The Impact of Weekly Math Tests and Strategy Instruction on Math Fluency

Abstract A significant number of students enter the Elementary II years (Grades 4-6) without basic math fact fluency skills. This means teachers feel they need to revisit these skills and re-teach. This study tackles this concern by exploring the question of whether weekly math fact tests paired with teaching math strategies and individual goal-setting will have an effect on children’s ability to recall basic math facts accurately and efficiently. The study was performed in an Elementary I public Montessori classroom for grades one through three. The classroom community consisted of 25 students with varying strengths and abilities. Nine of the 25 students have Individual Education Plans or are in the process of Special Education referrals. The strategies were taught throughout the project and weekly fact tests were administered to students. I discovered that these two practices combined increased math fluency and confidence in my students

Taxpayer Standing: Maintaining Separation of Powers While Ensuring Democratic Administrative Action

In a landmark 2007 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court broadly expanded its standing doctrine. Traditionally, the U.S. standing doctrine has been narrow, relying largely on the “cases and controversies” language of Art. III of the U.S. Constitution. This doctrine has precluded third-party or tax-payer suits concerning administrative action. This Note compares the U.S. standing doctrine to that of South Africa, which has a much broader notion of who may bring suit. South Africa’s history with apartheid and distrust of government has led to a liberal standing doctrine in which any individual aggrieved by administrative action may bring suit to receive a written explanation from the offending agency. By exploring the doctrines, this Note argues that a similar type of standing in the United States would serve to democratize administrative action while still ensuring a constitutional separation of powers

Opportunities and Constraints for Winona’s Riverfront

Located on the banks of the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota, the City of Winona’s scenic, ecological, and cultural characteristics are some of its strongest assets. Winona is clearly a community with important connections to its water resources. Some of these connections are utilized effectively; some connections are in need of re-connection, and other connections are less understood or under-developed. The research project begins with an understanding that the physical context- including over 50 miles of river, lake, and wetland shoreline within its municipal boundary- is a key asset to the identity and resilience of the community. Winona’s waterfronts include an amazing range of public spaces from the passive ‘traditional’ park spaces along Lake Winona to the ecologically rich wetlands, sloughs, and riparian forest islands and the current Levee Park in the city’s center. Much of Winona’s riverfront and water frontages are unrealized city amenities. With over 8 miles of shoreline along the Mississippi River, Winona is clearly well positioned to improve public access, recreation, and other programming that celebrates its connection to the river, strengthens its economic vitality, supports tourism, and enhances the community as a good place to live. Like many post-industrial river cities, Winona is a water city that has turned its back on its waterfront. Its Levee Park and its surrounding environments have ceased to be the welcoming place of civic activity that it has been in the past. Currently it is a rarely used space dominated by a concrete flood control structure. This research project examined Opportunities and Constraints for rethinking land use and programming along the riverfront in Winona. After a two-day site visit and meetings with local stakeholders, the Center for Changing Landscapes identified seven major opportunities for Winona. These opportunities considered large scale trends in Winona over history and will inform how the Center moves forward with scenario planning and vision planning in the fall of 2013.Prepared in partnership with The Center for Changing Landscapes and The City of Winona by the Community Assistantship Program (CAP), which is administered by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota

The Role of Nuclear Receptor Signaling in Vertebrate Liver Development

Proper embryonic development requires precise genetic regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Organogenesis, the origin and formation of internal organs, must be exquisitely choreographed to ensure correct temporal and spatial patterning of functional organs within the developing organism. The liver is a vital organ responsible for hundreds of essential metabolic functions, but the intricate pathways controlling organ specification, differentiation, and positioning have not been fully elucidated. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms involved in hepatogenesis will enhance our understanding of normal liver development as well as inform the design of therapeutics to combat liver disease. Nuclear receptors are evolutionarily recent signal transducers that occupy a special niche in gene regulation, acting as direct connections between a ligand and its downstream transcriptional target. Nuclear receptor signaling governs many physiological processes, however its impact on liver development is not well understood

