Reviewing the Structure and Function of Self-Described Living Labs

“Living labs” have been promoted in recent years as platforms for engaged and locally-embedded research. However, the term itself is somewhat vague and applied in a large variety of contexts. Living labs have a wide variety of goals and functions and are perhaps even more varied in their organization structure. This poster provides a preliminary review of self-described living labs, characterizing both the types of functions they serve and their organizational structures, with the goal of identifying functions and structures appropriate for engaged research on and in the Wildcat Creek Watershed

A report on an Arts Administration internship with the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, Fall, 1989

During September through December 1989, I successfully completed an internship in the Performing Arts Department at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ms. Elena Ronquillo, Director of Performing Arts at the CAC, acted as my on-site supervisor. She has held this position since August 1988 when the administrative structure of the CAC was reorganized. Previously, she has held the position of Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary/New Genres Department. The Performing Arts Department of the CAC incorporates Theatre, Music and Interdisciplinary Performance. My position as an intern in the Performing Arts Department included the following; 1) interim assistant to Ms. Ronquillo; 2) production coordinator for a major Interdisciplinary Performance, Rachel\u27s Brain by Rachel Rosenthal; 3) pre-production coordinator for a major Theatre production, Brilliant Traces. This report discusses my experiences while I worked with the CAC administration, including specific challenges encountered while I performed assigned duties and tasks in the Performing Arts Department. Recommendations for improvement of specific problems I encountered are discussed. Finally, I discussed my contributions as an intern to the administrative and production aspects of the CAC\u27s Performing Arts Department

Responses to climate change in National Park Service Wilderness: What is happening in the field?

As scholars debate whether climate change warrants more or less active management in wilderness, this baseline study identifies what is happening on the ground. This study focuses attention on National Park Service units that administer designated wilderness. Representatives who had been identified by the superintendents from each of these units responded to an online survey (with a 94% response rate). Respondents reported on their concerns, monitoring, and management projects driven by climate change happening in their wilderness. Respondents also discussed whether and how these activities affected wilderness character. This is the first study to characterize the response to climate change in wilderness at a national scale. A majority of park units are conducting stewardship activities in wilderness to address and track the effects of climate change. Invasive species and fire are receiving much attention in the process. As park units respond to climate change in wilderness they cite perceived improvements to the natural quality of wilderness character. They also indicate that these activities harm the natural quality of wilderness character along with a suite of other qualities that have been left out of the academic discussion regarding appropriate management responses. The findings thus provide basic information to NPS administrators about what is happening in the field. They also give those discussing appropriate stewardship responses the fabric within which to sew their arguments. Finally, this study explores lessons learned from climate change adaptation in wilderness that may be applicable to adaptation activities happening elsewhere

Is it really all downhill after puberty?: The Critical Period Hypothesis in Second Language Acquisition - A review of the literature

The Critical Period Hypothesis in Second Language Acquisition posits that there is a critical period, early childhood until puberty, in which human beings must acquire a second language if they are going to achieve native-like attainment in that language. This thesis is a review of the current state of research in regards to the Critical Period Hypothesis in Second Language Acquisition. While evidence is provided to refute the Critical Period Hypothesis in the studies examined, a general age effect is found in the native-like attainment of a second language both in the acquisition of grammatical features and in the acquisition of phonological system. A look at how to relate these findings to foreign language education in the United States is begun by looking specifically at foreign language immersion programs in the United States and their effectiveness on native-like attainment and proficiency. There are currently 448 foreign language immersion programs in the U.S. with 45% of these programs being Spanish immersion and 22% being French immersion. Research shows that foreign language immersion programs are effective in helping children acquire a second language more effectively, specifically the early immersion programs, as well as acquire more metalinguistic awareness of languages than their monolingual counterparts

Grammatical Acquisition Of Present And Past Tense Verb Forms In A Communicative Setting

