J.M. Barrie and the Du Mauriers

Notes the influence of several members of the Du Maurier family on the writings of J.M. Barrie—particularly on Peter Pan

“I can’t learn when I’m hungry”: Responding to U.S. college student basic needs insecurity in pedagogy and praxis

Food insecurity and other basic needs insecurities were pressing concerns for U.S. college students prior to the COVID-19 crisis and are even more so now. These issues disproportionately impact minoritized students, making addressing basic needs an issue of educational equity. As feminist teacher-scholars, we reflect in this essay on what it means to teach in the context of student basic needs insecurities, drawing on our experiences from launching an interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to combatting food insecurity on our campus. In doing so, we seek to catalyze changes within and beyond the classroom to better support students

Frequency-based nanoparticle sensing over large field ranges using the ferromagnetic resonances of a magnetic nanodisc

Using finite element micromagnetic simulations, we study how resonant magnetisation dynamics in thin magnetic discs with perpendicular anisotropy are influenced by magnetostatic coupling to a magnetic nanoparticle. We identify resonant modes within the disc using direct magnetic eigenmode calculations and study how their frequencies and profiles are changed by the nanoparticle's stray magnetic field. We demonstrate that particles can generate shifts in the resonant frequency of the disc's fundamental mode which exceed resonance linewidths in recently studied spin torque oscillator devices. Importantly, it is shown that the simulated shifts can be maintained over large field ranges (here up to 1T). This is because the resonant dynamics (the basis of nanoparticle detection here) respond directly to the nanoparticle stray field, i.e. detection does not rely on nanoparticle-induced changes to the magnetic ground state of the disk. A consequence of this is that in the case of small disc-particle separations, sensitivities to the particle are highly mode- and particle-position-dependent, with frequency shifts being maximised when the intense stray field localised directly beneath the particle can act on a large proportion of the disc's spins that are undergoing high amplitude precession.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures. Updated version from 31.7.2016 includes minor changes in introduction and sections III.C and III.D (additional information linking the results to real-world bio-sensing devices

Discovery of the largest historic silicic submarine eruption

It was likely twice the size of the renowned Mount St. Helens eruption of 1980 and perhaps more than 10 times bigger than the more recent 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption in Iceland. However, unlike those two events, which dominated world news headlines, in 2012 the daylong submarine silicic eruption at Havre volcano in the Kermadec Arc, New Zealand (Figure 1a; ~800 kilometers north of Auckland, New Zealand), passed without fanfare. In fact, for a while no one even knew it had occurred

Hysteresis of nanocylinders with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

The potential for application of magnetic skyrmions in high density storage devices provides a strong drive to investigate and exploit their stability and manipulability. Through a three-dimensional micromagnetic hysteresis study, we investigate the question of existence of skyrmions in cylindrical nanostructures of variable thickness. We quantify the applied field and thickness dependence of skyrmion states, and show that these states can be accessed through relevant practical hysteresis loop measurement protocols. As skyrmionic states have yet to be observed experimentally in confined helimagnetic geometries, our work opens prospects for developing viable hysteresis process-based methodologies to access and observe skyrmionic states.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Thermal stability and topological protection of skyrmions in nanotracks

Magnetic skyrmions are hailed as a potential technology for data storage and other data processing devices. However, their stability against thermal fluctuations is an open question that must be answered before skyrmion-based devices can be designed. In this work, we study paths in the energy landscape via which the transition between the skyrmion and the uniform state can occur in interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya finite-sized systems. We find three mechanisms the system can take in the process of skyrmion nucleation or destruction and identify that the transition facilitated by the boundary has a significantly lower energy barrier than the other energy paths. This clearly demonstrates the lack of the skyrmion topological protection in finite-sized magnetic systems. Overall, the energy barriers of the system under investigation are too small for storage applications at room temperature, but research into device materials, geometry and design may be able to address this

Sustainability

In the face of climate change, overflowing landfills, water shortages, and exploitation of natural resources, it is becoming increasingly important to act in responsible and sustainable ways. Environmental sustainability is the intersection of social, economic and environmental solutions to address issues threatening the world we live in. Too often in our society, sustainability is not prioritized and becomes an afterthought. In this case study, we challenge students to explore ways to make our world more sustainable, bringing these important issues into the consciousness of the next generation. In this case study, students can choose the topic they wish to study and do original research. Students will then communicate their original conclusions outside the classroom. By creating their own research and having a product leave the classroom, students will be invested in their work and feel like they are contributing to the global conversation about sustainability. Recommended Citation: Carey, Dominique Kiki, Corrine Losch, Rebecca Howard, Erica Light, and Stephanie Purington. Sustainability Scholarworks. scholarworks.umass.edu. Case Study Lesson Plans for Teachers., July 2016. Web. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/icons_casestudy_gallery/1/ .https://scholarworks.umass.edu/icons_casestudy_gallery/1000/thumbnail.jp

Oil Spills

While the global market is still highly dependent on oil and fossil fuels, society must be aware of the dangers and repercussions of mishandling of this oil. Oil spills are too often forgotten about after the original media rush, and conversations about cleanup methods are neglected. In this case study, we have students to look into the ramifications of an important oil spill, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. We challenge students to look into possible cleanup solutions for oil spills in order to encourage critical thought around an issue that is common in today’s world. In this case study, students can choose the topic they wish to study and do original research. Students will then communicate their original conclusions outside the classroom. By creating their own research and having a product leave the classroom, students will be invested in their work and feel like they are contributing to the global conversation about oil spills. Recommended Citation: Carey, Dominique Kiki, Corrine Losch, Rebecca Howard, Erica Light, and Stephanie Purington. Oil Spills Scholarworks. scholarworks.umass.edu Case Study Lesson Plans for Teachers., July 2016. Web. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/icons_casestudy_gallery/2/.https://scholarworks.umass.edu/icons_casestudy_gallery/1001/thumbnail.jp

Antibiotic Resistance

Many people think that a world without antibiotics is a thing of the past, but we are on the cusp of becoming a generation without cures to the simplest bacterial infections. The more often we expose bacteria to antibiotics, the higher the chance of resistance to the drug forming. In today’s society, where any health issue is met with a drug and livestock are being pumped full of antibiotics, more infections are growing resistant to the drugs we use to combat them. Students will investigate the current situation, find solutions to the waning effectiveness of antibiotics, and encourage a behavioral change in society. In this case study, students can choose the topic they wish to study and do original research. Students will then communicate their original conclusions outside the classroom. By creating their own research and having a product leave the classroom, students will be invested in their work and feel like they are contributing to the global conversation about antibiotic resistance. Recommended citation: Carey, Dominique Kiki, Corrine Losch, Rebecca Howard, Erica Light, and Stephanie Purington. Antibiotic Resistance Scholarworks. scholarworks.umass.edu. Case Study Lesson Plans for Teachers., July 2016. Web. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/icons_casestudy_gallery/4/.https://scholarworks.umass.edu/icons_casestudy_gallery/1003/thumbnail.jp