Investigation into the Reasons for Secondary School Dropouts in Iceland

The purpose of this investigation is to examine different facets of Iceland’s culture to determine the reasons for its high secondary schools\u27 dropout rates. This study deconstructs what factors in a Nordic society affect academic performance. Reviewing literature on the subject yielded potential factors such as childhood health and parental behaviors, Iceland’s abundance of accessible jobs, and the low accessibility for higher education in rural parts of Iceland. A limited number of personal interviews and firsthand observations indicated that most secondary school dropouts were due to a lack of family support and incentive – especially for male students, due to the type of unskilled labor available

Mechanical Impact Performance of Additively Manufactured Negative Stiffness Honeycombs

Negative stiffness honeycombs materials are comprised of negative stiffness beams arranged in ordered arrays. They are capable of providing isolation from impacts and returning to their initial shape. Previous research by the authors focused on the behavior of negative stiffness honeycombs to quasi-static loading conditions. This paper investigates the behavior of similar negative stiffness honeycombs under impact. The construction of an impact testing rig for the experimental evaluation of negative stiffness honeycombs is discussed. Experimental results from impact tests performed on honeycomb prototypes manufactured using selective laser sintering (SLS) in nylon 11 material are presented and compared with analytical and finite element predictions as well as quasi-static test results.Mechanical Engineerin

Best Practices: Lessons Learned by a South Florida Non-Profit Community Based Organization while Designing and Implementing a Career Exploration Evidence Informed Framework in Urban Communities

All A’s was designed to support of the agency’s family strengthening initiatives in South Florida. All A’s uses evidence informed strategies poised to be an inclusive curriculum that teaches self-determination and adaptive behavior skills. The framework incorporates problem based learning and adult learning theory and follows the Universal Design for Learning. Since 2012, the agency has served over 8500 youth and 4,000 adults using the framework. The framework addresses educational underachievement and career readiness in at risk populations. It is used to enhance participants AWARENESS of setting SMART goals to achieve future goals and career aspirations. Participants are provided with ACCESS to resources and opportunities for creating and implementing an ACTION plan as they pursue and ACHIEVE their goals. All A’s promotes protective factors and expose youth to career pathways in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related fields. Youth participate in college tours, job site visits, job shadowing, high school visits, online college and career preparation assistance, service learning projects, STEM projects, and the Winning Futures© mentoring program. Adults are assisted with résumé development; learn job search strategies, interview techniques, job shadowing experiences, computer and financial literacy programs. Adults and youth are also given the opportunity to complete industry-recognized certifications in high demand industries (food service, general labor, and construction), and test preparation for the General Educational Development Test

Numerical study on load-bearing capabilities of beam-like lattice structures with three different unit cells

The design and analysis of lattice structures manufactured using Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique is a new approach to create lightweight high-strength components. However, it is difficult for engineers to choose the proper unit cell for a certain function structure and loading case. In this paper, three beam-like lattice structures with triangular prism, square prism and hexagonal prism were designed, manufactured by SLM process using AlSi10Mg and tested. The mechanical performances of lattice structures with equal relative density, equal base area and height, and equal length for all unit cells were conducted by Finite Element Analysis (FEA). It was found that effective Young’s modulus is proportional to relative density, but with different affecting levels. When the lattice structures are designed with the same relative density or the same side lengths, the effective Young’s modulus of lattice structure with triangular prism exhibits the maximum value for both cases. When the lattice structures are designed with the same base areas for all unit cells, the effective Young’s modulus of lattice structures with square prism presents the maximum. FEA results also show that the maximum stress of lattice structures with triangular prisms in each comparison is at the lowest level and the stiffness-to-mass ratio remains at the maximum value, showing the overwhelming advantages in terms of mechanical strength. The excellent agreements between numerical results and experimental tests reveal the validity of FEA methods applied. The results in this work provide an explicit guideline to fabricate beam-like lattice structures with the best tensile and bending capabilities

Design, Fabrication and Evaluation of Negative Stiffness Elements

Recent research has shown that constrained bistable structures can display negative stiffness behavior and provide extremal vibrational and acoustical absorptive capacity. These bistable structures are therefore compelling candidates for constructing new metamaterials for noise reduction, anechoic coatings, and backing materials for broadband imaging transducers. To date, demonstrations of these capabilities have been primarily theoretical, because the geometry of bistable elements is difficult to construct and refine with conventional manufacturing methods and materials. The objective of this research is to exploit the geometric design freedoms provided by selective laser sintering (SLS) technology to design and construct constrained bistable structures with negative stiffness behavior. The static and dynamic behaviors of resulting bistable structures are experimentally investigated. Initial bistable designs and test results are presented in this paper.Mechanical Engineerin