Extended Orientation for Undergraduate Pathways Students

This Learning Innovation Presentation will introduce projects designed at INTO Oregon State University for supporting Undergraduate Pathway students as they navigate the US university system. By combining an online course management tool, first term group advising meetings, and pre-progression workshops INTO OSU has seen a rise in student’s ability to become more self-sufficient and prepared when progressing to their degree program. We will discuss in depth the protocols of our Extended Orientation project in order for you to walk away with ideas about increasing the effectiveness of the student/advisor relationship, which could raise overall progression rates and student’s confidence levels

Internal Migration : The Role of Discrimination and Regionalism in Southern Italians' Self Construction of Identity

Italian nationalism and an ‘Italian’ identity were constructed during Italy’s unification movement in the mid 1800’s. However, consensus on a national identity is still weak across Italy today. Instead, a polarization of Northern and Southern regions have contributed to discrimination, institutional racism and exclusion. This thesis demonstrates the multifaceted aspects of regionalism and internal migration, and their effects on Southern Italians’ view of identity, regionalism, and how their position as the ‘other’ contributes to their lived experience. This is supported by historical and political background information on Italy and the Emilia-Romagna region, relevant newspaper articles and political cartoons as well as qualitative fieldwork with Southern Italian migrants living in the northern city of Ferrara. This ethnographic case study highlights the growing global trends of regionalism and migration, in order to discover how migrants shape their regional identities

High concentrations and turnover rates of DMS, DMSP and DMSO in Antarctic sea ice

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 38 (2011): L23609, doi:10.1029/2011GL049712.The vast Antarctic sea-ice zone (SIZ) is a potentially significant source of the climate-active gas dimethylsulfide (DMS), yet few data are available on the concentrations and turnover rates of DMS and the related compounds dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) in sea ice environments. Here we present new measurements characterizing the spatial variability of DMS, DMSP, and DMSO concentrations across the Antarctic SIZ, and results from tracer experiments quantifying the production rates of DMS from various sources. We observed extremely high concentrations (>200 nM) and turnover rates (>100 nM d−1) of DMS in sea-ice brines, indicating intense cycling of DMS/P/O. Our results demonstrate a previously unrecognized role for DMSO reduction as a major pathway of DMS production in Antarctic sea ice.This work was supported in part by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Ocean Life Institute and by NSF grant ANT-0838872 to KRA.2012-06-1

Passive Diffusion Rates of Phaeocystis globosa Across its Cell Lipid Bilayer

Passive uptake into algal colonies can exercise significant control over primary production. Passive diffusion can bring secondary metabolites into the cell or allow wastes to be expelled. While passive diffusion of compounds across the membrane of single celled organisms has become a well-defined process, uptake across a colonial membrane is still poorly understood. Passive diffusion across cell lipid bilayers depends strongly on both polarity and molecular size. However, polarity is not suspected to have a role in diffusion across the colonial envelope. This study examined passive diffusion in a colonial alga, Phaeocystis globosa, using NMR spectroscopy. The rate of exchange between the colonial matrix and the bulk media was measured for N compounds and the physical properties of each used to determine underlying factors that influence diffusion

Analysis of methanesulfonate by LC-MS

Methanesulfonic acid (MSA) is a key component of the marine sulfur cycle, and represents the last step in mineralization of methylated sulfur. However, MSA has not been measured directly in seawater owing to the high salinity. This project aimed to develop a method to remove background ions and quantify MSA by LC-MS. Chloride and sulfate were removed with Dowex (Ag and Ba forms). The method was then applied to samples from the Gulf of Maine and the Sargasso Sea. Limits of detection were approximately 5 nM with good reproducibility. These results represent the first measurement of MSA in seawater and provide a new avenue for understanding sulfur cycling in the oceans