Somewhere Between Rational and Irrational: Creativity in the Graduate Research Process and Its Implications for Librarians

Scholars analyzing the relationship between creativity and graduate research have tended to be PhD supervisors and psychologists. Using qualitative research methods and personal insights, these authors have looked closely at what creativity in the research process entails, and have called on supervisors to more effectively, and explicitly, foster creativity in graduate student research. Within this scholarly conversation, the teaching and support services of librarians have been largely overlooked. This presentation contends that librarians are ideal collaborators for the development of creativity in graduate research. What’s more, a review of the doctoral education literature reveals ample opportunity for librarians to engage. In order to illustrate these entry points for engagement, this presentation will identify five themes from the doctoral education literature that dovetail with the work and mission of academic librarianship. These themes include: (1) Academic support groups (2) Affective dimensions of research (3) Literature reviews as integral to creativity (4) Research as nonlinear, and (5) Metacognition. This presentation will show how these five themes intersect with the graduate librarianship literature, Kuhlthau’s affective approach to research, metaliteracy models, and the ACRL frames, and will highlight recommendations for how the literature can inform outreach services and research consultations

Accessing the intangible: An exploratory qualitative study of how pivotal sources affect doctoral students’ research thinking

Information behavior (IB) is the study of how “individuals perceive, seek, understand, and use information in various life contexts” (Case & Given, 2012, p. 3). One component of IB—information seeking—was popularized by Carol Kuhlthau in the 1980s when she integrated the cognitive, affective, and physical acts involved in conducting a library-based research assignment. In her studies with high-schoolers and later with undergraduates, Kuhlthau developed the information search process (ISP) model. Since then, librarians have continued to draw on the ISP model and conduct information-seeking studies so that libraries may recognize “zones of intervention,” optimize the organization of library resources, and inform library services. Over the years, information-seeking research has received more attention than other aspects of IB, and scholars have pointed to how more empirical research is needed to better understand “information use” (Kari, 2007; Savolainen, 2008; Vakkari, 1997). “Use” in this case does not refer to traditional library activities, such as checking out a book or downloading an article, but rather refers to what happens following the information seeking phase: an individual “uses” information intangibly (by thinking about the information and incorporating it into their “knowledge structures”), as well as tangibly (by acting on the information, such as incorporating it into a paper). LIS scholars who have undertaken studies that look at the intangible use of information have tended to draw on a cognitive constructivist framework. Todd (1999), for example, tracked how teenage girls’ exposure to heroin information changed their “knowledge structures,” and Cole (1998) interviewed history PhD students to better understand the nature of their “knowledge structures” when developing a thesis. This presentation builds on this rich literature by sharing the findings from an exploratory qualitative research study. In winter 2022, the presenter received IRB approval to conduct interviews with eleven doctoral students in the social sciences at a large research university. The goal of the study was to understand how doctoral students’ thinking had been affected by pivotal sources, with a focus on any “moments of insight” that researchers may have experienced. Using reflexive thematic analysis, the presenter inductively and deductively code the interview data. This study found that pivotal sources affected the research thinking of doctoral students in six major ways; sources tended to 1) validate 2) expand 3) confirm 4) clarify 5) challenge and/or 6) consolidate one’s thinking. Furthermore, almost all students shared complex affective responses, and a few students elaborated on key moments of insight. By investigating the research thinking of doctoral students, this presentation contributes to the understudied area of “information use” within IB research and deepens our understanding of the intangible processes underlying the graduate research experience

German Americans in Missouri: the American Civil War

Louis Gerteis, a Civil War historian, recalls a common image that Americans had of Germans in the mid-19th century: that of a lager-drinking, Sabbath-breaking, and tenaciously proud group of people (74). While there may have been some truth to this stereotypical depiction, German Americans proved that they had much more to offer American nineteenth-century society than just their vices. German Americans used their cultural pride to create real change in the political landscape of the Civil War era in the United States. Missouri, a scene of intense political debate leading up to and during the Civil War, was a destination for many German immigrants, and was a place in which Germans were particularly politically influential. One of these German Missourians was a young man by the name of Henry Voelkner. Henry’s story survives through eight heartfelt letters he wrote to his family in St. Louis during the beginning years of the Civil War. Dated between 1861 and 1862, Henry’s correspondence communicates his experiences as a soldier in the Union army, and offers invaluable insight into how his German heritage guided his perspective. Using Henry’s personal and localized letters as a base, this paper will focus on the greater implications of his writings. Through the analysis of Henry’s eight letters, and aided by other secondary sources, this paper will attempt to illustrate the significance of German Americans in the formation of, and contribution to, the consequential events taking place in Missouri during the Civil War—events which had lasting impacts on the rest of the country

Striking a Balance: Evidence Synthesis Support for Graduate Students

Evidence synthesis (ES) is the process of systematically collecting studies and synthesizing the findings using strict protocols and criteria. Common examples of ES include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and scoping reviews. While ES has been commonplace in health sciences for many years, it has recently gained traction in non-health sciences fields such as the social sciences. In response to this growing trend, the IMLS-funded Evidence Synthesis Institute was created to offer librarians in-depth training on how to best provide ES support to disciplines outside the health sciences. This presentation draws on the insights of two liaison librarians who work at public R1 universities and who recently attended the Evidence Synthesis Institute. After completing the Institute and gaining a deeper understanding of ES, both librarians have grappled with the best way to implement an ES service in their organizations. The presenters will share two different approaches: one will discuss their word-of-mouth approach to those in their liaison areas, and the other will discuss their role in building a brand new ES program that serves many disciplines. By comparing and contrasting their programs, the presenters will share practical insights into the workflows, relationships, and considerations of providing ES support. Some topics that will be explored include the type of service model (ad hoc versus institutional), getting buy-in from library staff, training, time management, and promotion of the service. The discussion will focus on graduate students in particular and offer advice on how librarians can provide ES support to a contingency that is both researcher and student. The presenters will discuss how they have managed to strike a balance between guiding graduate students on their ES projects while leaving room for graduate students to learn the process themselves. This session will be of interest to librarians who are excited to learn about a new research area and interested in how to support their users, library staff who lack institutional infrastructure and find themselves at an impasse when trying to identify where they fit in this new functional area, and for administrators responsible for setting strategic directions

