Sample records for technical environmental collaboration

  1. Collaboration Strategies to Reduce Technical Debt

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miko, Jeffrey Allen

    2017-01-01

    Inadequate software development collaboration processes can allow technical debt to accumulate increasing future maintenance costs and the chance of system failures. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore collaboration strategies software development leaders use to reduce the amount of technical debt created by software…

  2. Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA): Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM) 2015

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-05-01

    ARL-CR-0814 ● MAY 2017 US Army Research Laboratory Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA): Technical Exchange Meeting...0814 ● MAY 2017 US Army Research Laboratory Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA): Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM) 2015 by...SUBTITLE Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA): Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM) 2015 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W911NF-10-2-0016 5b. GRANT

  3. Stop, Collaborate, and Listen: Lessons Learned from Collaborating with a Houston Environmental Justice Organization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, C.; Arellano, Y.; Phartiyal, P.

    2016-12-01

    Scientists are increasingly showing interest in conducting research at the community level, yet community groups often struggle with lack of access to scientific information. Collaborations between the two are mutually beneficial: scientists can include assessment of societal implications in their research, and community-specific scientific evidence can be used by local groups to inform public decisions that benefit community interests. Recognizing the need for and utility of such partnerships, the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a science-based policy and advocacy organization, partnered with Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS), an environmental justice organization based in Manchester in Houston, to provide the technical support and resources needed to strengthen TEJAS' advocacy work. Working closely with TEJAS, we connected community members with local experts, developed educational products to inform community members about environmental health risks in their neighborhoods, published a report highlighting chemical safety issues in the community, and assisted in constructing a community survey to assess residents' health concerns. The products were created with the intention of raising the profile of these issues with local government and regional EPA officials. This talk will discuss the projects done in collaboration with TEJAS, as well as important lessons learned that offer insight into best practices for other organizations and technical experts to partner with community groups on local projects.

  4. EPA Partners with Maine DEP to Provide Technical Assistance Support, Improve Environmental and Public Health in Maine

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 is collaborating with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP) to provide free technical assistance for municipalities and businesses in Maine.

  5. Scaffolding Collaborative Technical Writing with Procedural Facilitation and Synchronous Discussion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeh, Shiou-Wen; Lo, Jia-Jiunn; Huang, Jeng-Jia

    2011-01-01

    With the advent of computer technology, researchers and instructors are attempting to devise computer support for effective collaborative technical writing. In this study, a computer-supported environment for collaborative technical writing was developed. This system (Process-Writing Wizard) provides process-oriented scaffolds and a synchronous…

  6. Technical Review Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessments in the Tourism, Energy and Mining Sectors

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA coordinated a regional collaborative process with Central America and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) partners to develop Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Technical Review Guidelines for three sectors.

  7. NASA Collaborative Approach Mitigates Environmentally-Driven Obsolescence

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greene, Brian; Leeney, Bob; Richards, Joni

    2016-01-01

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions, like Department of Defense (DoD) organizations, require the rigorous testing and qualification of critical materials. Obsolescence supply risks created by environmental requirements can affect the cost, schedule and performance of NASA missions and the resilience of critical infrastructure. The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) Principal Center helps to identify obsolescence supply risks driven by environmental requirements and works proactively with NASA Centers and Programs, the DoD, the European Space Agency (ESA) and other agencies and partners to identify and evaluate environmentally friendly alternatives. TEERM tracks environmental regulations, identifies the potential loss of material availability and works with NASA programs and Centers to evaluate potential impacts through a risk assessment approach. TEERM collaborative projects identify, demonstrate and evaluate commercially viable alternative technologies and materials. A major focus during the Space Shuttle Program was the need to replace ozone depleting substances that were used in spray foam and cleaning applications. The potential obsolescence of coatings containing hexavalent chromium and the risks associated with lead free solder were also of concern for the Space Shuttle and present ongoing risks to new programs such as the Space Launch System. One current project teams NASA and ESA in the evaluation and testing of individual coatings and coating systems as replacements for hexavalent chromium coatings in aerospace applications. The proactive, collaborative approach used by TEERM helps reduce the cost burden on any one team partner, reduces duplication of effort, and enhances the technical quality and overall applicability of the testing and analysis.

  8. 76 FR 14372 - New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel will meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The...

  9. Collaborating for Success: Team Teaching the Engineering Technical Thesis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keating, Terrence; Long, Mike

    2012-01-01

    This paper will examine the collaborative teaching process undertaken at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) by Engineering and the Communication faculties to improve the overall quality of engineering students' capstone projects known as the Technical Thesis. The Technical Thesis is divided into two separate components: a proposal stage…

  10. Investigating Technical and Pedagogical Usability Issues of Collaborative Learning with Wikis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hadjerrouit, Said

    2012-01-01

    Wikis have been recently promoted as tools that foster collaborative learning. However, there has been little research devoted to the criteria that are suitable to address issues pertinent to collaborative learning. This paper proposes a set of criteria to explore technical and pedagogical usability issues of collaborative learning with wikis. The…

  11. Examining the Highs and Lows of the Collaborative Relationship Between Technical Assistance Providers and Prevention Implementers.

    PubMed

    Chilenski, Sarah M; Welsh, Janet; Olson, Jonathan; Hoffman, Lesa; Perkins, Daniel F; Feinberg, Mark E

    2018-02-01

    The PROSPER model uses a three-tiered community partnership, university researcher, and Cooperative Extension-based technical assistance system to support the delivery of evidence-based interventions in communities. This study examines the trajectory and predictors of the collaborative relationship between technical assistance providers and community teams across the three phases of organization, implementation, and sustainability. Members of 14 PROmoting School-university-community Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) community teams and directors of local agencies rated communities' levels of readiness and adolescent substance use norms. Technical assistance providers rated their collaborative relationship with their teams at 14 occasions across 4.5 years. Results from mixed models show that levels of collaboration were stable until the sustainability phase, when they increased significantly. Team differences in change were significant during the implementation phase. Community readiness predicted levels of the collaborative relationship over time: high community readiness was associated with a high level of collaboration during organization, but a decline in collaboration during implementation. These results provide a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between technical assistance provision and community prevention teams and lead to recommendations to improve dissemination models to achieve a greater public health impact.

  12. ENVRIplus - European collaborative development of environmental infrastructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asmi, A.; Brus, M.; Kutsch, W. L.; Laj, P.

    2016-12-01

    European Research Infrastructures (RI) are built using ESFRI process, which dictates the steps towards a common European RIs. Building each RI separately creates unnessary barriers towards service users (e.g. on differing standards) and is not effiicient in e.g. e-science tool or data system development. To answer these inter-RI issues, the European Commission has funded several large scale cluster projectsto bring these RIs together already in planning and development phases to develop common tools, standards and methodologies, as well as learn from the exisiting systems. ENVRIplus is the cluster project for the environmental RIs in Europe, and provides platform for common development and sharing within the RI community. The project is organized around different themes, each having several workpackages with specific tasks. Major themesof the ENVRIplus are: Technical innovation, including tasks such as RI technology transfer, new observation techniques, autonomous operation, etc.; Data for science, with tasks such as RI reference model development, data discovery and citation, data publication, processing, etc.; Access to RIs, with specific tasks on interdicplinary and transnational access to RI services, and common access governance; Societal relevance and understanding, tackling on ethical issues on RI operations and understanding on human-environmental system and citizen science approaches, among others; Knowledge transfer, particularly between the RIs, and with developing RI organizations, organizing training and staff exchange; and Communication and dissemination, working towards a common environmental RI community (ENVRI community platform), and creating an own advisory RI discussion board (BEERi), and disseminating the ENVRIplus products globally. Importantly, all ENVRIplus results are open to any users from any country. Also, collaboration with international RIs and user communities are crucial to the success of the ENVRI initiatives. Overall goal is to do

  13. The power of a collaborative relationship between technical assistance providers and community prevention teams: A correlational and longitudinal study

    PubMed Central

    Chilenski, Sarah M.; Perkins, Daniel F.; Olson, Jonathan; Hoffman, Lesa; Feinberg, Mark E.; Greenberg, Mark; Welsh, Janet; Crowley, D. Max; Spoth, Richard

    2015-01-01

    Background Historically, effectiveness of community collaborative prevention efforts has been mixed. Consequently, research has been undertaken to better understand the factors that support their effectiveness; theory and some related empirical research suggests that the provision of technical assistance is one important supporting factor. The current study examines one aspect of technical assistance that may be important in supporting coalition effectiveness, the collaborative relationship between the technical assistance provider and site lead implementer. Methods Four and one-half years of data were collected from technical assistance providers and prevention team members from the 14 community prevention teams involved in the PROSPER project. Results Spearman correlation analyses with longitudinal data show that the levels of the collaborative relationship during one phase of collaborative team functioning associated with characteristics of internal team functioning in future phases. Conclusions Results suggest that community collaborative prevention work should consider the collaborative nature of the technical assistance provider – prevention community team relationship when designing and conducting technical assistance activities, and it may be important to continually assess these dynamics to support high quality implementation. PMID:26476860

  14. The power of a collaborative relationship between technical assistance providers and community prevention teams: A correlational and longitudinal study.

    PubMed

    Chilenski, Sarah M; Perkins, Daniel F; Olson, Jonathan; Hoffman, Lesa; Feinberg, Mark E; Greenberg, Mark; Welsh, Janet; Crowley, D Max; Spoth, Richard

    2016-02-01

    Historically, effectiveness of community collaborative prevention efforts has been mixed. Consequently, research has been undertaken to better understand the factors that support their effectiveness; theory and some related empirical research suggests that the provision of technical assistance is one important supporting factor. The current study examines one aspect of technical assistance that may be important in supporting coalition effectiveness, the collaborative relationship between the technical assistance provider and site lead implementer. Four and one-half years of data were collected from technical assistance providers and prevention team members from the 14 community prevention teams involved in the PROSPER project. Spearman correlation analyses with longitudinal data show that the levels of the collaborative relationship during one phase of collaborative team functioning associated with characteristics of internal team functioning in future phases. Results suggest that community collaborative prevention work should consider the collaborative nature of the technical assistance provider - prevention community team relationship when designing and conducting technical assistance activities, and it may be important to continually assess these dynamics to support high quality implementation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Environmental health collaboration: United States and Russia.

