Teaching Students to Fish: Creating a Sustainable Student Peer Research Program

A Peer Research Mentor (PRM) program was developed at Musselman Library, Gettysburg College to augment traditional reference services and expand library outreach. Goals included enhancing these students’ information literacy skills helping them become better researchers, as well as sharing that knowledge with peers. This poster will highlight the initial and on-going training, their involvement at the reference desk, and outreach projects to date

Casting Students in the Leading Role: Peer Learning in Academic Libraries

Peer learning services are an emerging trend in academic libraries of various sizes. These models allow students to engage and support the research needs of other students. These interactions may build off their classroom experiences and library training, while further developing their own research skills. This handout provides the context and questions for the roundtable discussion, “Casting Students in the Leading Role: Peer Learning in Academic Libraries,” at the ACRL 2019 conference. There are also resources for additional reading on the topic

Critical Literacy in Fairytales: Through the Eyes of a Preschooler

Critical literacy theory says that students can make connections between a text and the meaning of its words, thereby, connecting it to societal ideas around them. Critical literacy in the classroom has often been tied back to various texts, including fairytales. When most think of critical literacy, the common idea is that it is used in an upper elementary classroom and the grades following. Various articles provide lots of insight into the minds of students in relation to critical topics; however, one age group has not been given much of an opportunity to participate in these discussions. This paper applies critical literacy to this age group--preschoolers. Through four fairytale lessons, students engaged in critical discourse with questions preplanned and facilitated by the researcher. This study aims to show that even young students can think critically about topics if they are challenged and provided with questions that push them to think about a topic

Morality and Power: The Influence of Individual Differences and Situational Factors on Ethical Decision Making

Decision making is a process we see, encounter, and engage in all the time. Many of the choices made by people every day have little, if any, relation to ethics. However, many of the important decisions people make do have potential implications for others and ethical considerations would be relevant. Due to the prevalence of less-than-ethical decisions, it is important to gain a better understanding of when, and why such decisions are made. Several factors that influence ethical decision making have been identified in the literature. Two of the more prevalent research topics involve situational factors and individual differences. The current study aimed to explore both individual differences and situational factors as they relate to ethical decision making. The research attempted to replicate two previous findings. First, the study manipulated individual’s feelings of power (high vs. low) to assess whether high power leads to less ethical decisions. Second, an individual’s level of moral character was measured to assess whether greater moral character predicts less ethical decision making. Finally, the research tested for an interaction between these two variables. I predicted that moral character would play a greater role for high power decision makers as compared to low power decision makers. This hypothesis was not supported, and results did not indicate that an individual’s power had a significant influence on their ethical decision making. The prediction that participant’s moral character would significantly impact their ethical decision-making behavior was supported, mimicking previous research. Participants for this research consisted of undergraduate students attending Loyola University Chicago

Effect of progestin treatment on formation of persistent follicles in beef heifers [abstract]

Abstract only availableEffective estrous synchronization protocols frequently utilize progestins (melengestrol acetate [MGA] and Controlled Internal Drug Release [CIDR] inserts) to synchronize estrus. Previous research demonstrated that long-term treatment with MGA, in the absence of a corpus luteum, caused formation of persistent follicles and resulted in low fertility. The specific aims of this project were to determine if the presence of a new or used CIDR, in heifers without a corpus luteum, would induce the formation of persistent follicles and to compare the pattern of serum concentrations of progesterone in heifers treated with a new or used CIDR to luteal phase concentrations of progesterone (P4) in non-treated heifers. Normally cycling heifers were allocated by age, weight, and breed into four treatment groups: Control (n=8), MGA (n=4; 0.5 lbs-1hd-1day), new CIDR (n=7; 1.38 g P4), and used CIDR (n=8; new CIDR's previously inserted into cows for 7 d). Progestin treatment (MGA or CIDR) began on d 4 post-estrus and PG was injected on d 6 to induce luteolysis (d 0 = estrus). MGA or CIDR treatment continued for 14 d and length of a follicular wave was defined as the interval from follicular recruitment to ovulation or initiation of a new wave. Length of the first follicular wave (d) was 10.9a, 18.0b, 17.1b, and 16.9b (abP.05) throughout the 14 d treatment period but lower than in the control group. In summary, treatment with a new or used CIDR induced formation of persistent follicles in beef heifers and there was no difference in serum concentrations of progesterone between the two CIDR groups.CAFNR On Campus Research Internshi

Test-Retest Reliability and Responsiveness of Gaze Stability and Dynamic Visual Acuity in High School and College Football Players

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to establish reliability and responsiveness of the active dynamic visual acuity test (DVAT) at speeds of 150 to 200 degrees per second (deg/sec) and the gaze stabilization test (GST) in high school and college football players. Design: Reliability design Setting, Participants, Main Outcome Measures: A total of 50 high school and college football athletes completed vestibulo-ocular reflex testing using the DVAT and GST in the yaw (horizontal) and pitch (vertical) planes on two separate occasions within 14 days. Results: Test-retest reliability for the DVAT was good in yaw, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) (3,3) = 0.770 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.595 to 0.861), and moderate to good in pitch, ICC (3,3) = 0.725 (95% CI: 0.515 to 0.844). Minimal detectable change (MDC) at the 95% confidence level was 0.16 logMAR for yaw and 0.21 logMAR for pitch. Test-retest reliability for the GST was moderate in yaw, ICC (3,3) = 0.634 (95% CI: 0.355 to 0.792), and poor in pitch, ICC (3,3) = 0.411 (95% CI: -0.037 to 0.666). MDC was 73.4 deg/sec for yaw and 81.2 deg/sec for pitch. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that the DVAT is reliable at relatively high speeds in high school and college football athletes in both yaw and pitch. GST speeds were considerably higher than previously reported in the literature, but reliability of this tool for this population is only poor to moderate according to our results. From a clinical perspective, DVAT can be reliably used in the assessment of vestibular concussion for high school and college football athletes; however, GST requires further evaluation of its reliability and clinical use

