Collaborative Outreach: How to Fit the Library into the Schedules of Over-Scheduled Students

“I wish I had known about this sooner!” Librarians hear that exclamation all too often when we tell students about research assistance and library resources. Research and critical thinking skills are essential in today’s information-rich world, yet many students have to develop these skills on their own. They must learn to navigate their options with minimal guidance. Unfortunately, this often means wasted time, missed opportunities, and frustration. How can librarians reach students before the frustration begins? At a school like Middlebury, where information literacy instruction is not part of the curriculum, we have to be creative. We are competing with many other attention-getters: there are over 150 student organizations, and only about 2,500 students to join them. Twenty-seven percent of our students participate in varsity sports, and many more participate in intramurals and clubs. Not to mention the coursework. As an indicator of Middlebury’s high academic expectations, in 2014 nearly fifteen percent of Middlebury students undertook a joint or double major, and sixty-two percent of graduating seniors planned to enter a graduate program. Middlebury students are driven and ambitious, and they feel they have little “extra” time to devote to perfecting their research skills. To meet these challenges, we have reframed some of the work we do as librarians. In addition to traditional, course-related outreach to faculty, we now work with allies who help us succeed in our outreach to students. The Writing Center is closely aligned with the library in terms of mission and location. Not only do they support students working on research papers, but they also are housed in the Library. We have collaborated with them for many years, and our relationship has grown stronger over time. We provide library research training to Peer Writing Tutors every semester, and recently we have begun co-sponsoring a college Write-In. In addition, we hosted a series of strategic conversations last year which resulted in new ideas for collaboration that we will explore in the future. Research training for Peer Writing Tutors emphasizes the work we have in common: librarians and Peer Writing Tutors help students in different stages of the research and writing process. The training is one segment of a six-week program for new and returning tutors, and the Library pays for the tutors’ time. We use a discussion-based format to show tutors why, when and how to make referrals to librarians, and how to use the library for their own research. The Write-In is a social event designed to support and encourage students through the often-stressful process of researching and writing final papers. This lively, example-based presentation will be led by two librarians, the Director of the Writing Center, and a Peer Writing Tutor. We’ll describe what we do and why, what the response has been, and how our approaches have changed over time. Audience members will learn about the ways in which a library can partner with a writing center, the benefits of partnership,the drawbacks and challenges, what’s required, and potential next steps

Microbial inactivation:gaseous or aqueous ozonation

[Image: see text] For decades, ozone has been known to have antimicrobial properties when dissolved or generated in water and when utilized in its gaseous form on different substrates. This property (the ability to be used in air and water) makes it versatile and applicable to different industries. Although the medium of ozonation depends on the specific process requirements, some industries have the inherent flexibility of medium selection. Thus, it is important to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy in both media at similar concentrations, an endeavor hardly reported in the literature. This study provides insights into ozone’s efficacy in air and water using two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli NTCC1290 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCTC10332), two Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923 and Streptococcus mutans), and two fungi (Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus). For gaseous ozonation, we utilized a custom-made ozone chamber (equipped with ultraviolet lamps), whereas an electrolysis oxygen radical generator was applied for ozone generation in water. During gaseous ozonation, the contaminated substrates (fabric swatches inoculated with bacterial and fungal suspensions) were suspended in the chamber, whereas the swatches were immersed in ozonated water for aqueous ozone treatment. The stability of ozone nanobubbles and their resulting impact on the aqueous disinfection efficiency were studied via dynamic light scattering measurements. It was observed that ozone is more effective in air than in water on all tested organisms except Staphylococcus aureus. The presented findings allow for the adjustment of the treatment conditions (exposure time and concentration) for optimal decontamination, particularly when a certain medium is preferred for ozonation

