An analysis of Binghamton University’s potential for green roofs

Institutions of higher education have an important role to play in environmentalism. Students have the opportunity to follow their passions and learn from each other while producing tangible benefits for the environment in sustainability-related projects. Green roofs are the perfect project for student-driven environmental action. A green roof is a specially engineered vegetated roof. This research aims to be the foundation for future expansion of green roofs at Binghamton University. It will analyze both biophysical and social aspects, and the connection between the two. Urban runoff often picks up large levels of contaminants that can harm local ecosystems. Due to the University’s proximity to major bodies of water, I selected the green roof’s ability to retain stormwater as an environmental benefit to analyze. These rates had yet to be determined, and modeling them will provide insight into the university’s role in our local environment. Initial research revealed that the development of more green roofs at Binghamton is limited by a lack of available staff or student organizations to take care of them. Surveys and interviews were conducted with students and faculty to gauge interest in incorporating the green roof into campus life through stewardship, curricular and co-curricular initiatives. The stormwater retention model predicts a rate of reduction between 60 to 100% of runoff on green roofs. Surveys and interviews demonstrated considerable desire to bring green roofs into our academic sphere. By understanding these two components, we can begin to fully utilize the green roof on campus and encourage student-driven environmentalism. We can begin to overcome some of the obstacles in the development of new green roofs and bring additional green space and opportunities for students to engage in their passions.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1104/thumbnail.jp

Tis Then I will Think of You

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6057/thumbnail.jp

A Metatranscriptomic Analysis of the Long-Term Effects of Warming on the Harvard Forest Soil Microbiome

The year 2020 marked one of the hottest years on record to date, with the average global temperature reaching 1.2 °C above pre-Industrial era (1880) temperatures. Rising temperatures are largely attributed to increasing CO2 levels from the widespread burning of fossil fuels. Terrestrial ecosystems make up the largest global carbon reservoir. In the soil, microorganisms play major roles in carbon and nutrient cycling, decomposition, and mediation of plant health, among several others. Involvement in such important processes makes soil microbial communities incredibly insightful for understanding earth’s changing climate. The Harvard Forests in Petersham, MA implement belowground heating cables to warm experimental soils 5°C above the ambient soil temperature. With this dramatic temperature difference, researchers intended to simulate a worst-case scenario for earth’s climate. However, upward trends in global warming make this projection not as far out of reach as originally thought. In 2017, the heating cables in experimental soil plots were turned off after approximately 15 consecutive years of warming and the soil was allowed to re-equilibrate to the ambient temperature. Experimental soils took around 2 months to reach the same temperature as the control soils. Significant changes in soil respiration levels and moisture were observed, raising the question as to whether soil microbial gene expression levels changed as well. Soil samples were collected for bulk RNA extraction from both heated and control soil plots on the day the heating cables were turned off (Day 0) and sequenced on the Illumina NextSeq platform at the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute. Here I present a metatranscriptomic analysis of the Harvard Forest soil microbiome on Day 0 to uncover the soil microbial community’s transcriptional response to long-term warming. Major phyla that were less transcriptionally active in response to warming include Basidiomycota, Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteria, which have essential roles in decomposition, nutrient cycling, mediating plant health, and more. Phyla that were more transcriptionally active in response to warming include Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, and Chloroflexota, which participate in biogeochemical cycling, polymer breakdown, antimicrobial activity, and more. These changes in activity reflect the ways in which the soil microbiome responds to chronic warming

I lived in Mad/Lor Hall and am curious to know why it was given that name. What is the story behind it?

Abbot Pennings answers a question about the history of Madelaine-Lorraine Hall, archived from the SNC website

Protégé career aspirations: The influence of formal e-mentor networks and family-based role models

Using longitudinal data from a nine-month e-mentoring program, we analyzed the influence of formal e-mentor networks and family-based role models on increases in both psychosocial and career-related outcomes. Findings indicate that e-mentor network relationship quality positively influenced general- and career-based self-efficacy which, in turn, enhanced the objective career aspirations of underprivileged youth. Moreover, we address both the compensatory and complementary perspectives of social capital to assess the moderating influence that access to educational role models within the family has on this process. Implications of the findings and areas for future research are discussed

