Exploring Underrepresented Doctoral Students\u27 Conceptualizations of the Student-Advisor Relationship in Chemistry

While it is typical for doctoral students in the sciences to have a faculty advisor, not all students can name a mentor for their doctoral journey. Noted as the most important factor in determining a student\u27s success and satisfaction in graduate school, the student-advisor relationship is an important area for expanded study and analysis to fill in the gaps in understanding of our doctoral education system. This study details the various ways in which underrepresented chemistry doctoral students view and perceive their relationships with their faculty advisor. I used purposeful sampling to select 16 underrepresented doctoral chemistry students at public, land grant institutions in the southeastern United States. I generated data through individual, one-on-one interviews using a structured interview protocol that I carefully developed through a pilot study. I analyzed these data using open-coding through several cycles and phases. Additionally, I worked with an analysis team through several cycles of coding, in line with principles for a thorough phenomenographic study. This phenomenographic investigation of African-American, Hispanic, and female Ph.D. students in the field of chemistry yields five major types of student-advisor relationships: autocracy, business relationship, absentee relationship, mentorship, and mentorship with advocacy. My participants\u27 perceptions and experiences provided the basis for constructing a model that contributes to the body of knowledge on doctoral education and helps to fill gaps in the literature. My model provides powerful implications for change and guidance in PhD programs for students, advisors, and administration. The outcomes of this multi-institutional study expand our current understanding of student-faculty relationships in an effort to improve graduate education in the sciences, particularly for underrepresented students. In an effort to determine and document the qualitatively different ways that underrepresented doctoral chemistry students perceive their relationship with their faculty advisor, I shaped this study using the methodological guidelines and suggestions of phenomenography as described largely by John Bowden and Llewelyn Mann. Briefly, this involved many successive cycles of coding through all of the transcripts as a whole to find themes and categories of description among the participants\u27 experiences and testimonies. The outcome of several passes and cycles through the data was a model of varying ways that underrepresented students experience their relationship with their faculty advisor

Modern sedimentation in the Northern Barents Sea : input, dipersal and deposition of suspended sediments from glacial meltwater

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution August 1984The modern depositional environment of the northern epicontinental Barents Sea varies from proximal to distal glaciomarine. The regional surface sediment distribution is controlled by erosion of shallow banks of the Pleistocene glaciated surface, with the fine material deposited in the deep basins. Near-bottom nepheloid layers are often observed indicating that fine grained sediments are being transported under present conditions. Minor additional sediment is supplied by iceberg rafting englacial material and sea-ice containing aeolian, resuspended, and beach sediments. Glacial flour is supplied by several large stable meltwater outflow locations along the ice front. Because the water is fresh and nearly the same temperature as the ambient coastal water, it is bouyant. Although the traction load deposits as the meltwater plume rises to the sea surface, sand (as well as finer material) may be suspended. This material deposits from suspension at some distance from the discharge location (dependent on both the sediment settling velocity and the velocity of the ambient coastal water, resulting in well-sorted deposits near the outflow location). Most of the sediment in suspension is observed to deposit within a 5km radius of the outflow location, and suspended matter samples obtained 18km offshore were at background levels. However, meltwater plumes can often be observed in the surface water (in satellite photographs) at distances of 30km downstream, indicating transport of glacial sediments along the ice front. Near the Nordaustlandet glacier front surface sediments are disturbed by glaciers advances and retreats which mechanically rework the sediment surface. The southwestern portion of the glacier front, Brasvellbreen, surged 18km between 1936 and 1938. An end moraine was deposited at the maximum extent of the surge. The ice then stagnated and disintegrated through calving. At present on the eastern portion of the Brasvellbreen ice front is active with frequent small (less than 50m) glacier advances and retreats. Evidence for this is shown by the minor ridge and swale moraines in this eastern area.The Office of Naval Research supported my thesis research

