Federal Crop Insurance Program Expands in 2016 and 2017 to Cover More Organic Crops

Organic agriculture represents one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture (USDA-RMA). With this in mind, the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) continues to expand crop insurance options for organic growers. In 2016 and 2017, organic producers in Maryland will see additional crops with organic crop insurance options. Increasing crop insurance options will allow this segment of producers new opportunities to manage their risks.

Easy PRAM-based High-performance Parallel Programming with ICE

A poster of this paper will be presented at the 25th International Conference on Parallel Architecture and Compilation Technology (PACT ’16), September 11-15, 2016, Haifa, Israel.

The Careers of Two Ritas: Latinas, Hollywood, and the Dilemmas of Anglicization

Senior capstone project for AMST 450.

Crop Insurance For Maryland Field Crops And Livestock

Multi-peril crop insurance is a valuable risk management tool which allows you to insure against losses on your farm due to adverse weather conditions, price fluctuations, and unavoidable pests and diseases. It shifts unavoidable production risks to an insurance company for the payment of a fixed amount of premium per acre. This publication assists readers in understanding the basics of the federal crop insurance program.

Controlled Vocabulary Enhancement through Crowdsourcing: Project Andvari, Micropasts, and Public Quality Assurance

Proceedings paper published by Society of American Archivists. Presented at conference in 2015 in Cleveland, OH (http://www2.archivists.org/proceedings/research-forum/2015/agenda#papers). Published by SAA in 2016.

Preservation Selection at Special Collections in Performing Arts

Presented to the Preservation Section, Society of American Archivists, 2016 Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.

Opening a Distillery: Legal Details That Producers Need to Know

Like any new business venture, starting a distillery requires careful planning and a major investment of resources. Marylanders interested in opening a distillery should consider taking classes and talking to existing distillers before starting out on their own. This guide is intended to provide an overview of the legal process of getting the required licenses and permits needed to open a distillery.

Making Change, Increasing Value: Reorganizing Your Access Services Department

Presentation from the Towson Conference for Academic Libraries: Collaborating Across the Library, August 16, 2016, Towson University, Towson, MD

Agricultural Water Law in Maryland: The Water Appropriation Application Process and Use in a Time of Drought

To conserve and protect the State's water resources the State of Maryland controls the appropriation or use of its surface waters and groundwater. State law requires all agricultural operations to comply with the water appropriation permitting process, including traditional forms of agriculture, livestock and poultry operations, nursery operations and aquaculture.

Book review. “Pay it Forward: Mentoring New Information Professionals,”

Book review

Soil pH and Nutrient Availability

Fertilizers, whether commercial or from manure sources, will not be effective if soil pH isn’t managed. Besides nutrient availability, soil biology and pesticide efficacy can also be pH dependent. Unfortunately, due to varying soil types and crop needs, there isn’t a single pH that is ideal. While most crops are assigned a suitable pH range (6.0 to 6.5), producers can maximize yields by better understanding soil properties and crop response.

Enhancing Library Instruction with Crossword Puzzles in Kinesiology Classes

The poster was presented at the 2016 Tri-Chapter Meeting (MACMLA, NY-NJ and PHIL Chapters), The 3Ls - Librarians, Leadership and Learning on September 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, PA (http://macmla.libguides.com/tri-chapter2016-posters).

Using landscape metrics to predict hydrologic connectivity patterns between forested wetlands and streams in a coastal plain watershed

Geographically isolated wetlands, those entirely surrounded by uplands, provide numerous ecological functions, some of which are dependent on the degree to which they are hydrologically connected to nearby waters. There is a growing need for field-validated, landscape-scale approaches for classifying wetlands based on their expected degree of connectivity with stream networks. During the 2015 water year, flow duration was recorded in non-perennial streams (n = 23) connecting forested wetlands and nearby perennial streams on the Delmarva Peninsula (Maryland, USA). Field and GIS-derived landscape metrics (indicators of catchment, wetland, non-perennial stream, and soil characteristics) were assessed as predictors of wetland-stream connectivity (duration, seasonal onset and offset dates). Connection duration was most strongly correlated with non-perennial stream geomorphology and wetland characteristics. A final GIS-based stepwise regression model (adj-R2 = 0.74, p < 0.0001) described wetland-stream connection duration as a function of catchment area, wetland area and number, and soil available water storage.

Self-Presentation Styles, Status, and Influence

This research examined effects of individual self-presentation styles on influence in groups. Perceived competence and social acceptance both play a role in determining how much influence group members enjoy. Aggrandizing and deprecating self-presentation styles may affect perceived competence, social acceptance, and ultimately influence. I predicted that aggrandizing self-presentation would lead to perceptions of competence and that self-deprecation would lead to social acceptance. The anticipated strength of those trends, however, was unclear, and I proposed that they would vary depending on status. I conducted two studies designed to assess whether aggrandizing or deprecating self-presentation styles lead to differences in influence outcomes for high and low-status individuals. In Study 1, participants gave feedback and a promotion recommendation for a fictitious (male or female) job candidate based on employee evaluation information presenting the candidate as either deprecating or aggrandizing. The main findings from Study 1 were that aggrandizers were rated as less likable than deprecators. No other predictions were supported. Study 2 was an online experiment in which participants made hiring recommendations in reference to résumés from fictitious applicants that varied by race, gender, and presentation style (aggrandizing, deprecating, or neutral). Results provided some evidence that low-status candidates were punished for using aggrandizing self-presentation strategies. The results of the studies suggest no one- best technique for self-presentation and that there may be costs for aggrandizing or deprecating depending on race and gender.