Large scale implementation of effective early literacy instruction

IntroductionLarge-scale implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to enhance children's early literacy success is critically important to address global literacy challenges. This paper describes one such initiative, the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA), which was specifically designed for large-scale implementation in New Zealand.MethodsBetween February 2020 and May 2023 over 3,000 teachers in 819 schools across New Zealand implemented BSLA, with baseline data available for 29,795 5-year-old children. Teachers implemented novel online assessments to monitor children's early literacy growth.ResultsIn comparison to an internal control group, accelerated progress in children's phonic, and phoneme awareness skills was evident after 10 weeks of BSLA Tier 1 (universal) teaching. After 30 weeks, there were significant gains in word reading, spelling, listening comprehension and oral narrative abilities; growth did not differ based on gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Children with greater learning needs who received BSLA Tier 2 (small group targeted teaching) caught up to their peers in word reading and spelling skills.ConclusionsWith appropriate resourcing, planning and engagement with communities, successful large-scale implementation of evidenced-based early literacy approaches is possible within a relatively short time. Culturally responsive implementation within MTSS frameworks holds much promise for raising literacy achievement for all children

Snowmelt contribution to Arctic first-year ice ridge mass balance and rapid consolidation during summer melt

An assessment of potential groundwater areas in the Ifni basin, located in the western AntiAtlas range of Morocco, was conducted based on a multicriteria analytical approach that integrated a set of geomorphological and hydroclimatic factors influencing the availability of this resource. This approach involved the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and hierarchical analytical process (AHP) models. Different factors were classified and weighted according to their contribution to and impact on groundwater reserves. Their normalized weights were evaluated using a pairwise comparison matrix. Four classes of potentiality emerged: very high, high, moderate, and low, occupying 15.22%, 20.17%, 30.96%, and 33.65%, respectively, of the basin’s area. A groundwater potential map (GWPA) was validated by comparison with data from 134 existing water points using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The AUC was calculated at 80%, indicating the good predictive accuracy of the AHP method. These results will enable water operators to select favorable sites with a high groundwater potential

Snowmelt contribution to Arctic first-year ice ridge mass balance and rapid consolidation during summer melt

Sea ice ridges are one of the most under-sampled and poorly understood components of the Arctic sea ice system. Yet, ridges play a crucial role in the sea ice mass balance and have been identified as ecological hotspots for ice-associated flora and fauna in the Arctic. To better understand the mass balance of sea ice ridges, we drilled and sampled two different first-year ice (FYI) ridges in June–July 2020 during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC). Ice cores were cut into 5 cm sections, melted, then analyzed for salinity and oxygen (d18O) isotope composition. Combined with isotope data of snow samples,we used a mixing model to quantify the contribution of snow to the consolidated sea ice ridge mass. Our results demonstrate that snow meltwater is important for summer consolidation and overall ice mass balance of FYI ridges during the melt season, representing 6%–11% of total ridged ice mass or an ice thickness equivalent of 0.37–0.53 m.These findings demonstrate that snowmelt contributes to consolidation of FYI ridges and is a mechanism resulting in a relative increase of sea ice volume in summer. This mechanism can also affect the mechanical strength and survivability of ridges, but also contribute to reduction of the habitable space and light levels within FYI ridges. We proposed a combination of two pathways for the transport of snow meltwater and incorporation into ridge keels: percolation downward through the ridge and/or lateral transport from the under-ice meltwater layer. Whether only one pathway or a combination of both pathways is most likely remains unclear based on our observations, warranting further research on ridge morphologypublishedVersio

Towards hydrogen energy: progress on catalysts for water splitting

This article reviews some of the recent work by fellows and associates of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) at Monash University and the University of Wollongong, as well as their collaborators, in the field of water oxidation and reduction catalysts. This work is focussed on the production of hydrogen for a hydrogen-based energy technology. Topics include: (1) the role and apparent relevance of the cubane-like structure of the Photosystem II Water Oxidation Complex (PSII-WOC) in non-biological homogeneous and heterogeneous water oxidation catalysts, (2) light-activated conducting polymer catalysts for both water oxidation and reduction, and (3) porphyrin-based light harvesters and catalysts