    PubMed

    Rubin, C H; Jones, R L; Revich, B; Avaliani, S L; Gurvich, E

    2003-08-01

    Developed nations share similar challenges to human health from commercial and agricultural chemicals that are released into the environment. Although Russia and the United States are historically distinct and unique, both countries are geographically large and economically dependent on emission-producing surface transportation. This paper describes U.S.-Russian collaborative activities that grew from a 1995 conference in Moscow that brought together environmental health investigators from both countries to discuss common concerns about the human health impact of environmental pollutants. Lead, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, and mercury were identified as contaminants of greatest concern. Collaborative studies were initiated that included collecting blood and hair samples and splitting samples for analyses in both countries, and introducing and sharing new portable blood and environmental sample analyses instruments. The findings demonstrated that hair analysis was not a good predictor of BLL and that Russian children in the first city sampled had a mean BLL of 7.7 microg/dl. Although higher than the U.S. mean, this level was below the 10.0 microg/dl CDC level of concern. This manuscript summarizes additional study results and describes their impacts on Russian policy. On-going collaborative environmental investigations are described.

  16. Social Science Collaboration with Environmental Health.

    PubMed

    Hoover, Elizabeth; Renauld, Mia; Edelstein, Michael R; Brown, Phil

    2015-11-01

    Social science research has been central in documenting and analyzing community discovery of environmental exposure and consequential processes. Collaboration with environmental health science through team projects has advanced and improved our understanding of environmental health and justice. We sought to identify diverse methods and topics in which social scientists have expanded environmental health understandings at multiple levels, to examine how transdisciplinary environmental health research fosters better science, and to learn how these partnerships have been able to flourish because of the support from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). We analyzed various types of social science research to investigate how social science contributes to environmental health. We also examined NIEHS programs that foster social science. In addition, we developed a case study of a community-based participation research project in Akwesasne in order to demonstrate how social science has enhanced environmental health science. Social science has informed environmental health science through ethnographic studies of contaminated communities, analysis of spatial distribution of environmental injustice, psychological experience of contamination, social construction of risk and risk perception, and social impacts of disasters. Social science-environmental health team science has altered the way scientists traditionally explore exposure by pressing for cumulative exposure approaches and providing research data for policy applications. A transdisciplinary approach for environmental health practice has emerged that engages the social sciences to paint a full picture of the consequences of contamination so that policy makers, regulators, public health officials, and other stakeholders can better ameliorate impacts and prevent future exposure. Hoover E, Renauld M, Edelstein MR, Brown P. 2015. Social science collaboration with environmental health. Environ Health

  17. Defense Research: Improved Management of DOD’s Technical Corrosion Collaboration Program Needed

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-05-01

    Education and Research on Corrosion and Material Performance TCC Technical Corrosion Collaboration UCC University Corrosion Collaboration This is...is the successor to the University Corrosion Collaboration ( UCC ) pilot program, established in 2008. The TCC program builds on efforts of the UCC ...going from a pilot to a full program. They indicated that the UCC pilot program naturally evolved into the TCC pilot program in 2011, and the pilot

  18. Social Science Collaboration with Environmental Health

    PubMed Central

    Hoover, Elizabeth; Renauld, Mia; Edelstein, Michael R.

    2015-01-01

    Background Social science research has been central in documenting and analyzing community discovery of environmental exposure and consequential processes. Collaboration with environmental health science through team projects has advanced and improved our understanding of environmental health and justice. Objective We sought to identify diverse methods and topics in which social scientists have expanded environmental health understandings at multiple levels, to examine how transdisciplinary environmental health research fosters better science, and to learn how these partnerships have been able to flourish because of the support from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Methods We analyzed various types of social science research to investigate how social science contributes to environmental health. We also examined NIEHS programs that foster social science. In addition, we developed a case study of a community-based participation research project in Akwesasne in order to demonstrate how social science has enhanced environmental health science. Results Social science has informed environmental health science through ethnographic studies of contaminated communities, analysis of spatial distribution of environmental injustice, psychological experience of contamination, social construction of risk and risk perception, and social impacts of disasters. Social science–environmental health team science has altered the way scientists traditionally explore exposure by pressing for cumulative exposure approaches and providing research data for policy applications. Conclusions A transdisciplinary approach for environmental health practice has emerged that engages the social sciences to paint a full picture of the consequences of contamination so that policy makers, regulators, public health officials, and other stakeholders can better ameliorate impacts and prevent future exposure. Citation Hoover E, Renauld M, Edelstein MR, Brown P. 2015. Social

  19. EPRI-DOE Conference on Environmentally-Enhanced Hydropower Turbines: Technical Papers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hogan, T.

    2011-12-01

    The EPRI-DOE Conference on Environmentally-Enhanced Hydropower Turbines was a component of a larger project. The goal of the overall project was to conduct the final developmental engineering required to advance the commercialization of the Alden turbine. As part of this effort, the conference provided a venue to disseminate information on the status of the Alden turbine technology as well as the status of other advanced turbines and research on environmentally-friendly hydropower turbines. The conference was also a product of a federal Memorandum of Understanding among DOE, USBR, and USACE to share technical information on hydropower. The conference was held inmore » Washington, DC on May 19 and 20, 2011 and welcomed over 100 attendees. The Conference Organizing Committee included the federal agencies with a vested interest in hydropower in the U.S. The Committee collaboratively assembled this conference, including topics from each facet of the environmentally-friendly conventional hydropower research community. The conference was successful in illustrating the readiness of environmentally-enhanced hydropower technologies. Furthermore, the topics presented illustrated the need for additional deployment and field testing of these technologies in an effort to promote the growth of environmentally sustainable hydropower in the U.S. and around the world.« less

  20. Building an environmentally accountable medical curriculum through international collaboration.

    PubMed

    Walpole, Sarah Catherine; Vyas, Aditya; Maxwell, Janie; Canny, Ben J; Woollard, Robert; Wellbery, Caroline; Leedham-Green, Kathleen E; Musaeus, Peter; Tufail-Hanif, Uzma; Pavão Patrício, Karina; Rother, Hanna-Andrea

    2017-10-01

    Global environmental change is associated with significant health threats. The medical profession can address this challenge through advocacy, health system adaptation and workforce preparedness. Stewardship of health systems with attention to their environmental impacts can contribute to mitigation of and adaptation to negative health impacts of environmental change. Medical schools have an integral role in training doctors who understand the interdependence of ecosystems and human health. Yet integrating environmental perspectives into busy medical curricula is not a simple task. At the 2016 Association for Medical Education in Europe conference, medical educators, students and clinicians from six continents discussed these challenges in a participatory workshop. Here we reflect on emerging themes from the workshop and how to plan for curricular change. Firstly, we outline recent developments in environmental health and associated medical education. Secondly, we reflect on our process and outcomes during this innovative approach to international collaboration. Thirdly, we present learning objectives which cover core content for environmentally accountable medical curricula, developed through a reflective process of international collaboration integrating current literature and the workshop outcomes. International collaboration can bring together diverse perspectives and provide critical insights for the inclusion of environmental health into basic education for medical practitioners.

  1. Collaborative Environmental Institutions: All Talk and No Action?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lubell, Mark

    2004-01-01

    Many analysts view collaborative institutions that attempt to forge consensus and build cooperation among conflicting stakeholders as a potential remedy to the pathologies of conventional environmental policy. However, few analyses have demonstrated that collaborative institutions actually increase levels of cooperation, and critics accuse…

  2. Technical Assistance and Changes in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in the National Early Care and Education Learning Collaboratives Project, 2015-2016.

    PubMed

    Chiappone, Alethea; Smith, Teresa M; Estabrooks, Paul A; Rasmussen, Cristy Geno; Blaser, Casey; Yaroch, Amy L

    2018-04-26

    The National Early Care and Education Learning Collaboratives Project (ECELC) aims to improve best practices in early care and education (ECE) programs in topic areas of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment in Child Care (NAP SACC). Technical assistance is a component of the ECELC, yet its effect on outcomes is unclear. Beyond dose and duration of technical assistance, limited research exists on characteristics of technical assistance that contribute to outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify and describe technical assistance characteristics and explore associations with NAP SACC outcomes. We collected data from 10 collaboratives comprising 84 ECE programs in 2 states in 2015-2016. The objective of technical assistance was to support programs in improving best practices. Technical assistance was provided to programs via on-site, telephone, or email and was tailored to program needs. We used a mixed-methods design to examine associations between technical assistance and NAP SACC outcomes. We used multiple regression analysis to assess quantitative data and qualitative comparative analysis to determine necessary and sufficient technical assistance conditions supporting NAP SACC outcomes. We also conducted a document review to describe technical assistance that referred conditions identified by the qualitative comparative analysis. Regression analyses detected an inverse relationship between changes in NAP SACC scores and hours of technical assistance. No clear pattern emerged in the qualitative comparative analysis, leaving no necessary and sufficient conditions. However, the qualitative comparative analysis identified feedback as a potentially important component of technical assistance, whereas resource sharing and frequent email were characteristics that seemed to reduce the likelihood of improved outcomes. Email and resource sharing were considered primarily general information rather than tailored technical assistance. Technical

  3. NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 32: A new era in international technical communication: American-Russian collaboration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Flammia, Madelyn; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Pinelli, Thomas E.; Keene, Michael L.; Burger, Robert H.; Kennedy, John M.

    1993-01-01

    Until the recent dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party exerted a strict control of access to and dissemination of scientific and technical information (STI). This article presents models of the Soviet-style information society and the Western-style information society and discusses the effects of centralized governmental control of information on Russian technical communication practices. The effects of political control on technical communication are then used to interpret the results of a survey of Russian and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists concerning the time devoted to technical communication, their collaborative writing practices and their attitudes toward collaboration, the kinds of technical documents they produce and use, their views regarding the appropriate content for an undergraduate technical communication course, and their use of computer technology. Finally, the implications of these findings for future collaboration between Russian and U.S. engineers and scientists are examined.

