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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Flood Frequency Estimation By Neyman-Scott Rectangular Pulse Rainfall Model And Topmodel, Richard Bernatz

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A spatial-temporal Neyman-Scott Rectangular Pulse (NSRP) stochastic rainfall model is developed for seasonal-continuous simulation to project annual discharge probabilities from a relatively small watershed, the 1395 km2 Upper Iowa River watershed upstream from Decorah, Iowa. NSRP rainfall data is used as rainfall input to TOPMODEL, a conceptual, semidistributed rainfall runoff model, to calculate river discharge at a site common to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) gauging station in Decorah, Iowa. Annual peak flows based on simulated rainfall are used to fit a log-Pearson type III distribution to project 1 %-, 0.2%-, and 0.1 %-annual discharges. These results are compared …

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Iowa Academy Of Science 123rd Annual Meeting [2011]: Advance Program, Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contains information about the schedule and presentations for the 2011 annual meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science.

Increasing The Accuracy Of Protein Three-Dimensional Structure Comparison, Mauricio J. Arriagada-Benitez

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Structural alignment is an important tool for identifying structural and functional relationships between proteins. A typical protein structure alignment method is an iterative algorithm that computes an optimal residue-residue correspondence, once for each inspected spatial superposition of the input proteins. The significance of this study allows us to better understand how important it is to explore in deep the analysis of proteins structure using a residue pair distance as the way to align two proteins. We assess the extent of improvements in the accuracy of the existing methods that can be made by exploring the search space in a more …

Coe Acclaim, January 2011, Issue 1, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Education.

COE Acclaim

Inside This Issue:
--Partnering to Prepare Iowa's Future Teachers
--Transitioning Malcolm Price Laboratory School into an R & D School
--Grant Helps Improve Reading Skills
--College of Education-Making an Impact
--Faculty Acclamations

Synthesis Of Freestanding Hfo2 Nanostructures, Tim Kidd, Aaron O'Shea, Kayla Boyle, Jeff Wallace, Laura Strauss

Faculty Work

Two new methods for synthesizing nanostructured HfO₂ have been developed. The first method entails exposing HfTe₂ powders to air. This simple process resulted in the formation of nanometer scale crystallites of HfO₂. The second method involved a two-step heating process by which macroscopic, freestanding nanosheets of HfO₂ were formed as a byproduct during the synthesis of HfTe₂. These highly two-dimensional sheets had side lengths measuring up to several millimeters and were stable enough to be manipulated with tweezers and other instruments. The thickness of the sheets ranged from a few to a few …

Surveying The Online Classroom : Student Reactions To E-Learning, Jordan Dierks

Graduate Research Papers

The utilization of commercial, open source, and institution designed learning management systems are increasing in higher education. Universities are competing with each other to find qualified applicants or increase enrollment. Many higher education institutions are evaluating their return on investment for educational technologies, white public institutions are facing the reality of shifting funding sources from state support to self-sufficiency. The purpose of this study is to determine if the use of a learning management system (LMS) in an online classroom supporting either a full-web or blended course affects student satisfaction with the learning experience. Additional areas examined include whether students …

Student Motivation And No Child Left Behind, Tiffany Kleckner

Graduate Research Papers

The No Child Left Behind Act was developed in 2002 by the administration of George W. Bush. The purpose of this piece of legislation was to increase student achievement in America. Regulations and requirements have been put in place by the administration such as standardized testing. This paper discusses the history of NCLB, the current issues with the legislation, and how student motivation and achievement has been effected due to the NCLB law.

Curricular Integration In The Elementary Classroom, Jill Leibold

Graduate Research Papers

The No Child Left Behind Act and how it narrows the elementary curriculum is an important educational issue. Integration is a valuable teaching practice that is becoming more wide spread in today's classrooms because of the pressures placed on teachers by NCLB. Integration is used to relieve some of the pressures of NCLB by helping teachers create more time to teach all subject areas. Integration allows teachers to connect learning standards across the curriculum and make lessons more meaningful for the students. This paper describes what integration is and why teachers need to implement integration into their daily instruction. In …

A Review Of The Literature Related To Behavioral Influences Of Subsequent Adolescent Obesity, 1998-2010, Erin Elizabeth Cain

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research paper is to review the literature related to selected behavioral influences of subsequent adolescent obesity, 1998-2010.

Positive Validations In Camp Adventure Child And Youth Services Day Camp Programming, Jazelle-Aida De Leon Zabala

Graduate Research Papers

Creating positive, uplifting environments for youth is a central goal of any program design in the child and youth services field. Providing a caring, nurturing and supportive environment for childcare, school age care and youth development programs involves structuring the environment in such a fashion that can encourage participants as well as celebrate their successes. Programs that create a positive environment can provide an opportunity to teach children and youth to have a positive outlook on life and help to foster their optimal well-being (Frederickson, 2001, p 218). One way to boost the positive emotion of an individual is through …

Accommodations For Students With Learning Disabilities Within The Library Setting, Alicia J. Patten

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this action research study was to examine strategies to adapt and augment the curriculum and potentially promote participation and progress for students with learning disabilities within the general education setting.

