Using the Authentic Intellectual (AIW) Framework to Connect First Year Students with the Local Blues Society

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how I used the Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) pedagogical framework in conjunction with Project-Based Learning (PBL) to develop a campus-community partnership while enhancing and promoting the goals of the local blues society. In order to achieve the goals of the AIW framework, I created a major class project which charged the students with writing and editing a book telling stories of members of the local blues society to be available on Amazon.com. The results, or outcomes, of this project were categorized relative to two areas: academic (classroom) and civic (The Blues Society). The narratives and stories in the final version of the book varied significantly, but each, in their own way, contributed to a process where my students were able to think about civic engagement and community partnerships in an advanced and engaging way

The Impact of Standards-Based Learning: Tracking High School Students’ Transition to the University

This study sought to determine if the implementation of standards-based learning in high schools affects students’ transition to learning in university courses. Surveys and interviews with 13 students who had graduated from high schools implementing standards-based learning and who had completed their first academic semester at a midsize, private, Midwest university revealed no detrimental effects. The most frequently mentioned transition difficulties related to social issues and time management. Implications for implementing high school grading reforms are discussed

Radiation tails and boundary conditions for black hole evolutions

In numerical computations of Einstein's equations for black hole spacetimes, it will be necessary to use approximate boundary conditions at a finite distance from the holes. We point out here that ``tails,'' the inverse power-law decrease of late-time fields, cannot be expected for such computations. We present computational demonstrations and discussions of features of late-time behavior in an evolution with a boundary condition.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

Der diskrete Charme der Bourgeoisie - Ein Beitrag zur Soziologie des modernen Wirtschaftsbürgertums

Entgegen der These der Auflösungserscheinungen des Bürgertums stellt der Autor die Annahme auf den Prüfstand, dass wir es nach wie vor mit gesellschaftlichen Fraktionierungen bürgerlicher Lebensweisen zu tun haben. Am Beispiel autobiographischer Schriften von deutschen Topmanagern stellt der Text ein modernes Verständnis des Wirtschaftsbürgertums vor, das organisational (durch die Karrieremechanismen der Organisation) und institutionell (im Feld der Wirtschaft) verankert ist. Die moderne Sozialformation des Wirtschaftsbürgertums ist nur noch auf der Grundlage von Organisationen denkbar. Sie lässt sich, jenseits von Klasse und Stand, als Positionselite beschreiben. Anhand der Autobiographien lässt sich die Reproduktion dieser Elite auf Basis einer engen Verknüpfung zwischen familialer Herkunft, an organisationale Karrieren gebundene Leistungsbereitschaft und hoher formaler Bildung nachzeichnen. Die Abgrenzung in der Statusreproduktion zwischen Bildungs- und Wirtschaftsbürgertum weist der Autor am jeweiligen Verhältnis zur Bildung nach; zwar können beide einen hohen Bildungsgrad in Form von Bildungspatenten nachweisen, doch im Falle des Wirtschaftsbürgertums herrscht ein instrumentelles Verhältnis zur Bildung vor. Der hohe Bildungsgrad folgt hier dem Bedürfnis, den Status mittels formaler Bildung abzusichern und damit die Gefahr der eigenen Austauschbarkeit - als Personal der Organisation - zu kompensieren. Der Text macht außerdem generationale Effekte sichtbar; insbesondere indem er darlegt, inwieweit der "moderne Manager" einerseits in der Betonung seines Status seinen Vorgängern gleicht und sich doch gleichzeitig in der Art der Unternehmensführung abgrenzt - indem er bspw. die Managementkonzepte seiner Zeit aufgreift

Writing the Book…Literally: The Convergence of Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) and Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Using the Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) models, we sought to create coursework that had value beyond the classroom. Refinements in the self-publishing book industry provide the opportunity to present student work to a larger audience and in a different, more engaging format. With the help of free software, our classes were able to publish professionally-finished books for sale on Amazon.com. This article shows how we designed, implemented, assessed and evaluated a book-writing project for graduate (leadership studies) and undergraduate (science education) students who wrote, edited, designed, and published it at the end of the course

Deconstructing the Cell’s Mechanical Circuits by 3D Orbital Tracking Microrheology

We seek to address a critical question in physical cell biology: is it possible to develop an ‘inventory’ of mechanical or force-sensing modules of cell and tissue behavior in analogy to the modules in biochemical signaling networks? To discover these mechanical modules we focus on a specific system of broad interest - cell extrusion in epithelial sheets. We will measure how chemical perturbations affect the mechanics and rheology of both the cytoplasm and the extracellular matrix of living cells. To measure intracellular viscoelasticity we will track a fluorescent particle or organelle using high-resolution 3D orbital tracking and high speed video microscopy. The mean squared displacement of the particle vs. time provides a measure of the frequency-dependent complex viscoelastic modulus. Finally we will monitor the regression of vasculature during pathway inhibition to deconstruct the chemical-mechanical circuits that regulate the vessel growth and retraction known as anoikis

Preliminary Investigation of Human Lymphatic Malformations In Vitro

Purpose: To develop an in vitro model of human lymphatic malformations (LM) that reflects histological characteristics of native LM. Methods: Fresh human LM (n = 6) were harvested, sectioned, explanted into a fibrinogen gel, and cultured. A total of 25 explants were developed and observed for primary and peripheral cellular growth. On days 9 to 10, the cultured tissues and gels were collected and fixed in 10% formalin. Primary LM and surrounding gel matrix were sectioned and stained for H& E analysis. Immunohistochemistry was performed for Prox-1 and D2-40, known markers for lymphatic endothelium, and Ki-67, a marker of cellular proliferation. Results: On culture day 3, cells were observed to grow into the gel surrounding the primary tissue explants. Persistent and significant growth into the gel matrix was observed for each specimen at subsequent measurement intervals (day 6 and day 10, P < .0001). H&E staining of all the LM explants demonstrated survival and intact organization and cellular structure reflective of the original LM specimens. Microchannels were observed in the surrounding gel suggesting the presence of newly formed lymphatic vessels. Positive-immunohistochemical staining for D2-40 and Prox-1 revealed organized lymphatic endothelia within each specimen and associated microchannels distal to the explants in the gel matrix. Scattered cells in the gel matrix stained positive for Ki-67. Conclusions: This experimental model suggests that human LM can be preserved and observed to grow in vitro with structural characteristics, and immunohistologic qualities similar to native LM. This model may provide a facile tool for basic and translational research on LM