Assessment on the Go: Surveying Students With an iPad

Ongoing assessment in academic libraries, particularly the measurement of student perceptions, preferences, and satisfaction, can be a challenge to schedule and execute. This paper describes a pilot project at Georgia State University Library that combined assessment with the portability of the tablet computer. A tablet computer--in this case, Apple’s iPad--loaded with survey software became a digital clipboard with the added benefit of automatic data compilation. Subjects were surveyed quickly in the library buildings, maximizing convenience for both subjects and researchers alike. The result was a model that other libraries, as well as campus student services divisions and classroom instructors, can easily adopt. Methodology, benefits, lessons learned, and ideas for future projects are discussed

Interactive Visualization: Video Walls for Collaborative Research and Discovery (Snapshot of CURVE)

Discusses large-scale video walls in libraries designed for collaboration that can change users’ perspective and reframe and amplify digital content in shared physical spaces. Georgia State University Library’s newly-opened CURVE: Collaborative University Research & Visualization Environment features a 24-by-4.5-foot, high-resolution CURVE interactWall that expands student and faculty access to digital resources, data visualization, and more

Supporting “Big Data” Research at Georgia State University (GSU)

From Summer 2020 to Summer 2021, a team of Georgia State University (GSU) University Library faculty took part in a multi-institutional research study coordinated by the Ithaka S+R research and consulting organization to examine the research support needs of faculty doing “big data” research. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with eight GSU researchers representing a diverse cross-section of academic fields, this report offers the following insights from participation in the study: (1) identifies the key research support needs and associated challenges faced by GSU faculty who engage in “big data” research, and (2) offers possible paths toward improved support of GSU researchers in this area that capitalize on the Library’s strengths and have feasible return on investment

Demonstration of a switchable damping system to allow low-noise operation of high-Q low-mass suspension systems

Low mass suspension systems with high-Q pendulum stages are used to enable quantum radiation pressure noise limited experiments. Utilising multiple pendulum stages with vertical blade springs and materials with high quality factors provides attenuation of seismic and thermal noise, however damping of these high-Q pendulum systems in multiple degrees of freedom is essential for practical implementation. Viscous damping such as eddy-current damping can be employed but introduces displacement noise from force noise due to thermal fluctuations in the damping system. In this paper we demonstrate a passive damping system with adjustable damping strength as a solution for this problem that can be used for low mass suspension systems without adding additional displacement noise in science mode. We show a reduction of the damping factor by a factor of 8 on a test suspension and provide a general optimisation for this system.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

On the measurement of intensity correlations from laboratory and astronomical sources with SPADs and SNSPDs

We describe the performance of detector modules containing silicon single photon avalanche photodiodes (SPADs) and superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) to be used for intensity interferometry. The SPADs are mounted in fiber-coupled and free-space coupled packages. The SNSPDs are mounted in a small liquid helium cryostat coupled to single mode fiber optic cables which pass through a hermetic feed-through. The detectors are read out with microwave amplifiers and FPGA-based coincidence electronics. We present progress on measurements of intensity correlations from incoherent sources including gas-discharge lamps and stars with these detectors. From the measured laboratory performance of the correlation system, we estimate the sensitivity to intensity correlations from stars using commercial telescopes and larger existing research telescopes. © (2016) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only

A multi-experiment investigation of the effects stance width on the biomechanics of the of barbell squat.

This two-experiment study aimed to explore habitual and manipulated stance widths on squat biomechanics. In experiment 1, 70 lifters completed back squats at 70% 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and were split (NARROW 1.37 *GTW) according to their self-selected stance width. In experiment 2, 20 lifters per-formed squats at 70% 1RM in 3 conditions (NARROW, MID and WIDE, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.5*GTW). Three-dimensional kinematics were measured using a motion capture system, ground reaction forces (GRF) using a force platform and muscle forces using musculoskeletal modelling. In experiment 2 peak power was significantly greater in the NARROW condition, whereas both experiments showed medial GRF impulse was significantly greater in the WIDE stance. Experiment 2 showed the NARROW condition significantly increased quadriceps forces, whereas both experiments showed that the WIDE stance width significantly enhanced posterior-chain muscle forces. The NARROW condition may improve high mechanical power movement performance and promote quadriceps muscle development. Greater stance widths may improve sprint and rapid change of direction performance and promote posterior-chain muscle hypertrophy. Whilst it appears that there is not an optimal stance width, these observations can be utilized by strength and conditioning practitioners seeking maximize training adaptations

Factors affecting bismuth vanadate photoelectrochemical performance

Bismuth vanadate is a promising photoanode material, but recent reports on undoped BiVO_4 without sublayers and co-catalysts showed large variations in photocurrent generation. We addressed this issue by correlating photoelectrochemical performance with physical properties. We devised a novel anodic electrodeposition procedure with iodide added to the aqueous plating bath, which allowed us to prepare BiVO_4 photoanodes with virtually identical thicknesses but different morphologies, and we could control surface Bi content. Morphologies were quantified from SEM images as distributions of crystallite areas and aspect-ratio-normalised diameters, and their statistical moments were derived. We could obtain clear photocurrent generation trends only from bivariate data analysis. Our experimental evidence suggests that a combination of low Bi/V ratio, small aspect-ratio-normalised diameters, and crystallites sizes that were small enough to provide efficient charge separation yet sufficiently large to prevent mass transport limitations led to highest photoelectrochemical performance