Drones as a Teaching Instrument in the Social Studies Classroom

Drones have been considered a hot new technology for classrooms, albeit somewhat inaccessible. They can often be found in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) settings, in classrooms offering Gifted and Talented (GT) programming, or in advanced high school classrooms. It is rarely seen in elementary social studies classrooms, however. And that intrigued me. Could drones become accessible tools for elementary classrooms? We were determined to find out

Polycentric networks and resilience in urban systems: A comparison of Baltimore and Seattle

Numerous studies have demonstrated that successful resource management requires collaboration among many groups. While most research has been conducted on rural resource management, collaborative management is now recognized as an important strategy in densely settled urban areas. Cities generally consist of many fragmented land parcels under different types of use and ownership, which produces a large and diverse group of stakeholders with an interest in resource management decisions. Past research has shown that 1) natural resource stewardship organizations play an important role in both managing natural resources and building social capital; 2) successful outcomes often rely on effective collaborations through organizational networks; 3) there are different types of network structures; and 4) the effectiveness of a network can depend on its structure. However, missing from the field is empirical research analyzing how natural resource stewardship networks impact social and ecological outcomes, both spatially and temporally.

Building on pioneering work on urban environmental groups in New York City and developing efforts in Chicago, this research will assess the stewardship networks in Seattle and Baltimore. More specifically, it will examine whether the network structure affects social and ecological outcomes; and conversely, whether variation in social and ecological conditions affects the resulting social network. Through a mixed methodological approach employing interviews, organizational surveys, spatial mapping, and social network analysis, this research examines:

•	What network relationships exist between environmental stewardship groups in Baltimore? In Seattle?
•	What is the spatial structure of these stewardship networks?
•	Does network structure affect social and ecological outcomes?
•	Does variation in social and ecological conditions predict the resulting network?
•	How do the stewardship networks in Baltimore and Seattle compare?

Results from this study will contribute to the growing body of research on polycentric governance networks. The need for longitudinal and comparative studies in this area is evident, as many cities are looking to adaptive management strategies to respond to the needs of an rapidly changing population and landscape. In Baltimore, this data can be compared to organizational network data collected 10 years ago. In Seattle, the study will establish baseline network data, which provides a foundation for future studies. Similarities and differences between cities may provide implications for whether environmental stewardship programs and other sustainability initiatives can be applied from one city to another

"Taking your place at the table": an autoethnographic study of chaplains' participation on an interdisciplinary research team.

BackgroundThere are many potential benefits to chaplaincy in transforming into a "research-informed" profession. However little is known or has been documented about the roles of chaplains on research teams and as researchers or about the effects of research engagement on chaplains themselves. This report describes the experience and impact of three chaplains, as well as tensions and challenges that arose, on one particular interdisciplinary team researching a spiritual assessment model in palliative care. Transcripts of our research team meetings, which included the three active chaplain researchers, as well as reflections of all the members of the research team provide the data for this descriptive, qualitative, autoethnographic analysis.MethodsThis autoethnographic project evolved from the parent study, entitled "Spiritual Assessment Intervention Model (AIM) in Outpatient Palliative Care Patients with Advanced Cancer." This project focused on the use of a well-developed model of spiritual care, the Spiritual Assessment and Intervention Model (Spiritual AIM). Transcripts of nine weekly team meetings for the parent study were reviewed. These parent study team meetings were attended by various disciplines and included open dialogue and intensive questions from non-chaplain team members to chaplains about their practices and Spiritual AIM. Individual notes (from reflexive memoing) and other reflections of team members were also reviewed for this report. The primary methodological framework for this paper, autoethnography, was not only used to describe the work of chaplains as researchers, but also to reflect on the process of researcher identity formation and offer personal insights regarding the challenges accompanying this process.ResultsThree major themes emerged from the autoethnographic analytic process: 1) chaplains' unique contributions to the research team; 2) the interplay between the chaplains' active research role and their work identities; and 3) tensions and challenges in being part of an interdisciplinary research team.ConclusionsDescribing the contributions and challenges of one interdisciplinary research team that included chaplains may help inform chaplains about the experience of participating in research. As an autoethnographic study, this work is not meant to offer generalizable results about all chaplains' experiences on research teams. Research teams that are interdisciplinary may mirror the richness and efficacy of clinical interdisciplinary teams. Further work is needed to better characterize both the promise and pitfalls of chaplains' participation on research teams

