Eighteen Mile Creek

Eighteen Mile Creek is a body of work consisting of cyanotype chemigrams that explores the space of a Superfund site located in Lockport, New York. The works installed in the gallery are large in scale and abstract. They are created solely through the interactions between photographic chemistry, contaminated water collected from Eighteen Mile Creek, and light. The cyanotypes are bound in contradictions, engaged in a push and pull with the viewer. Ranging in tone from deep blue to harsh yellow, they make visual gestures towards landscapes and topography, but also towards toxicity and warning. Further contradictions exist. While the prints themselves are abstract and non-representational, the work itself is inseparable from the Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund site, as they are made with water and earth from that location. A physical link from the creek down to the molecular level is created. The prints installed in the gallery are suspended from the ceiling in front of a wall of windows that illuminate the prints from behind, giving the viewer an appreciation of the fragility and sculptural nature of each print. Each print is a unique, one-of-a-kind and delicate object, in a constant state of change and decay. This speaks to the fragility of an ecosystem and the destruction of the environment. Within the gallery installation is a small book, A Field Guide to Eighteen Mile Creek, which the viewer may hold in their hands and read as they move through the exhibition. The field guide serves as the container of my research into the industrial history of Eighteen Mile Creek and the town of Lockport. It speaks to the testing and research conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency who determine the risks to human health, the environment, and the impact of industry on the community as a whole

The Effect of Tenure and Promotion Policy on Evaluation and Research in Extension

This article discusses results from a study to understand how a promotion and tenure policy at West Virginia University Extension allowing faculty to select service over research as their significant area of contribution would affect research and evaluation productivity. The results show that research expectations are related to job status and length of service, but evaluation expectations remain consistent across groups. The author suggests that administrators enhance evaluation skills and promote evaluation studies as a way to document service scholarship in the tenure process. The result would be a better understanding of how to document the scholarship of engagement

Domains of organizational effectiveness of gerontology centers in higher education

This is an exploratory study that focuses on organizational effectiveness of gerontology centers and institutes at American universities. The study was modeled after studies of organizational effectiveness in higher education by Kim Cameron of Brigham Young University. The study identifies six domains of effectiveness that are important to gerontology centers and the structural and functional models and characteristics of gerontology centers that may predict the domain in which it is effective. The target population of the study was dominant coalition members of 87 gerontology centers, namely, administrators and faculty members who have the most influence on policy, direction, and performance. Gerontology center directors were asked to fill out a two-part questionnaire that included structural and functional characteristics of their center (Part A) and rankings of organizational effectiveness (Part B). Part B of the questionnaire was also completed by faculty and administrators associated with each center. A factor analysis was used on the rankings of effectiveness (Part B) to determine domains of effectiveness. A median analysis was used to determine which centers were effective in each domain. Finally, single and multiple regression analysis was used to determine the structural and functional models and significant characteristics of centers that may predict the domain of effectiveness. This study identified six domains of organizational effectiveness of gerontology centers: non-academic and community openness, career goal satisfaction of students, staff and faculty, resource acquisition, organizational health, faculty and staff job satisfaction, and quality faculty. The predictor models for each domain include: non-academic---demographics, organizational goals, and organizational mission; career goal satisfaction---financial indicators; resource acquisition---organizational structure and financial indicators; organizational health---none; faculty and staff job satisfaction---organizational goals and organizational mission; and quality faculty---organizational goals and organizational activities. Description of centers effective in each domain, based on the significant predictor characteristics, are included

Toward a Child-Centered Approach to Evaluating Claims of Alienation in High-Conflict Custody Disputes

