Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

The Universe On A Desktop: Observational Astronomy Simulations In The Instructional Laboratory, Laurence A. Marschall

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Though the value of hands-on learning has long been recognised by educators, it is difficult to design laboratories in astronomy classes that present realistic astrophysical techniques to undergraduate students. Unlike most other sciences, astronomy is largely observational, not experimental, and making useful observations involves expensive equipment over time scales inconvenient for pedagogy. In recent years, however, astronomy has gone almost completely digital, and the advent of large on-line databases and fast personal computers has made it possible to realistically simulate the experience of research astrophysics in the laboratory. Since 1992, Project CLEA (Contemporary Laboratory Experiences in Astronomy) has been developing …

Wetland Mitigation And Amphibians: Preliminary Observations At A Southwestern Illinois Bottomland Hardwood Forest Restoration Site, Kenneth S. Mierzwa

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Much has been written on amphibian declines attributed to habitat loss or fragmentation. Much less is known about the response of amphibians to restoration of wetland habitat. Amphibians were monitored at a series of southwestern Illinois wetland mitigation sites from 1995-1998. By the end of the study period, all seven species of amphibians previously known from the site had been found within restored wetlands, and an eighth species had apparently colonized the site. Amphibian species associated with open sunlit wetlands were the first to enter the mitigation sites and were the most abundant. As trees mature and mitigation sites become …

The Status Of The Blacknose Shiner (Notropis Heterolepis) Tn Iowa: A Preliminary Survey, Neil P. Bernstein, Michael Getting, Timothy Kamp, Stevenson Christain, Ryan Smith, Joseph Steele, Steven Steele

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

During the last 45 years, the blacknose shiner (Notropis heterolepis) has been restricted to a three county area in northwestern Iowa. We surveyed locations where this siltation-intolerant species had been captured to update the status of the fish in the state. Streams were blocked with nets on both the upstream and downstream ends of sample areas, and fish were collected with a backpack electrofisher and seines. Lakes where the blacknose shiner had been found were also sampled. No blacknose shiners were found and several possible explanations are offered for their absence from historical sites.

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Distribution And Abundance Of Three Freshwater Mussel Species (B1valv1a: U Ntontdae) Correlated With Physical Habitat Characteristics In An Iowa Reservoir, J. R. Straka, J. A. Downing

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A rapid drawdown (weeks) of a reservoir allowed us to determine the combined influence of water depth, maximum effective fetch, bottom slope, and substrate characteristics on abundance of three species of freshwater mussels. The three principal mussel species were significantly (PPyganodon grandis(Say) was most abundant on deeper shelves (ca. 3 m depth, slope 1 km), and sediment organic matter content was moderate (Lampsilis siliquoidea(Barnes), however, was most abundant in shallow water (Potamilus alatus(Say) had a more cosmopolitan depth distribution, but was found only on bottoms with low slope (Pyganodon grandiswas found to be negatively affected by increasing substrate organic matter …

Population Size Estimates For The Endangered Iowa Pleistocene Snail, Discus Macclintocki Baker, Tama K. Anderson

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Discus macclintocki Baker, the Iowa Pleistocene snail, is a federally endangered species found only on algific talus slopes in northeastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois. Population size estimates for fourteen D. macclintocki populations in Iowa and Illinois ranged from 182 to 22,125 individuals. Estimates from the program CAPTURE as well as Bayesian estimation procedures gave similar results, although the Bayesian method allowed estimation of populations that could not be estimated with CAPTURE due to small sample sizes. A comparison of two methods of sampling, visual counts of quadrats and cover boards, showed that using cover boards resulted in much higher probabilities …

Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

The North American Reporting Center For Amphibian Malformations, Douglas H. Johnson, Suzanne C. Fowle, Jeffrey A. Jundt

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations was established to provide a conduit of information about, and a systematic data base on, malformed amphibians. This article describes the Reporting Center and the variety of features available at its Web site, presents an example of a summary analysis that can be conducted with its data, discusses caveats about the data, and makes recommendations about systematic surveys to better understand patterns and trends in the incidence of malformed amphibians.

