2003 IANR Team Award and Exemplary Service Award Presentations

What a treat it is to be here today to celebrate the outstanding work of members of our IANR community. It seems so much of our administrative time these days is spent dealing with difficult and joyless issues surrounding slashed budgets, lost programs, and the very real pain those engender. Perhaps it is that pain that doubles our joy when we have opportunities such as today to celebrate excellence. This afternoon we celebrate accomplishment in two ways with the IANR Team Award, and with the Exemplary Service Award. We'll begin today with the IANR Team Award, which recognizes the importance of interdisciplinary team efforts in achieving the Institute's goals. Criteria include: 1) problem identification, team strategy, grant success; 2) productivity and impact and the output of the team in relation to inputs; 3) the team effort, and 4) the quality of the nomination.

Creating Meaningful Homework and Implementing Homework Presentations to Aid in Mathematics Instruction

In this action research study of sixth grade mathematics, I investigated the use of meaningful homework and the implementation of presentations and its effect on students’ comprehension of mathematical concepts. I collected data to determine whether the creating of meaningful homework and the implementation of homework presentations would have a positive impact on the students’ understanding of the concepts being taught in class and the reasoning behind assigning homework. The homework was based on the lesson taught during class time. It was grade-level appropriate and contained problems similar to those students completed in class. A pre-research and post-research survey based on homework perceptions and my teaching practices was given, student interviews were conducted throughout the research period, weekly teacher journals were kept that pertained to my teaching practices and the involvement of the students that particular week, and homework assignments were collected to gauge the students’ understanding of the mathematics lessons. Most students’ perceptions on homework were positive and most understood the reasoning for homework assignments.

Improving Communication about Mathematics through Vocabulary and Writing

In this action research study, where the subjects were my 6th grade mathematics students, I investigated the impact of direct vocabulary instruction on their communication and achievement. I strategically implemented the addition of vocabulary study into each lesson over a four-month time period. The students practiced using vocabulary in verbal discussions, review activities, and in mathematical problem explanations. I discovered that a majority of students improved their overall understanding of mathematical concepts based on an analysis of the data I collected. I also found that in general, students felt that knowing the definition of mathematical words was important and that it increased their achievement when they understood the words. In addition, students were more exact in their communication after receiving vocabulary instruction. As a result of this research, I plan to continue to implement vocabulary into daily lessons and keep vocabulary and communication as a focus of my 6th grade mathematics class.

The Role of Manipulatives in the Eighth Grade Mathematics Classroom

In this action research study of my classroom of eighth grade mathematics, I investigated the use of manipulatives and its impact on student attitude and understanding. I discovered that overall, students enjoy using manipulatives, not necessarily for the benefit of learning, but because it actively engages them in each lesson. I also found that students did perform better on exams when students were asked to solve problems using manipulatives in place of formal written representations of situations. In the course of this investigation, I also uncovered that student attitude toward mathematics improved when greater manipulative use was infused into the lessons. Students felt more confident that they understood the material, which translated into a better attitude regarding math class. As a result of this research, I plan to find ways to implement manipulatives in my teaching on a more regular basis. I intend to create lessons with manipulatives that will engage both hands and minds for the learners.

Daily Problem-Solving Warm-Ups: Harboring Mathematical Thinking In The Middle School Classroom

In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics, I investigated the use of daily warm-ups written in problem-solving format. Data was collected to determine if use of such warm-ups would have an effect on students’ abilities to problem solve, their overall attitudes regarding problem solving and whether such an activity could also enhance their readiness each day to learn new mathematics concepts. It was also my hope that this practice would have some positive impact on maximizing the amount of time I have with my students for math instruction. I discovered that daily exposure to problem-solving practices did impact the students’ overall abilities and achievement (though sometimes not positively) and similarly the students’ attitudes showed slight changes as well. It certainly seemed to improve their readiness for the day’s lesson as class started in a more timely manner and students were more actively involved in learning mathematics (or perhaps working on mathematics) than other classes not involved in the research. As a result of this study, I plan to continue using daily warm-ups and problem-solving (perhaps on a less formal or regimented level) and continue gathering data to further determine if this methodology can be useful in improving students’ overall mathematical skills, abilities and achievement.

