Sea salt as a potential ocean mirror material

One way to increase planetary albedo in order to ameliorate global warming is to use ocean foams. The energy needed to maintain such foams, even if drawn from wave or wind is high and so they must be persistent, ideally surviving up to a month. While studying combinations of surfactants and gelling agents to make long-lived foams in salt water, it was apparent that some foams developed progressively higher reflectance as the upper surface dried. Scanning electron microscopy of the upper surface revealed 0.5 mm, near-monodisperse salt crystals. Thus with a refractive index of ∼1.5, sea salt, being in somewhat prodigious supply, now enters the arena as a potential mirror material. Its reflectance depends on the microstructure, specifically on the inhibition of Ostwald ripening. Studies were therefore carried out to investigate particle size effects in a membrane such as a foamed gel in which seawater dries on the upper surface. It was demonstrated that the organic additives used to create foam persistence also mediated sea salt crystallisation and in this way drastically modified the reflectance of the upper layer. These experiments suggest a new direction of research in planetary surface albedo modification

How experienced SoTL researchers develop the credibility of their work

Teaching and learning research in higher education, often referred to as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), is still relatively novel in many academic contexts compared to the mainstay of disciplinary research. One indication of this is the challenges those who engage in SoTL report in terms of how this work is valued or considered credible amongst disciplinary colleagues and in the face of institutional policies and practices. This paper moves beyond the literature that describes these specific challenges to investigate how 23 experienced SoTL researchers from five different countries understood the notion of credibility in relationship to their SoTL research and how they went about developing credibility for their work. Semi-structured interviews were facilitated and analyzed using inductive analysis. Findings indicate that notions of credibility encompassed putting SoTL research into action and building capacity and community around research findings, as well as gaining external validation through traditional indicators such as publishing. SoTL researchers reported a variety of strategies and approaches they were using, both formal and informal, to develop credibility for their work. The direct focus of this paper on credibility of SoTL work as perceived by experienced SoTL researchers, and how they go about developing credibility, is a distinct contribution to the discussions about the valuing of SoTL work

Route of Change on Angleysey

A research collaboration between the Bodorgan Estate, in the south-west of Anglesey, and the Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates (ISWE) at Bangor University, is shedding light on how the estate was put to a variety of usesduring and after the Second World War

Attitudinal Determinants of Aberrant Driving Behaviors in Pakistan

The aberrant behavior of drivers is regarded as the most significant contributory factor to traffic accidents in Pakistan. This research was conducted on the premise that personal attitudes were key determinants of driving behaviors. Consequently, the research attempted to identify the key sociocognitive determinants of aberrant driving. To do this, a quantitative study that used an attitudinal questionnaire (inspired by the theory of planned behavior and a modified driver behavior questionnaire) was conducted in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The study obtained self-reports of attitudes, norms, perceived control, and opinions of drivers regarding a number of intentional road traffic violations and enforcement. The responses to the statements in the questionnaires were first factor analyzed to identify underlying attitudinal and behavioral constructs. Later, following a cluster analysis technique, the attitudinal constructs were used to classify drivers into four distinct groups: the autonomous, the opportunists, the regulators, and the risk averse. Sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral constructs of these groups were also studied. The results indicated that the behaviors of drivers could be interpreted in relation to their attitudes and were partly influenced by the drivers’ sociodemographic characteristics. Attitudes toward enforcement and compliance with rules specifically appeared to be the strongest determinants of Pakistani drivers’ behavior. In particular, the results indicate that being affluent, female, and a student negatively influenced driving behaviors

A new type of WIL: Science students draw on their extant work for learning and course credit

Australian STEM graduates emerge from their degrees with deep specialty-area knowledge but the majority of science graduates are employed in non-science areas (1,2). These graduates need the career management skills defined by Bridgstock (2009). Tertiary science curricula do not generally help students develop life or career planning perspectives, and Australian employers have difficulty finding STEM graduates with well-developed interpersonal skills, understanding of business, and significant workplace experience. Compounding these issues is the problem of limited industry access for science students who want to complete work-integrated learning. In response, we have developed SCIWILWORK, a new program at UQ that aims to help science students draw on their current paid work to develop better understandings about employability. This talk will examine the pilot version of SCIWIL WORK and address the process of SCIWILWORK curriculum design, the tension between stakeholder perceptions of employability studies and science-focused WIL, and the students’ perceptions of work, WIL, and the value of non-science WIL to science undergraduates