The Shifting Gears Approach to Systems Change

Evaluates the Shifting Gears initiative to strengthen state postsecondary, adult basic education, and skills development systems through data, policy change, engagement, and communications. Focuses on the logic model and the policy agenda and action plan

Strengthening State Financial Aid Policies for Low-Income Working Adults

Explains the need to expand state financial aid programs to help the working poor enroll in college. Recommends funding new aid for working adults as well as strengthening existing aid to meet their needs, and describes recent state initiatives

Improving Student Success by Strengthening Developmental Education in Community Colleges: The Role of State Policy

Outlines the need to strengthen community college students' basic English and math skills as required for college courses in order to meet workforce needs. Describes promising approaches to improving developmental education and recommends state policies

Final Design Report: Polymer Fatigue Characterization Test Method

Polylogix is a team dedicated to the design, build, and testing of a fatigue machine to simulate cyclic loading on a biomedical polymer. This project is sponsored by Endologix, Inc. to provide test data characterizing mechanical material properties of various formulations of polymer used in abdominal aortic aneurysm surgeries. With this project goal, the machine must be able to test the polymer at body conditions; these include a testing temperature of 37°C and a cycling frequency ranging from 1 Hz to 10 Hz. This report proposes the following solution to this design challenge: an AC motor-driven mechanism utilizing a planetary gearbox and pulley system to reduce the speed of the motor to those necessary to achieve testing frequencies of 1 Hz, 2 Hz, 5 Hz, 8 Hz, and 10 Hz. From the drive mechanism, a shaft-mounted cam translates the rotational motion to linear motion through a cam follower. This cam follower carries a load cell and test specimen grip fixtures which clamp onto the specimen to apply cyclic loading. To vary the percent elongation applied to the test specimen, the cam has been designed to be interchangeable to accomplish a range of elongations: 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%

An Introduction to the Integrated Community-Engaged Learning and Ethical Reflection Framework (I-CELER)

Cultivating ethical Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics researchers and practitioners requires movement beyond reducing ethical instruction to the rational exploration of moral quandaries via case studies and into the complexity of the ethical issues that students will encounter within their careers. We designed the Integrated Community-Engaged Learning and Ethical Reflection (I-CELER) framework as a means to promote the ethical becoming of future STEM practitioners. This paper provides a synthesis of and rationale for I-CELER for promoting ethical becoming based on scholarly literature from various social science fields, including social anthropology, moral development, and psychology. This paper proceeds in five parts. First, we introduce the state of the art of engineering ethics instruction; argue for the need of a lens that we describe as ethical becoming; and then detail the Specific Aims of the I-CELER approach. Second, we outline the three interrelated components of the project intervention. Third, we detail our convergent mixed methods research design, including its qualitative and quantitative counterparts. Fourth, we provide a brief description of what a course modified to the I-CELER approach might look like. Finally, we close by detailing the potential impact of this study in light of existing ethics education research within STEM

Portland Roasting Company: Farm Friendly Direct

This case describes the issues and dilemmas facing a company in their efforts to differentiate their product through a social sustainability programme. Over the years, the company has built a strong reputation with their sustainability efforts, particularly amongst their peers in the specialty coffee industry. There is some question as to whether this reputation has been visible to consumers and if consumers see the value-proposition. The case covers the history of coffee, the specialty coffee industry, the supply chain and roles of different participants, and the competitive landscape. Furthermore, most of the competitive eco-labels and certification schemes are discussed. The reader is asked to decide the appropriate method for conveying the company’s social sustainability efforts to the marketplace and beyond that, to consider how one might measure and monitor social programs in the developing world. The case is designed to highlight decisions related to marketing and operations strategy, pros and cons of certification, and particularly social sustainability versus the other aspects of sustainability

Comparison of a Continuous and Discontinuous GXT on VO2 in Resistance-Trained and Endurance-Trained Males

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(4): 414-422, 2022. Traditional graded exercise testing to assess maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) may not well represent resistance-trained athletes due to their unfamiliarity with continuous exercise. For this reason, it is possible discontinuous exercise protocols may better represent the maximum capacity for aerobic metabolism in resistance-trained athletes, in order to provide a more valid assessment of VO2max and risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Purpose: The purpose of this experiment was to compare VO2peak during a continuous and discontinuous modified Bruce protocol in both highly resistance-trained and endurance-trained males. Methods: 19 college-aged males (age: 20.6 ± 1.9 yr, height: 176.5 ± 7.6 cm, weight: 85.0 ± 25.6 kg) of intermediate resistance- or endurance-trained status were recruited for this study. Participants completed a continuous and discontinuous modified Bruce protocol on two visits separated by seven days. Results: A 2x2 one-way ANOVA revealed a significant group main effect for VO2peak (p = 0.004) in which endurance athletes achieved significantly higher VO2peak values compared to resistance-trained athletes. A significant group main effect for RPE was found (p = 0.045) in which endurance-trained reported significantly higher RPE values than the resistance-trained. A significant main effect for protocol for heart rate (p = 0.033) was found in which individuals achieved higher heart rates during the continuous protocol compared to the discontinuous. Conclusion: Although a discontinuous protocol with rest periods between stages is comparable to the exercise mode familiar to resistance-trained athletes, it did not provide any additional benefit to VO2peak values

Do The Effects of Social Nudges Persist? Theory and Evidence from 38 Natural Field Experiments

This study examines the mechanisms underlying long-run reductions in energy consumption caused by a widely studied social nudge. Our investigation considers two channels: physical capital in the home and habit formation in the household. Using data from 38 natural field experiments, we isolate the role of physical capital by comparing treatment and control homes after the original household moves, which ends treatment. We find 35 to 55 percent of the reductions persist once treatment ends and show this is consonant with the physical capital channel. Methodologically, our findings have important implications for the design and assessment of behavioral interventions

Rayleigh-LIDAR Observations of Mid-Latitude Mesospheric Densities

This research is an analysis of absolute densities throughout the mesosphere (45 km to 90 km). Although much research has gone into the study of temperatures and their variations occurring in our atmosphere, little has been done to research the densities and their variations. Due to the remoteness of the middle atmosphere there is a high degree of difficulty in making observations in the mesosphere. There are currently three major types of ground-based instruments used to sense the mesosphere remotely. They are atmospheric radars, LIDARs and optical spectrometers. As far as measuring density in the mesosphere LIDAR is the most efficient. A Rayleigh-scatter LIDAR operated at the Atmospheric LIDAR Observatory (ALO; 41.7 ° N, 111.8 ° W), as part of CASS (Center for Atmosphere and Space Studies), on the campus of Utah State University (USU) has collected extensive data between 1993 and 2004. This LIDAR is used to measure relative densities (which can be used to derive temperatures) throughout the mesosphere. An analysis is made with the absolute densities from the atmosphere reanalysis model ERA-20C (the European Reanalysis 20th century model.) by using the model densities at 45 km to calibrate the LIDAR observations made at USU. Thereby, converting the relative densities measured by the USU LIDAR into measurements of absolute densities. These densities are used to examine the density structure of the mesosphere, how it varies with altitude and time, possible atmospheric anomalies, along with annual or semiannual atmospheric variations. Monthly averages are used to compare density variations related to altitude and season. By normalizing the relative densities from the Rayleigh LIDAR observations to the absolute densities from the reanalysis models, these differences can be observed and analyzed to better characterize the neutral atmosphere and learn how it varies during the year