NASA Experience with Large and Small UAS for Atmospheric Science

NASA's unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have been utilized in many science missions, going all the way back to 1993. Some of these missions have targeted imagery (fire, vegetation) and surface measurements, but many have been applied to atmospheric research, both physical (dynamics, weather, etc.) and chemical (e.g.,composition). NASA's largest UAS, the Global Hawk, has been used to study atmospheric composition at the tropical tropopause in the Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX) mission, where the benefit of the UAS was long range and especially duration of up to 24 hours. Two Global Hawks were used in the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinal (HS3) mission to observe hurricane development. Again, long duration at altitude was the significant feature of the UAS. At the smallest scale, NASA has flown DragonEye UAS to measure volcanic gas emissions in both Costa Rica and Hawaii. The small DragonEye could sample gases in hazardous locations where manned aircraft could not fly. At mid-size, the NASA SIERRA UAS has flown imaging payloads and chemical remote sensing instruments in local and international settings. Theseexperiences provide direction for best use of UAS in atmospheric science, which will be presented

Geometric frustration in the mixed layer pnictide oxides

We present results from a Monte Carlo investigation of a simple bilayer model with geometrically frustrated interactions similar to those found in the mixed layer pnictide oxides $(Sr_{2}Mn_{3}Pn_{2}O_{2}, Pn=As,Sb).$ Our model is composed of two inequivalent square lattices with nearest neighbor intra- and interlayer interactions. We find a ground state composed of two independent N\'{e}el ordered layers when the interlayer exchange is an order of magnitude weaker than the intralayer exchange, as suggested by experiment. We observe this result independent of the number of layers in our model. We find evidence for local orthogonal order between the layers, but it occurs in regions of parameter space that are not experimentally realized. We conclude that frustration caused by nearest neighbor interactions in the mixed layer pnictide oxides is not sufficient to explain the long--range orthogonal order that is observed experimentally, and that it is likely that other terms (e.g., local anisotropies) in the Hamiltonian are required to explain the magnetic behavior.Comment: Revetex, 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "HFM 2000" (Waterloo, June 2000); submitted to Can. J. Phy

Geometric frustration in the mixed layer pnictide oxides

We present results from a Monte Carlo investigation of a simple bilayer model with geometrically frustrated interactions similar to those found in the mixed layer pnictide oxides $(Sr_{2}Mn_{3}Pn_{2}O_{2}, Pn=As,Sb).$ Our model is composed of two inequivalent square lattices with nearest neighbor intra- and interlayer interactions. We find a ground state composed of two independent N\'{e}el ordered layers when the interlayer exchange is an order of magnitude weaker than the intralayer exchange, as suggested by experiment. We observe this result independent of the number of layers in our model. We find evidence for local orthogonal order between the layers, but it occurs in regions of parameter space that are not experimentally realized. We conclude that frustration caused by nearest neighbor interactions in the mixed layer pnictide oxides is not sufficient to explain the long--range orthogonal order that is observed experimentally, and that it is likely that other terms (e.g., local anisotropies) in the Hamiltonian are required to explain the magnetic behavior.Comment: Revetex, 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "HFM 2000" (Waterloo, June 2000); submitted to Can. J. Phy

Generational Differences in Use of Social Media in Today’s Workplace

This study examined the use of social media at work. Undergraduate students and professors were surveyed to try to find a generational relationship between the younger generation’s view of using sites such as Facebook while working and how some participants from an older generation perceived it. We also examined the effects of Facebook outside of work and whether or not postings made there could jeopardize a position at work. The results from our survey and research conclude that social media is an increasing problem because it serves as a distraction and predict that with increasing individual use of social media it will become more of a problem at work if it is not properly managed by the employer

Genetic Medical Clinic in Kentucky: A Needs Assessment of Anabaptist Households

The purposes of this study are to (a) describe the process of collecting survey data related to un/diagnosed genetic disorders in Anabaptist households, and (b) determine the need for a genetic medical clinic in Kentucky. A six-page adapted survey questionnaire was utilized to collect family status, un/diagnosed genetic conditions, reproductive history, history of deceased children, and demographics. The questionnaire was mailed to over 2,000 households; addresses were collected from Anabaptist directories. Data suggest that more than one-third of households include a family member with an un/diagnosed genetic condition. Collectively, 120 diagnosed conditions and 90 undiagnosed conditions were reported. Half of all households reported a miscarriage, while less than five percent reported a stillbirth. Information obtained from this survey helped Anabaptist leaders proceed with establishing a genetic medical clinic

