Remotely Close: An Investigation of the Student Experience in First-Year Mathematics Courses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The realm of education was shaken by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It had drastic effects on the way that courses were delivered to students, and the way that students were getting their education at the collegiate level. At the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, the pandemic dramatically changed the way that first-year mathematics courses looked for students. By Spring 2021, students had the opportunity to take their first-year math courses either in-person or virtually. This project sought to identify differences between the two methods of course delivery during the Spring 2021 semester, regarding interaction with peers and instructors, resources used, and challenges to learning. To identify these differences, a survey was distributed to students in a selection of first-year mathematics courses (MATH 101, 102, and 103) at the University, at the end of the Spring 2021 semester. This project determined that students in in-person and virtual sections largely reported having a similar experience, with a few small differences. Overall, students having a similar experience in both types of class isn’t necessarily a cause for concern – it means that students are receiving a similar quality of education

Stitched Past

“Stitched Past” tells the stories of vulnerable women in Lima, Peru. Despite the emotional and physical impacts of poverty, the women seek mentorship, education, and job security through Krochet Kids International. Krochet Kids, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, offers women in Peru and Uganda the opportunity to create knitwear to be sold online. In addition to gaining a new job and skill, the women receive counseling, affordable childcare, and supportive community. Krochet Kids approaches empowerment from a holistic perspective. The mentors encourage growth in five categories: financial, intellectual, physical, social, and psychological. This model of personal development ensures that the women sustain a healthy lifestyle after graduation from the three year program. Each program participant graduates with a savings account and business plan in order to pursue a financial goal of hers. This goal-oriented strategy changes the women’s perception of poverty. One of Krochet Kids’ greatest challenges lies in helping the women believe that they can better their own situations. With newfound confidence, the women often see changes in their emotional stability and decision-making abilities as well

Computer program to determine pressure distributions and forces on blunt bodies of revolution

Program was written to include integration of surface pressure in order to obtain axial-force, normal-force, and pitching-moment coefficients. Program was written in CDC FORTRAN for the CDC-6600 computer system

Women's experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period in the Gambia: A qualitative study

Objective: In sub-Saharan African countries, there are unique cultural factors and adverse physical conditions that contribute to women's experiences of pregnancy and birth. The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore women's experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, the postnatal period, and maternal psychological distress in The Gambia. Design and methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 55 women who had given birth within the previous year. Results: Thematic analysis identified five themes: (1) transition to adulthood, (2) physical difficulties, (3) value of children in relation to others, (4) children as a strain, and (5) going through it alone. The results suggest that having a child is a defining point in women's lives associated with happiness and joy. However, women also described situations which could lead to unhappiness and distress in the perinatal period. A child conceived out of wedlock or a baby girl can be sources of distress because of negative cultural perceptions. The strain of having a child, particularly the additional financial burden, and minimal support from men were also a concern for women. Finally, women recognized the danger associated with delivery and expressed recurrent worries of complications during childbirth which could result in the death of them or the baby. Conclusions: Further research is needed to identify women vulnerable to psychological distress so that health services and target interventions can be developed accordingly

Airport Emergency Post-Event Recovery Practices

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 60: Airport Emergency Post-Event Recovery Practices explores approaches to improving the overall resiliency of airports through planning for the recovery phase of emergency response

Observation of Quantum Effects in sub Kelvin Cold Reactions

There has been a long-standing quest to observe chemical reactions at low temperatures where reaction rates and pathways are governed by quantum mechanical effects. So far this field of Quantum Chemistry has been dominated by theory. The difficulty has been to realize in the laboratory low enough collisional velocities between neutral reactants, so that the quantum wave nature could be observed. We report here the first realization of merged neutral supersonic beams, and the observation of clear quantum effects in the resulting reactions. We observe orbiting resonances in the Penning ionization reaction of argon and molecular hydrogen with metastable helium leading to a sharp increase in the absolute reaction rate in the energy range corresponding to a few degrees kelvin down to 10 mK. Our method is widely applicable to many canonical chemical reactions, and will enable a breakthrough in the experimental study of Quantum Chemistry