Using Item Response Theory to Improve Locally-Constructed Multiple Choice Tests: Measuring Knowledge Gains and Curricular Effectiveness

Current science education reform efforts emphasize teaching K-12 science using hands-on, inquiry activities. For maximum learning and probability of implementation among inservice teachers, these strategies must be modeled in college science courses for preservice teachers. About a decade ago, Morehead State University revised their science content courses to follow an inquiry approach. As part of the courses’ assessment, a locally-made, diagnostic pre- and post-test was prepared. The main purpose of this “ex post facto” study was to demonstrate how concepts from Item Response Theory can be used to detect and remove psychometrically faulty items, and how the remaining items can be used by teachers to determine science learning gains in an inquiry-based physical science course that implemented two different curricula, “Physics and Everyday Thinking” and “Interactions in Physical Science”

Using Mesoscale Meteorological Data to Identify Possible Local Effects of Global Climate Change

The most recent consensus of the scientific community regarding global climate change is straightforward: “Human influence on the climate system is clear, and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. Recent climate changes have had widespread impacts on human and natural systems.” Interestingly, the predicted effects at the global scale are probably not going to be observed uniformly across all latitudes and longitudes. This highlights the importance of observing and analyzing meteorological data at the mesoscale level, that is, weather events that range in size from about one mile to about 150 miles and that might go undetected without densely spaced weather observations. In our state, we are fortunate to have the Kentucky Mesoscale Network (KY Mesonet), a network of over fifty automated weather and climate monitoring stations developed by the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University. The purpose of this study was to apply statistical approaches to data from about 50 KY Mesonet stations to test the predictions of global climate change caused by increased temperature and energy in the atmosphere. Variables that were investigated included maximum, minimum, and average temperature; minimum humidity; precipitation; average wind speed; and cloudiness (using insolation as proxy). Even though climate trends occur over many years, it was hypothesized that statistically significant changes will be identified within the data. Understanding the local effects of climate change is important in order to plan ahead and make any necessary changes to minimize its economic and social impact

Precision measurement of the structure of the CMS inner tracking system using nuclear interactions

The structure of the CMS inner tracking system has been studied using nuclear interactions of hadrons striking its material. Data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded in 2015 at the LHC are used to reconstruct millions of secondary vertices from these nuclear interactions. Precise positions of the beam pipe and the inner tracking system elements, such as the pixel detector support tube, and barrel pixel detector inner shield and support rails, are determined using these vertices. These measurements are important for detector simulations, detector upgrades, and to identify any changes in the positions of inactive elements

Precision measurement of the structure of the CMS inner tracking system using nuclear interactions

The structure of the CMS inner tracking system has been studied using nuclear interactions of hadrons striking its material. Data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded in 2015 at the LHC are used to reconstruct millions of secondary vertices from these nuclear interactions. Precise positions of the beam pipe and the inner tracking system elements, such as the pixel detector support tube, and barrel pixel detector inner shield and support rails, are determined using these vertices. These measurements are important for detector simulations, detector upgrades, and to identify any changes in the positions of inactive elements