Understanding Diverse Pathways: Disciplinary Trajectories of Engineering Students: Year 3- NSF REE Grant 1129383

Engineering as a whole continues to suffer from a low participation of women of all races andBlack, Hispanic, and Native American men. To diversify pathways for students to and throughengineering and to improve student success, we must first know how to measure success andprovide baseline data describing the current situation for all students. Our previous work hasshown that persistence or success varies by race and gender, and how we measure persistencematters in understanding this variation. Once women matriculate in engineering, they graduate insix-years at the same or better rates than their male counterparts of all races. This finding,however, shows considerable variation by engineering subdiscipline. Aggregating allengineering disciplines tends to produce a skewed view of the field given the large numbers ofstudents in Electrical and Mechanical engineering. Disaggregation by race and gender isimperative because not all populations respond the same way to similar conditions. Building onearlier findings that trajectories of engineering persistence are non-linear, gendered, andracialized as a whole and for electrical and computer engineering, we are extending theseanalyses to other engineering disciplines. Using an existing dataset that includes wholepopulation data from eleven institutions throughout the U.S. spanning more than 20 years, wehave an unprecedented opportunity to conduct analyses of student persistence disaggregated byrace, gender, and engineering discipline. This gives us a unique opportunity to paint a morecomplete picture of the current situation for students in engineering and to identify successes andareas of concern. Our research question is How do the trajectories of engineering students indifferent engineering disciplines vary by race and gender? Trajectories are measured atmatriculation, four years later, and six-year graduation for matriculants to the disciplines as wellas all students in the major, including first-time-in-college (FTIC) and transfer students. Theimpact of first-year engineering (FYE) programs is also considered. We focus on the mostpopular disciplines of engineering: Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Industrial. Inaddition, we have considered Aerospace Engineering given its similarity in curriculum toMechanical and Computer Engineering given its similar curriculum to Electrical. We have begunto work on comparisons of the five most popular engineering disciplines

Using Qualitative Methods to Supplement Quantitative Research: A Case Study in Evaluating Student Usage of Facilities

Quantitative research is an important tool in understanding library users; quantifiable data is objective and can be processed and analyzed in ways that bring about new insights. Unfortunately, it is better at telling us where and when than it is at telling us the whys. Our library, the Business, Engineering, Science, and Technology library at Miami University, did a headcount study to see how many people were using which rooms at what times of the day and night. There were many things we learned from that data, but in order to flesh it out and make it more of a three-dimensional picture of our users we decided to use methods from ethnography. We ran a survey and then interviewed several of the survey respondents. The result was a “thick description” that allowed us to better understand the motivations behind some of the behavior seen in the quantitative stud

Editorial "special issue on educational design research (EDR) in post-secondary learning environments

Along with many ASCILITE members, we have grown increasingly concerned that current approaches to educational technology research lack value and practical application in the field. Educational design research (EDR) is an emerging approach that bridges the demand for rigorous research with the development of relevant solutions to educational problems. EDR is an intervention and process-oriented approach that uses a variety of methods to examine the development and implementation of instructional solutions to current educational problems. As evidence about the inner workings of interventions accumulates over time, design principles and learning theories are derived from work in local contexts, and their limits can be tested in other settings. This genre of research is currently underrepresented in the literature. To advance scholarship through the execution and reporting of EDR, we identified an urgent need for examples across fields, and especially related to educational technology in higher education. The purpose of this special issue is to advance the field by showcasing exemplars of high quality EDR in post-secondary educational settings. We have sought manuscripts that detail EDR projects involving the use and/or development of educational technology in tertiary education (higher and further), lifelong learning, and training. This manuscript set therefore promotes research and scholarship on innovative instructional designs that integrate technology in those settings, promote effective practice, and help inform policy