GAGA! INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTEGRATED EDUCATION: GEOGRAPHY, ART, AND GLOBAL AWARENESS

Based on my experience designing and implementing a team-taught course in Art and Geography, called GAGA, at a Charter high school in Atlanta, I conducted this action research in my classroom to solicit student feedback and assess effectiveness of interdisciplinary instruction in an integrated classroom. Results support the benefits of interdisciplinary education, and helped to reveal the strength and weaknesses of each project that my partner and I have created. I intend to continue polishing this course to provide an engaging learning experience for future students. I am eager to showcase the results of my research at future conferences

A TAXONOMIC KEY FOR YELLOW CAMELLIAS IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF VIETNAM

Eighteen yellow Camellia species are found in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Their morphological characteristics are described and illustrated. Based on the morphological characteristics of the leaves, flowers, and fruit, a dichotomous key has been constructed

The derivation and application of risk tolerability criteria

This research involves a study of the questions, "what is considered safe", how are safety levels defined or decided, and according to whom. Tolerable or acceptable risk questions raise various issues: about values and assumptions inherent in such levels; about decision-making frameworks at the highest level of policy making as well as on the individual level; and about the suitability and competency of decision-makers to decide and to communicate their decisions. The wide-ranging topics covering philosophical and practical concerns examined in the literature review reveal the multi-disciplined scope of this research. To support this theoretical study empirical research was undertaken at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) of the European Space Agency (ESA). ESTEC is a large, multi-nationality, high technology organisation which presented an ideal case study for exploring how decisions are made with respect to safety from a personal as well as organisational aspect. A qualitative methodology was employed to gather, analyse and report the findings of this research. Significant findings reveal how experts perceive risks and the prevalence of informal decision-making processes partly due to the inadequacy of formal methods for deciding risk tolerability. In the field of occupational health and safety, this research has highlighted the importance and need for criteria to decide whether a risk is great enough to warrant attention in setting standards and priorities for risk control and resources. From a wider perspective and with the recognition that risk is an inherent part of life, the establishment of tolerability risk levels can be viewed as cornerstones indicating our progress, expectations and values, of life and work, in an increasingly litigious, knowledgeable and global society

Constructing Kites to Integrate Mathematics and Arts Concepts

This article describes a tetrahedral kite activity that was implemented with grade 9 students (age 14-15). We detail how the three-part lesson provided opportunities to integrate mathematics and art concepts, with potential to also weave in science and engineering ideas. The first part primed students to consider tetrahedral kites, their cultural and historical significance, and the materials needed for constructing the kite. The second part had students create a prototype using nets of tissue paper decorated with mark making techniques. The third part had students create a tetrahedron kite containing cultural and geographical mark making techniques on the tissue paper sides before flying the kites at a community event. We conclude the article with recommendations to help other teachers integrate mathematics and visual arts topics through tetrahedral kites

Analysis and control of geometrically nonlinear responses of piezoelectric FG porous plates with graphene platelets reinforcement using B\'ezier extraction

In this study, we propose an effective numerical approach to analyse and control geometrically nonlinear responses for the functionally graded (FG) porous plates reinforced by graphene platelets (GPLs) integrated with piezoelectric layers. The basis idea is to use isogeometric analysis (IGA) based on the B\'ezier extraction and the $C^0$-type higher-order shear deformation theory ($C^0$-HSDT). By applying the B\'ezier extraction, the original Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) control meshes can be transformed into the B\'ezier elements which allow us to inherit the standard numerical procedure like the finite element method (FEM). The mechanical displacement field is approximated based on the $C^0$-HSDT whilst the electric potential is assumed to be a linear function through the thickness of each piezoelectric sublayer. The FG plate contains the internal pores and GPLs dispersed in the metal matrix either uniformly or non-uniformly according to various different patterns along the thickness of plate. In addition, to control dynamic responses, two piezoelectric layers are perfectly bonded on the top and bottom surfaces of the FG plate. The geometrically nonlinear equations are solved by the Newton-Raphson iterative procedure and the Newmark's time integration scheme. The influences of the porosity coefficients, weight fractions of GPLs as well as the external electrical voltage on the geometrically nonlinear behaviours of the plates with different porosity distributions and GPL dispersion patterns are evidently investigated through numerical examples. Then, a constant displacement and velocity feedback control approaches are adopted to active control the geometrically nonlinear static as well as the dynamic responses of the FG porous plates, where the effect of the structural damping is considered, based on a closed-loop control with piezoelectric sensors and actuators.Comment: 39 pages, 20 figure