The researcher chose to look at accommodations of library lessons for fourth grade students within her own library instruction. This methodology was selected based upon the researcher's interests and previous experience in teaching students with learning disabilities. The researcher developed lesson plans targeted at library skills within the general education setting and worked to include accommodations and augmentations for students with learning disabilities in accordance with Individualized …

Investigation Of The One Repetition Maximum And Repetitions To Fatigue Methods Of Measuring Bench Press Performance, Jason Jon Mai

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the 1 RM and RTF prediction method for the evaluation of bench press performance as an indicator of upper body strength. A secondary purpose is to determine what factors need to be considered when using a RTF prediction method to estimate 1 RM bench press strength.

Implementing A Natural Language To Structured Query Language Translator, Kevin J. Shannon

Honors Program Theses

Since the beginning of computing, humans have been trying to make computers understand each other more completely. Humans have always had difficulties encoding their thoughts and computational problems and in tum, computers have had difficulty understanding the subtle nuances of the human mind. The first computers were nothing more than large calculators, but as time went on, they became become more sophisticated. Various technologies and techniques have been created that add features and capabilities to modern computer systems, and many of these will be discussed in this paper.

This paper describes my Honors Thesis project to design and implement a …

Growth And Characterization Of Nanoscale Thin Films, Erik Thomas Wolter

Honors Program Theses

Thin manganese films were grown by thermal evaporation in high vacuum. The growth rate was varied to determine how the growth rate affects the continuity of ultra-thin films. The resistance was measured with the two-point method in situ and the data was recorded digitally. The resistance was converted to resistivity and this was plotted against thickness. It was found that resistivity decreases exponentially as the film begins to form in islands. The film reaches a critical thickness as the islands coalesce and the data can then be fitted with Fuchs’ equation. The resistivity continues to decrease but the minimum resistivity …

Supporting Student Learning Through Scientific Inquiry, Allison J. Barness

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review is to identify the kind(s) of early childhood science instruction and learning environment that best supports student learning in science. The research examined focused on teacher actions and pedagogy, which also addressed student learning as outcome of the different studies. In addition, the research analyzed both the physical and the psychological environments, as both are important aspects which support student learning in science. A variety of sources were used and synthesized to provide the reader with informational data and recommendations.

Teaching Poetry Writing In The Primary Grades, Staci Cramer-Wilkinson

Graduate Research Papers

This project examines the use of poetry to teach writing and the impact this instruction has on the primary classroom. The purpose of this project is to explore poetry instruction, examine how it has traditionally been taught, and provide professional development to classroom teachers that focuses on the effective use of poetry instruction in the classroom. The professional development sessions include Power Point presentations, small and large group discussions, and practical classroom application. Benefits and challenges of poetry instruction are also provided.

Social Discourse Of Literature Circles With A Focus On Gender, Laurie Hornor

Graduate Research Papers

This research study examined the social discourse of literature circles with a focus on gender within a fifth-grade regular education classroom. The researcher examined the nature of social discourse that was held by students and examined whether gender appeared to influence social discourse. The results from this study showed that gender did have an impact on how students responded to literature within discussion groups. Two main gender-related characteristics of the discussions were noted. The first characteristic was that males and females did hold beliefs that paralleled culturally-determined gender roles. These beliefs had an impact on how students responded to literature. …

Student Motivation : Encouraging Children To Read In School, Kelly White

Graduate Research Papers

Teaching students how to read, comprehend,. and enjoy text are goals that many teachers make in their classrooms each year. Yet, the biggest challenge that goes along with these goals is often student motivation. Motivating students happens in many forms in classrooms around the world. There are research-based techniques for males and females, English speaking and English language learners, each of the multiple intelligences, and overall individual student needs. There is no one proven catchall method for motivating students in the classroom. Instead, teachers are encouraged to find the motivation strategies and techniques that work for specific individuals. This paper …

Homework : Providing Quality Activities That Engage The Students And Extend The Learning From The Classroom, Angella M. Blatz

Graduate Research Papers

Many teachers require homework to be done to extend the learning from school to home. Homework expectations vary from elementary school to high school. This review attempts to look at the benefits of homework and also the issues that assigning homework brings. The review includes samples of variety of homework activities that are student-centered, developmentally appropriate, along with authentic, experiential, and challenging. It discusses ways to motivate students to complete homework and the need for teachers to assign more purposeful and creative activities. This review attempts to involve the parents also as partners in the education of their child as …

Connecting Children's Quilt Literature With The Iowa Core Curriculum Social Studies Standards, Suzanne D. Burris

