Education Commons^™

Detection Of Psilocybin Mushroom Analogs In Chocolate: Incorporating Current Events Into The Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory, Brandon Huskins, Christopher Dockery

Faculty and Research Publications

In this experiment, tryptamine is used as a psilocin analog and is dispersed onto a Fisher brand cellulose laboratory sponge to simulate dehydrated mushrooms. The resulting “mushroom” material is ground, molded into chocolate, and presented to student groups for real-world and applied analyses. Students isolate the tryptamine from the chocolate using their knowledge of drug chemistry, solubility, pH, extractions, etc. Qualitative analysis is conducted by comparison to standards (Thin Layer Chromatography or Gas Chromatography) and quantitative analysis is conducted by Gas Chromatography using the method of internal standards.

Indirect Gravimetric Determination Of Waters Of Hydration, Marina C. Koether

Faculty and Research Publications

An alternate gravimetric experiment is described that can be employed in the general chemistry or the quantitative analysis laboratory course. The procedure takes less time than conventional methods and introduces students to waters of hydration and indirect determinations.

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2009, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Each student in his or her senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. The senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real-world solution to an engineering challenge.

A highlight of the year-long senior design project is the senior design competition. This competition, which usually takes place the week before finals each semester, helps focus the senior students on increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects.

Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on innovation, commercial …

Mathematics Teacher Educators As Cultural Workers: A Dare To Those Who Dare To Teach (Urban?) Teachers, David W. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

In his editorial, the author challenges urban mathematics educators to institute as the primary goal for the community of mathematics educators the cultural transformation of the discipline of mathematics from the psychologically brutalizing discipline of stratification into the psychologically humanizing discipline of freedom.

Interagency Outdoor Education Programming: Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending November 30, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Reports (PLI Education)

Highlights of the university’s focused efforts during the past three months include the following:

• Evaluation results from the NEEI Certification program were presented at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) National Conference on October 9, 2009.
• The Story of Gill graphic novel has been printed; a media release/bookstore signing is in the planning stages.
• A total of 60 people participated in Families in Nature events at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Winchester Cultural Center.
• Registration has opened for the Our Places Tell Stories Conference, February 24 -27, 2010.
• Forever Earth was scheduled for 33 days and …

Homological Dimensions And Regular Rings, Alina Iacob, Srikanth B. Iyengar

Department of Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

A question of Avramov and Foxby concerning injective dimension of complexes is settled in the affirmative for the class of noetherian rings. A key step in the proof is to recast the problem on hand into one about the homotopy category of complexes of injective modules. Analogous results for flat dimension and projective dimension are also established.

2009 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library, Michael Schwartz Ph.D.

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti. Dr. Michael Schwartz was the honored guest.

Interior-Point Algorithms For A Class Of Convex Optimization Problems, Goran Lesaja, Verlynda Slaughter

Department of Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper we consider interior-point methods (IPM) for the nonlinear, convex optimization problem where the objective function is a weighted sum of reciprocals of variables subject to linear constraints (SOR). This problem appears often in various applications such as statistical stratified sampling and entropy problems, to mention just few examples. The SOR is solved using two IPMs. First, a homogeneous IPM is used to solve the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions of the problem which is a standard approach. Second, a homogeneous conic quadratic IPM is used to solve the SOR as a reformulated conic quadratic problem. As far as we are …

Educational Data Mining Approaches For Digital Libraries, Mimi Recker, Sherry Hsi, Beijie Xu, Rob Rothfarb

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This collaborative research project between the Exploratorium and Utah State's Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences investigates online evaluation approaches and the application of educational data mining to educational digital libraries and services. Much work over the past decades has focused on developing algorithms and methods for discovering patterns in large datasets, known as Knowledge Discovery from Data (KDD). Webmetrics, the application of KDD to web usage mining, is growing rapidly in areas such as e-commerce. Educational Data Mining (EDM) is just beginning to emerge as a tool to analyze the massive, longitudinal user data that are captured in …

Chemistry In Second Life, Andrew Lang, Jean-Claude Bradley

College of Science and Engineering Faculty Research and Scholarship

This review will focus on the current level on chemistry research, education, and visualization possible within the multi-user virtual environment of Second Life. We discuss how Second Life has been used as a platform for the interactive and collaborative visualization of data from molecules and proteins to spectra and experimental data. We then review how these visualizations can be scripted for immersive educational activities and real-life collaborative research. We also discuss the benefits of the social networking affordances of Second Life for both chemists and chemistry students.

