History of Roundup Ready Alfalfa

In late 1997 Forage Genetics International (FGI) and Monsanto began a joint project to develop Roundup Ready alfalfa. FGI collaborated with Montana State University to produce the first transgenic Roundup Ready alfalfa plants. The same CP4 glyphosate tolerance gene that has been effectively used in developing multiple other Roundup Ready crops, was successfully inserted into an elite FGI alfalfa plant in early 1998

Published: A Grounded Theory of Successful Publication for Midcareer Scholars

How do some scholars publish successfully while others perish from professional pressure? Literature has demonstrated the challenges of professional advancement through scholarship, yet has yet to explore how scholars manage these challenges successfully. The problem to be addressed in this grounded study was the lack of knowledge regarding the nature of success in peer-reviewed publication for midcareer scholars. Midcareer was defined as (a) employed professors with 5-15 years of doctoral level teaching experience, (b) having mentored at least one doctoral student to completion, and (c) successfully published in a peer-reviewed journal within the last academic year. A purposive sample of 16 midcareer scholars participated in one, 60-90 minute semi-structured interviews. 278 pages of transcript were coded open, axial and selective sequence using constant comparison. Analysis revealed that midcareer scholars who self-identify as lifelong learners with an intrinsic sense of responsibility to advancing scholarship engaged in problem solving strategies that facilitated successful peer-reviewed publication

Cariboo Fires, 2017

A union of poetry and photography exploring the devastating impact of the wildfires in the Cariboo region of British Columbia in the summer of 2017 in relation to climate change

Cariboo Fires, 2017

A union of poetry and photography exploring the devastating impact of the wildfires in the Cariboo region of British Columbia in the summer of 2017 in relation to climate change

Cariboo Fires, 2017

A union of poetry and photography exploring the devastating impact of the wildfires in the Cariboo region of British Columbia in the summer of 2017 in relation to climate change

Meta-Inquiry: An Approach to Interview Success

Developing an effective interview strategy presents unique challenges for the novice and master researcher for if the questions one asks are not crucial, then differences in responses are not crucial either (Creswell, 1998, p. 335). To focus qualitative research in the human ecology of the study, our strategy uses an initial interview protocol and preanalysis process, called meta-inquiry, prior to developing our formal interview protocol. Meta-inquiry of initial interview data, obtained in dialogue with key informants in the researched culture, provides us with an inductive tool to assess, modify, enhance, and focus the formal interview protocol. Thus, preparing for the research journey requires a human ecology-based interview protocol to acquire data from which concepts, categories, properties, and theory can emerge

Sustainable polycarbonate adhesives for dry and aqueous conditions with thermoresponsive properties

Pressure sensitive adhesives are ubiquitous in commodity products such as tapes, bandages, labels, packaging, and insulation. With single use plastics comprising almost half of yearly plastic production, it is essential that the design, synthesis, and decomposition products of future materials, including polymer adhesives, are within the context of a healthy ecosystem along with comparable or superior performance to conventional materials. Here we show a series of sustainable polymeric adhesives, with an eco-design, that perform in both dry and wet environments. The terpolymerization of propylene oxide, glycidyl butyrate, and CO2, catalyzed by a cobalt salen complex bearing a quaternary ammonium salt, yields the poly(propylene-co-glycidyl butyrate carbonate)s (PPGBC)s. This polymeric adhesive system, composed of environmentally benign building blocks, implements carbon dioxide sequestration techniques, poses minimal environmental hazards, exhibits varied peel strengths from scotch tape to hot-melt wood-glue, and adheres to metal, glass, wood, and Teflon® surfaces.Published versio

The Five-Question Method For Framing A Qualitative Research Study

The Five-Question Method is an approach to framing Qualitative Research, focusing on the methodologies of five of the major traditions in qualitative research: biography, ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, and case study. Asking Five Questions, novice researchers select a methodology appropriate to the desired perspective on the selected topic. The Method facilitates identifying and writing a Problem Statement. Through taking a future perspective, the researcher discovers the importance and direction of the study and composes a Purpose Statement. The process develops an overarching research question integrating the purpose and the research problem. The role of the researcher and management of assumptions and biases is discussed. The Five-Question Method simplifies the framing process promoting quality in qualitative research design. A course outline is appended

An Introduction to Transformative Inquiry: Understanding Compelling and Significant Relationships for Personal and Societal Transformation

Transformative inquiry is a theoretical model designed to facilitate the inquiry of important and meaningful relationships that transform and potentiate us. Creswell (2007) described the essential elements of a research agenda: the axiological, ontological, epistemological, methodological, and rhetorical. Each carries with it assumptions that hold implications for practice and research. Transformative inquiry addresses all of these elements through considerations given to deep ecology, transdisciplinarity, integral meta-theory, heuristic research, and eudaimonistic philosophy, respectively. Transformative inquiry is an approach to understanding and fostering the full range of deep and meaningful relationships from the personal to the political, and beyond. It is a theoretical model designed to support investigation into the important and meaningful relationships that both transform and potentiate us. Transformative inquiry provides a theoretical context in which to approach any question related to obtaining a deep understanding of the rich, nuanced experience of meeting deeply with (and being transformed by and with) another. What do such relationships do in the world? They transform us, and they transform the world. Understanding deep, potent, lasting transformation means to understand the relationships that foster, support, and co-create it. Such relationships generate a paradigmatic shift of consciousness. But deeply, this shift is about the uncovering of a beautiful personality, a deep goodness within, an enduring truth of self. Within this context, transformative inquiry in general and deep heuristics in particular, is designed to allow researchers to expand farther and reach deeper than our current models and methodologies require