  4. NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. XXXII - A new era in international technical communication: American-Russian collaboration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Flammia, Madelyn; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Pinelli, Thomas E.; Keene, Michael L.; Burger, Robert H.; Kennedy, John M.

    1993-01-01

    Until the recent dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party exerted a strict control of access to and dissemination of scientific and technical information. This article presents models of the Soviet-style information society and the Western-style information society and discusses the effects of centralized governmental control of information on Russian technical communication practices. The effects of political control on technical communication are then used to interpret the results of a survey of Russian and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists concerning the time devoted to technical communication, their collaborative writing practices and their attitudes toward collaboration, the kinds of technical documents they produce and use, their views regarding the appropriate content for an undergraduate technical communication course, and their use of computer technology. Finally, the implications of these findings for future collaboration between Russian and U.S. engineers and scientists are examined.

  5. Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis (also referred to as the Environmental Justice Technical Guidance or EJTG) is intended for use by Agency analysts, including risk assessors, economists, and other analytic staff that conduct analyse...

  6. The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (CPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations working on or planning to work on projects to address local environmental and/or public health issues

  7. Cross-Sector Collaboration: The Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Austrian, Ziona; Iannone, Donald

    1997-01-01

    The Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center is one of six university-based environmental finance centers established by the federal government. Its primary mission is to help state and local government and private-sector organizations devise effective financing strategies for environmental improvement projects. Cross-sector collaboration and…

  8. 77 FR 18999 - New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-29

    ... Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel will meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The... the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/ Uptown, 6901 Arvada Avenue NE., Albuquerque, NM 87110, (505) 872-9000... Service, 333 Broadway SE., Albuquerque, NM 87102. Comments may also be sent via email to [email protected

  9. 75 FR 34973 - New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-21

    ... Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel will meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The... meeting will be held at the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/ Uptown, 6901 Arvada Avenue, NE., Albuquerque, NM... International Forestry Staff, USDA Forest Service, 333 Broadway SE., Albuquerque, NM 87102. Comments may also be...

  10. Technical Assistance and Changes in Nutrition and Physical Activity Practices in the National Early Care and Education Learning Collaboratives Project, 2015–2016

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Teresa M.; Estabrooks, Paul A.; Rasmussen, Cristy Geno; Blaser, Casey; Yaroch, Amy L

    2018-01-01

    Purpose and Objectives The National Early Care and Education Learning Collaboratives Project (ECELC) aims to improve best practices in early care and education (ECE) programs in topic areas of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment in Child Care (NAP SACC). Technical assistance is a component of the ECELC, yet its effect on outcomes is unclear. Beyond dose and duration of technical assistance, limited research exists on characteristics of technical assistance that contribute to outcomes. The objective of this study was to identify and describe technical assistance characteristics and explore associations with NAP SACC outcomes. Intervention Approach We collected data from 10 collaboratives comprising 84 ECE programs in 2 states in 2015–2016. The objective of technical assistance was to support programs in improving best practices. Technical assistance was provided to programs via on-site, telephone, or email and was tailored to program needs. Evaluation Methods We used a mixed-methods design to examine associations between technical assistance and NAP SACC outcomes. We used multiple regression analysis to assess quantitative data and qualitative comparative analysis to determine necessary and sufficient technical assistance conditions supporting NAP SACC outcomes. We also conducted a document review to describe technical assistance that referred conditions identified by the qualitative comparative analysis. Results Regression analyses detected an inverse relationship between changes in NAP SACC scores and hours of technical assistance. No clear pattern emerged in the qualitative comparative analysis, leaving no necessary and sufficient conditions. However, the qualitative comparative analysis identified feedback as a potentially important component of technical assistance, whereas resource sharing and frequent email were characteristics that seemed to reduce the likelihood of improved outcomes. Email and resource sharing were considered primarily

  11. 78 FR 16244 - New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-14

    ... Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel will meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The... at the Hyatt Place Albuquerque/ Uptown, 6901 Arvada Avenue NE., Albuquerque, NM 87110, (505) 872-9000... Service, 333 Broadway SE., Albuquerque, NM 87102. Comments may also be sent via email to [email protected

  12. A large-scale mass casualty simulation to develop the non-technical skills medical students require for collaborative teamwork.

    PubMed

    Jorm, Christine; Roberts, Chris; Lim, Renee; Roper, Josephine; Skinner, Clare; Robertson, Jeremy; Gentilcore, Stacey; Osomanski, Adam

    2016-03-08

    There is little research on large-scale complex health care simulations designed to facilitate student learning of non-technical skills in a team-working environment. We evaluated the acceptability and effectiveness of a novel natural disaster simulation that enabled medical students to demonstrate their achievement of the non-technical skills of collaboration, negotiation and communication. In a mixed methods approach, survey data were available from 117 students and a thematic analysis undertaken of both student qualitative comments and tutor observer participation data. Ninety three per cent of students found the activity engaging for their learning. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data: the impact of fidelity on student learning, reflexivity on the importance of non-technical skills in clinical care, and opportunities for collaborative teamwork. Physical fidelity was sufficient for good levels of student engagement, as was sociological fidelity. We demonstrated the effectiveness of the simulation in allowing students to reflect upon and evidence their acquisition of skills in collaboration, negotiation and communication, as well as situational awareness and attending to their emotions. Students readily identified emerging learning opportunities though critical reflection. The scenarios challenged students to work together collaboratively to solve clinical problems, using a range of resources including interacting with clinical experts. A large class teaching activity, framed as a simulation of a natural disaster is an acceptable and effective activity for medical students to develop the non-technical skills of collaboration, negotiation and communication, which are essential to team working. The design could be of value in medical schools in disaster prone areas, including within low resource countries, and as a feasible intervention for learning the non-technical skills that are needed for patient safety.

  13. Technical guidelines for environmental dredging of contaminated sediments

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-09-01

    This report provides technical guidelines for evaluating : environmental dredging as a sediment remedy component. This document : supports the Contaminated Sediment Remediation Guidance for : Hazardous Waste Sites, released by the U.S. Environmental ...

  14. "Check Your Smile", Prototype of a Collaborative LSP Website for Technical Vocabulary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yassine-Diab, Nadia; Alazard-Guiu, Charlotte; Loiseau, Mathieu; Sorin, Laurent; Orliac, Charlotte

    2016-01-01

    In a design-based research approach (Barab & Squire, 2004), we are currently developing the first prototype of a collaborative Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) website. It focuses on technical vocabulary to help students master any field of LSP better. "Check Your Smile" is a platform aggregating various types of gameplays for…

  15. Goal specificity: a proxy measure for improvements in environmental outcomes in collaborative governance.

    PubMed

    Biddle, Jennifer C; Koontz, Tomas M

    2014-12-01

    Collaborative governance critics continually call for evidence to support its prevalent use. As is often the case in environmental policy, environmental outcomes occur at a rate incompatible with political agendas. In addition, a multitude of possibly confounding variables makes it difficult to correlate collaborative governance processes with environmental outcomes. The findings of this study offer empirical evidence that collaborative processes have a measurable, beneficial effect on environmental outcomes. Through the use of a unique paired-waterbody design, our dataset reduced the potential for confounding variables to impact our environmental outcome measurements. The results of a path analysis indicate that the output of setting specific pollutant reduction goals is significantly related to watershed partnerships' level of attainment of their environmental improvement goals. The action of setting specific goals (e.g. percentage of load reductions in pollutant levels) is fostered by sustained participation from partnership members throughout the lifecycle of the collaborative. In addition, this study demonstrates the utility of logic modeling for environmental planning and management, and suggests that the process of setting specific pollutant reduction goals is a useful proxy measure for reporting progress towards improvements in environmental outcomes when long-term environmental data are not available. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. 78 FR 27235 - Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-09

    ... Justice in Regulatory Analysis.'' The purpose of this guidance is to provide EPA analysts with technical...-566-2363. Mail: Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OA-2013-0320; FRL-9810-5] Technical Guidance for Assessing...

  17. Using a Collaborative Critiquing Technique to Develop Chemistry Students' Technical Writing Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carr, Jeremy M.

    2013-01-01

    The technique, termed "collaborative critiquing", was developed to teach fundamental technical writing skills to analytical chemistry students for the preparation of laboratory reports. This exercise, which can be completed prior to peer-review activities, is novel, highly interactive, and allows students to take responsibility for their…

  18. International Collaboration on Offshore Wind Energy Under IEA Annex XXIII

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Musial, W.; Butterfield, S.; Lemming, J.

    This paper defines the purpose of IEA Annex XXIII, the International Collaboration on Offshore Wind Energy. This international collaboration through the International Energy Agency (IEA) is an efficient forum from which to advance the technical and environmental experiences collected from existing offshore wind energy projects, as well as the research necessary to advance future technology for deep-water wind energy technology.

  19. Environmental Measurements Laboratory fiscal year 1998: Accomplishments and technical activities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Erickson, M.D.

    1999-01-01

    The Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) is government-owned, government-operated, and programmatically under the DOE Office of Environmental Management. The Laboratory is administered by the Chicago Operations Office. EML provides program management, technical assistance and data quality assurance for measurements of radiation and radioactivity relating to environmental restoration, global nuclear nonproliferation, and other priority issues for the Department of Energy, as well as for other government, national, and international organizations. This report presents the technical activities and accomplishments of EML for Fiscal Year 1998.

  20. The Office of Environmental Management technical reports: a bibliography

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1997-07-01

    The Office of Environmental Management`s (EM) technical reports bibliography is an annual publication that contains information on scientific and technical reports sponsored by the Office of Environmental Management added to the Energy Science and Technology Database from July 1, 1995 through Sept. 30, 1996. This information is divided into the following categories: Focus Areas and Crosscutting Programs. Support Programs, Technology Integration and International Technology Exchange are now included in the General category. EM`s Office of Science and Technology sponsors this bibliography.

