Reframing “Failure” in Making: The Value of Play, Social Relationships, and Ownership

Building on grit and growth mindset literature, the “maker mindset” celebrates persistence through failure as key to inspiring creativity in making education. Yet, moving beyond examinations of individual persistence and assumptions that all people have the same wealth of resources to persevere, when is it worthwhile to work through challenging projects? What supports are necessary for youth to feel safe working through challenges in science, technology, engineering, math, and computing (STEM+C) activities? Using sociocultural theory as a lens, this ethnographic study analyzed observation field notes, videos, photos, student work, and interviews from an after-school making program for high school girls during the 2014-15 school year. Through a comparison of 2 groups—one that persisted through challenging moments and one that did not—this paper reveals the centrality of playfulness, teamwork, and ownership of projects in order to persist through challenges that arise in inquiry-based projects

Measurement of alpha‐widths in 16O relevant to astrophysics

Several different α‐transfer reactions, 12C→16O, have been studied at high bombarding energies with magnetic spectrometers. Line‐widths, α‐spectroscopic factors, Sα, and reduced α‐widths, γα2 and ϑα2, have been determined for levels in 16O, including several of importance in astrophysics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87457/2/752_1.pd

Two-proton events in the 17F(p,2p)16O reaction

In a recent experimental study (Gomez del Campo et al, PRL 86, 43 (2001)) of the reaction 17F(p,2p)16O, two-proton events were measured from excitations near a 1-, E*=6.15 MeV state in 18Ne. We calculate by means of R-matrix theory the resonant two-proton production cross section and branching ratios. We conclude that it is unlikely that two-proton production via population of the 1- state is sufficient to explain the observed two-proton events. Alternative sources of such events are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Resubmission to Physical Review C (first received 6 March 2001

Reaction dependence of nuclear decay linewidths

Various light- and heavy-ion reactions, 20 E 8Be*(2 + , 2.9 MeV) and 16O*(1-, 9.6 MeV). Although slight differences (R) are self-consistent and indicate little if any reaction dependence (R by 20 % or more, however, and thus care must be taken in comparing decay widths inferred from nuclear reactions with those from scattering resonances. Reduced formal [alpha]-decay widths of [gamma][lambda]2 = 680 +/- 100 keV (s = 4.8 fm) and [gamma][lambda]2 = 350 +/- 50 keV(s = 5.4 fm), corresponding to [theta][lambda]2 = 0.50 and [theta][lambda]2 = 0.49 are deduced for 8Be*(2 + , 2.9 MeV) and 16O*(1-, 9.6 MeV) using the nuclear-reaction [Gamma]R values and a particular set of [alpha]-nucleus potentials.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24278/1/0000544.pd

Story discourse and use of mental state language between mothers and school-aged children with and without visual impairment

Background: Lack of sight compromises insight into other people's mental states. Little is known about the role of maternal language in assisting the development of mental state language in children with visual impairment (VI). Aims: To investigate mental state language strategies of mothers of school‐aged children with VI and to compare these with mothers of comparable children with typically developing vision. To investigate whether the characteristics of mother–child discourse were associated with the child's socio‐communicative competence. Methods & Procedures: Mother–child discourse with twelve 6–12‐year‐old children with VI was coded during a shared book‐reading narrative and compared with 14 typically sighted children matched in age and verbal ability. Outcomes & Results: Mothers of children with VI elaborated more and made significantly more references to story characters’ mental states and descriptive elaborations than mothers of sighted children. Mental state elaborations of mothers in the VI group related positively with the level produced by their children, with the association remaining after mothers’ overall verbosity and children's developmental levels were controlled for. Frequency of maternal elaborations, including their mental state language, was related to socio‐communicative competence of children with VI. Conclusions & Implications: The findings offer insights into the potential contribution of maternal verbal scaffolding to mentalistic language and social–communicative competences of children with VI

An above-barrier narrow resonance in ¹⁵F

Intense and purified radioactive beam of post-accelerated $^{14}$O was used to study the low-lying states in the unbound $^{15}$F nucleus. Exploiting resonant elastic scattering in inverse kinematics with a thick target, the second excited state, a resonance at E$\_R$=4.757(6)(10)~MeV with a width of $\Gamma$=36(5)(14)~keV was measured for the first time with high precision. The structure of this narrow above-barrier state in a nucleus located two neutrons beyond the proton drip line was investigated using the Gamow Shell Model in the coupled channel representation with a $^{12}$C core and three valence protons. It is found that it is an almost pure wave function of two quasi-bound protons in the $2s\_{1/2}$ shell.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, Submitted to Phys. Lett.

Planning Role Model Visits and Field Trips to Inspire Girls in Technology, Science and Engineering

This archived webinar from Linda Kekelis and Jeri Countryman of Techbridge presented "practical strategies and resources that will help teachers, Girl Scout Leaders and after-school program providers to conduct outreach." The main goal of the Techbridge program is to "encourage girls in technology, science and engineering." The webinar may be downloaded for viewing; its running time is 27:00. Java is required to view this material