Designing an International Experience Program for 4-H Members in Louisiana

In recent years, the U.S. Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) has worked to develop international exchange programs (IEPs) for 4-H members in some states. However, no such program currently exists in Louisiana. As such, the purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the IEP participation preferences held by 4H members in Louisiana to inform future IEP development and implementation. 4-H members in this study preferred to participate in a short-term IEP during the summer of the 11th grade. Thus, it is recommended that IEP recruitment be geared toward students in the 9th and 10th grades. 4-H members preferred to participate in an IEP located in Europe or Australia/New Zealand. Future research should examine which characteristics of these locations appeal to 4-H members to broaden the appeal of IEPs in other locations. Career related courses and hands-on experience were perceived by 4-H members as important activities to include in the IEP design, whereas staying with a host family was not. Future research should assess whether this finding is specific to members in this study or representative of a national trend that warrants reexamination of the overall design of 4-H IEPs employed by the U.S. CEP

A Major Decision: Identifying Factors that Influence Agriculture Students’ Choice of Academic Major

Colleges of Agriculture (CoAs) are estimated to supply only slightly more than half of the number of graduates needed to fill job openings through 2015. The purpose of this research study was to describe the factors influencing agriculture students’ choice of major. The population for this descriptive research study consisted of full-time CoA freshmen enrolled in AGRI 1001: Introduction to Agriculture at Louisiana State University. A total of 259 students were asked to participate in the electronic survey. All students completed the survey for a 100% response rate. Consistent with the model proposed by Hodges and Karpova (2010), the factors identified in this study included personal characteristics, interpersonal factors, and environmental factors. Moreover, contextual factors unique to agriculture were identified

The Balance of Theoretical and Practical Skills in Agricultural Technical Schools in Haiti: An Exploration of the Curriculum

Haiti, with its alarming hunger index, and serious concerns for the population’s food security status, suggests that its agricultural production and productivity are insufficient to guarantee availability of food for the people. Increased productivity supposes the dissemination of best agricultural practices among farmers, and enough qualified extension agents carrying the scientific findings into the rural communities. However, studies in Haiti, have found that the extension activities are mostly conducted by graduates from TVET schools. Meanwhile, little is known about the quality of the training provided in these institutions. This study explored the balance of practice and theory in Haitian TVET curricula. Individual interviews to directors and teachers and focus groups with students explained the role of practical experiences in TVET curriculum by emphasizing on the importance, the purposes and the amount of such practical experiences in the program of study. The various instructional methods used to ensure sufficient practices were also revealed, specifically, participative methods, research and various field activities. Nevertheless, many barriers impede more practices, which were (a) scheduling, (b) lack of resources, (c) students’ attitudes, (d) absence of laboratories in Haiti, and (e) the rural reality and environmental issues

Exploring the Purpose of Agricultural Technical Schools in Haiti

Haiti is a country which suffers from food insecurity, therefore, agricultural production and productivity are important to ensure availability of food for the Haitian population. Dissemination of best agricultural practices amongst farmers is crucial, and extension agents bring the scientific discoveries into the rural communities. In Haiti, extension activities are primarily conducted by graduates from agricultural TVETs. However, little is known about the current situation of Haitian TVET within the agricultural system. This study is a basic qualitative research which used constructivism, and backwards design as theoretical framework to explore the purpose of TVET within the Haitian agricultural system. Individual interviews to schools’ directors and teachers, and focus groups conducted with students revealed that respondents thought that TVET helped in students’ social mobility by (a) providing training to disadvantaged youth, (b) helping them get financial independence sooner, (c) provide a path towards higher education, or (d) entrepreneurship; it also allows them to build necessary (e) networking and (f) a reputation for their future. On the other hand, agricultural TVET in Haiti had an important role in improving local communities by (a) ensuring rural development and (b) reducing rural outmigration and poverty. Finally, TVET was also crucial within the agricultural extension system because graduates were responsible for (a) providing technical assistance to farmers, (b) improving production practices, (c) helping protect the environment, and (d) training farmers