  1. Information Systems as a Social Space: Collaborative Teaching of Social Literacies to Technical Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kalil, Claudia; Monson, Jo; Nodoba, Gaontebale

    2010-01-01

    This article describes a successful experimental collaborative teaching project to deliver a short course to develop work-relevant social literacies in technical students. Heterogeneous work contexts require both students and educators to find ways to integrate thinking and practices across disciplines. Teaching social literacies to information…

  2. Designing at Scale: Lessons in Relevance, Quality, and Equity from ChangeScale, a Bay Area environmental education collaborative

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Babcock, E.

    2015-12-01

    The best environmental education equips people with the know-how and drive to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. While there are many wonderful organizations providing environmental learning, ensuring quality, cultural relevance and equity of access remains an elusive goal--especially if environmental education organizations work in isolation. Organizations across 12 counties in the Bay Area have come together to create a different model. They have founded ChangeScale, a regional collaborative dedicated to providing high quality environmental education to hundreds of thousands of youth---by working together. ChangeScale's work involves setting up school district-level partnerships, providing technical assistance to local environmental education networks, and training environmental educators across the region. In this talk, the presenter, who is a founding member and steering committee chair for ChangeScale, will outline the challenges of working at a regional scale with dozens of organizations. She will share the processes ChangeScale has used to develop a business plan and build membership. She will conclude by sharing the short term and long term potential impacts of working collectively for environmental literacy in the Bay Area.

  3. A Collaborative Problem-solving Process Through Environmental Field Studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Mijung; Teck Tan, Hoe

    2013-02-01

    This study explored and documented students' responses to opportunities for collective knowledge building and collaboration in a problem-solving process within complex environmental challenges and pressing issues with various dimensions of knowledge and skills. Middle-school students (n = 16; age 14) and high-school students (n = 16; age 17) from two Singapore public institutions participated in an environmental science field study to experience knowledge integration and a decision-making process. Students worked on six research topics to understand the characteristics of an organic farm and plan for building an ecological village. Students collected and analysed data from the field and shared their findings. Their field work and discussions were video-recorded, and their reflective notes and final reports were collected for data coding and interpretation. The results revealed that throughout the study, students experienced the needs and development of integrated knowledge, encountered the challenges of knowledge sharing and communication during their collaboration, and learned how to cope with the difficulties. Based on research findings, this study further discusses students' learning through a collaborative problem-solving process, including the interdependence of knowledge and the development of mutual relationships such as respect and care for others' knowledge and learning.

  4. Comparison of Effectiveness of Collaborative Learning Methods and Traditional Methods in Physics Classes at Northern Maine Technical College.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Overlock, Terrence H., Sr.

    To determine the effect of collaborative learning methods on the success rate of physics students at Northern Maine Technical College (NMTC), a study was undertaken to compare the mean final exam scores of a students in a physics course taught by traditional lecture/lab methods to those in a group taught by collaborative techniques. The…

  5. 40 CFR 52.1110 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... technical and environmental compliance assistance program. 52.1110 Section 52.1110 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS (CONTINUED) Maryland § 52.1110 Small business stationary source technical and environmental...

  6. 40 CFR 52.2586 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... PLANS (CONTINUED) Wisconsin § 52.2586 Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program. The Wisconsin small business stationary source technical and environmental...

  7. 40 CFR 52.2586 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... PLANS (CONTINUED) Wisconsin § 52.2586 Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program. The Wisconsin small business stationary source technical and environmental...

  8. 40 CFR 52.2586 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... PLANS (CONTINUED) Wisconsin § 52.2586 Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program. The Wisconsin small business stationary source technical and environmental...

  9. 40 CFR 52.2586 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... PLANS (CONTINUED) Wisconsin § 52.2586 Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program. The Wisconsin small business stationary source technical and environmental...

  10. 40 CFR 52.2586 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... PLANS (CONTINUED) Wisconsin § 52.2586 Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program. The Wisconsin small business stationary source technical and environmental...

  11. Environmental Education in Technical and Vocational Education. A Discussion Document for Unesco Training Seminars on the Incorporation of Environmental Education into Technical and Vocational Education. Environmental Education Series 24.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grabe, Sven

    This paper is intended to serve as the basis for discussion of the scope and place of environmental education in technical and vocational education. It is addressed primarily to administrators, curriculum developers, and other active participants in the definition of scope and content of technical and vocational courses. After a brief introduction…

  12. 76 FR 8366 - Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations; SAB Environmental Justice Technical...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-14

    ... Nominations; SAB Environmental Justice Technical Panel AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION... experts to serve on the SAB Environmental Justice Technical (EJT) Panel. DATES: Nominations should be...) released the Interim Guidance on Considering Environmental Justice During the Development of an Action...

  13. A Collaborative Problem-Solving Process through Environmental Field Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Mijung; Tan, Hoe Teck

    2013-01-01

    This study explored and documented students' responses to opportunities for collective knowledge building and collaboration in a problem-solving process within complex environmental challenges and pressing issues with various dimensions of knowledge and skills. Middle-school students ("n" =?16; age 14) and high-school students…

  14. The Effect of Web-Based Collaborative Learning Methods to the Accounting Courses in Technical Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheng, K. W. Kevin

    2009-01-01

    This study mainly explored the effect of applying web-based collaborative learning instruction to the accounting curriculum on student's problem-solving attitudes in Technical Education. The research findings and proposed suggestions would serve as a reference for the development of accounting-related curricula and teaching strategies. To achieve…

  15. Public, environmental, and occupational health research activity in Arab countries: bibliometric, citation, and collaboration analysis.

    PubMed

    Sweileh, Waleed M; Zyoud, Sa'ed H; Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sawalha, Ansam F

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to analyze quantity, assess quality, and investigate international collaboration in research from Arab countries in the field of public, environmental and occupational health. Original scientific articles and reviews published from the 22 Arab countries in the category "public, environmental & occupational health" during the study period (1900 - 2012) were screened using the ISI Web of Science database. The total number of original and review research articles published in the category of "public, environmental & occupational health" from Arab countries was 4673. Main area of research was tropical medicine (1862; 39.85%). Egypt with 1200 documents (25.86%) ranked first in quantity and ranked first in quality of publications (h-index = 51). The study identified 2036 (43.57%) documents with international collaboration. Arab countries actively collaborated with authors in Western Europe (22.91%) and North America (21.04%). Most of the documents (79.9%) were published in public health related journals while 21% of the documents were published in journals pertaining to prevention medicine, environmental, occupational health and epidemiology. Research in public, environmental and occupational health in Arab countries is in the rise. Public health research was dominant while environmental and occupation health research was relatively low. International collaboration was a good tool for increasing research quantity and quality.

  16. Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis (also referred to as the Environmental Justice Technical Guidance or EJTG) is intended for use by Agency analysts, including risk assessors, economists, and other analytic staff that conduct analyses to evaluate EJ concerns in the context of regulatory actions. Senior EPA managers and decision makers also may find this document useful to understand analytic expectations and to ensure that EJ concerns are appropriately considered in the development of analyses to support regulatory actions under EPA’s action development process. Specifically, the document outlines approaches and methods to help Agency analysts evaluate EJ concerns. The document provides overarching direction to analysts by outlining a series of questions that will ensure the decision maker has appropriate information about baseline risks across population groups, and how those risks are distributed under the options being considered. In addition, the document provides a set of recommendations and requirements as well as best practices for use in analyzing and reporting results from consideration of EJ concerns. These principles will help ensure consistency, quality, and transparency across regulatory actions, while allowing for flexibility needed across different regulatory actions. The purpose of the EJTG is ensure consistency, quality, and transparency in considering environmental justice, while allowing f

  17. The Development of a Project-Based Collaborative Technical Writing Model Founded on Learner Feedback in a Tertiary Aeronautical Engineering Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tatzl, Dietmar; Hassler, Wolfgang; Messnarz, Bernd; Fluhr, Holger

    2012-01-01

    The present article describes and evaluates collaborative interdisciplinary group projects initiated by content lecturers and an English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) instructor for the purpose of teaching technical writing skills in an aeronautical engineering degree program. The proposed technical writing model is assessed against the results of a…

  18. 77 FR 12354 - Meeting of the Joint Forum on Environmental Technical Cooperation Pursuant to the United States...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7809] Meeting of the Joint Forum on Environmental Technical Cooperation Pursuant to the United States-Jordan Joint Statement on Environmental Technical Cooperation ACTION: Notice of the meeting of the Joint Forum on Environmental Technical Cooperation and request for comments...

  19. 40 CFR 52.744 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program. 52.744 Section 52.744 Protection of Environment... PLANS Illinois> § 52.744 Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance...

  20. 40 CFR 52.798 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program. 52.798 Section 52.798 Protection of Environment... PLANS Indiana § 52.798 Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance...

  1. The Delaware River Basin Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative: Foundation Document

    Treesearch

    Peter S. Murdoch; Jennifer C. Jenkins; Richard A. Birdsey

    2008-01-01

    The U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Park Service formed the Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative (CEMRI) to test strategies for integrated environmental monitoring among the agencies. The initiative combined monitoring and research efforts of the participating Federal programs to evaluate health and...

  2. Collaborative-Large scale Engineering Assessment Networks for Environmental Research: The Overview

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moo-Young, H.

