Teaching Physical Science Through Technology: Middle School VCU PHY 591

Teaching Physical Science through Technology is a new 3-credit laboratory-and-lecture based course designed to serve as an introduction to the teaching of physical science concepts at the middle school level. Physical science phenomena are presented through investigations of commonly known applications of technology and focus on the Virginia Science Standards of Learning for 6th Grade Science and the Physical Science courses. Topics include matter, gravity, mechanics, heat, optics, electricity and magnetism, and computers as seen in their roles in common devices. The development of the course includes assessment from six semesters, collaboration with other institutions including the Science Museum of Virginia, and an 800 page text written by Adam Niculescu

National Disease Laboratory Nears Completion

The National Animal Disease Laboratory, now nearing completion at Ames, Iowa can claim to be a direct lineal descendant of one of the first laboratories of bacteriology, and of the study of animal diseases, in America

Characteristics and Success of Long-Term Contracts in Major League Baseball

The current labor market in MLB is extremely lucrative for both players and owners; however, the system is not without its problems. Over the past two decades, owners have become increasingly aggressive when signing elite players. Owners must offer long-term contracts in excess of $100 million to outbid other teams and secure an elite player to be the face of their franchise. Because MLB contracts are guaranteed, owners take a tremendous risk when signing players to a long-term deal. The purpose of the study was to apply a framework for what a “successful” MLB contract is and then measure all long-term (5+ years) contracts in MLB from 2001 to 2010, in order to provide objective data on the success rate of those long-term contracts. For this study, dollar per Wins Above Replacement ($/WAR) was the objective measurement used to framework success. Additionally, this study sought to reveal characteristics that could assist MLB team executives with deciding which players to give long-term contracts to. The results showed that only 29.7% of long-term contracts were successful. Player’s age, MLB experience, fielding position, and signing with his current team all had statistically significant relationships with contract success. The study implied that teams should give long-term contracts to players between the ages of 21 and 24, have between one and three years of MLB experience, and that teams should sign players already on their team

Business Improvement Districts: Should Lexington Establish One?

Downtown districts are falling victim to surges of new development increasingly taking place outside the city as people seek to escape fast‐paced city life for a more peaceful life in the suburbs. As people move to the suburbs, they either take the businesses with them or the businesses fail to maintain profitability in empty downtowns. Downtown Lexington has been no exception. The recent developments of Hamburg Place and, more recent the developments around Fayette Mall have attracted even more business owners away from downtown. A new implementation approach for revitalization is gaining momentum, as downtowns are introducing policies that enable Business Improvement Districts (BID). In this approach to revitalization, property owners in a district file a petition to impose an additional assessment on themselves. This assessment is used to provide services supplemental to services being provided by the city government. Most BIDs seek to promote the economic development of downtowns, while providing services such as maintenance, street cleaning, security, marketing, and special events. This report seeks to determine if the establishment of a BID has an effect on businesses in downtown districts, while also examining the issue of whether or not Lexington should establish a BID. To determine this, I have analyzed data from the Economic Census Zip Code Business Patterns. I conducted both a two‐sample t‐test with equal variances and a difference in difference regression to estimate if there was a statistically significant difference in the means of BID and Non‐BID cities pre and post‐ BID establishment for the average annual growth rates for number of establishments, number of employees, and average payroll. The studies both failed to estimate that there is a statistically significant difference in the means of BID and Non‐BID cities pre and post‐BID establishment for the average annual growth rates of number of establishments, number of employees, and average payroll. However, there was a low variance in the difference of the BID cities and the Non‐BID comparison cities, meaning that the cities were well matched. Based on my analysis, I would recommend further study of BIDs before establishing a BID in Lexington, perhaps using these same cities, but examining the sales tax receipts or the type of business establishments might provide a better analysis of the impact that BIDs have on businesses