The Motivation And Identity Challenges For Phd Holders In The Transition To Science And Mathematics Teaching In Secondary Education: A Pilot Study

Australian secondary education has endured a chronic shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers for a number of years, particularly in rural and remote areas. A longitudinal research project examining the capacity for the holders of PhD level qualifications in mathematics and science to be utilised as one means of addressing this shortage has been commenced at two regional Australian universities. This paper reports on the pilot study which utilised semi-structured interviews involving five participants at various stages of the transition into secondary school teaching. The interviews examined the motivations of the participants to enter secondary teaching and the challenges associated with the transition. The principle findings were that all but one of the participants had considered secondary teaching as a career option for an extended period that, for some, had predated their PhD study. Those participants who had engaged in postdoctoral study reported substantial professional identity challenges associated with the change in career. Financial security considerations figured strongly in the decisions to initiate the transition to secondary teaching. The opportunities for further research identified by the pilot study are discussed

Leading the Transition to Active Learning Strategies and the High-Engagement Teaching Model

This interactive workshop will showcase several strategies used in the new active learning model of teaching as chairs from English and Reading at Butler Community College (KS) share insights developed during the multi-year implementation of a partnership with AVID for Higher Education

INFORMATION VALUE IN WEED MANAGEMENT

Use of the economic threshold to improve the efficiency of preemergent-herbicide treatment decisions is limited by a lack of weed information. An economic model for assessing the expected value of weed information needed to implement a threshold decision rule is developed. Empirical results suggest that early season weed information can have value in cabbage weed management in Massachusetts.Crop Production/Industries,

Tests of a multichannel photometer based on silicon diode detectors

A breadboard photometer was constructed that demonstrates a precision of 2 times 10 to the 4th power in the laboratory and scintillation-limited performance when used with an 0.5 m aperture telescope. Because the detectors and preamps are not cooled, only stars with m sub v approx. less than 4 are bright enough to allow the photometer to attain a precision of 1 times 10 to the 3rd power for three minute observations with an 0.5 m aperature telescope. Cooling the telescope should allow much fainter stars to be observed. Increasing the aperture of the telescope will allow higher precision and the observation of fainter stars

A rapid screening, “combinatorial-type” survey of the metalloligand chemistry of Pt₂(PPh₃)₄(μ-S)₂ using electrospray mass spectrometry

Electrospray mass spectrometry is a rapid and powerful technique for a combinatorial-like survey of the chemistry of the metalloligand Pt₂(PPh₃)₄(μ-S)₂, leading to the successful isolation and crystallographic characterisation of the novel protonated species Pt₂(PPh₃)₄(μ-S)(μ-SH) together with a range of metallated derivatives

Transcranial Focused Ultrasound to the Right Prefrontal Cortex Improves Mood and Alters Functional Connectivity in Humans

Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is an emerging method for non-invasive neuromodulation akin to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). tFUS offers several advantages over electromagnetic methods including high spatial resolution and the ability to reach deep brain targets. Here we describe two experiments assessing whether tFUS could modulate mood in healthy human volunteers by targeting the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), an area implicated in mood and emotional regulation. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, participants received 30 s of 500 kHz tFUS or a placebo control. Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) assessed mood four times within an hour (baseline and three times after tFUS). Participants who received tFUS reported an overall increase in Global Affect (GA), an aggregate score from the VAMS scale, indicating a positive shift in mood. Experiment 2 examined resting-state functional (FC) connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) following 2 min of 500 kHz tFUS at the rIFG. As in Experiment 1, tFUS enhanced self-reported mood states and also decreased FC in resting state networks related to emotion and mood regulation. These results suggest that tFUS can be used to modulate mood and emotional regulation networks in the prefrontal cortex

Records of the Pacific Bearded Brotula, Brotula clarkae, from Southern California

Volume: 108Start Page: 163End Page: 16