Catching the SoTL Bug: An Interview with Librarian Lauren Hays

This interview with academic librarian, Lauren Hays, offers insight into the relationship between librarians and the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). In this interview, Ms. Hays discusses her doctoral work regarding academic instruction librarians’ involvement with SoTL and how it affects their teacher identities and instructional strategies. While sharing her own research on the topic, Ms. Hays also offers background information regarding SoTL, including such influential educators as Pat Hutchings and Ernest Boyer. Ms. Hays proposes SoTL as an ideal way for librarians to learn about teaching in higher education, and recommends SoTL as an avenue for librarians to practice and improve their teaching methods

Solita

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High performance direct absorption spectroscopy of pure and binary mixture hydrocarbon gases in the 6 - 11 μm range

The project has received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 636930.The availability of accurate and fast hydrocarbon analyzers, capable of real-time operation while enabling feedback-loops, would lead to a paradigm change in the petro-chemical industry. Primarily gas chromatographs measure the composition of hydrocarbon process streams. Due to sophisticated gas sampling, these analyzers are limited in response time. As hydrocarbons absorb in the mid-infrared spectral range, the employment of fast spectroscopic systems is highly attractive due to significantly reduced maintenance costs and the capability to setup real-time process control. New developments in mid-infrared laser systems pave the way for the development of high-performance analyzers provided that accurate spectral models are available for multi-species detection. In order to overcome current deficiencies in the availability of spectroscopic data, we developed a laser-based setup covering the 6–11 μm wavelength range. The presented system is designated as laboratory reference system. Its spectral accuracy is at least 6.6×10−3 cm−1 with a precision of 3×10−3 cm−1. With a “per point” minimum detectable absorption of 1.3×10−3 cm−1 Hz−1/2 it allows us to perform systematic measurements of hydrocarbon spectra of the first 7 alkanes under conditions which are not tabulated in spectroscopic database. We exemplify the system performance with measured direct absorption spectra of methane, propane, iso-butane, and a mixture of methane and propane.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Laser Spectroscopic Oxygen Sensor for Real Time Combustion Optimization

AbstractA laser spectroscopic oxygen sensor aiming at combustion optimization is developed. The sensor allows for self-monitored operation and has a response time of 300 ms. The accuracy for the oxygen concentration is better than ±0.2 vol%. The laser optical sensor is inherently calibration-free and does not age compared to the conventional ZrO2 probes. The spectroscopic oxygen sensor is based on a diffuse reflective geometry, which minimizes possible optical interference and also alignment problems caused by the thermal cycles of the furnace and an efficient evaluation algorithm that allows for long-term stable operation

Drug-tolerant persister cancer cells are vulnerable to GPX4 inhibition.

Acquired drug resistance prevents cancer therapies from achieving stable and complete responses. Emerging evidence implicates a key role for non-mutational drug resistance mechanisms underlying the survival of residual cancer 'persister' cells. The persister cell pool constitutes a reservoir from which drug-resistant tumours may emerge. Targeting persister cells therefore presents a therapeutic opportunity to impede tumour relapse. We previously found that cancer cells in a high mesenchymal therapy-resistant cell state are dependent on the lipid hydroperoxidase GPX4 for survival. Here we show that a similar therapy-resistant cell state underlies the behaviour of persister cells derived from a wide range of cancers and drug treatments. Consequently, we demonstrate that persister cells acquire a dependency on GPX4. Loss of GPX4 function results in selective persister cell ferroptotic death in vitro and prevents tumour relapse in mice. These findings suggest that targeting of GPX4 may represent a therapeutic strategy to prevent acquired drug resistance

Thiazolyl N-Benzyl-Substituted Acetamide Derivatives: Synthesis, Src Kinase Inhibitory and Anticancer Activities

KX2-391 (KX-01/Kinex Pharmaceuticals), N-benzyl-2-(5-(4-(2-morpholinoethoxy)phenyl)pyridin-2-yl)acetamide, is a highly selective Src substrate binding site inhibitor. To understand better the role of pyridine ring and N-benzylsubstitution in KX2-391 and establish the structure-activity relationship, a number of N-benzyl substituted (2-morpholinoethoxy)phenyl)thiazol-4-yl)acetamide derivatives containing thiazole instead of pyridine were synthesized and evaluated for Src kinase inhibitory activities. The unsubstituted N-benzyl derivative (8a) showed the inhibition of c-Src kinase with GI50 values of 1.34 μM and 2.30 M in NIH3T3/c-Src527F and SYF/c-Src527F cells, respectively. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for inhibition of cell proliferation of human colon carcinoma (HT-29), breast carcinoma (BT-20), and leukemia (CCRF-CEM) cells. 4-Fluorobenzylthiazolyl derivative 8b exhibited 64-71% inhibition in the cell proliferation of BT-20 and CCR5 cells at concentration of 50 μM