The Other Culture: Science and Mathematics Education in Honors

TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface — Dail W. Mullins, Jr. Introduction — Ellen B. Buckner and Keith Garbutt Section I: What is Science in Honors? Chapter 1: One Size Does Not Fit All: Science and Mathematics in Honors Programs and Colleges — Keith Garbutt Chapter 2: Encouraging Scientific Thinking and Student Development — Ellen B. Buckner Chapter 3: Information Literacy as a Co-requisite to Critical Thinking: A Librarian and Educator Partnership — Paul Mussleman and Ellen B. Buckner Section II: Science and Society Chapter 4: SENCER: Honors Science for All Honors Students — Mariah Birgen Chapter 5: Philosophy in the Service of Science: How Non-Science Honors Courses Can Use the Evolution-ID Controversy to Improve Scientific Literacy — Thi Lam Chapter 6: Recovering Controversy: Teaching Controversy in the Honors Science Classroom — Richard England Chapter 7: Science, Power, and Diversity: Bringing Science to Honors in an Interdisciplinary Format — Bonnie K. Baxter and Bridget M. Newell Section III: Science and Mathematics in Honors for the Non-Science Student Chapter 8: Honors Science for the Non-Science-Bound Student: Where Have We Gone Wrong? — Bradley R. Newcomer Chapter 9: Engaging the Honors Student in Lower-Division Mathematics, Minerva Cordero, Theresa Jorgensen, and Barbara A. Shipman Chapter 10: Statistics in Honors: Teaching Students to Separate Truth from “Damned Lies” — Lisa W. Kay Chapter 11: Is Honors General Chemistry Simply More Quantum Mechanics? — Joe L. March Section IV: Science in Honors for the Science Student Chapter 12: Communicating Science: An Approach to Teaching Technical Communication in a Science and Technology Honors Program . — Cynthia Ryan, Michele Gould, and Diane C. Tucker Chapter 13: Designing Independent Honors Projects in Mathematics — Minerva Cordero, Theresa Jorgensen, and Barbara A. Shipman Chapter 14: Honors Senior Theses Are ABET Friendly: Developing a Process to Meet Accreditation Requirements — Michael Doran Section V: Interdisciplinary Approaches in Honors Science Curricula Chapter 15: Interdisciplinary Science Curricula in Honors — Dail W. Mullins, Jr. Chapter 16: The Science of Humor: An Interdisciplinary Honors Course — Michael K. Cundall, Jr. Chapter 17: An Interdisciplinary Understanding of a Disease: Project for an Honors-Embedded Biochemistry Course — Kevin M. Williams Section VI: Thinking like a Scientist: A Toolkit Chapter 18: Replacing Appearance with Reality: What Should Distinguish Science in an Honors Program? — Larry J. Crockett Chapter 19: Confronting Pseudoscience: An Honors Course in Critical Thinking — Keith Garbutt Chapter 20: Science Education: The Perils of Scientific Illiteracy, the Promise of Science Education — Glenn M. Sanford Acknowledgements — Ellen B. Buckner and Keith Garbutt About the Author

Elders Impressions of Ethicolegal Issues in Healthcare

Ethicolegal issues are those that involve ethical and legal considerations when one is deciding on a course of action. They include topics in advance directives, basic human needs, general nursing care, and health care decision-making. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of elders regarding geriatric care. Seniors ages 65 and older were interviewed using the Seniors Perspectives Regarding Elder Care Issues (SPRECI) questionnaire to obtain qualitative responses. Eight open-ended questions developed by the investigator comprised the SPRECI. The questionnaire was reviewed for content validity by a CNS with cardiovascular and administrative experience, a faculty member with experience in geriatric nursing, a faculty member with experience in ethicolegal issues, and another with experience in research methods. Emergent themes: (a) general nursing care, (b) basic needs, (c) advance directives, (d) decision making, and 5) understanding, intimate that elders commend hospitals for effectively providing for the geriatric patient, yet they identify deficits in trust, communication, and frustration with that care. The implication is that nurses should become more active in eliciting information from elders which accurately document their experiences in health care settings. This information is needed in order to address elders ethicolegal needs

The Honors Thesis for Health Sciences Students: A Service Abroad Model

Despite advances in health care sciences and increased awareness of health disparities, unnecessary gaps in outcomes among vulnerable populations and a lack of adequate solutions to combat common diseases worldwide continue. Those deficiencies and the blurring of international borders have led to an increased need for health care professionals to understand health and the factors that influence it on a global scale (Wernli et al.). Nurses comprise the largest group of direct patient care providers in the world and have historically played an essential role in promoting health and improving patient outcomes regardless of the setting. The multifaceted and ever-changing healthcare landscape requires health care professionals to possess competence beyond critical thinking and technical skills that are typically included in health science curricula. Persistent increases in globalization have led to an urgent need for nursing students to understand health through a global lens (Allam and Riner 236). According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nursing faculty are mandated to prepare nursing students to ensure they are prepared to work with diverse team members to effectively address the health care needs of patients of diverse cultures in diverse settings (“Toolkit”). In other words, nurses should be globally prepared prior to entering the workforce and have a commitment to lifelong global learning. Incorporating global learning into the already demanding health science curricula is challenging. The traditional approach of delivering lectures and giving assignments directed toward identifying cultural differences among select groups and discussing specific health topics related to certain countries is useful; however, more is needed to facilitate a broader foundational understanding of health on a global scale. Nursing programs should develop global learning opportunities to provide students with opportunities to comprehend fully the importance of understanding health in the context of our global society. Operating honors programs in nursing schools is an ideal way to prepare global nursing leaders (Lim et al. 99). Internationalizing honors nursing is beneficial in laying the foundation necessary to encourage future nursing leaders to embrace diversity, promote health, and improve patient outcomes in our global society. One strategy is to offer honors thesis options in international settings. Buckner and Holcomb previously explored international honors thesis development. They described a nursing honors experience where students collaborated and shared scholarly outcomes with nursing and health care colleagues abroad (275–87). Several students continued leadership development in international settings following graduation and are mentoring others in those processes