Public Libraries Respond to the Opioid Crisis with Their Communities: Research Findings

The nation is experiencing an ongoing opioid epidemic, and communities across the country are feeling the epidemic’s impact. Public health and human service organizations, professional associations, and nonprofits continue to implement responses to stem the rising overdose deaths; public libraries, too, are a part of this response. This article is the follow-up to Public Libraries Respond to the Opioid Crisis in Collaboration with Their Communities: An Introduction (Collaborative Librarianship, volume 11, Issue 1, 2019), and identifies, synthesizes, and shares knowledge and resources that will help public libraries and their community partners develop effective strategies to work together to address the opioid epidemic in America. Eight public libraries and their respective community partners participated in this research study, which is based on interviews with library staff, library board members, staff at community partner organizations, and members of the community. This article highlights the findings from the eight case study sites selected to participate in this research and provides an overview of the partnerships formed and the resources and programming developed to meet community needs

Ecological Functions And Values Of Fringing Salt Marshes Susceptible To Oil Spills In Casco Bay, Maine

Casco Bay is the largest oil port in Maine and northern New England, handling over 20 million tons of crude oil and oil products annually. The susceptibility of the Bay’s estuarine habitats, especially its fringing salt marshes, to potential spill events was the impetus for this study. Although much has been learned to date about the effects of oil spills on estuarine habitats around the world, there is a real need for site-specific knowledge of the structures and functions of local habitats so that resource managers can be prepared in the event of a spill. Our study focused specifically on the value of Casco Bay’s fringing salt marshes to shellfish and finfish production, to vegetation production and diversity, and as buffers against sea level rise and coastal erosion. The work we have accomplished has been the first study of the fringing salt marshes of Casco Bay that has explored the biotic communities (fish, invertebrates and plants) of these marshes in conjunction with the physical properties of these sites. Knowledge of these local fringing salt marsh habitats will be invaluable in improving the effectiveness of oil spill cleanup operations, accurate assessment of natural resource damages caused by spills, and the restoration of impacted sites. In addition, the data acquired in this study provide an initial set of benchmarks upon which to build a program to assess long-term change in Casco Bay tidal marsh habitats

A Comprehensive Wetland Program For Fringing Salt Marshes In The York River, Maine

The overall goal of this project was to assist the Town of York, Maine, in its efforts to monitor and protect the fringing salt marshes along the York River. In particular, the project focused on potential impacts to the marshes due to shoreline development pressures. Specific objectives included (1) gathering baseline data about the marshes (2) developing a set of indicators to be used in future monitoring, and (3) generating management recommendations

Substrate arrays of iridium oxide microelectrodes for in vitro neuronal interfacing

The design of novel bidirectional interfaces for in vivo and in vitro nervous systems is an important step towards future functional neuroprosthetics. Small electrodes, structures and devices are necessary to achieve high-resolution and target-selectivity during stimulation and recording of neuronal networks, while significant charge transfer and large signal-to-noise ratio are required for accurate time resolution. In addition, the physical properties of the interface should remain stable across time, especially when chronic in vivo applications or in vitro long-term studies are considered, unless a procedure to actively compensate for degradation is provided. In this short report, we describe the use and fabrication of arrays of 120 planar microelectrodes (MEAs) of sputtered Iridium Oxide (IrOx). The effective surface area of individual microelectrodes is significantly increased using electrochemical activation, a procedure that may also be employed to restore the properties of the electrodes as required. The electrode activation results in a very low interface impedance, especially in the lower frequency domain, which was characterized by impedance spectroscopy. The increase in the roughness of the microelectrodes surface was imaged using digital holographic microscopy and electron microscopy. Aging of the activated electrodes was also investigated, comparing storage in saline with storage in air. Demonstration of concept was achieved by recording multiple single-unit spike activity in acute brain slice preparations of rat neocortex. Data suggests that extracellular recording of action potentials can be achieved with planar IrOx MEAs with good signal-to-noise ratios. © 2009 Gawad, Giugliano, Heuschkel, Wessling, Markram, Schnakenberg, Renaud and Morgan