    2004-05-01

    A networked infrastructure for engineering solutions and policy alternatives is necessary to assess, manage, and protect complex, anthropogenic ally stressed environmental resources effectively. Reductionist and discrete disciplinary methodologies are no longer adequate to evaluate and model complex environmental systems and anthropogenic stresses. While the reductonist approach provides important information regarding individual mechanisms, it cannot provide complete information about how multiple processes are related. Therefore, it is not possible to make accurate predictions about system responses to engineering interventions and the effectiveness of policy options. For example, experts cannot agree on best management strategies for contaminated sediments in riverine and estuarine systems. This is due, in part to the fact that existing models do not accurately capture integrated system dynamics. In addition, infrastructure is not available for investigators to exchange and archive data, to collaborate on new investigative methods, and to synthesize these results to develop engineering solutions and policy alternatives. Our vision for the future is to create a network comprising field facilities and a collaboration of engineers, scientists, policy makers, and community groups. This will allow integration across disciplines, across different temporal and spatial scales, surface and subsurface geographies, and air sheds and watersheds. Benefits include fast response to changes in system health, real-time decision making, and continuous data collection that can be used to anticipate future problems, and to develop sound engineering solutions and management decisions. CLEANER encompasses four general aspects: 1) A Network of environmental field facilities instrumented for the acquisition and analysis of environmental data; 2) A Virtual Repository of Data and information technology for engineering modeling, analysis and visualization of data, i.e. an environmental

  3. The Importance of Earth Observations and Data Collaboration within Environmental Intelligence Supporting Arctic Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Casas, Joseph

    2017-01-01

    Within the IARPC Collaboration Team activities of 2016, Arctic in-situ and remote earth observations advanced topics such as :1) exploring the role for new and innovative autonomous observing technologies in the Arctic; 2) advancing catalytic national and international community based observing efforts in support of the National Strategy for the Arctic Region; and 3) enhancing the use of discovery tools for observing system collaboration such as the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Arctic Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Arctic Collaborative Environment (ACE) project geo reference visualization decision support and exploitation internet based tools. Critical to the success of these earth observations for both in-situ and remote systems is the emerging of new and innovative data collection technologies and comprehensive modeling as well as enhanced communications and cyber infrastructure capabilities which effectively assimilate and dissemination many environmental intelligence products in a timely manner. The Arctic Collaborative Environment (ACE) project is well positioned to greatly enhance user capabilities for accessing, organizing, visualizing, sharing and producing collaborative knowledge for the Arctic.

  4. Program of scientific investigations and development of solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) in VNIITF. Proposals on scientific and technical collaboration and SOFC commercialization

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kleschev, Yu.N.; Chukharev, V.F.

    1996-04-01

    This paper describes proposals on scientific and technical collaborations pertaining to solid oxide fuel cell commercialization. Topics included for discussion are: materials research and manufacture; market estimation and cost; directions of collaboration; and project of proposals on joint enterprise creation.

  5. Fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schwantes, J. M.; Marsden, O.; Reilly, D.

    Abstract The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group is a community of nuclear forensic practitioners who respond to incidents involving nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory control. The Group is dedicated to advancing nuclear forensic science in part through periodic participation in materials exercises. The Group completed its fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise in 2015 in which laboratories from 15 countries and one multinational organization analyzed three samples of special nuclear material in support of a mock nuclear forensic investigation. This special section of the Journal for Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry is devoted to summarizing highlights from this exercise.

  6. Network Collaboration with UNIX.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horn, Wm. Dennis

    1993-01-01

    Discusses networking as a collaboration tool in the teaching of technical writing. Argues that some degree of collaboration is innate to all writing, that word processing already facilitates that collaboration, and that networking is the next enhancement to the collaborative process. (RS)

  7. Environmental Collaborations Between Indigenous Communities and Western Science: Case Studies and Reflections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Emanuel, R. E.

    2016-12-01

    The study of coupled natural and human systems in a changing world can benefit greatly from indigenous perspectives, which have the potential to bring deep, placed-based understanding to complex environmental issues while promoting sustainable solutions to pressing socio-environmental problems. In recent years, scientists have begun to embrace indigenous knowledge and perspectives, but indigenous voices in the sciences remain relatively few. At the same time, indigenous communities face wide ranging and unique vulnerabilities to global environmental change on a variety of fronts, particularly where water resources are concerned. Given this situation, indigenous scientists often find themselves bridging both western scientific and indigenous communities, sometimes embodying the nexus in a literal sense. Here I reflect on this nexus from the perspective of an indigenous hydrologist collaborating with American Indian communities in North Carolina, which has the largest American Indian population of any state in the eastern US. Intertwining case studies of coupled natural and human systems illustrate some of the the challenges, complexities, and successes of ongoing collaborations with tribal communities and Native-serving organizations on water resource issues, environmental impacts of food and energy production, and broadening participation of American Indians in the sciences.

  8. Technical- and environmental-efficiency analysis of irrigated cotton-cropping systems in Punjab, Pakistan using data envelopment analysis.

    PubMed

    Ullah, Asmat; Perret, Sylvain R

    2014-08-01

    Cotton cropping in Pakistan uses substantial quantities of resources and adversely affects the environment with pollutants from the inputs, particularly pesticides. A question remains regarding to what extent the reduction of such environmental impact is possible without compromising the farmers' income. This paper investigates the environmental, technical, and economic performances of selected irrigated cotton-cropping systems in Punjab to quantify the sustainability of cotton farming and reveal options for improvement. Using mostly primary data, our study quantifies the technical, cost, and environmental efficiencies of different farm sizes. A set of indicators has been computed to reflect these three domains of efficiency using the data envelopment analysis technique. The results indicate that farmers are broadly environmentally inefficient; which primarily results from poor technical inefficiency. Based on an improved input mix, the average potential environmental impact reduction for small, medium, and large farms is 9, 13, and 11 %, respectively, without compromising the economic return. Moreover, the differences in technical, cost, and environmental efficiencies between small and medium and small and large farm sizes were statistically significant. The second-stage regression analysis identifies that the entire farm size significantly affects the efficiencies, whereas exposure to extension and training has positive effects, and the sowing methods significantly affect the technical and environmental efficiencies. Paradoxically, the formal education level is determined to affect the efficiencies negatively. This paper discusses policy interventions that can improve the technical efficiency to ultimately increase the environmental efficiency and reduce the farmers' operating costs.

  9. M-X Environmental Technical Report. Socioeconomic Impact Estimates for White Pine County, Nevada. Detailed Tables.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-12-22

    8217AP0A095 772 HENNINGSON DURHAM AND RICHARDSON SANTA BARBARA CA F/G 16/1 B-B ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICAL REPORT. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT ESTIMA--ETC(U) DEC... Environmental Technical Reports,. 53ocioeconctnic’ Final r1eport Impact . Estimates for White Pine County, Nevada. ____________ Detailed Tables 6. PERFORMING...background information for the analysis contained in the M-X Deploment Area Selection and Land Withirawal/Acquisition Draft Environmental Impact Statement

  10. Using Wikis to Develop Collaborative Communities in an Environmental Chemistry Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pence, Laura E.; Pence, Harry E.

    2015-01-01

    Group construction of wikis in an environmental chemistry course provided an effective framework for students to develop and to manage collaborative communities, characterized by interactive projects designed to deepen learning. A sequence of assignments facilitated improvement of the students' wiki construction and editing skills and these…

  11. Teachers' modeling advantage and their modeling effects on college students' learning styles and occupational stereotypes: a case of collaborative teaching in technical courses.

    PubMed

    Chiou, Wen-Bin; Yang, Chao-Chin

    2006-01-01

    In this study, modeling advantage that depicts the likelihood of a teacher model being imitated by students over other competing models in a particular class was developed to differentiate the rival modeling of two kinds of teachers (the technical teachers vs. the lecturing teachers) between college students' learning styles and occupational stereotypes in the collaborative teaching of technical courses. Results of a one-semester longitudinal study indicated that the students perceived a greater modeling advantage of the technical teachers than that of the lecturing teachers. Both the students' learning styles and occupational stereotypes were in accordance with those teachers as their role models. In general, the impact of the teachers' learning styles and occupational stereotypes on students appeared to be mediated by the teachers' modeling advantage. Administrators and curriculum designers should pay attention to the fact that the technical teachers appeared to exhibit greater modeling effects than the lecturing teachers in collaborative teaching.

  12. 40 CFR 52.2732 - Small business technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) Puerto Rico § 52.2732 Small business technical and environmental compliance assistance program. On November 16, 1992, the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board submitted a plan for the... Assistance Program for incorporation in the Puerto Rico state implementation plan. This plan meets the...

  13. 40 CFR 52.2732 - Small business technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) Puerto Rico § 52.2732 Small business technical and environmental compliance assistance program. On November 16, 1992, the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board submitted a plan for the... Assistance Program for incorporation in the Puerto Rico state implementation plan. This plan meets the...

  14. 40 CFR 52.2732 - Small business technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) Puerto Rico § 52.2732 Small business technical and environmental compliance assistance program. On November 16, 1992, the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board submitted a plan for the... Assistance Program for incorporation in the Puerto Rico state implementation plan. This plan meets the...

  15. Effect of a workplace design and training intervention on individual performance, group effectiveness and collaboration: the role of environmental control.

    PubMed

    Robertson, Michelle M; Huang, Yueng-Hsiang

    2006-01-01

    The effects of a workplace design and training intervention and the relationships between perceived satisfaction of office workplace design factors (layout and storage) and work performance measures (individual performance, group collaboration and effectiveness) were studied with 120 office workers using the Workplace Environment Questionnaire. Further, we examined whether environmental control had a direct effect on work performance, and then explored whether environmental control mediated or moderated the relationship between workplace design factors and work performance. Results showed a significant, positive impact of the intervention on environmental satisfaction for workstation layout. Satisfaction with workstation layout had a significant relationship with individual performance, group collaboration and effectiveness; and satisfaction with workstation storage had a significant relationship with individual performance and group collaboration. Environmental control had a direct impact on individual performance and group collaboration; whereas, the mediating and moderating effects of environmental control on the relationship between workplace design factors and outcome variables were not significant.

  16. 40 CFR 52.1690 - Small business technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) New York § 52.1690 Small business technical and environmental compliance assistance program. On January 11, 1993, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation submitted a plan for the... Assistance Program for incorporation in the New York state implementation plan. This plan meets the...