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to identify themes found in children's quilt picture books that could connect to the Iowa Core Curriculum Social Studies Standards. Elementary teachers could utilize the quilt picture books to teach the elementary social studies curriculum. This researcher analyzed 15 quilt picture books with a copyright of 1994 and newer that were in the Wilson Children's Core Collection. The themes that emerged from the content analysis of children's quilt picture books were generosity, slavery, multicultural, generational, and westward expansion. This researcher found that the books could be used to teach essential skills in …

A Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade Information Literacy, Library, And Technology Curriculum Delivered On A Fixed Schedule For Library And Computer Facility Access, Brenda Husak

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the project was to develop a Kindergarten through fifth grade information literacy, library and technology curriculum for the South Tama School District. There was little research available to direct creation of this type of curriculum. However, the Iowa Core Information Literacy Standards and the American Association of School Librarians Standards for the 21st-Century Learner provided guidance for this project. The Mankato Public School District Curriculum, the Iowa City Public School Technology Plan, and the Iowa City Public School Library Curriculum were consulted for additional information. The South Tama K-5 Information Literacy, Library and Technology Curriculum was designed …

Inside College Of Humanities And Fine Arts, Winter 2011, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities And Fine Arts.

Inside: College of Humanities and Fine Arts

Inside this issue:

-- Message from the Dean
-- CHFA News in Short
-- Applause
-- Transitions
-- CHFA Responds with Global Initiatives
-- Student Excellence
-- Fourth Annual CHFA Graduate Research Symposium
-- Around the College
-- Alumni Features
-- Class Notes
-- Message from the Development Director

The Wright Message, 2011-2012, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Mathematics.

The Wright Message

Inside this issue:

-- Dear Department Alumni and Friends
-- Around Wright Hall
-- New College
-- Programs Revision
-- Math ≠ 800
-- Baumler Mathematics Education Scholarship
-- Two Retire
-- Putnam Exam
-- Math Ed Lab - Then and now
-- 2011 - 2012 Tenure-Stream Faculty
-- Making an Impact
-- The Question
-- Spotlight on Undergraduates
-- Projects and Grants
-- P.S.M. Program in Industrial Mathematics
-- Actuarial Science Alumni
-- Department of Mathematics Contribution Form
-- Department of Mathematics Funds

A Statistical Analysis Of The Factors Affecting University Endowments, Lisa M. Stoecken

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study was to discover which, if any, institutional characteristics had a significant impact upon a university's endowment size. This study further explored whether the success of a university's athletic program had an impact on endowment size. The results from the study indicated two variables, operating revenues and student selectivity, were significant at a 99 percent confidence level; and, two additional variables, appropriations and a binary research university variable, were significant at a 95 percent confidence level. The results indicated that an additional one million dollars in total operating revenues and appropriations would decrease the endowment size …

Maggie And Her Students: Talking And Reasoning In A Reform-Based Mathematics Classroom, Debra Louise Semm Rich

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this qualitative case study, I explored how Maggie, the teacher, and her students used language to advance students' conceptual understanding of mathematics in a reform-based mathematics classroom. Specifically I sought to describe how Maggie's reform-based mathematics classroom environment impacted the quantity and quality of mathematical language spoken by her students. Maggie's eighth-grade mathematics classroom was observed during a course of study on data and statistics. Three semi-structured interviews with Maggie, artifacts provided by her, and fourteen 52-minute classroom lessons, supported with field notes, were analyzed.

Environmental themes were revealed as they related to Maggie, her beliefs, goals, knowledge, and …

Cylinders And Spheres : Toddlers Engage In Problem Solving, Rosemary Geiken

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Every day more six million infants and toddlers (children under 3 years of age) enter some kind of out-of-home care, with 22% of this group attending center-based programs. Studies on the quality of care in centers indicate that 40% of these children are in poor quality settings while 51 % are in mediocre to medium quality settings. Two factors contributing to these low ratings are lack of age-appropriate materials and lack of learning opportunities. To address these data Piaget's theory of constructivism guided the design of a study to provide evidence of construction of knowledge that occurred when toddlers were …

Enrollment Of Students With Disabilities In Career And Technical Education, Cory C. Johnson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The enrollment patterns of students with and without disabilities in Career and Technical Education (CTE) were examined. Data were collected from the transcripts and Individualized Education Plans (IEP) of 27 students with disabilities and the transcripts of 27 students without disabilities from three school districts at the end of their senior year. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses to describe differences between the enrollment patterns of students with and without disabilities as well as between students with different types and severity of disability. Overall, students in special education earned more CTE credits than students in general education. Additionally, …

Effective Professional Development For Teachers Of Students With Autism, Erin Marie Torruella

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The number of students with autism is on the rise. The main treatment for children with autism is their education. It is essential that teachers are prepared to work with students with autism. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a teacher training workshop held by Area Education Agency 267. Fifty-one participants of the workshop training responded to a survey regarding their implementation of strategies learned, their understanding of the content and strategies learned, the change in their planning and delivery of instruction, and the impact on their students' achievement.

The study found that the training …