Rural Science Teachers\u27 Intentions of Integrating STEM Career-Related Lessons

Researchers have shown rural elementary and middle-grade science teachers\u27 inability to integrate STEM career-related lessons into their curricula despite engagement in professional development linked to the teachers\u27 intent-driven beliefs. Researchers, however, have not investigated the influence of intentions on teachers\u27 abilities to integrate STEM career-related lessons into science instruction. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how intentions impacted rural elementary and middle-grade teachers\u27 ability to integrate STEM career-related lessons during science instruction. Guided by Ajzen\u27s (1988) theory of planned behavior, this study was designed to examine teachers\u27 intentions to integrate STEM career-related lessons during science instruction and the underlying causes of such intentions. In this transcendental phenomenological study, reflective journal entries and interview data were collected through purposeful sampling of 10 rural elementary and middle-grade science teachers. Data were analyzed using a modification of the Van Kaam method of analysis. Findings showed that teachers intended to regularly integrate STEM career-related lessons, but needed more support from their administrators, colleagues, and community partners in fulfilling their intents to integrate STEM career-related lessons. Additional studies are needed for an increased understanding of how teachers in rural areas intend to integrate STEM career-related lessons amid challenges rural teachers face. This study may be of benefit to administrators and teachers who want to unite efforts in constructing a positive climate of integrating STEM career-related lessons during science instruction

Race, Sentencing, and the Pretrial Process

Previous research has suggested that racial disparity originates from judicial decisions at sentencing; however I argue that racial disparity may originate at the pretrial stage. First, research has consistently demonstrated a potential discriminatory link between race/ethnicity and incarceration. Second, other research has demonstrated that minorities are likely to be assigned a high bail, less likely to afford that bail, and more likely to be detained pretrial. Finally, recent research has also suggested that pretrial detention can lead directly to more guilty pleas and a higher likelihood of incarceration. I predict that accounting for pretrial outcome will decrease the impact of race on the probability of incarceration at the conviction stage. I argue that utilizing a sample of indicted individuals (opposed to convicted offenders) is appropriate approach in type of study. I find that the impact of race on sentencing outcome is reduced when pretrial outcomes are included in the model

Chronic

This piece of creative nonfiction explores chronic pain in American women. Through biased research, negligent medicine, and misinterpreted appointments, women are disenfranchised by the American medical industry. Specifically, women suffering from chronic pain face unprecedented challenges while trying to find a diagnosis or treat their pain. This thesis explores chronic pain and American medicine through the lens of nonfiction. By diving into the subjective nature of pain while working within the equally as subjective medium of nonfiction, Hart writes a story about living with an undiagnosed chronic pain condition. While presenting the faults of chronic pain treatment in America, she also presents herself to the reader. Her pursuit of truth means accepting hard truths for herself. By finally speaking truth to power, she finds ways to act as her own advocate and speak-out against this long silenced issue in American health

Opera Scenes; Martin Johnson, stage director; Carolyn Hart, music director (March 19, 1999)

Opera Scenes; Martin Johnson, stage director; Carolyn Hart, music director (March 19, 1999

Habitat-mediated dive behavior in free-ranging grey seals

Understanding the links between foraging behaviour and habitat use of key species is essential to addressing fundamental questions about trophic interactions and ecosystem functioning. Eight female grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) were equipped with time-depth recorders linked to Fastloc GPS tags following the annual moult in southwest Ireland. Individual dives were coupled with environmental correlates to investigate the habitat use and dive behaviour of free-ranging seals. Dives were characterised as either pelagic, benthic, or shallow (where errors in location and charted water depth made differentiating between pelagic and benthic dives unreliable). Sixty-nine percent of dives occurring in water >50 m were benthic. Pelagic dives were more common at night than during the day. Seals performed more pelagic dives over fine sediments (mud/sand), and more benthic dives when foraging over more three-dimensionally complex rock substrates. We used Markov chain analysis to determine the probability of transiting between dive states. A low probability of repeat pelagic dives suggests that pelagic prey were encountered en route to the seabed. This approach could be applied to make more accurate predictions of habitat use in data-poor areas, and investigate contentious issues such as resource overlap and competition between top predators and fisheries, essential for the effective conservation of these key marine species

Digital Divides in Scene Recognition: Uncovering Socioeconomic Biases in Deep Learning Systems

Computer-based scene understanding has influenced fields ranging from urban planning to autonomous vehicle performance, yet little is known about how well these technologies work across social differences. We investigate the biases of deep convolutional neural networks (dCNNs) in scene classification, using nearly one million images from global and US sources, including user-submitted home photographs and Airbnb listings. We applied statistical models to quantify the impact of socioeconomic indicators such as family income, Human Development Index (HDI), and demographic factors from public data sources (CIA and US Census) on dCNN performance. Our analyses revealed significant socioeconomic bias, where pretrained dCNNs demonstrated lower classification accuracy, lower classification confidence, and a higher tendency to assign labels that could be offensive when applied to homes (e.g., "ruin", "slum"), especially in images from homes with lower socioeconomic status (SES). This trend is consistent across two datasets of international images and within the diverse economic and racial landscapes of the United States. This research contributes to understanding biases in computer vision, emphasizing the need for more inclusive and representative training datasets. By mitigating the bias in the computer vision pipelines, we can ensure fairer and more equitable outcomes for applied computer vision, including home valuation and smart home security systems. There is urgency in addressing these biases, which can significantly impact critical decisions in urban development and resource allocation. Our findings also motivate the development of AI systems that better understand and serve diverse communities, moving towards technology that equitably benefits all sectors of society.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 3 table

Partnering for Formation in Ministry: A Descriptive Survey of On-Site Field Education Mentoring

A theological field education internship is not simply busy work for a seminary student or cheap labor for the church or organization where the student intern is ministering. Instead, involvement in a theological field education experience is a fundamental element in the intentional development of a future minister leader. A great internship opportunity can place a seminary student in an environment where God can work through the student in the lives of other people.  Further, a great internship can provide an environment where God can work in the seminary student's own life to expand a greater understanding of God's call, deepen the student's Christ-like character, and further develop ministerial competencies

Interferometric Studies of the extreme binary, ϵ\epsilon Aurigae: Pre-eclipse Observations

We report new and archival K-band interferometric uniform disk diameters obtained with the Palomar Testbed Interferometer for the eclipsing binary star $\epsilon$ Aurigae, in advance of the start of its eclipse in 2009. The observations were inteded to test whether low amplitude variations in the system are connected with the F supergiant star (primary), or with the intersystem material connecting the star with the enormous dark disk (secondary) inferred to cause the eclipses. Cepheid-like radial pulsations of the F star are not detected, nor do we find evidence for proposed 6% per decade shrinkage of the F star. The measured 2.27 +/- 0.11 milli-arcsecond K band diameter is consistent with a 300 times solar radius F supergiant star at the Hipparcos distance of 625 pc. These results provide an improved context for observations during the 2009-2011 eclipse.Comment: Accepted for Ap.J. Letters, Oct. 200