  17. Use of EPA collaborative problem-solving model to obtain environmental justice in North Carolina.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Sacoby M; Wilson, Omega R; Heaney, Christopher D; Cooper, John

    2007-01-01

    The West End Revitalization Association (WERA), a community-based organization (CBO) in Mebane, North Carolina, was awarded a Collaborative Problem-Solving (CPS) grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Justice (EPA OEJ). The purpose of this paper is to highlight WERA's efforts to bring stakeholders in three low-income African-American communities where environmental hazards created public health risks together for collaboration rather than litigation. WERA's board and staff organized nine working groups with specific areas of expertise that would facilitate research, identify lack of basic amenities, and encourage funding for corrective action and participation in progress reporting workshops. WERA used consensus building, dispute resolution, and resource mobilization as part of the CPS model to address noncompliance with environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, and Solid Waste Disposal Act. WERA's CPS "Right to Basic Amenities" project produced a framework for (1) grassroots management and ownership of a collaborative problem-solving process; (2) bringing stakeholders together with diverse and conflicting viewpoints; (3) implementation of an innovative community-owned and managed (COMR) research model; and (4) leveraging millions of dollars to fund installation of first-time municipal water/sewer services, street paving, and relocation of the 119-bypass to advance environmental health solutions. The structure and successes of WERA's Right to Basic Amenities project have been discussed at demonstration and training sessions to help others replicate the model in comparable low-income communities of color in North Carolina and across the United States.

  18. EPA Collaboration with Israel

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The United States and Israel focus on scientific and technical collaboration to protect the environment, by exchanging scientific and technical information, arranging visits of scientific personnel, cooperating in scientific symposia and workshops, etc.

  19. Environmental effects of dredging: Methods for the assessment of the genotoxic effects of environmental contaminants. Glossary and references. Technical notes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Honeycutt, M.E.; Jarvis, A.S.; McFarland, V.A.

    1995-07-01

    This technical note is the third in a series of three that outline and describe the principal methods that have been developed to test the potential of environmental contaminants to cause mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. The first in this series (EEDP-04-24) describes methods used to discern genotoxic effects at the sub cellular level, while the second (EEDP-04-25) describes methods used to discern genotoxic effects at the cellular and organ/organism level. Recent literature citations for each topic referenced in this series of technical notes are provided in this technical note, in addition to a glossary of terms. The information inmore » these technical notes is intended to provide Corps of Engineers personnel with a working knowledge of the terminology and conceptual basis of genotoxicity testing. To develop an improved understanding of the concepts of genotoxicity, readers are encouraged to review A Primer in Genotoxicity (Jarvis, Reilly, and Lutz 1993), presented in Volume D-93-3 of the Environmental Effects of Dredging information exchange bulletin.« less

  20. Designing for Online Collaborations and Local Environmental Action In Citizen Science: A Multiple Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kermish-Allen, Ruth

    Traditional citizen science projects have been based on the scientific communities need to gather vast quantities of high quality data, neglecting to ask what the project participants get in return. How can participants be seen more as collaborative partners in citizen science projects? Online communities for citizen science are expanding rapidly, giving participants the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities, from monitoring invasive species to identifying far-off galaxies. These communities can bring together the virtual and physical worlds in new ways that are egalitarian, collaborative, applied, localized and globalized to solve real environmental problems. There are a small number of citizen science projects that leverage the affordances of an online community to connect, engage, and empower participants to make local change happen. This multiple case study applies a conceptual framework rooted in sociocultural learning theory, Non-Hierarchical Online Learning Communities (NHOLCs), to three online citizen communities that have successfully fostered online collaboration and on-the-ground environmental actions. The purpose of the study is to identify the range and variation of the online and programmatic functions available in each project. The findings lead to recommendations for designing these innovative communities, specifically the technological and programmatic components of online citizen science communities that support environmental actions in our backyards.

  1. Environmental Radiation Monitoring at the Areas of the Former Military Technical Bases at the Russian Far East - 12445

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kiselev, Sergey M.; Shandala, Nataliya K.; Titov, Alexey V.

    After termination of operation at the serviced facilities of the nuclear fleet of the former Soviet Union, the Military Technical Base in Sysoeva Bay has been reorganized to the site for SNF and RW temporary storage (STS). The main activities of STS are receipt, storage and transmission to radioactive waste reprocessing. Establishment of the RW management regional centre in the Far-Eastern region at the STS in Sysoeva Bay implies intensification of SNF and RW management in this region that can result in increasing ecological load to the adjacent areas and settlements. Regulatory supervision of the radiation safety at the areasmore » of the Former Military Technical Bases at the Russian Far East is one of the regulatory functions of the Federal Medical Biological Agency (FMBA of Russia). To regulate SNF an RW management and provide the effective response to changing radiation situation, the environmental radiation monitoring system is arranged. For this purpose, wide range of environmental media examinations at the Sysoeva Bay STS was performed by Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre - a technical support organization of FMBA of Russia in collaboration with the Federal State Geological Enterprise 'Hydrospecgeology' (Federal Agency for Entrails). Regulation during the RW and SNF management is continuous process, which the FMBA of Russia implements in close cooperation with other Russian responsible authorities - the State Atomic Energy Corporation 'Rosatom' and Federal Agency for Entrails. The Environmental radiation monitoring findings served as a basis for the associated databank arrangement. The radio ecological monitoring system was arranged at the facilities under inspection for the purpose of the dynamic control of the radiation situation. It presupposes regular radiometry inspections in-situ, their analysis and assessment of the radiation situation forecast in the course of the STS remediation main stages. Some new data on the radiation situation at

  2. Environmental Science and Research Foundation annual technical report: Calendar year 1996

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Morris, R.C.; Blew, R.D.

    1997-07-01

    This Annual Technical Report describes work conducted for the Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID), by the Environmental Science and Research Foundation (Foundation). The Foundation`s mission to DOE-ID provides support in several key areas. The authors conduct an environmental monitoring and surveillance program over an area covering much of the upper Snake River Plain, and provide environmental education and support services related to Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) natural resource issues. Also, the Foundation, with its University Affiliates, conducts ecological and radioecological research in the Idaho National Environmental Research Park. This research benefits major DOE-ID programs includingmore » Waste Management, Environmental Restoration, Spent Nuclear Fuels, and Land Management Issues. The major accomplishments of the Foundation and its University Affiliates during the calendar year 1996 are discussed.« less

  3. Results of the Boulder Consultation: The Beginnings of a Technical Assistance Program for the Office of Environmental Education/USOE/HEW.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC. Office of Environmental Education.

    In December 1977, the Office of Environmental Education (OEE) brought its fiscal year '77 grant recipients together in Boulder, Colorado, for a technical assistance consultation. The technical assistance responsibilities of OEE are mandated by the Environmental Education Act. Until this consultation, OEE had been giving its technical assistance on…

  4. Citizen Participation in Collaborative Watershed Partnerships

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koehler, Brandi; Koontz, Tomas M.

    2008-02-01

    Collaborative efforts are increasingly being used to address complex environmental problems, both in the United States and abroad. This is especially true in the growing field of collaborative watershed management, where diverse stakeholders work together to develop and advance water-quality goals. Active citizen participation is viewed as a key component, yet groups often struggle to attract and maintain citizen engagement. This study examined citizen participation behavior in collaborative watershed partnerships by way of a written survey administered to citizen members of 12 collaborative watershed groups in Ohio. Results for the determination of who joins such groups were consistent with the dominant-status model of participation because group members were not demographically representative of the broader community. The dominant-status model, however, does not explain which members are more likely to actively participate in group activities. Instead, individual characteristics, including political activity, knowledge, and comfort in sharing opinions with others, were positively correlated with active participation. In addition, group characteristics, including government-based membership, rural location, perceptions of open communication, perceptions that the group has enough technical support to accomplish its goals, and perceived homogeneity of participant opinions, were positively correlated with active participation. Overall, many group members did not actively participate in group activities.

  5. Citizen participation in collaborative watershed partnerships.

    PubMed

    Koehler, Brandi; Koontz, Tomas M

    2008-02-01

    Collaborative efforts are increasingly being used to address complex environmental problems, both in the United States and abroad. This is especially true in the growing field of collaborative watershed management, where diverse stakeholders work together to develop and advance water-quality goals. Active citizen participation is viewed as a key component, yet groups often struggle to attract and maintain citizen engagement. This study examined citizen participation behavior in collaborative watershed partnerships by way of a written survey administered to citizen members of 12 collaborative watershed groups in Ohio. Results for the determination of who joins such groups were consistent with the dominant-status model of participation because group members were not demographically representative of the broader community. The dominant-status model, however, does not explain which members are more likely to actively participate in group activities. Instead, individual characteristics, including political activity, knowledge, and comfort in sharing opinions with others, were positively correlated with active participation. In addition, group characteristics, including government-based membership, rural location, perceptions of open communication, perceptions that the group has enough technical support to accomplish its goals, and perceived homogeneity of participant opinions, were positively correlated with active participation. Overall, many group members did not actively participate in group activities.

  6. Characteristics and practices of National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups in Europe and potential for collaboration, April 2014.

    PubMed

    Takla, A; Wichmann, O; Carrillo-Santisteve, P; Cotter, S; Levy-Bruhl, D; Paradowska-Stankiewicz, I; Valentiner-Branth, P; D'Ancona, F

    2015-03-05

    In many countries, national vaccination recommendations are developed by independent expert committees, so-called national immunisation technical advisory groups (NITAG). Since the evaluation of vaccines is complex and resource-demanding, collaboration between NITAGs that evaluate the same vaccines could be beneficial. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 30 European countries in February 2014, to explore basic characteristics and current practices of European NITAGs and identify potential modes and barriers for collaboration. Of 28 responding countries, 26 reported to have a NITAG or an equivalent expert group. Of these, 20 apply a systematic approach in the vaccine decision-making process, e.g. by considering criteria such as country-specific disease epidemiology, vaccine efficacy/effectiveness/safety, health economics, programme implementation/logistics or country-specific values/preferences. However, applied frameworks and extent of evidence review differ widely. The use of systematic reviews is required for 15 of 26 NITAGs, while results from transmission modelling and health economic evaluations are routinely considered by 18 and 20 of 26 NITAGs, respectively. Twenty-five countries saw potential for NITAG-collaboration, but most often named structural concerns, e.g. different NITAG structures or countries’ healthcare systems. Our survey gathered information that can serve as an inventory on European NITAGs, allowing further exploration of options and structures for NITAG collaboration.