Theories of parental alienation abound in high-conflict custody cases. The image of one parent brainwashing a child against the other parent fits with what we think we know about family dynamics during divorce. The concept of a diagnosable “Parental Alienation Syndrome” (“PAS”) developed as an attempt to explain this phenomenon, but it has been widely discredited by mental health professionals and thus fails the standard for evidentiary admissibility. Nevertheless, PAS and related theories continue to influence the decisions of family courts, and even in jurisdictions that explicitly reject such theories, judges still face the daunting task of resolving these volatile cases. In the midst of this highly adversarial process, children deserve independent representation to ensure that their interests remain front and center. Mandating the appointment of guardians ad litem in cases involving allegations of abuse or alienation will assist courts in conducting individualized, fact-specific investigations into such allegations to craft custody orders that serve the best interests of children

What Does it Take to Make Discovery a Success?: A Survey of Discovery Tool Adoption, Instruction, and Evaluation Among Academic Libraries

Discovery tools have been widely adopted by academic libraries, yet little information exists that connects common practices regarding discovery tool implementation, maintenance, assessment, and staffing with conventions for research and instruction. The authors surveyed heads of reference and instruction departments in research and land-grant university libraries. The survey results revealed common practices with discovery tools among academic libraries. This study also draws connections between operational, instructional, and assessment practices and perceptions that participants have of the success of their discovery tool. Participants who indicated successful implementation of their discovery tool hailed from institutions that made significant commitments to the operations, maintenance, and acceptance of their discovery tool. Participants who indicated an unsuccessful implementation, or who were unsure about the success of their implementation, did not make lasting commitments to the technical maintenance, operations, and acceptance of their discovery tool

How Knowledge, Experience, and Educational Level Influence the Use of Informal and Formal Sources of Home Canning Information

In the research study reported here, West Virginia University Extension educators surveyed the public about their current canning knowledge and practices in 2010. The results showed that educational background and canning experience were the most important factors in understanding how clients seek canning information and the degree to which they preserve foods safely. Home canners primarily use family members as first sources of canning information and consider Extension one of the less important sources of information. Improved marketing efforts are needed to increase canners\u27 understanding of the importance of formal canning sources, especially those offered by Extension programs

The Value of Jointly Held Conferences: Benefits and Considerations for Planners and Participants

University faculty and staff regularly participate in academic conferences as part of their professional responsibilities, yet the literature on their value is scarce, especially when examining conferences held jointly by two associations. Research is needed to help association leaders, planning committees, and attendees make informed decisions about conference organization and participation. This paper highlights the benefits and challenges of a jointly held academic conference for participants, association leaders, and organizational liaisons. In June of 2016, two Cooperative Extension associations, the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) and the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP), jointly held a conference in Burlington, VT. Surveys were administered to conference participants, planning committee members, and liaisons at the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to collect data immediately following the conference and six months later. Using the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) to organize evaluation results, the authors discuss the benefits and challenges of planning, sponsoring, and attending the conference from the perspectives of these different groups. The authors focus on three community capitals: human capital, social capital, and cultural capital. Based on the findings, they offer recommendations for future evaluation of jointly held academic conferences

Leadership, Teaching, Self Efficacy, and Networking: Untapped Benefits of Membership in Extension Volunteer Networks

The Cooperative Extension Service has long been aware of the value of Extension service networks for developing women\u27s skills in traditional home and family areas. Little is known about the relationship between leadership skills and these volunteer or service organizations. A study of Extension Homemakers/Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) groups was conducted to determine benefits of membership. Benefits can be categorized into four categories: leadership, teaching, personal efficacy, and networking. These surpass skill and knowledge gained about homemaking and parenting. Results suggest Extension should consider developing service groups throughout the country as hothouses for developing the leadership of volunteers, particularly women

From Farm Results Demonstrations to Multistate Impact Designs: Cooperative Extension Navigates its Way Through Evaluation Pathways

This article explores how evaluation has been developed and expanded within the Cooperative Extension system, from the beginning of agricultural education in America in 1800 to the present day. Important periods across the history of Extension evaluation have been identified and categorized according to major themes and significant contributions of Extension individuals and organizations. Challenges for the future of evaluation within Extension are discussed