Human Research Program Advanced Exercise Concepts (AEC) Overview

Exercise countermeasures provide benefits that are crucial for successful human spaceflight, to mitigate the spaceflight physiological deconditioning which occurs during exposure to microgravity. The NASA Human Research Program (HRP) within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) is managing next generation Advanced Exercise Concepts (AEC) requirements development and candidate technology maturation to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 (ground prototyping and flight demonstration) for all exploration mission profiles from Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Exploration Missions (up to 21 day duration) to Mars Transit (up to 1000 day duration) missions. These validated and optimized exercise countermeasures systems will be provided to the ISS Program and MPCV Program for subsequent flight development and operations. The International Space Station (ISS) currently has three major pieces of operational exercise countermeasures hardware: the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED), the second-generation (T2) treadmill, and the cycle ergometer with vibration isolation system (CEVIS). This suite of exercise countermeasures hardware serves as a benchmark and is a vast improvement over previous generations of countermeasures hardware, providing both aerobic and resistive exercise for the crew. However, vehicle and resource constraints for future exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit will require that the exercise countermeasures hardware mass, volume, and power be minimized, while preserving the current ISS capabilities or even enhancing these exercise capabilities directed at mission specific physiological functional performance and medical standards requirements. Further, mission-specific considerations such as preservation of sensorimotor function, autonomous and adaptable operation, integration with medical data systems, rehabilitation, and in-flight monitoring and feedback are being developed for integration with the exercise countermeasures systems. Numerous technologies have been considered and evaluated against HRP-approved functional device requirements for these extreme mission profiles, and include wearable sensors, exoskeletons, flywheel, pneumatic, and closed-loop microprocessor controlled motor driven systems. Each technology has unique advantages and disadvantages. The Advanced Exercise Concepts project oversees development of candidate next generation exercise countermeasures hardware, performs trade studies of current and state of the art exercise technologies, manages and supports candidate systems physiological evaluations with human test subjects on the ground, in flight analogs and flight. The near term goal is evaluation of candidate systems in flight, culminating in an integrated candidate next generation exercise countermeasures suite on the ISS which coalesces research findings from HRP disciplines in the areas of exercise performance for muscle, bone, cardiovascular, sensorimotor, behavioral health, and nutrition for optimal benefit to the crew

Discourses of diversity, equality and inclusion: Trenchant formulations or transient fashions?

Using bibliometric analysis of published work, we examine the discursive trends, patterns and implications of three different anti-discrimination solutions (equality, diversity and inclusion) over a 40-year period from 1970 to 2010. The findings reveal that the anti-discrimination discourses are consistent with management fashions, in terms of both their trends and the rhetorical strategies used by proponents to establish the dominance of their favoured approach, particularly by denigrating previous approaches. Practitioner-facing academics play a key role in the process by giving shape, exposure and credibility to the anti-discrimination solutions, but not in creating them. Only by breaking free of the oppositional discursive patterns can the debate move on to anti-discrimination solutions that attempt to blend together equality, diversity and inclusion

Updated consensus guidelines on the management of Phelan–McDermid syndrome

Phelan–McDermid syndrome (PMS) is a genetic condition caused by SHANK3 haploinsufficiency and characterized by a wide range of neurodevelopmental and systemic manifestations. The first practice parameters for assessment and monitoring in individuals with PMS were published in 2014; recently, knowledge about PMS has grown significantly based on data from longitudinal phenotyping studies and large-scale genotype–phenotype investigations. The objective of these updated clinical management guidelines was to: (1) reflect the latest in knowledge in PMS and (2) provide guidance for clinicians, researchers, and the general community. A taskforce was established with clinical experts in PMS and representatives from the parent community. Experts joined subgroups based on their areas of specialty, including genetics, neurology, neurodevelopment, gastroenterology, primary care, physiatry, nephrology, endocrinology, cardiology, gynecology, and dentistry. Taskforce members convened regularly between 2021 and 2022 and produced specialty-specific guidelines based on iterative feedback and discussion. Taskforce leaders then established consensus within their respective specialty group and harmonized the guidelines. The knowledge gained over the past decade allows for improved guidelines to assess and monitor individuals with PMS. Since there is limited evidence specific to PMS, intervention mostly follows general guidelines for treating individuals with developmental disorders. Significant evidence has been amassed to guide the management of comorbid neuropsychiatric conditions in PMS, albeit mainly from caregiver report and the experience of clinical experts. These updated consensus guidelines on the management of PMS represent an advance for the field and will improve care in the community. Several areas for future research are also highlighted and will contribute to subsequent updates with more refined and specific recommendations as new knowledge accumulates

Motivating employee referrals: The interactive effects of the referral bonus, perceived risk in referring, and affective commitment

Research has provided compelling evidence that employee referrals result in positive outcomes for organizations and job seekers, but it has been limited on how organizations can increase the likelihood of obtaining employee referrals. Using the theoretical lens of social exchange theory and tenets from expectancy theory, we tested two common assumptions of most employers: A referral bonus motivates employees to refer, and higher bonus amounts incite greater likelihood of referring. We theoretically developed and tested a model integrating the effects of perceived risk in referring and affective commitment and their interactions with the referral bonus to better explain the likelihood of referring. Results largely supported our predictions. Referral bonus presence, referral bonus amount, and affective commitment positively related to likelihood of referring, while perceived risk in referring negatively related to likelihood of referring. The findings also suggest that larger referral bonuses can help offset perceived risk in referring and low affective commitment levels. We contribute to the literature by developing theory, expanding the scope of the current referral literature, and offering a quantitative examination of previously theorized variables in the referring process. We conclude with suggestions to practicing managers on ways to improve the motivating potential of their employee referral programs