COVID-19 CHRONICLE PROJECT

Student generated description: “This project highlights 2020, how the year was impacted by the Covid-19. The project not only goes through important details of the virus but also how the pandemic impacted my family and the world around us

Help Me Chat: Eliciting Communicative Acts from Young Children Using Speech-Generating Devices

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an evidence-based practice targeting the communication deficits of children with complex communication needs (CCN). While young children with communication disorders are attending preschool and using AAC, and specifically speech-generating devices (SGDs), with increasing frequency, best practices for implementation with this population are largely unexplored. In an effort to contribute to the knowledge base for teachers, the essential communication partners for children in the classroom setting, this research explored the interactions of four teacher-child dyads and analyzed the prompts and cues used to elicit communicative acts from the children. Results of statistical and descriptive analyses revealed that, while teachers overwhelmingly favor and use verbal prompts over other stimuli, these prompts were no more effective in eliciting communicative acts. These results indicate that teachers would benefit from instruction in a variety of techniques for enhancing communication via AAC; future research directions towards this purpose are detailed

Removal of Cu (II) and Pb (II) from Aqueous Solution using engineered Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Nano-sized Fe3O4 and Fe2O3 were synthesized using a precipitation method. The nanomaterials were tested as adsorbents for the removal of both Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions. The nanomaterials were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction to determine both the phase and the average grain size of the synthesized nanomaterials. Batch pH studies were performed to determine the optimum binding pH for both the Cu2+ and Pb2+ to the synthesized nanomaterials. The optimum binding was observed to occur at pH 4 and above. Time dependency studies for Cu2+ and Pb2+ showed the binding occurred within the first five minutes of contact and remained constant up to 2 hours of contact. Isotherm studies were utilized to determine the binding capacity of each of the nanomaterials for Cu2+ and Pb2+. The binding capacity of Fe3O4 with Cu2+ and Pb2+ were 37.04 mg/g and 166.67 mg/g, respectively. The binding capacities of the Fe2O3 nanomaterials with Cu2+ and Pb2+ were determined to be 19.61 mg/g and 47.62 mg/g, respectively. In addition, interference studies showed no significant reduction in the binding of either Cu2+ or Pb2+ to the Fe3O4 or Fe2O3 nanomaterials in the presence of solutions containing the individual ions Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ or a solution consisting of a combination of all the aforementioned cations in one solution

Emotional Intelligence and Self-Perceptions of Counseling Competency in Counselors in Training

The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and counseling competency. Results indicated that CIT status was positively correlated with counseling skills and therapeutic conditions. Results further showed that CITs with higher EI had a higher self-perception of all components of counseling competency

Promoting Equity in Education: Fostering Positive School Climates Where All Students Learn

Students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by exclusionary discipline in our schools. Suspensions, removals, and expulsions do not work. There is strong evidence to suggest that such punitive practices do not deter misbehavior. They are a pathway to students dropping out of school and a gateway to involvement with the criminal justice system. Minnesota must end exclusionary disciplinary practices and replace these punitive approaches with practices that create opportunity and foster a positive, supportive, affirming school climate where all students can learn, grow, and thrive

Perceptions and Utilization of a Multimedia Teaching Strategy to Prevent Student Nurse Attrition

Untethered Lecture Capture (ULC) is a teaching method facilitating student classroom engagement while simultaneously creating audiovisual lecture capture (LC) resources. This single-site, convergent parallel mixed-methods study qualitatively described how nursing students with attrition risk factors perceived ULC influenced learning and quantified how such students utilized LC. Study participants (N = 28) reported watching most LC resources (57.1%) and 42.9% watched entire LC videos from start to finish. Qualitative findings produced new evidence about untethered faculty proximity in the classroom and ULC techniques supporting in-class focus and post-class self-paced learning efficiencies. Findings help nurse educators prioritize instructional methods among students with attrition risk factors

Statics survey

Research Initiation Grant: Problem/Project-Based Learning in Statics, a Stepping Stone to Engineering Education Research.While projects appear to have much to offer engineering education, rigorous evaluations of the impact of projects on student outcomes are rare. The objective of the project is to study the incorporation of three group design projects into a sophomore level statics course and to measure the effect of the changes on student outcomes including content knowledge and various affective outcomes.National Science Foundation Grant No. 1137023

Behavioral defense against parasites: California killifish move, dart, and scratch more during trematode cercaria exposure and attack.

With the ubiquity of parasites, many hosts have been selected to decrease parasite infection success by employing behavioral defenses, such as avoidance of infected habitats/conspecifics, grooming, grouping, altering swimming behavior, or even self-inducing behavioral fevers. California killifish, Fundulus parvipinnis – common to southern California and Baja California estuaries – are typically exposed to several trematode species that use them as 2nd intermediate hosts. At least one of these trematodes substantially impacts killifish fitness. We also know killifish likely perceive trematode infectious propagules (cercariae). However, we do not know whether they employ behavioral defenses. We experimentally exposed killifish (originating from two San Diego wetlands) individually and in groups to two of their trematode species: Euhaplorchis californiensis – which infects the killifish brain and manipulates host behavior to increase predation rates – and Small Cyathocotylid, which infects connective and muscle tissues. To assess killifish behavioral response to exposure, we quantified several behavioral traits: average number/type of potential defensive behaviors (PDBs), activity, vertical position in the water column and group size before and during exposure to parasites. Our results showed that killifish individually-exposed (both previously infected and naïve) to parasites increase their average number of PDBs, but not their activity. However, in groups, parasite-exposed killifish increase both their average number of PDBs and activity. Conversely, neither average vertical position (in either experiment) nor group size was influenced by parasite exposure. In sum, parasites can alter killifish behavior after infection, but also during anti-parasite behavioral defense, with implications for host-parasite coevolution, and host social and ecological interactions

Project assignments for statics

Research Initiation Grant: Problem/Project-Based Learning in Statics, a Stepping Stone to Engineering Education Research.The project assignments included in this document were used in addition to a traditional lecture based statics course in our research. However, these assignments can be adapted to fit a variety of course styles. We provide additional details of our course here to give an example implementation and context for some of the assignment requirements.While projects appear to have much to offer engineering education, rigorous evaluations of the impact of projects on student outcomes are rare. The objective of the project is to study the incorporation of three group design projects into a sophomore level statics course and to measure the effect of the changes on student outcomes including content knowledge and various affective outcomes.National Science Foundation Grant No. 1137023