Chemistry Ph.D. Student Experiences

This study aims to explore the experiences of graduate students who are in the process of obtaining a Ph.D. in chemistry, as well as to better understand the culture of graduate chemistry programs. This study is important in the field because attrition rates in graduate school have been holding steady around 50% for at least 40 years, despite rising numbers in enrollment.  The negative impacts this has on individuals and universities alike are rationale for investigating students’ experiences and the interplay with the culture. While socialization and relationship with advisor in graduate school has been shown to be important for graduate student retention, satisfaction, and success, more work needs to be done to expand our understanding with a cultural perspective. My purposes in interviewing chemistry Ph.D. students are to uncover nuances in their experiences with possible connections to frameworks such as Community Cultural Wealth and Funds of Knowledge. My guiding questions throughout my pilot study are: What are the experiences of chemistry graduate students as they obtain their Ph.D.? and what are the various ways that the culture/climate of graduate school and the chemistry department affect the student and have an impact on their experience

Eyes Off the Earth?

Survey researchers have observed significant political divisions in the United States with regard to public trust of science related to evolution, the environment, vaccines, genetically modified organisms, and other topics. Conservatives are less likely than moderates or liberals to say they trust scientists for information on any of these topics

Germany's New Research Center for Marine Geosciences (GEOMAR)

GEOMAR was founded in June 1987 as an institution dedicated to marine geosciences and technological development. The institution consists of three interacting organizations: the Research Center for Marine Geosciences, the “Technologie GmbH,” and the Technology Park. The GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences is central to this new institution. The director of the Research Center is Joern Thiede

Bridging the Poles: Education Linked with Research: A Report on the Workshop: 23-25 June 2004, Washington, D.C.

The goals of the "Bridging the Poles" workshop of June 23-25, 2004 were to define strategies to engage the next generation of polar scientists, engineers and leaders, and inspire and educate the general public. The timeframe considered was the next five years, including maximizing the educational impact of the International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007-2009 (see inset below). The ca. 65 participants included K-12 educators, undergraduate professors, Arctic and Antarctic research scientists, Alaskan natives and residents, museum curators, representatives from agencies, the media and international programs. The workshop focused on four major themes: Reaching different levels; Engaging diverse communities; Possibilities for thematic areas; and Programs to feature nationally and internationally. The 22 roundtable discussions on these topics resulted in numerous recommendations to engage both future scientists and the general public. This report synthesizes opportunities for polar education and outreach identified at the workshop, recommends ways to maximize the impact of the IPY, and proposes "Next Steps" to develop polar education and outreach over the next five years

Education and Outreach for the International Polar Year

If the 65 educators, scientists, and media specialists who gathered at the "Bridging the Poles" workshop in Washington, D.C. last June have their way a semitrailer truck labeled "Got Snow?" would traverse the country during the International Polar Year (IPY) of 2007-2009 loaded with polar gear, interactive activities, and a snowmaker. We would significantly increase the number of Arctic residents—especially indigenous Alaskans—with Ph.D.s. We would build exchange programs between inner city youths and polar residents. Polar exhibitions would open at natural history and art museums and zoos. And polar postage stamps, interactive polar computer games, national polar book-of-the-month recommendations, made-for-TV polar documentaries, and a polar youth forum would bring the poles front and center to the public's attention

Reconstructing the origin and trajectory of drifting Arctic sea ice

Recent studies have indicated that drifting Arctic sea ice plays an important role in the redistribution of sediments and contaminants. Here we present a method to reconstruct the backward trajectory of sea ice from its sampling location in the Eurasian Arctic to its possible site of origin on the shelf, based on historical drift data from the International Arctic Buoy Program. This method is verified by showing that origins derived from the backward trajectories are generally consistent with other indicators, such as comparison of the predicted backward trajectories with known buoy drifts and matching the clay mineralogy of sediments sampled from the sea ice with that of the seafloor in the predicted shelf source regions. The trajectories are then used to identify regions where sediment‐laden ice is exported to the Transpolar Drift Stream: from the New Siberian Islands and the Central Kara Plateau. Calculation of forward trajectories shows that the Kara Sea is a major contributor of ice to the Barents Sea and the southern limb of the Transpolar Drift Stream