Honors and Non-Honors Student Engagement: A Model of Student, Curricular, and Institutional Characteristics

Honors administrators may ask whether honors experiences facilitate student growth and whether honors students are inherently smarter than non-honors students and hence more able to seize these opportunities for growth. Although these questions will never fully be answered, we designed the current study to address the underlying topics of student characteristics and engagement in honors within the larger university. Students’ motivation, their willingness to extend beyond the minimal level, significantly influences engagement. Honors students are engaged in experiences, curricular and extracurricular, that promote development, and the types of additional opportunities available to honors students and the feedback they receive affect participation. The interaction between honors students and their instructional environment may encourage them to engage with available resources more fully than non-honors students do

Honors and Non-Honors Student Engagement: A Model of Student, Curricular, and Institutional Characteristics

Honors administrators may ask whether honors experiences facilitate student growth and whether honors students are inherently smarter than non-honors students and hence more able to seize these opportunities for growth. Although these questions will never fully be answered, we designed the current study to address the underlying topics of student characteristics and engagement in honors within the larger university. Students’ motivation, their willingness to extend beyond the minimal level, significantly influences engagement. Honors students are engaged in experiences, curricular and extracurricular, that promote development, and the types of additional opportunities available to honors students and the feedback they receive affect participation. The interaction between honors students and their instructional environment may encourage them to engage with available resources more fully than non-honors students do

Honors and Non-Honors Student Engagement: A Model of Student, Curricular, and Institutional Characteristics

Honors administrators may ask whether honors experiences facilitate student growth and whether honors students are inherently smarter than non-honors students and hence more able to seize these opportunities for growth. Although these questions will never fully be answered, we designed the current study to address the underlying topics of student characteristics and engagement in honors within the larger university. Students’ motivation, their willingness to extend beyond the minimal level, significantly influences engagement. Honors students are engaged in experiences, curricular and extracurricular, that promote development, and the types of additional opportunities available to honors students and the feedback they receive affect participation. The interaction between honors students and their instructional environment may encourage them to engage with available resources more fully than non-honors students do

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Cortical and subcortical brain structure in generalized anxiety disorder: findings from 28 research sites in the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group

The goal of this study was to compare brain structure between individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and healthy controls. Previous studies have generated inconsistent findings, possibly due to small sample sizes, or clinical/analytic heterogeneity. To address these concerns, we combined data from 28 research sites worldwide through the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group, using a single, pre-registered mega-analysis. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data from children and adults (5–90 years) were processed using FreeSurfer. The main analysis included the regional and vertex-wise cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and subcortical volume as dependent variables, and GAD, age, age-squared, sex, and their interactions as independent variables. Nuisance variables included IQ, years of education, medication use, comorbidities, and global brain measures. The main analysis (1020 individuals with GAD and 2999 healthy controls) included random slopes per site and random intercepts per scanner. A secondary analysis (1112 individuals with GAD and 3282 healthy controls) included fixed slopes and random intercepts per scanner with the same variables. The main analysis showed no effect of GAD on brain structure, nor interactions involving GAD, age, or sex. The secondary analysis showed increased volume in the right ventral diencephalon in male individuals with GAD compared to male healthy controls, whereas female individuals with GAD did not differ from female healthy controls. This mega-analysis combining worldwide data showed that differences in brain structure related to GAD are small, possibly reflecting heterogeneity or those structural alterations are not a major component of its pathophysiology

Cortical and subcortical brain structure in generalized anxiety disorder: findings from 28 research sites in the enigma-anxiety working group

The goal of this study was to compare brain structure between individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and healthy controls. Previous studies have generated inconsistent findings, possibly due to small sample sizes, or clinical/analytic heterogeneity. To address these concerns, we combined data from 28 research sites worldwide through the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group, using a single, pre-registered mega-analysis. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data from children and adults (5–90 years) were processed using FreeSurfer. The main analysis included the regional and vertex-wise cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and subcortical volume as dependent variables, and GAD, age, age-squared, sex, and their interactions as independent variables. Nuisance variables included IQ, years of education, medication use, comorbidities, and global brain measures. The main analysis (1020 individuals with GAD and 2999 healthy controls) included random slopes per site and random intercepts per scanner. A secondary analysis (1112 individuals with GAD and 3282 healthy controls) included fixed slopes and random intercepts per scanner with the same variables. The main analysis showed no effect of GAD on brain structure, nor interactions involving GAD, age, or sex. The secondary analysis showed increased volume in the right ventral diencephalon in male individuals with GAD compared to male healthy controls, whereas female individuals with GAD did not differ from female healthy controls. This mega-analysis combining worldwide data showed that differences in brain structure related to GAD are small, possibly reflecting heterogeneity or those structural alterations are not a major component of its pathophysiology