Digital verification: on the frontline

In the digital race to publish breaking news across social media platforms, Alastair Reid argues that the industry-wide scramble to instantly release new information often bypasses proper source verification. The result: reputable news organizations hastily disseminating outdated (or falsified) photos in association with recent, unrelated events. First Draft News, where Reid is managing editor, aims to to make digital verification an industry-wide standard practice by providing thorough, streamlined and free guidance to the process of verifying information. This report on a talk by Alastair Reid of First Draft News by Polis Summer School student Veena McCool

A status study of leave policies in the public schools of Kansas

Call number: LD2668 .R4 1967 M3

<b>From genes to behavior: investigations of neurochemical signaling come of age for the model crustacean</b> <i> <b>Daphnia pulex</b> </i>

Summary The cladoceran crustacean Daphnia pulex has served as a standard organism for aquatic toxicity testing for decades. The model organism status of D. pulex rests largely on its remarkable ability to rapidly adapt morphologically, physiologically and behaviorally to a wide range of environmental challenges, as well as on its parthenogenetic reproduction and ease of laboratory culture. As in all multicellular organisms, neurochemical control systems are undoubtedly major contributors to the functional flexibility of Daphnia. Surprisingly, little work has focused on understanding its neurochemistry at any level. Recently, D. pulex has been the subject of extensive genome and transcriptome sequencing, and it is currently the only crustacean with a fully sequenced, publicly accessible genome. Although the molecular work was initiated for gene-based investigations of ecotoxicology and toxicogenomics, the data generated have allowed for investigations into numerous aspects of Daphnia biology, including its neurochemical signaling. This Commentary summarizes our knowledge of D. pulex neurochemistry obtained from recent genomic and transcriptomic studies, and places these data in context with other anatomical, biochemical and physiological experiments using D. pulex and its sister species Daphnia magna. Suggestions as to how the Daphnia molecular data may be useful for future investigations of crustacean neurochemical signaling are also provided.</jats:p

Transitioning During COVID-19: Student Perspectives

COVID-19 has caused most universities in New England to move to online learning in March 2020. Higher education institutions all made similar changes to their operations, but student perceptions of the unique experience of this transition exposes nuances in the preparedness of different universities. We surveyed and interviewed students at WPI to understand how they felt these changes were handled, as well as their opinions on the quality of remote education. We also interviewed students at other universities in the New England area and compared these results. Students were asked about how they had managed the transition, the measures taken at their respective universities, and what impact the changes have had on them. We highlight the main points of comparison between the universities

A Plan for a Greener Future in L.A.

https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/gps-posters/1581/thumbnail.jp