The Experiential Classroom: Challenges of Addressing the Millennial Generation as they Prepare for the Modern Day Workforce

Experiential learning, the key feature of the re-designed curriculum of the Byrum School of Business, begins early in the students’ experience and continues throughout their academic career. This enables graduates to be versed and proficient with the 21st century skills needed upon arrival and ready to contribute in an effective and efficient way. This presentation will explain the who, what, how, and outcomes of the curriculum redesign. Questions and discussion will be encouraged

Predictions for Impurity-Induced Tc Suppression in the High-Temperature Superconductors

We address the question of whether anisotropic superconductivity is compatible with the evidently weak sensitivity of the critical temperature Tc to sample quality in the high-Tc copper oxides. We examine this issue quantitatively by solving the strong-coupling Eliashberg equations numerically as well as analytically for s-wave impurity scattering within the second Born approximation. For pairing interactions with a characteristically low energy scale, we find an approximately universal dependence of the d-wave superconducting transition temperature on the planar residual resistivity which is independent of the details of the microscopic pairing. These results, in conjunction with future systematic experiments, should help elucidate the symmetry of the order parameter in the cuprates.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures upon request, revtex version

The Design of an IEP Decision Aid: A Tool for Diverse Parents of Children with Autism

Decision-making is a universal process that occurs constantly in life. Parent participation in educational decision-making is recognized as important by special education law, by special education and school psychology literature (Christenson & Sheridan, 2001; IDEIA, 2004;). Partnership in decision-making is especially important for parents of diverse culture and SES, who participate at lower rates, and for whom participation and partnership may mean different things (Epstein, 2001; Gaitan, 2004). Within that population, partnering with parents of children with autism is a priority due to the complex effects of autism on children's communication, socialization, and behavior, a plethora of available resources and interventions, and negotiation of those resources and roles of schools with the expectations of parents. Decisions that diverse parents must make are often complex and their priorities may be different than those of the professionals with whom they work (Dunlap & Fox, 1999; Mandell & Novak, 2005). One method that has been used in the field of medicine, and to a lesser degree in education, is the use of decision-making aids to enhance joint decision-making between patients and providers or between parents and educational professionals (Giangreco, Cloninger & Iverson, 1998; O'Connor et al 2009). However, when these tools are reviewed, few posit a theoretical basis, and when educational decision tools are evaluated using an international quality criteria checklist, they fall short in addressing specific populations and encouraging parents to identify their values and in a process for making decisions, and focus on professionals as the administrator of the tool. This study utilized design research methodology to develop a grounded theory model of IEP decision-making for diverse parents of elementary-aged children with autism in Kansas City, KS public schools and to create a decision aid based in the grounded theory and other sources. Participants report a variety of types of decisions that parents make when working with their IEP team, as well as the interaction and influence of varying layers of child, parent, family, systemic, and relational factors into parents' decision-making process. Participants report four general types of parent response when presented with IEP decisions. In partnership with an Advisory Board comprising parent and professional participants, the grounded theory, decision aid standards, and other resources served as a basis for the design of an IEP decision aid tool

Efficiency of organic scintillators for fast neutrons

Organic scintillator detection efficiencies for fast neutron

The secret lives of African forest elephants: using genetics, networks, and telemetry to understand sociality

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on March 5,2013).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Dissertation advisor: Lori EggertIncludes bibliographical references.Vita.Ph. D. University of Missouri-Columbia 2012.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Biological sciences."December 2012."Knowledge of social structure is important to understanding the overall evolution and behavioral ecology of a species as it ultimately influences spatial patterns and gene flow. This dissertation focuses on the social structure of African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) and tests for fission-fusion sociality using satellite telemetry, noninvasive genetic sampling, and social networks. Satellite telemetry results from six adult females in Loango National Park, Gabon revealed small home ranges with low probabilities of co-occurrence between individuals, suggesting spatial avoidance among these females. In contrast, network models created from non-invasive genetic approaches from forest elephants in Lopé National Park, Gabon revealed more extensive networks of individuals suggesting fission-fusion sociality. Also, adult females at distances of five kilometers or less were more closely related to each other than expected from chance. Known adult females and their associates were tracked through observations in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Social networks revealed evidence of kin-based fission-fusion sociality. Although forest elephant females associate in fission-fusion patterns, they frequently separate from them, and when preferred associations do form, it is typically with only one other individual. When comparing these results with other extant elephant species, they suggest that although there is evidence of kin-based fission-fusion sociality, forest elephant differ by having many small components and solitary individuals, and overall a disconnected network

Carbon nanotubes and their composites with nanodiamond for thermal packaging: Syntheses, characterization and modeling [abstract]

Abstract only availableIn the family of carbon-based nanosystems, carbon nanotubes (both single- and multi-walled) are cylindrical carbon molecules with many extremely useful properties that make them ideal for use in multitude of technological applications. Owing to their extremely high thermal conductivity properties, nanotubes enable the most potentially efficient heat-transfer applications. The microchip industry would see great benefits for thermal management applications. Nanodiamonds (nano-scale diamond structures), on the other hand are also of great interest have equally reasonable thermal conductivity and a radiation hard material. Combination of nanotubes and nanodiamonds forming truly trigonal-tetragonal composites could provide quite effective heat-transfer plus the added bonus of being radiation resistant for harsh environments such as space. The present research work is designed to measure the thermal conductivities of nanotubes and their composites with nanodiamond following Nielsen method applicable for two-phase systems and well-known Widemann-Franz law determining electronic contribution towards thermal conductivity (kappa_e). This model will allow us to predict the thermal conductivity of nanocomposites that may lie somewhere between the conductivity of the two constituents, following the most versatile Halpin-Tsai equation of phase mixing. Variation of thermal conductivity of these nanocomposites with gamma irradiation is determined following the similar approach as described above. They were analyzed prior to and post-irradiation in terms of morphology, microscopic structure and physical properties using electron microscopy, visible Raman spectroscopy and electrical [I(V)] measurements to establish property-structure-processing relationship.College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Option; MU Research Counci