An Evaluation of Characteristics and Practices Associated with Effective Mentoring within the United States Air Force

The US Air Force has recently implemented a policy of assigning supervisors as the mentors of company grade officers. This study investigated the differences in mentoring effectiveness and perceived barriers to mentoring reported by Air Force company grade officers (CGOs), their organizationally assigned mentors (assigned), and CGO selected mentors (voluntary). Results indicated that junior officers believed they had effective mentoring relationships from both assigned and voluntary mentors, but as officers progressed to the rank of captain, they were more likely to seek out mentors outside of their chains of command. Junior officers indicated work related contact time spent on career related mentoring primarily influenced their judgments of effective mentoring. Leader/Member Exchange, Sense of Competence, Proactive Personality, and Performance Ratings influenced perceptions of mentoring from the mentor perspective. More competent, informed CGOs were less likely to perceive barriers to gaining mentors and mentors were less likely to consider the mentoring relationship risky when the CGOs were more junior in rank (lieutenants). Exposure to mentoring related information increased the effectiveness and decreased the perceptions of barriers for both proteges and mentors. Research conclusions suggest the Air Force Mentoring Program is effective for lieutenants, but the mandatory nature of the program may not maximize benefits for captains

Guided Writing Lessons: Second-Grade Students’ Development of Strategic Behavior

This study describes intra-individual change in strategic behavior of five second-grade students during three months of guided writing instruction for informational text. Data sources included sequential coding of writing behavior from videotaped writing events and analytic assessment of writing products. Students’ development of self-scaffolding supported orchestration of attention across word, sentence, and text levels while writing was studied. Participants encountered challenges in the following linguistic resources: textual organization, degree of explicitness, and presentation of details through appropriate sentence structures

Successional changes in epiphytic rainforest lichens : implications for the management of rainforest communities

We explored lichen species richness and patterns of lichen succession on rough barked Nothofagus cunninghamii trees and on smooth barked Atherosperma moschatum trees in cool temperate rainforests in Victoria, Australia. Nothofagus cunninghamii trees from the Yarra Ranges, and A.moschatum trees from Errinundra were ranked into size classes (small, medium, large and extra-large), and differences in species richness and composition were compared between size classes for each tree species. Nothofagus cunninghamii supported a rich lichen flora (108 trees, 52 lichen species), with the largest trees supporting a significantly higher number of species, including many uncommon species. This success was attributed to varying bark texture, stand characteristics and microhabitat variations as the trees age. Atherosperma moschatum supported a comparable number of species (120 trees, 54 lichen species). Indeed on average, this host supported more lichen species than N. cunninghamii. However, successional patterns with increasing girth were not as clear for A. moschatum, possibly due to the more stable microclimate that this smooth barked host provided. Victorian cool temperate rainforests exist primarily as small, often isolated pockets within a sea of Eucalypt-dominated, fire-prone forest. Many are regenerating from past disturbance. We find that protection of Victoria&rsquo;s oldest rainforest pockets is crucial, as they represent sources of rare, potentially threatened lichen species, and may be acting as reservoirs for propagules for nearby ageing rainforests. Indeed, even single, large old trees have conservation importance, as they may provide exceptional microhabitats, not found elsewhere in the regenerating rainforest environment.<br /

Green cleaning : recipes for a healthy home

"Adapted for use in Missouri from Green Cleaning: Recipes for a Healthy Home by Sharon M.S. Gibson and Pamela R. Turner, University of Georgia Extension, College of Family and Consumer Sciences (2015).""Adapted by Kandace Fisher-McLean, PhD, HHS."A sheet with recipes to make green cleaning supplies

Green cleaning : recipes for a healthy home

"Adapted for use in Missouri from Green Cleaning: Recipes for a Healthy Home by Sharon M.S. Gibson and Pamela R. Turner, University of Georgia Extension, College of Family and Consumer Sciences (2015).""Adapted by Kandace Fisher-McLean, PhD, HHS."A sheet with recipes to make green cleaning supplies

Sharon Gibson Barksdale

Sharon Gibson Barksdale grew up on a working farm in Calloway County, Missouri. She attended the University of Missouri at Columbia where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Home Economics. After teaching briefly she went on to serve for twenty-seven years as Director of School Food Services for Columbia, Missouri. She has been active in the Missouri School Food Service Association and also in the American School Food Service Association, serving as President from 1985 – 1986.https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icn_ohistories/1126/thumbnail.jp

Cleaning healthy. Cleaning green.

Harvested from University of Missouri Extension website."People spend an average of 90 percent of their time indoors. Studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show levels of several common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside. Many of these pollutants come from the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from the household cleaning products. Indoor pollutants can be reduced by limiting the number of chemicals used indoors. By following these basic guidelines you can improve your indoor environment, save money and help conserve natural resources."--First page.Pamela R. Turner, Ph.D. (Associate Professor and Extension Housing Specialist), Sharon M.S. Gibson (retired) (Public Service Associate and Extension Multicultural Specialist). Adapted for use in Missouri by Sharon M.S. Gibson and Pamela R. Turner, University of Georgia Extension, College of Family and Consumer Sciences.Includes bibliographical reference