Integrating Upper Level Content With Introductory Material For Better Learning, With An Example From Mineralogy, Charles W. Carrigan, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

At the start of upper-level courses, many students have difficulty with advanced material that requires a base knowledge of essential concepts in geology and supporting disciplines, along with critical thinking skills. Students have difficulty in 1) recalling introductory course material and connecting it to deeper content, and 2) integrating concepts from supporting courses. We advocate incorporating a broadening concept review into upper level courses. Emphasis is on mastery of introductory material needed to acquire advanced concepts that follow.

Geosciences Newsletter - 2009, Department Of Geosciences

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol. 3, Num. 4

• Dear Friends and Alumni
• Faculty Updates
• Publications
• Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education
• Grants
• New Courses at WMU
• Graduate Student News
• Awards
• Alumni
• Advisory Council

Unlv Magazine, Matthew K. Jacobsen, Holly Ivy De Vore, Lisa Arth, Cate Weeks, Greg Lacour, Tony Allen, Afsha Bawany, Barbara Cloud, Gian Galassi, Phil Hagen, Karyn S. Hollingsworth, Michelle Mouton, Erin O'Donnell

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sixth Grade Lesson Plan: Heat Moves, Getaway Special Team 2009

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Environmental Conscience And Comportment Of Youth In Dakar, Elizabeth Van Brocklin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The natural environment is in a state of crisis in Dakar, in Senegal, in Africa and throughout the world. Humans are the primary contributors to environmental degradation, as their activities place stress on natural ecosystems, and this stress is often most acute in the urban setting. Dakar is one major West African city where inhabitants are particularly neglectful and disrespectful of their communal environment, illustrated by the oppressive presence of mismanaged waste that pollutes the public streets. Based on the hypothesis that the general population was either unaware or misinformed of the actual state of the environment, I aimed to …

“Mangra”- Exploring The Organization Of An Environmental Education Curriculum In A Village Equipped For Sustainable Development, Abigail Phillips

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The rapid growth of urban centers in the last century has resulted in obvious social stratification and neglect of the natural environment. Not only is the gap between rich and poor increasing, but the resources that supply urban consumption and community development are increasingly depleted without due recognition. These issues are successfully addressed in some communities by drawing example from more traditional practices of ecological management, such as water conservation and local food production. Environmental education could be utilized to aid in the relief of social issues and environmental degradation if the curriculum is specialized for each community’s circumstance. Children …

Fifth Grade Lesson Plan: Solid, Liquid, And Gas, Getaway Special Team 2009

Education and Outreach

No abstract provided.

Ua35/1 Doers & Deeds Vol. 7, No. 12, Wku Provost

WKU Archives Records

Newsletter created by the WKU Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs to highlight the activities of faculty, staff and alumni.

Education In The Environment: A Strategy For Continued Interagency Outdoor Education Programming: Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending August 31, 2009, Environmental Education Strategy For Nevada

Reports (PLI Education)

Highlights of the university’s focused efforts during the past three months include the following:

• Evaluation results from the NEEI Certification program will be presented at the North American Association for Environmental Education National Conference on October 9-10, 2009.
• A grant was received from the Nevada Community Foundation for the printing of The Story of Gill graphic novel.
• A total of 75 people participated in Families in Nature events at the Spring Mountains and Lake Mead National Recreation Areas.
• A third Nevada Environmental Education & Interpretation Certification program was held August 12-18, 2009 for twelve participants.
• A third Our Places Tell …

Lifting Bailey Pairs To Wp-Bailey Pairs, James Mclaughlin, Andrew Sills, Peter Zimmer

Department of Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

A pair of sequences (α_n(a,k,q),β_n(a,k,q)) such that α₀(a,k,q)=1 and β_n(a,k,q)=∑ⁿ_j=0 (k/a;q)_n−j (k;q)_n+j / (q;q)_n−j (aq;q)_n+j α_j (a,k,q) is termed a WP-Bailey Pair. Upon setting k=0 in such a pair we obtain a Bailey pair.