Demographic And Reproductive Characteristics Of A Southern Illinois Population Of The Crayfish Frog, Rana Areolata, Michael Redmer

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Demographic (snout-vent length, skeletochronologically estimated age) and reproductive (fecundity, ova size) characteristics were examined in Riina areolata from Williamson County, Illinois. Fifty-nine frogs (36 males, 23 females) were sampled from breeding choruses in March 1996. Hematoxylinophilic annular lines of arrested growth (LAG) were detected in the diaphyses of cross-sectioned phalanges of all sampled frogs. t-tests revealed that male age (mean = 3.53 yr) and female age (mean = 3.83 yr) were not significantly different, but male SVL (mean = 82.78 mm) was significantly smaller than that of females (mean = 89.61 mm). There were positive correlations between SVL and age …

Herpetofaunal Abundance And Distribution In Northern Minnesota: Contributions Of Ecological Land Units And Assessment Of Sampling Methodology, Gabrielle Yaunches, S. R. Winterstein, H. Campa Iii, B. J. Kernohan, J. B. Haufler

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Herpetofaunal species distributions need to be understood and mapped using landscape descriptions that incorporate important habitat features and ecological processes. An ecosystem management effort in northern Minnesota is characterizing a landscape as a coarse filter for ecological communities. The coarse filter approach involves looking at communities in different successional stages and habitat types in a region (Haufler et al. 1996). Documenting distributions and abundances of herpetofauna using this coarse filter approach will allow data about these species to be incorporated in landscape planning efforts.

Conclusions Drawn From The Malformity And Disease Session, Midwest Declining Amphibians Conference, 1998, Michael J. Lannoo

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

While the general problem of amphibian declines is well known, no issue recently has engendered as much concern by the public as amphibian malformities (Ouellet et al. 1996, Tietge 1996, Gray 1998, Helgen et al. 1998a and 1998b, D. Johnson 1998, T. Johnson 1998, Meteyer and Converse 1998). As a result, Gary Casper, Chris Phillips and I decided to assemble this symposium. The session was open to anyone who wished to participate. Nineteen papers were presented (there was one cancellation) and a panel discussion followed. I will organize this summary of, and conclusions drawn from, our symposium into two sections: …

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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Limits To Ice Thickness In Iowa During The Late Wisconsinan, Eric C. Brevik

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Minimum and maximum limits to Des Moines Lobe ice thickness in Iowa during the Late Wisconsinan glaciation are calculated. These limits are based on minimum and maximum ice thickness calculations for the Des Moines Lobe in eastern North Dakota using crustal depression indicated by Lake Agassiz strandlines. Minimum and maximum basal shear stresses for the Des Moines Lobe are calculated by projecting a flow line from the terminus of the Des Moines Lobe back up-ice to the study site in northeastern North Dakota. Ice thickness in Iowa is then calculated with a method that uses the basal shear stress values. …

Field Surveys Of Midwestern And Northeastern Fish And Wildlife Service Lands For The Presence Of Abnormal Frogs And Toads, Kathryn A. Converse, James Mattsson, Laura Eaton-Poole

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The national distribution of information on the discovery of malformations in Minnesota frogs in 1995 stimulated collection and examination of newly metamorphosed frogs during 1996. By late summer and early fall of 1996, malformed frogs and toads were reported on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) lands in Vermont (Northeast, Region 5) and Minnesota (Midwest, Region 3). In response to these reports, biologists in USFWS Regions 3 and 5 conducted a survey, during the summer of 1997 to determine the distribution and type of malformations in frogs and toads on selected Federal lands. Region 3 personnel surveyed 38 field stations …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Integrating Internet Technology To Support Fraction Instruction In The Elementary Classroon, Melonie Ann Jacksin

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Rhetoric Of Science Education Reform, William W. Cobern

Scientific Literacy and Cultural Studies Project

Leon Lederman’s Project ARISE promotes a “physics first” reorganization of the secondary science curriculum. As a Nobel laureate in physics, his ideas have attracted considerable attention. Issues outside of physics, however, that Lederman does not appear ready to acknowledge will limit the impact Lederman hopes to achieve.

Going Beyong The Third Grade Science Kit: An Integrated Thematic Approach, Michele D. Wiederspohn

All Graduate Projects

A project has been developed to aid in the design of a third grade science program and/or to be used as a supplement to any existing third grade science curriculum. The project has been organized into fourteen lesson plans. Each lesson plan includes an overview of the lesson, student learning objectives matched to the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, activities, a list of required materials, an outline of instruction, and the name of a trade book to compliment the lesson. Current literature and research regarding the topic of integrated curriculum were explored.

