Enhancing Student Learning Outcomes Through Increased Predeparture Preparation for Study Abroad

Numerous studies have shown that each year, more students in the United States choose to study abroad. Some universities have even taken steps to make international study a requirement. Similar to the increased competitiveness for students to attend and thereafter, to stand out in college, making the most of one’s overseas experience, going to more exotic locations and delving deeper into the local culture, will follow in this pattern as a means to be more competitive upon graduation. Increased awareness of the needs of students studying abroad will need to be addressed and students across the spectrum of both mental and physical ability will need to be more greatly accounted for. How can the negative effects of international study be mitigated through increased predeparture planning and mentorship? Will increased predeparture preparation limit the challenges students who study abroad face? Using the fall 2013 voyage of Semester at Sea (SAS) as my focus, I investigated the challenges students faced during their international experience. This case study was conducted through a survey exhibiting the students’ perspectives and predeparture support, as well as faculty and staff interviews demonstrating professional observations of students’ adjustment and behaviors abroad. This study demonstrated that overall, students had little predeparture support at their home institutions prior to their international programs. Little was known about culture shock, though faculty and staff reported that universally it was experienced. At risk behaviors abroad, students’ overall mental health, and academic accountability also proved to be factors influencing students’ overall experience and success

Visible and Near-Infrared Spectrophotometry of the Deep Impact Ejecta of Comet 9P/Tempel 1

We have obtained optical spectrophotometry of the evolution of comet 9P/Tempel 1 after the impact of the Deep Impact probe, using the Supernova Integral Field Spectrograph (SNIFS) at the UH 2.2m telescope, as well as simultaneous optical and infrared spectra using the Lick Visible-to-Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrograph (VNIRIS) spectrograph. The spatial distribution and temporal evolution of the "violet band" CN (0-0) emission and of the 630 nm [OI] emission was studied. We found that CN emission centered on the nucleus increased in the two hours after impact, but that this CN emission was delayed compared to the light curve of dust-scattered sunlight. The CN emission also expanded faster than the cloud of scattering dust. The emission of [OI] at 630 nm rose similarly to the scattered light, but then remained nearly constant for several hours after impact. On the day following the impact, both CN and [OI] emission concentrated on the comet nucleus had returned nearly to pre-impact levels. We have also searched for differences in the scattering properties of the dust ejected by the impact compared to the dust released under normal conditions. Compared to the pre-impact state of the comet, we find evidence that the color of the comet was slightly bluer during the post-impact rise in brightness. Long after the impact, in the following nights, the comet colors returned to their pre-impact values. This can be explained by postulating a change to a smaller particle size distribution in the ejecta cloud, in agreement with the findings from mid-infrared observatons, or by postulating a large fraction of clean ice particles, or by a combination of these two.Comment: 28 pages of text and 8 figures. Paper is accepted for publication in Icaru

Breeding Behavior and Reproductive Success of Cerulean Warblers in Southeastern Ontario

Volume: 108Start Page: 673End Page: 68