  7. Terra Populus and DataNet Collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kugler, T.; Ruggles, S.; Fitch, C. A.; Clark, P. D.; Sobek, M.; Van Riper, D.

    2012-12-01

    Terra Populus, part of NSF's new DataNet initiative, is developing organizational and technical infrastructure to integrate, preserve, and disseminate data describing changes in the human population and environment over time. Terra Populus will incorporate large microdata and aggregate census datasets from the United States and around the world, as well as land use, land cover, climate and other environmental datasets. These data are widely dispersed, exist in a variety of data structures, have incompatible or inadequate metadata, and have incompatible geographic identifiers. Terra Populus is developing methods of integrating data from different domains and translating across data structures based on spatio-temporal linkages among data contents. The new infrastructure will enable researchers to identify and merge data from heterogeneous sources to study the relationships between human behavior and the natural world. Terra Populus will partner with data archives, data producers, and data users to create a sustainable international organization that will guarantee preservation and access over multiple decades. Terra Populus is also collaborating with the other projects in the DataNet initiative - DataONE, the DataNet Federation Consortium (DFC) and Sustainable Environment-Actionable Data (SEAD). Taken together, the four projects address aspects of the entire data lifecycle, including planning, collection, documentation, discovery, integration, curation, preservation, and collaboration; and encompass a wide range of disciplines including earth sciences, ecology, social sciences, hydrology, oceanography, and engineering. The four projects are pursuing activities to share data, tools, and expertise between pairs of projects as well as collaborating across the DataNet program on issues of cyberinfrastructure and community engagement. Topics to be addressed through program-wide collaboration include technical, organizational, and financial sustainability; semantic

  8. An Interstate Collaborative Approach to Web-Based Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grant, Denise; Bryant, Gay; Gilley, Daryl

    This paper documents a collaborative effort between faculty members from Pellissippi State Technical Community College (Tennessee) and Northwestern Technical Institute (Georgia) to create and deliver an online class on medical terminology. The following six aspects of the project are described: (1) the collaborative effort, including the viability…

  9. 40 CFR 52.460 - Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Small business stationary source... PLANS Delaware § 52.460 Small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance... Environmental Control submitted a plan for the establishment and implementation of a Small Business Stationary...

  10. Collaborative engagement experiment (CEE)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wade, Robert L.; Reames, Joseph M.

    2005-05-01

    Unmanned ground and air systems operating in collaboration have the potential to provide future Joint Forces a significant capability for operations in complex terrain. Ground and air collaborative engagements potentially offer force conservation, perform timely acquisition and dissemination of essential combat information, and can eliminate high value and time critical targets. These engagements can also add considerably to force survivability by reducing soldier and equipment exposure during critical operations. The Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Robotics Program (JRP) sponsored Collaborative Engagement Experiment (CEE) is a consolidation of separate Air Force, Army and Navy collaborative efforts to provide a Joint capability. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Material and Manufacturing Directorate, Aerospace Expeditionary Force Division, Force Protection Branch (AFRLMLQF), The Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) Joint Technology Center (JTC)/Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL), and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center-San Diego (SSC San Diego) are conducting technical research and proof of principle for an envisioned operational concept for extended range, three dimensional, collaborative operations between unmanned systems, with enhanced situational awareness for lethal operations in complex terrain. This program will assess information requirements and conduct experiments to identify and resolve technical risks for collaborative engagements using Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). It will research, develop and physically integrate multiple unmanned systems and conduct live collaborative experiments. Modeling and Simulation systems will be upgraded to reflect engineering fidelity levels to greater understand technical challenges to operate as a team. This paper will provide an update of a multi-year program and will concentrate primarily on the JTC

  11. Active living collaboratives in the United States: understanding characteristics, activities, and achievement of environmental and policy change.

    PubMed

    Litt, Jill S; Reed, Hannah L; Tabak, Rachel G; Zieff, Susan G; Eyler, Amy A; Lyn, Rodney; Goins, Karin Valentine; Gustat, Jeanette; Tompkins, Nancy O'Hara

    2013-01-01

    Changing the built environment to promote active lifestyles requires collaboration among diverse sectors. Multisectoral collaborative groups in the United States promote active lifestyles through environmental and policy changes. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of these collaborative groups and the extent to which they have achieved change. We identified, recruited, and interviewed the coordinators of active living collaborative groups in the United States. We used descriptive statistics to characterize groups by composition, stakeholder engagement, and the extent of environmental and policy change in 8 strategic areas. Fifty-nine groups from 22 states participated in the study. Most groups had a diverse set of partners and used a range of activities to advance their agendas. Most groups achieved some form of environmental or policy change. On average, groups reported working on 5 strategy areas; parks and recreation (86%) and Safe Routes to School (85%) were named most frequently. More than half of groups reported their environmental initiatives as either in progress or completed. Groups reported the most success in changing policy for public plazas, street improvements, streetscaping, and parks, open space, and recreation. Complete Streets policy and zoning ordinances were the most frequently cited policy types. Engaging in media activities and the policy-making process in addition to engaging stakeholders appear to influence success in achieving change. Although many groups successfully worked on parks and recreation improvements, opportunities remain in other areas, including transit and infill and redevelopment. Additional time and resources may be critical to realizing these types of changes.

  12. Active Living Collaboratives in the United States: Understanding Characteristics, Activities, and Achievement of Environmental and Policy Change

    PubMed Central

    Reed, Hannah L.; Tabak, Rachel G.; Zieff, Susan G.; Eyler, Amy A.; Lyn, Rodney; Goins, Karin Valentine; Gustat, Jeanette; Tompkins, Nancy O’Hara

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Changing the built environment to promote active lifestyles requires collaboration among diverse sectors. Multisectoral collaborative groups in the United States promote active lifestyles through environmental and policy changes. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of these collaborative groups and the extent to which they have achieved change. Methods We identified, recruited, and interviewed the coordinators of active living collaborative groups in the United States. We used descriptive statistics to characterize groups by composition, stakeholder engagement, and the extent of environmental and policy change in 8 strategic areas. Results Fifty-nine groups from 22 states participated in the study. Most groups had a diverse set of partners and used a range of activities to advance their agendas. Most groups achieved some form of environmental or policy change. On average, groups reported working on 5 strategy areas; parks and recreation (86%) and Safe Routes to School (85%) were named most frequently. More than half of groups reported their environmental initiatives as either in progress or completed. Groups reported the most success in changing policy for public plazas, street improvements, streetscaping, and parks, open space, and recreation. Complete Streets policy and zoning ordinances were the most frequently cited policy types. Engaging in media activities and the policy-making process in addition to engaging stakeholders appear to influence success in achieving change. Conclusion Although many groups successfully worked on parks and recreation improvements, opportunities remain in other areas, including transit and infill and redevelopment. Additional time and resources may be critical to realizing these types of changes. PMID:23391295

  13. Implementing efficient and sustainable collaboration between National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups: Report on the 3rd International Technical Meeting, Paris, France, 8-9 December 2014.

    PubMed

    Perronne, Christian; Adjagba, Alex; Duclos, Philippe; Floret, Daniel; Houweling, Hans; Le Goaster, Corinne; Lévy-Brühl, Daniel; Meyer, François; Senouci, Kamel; Wichmann, Ole

    2016-03-08

    Many experts on vaccination are convinced that efforts should be made to encourage increased collaboration between National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups on immunization (NITAGs) worldwide. International meetings were held in Berlin, Germany, in 2010 and 2011, to discuss improvement of the methodologies for the development of evidence-based vaccination recommendations, recognizing the need for collaboration and/or sharing of resources in this effort. A third meeting was held in Paris, France, in December 2014, to consider the design of specific practical activities and an organizational structure to enable effective and sustained collaboration. The following conclusions were reached: (i) The proposed collaboration needs a core functional structure and the establishment or strengthening of an international network of NITAGs. (ii) Priority subjects for collaborative work are background information for recommendations, systematic reviews, mathematical models, health economic evaluations and establishment of common frameworks and methodologies for reviewing and grading the evidence. (iii) The programme of collaborative work should begin with participation of a limited number of NITAGs which already have a high level of expertise. The amount of joint work could be increased progressively through practical activities and pragmatic examples. Due to similar priorities and already existing structures, this should be organized at regional or subregional level. For example, in the European Union a project is funded by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) with the aim to set up a network for improving data, methodology and resource sharing and thereby supporting NITAGs. Such regional networking activities should be carried out in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). (iv) A global steering committee should be set up to promote international exchange between regional networks and to increase the involvement of less experienced

  14. Environmental Science and Research Foundation, Inc. annual technical report: Calendar year 1997

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reynolds, R.D.; Warren, R.W.

    This Annual Technical Report describes work conducted for the Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID), by the Environmental Science and Research Foundation (Foundation). The Foundation`s mission to DOE-ID provides support in several key areas. The Foundation conducts an environmental monitoring and surveillance program over an area covering much of the upper Snake River Plain, and provides environmental education and support services related to Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) natural resource issues. Also, the Foundation, with its University Affiliates, conducts ecological and radioecological research on the Idaho National Environmental Research Park. This research benefits major DOE-ID programs includingmore » Waste Management, Environmental Restoration, Spent Nuclear Fuels, and Land Management Issues. Summaries are included of the individual research projects.« less

  15. Technical discussions on Emissions and Atmospheric Modeling (TEAM)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frost, G. J.; Henderson, B.; Lefer, B. L.

    2017-12-01

    A new informal activity, Technical discussions on Emissions and Atmospheric Modeling (TEAM), aims to improve the scientific understanding of emissions and atmospheric processes by leveraging resources through coordination, communication and collaboration between scientists in the Nation's environmental agencies. TEAM seeks to close information gaps that may be limiting emission inventory development and atmospheric modeling and to help identify related research areas that could benefit from additional coordinated efforts. TEAM is designed around webinars and in-person meetings on particular topics that are intended to facilitate active and sustained informal communications between technical staff at different agencies. The first series of TEAM webinars focuses on emissions of nitrogen oxides, a criteria pollutant impacting human and ecosystem health and a key precursor of ozone and particulate matter. Technical staff at Federal agencies with specific interests in emissions and atmospheric modeling are welcome to participate in TEAM.