History and fate of a small isolated population of Weddell seals at White Island, Antarctica

Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii Lesson) at White Island, Antarctica form a small, completely enclosed, natural population hypothesized to be of recent origin, likely founded by individuals from nearby Erebus Bay. This population constitutes an ideal model to document a founder event and ensuing genetic drift, with implications for conservation. Here we combined historical accounts, census and tagging data since the late 1960s, and genetic data (41 microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA sequences) from 84 individuals representing nearly all individuals present between 1990 and 2000 to investigate the history of the founding of the White Island population, document its population dynamics and evaluate possible future threats. We fully resolved parental relationships over three overlapping generations. Cytonuclear disequilibrium among the first generation suggested that it comprised the direct descendants of a founding group. We estimated that the White Island population was founded by a small group of individuals that accessed the island during a brief break in the surrounding sea ice in the mid-1950s, consistent with historical accounts. Direct and indirect methods of calculating effective population size were highly congruent and suggested a minimum founding group consisting of three females and two males. The White Island population showed altered reproductive dynamics compared to Erebus Bay, including highly skewed sex ratio, documented inbred mating events, and the oldest known reproducing Weddell seals. A comparison with the putative source population showed that the White Island population has an effective inbreeding coefficient (Fe) of 0.29. Based on a pedigree analysis including the hypothesized founding group, 86% of the individuals for whom parents were known had inbreeding coefficients ranging 0.09–0.31. This high level of inbreeding was correlated with reduced pup survival. Seals at White Island therefore face the combined effects of low genetic variability, lack of immigration, and inbreeding depression. Ultimately, this study provides evidence of the effects of natural isolation on a large, long-lived vertebrate and can provide clues to the potential effects of anthropogenic- caused isolation of similar taxa.

IANR Recognition Luncheon

What a pleasure it is to come together here to recognize and celebrate Outstanding work of members of our IANR community. It is even more of a treat to have three reasons to celebrate today as we recognize excellence with two IANR Exemplary Service Awards, two Dinsdale Family Faculty Awards, and the IANR Team Award.

The People's Hour and the Social Gospel: George Howard Gibson's Gilded Age Search for an Organization of the Kingdom of God

Previous studies of the Social Gospel movement have acknowledged the fact that Social Gospelers were involved in multiple social reform movements during the Gilded Age and into the Progressive Era. However, most of these studies have failed to explain how the reform experiences of the Social Gospelers contributed to the development of the Social Gospel. The Social Gospelers’ ideas regarding the need to transform society and their strategies for doing so were largely a result of their personal experiences as reformers and their collaboration with other reformers. The knowledge and insight gained from interaction with a variety of reform methods played a vital role in the development of the ideology and theology of the Social Gospel. George Howard Gibson is exemplary of the connections between the Social Gospel movement and several other social reform movements of the time. He was involved in the Temperance movement, was a member of both the Prohibition Party and the People’s Party, and co-founded a Christian socialist cooperative colony. His writings illustrate the formation of his identity as a Social Gospeler as well as his attempts to find an organization through which to realize the kingdom of God on earth. Failure to achieve the changes he desired via prohibition encouraged him to broaden his reform goals. Like many Midwestern Social Gospelers Gibson believed he had found “God’s Party” in the People’s Party, but he rejected reform via the political system once the Populists restricted their attention to the silver issue and fused with the Democratic Party. Yet his involvement with the People’s Party demonstrates the attraction many Social Gospelers had to the reforms proposed in the Omaha Platform of 1892 as well as to the party’s use of revivalistic language and emphasis on producerism and brotherhood. Gibson’s experimentation with a variety of ways to achieve the kingdom of God on earth provides new insight into the experiences and contributions of lay Social Gospelers. Adviser: Kenneth J. Winkle

Report on Recent Large Bird Ingestions into Transport Turbofan Engines

Today I am going to give you a report on recent bird ingestion events into transport category turbofan engine in commercial service. We are still having these events. We may not ever completely eliminate all such events, but our purpose for meeting is to put all our resources to work to try. The events that I am going to report on today represent some of the more significant events over the last couple of years. The events are significant because of the potential for jeopardizing the safety of the aircraft involved and the aircraft occupants. The events I am going to discuss all involve encounters with large birds. Each situation reflects a bird control issue or event that resulted in a high workload for the flight crew because something out of the ordinary happened that they had to respond to. Some of the situations involve areas outside the US or Canada but serve as a lesson because that the same situation can happen here.