MS-057: The Papers of Donna O. Schaper, Class of 1969: The Gettysburg Years

This collection consists of correspondence and college papers from Donna Osterhoudt Schaper, who graduated from Gettysburg College in 1969. As a student, she was part of the student protest movement against the Vietnam War, and she interned for the College Chapel before attending the Lutheran Theological Seminary. Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website http://www.gettysburg.edu/special_collections/collections/.https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/findingaidsall/1052/thumbnail.jp

Simulating Southern Rust Damage in Corn Through Defoliation

The importance of leaf area to corn for grain production beginning at silking is well documented. However, being able to predict yield loss due to defoliators such as foliar plant diseases and insects that progressively increase in defoliation over time has been difficult to quantify. To address this issue, a leaf removal study was conducted at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center located near Alexandria, Louisiana in 2017 and 2018. Two hybrids, differing in relative maturity were evaluated in this study. An early maturing hybrid (108 days in 2017 and 107 days in 2018) and a later maturing hybrid (118 days) were used. Leaves were removed at one or more of the following corn growth stages: R1 (silking), R2 (blister), R3 (milk), and R5 (dent). All of the lower leaves (leaves below the ear leaf) were removed at the four different reproductive growth stages with the exception of the untreated check. Other treatments included continued removal of the upper leaf area at subsequent growth stages resulting in defoliation ranging from 50 and 78%. Both hybrids responded similarly to yield loss from the defoliation treatments during both years of this study. Lower leaves are important to yield at the silking, blister, and milk stages of reproductive development. Yields were reduced even more when the upper leaves were incrementally removed beginning at these stages. Even at the dent stage, yields were reduced by over 5% when lower leaves were removed and over 10% when upper leaves were removed. Test weight and dry seed weight were also negatively influenced by defoliation, although the late hybrid was influenced less than the early. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of leaf loss at different reproductive stages of development on yield

Enhanced co-solubilities of Ca and Si in YAG (Y3Al5O12)

General garnet structure (Ia3-d) is a forgiving host and can accommodate cations of varying sizes and valence states. Studies on highly yttrium doped alumina ceramics with Ca and Si contamination indicated that YAG precipitates in the ceramic had a propensity to allow simultaneous incorporation of small amounts of Ca and Si impurities in their structure. In this study, using chemical synthesis techniques it was shown that YAG can accommodate up to approximately 8 cation % Ca+2 and Si+4 (i.e. Ca+2/Y+3 and Si+4/Y+3) if they are incorporated together. Equilibrium conditions are established by calcining samples at 900 C for 2 hours and cooling the samples to room temperature in the furnace. Disappearing-phase method and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to determine solubility and co-solubility limits. Beyond the solubility limit phase separation occurred and three crystalline yttrium aluminate phases (YAG, YAP (yttrium aluminate perovskite, YAlO3), YAM (yttrium aluminate monoclinic, Y4Al2O9)) were observed. It is believed that the excess Ca and Si above co-solubility limit precipitate out in the form of an x-ray amorphous anorthite-like glass in the system

Short Report on the Intensive Archeological Survey of the City of Austin’s Burleson Road Pressure Conversion Travis County, Texas

