People, Places and Ideas: A Year-long Conversation with Rural Alaskan Students

Research Question: How can developing strong writing prompts elicit strong student responses concerning the evidence of climate change in a rural Alaskan fishing village? Method: For this case study, my pre-service secondary teacher education students were paired (via e-mail) with middle school students in rural southwestern Alaska. The Alaskan students were from the small fishing village of Eek, which has a population of approximately 280. Through a process of continual refinement, my secondary education students drafted and revised writing prompts that encouraged the Alaskan students to think in terms of how climate change is changing their way of life

Scholarly Communication and Publishing Lunch and Learn Talks

This series of talks focuses on issues in scholarly communication and publishing presented to University Library System (ULS), University of Pittsburgh colleagues by staff members of the ULS Office of Scholarly Communication and Publishing. Many of these talks feature "toolbox" tips on how to apply knowledge gained from the talks. Links to recordings of the talks are provided when available. For topics and presentations, see the record for each talk

Scholarly Communication and Publishing Lunch and Learn Talk #12: Kickstarting Open Access Week 2014

For the June 2014 talk, we discussed plans for Open Access Week 2014, the 7th Open Access Week commemorated internationally and the 4th at Pitt. We began with a report on the recent SPARC-sponsored 2014 Open Access Week Planning Kickoff Webcast. Featuring speakers from California, Kansas, and Kenya, the webcast offered many good ideas on how to engage faculty, students, and library colleagues in Open Access Week activities and scholarly communications issues. Then we continued with some brainstorming to generate ideas on how we can use Open Access Week to get our message out about the open sharing of knowledge and how we can all deliver that message in a way that resonates with Pitt faculty and students. We also discussed some of our ideas for this year's Open Access Week, scheduled for October 20-26, 2014

Scholarly Communication and Publishing Lunch and Learn Talk #1: ULS Journal Publishing -- Why We Do It

This series of talks focuses on issues in scholarly communication and publishing presented to University Library System (ULS), University of Pittsburgh colleagues by staff members of the ULS Office of Scholarly Communication and Publishing. Many of these talks feature "toolbox" tips on how to apply knowledge gained from the talks. Links to recordings of the talks are provided when available. For topics and presentations, see the record for each talk

Mechanisms of Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) invasion and their management implications – A review

Ecosystems are under increasing stress from environmental change, including invasion by non-native species that can disrupt ecological processes and functions. Chinese tallow [Triadica sebifera (L.) Small] is a highly invasive tree species in southeastern US forests, prairies, and wetlands, and effectively managing this invasive species is a significant challenge for scientists and land managers. In this review, we synthesize the literature on invasion ecology and management of Chinese tallow. Our review suggests that the invaded range of Chinese tallow is currently limited by dispersal in many areas and by low temperatures and low soil moisture, and by high soil salinity and frequent flooding in others, but these barriers may be overcome by increased dispersal, phenotypic plasticity, and/or rapid evolution. Invasions by Chinese tallow are facilitated by both the invasiveness of the species and the invasibility of the recipient communities. Invasiveness of Chinese tallow has been attributed to fast growth, high fecundity, a persistent seed bank, aggressive resprouting, abiotic stress tolerance, and the ability to transform fire maintained ecosystems. Some of these traits may be enhanced in invasive populations. Anthropogenic and natural disturbances, lack of herbivore pressure, and facilitation by soil microbes enhance the intensity of Chinese tallow invasions. Biological control of Chinese tallow is being developed. Treatments such as herbicides, prescribed fire, and mechanical control can effectively control Chinese tallow at the local scale. A combination of these treatments improves results. However, a proactive management approach would simultaneously achieve invasion control and promote subsequent ecological restoration, especially in the context of legacy effects, secondary invasions, and/or variable ecosystem responses to different control treatments. Future research should clarify the roles of species invasiveness and community invasibility, increase our understanding of the effects of Chinese tallow in invaded communities, and develop viable management regimes that are effective in both controlling or reducing the probability of Chinese tallow invasion and restoring desired native communities

Efficacy Study of Reminicense Theatre with the Elderly

Undergraduate Theoretical Proposa

Scholarly Communication and Publishing Lunch and Learn Talk #14: Traditional Scholarly Peer Review

For the August 2014 talk, we discussed traditional peer review. We outlined the origins and history of peer review, as well as the process, ethics, and problems of tradition single and double-blind peer review. We discussed the responsibilities of authors and reviewers during the peer review process, and we reviewed case studies to discuss some of the complexities that can arise during peer review

Scholarly Communication and Publishing Lunch and Learn Talk #10: SPARC and the Library Publishing Coalition

At the April 2014 talk, you will learn about the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and the Library Publishing Coalition (LPC), two organizations that provide tools, services, and advocacy to support our goals of innovation and excellence in scholarly communication. OSCP staff will discuss what they learned at recent SPARC and LPC events, and how these organizations can help improve services for scholars in the Pitt community and beyond. TOOLBOX TIP: How to use the SPARC Web site to find advocacy information concerning new federal and state legislation affecting academic research, all from a library-friendly perspective that supports sharing, openness, and innovation in scholarly communications