Enhancing Inquiry-Based Science and Math in Appalachian Middle Schools: A Model for Community Engagement

Faculty at public comprehensive universities are required to engage in professionally related service to their communities. In contrast to the traditional one-way interaction with university personnel as the service providers, institutions of higher learning can engage in service activities that are mutually beneficial to the community and the university. This paper describes a partnership between a comprehensive university and six middle schools from the rural Appalachian region of Kentucky that can serve as a model for community engagement. The project was designed to enhance middle school student learning in the areas of science and mathematics. Its objectives were accomplished through a three-person team structure requiring the active participation of a middle school teacher, a university science or math professor and a college student. The K-12 teacher provided expertise on pedagogical and curriculum issues, the professor provided support on content and applications, whereas the student played the leading role in the development and application of instructional activities. The middle schools benefited from enhanced student learning, content applications of science, mathematics and technology, and use of inquiry-based pedagogy. The university benefited from professional development opportunities to faculty in the areas of service, scholarship and teaching. There were also several benefits to the participating university students including improved communication, teaching, and team building skills, increased knowledge about both the content and applications of science, mathematics and technology, and support for graduate education through generous stipends

Propuesta de un Programa de Adecuación y Manejo Ambiental (PAMA) para la Unidad Experimental de Cerdos de la UNALM

Ciclo Optativo de Especialización y Profesionalización en Gestión de Calidad y Auditoría AmbientalEl presente trabajo de titulación tiene como objetivo la elaboración de la propuesta de un programa de adecuación de manejo ambiental para la Unidad Experimental de Cerdos de la UNALM basándose en el D.S. N° 019-2012-AG de esta manera poder disminuir los impactos ambientales negativos que se generan en granjas donde el manejo no es el adecuado. Este trabajo servirá de guía para otras granjas que deseen realizar un PAMA. Las contaminación ambiental que las granjas porcinas puedan ocasionar son diversas tales como: Las excretas que son fuentes de contaminación bastante elevada, las aguas residuales, que contaminan fuentes de aguas cercanas y la disposición final de los residuos sólidos que muchas veces no son seleccionados y son eliminados de una misma manera (cartón, guantes, placentas, papel, etc.) que incrementan los insectos y roedores. Después de haber realizado visitas a la granja se encontraron soluciones factibles para algunos problemas que se observaron, de esta manera mejorar el manejo para conservar el medio ambiente en mejor estado y además mejorar la producción de la granja. Por ultimo las prácticas a seleccionar para una mejora ambiental serían las buenas prácticas en seguridad e higiene del personal, el manejo de los residuos sólidos, manejo de vegetación para de esta manera minimizar los malos olores, además del control de plagas, capacitaciones al personal, y se recomendaría que se realizara un PAMA a toda las granjas de la Agraria para mantener resultados satisfactorios.Tesi

Strategic Planning for Environmental Stewardship at Eastern Kentucky University

The 2006-2010 Strategic Plan for Eastern Kentucky University, under Strategic Direction 5.4, mandates the formulation of a plan to guide the University toward greater environmental stewardship. The creation and implementation of that plan is the charge of the Eastern Committee on Responsible Environmental Stewardship (ECRES), which was formed in September of 2005. On October 27th, 2006, ECRES hosted a Strategic Planning Workshop. This workshop brought together a wide range of paticipants, including elected officials, college and university representatives, and interested citizens. The result was a broad consensus in the identification of environmental goals and objectives toward which EKU should strive

Students’ definitions of lexically ambiguous mathematical vocabulary

Fifty-five students in three high school geometry classes participated in a vocabulary survey asking them to write out, exemplify, and/or illustrate with drawings their definitions for fifteen mathematical vocabulary words: acute, area, coordinate, diagonal, difference, exponent, factor, irrational, mean, multiple, prime, product, reduce, square, and variable. All of these terms are characterized by lexical ambiguity, meaning that they have different meanings in different contexts. The students' responses were analyzed qualitatively, driven by the following research questions. First, in light of past studies in which findings seem consistently to reveal that a large portion of the participants have inadequate comprehension and/or inability to articulate their understanding of "basic" mathematical vocabulary, what are students' ideas about the meanings of certain vocabulary words? What strands or themes of meaning attributed to the words are evident from students' responses? Do students' responses seem to indicate that lexical ambiguity causes confusion for them in their definitions? A variety of ideas and interpretations emerged from the students responses for each of the words. Some of the students' ideas conformed to conventional mathematical definitions of the terms, but many were also characterized by vagueness or confusion. Interference from the lexical ambiguity of some of the words did appear in the data, particularly with the terms diagonal, irrational, and prime. A secondary purpose of this research was driven by the question: what forms of written expression do the students use to communicate their meanings for the vocabulary words posed to them? After a preliminary analysis of the data from the surveys through systematic theoretical sampling, nine students were selected to participate in follow-up interviews in which supplementary information was gathered. The interview method utilized stimulated recall, and the interviews were video-taped and transcribed. Because students construct their own individual meanings for mathematical terminology, their ideas about specific words do reflect a spectrum of interpretations. Through focused discussion and articulation of meaning where lexical ambiguity exists, students can more confidently enter into mathematical communication and discourse.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofGraduat

Interview with Dr. Melinda Wilder [video]

Dr. Melinda Wilder is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Director of EKU\u27s Natural Areas. In this episode of Focus on Scholarship, Dr. Wilder talks about the impact of research in progress at the Maywoods and Lilley Cornett Woods sites, and the roles that EKU\u27s Natural Areas play in fostering environmental education

A Field Guide to Kentucky Field Stations Available for Education and Research

We conducted a survey of Kentucky colleges and universities to determine the number of field station sites available for research, educational, and outreach activities. As a first attempt, we were able to locate and provide basic data for 23. Sites range from thousands of acres to just a few. Some have full, year around research and education programs, while others are largely undeveloped. Existing sites are located primarily in the eastern half of the state with only 4 in the western portion, thus some ecoregions have several while others have none. Although not directly surveyed, website addresses are given that connect to more than 200 state and federal natural areas in Kentucky. It is our hope that the information presented here will stimulate the use of the State\u27s field station sites and point out the needs for acquiring and developing others

Brief functional analysis and treatment of bizarre vocalizations in an adult with schizophrenia.

Variables responsible for the maintenance of bizarre vocalizations emitted by an adult diagnosed with schizophrenia were examined via a brief functional analysis, and results suggested that the behavior was maintained by attention. A treatment consisting of extinction and differential reinforcement of appropriate vocalizations was effective in reducing bizarre vocalizations and increasing appropriate vocalizations. The use of functional analysis methodology to examine variables that maintain problem behavior in this population is discussed