In the present paper we consider the problem of “lifting” a Bailey pair to a WP-Bailey pair, and use some …

A Computational Study Of The Effects Of Temperature Variation On Turtle Egg Development, Sex Determination, And Population Dynamics, Amy L. Parrott

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Climate change and its effects on ecosystems is a major concern. For certain animal species, especially those that exhibit what is known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), temperature variations pose a possibly serious threat (Valenzuela and Lance, 2004). In these species, temperature, and not chromosomes, determines the sex of the animal (Valenzuela and Lance, 2004). It is conceivable therefore, that if the temperature changes to favor only one sex, then dire consequences for their populations could occur. In this dissertation, we examine possible effects that climate change may have upon Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta), a species with TSD. We investigate …

Rogers-Ramanujan Computer Searches, James Mclaughlin, Andrew Sills, Peter Zimmer

Department of Mathematical Sciences Faculty Publications

We describe three computer searches (in PARI/GP, Maple, and Mathematica, respectively) which led to the discovery of a number of identities of Rogers–Ramanujan type and identities of false theta functions.

Essential Spreadsheet Modeling Course For Business Students, Thin Yin Leong, Michelle L. F. Cheong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Ask any student at the Singapore Management University (SMU) to name one of the most practical and useful courses offered by the university. The answer would inevitably include CAT. CAT stands for the "Computer as an Analysis Tool" course. Originally based on a course of the same title offered by the Wharton Business School, the focus of CAT was shifted to provide business students the essential practical skills and necessary "real-world" exposure to better use personal computers for resolving business problems. The course is basically centered on using the Excel spreadsheet to work on ambiguous ill-defined problems.

Fan Cohomology And Equivariant Chow Rings Of Toric Varieties, Mu-Wan Huang

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Toric varieties are varieties equipped with a torus action and constructed from cones and fans. In the joint work with Suanne Au and Mark E. Walker, we prove that the equivariant K-theory of an affine toric variety constructed from a cone can be identified with a group ring determined by the cone. When a toric variety X(Δ) is smooth, we interpret equivariant K-groups as presheaves on the associated fan space Δ. Relating the sheaf cohomology groups to equivariant K-groups via a spectral sequence, we provide another proof of a theorem of Vezzosi and Vistoli: equivariant K …

Constructed Response Answers In A Multiple-Choice Universe, Carl W. David

Chemistry Education Materials

A scheme is introduced which allows computer readable multiple choice forms used in traditional examinations to be employed for constructed response items.

Fall 2009 Nova Southeastern University Undergraduate Student Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

Undergraduate Programs Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Fan Cohomology And Its Application To Equivariant K-Theory Of Toric Varieties, Suanne Au

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mu-Wan Huang, Mark Walker and I established an explicit formula for the equivariant K-groups of affine toric varieties. We also recovered a result due to Vezzosi and Vistoli, which expresses the equivariant K-groups of a smooth toric variety in terms of the K-groups of its maximal open affine toric subvarieties. This dissertation investigates the situation when the toric variety X is neither affine nor smooth. In many cases, we compute the Čech cohomology groups of the presheaf K_q^T on X endowed with a topology. Using these calculations and Walker's Localization Theorem for equivariant K-theory, we give explicit formulas …

Modeling And Analysis Of Biological Populations, Joan Lubben

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Asymptotic and transient dynamics are both important when considering the future population trajectory of a species. Asymptotic dynamics are often used to determine whether the long-term trend results in a stable, declining or increasing population and even provide possible directions for management actions. Transient dynamics are important for estimating invasion speed of non-indigenous species, population establishment after releasing biocontrol agents, or population management after a disturbance like fire. We briefly describe here the results in this thesis.

(1) We consider asymptotic dynamics using discrete time linear population models of the form n(t + 1) = An(t) where …

Freedom Of Choice As A Motivational Factor In Active Learning, Atanas Radenski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Freedom to choose what, when, and how to contribute in a learning process can motivate students to actively engage and achieve more in their studies. However, freedom of choice complicates course management and may deter instructors from allowing such freedom. Our approach is to utilize existing functionality of course management systems such as Moodle to automatically facilitate and coordinate free student choices and provide much needed relief for instructors at the same time. Using Moodle we have developed novel digital study packs that blend freedom of choice with guidance and control. Our survey shows that assisted freedom of choice is …

The Spectral Game: Leveraging Open Data And Crowdsourcing For Education, Andrew Lang, Jean-Claude Bradley, Robert J. Lancashire, Anthony J. Williams

College of Science and Engineering Faculty Research and Scholarship

We report on the implementation of the Spectral Game, a web-based game where players try to match molecules to various forms of interactive spectra including 1D/2D NMR, Mass Spectrometry and Infrared spectra. Each correct selection earns the player one point and play continues until the player supplies an incorrect answer. The game is usually played using a web browser interface, although a version has been developed in the virtual 3D environment of Second Life. Spectra uploaded as Open Data to ChemSpider in JCAMP-DX format are used for the problem sets together with structures extracted from the website. The spectra are …