The Tallgrass Aspen Parkland Birding Trail: The Stories of the Landscape

The following report serves as a record of research and design work done during the fall of 2013 by the Center for Changing Landscapes and graduate student research assistant Erin Garnaas-Holmes to assist in the Tallgrass Aspen Parkland Birding Trail project. This project is part of a much broader community effort in northwestern Minnesota that seeks to both enhance economic development in the region by bringing more visitors to the area and also inform local residents of the power of their landscapes. The ecological biome of the Tallgrass Aspen Parkland is unique and rare in the United States, and the region attracts high concentrations of diverse migrating birds. Recent waterhsed management projects have formed large swaths of attractive habitat for both migratory and year-round birds. Meanwhile, at a time when the local economy is starting to grow, a tourist attraction like a birding trail could bring valuable business to local communities. According to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, $38.4 billion was spent on wildlife watching activities in 2001. About 48 million Americans observed birds in 2006, and as the population ages that number is predicted to increase. Birding is a year-round activity and has "considerable expenditures" associated with it, including lodging, food and supplies. The establishment of a birding trail is not only a way to attract new visitors to a region, but it also can be a way for current residents to enjoy their own landscape. Birding trail infrasturcture can serve locals as much as visitors, and it can also present opportunities to celebrate the stories and legacies of the region. Birds, like all wildlife and plants, are part of a larger ecosystem that is connected to human history and our current ways of living. By drawing attention to where, how and why wildlife lives where it does, a birding trail can also illuminate how people relate to their landscape and their communities. Erin's contract with the University of Minnesota's Center for Changing Landscapes and Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership was facilitated through the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs Community Assistance Program and the Middle-Snake-Tamarac Rivers Watershed District.Prepared in partnership with The Center for Changing Landscapes, The Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, and The Middle-Snake-Tamarac Rivers Watershed District by the Community Assistantship Program (CAP), which is administered by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota

Linking Gender Policy and Climate Finance

The goal of gender equity is increasingly linked to climate change policy under the assumption that this “issue linkage” will produce important synergies and co-benefits. While the logic and practice of the gender-climate linkage has been critiqued, it has become prominent in international climate change institutions. Various climate funds (e.g. Green Climate Fund, Climate Investment Funds) have adopted policies requiring or encouraging gender mainstreaming or the inclusion of gender co-benefits in projects they fund. Such policies aim to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of improving both gender and climate outcomes, but little has been done to evaluate the capacity of climate change institutions to realize these dual goals. Here we summarize lessons learned from gender mainstreaming in the development sector as well as questions raised by current practices in climate change regarding the advantages, limitations, and best practices for integrating the goals of gender equity and international climate change policy

Implementing Circular Economy at Target Field

Professional paper for the fulfillment of the Master of Science in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy degree.The project idea emerged out of the Minnesota Sustainable Growth Coalition (SGC), a collaborative of over 30 Fortune 500 companies working toward a sustainable environment and economy. One of the members, Target Corporation, is particularly interested in creating a future where all packaging can be recycled (or composted). While Target Corporation is a part of a national coalition working on this issue, it was keen to improve package recycling here in Minnesota. Another SGC member, Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, was also excited about Target’s vision as a way to make circular economy a reality. The University’s connections with Minnesota’s professional baseball stadium operations management, Target Field, provided an opportunity to collaborate on a demonstration project. Target Field was an ideal partner because it was also interested in increasing its recycling rate of plastic packaging. After forming this partnership, Madeline Norgaard, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs took on this opportunity as a capstone project in order to explore options and create an action plan. The following paper describes this issue and a feasible recommendation for moving forward

Mutation mapping and identification by whole-genome sequencing

Genetic mapping of mutations in model systems has facilitated the identification of genes contributing to fundamental biological processes including human diseases. However, this approach has historically required the prior characterization of informative markers. Here we report a fast and cost-effective method for genetic mapping using next-generation sequencing that combines single nucleotide polymorphism discovery, mutation localization, and potential identification of causal sequence variants. In contrast to prior approaches, we have developed a hidden Markov model to narrowly define the mutation area by inferring recombination breakpoints of chromosomes in the mutant pool. In addition, we created an interactive online software resource to facilitate automated analysis of sequencing data and demonstrate its utility in the zebrafish and mouse models. Our novel methodology and online tools will make next-generation sequencing an easily applicable resource for mutation mapping in all model systems.Harvard Stem Cell Institute (Junior Faculty Grant)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1R01DK090311)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 5R01MH084676

Systematic VCP-UBXD Adaptor Network Proteomics Identifies a Role for UBXN10 in Regulating Ciliogenesis

The AAA-ATPase VCP (also known as p97 or CDC48) uses ATP hydrolysis to “segregate” ubiquitinated proteins from their binding partners. VCP acts via UBX-domain containing adaptors that provide target specificity, but targets and functions of UBXD proteins remain poorly understood. Through systematic proteomic analysis of UBXD proteins in human cells, we reveal a network of over 195 interacting proteins, implicating VCP in diverse cellular pathways. We have explored one such complex between an unstudied adaptor UBXN10 and the intraflagellar transport B (IFT-B) complex, which regulates anterograde transport into cilia. UBXN10 localizes to cilia in a VCP-dependent manner and both VCP and UBXN10 are required for ciliogenesis. Pharmacological inhibition of VCP destabilized the IFT-B complex and increased trafficking rates. Depletion of UBXN10 in zebrafish embryos causes defects in left-right asymmetry, which depends on functional cilia. This study provides a resource for exploring the landscape of UBXD proteins in biology and identifies an unexpected requirement for VCP-UBXN10 in ciliogenesis