Enhancing Engineering Students’ Communication Skills through a Team-Based Graphics Course Project

Although communication skills are highly valued by engineering associations and companies, instructors may find it difficult to incorporate them into specific engineering courses. Some attention has been given to research on undergraduate students’ communication skills. However, additional research and training is needed to help instructors develop curricula -- the type that can enhance students’ communication skills -- in technical subjects like engineering graphics. Such work can help engineering programs offer increased opportunities for students to continually develop desirable professional traits throughout their collegiate experience. This paper will explore the implementation of a team-based graphics course project -- one that focused on enhancing engineering students’ communication skills -- and provide recommendations for faculty teaching similar courses. Findings from open-ended survey questions indicate that students learned the importance of preparation, time management, organization, clarity, detail, and engagement. By working in a project team, students also learned patience and task delegation

Infographic: Enhancing Engineering Students’ Communication Skills through a Team-Based Graphics Course Project

This infographic supports the article Enhancing Engineering Students’ Communication Skills through a Team-Based Graphics Course Project which can be accessed here: https://commons.erau.edu/asee-edgd/conference70/papers-2016/5

The Proof is in the Pudding: Building a Local Repository for Online Learning Objects

Libraries are increasingly building collections of learning materials in electronic formats. As the availability grows, it becomes necessary to consider the long-term discovery, access, management, and local ownership issues inherent in the development and distribution of such collections. To address these issues, the University of Waterloo Library slow-simmered a localized repository meant to house and make discoverable library-created online learning objects for broad distribution, discovery, and reuse

Adaptation of a Lay Health Advisor Model as a Recruitment and Retention Strategy in a Clinical Trial of College Student Smokers

This study describes and provides results from a process evaluation of a lay health advisor (LHA) model to enhance participation in a clinical trial of the effectiveness of motivational interviewing on smoking cessation in college fraternity and sorority members. The implementation of the model had two phases: (a) the selection and training of LHAs as liaisons between research staff and participants and (b) LHAs’ roles in recruitment and retention. Perceptions of the LHA model were explored using survey questionnaires. Trial participants (N = 118) and LHAs (N = 8) were generally satisfied with the model and identified LHAs as helpful to participation. Seventy-four percent of chapter members were screened and 73% of participants received three of the four motivational interviewing sessions. These results indicate the LHA model was well received and met the needs of the research project

Academic Status Institutional Comparisons Report

This report was distributed to Librarians' and Archivists' Association of the University of Waterloo members in advance of consultations pertaining to a potential change in employment status

Practice Report: Student Health Ambassadors at Residential Campuses Contribute to Safer Campus Living and Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In summer 2020 six residential institutions of higher education (IHE) and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Western North Carolina chose a collaborative approach to mitigating COVID-19 infection rates on campus. This approach shares the practices and successes of this concerted effort with a focus on a large public, medium public, and small private IHE. The campuses promoted a healthy and safe culture through a rigorous and transformational learning experience and focused on engaging Student Health Ambassadors (SHAs) in applying the Diffusion of Innovations model to peer-topeer gain-framed messaging for health. Three institutions’ programs are presented and cross-case analysis is used to illuminate transferable promising practices. Promising transferable practices across the schools include: selecting the right students, strong institutional support, the three Ps (positive, proactive and prevention-focused), building leadership skills, and peer-led campus culture change. Transferable insights from the practices at three campuses focused on the role and impact of peer-to-peer student health ambassadors on campus to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

The Effects of an 8 vs. 16 Week Yoga Practice on Balance, Strength, Flexibility, and Mindfulness in Children Ages 4-10 Years: A Pilot Study

Yoga has been shown to have positive benefits in: Improving cardiovascular, neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and pulmonary function in ages 0-21 years and improving mindfulness to manage pain and anxiety in adults. There is limited evidence regarding the use of yoga to improve balance, strength, flexibility, and mindfulness in children ages 4-10 years.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dpt_symposium/1032/thumbnail.jp

Sharing the salt bowl: counterion identity drives N-alkyl resorcinarene affinity for pyrophosphate in water

N-Alkyl ammonium resorcinarene chloride receptors, NARX4, have been shown to act as high-sensitivity detectors of pyrophosphate (PPi), a biomarker of disease, in aqueous media through the chloride-to-PPi exchange [NAR(Cl)4 to NARPPi]. The nature of the anion of the macrocyclic NARX4 (X = Cl−, Br−, triflate OTf−) receptor greatly influences the PPi-affinity in aqueous media. The binding affinity for [NAR (Cl)4] is 3.61 × 105 M−1, while the NAR (Br)4 and NAR (OTf)4 show stronger binding of 5.30 × 105 M−1, and 6.10 × 105 M−1, respectively. The effects of upper rim ammonium cation, –N+H2R substituents (R = 3-hydroxypropyl, cyclohexyl, benzyl, or napththalen-1-ylmethyl), of the macrocyclic resorcinarene hosts have also been evaluated. The highest affinity was obtained using 3-hydroxypropyl groups due to the additional hydrogen bonds and the naphthyl upper-rim group that provides a larger hydrophobic surface area and favorable stacking interaction (i.e., π–π and CH–π). We note that two PPi molecules can bind to the more selective receptors through an additional interaction with the lower rim hydroxyls, making the resorcinarene a divalent binder. Comparing PPi with other phosphate anions (PO43−, AMP, ADP, and ATP) shows that the receptors are more selective for PPi due to the size and charge complementarity. Experimental (1H, 31P NMR, and isothermal titration calorimetry), and computational analyses support the reported trends for PPi selectivity even in highly competing aqueous media

Loss of fibrinogen in zebrafish results in an asymptomatic embryonic hemostatic defect and synthetic lethality with thrombocytopenia

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148369/1/jth14391.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148369/2/jth14391-sup-0001-Supinfo.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148369/3/jth14391_am.pd

Risk of congenital anomalies after exposure to asthma medication in the first trimester of pregnancy - a cohort linkage study

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of maternal exposure to asthma medications on the risk of congenital anomalies. DESIGN: Meta‐analysis of aggregated data from three cohort studies. SETTING: Linkage between healthcare databases and EUROCAT congenital anomaly registries. POPULATION: 519 242 pregnancies in Norway (2004–2010), Wales (2000–2010) and Funen, Denmark (2000–2010). METHODS: Exposure defined as having at least one prescription for asthma medications issued (Wales) or dispensed (Norway, Denmark) from 91 days before to 91 days after the pregnancy start date. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated separately for each register and combined in meta‐analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ORs for all congenital anomalies and specific congenital anomalies. RESULTS: Overall exposure prevalence was 3.76%. For exposure to asthma medication in general, the adjusted OR (adjOR) for a major congenital anomaly was 1.21 (99% CI 1.09–1.34) after adjustment for maternal age and socioeconomic position. The OR of anal atresia was significantly increased in pregnancies exposed to inhaled corticosteroids (3.40; 99% CI 1.15–10.04). For severe congenital heart defects, an increased OR (1.97; 1.12–3.49) was associated with exposure to combination treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and long‐acting beta‐2‐agonists. Associations with renal dysplasia were driven by exposure to short‐acting beta‐2‐agonists (2.37; 1.20–4.67). CONCLUSION: The increased risk of congenital anomalies for women taking asthma medication is small with little confounding by maternal age or socioeconomic status. The study confirmed the association of inhaled corticosteroids with anal atresia found in earlier research and found potential new associations with combination treatment. The potential new associations should be interpreted with caution due to the large number of comparisons undertaken. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: This cohort study found a small increased risk of congenital anomalies for women taking asthma medication