Integrated weed management strategies for delaying herbicide resistance in wild oats

Les biotypes de folle avoine (Avena fatua) résistants aux herbicides infestent les principales régions céréalières de l'Ouest américain et de l'Ouest canadien. Cet article passe en revue les stratégies de lutte intégrée contre les mauvaises herbes qui peuvent être utilisées pour empêcher ou retarder le développement de la résistance aux herbicides chez la folle avoine. Une stratégie de lutte intégrée contre la folle avoine, destinée à retarder ou à empêcher le développement de la résistance, devrait être basée sur la prévention de l'introduction des grains de folle avoine dans le sol. Deux façons d'y arriver sont d'empêcher l'immigration de graines dans le champ à partir de sources externes, et de réduire ou éliminer la production de graines par la folle avoine déjà présente au champ. Il est de plus en plus évident que le recours à l'utilisation continuelle d'herbicides comme seul moyen de lutte contre les mauvaises herbes n'éliminera pas la folle avoine ni les autres graines de mauvaises herbes de la banque de graines du sol. Au contraire, tout porte à croire que cette pratique va sélectionner des biotypes résistants aux herbicides utilisés, particulièrement là où des herbicides ayant le même mode d'action sont utilisés de façon continue. Il est essentiel, cependant, que les herbicides soient considérés seulement comme une composante d'un système intégré global incluant la lutte culturale et d'autres stratégies de gestion, et que les principes agronomiques soient considérés lors du développement de ce système.Herbicide-resistant biotypes of wild oats (Avena fatua) infest most major cereal producing regions in the western United States and Canada. This paper reviews potential integrated weed management strategies that can be used to prevent or delay selection of herbicide-resistant wild oats plants. An integrated wild oats management strategy to delay or prevent the development of herbicide resistance should be based on preventing the movement of wild oats seed into the soil. Two ways to achieve this are by preventing the immigration of seed into the field from external sources, and by reducing or eliminating seed production by wild oats already in the field. It is becoming increasingly clear that reliance on continuous herbicide useas the sole means of weed control will fail to eliminate wild oats and other weed seed from the soil seedbank. On the contrary, evidence is mounting that this practice will select for biotypes that are resistant to the herbicides used, especially where herbicides of the same mode of action are used continuously. It is essential, therefore, that herbicides be considered as just one component of an overall integrated System together with cultural control and other management strategies, and that agronomic principles be considered when developing this System

Seed morphology and allelopathy of invasive Praxelis clematidea

Praxelis [Praxelis clematidea (Griseb.) R.M.King & H.Rob.] is an invasive species that infests many agricultural systems globally, such as orchards, rubber plantations, and other economic crops. The purpose of this research was to study seed morphology, germination factors, and allelopathy of aboveground parts of P. clematidea. P. clematidea seeds are small, light, and possess pappi that allow them to be dispersed easily by wind or animals. Among four P. clematidea populations collected from different provinces in Thailand, the size of P. clematidea seeds ranged from 2.6 to 3.2 mm in length, 0.6 to 0.7 mm in width, and were 0.4 mm in thickness. The weight of P. clematidea seeds ranged from 0.13 to 0.21 mg. P. clematidea had about 44 to 48 seeds per head. Seeds germinated over a temperature range of 20 to 30 °C while high (45 °C) and low (10 °C) temperatures reduced germination. Maximum germination occurred when seeds were planted on the soil surface. No seedlings germinated when seeds were planted at a depth more than 1 cm. P. clematidea extracts from aerial plant parts at concentrations of 25 and 50% inhibited seedling growth of hairy beggarticks (Bidens pilosa L.). Basic knowledge of the seed biology of P. clematidea and allelochemicals can help in understanding the invasiveness and in developing management strategies for this weed

Peer Research Mentors at Gettysburg College

Musselman Library at Gettysburg College developed a Peer Research Mentor (PRM) program to expand the library’s formal research and instruction program. Designed and coordinated by a group of research and instruction librarians, the PRM program is built around a cohort of eight undergraduate students from a variety of class years and disciplines. Each PRM has a librarian supervisor. The PRMs participate in intensive training, provide reference service alongside professional librarians at the Research Help Desk, and develop outreach projects to better connect student patrons with library collections and services. [excerpt

Peer Research Mentors at Gettysburg College: Transforming Student Library Jobs into High-Impact Learning Experiences

Research and Instruction librarians at Gettysburg College developed a Peer Research Mentor (PRM) program for undergraduate students. The program is designed to empower a group of student employees to work in partnership with experienced librarians in order to increase a PRM’s own research skills and support other student researchers more effectively. The program focuses on student training, reference service, and outreach to other students. The authors share the development of the program; describe their approach to training, supervision, and assessment; and offer insight about how to operate and sustain a similar program with limited resources