Landscape Associations Of Frog And Toad Species In Iowa And Wisconsin, U.S.A., Melinda G. Knutson, John R. Sauer, Douglas A. Olsen, Michael J. Mossman, Lisa M. Hemesath, Michael J. Lannoo

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Landscape habitat associations of frogs and toads in Iowa and Wisconsin were tested to determine whether they support or refute previous general habitat classifications. We examined which Midwestern species shared similar habitats to see if these associations were consistent across large geographic areas (states). Rana sylvatica (wood frog), Hyla versicolor (eastern gray treefrog), Pseudacris crucifer (spring peeper), and Acris crepitans (cricket frog) were identified as forest species, P. triseriata (chorus frog), H. chrysoscelis (Cope's gray treefrog), R. pipiens (leopard frog), and Bufo americanus (American toad) as grassland species, and R. catesbeiana (bullfrog), R. clamitans (green frog), R. palustris (pickerel frog), …

Book Review: Iowa's Geological Past: Three Billion Years Of Change, Raymond R. Anderson

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Iowa's Geological Past: Three Billion Years of Change. Wayne Anderson, 1998. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City IA. xii + 424 pages. ISBN 0-87745-639-9, ISBN 0-87745-640-2 (pbk.).

Wayne Anderson, born in geode country in southeast Iowa, earned his Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D. at the University of Iowa (writing a thesis and dissertation on Iowa geologic topics). He will complete a 37-year career teaching geology at the University of Northern Iowa with his retirement in the Spring of 2000. His research activities and the work of his students have added greatly to our understanding of the geology of eastern Iowa. In …

Higher Population And Twin Row Configuration Does Not Benefit Strip Intercropped Corn, M. M. Harbur, R. M. Cruse

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Increased corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield with strip intercropping, made possible because of increased edge effects, makes this soil-conserving crop production system appealing to farmers. The objective of this study was to determine the population and row configuration needed to optimize the additional yield potential in each outside corn row. Treatments 'included: 74, 99, and 124 thousand plants ha^-1 were grown in twin rows and 74 thousand plants ha^-1 grown in single rows. Single rows or twin row centers were spaced 0.76 m. The experiment was conducted at four central Iowa sites during 1996 and 1997. Grain …

Comparing Species Of Bees For Controlled Pollination Of Helianthus Petiolaris In Field Cages, R. L. Wilson, C. A. Abel, M. E. Brothers

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Honey bees, Apis mellifera, have been used for several years to pollinate caged plant species maintained at the USDA-ARS North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS), Ames, Iowa. Because maintaining large numbers of honey bees is expensive and time consuming, we began looking in 1995 for other pollinator species that can be easily managed and less expensive to maintain than A. mellifera. One species we tested was the hornfaced bee, Osmia cornifrons, a solitary bee imported from Japan in the late 1970s. We also tested a mixture of native bumblebees, Bombus bimaculatus and B. impatiens, which are native to the …

Checklist Of Instructions For Authors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

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Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Density-Dependent Effects On Microhabitat Selection And Activity Of Two Species Of Larval Ambystoma Salamanders, Jeanette M. Jaskula, Robert Brodman

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

To be able to distinguish unnatural amphibian declines from natural population fluctuations we need a better understanding of the mechanisms that affect amphibian community structure. Larval pond-breeding salamanders exhibit density-dependent effects on population parameters, but little is known of the effect of density on behaviors that mediate interactions. Two species, Amby1toma tigrinum (tiger salamander) and A. laterale (blue-spotted salamander), were evaluated in laboratory aquaria for intraspecific and interspecific interactions that affect microhabitat selection and activity. Microhabitat selection was studied by partitioning containers into microhabitats that either contained or lacked refuges, and movement was recorded over a hexagonal grid to determine …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: The Newsletter Of The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 6, Winter 2000), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

[Accepted Version] Empowering Families In Hands‐On Science Programs, James Shymansky, Larry Yore, Brian Hand

Educator Preparation & Leadership Faculty Works

This paper presents the results of the Science Parent, Activities, and Literature (Science PALs) project. This project aims to promote parent involvement in children's hands-on science education by using take-home, literature-based inquiry, problem solving, and design activities that connect school and home. Parents are the most effective source of positive or negative attitude influences toward science and mathematics. The lack of science in home environments depends largely upon parents' fear or lack of success in science. The Science PALs project uses parents as a key instructional factor and involves them in their children's education. Teachers help parents in this involvement …

Not All Are Created Equal: An Analysis Of The Environmentally-Related Programs/Departments In U.S. Academic Institutions Until December 1999, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Molly Brandt, Phoebe B.S. Vanselow, Joel E. Cresswell, Creswell

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Iowa Academy Of Science Membership Directory, 2000-2001, Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contents:

Editorial Board, Journal ... 5
Committees ... 6
Sections ... 18
ISTS Regional Directors ... 22
Awards of Merit ... 24
Excellence in Science Teaching Awards ... 25
Past Presidents ... 26
Membership Roster ... 27
Corporate Sponsors ... 63