Motivations for the use and consumption of wildlife products

The dominant approach to combating the illegal wildlife trade has traditionally been to restrict the supply of wildlife products. Yet conservationists increasingly recognize the importance of implementing demand‐side interventions that target the end consumers in the trade chain. Their aim is to curb the consumption of wildlife or shift consumption to more sustainable alternatives. However, there are still considerable knowledge gaps in understanding of the diversity of consumer motivations in the context of illegal wildlife trade, which includes hundreds of thousands of species, different uses, and diverse contexts. Based on consultation with multiple experts from a diversity of backgrounds, nationalities, and focal taxa, we developed a typology of common motivations held by wildlife consumers that can be used to inform conservation interventions. We identified 5 main motivational categories for wildlife use: experiential, social, functional, financial, and spiritual, each containing subcategories. This framework is intended to facilitate the segmentation of consumers based on psychographics and allow the tailoring of interventions—whether behavior change campaigns, enforcement efforts, or incentive programs—to the specific context in which they will be used. Underlining the importance of consumer research and collaborating with local actors is an important step toward promoting a more systematic approach to the design of demand reduction interventions

Wind redistribution of snow impacts the Ka- and Ku-band radar signatures of Arctic sea ice

Wind-driven redistribution of snow on sea ice alters its topography and microstructure, yet the impact of these processes on radar signatures is poorly understood. Here, we examine the effects of snow redistribution over Arctic sea ice on radar waveforms and backscatter signatures obtained from a surface-based, fully polarimetric Ka- and Ku-band radar at incidence angles between 0∘ (nadir) and 50∘. Two wind events in November 2019 during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition are evaluated. During both events, changes in Ka- and Ku-band radar waveforms and backscatter coefficients at nadir are observed, coincident with surface topography changes measured by a terrestrial laser scanner. At both frequencies, redistribution caused snow densification at the surface and the uppermost layers, increasing the scattering at the air–snow interface at nadir and its prevalence as the dominant radar scattering surface. The waveform data also detected the presence of previous air–snow interfaces, buried beneath newly deposited snow. The additional scattering from previous air–snow interfaces could therefore affect the range retrieved from Ka- and Ku-band satellite altimeters. With increasing incidence angles, the relative scattering contribution of the air–snow interface decreases, and the snow–sea ice interface scattering increases. Relative to pre-wind event conditions, azimuthally averaged backscatter at nadir during the wind events increases by up to 8 dB (Ka-band) and 5 dB (Ku-band). Results show substantial backscatter variability within the scan area at all incidence angles and polarizations, in response to increasing wind speed and changes in wind direction. Our results show that snow redistribution and wind compaction need to be accounted for to interpret airborne and satellite radar measurements of snow-covered sea ice

Wind redistribution of snow impacts the Ka- and Ku-band radar signatures of Arctic sea ice

Wind-driven redistribution of snow on sea ice alters its topography and microstructure, yet the impact of these processes on radar signatures is poorly understood. Here, we examine the effects of snow redistribution over Arctic sea ice on radar waveforms and backscatter signatures obtained from a surface-based, fully polarimetric Ka- and Ku-band radar at incidence angles between 0∘ (nadir) and 50∘. Two wind events in November 2019 during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition are evaluated. During both events, changes in Ka- and Ku-band radar waveforms and backscatter coefficients at nadir are observed, coincident with surface topography changes measured by a terrestrial laser scanner. At both frequencies, redistribution caused snow densification at the surface and the uppermost layers, increasing the scattering at the air–snow interface at nadir and its prevalence as the dominant radar scattering surface. The waveform data also detected the presence of previous air–snow interfaces, buried beneath newly deposited snow. The additional scattering from previous air–snow interfaces could therefore affect the range retrieved from Ka- and Ku-band satellite altimeters. With increasing incidence angles, the relative scattering contribution of the air–snow interface decreases, and the snow–sea ice interface scattering increases. Relative to pre-wind event conditions, azimuthally averaged backscatter at nadir during the wind events increases by up to 8 dB (Ka-band) and 5 dB (Ku-band). Results show substantial backscatter variability within the scan area at all incidence angles and polarizations, in response to increasing wind speed and changes in wind direction. Our results show that snow redistribution and wind compaction need to be accounted for to interpret airborne and satellite radar measurements of snow-covered sea ice