Hicks & Company archeologists, working on behalf of K. Friese + Associates and the City of Austin (COA), recently conducted an archeological survey supplemented with shovel testing in undisturbed locations for the COA’s proposed Burleson Road Pressure Conversion project (Figure 1). According to current design plans, pipe will be installed through open-cut trenching with a northern terminus at East Riverside Drive and a southern terminus at Burleson Road within a 10 meter-wide construction corridor. From its northern terminus, the proposed alignment follows Grove Boulevard southward to Montopolis Drive, for an approximate distance of 1,355 meters. After which, the proposed alignment turns west, following the East Oltorf Street corridor, until turning south on Alvin Devane Boulevard, crossing under State Highway (SH) 71 via installation using a jack and bore methodology. Continuing on to Comsouth Drive, the alignment turns east to follow Trade Center Drive for an approximate distance of 655 meters before turning south/southwest for approximately 370 meters before terminating at Burleson Road. Currently, construction easements are planned at three locations: approximately 450 meters south of the intersection of East Riverside Drive and Grove Boulevard; just north of SH 71 near Alvin Devane Boulevard; and along the proposed alignment between Trade Center Drive and Burleson Road. The total acreage for this project is 10.62 acres. The project is being funded by the COA and is therefore subject to the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). Investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit #7177 in accordance with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) and the Council of Texas Archeologists’ (CTAs) guidelines for intensive archeological survey. During the investigations, 13 shovel tests were excavated, with all shovel tests negative for cultural materials. None of the shovel tests excavated during this survey were positive for cultural materials and no archeological sites, features, or artifacts were observed during the investigations. Based on the results of the current survey, it is recommended that no archeological historic properties (36 CFR 800.16(1)) or State Antiquities Landmarks (13 TAC 26.12) will be affected by this construction of the proposed alignment. No further cultural resource investigations are recommended for the proposed project. Fieldwork for the initial archeological survey occurred on February 19, 2015, requiring ten labor hours to complete. Necessitated by a rerouting of the segment located between Trade Center Drive and Burleson Road, additional fieldwork was conducted on October 19, 2015, requiring six labor hours to complete. Josh Haefner served as Principal Investigator and Gregg Cestaro served as Project Archeologist. Gregg Cestaro, Shannon Smith, and Keith Faz authored the report and conducted the survey with Josh Haefner and Meghan Egan. This report includes an environmental background, a discussion of previous surveys and recorded sites, a description of field methodology, a discussion of the results of the field investigation, and a conclusion containing formal regulatory recommendations. Also included are appendices containing regulatory correspondence (Appendix A), and shovel test results and locations (Appendix B). Project-generated notes, forms, and photographs will be curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory in Austin, Texas. This report is offered in partial fulfillment of Texas Antiquities Permit #7177

The Role of Farmer Heterogeneity in Nutrient Management: A Farm-Level Analysis

Understanding farmer heterogeneity regarding nutrient management decisions is crucial for the success of any nonpoint source pollution prevention programs. Data from a farm- level experiment of cover crops in corn production were used in the Stochastic Efficiency with Respect to a Function framework to examine preference for nitrogen strategies over a range of risk aversion levels. We show the highest net return and certainty equivalent to the consideration of N supplied by cover crops. The results provide insights into policy discussions about the level of conservation incentives and plans that offer solutions to mitigate nonpoint source pollution

A new self-assessment teaching assistant survey for growth and development

During their time as Teaching Assistants (TAs), graduate students develop a variety of skills, knowledge, and attitudes, based on teaching and related facilitation experiences. As TAs move on to future opportunities, their prior experiences form a foundation upon which additional teaching experience builds. Presently, there are few tools to gauge pedagogical growth during graduate student involvement as TAs in a specific post-secondary course, or as a consequence of their participation in a specialized TA training or teaching program.  We created a model for TA development in SCIE 113 (First-year Seminar in Science) at the University of British Columbia. Based on this model, we designed a new survey for TAs to self-assess skills, knowledge and attitudes that they bring with them from prior experience, and those that they develop or further during their time as a TA in SCIE113. We administered the survey to 18 current and past SCIE 113 TAs as of December 2015, representing the complete population of TAs. The results showed that SCIE 113 TAs with similar levels of experience shared similar skills, knowledge, and attitudes as assessed by this survey. Those TAs with the most experience had greater abilities in roles previously identified as unique to the course. Others working with graduate students can use or adapt the survey questions to investigate and stimulate the growth of TAs in their course or program

Super Soldiers: The Ethical, Legal and Operational Implications (Part 2)

This is the second chapter of two on military human enhancement. In the first chapter, the authors outlined past and present efforts aimed at enhancing the minds and bodies of our warfighters with the broader goal of creating the “super soldiers” of tomorrow, all before exploring a number of distinctions—natural vs. artificial, external vs. internal, enhancement vs. therapy, enhancement vs. disenhancement, and enhancement vs. engineering—that are critical to the definition of military human enhancement and understanding the problems it poses. The chapter then advanced a working definition of enhancement as efforts that aim to “improve performance, appearance, or capability besides what is necessary to achieve, sustain, or restore health.” It then discussed a number of variables that must be taken into consideration when applying this definition in a military context. In this second chapter, drawing on that definition and some of the controversies already mentioned, the authors set out the relevant ethical, legal, and operational challenges posed by military enhancement. They begin by considering some of the implications for international humanitarian law and then shift to US domestic law. Following that, the authors examine military human enhancement from a virtue ethics approach, and finally outline some potential consequences for military operations more generally