The research question addressed in this project was, “Does the communicative approach to teaching language increase 5th grade English Learners’ proficiency in their grammar acquisition of present and past tense verb conjugation?” This study looked at ELs’ challenge in conjugating present to past tense verbs and the subsequent effect on their ability to comprehend age-level literature, to create comprehensible original written works, and to perform well on high stakes testing. Research is reviewed in the areas of communicative language teaching (CLT), fifth grade grammar proficiency, grammar acquisition, and correct verb tense conjugation. Communicative language teaching is hallmarked by the understanding that the primary units of language are not only grammatical and structural, but functional and communicative as well. Because ELs’ writing and grammatical proficiency levels fall well below their native English speaking peers’ literacy levels, understanding the age-appropriate learning tasks which are expected of fifth grade students is important to keep in mind when considering how long it takes for school aged children to develop English proficiency. The role of grammar in the writing curriculum, the effectiveness of processing instruction in grammar acquisition, and the developmental stages in receptive grammar acquisition all play a part in exploring grammar acquisition. Knowledge of the past tense form of verbs is necessary for students in creating various writing assignments such as sharing a meaningful past experience, recollecting a childhood memory, or reflecting on a shared classroom experience. Results demonstrated that teaching grammar in a communicative setting allowed students to participate in meaningful discourse while negotiating content learning and enjoying the learning discovery process. Also, when EL students shared authentic personal experiences, their interest and passion to learn increased. Consequently, their understanding of verb tense conjugation will be a building block which will help them comprehend age-level literature, create comprehensible original written works, and perform well on high stakes testing

A report on an Arts Administration internship with the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, Fall, 1989

During September through December 1989, I successfully completed an internship in the Performing Arts Department at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ms. Elena Ronquillo, Director of Performing Arts at the CAC, acted as my on-site supervisor. She has held this position since August 1988 when the administrative structure of the CAC was reorganized. Previously, she has held the position of Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary/New Genres Department. The Performing Arts Department of the CAC incorporates Theatre, Music and Interdisciplinary Performance. My position as an intern in the Performing Arts Department included the following; 1) interim assistant to Ms. Ronquillo; 2) production coordinator for a major Interdisciplinary Performance, Rachel\u27s Brain by Rachel Rosenthal; 3) pre-production coordinator for a major Theatre production, Brilliant Traces. This report discusses my experiences while I worked with the CAC administration, including specific challenges encountered while I performed assigned duties and tasks in the Performing Arts Department. Recommendations for improvement of specific problems I encountered are discussed. Finally, I discussed my contributions as an intern to the administrative and production aspects of the CAC\u27s Performing Arts Department

Characterization of the Peaks of Otter Salamander Microbiome as an Innate Defense against Emerging Infectious Disease

Undergraduate Basi

University School Training Model Consultation Practica: Dismantling Anti-Black Racism with Predominately White Educators to Improve School, Family, Community Collaborations with Black Families and Community Stakeholders

This article outlines a consultation case study facilitated in an urban elementary school through the University School Training Model (USTM) (Colles et al., 2019; Morris et al., 2016). The USTM is a collaboration between an APA accredited Counseling Psychology doctoral program and an urban school district to provide racially responsive counseling and consulting services and graduate level training. The case study details a consultation practica to improve school, family, and community collaborations in an urban elementary school with predominantly Black stakeholders and a predominantly White female school staff. The introduction, background, and self-evaluation of the consultation process are reviewed. Project demographics, situation background, consultee role, and problem statement are then addressed. The goals, intervention grids, evaluation, termination, and post consultation follow-up are discussed. The transformative impact of consulting with urban school leaders to dismantle educational practices that uphold racism, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness that inhibit school, family, and community collaborations is highlighted

Win-Win: Hennepin County Library and Hopkins Public Schools Join Forces

When the super powers of the Hennepin County Library (HCL) and Hopkins Public Schools join forces, students are the winners! Through the partnership, all students have active library cards, are learning about how to access databases, how to utilize library and school resources in person and online, and have the opportunity to take an after-school field trip to the Hennepin County Library once a week. The impetus for the partnership is the White House ConnectEd initiative, which seeks to connect 99 percent of America’s students to next-generation broadband and high-speed wireless in their schools and libraries by 2018 and empowers students through individualized learning and rich, digital content. In this session we will talk about the role school and library administration play in getting the partnership off the ground and making it successful. We will also discuss how library media specialists work with the HCL to get library cards into the hands of all students, set up field trips to the HCL, work with digital resources training, and more