  16. Health, Traffic, and Environmental Justice: Collaborative Research and Community Action in San Francisco, California

    PubMed Central

    Sciammas, Charlie; Seto, Edmund; Bhatia, Rajiv; Rivard, Tom

    2009-01-01

    Health impacts on neighborhood residents from transportation systems can be an environmental justice issue. To assess the effects of transportation planning decisions, including the construction of an intraurban freeway, on residents of the Excelsior neighborhood in southeast San Francisco, PODER (People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights), a local grassroots environmental justice organization; the San Francisco Department of Public Health; and the University of California, Berkeley, collaborated on participatory research. We used our findings regarding traffic-related exposures and health hazards in the area to facilitate community education and action to address transportation-related health burdens on neighborhood residents. PMID:19890147

  17. SOFTWARE SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING: A MOU WORKING GROUP

    EPA Science Inventory

    A workgroup was formed in conjunction with a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among six Federal Agencies to pursue collaborative research in technical areas related to environmental modeling. Among the primary objectives of the MOU are to 1) provide a mechanism for the c...

  18. Collaborative research: Accomplishments & potential

    PubMed Central

    Katsouyanni, Klea

    2008-01-01

    Although a substantial part of scientific research is collaborative and increasing globalization will probably lead to its increase, very few studies actually investigate the advantages, disadvantages, experiences and lessons learned from collaboration. In environmental epidemiology interdisciplinary collaboration is essential and the contrasting geographical patterns in exposure and disease make multi-location projects essential. This paper is based on a presentation given at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Paris 2006, and is attempting to initiate a discussion on a framework for studying collaborative research. A review of the relevant literature showed that indeed collaborative research is rising, in some countries with impressive rates. However, there are substantial differences between countries in their outlook, need and respect for collaboration. In many situations collaborative publications receive more citations than those based on national authorship. The European Union is the most important host of collaborative research, mainly driven by the European Commission through the Framework Programmes. A critical assessment of the tools and trends of collaborative networks under FP6, showed that there was a need for a critical revision, which led to changes in FP7. In conclusion, it is useful to study the characteristics of collaborative research and set targets for the future. The added value for science and for the researchers involved may be assessed. The motivation for collaboration could be increased in the more developed countries. Particular ways to increase the efficiency and interaction in interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration may be developed. We can work towards "the principles of collaborative research" in Environmental Epidemiology. PMID:18208596

  19. Environmental Science and Research Foundation. Annual technical report, April 11, 1994--December 31, 1994

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reynolds, T.D.; Morris, R.C.; Markham, O.D.

    1995-06-01

    This Annual Technical Report describes work conducted for the Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Office, by the Environmental Science and Research Foundation (Foundation) for work under contract DE-AC07-94ID13268. The Foundation began, on April 11, 1994, to conduct environmental surveillance near to and distant from the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, provide environmental public relations and education related to INEL natural resource issues, and conduct ecological and radioecological research benefiting major DOE-ID programs including Waste Management, Environmental Restoration, Spent Nuclear Fuels, and Infrastructure.

  20. Modeling Collaboration and Partnership in a Program Integrating NMR across the Chemistry Curriculum at a University and a Community and Technical College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Webb, Cathleen; Dahl, Darwin; Pesterfield, Lester; Lovell, Donielle; Zhang, Rui; Ballard, Sue; Kellie, Shawn

    2013-01-01

    In this NSF-supported project, two Anasazi FT-NMRs are being integrated simultaneously across the chemistry curriculum at Western Kentucky University (WKU) and Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC). The collaborative project adds to a new curriculum initiative by integrating NMR throughout the chemistry curriculum to enhance both…

  1. A Feminist Perspective on Technical Communicative Action: Exploring How Alternative Worldviews Affect Environmental Remediation Efforts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Susan Mallon

    1994-01-01

    Describes the current practices in public environmental debate and reform movements as relevant to technical communicators. Reviews a case in which the Mohawk community clashed with the Environmental Protection Agency. Explores the clash of worldviews and shows how a feminist perspective might aid in such a conflict. (HB)

  2. Agri-environmental collaboratives as bridging organisations in landscape management.

    PubMed

    Prager, Katrin

    2015-09-15

    In recent years, landscape and its management has become a focus of policies and academic conceptualisation. Landscape is understood as a concept of interconnected natural and human systems. Its management must take into account the dynamic interdependencies and diverging interests of various stakeholders at different levels. Bridging organisations can provide an arena for trust-building, conflict resolution, learning and collaboration between relevant stakeholders. This paper draws on two strands of literature - landscape governance and co-management of social-ecological systems - to investigate the contributions of agri-environmental collaboratives (AEC) to sustainable landscape management. Based on data from 41 interviews with key informants and AEC members in Germany and the Netherlands, six fields of contributions were identified: policy implementation and service provision; coordination and mediation; awareness raising and behaviour change; care for 'everyday' landscapes; maintenance and protection of landscapes (including species and habitats); and income generation and economic benefits. Some of the contributions evolve around the specific role of AEC as bridging organisations, but other contributions such as economic benefits emerge beyond this analytical lens. The paper therefore emphasises holistic, bottom up assessment of AEC contributions and argues that governments should support such organisations through i) funding for facilitators and ii) funding for impact monitoring and data management. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. International Collaboration on Building Local Technical Capacities for Monitoring Volcanic Activity at Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Escobar-Wolf, R. P.; Chigna, G.; Morales, H.; Waite, G. P.; Oommen, T.; Lechner, H. N.

    2015-12-01

    Pacaya volcano is a frequently active and potentially dangerous volcano situated in the Guatemalan volcanic arc. It is also a National Park and a major touristic attraction, constituting an important economic resource for local municipality and the nearby communities. Recent eruptions have caused fatalities and extensive damage to nearby communities, highlighting the need for risk management and loss reduction from the volcanic activity. Volcanic monitoring at Pacaya is done by the Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia e Hidrologia (INSIVUMEH), instrumentally through one short period seismic station, and visually by the Parque Nacional Volcan de Pacaya y Laguna de Calderas (PNVPLC) personnel. We carry out a project to increase the local technical capacities for monitoring volcanic activity at Pacaya. Funding for the project comes from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists through the Geoscientists Without Borders program. Three seismic and continuous GPS stations will be installed at locations within 5 km from the main vent at Pacaya, and one webcam will aid in the visual monitoring tasks. Local educational and outreach components of the project include technical workshops on data monitoring use, and short thesis projects with the San Carlos University in Guatemala. A small permanent exhibit at the PNVPLC museum or visitor center, focusing on the volcano's history, hazards and resources, will also be established as part of the project. The strategy to involve a diverse group of local collaborators in Guatemala aims to increase the chances for long term sustainability of the project, and relies not only on transferring technology but also the "know-how" to make that technology useful. Although not a primary research project, it builds on a relationship of years of joint research projects at Pacaya between the participants, and could be a model of how to increase the broader impacts of such long term collaboration partnerships.

  4. Analyzing Citation and Research Collaboration Characteristics of Faculty in Aerospace, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Li

    2018-01-01

    This article investigates citation and research collaboration habits of faculty in four engineering departments. The analysis focuses on similarities and differences among the engineering disciplines. Main differences exist in the use of conference papers and technical reports. The age of cited materials varies by discipline and by format.…

  5. Reducing nonpoint source pollution through collaboration: policies and programs across the U.S. States.

    PubMed

    Hardy, Scott D; Koontz, Tomas M

    2008-03-01

    Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution has emerged as the largest threat to water quality in the United States, influencing policy makers and resource managers to direct more attention toward NPS prevention and remediation. In response, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) spent more than $204 million in fiscal year (FY) 2006 on the Clean Water Act's Section 319 program to combat NPS pollution, much of it on the development and implementation of watershed-based plans. State governments have also increasingly allocated financial and technical resources to collaborative watershed efforts within their own borders to fight NPS pollution. With increased collaboration among the federal government, states, and citizens to combat NPS pollution, more information is needed to understand how public resources are being used, by whom, and for what, and what policy changes might improve effectiveness. Analysis from a 50-state study suggests that, in addition to the average 35% of all Section 319 funds per state that are passed on to collaborative watershed groups, 35 states have provided financial assistance beyond Section 319 funding to support collaborative watershed initiatives. State programs frequently provide technical assistance and training, in addition to financial resources, to encourage collaborative partnerships. Such assistance is typically granted in exchange for requirements to generate a watershed action plan and/or follow a mutually agreed upon work plan to address NPS pollution. Program managers indicated a need for greater fiscal resources and flexibility to achieve water quality goals.

  6. Deployment Area Selection and Land Withdrawal/Acquisition. M-X/MPS (M-X/Multiple Protective Shelter) Environmental Technical Report. Nye County, Nevada.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-10-02

    captures the environ- mental data and analysis in the document that was nearing com- pletion when the President decided to deploy the system in a...environmental technical " data from the Congress, federal agencies and the states involved, we have published limited copies of the document for their use...Land Withdrawal/Acquisition Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and its associated Environmental Technical Reports (ETRs). The data tables

  7. Opportunities for adaptive online collaboration to enhance rural land management.

    PubMed

    Baumber, Alex; Metternicht, Graciela; Ampt, Peter; Cross, Rebecca; Berry, Emily

    2018-08-01

    Cross-property cooperation has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of environmental management actions that cut across property boundaries. Online tools can facilitate this and overcome barriers to landholder engagement in collaborative management. However, collaborative online tools need to be designed and tailored to users' needs and values, and landholder participation in the development process is critical to ensuring uptake and long-term use. This article presents a case study from the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, where landholders have been involved in participatory development of a new online collaboration tool. The case study results highlight the significance of issues such as internet access, privacy, technical proficiency and differing stakeholder objectives. A landholder survey identified mapping and the uploading of monitoring data as important functions for the online tool, but these were not rated as highly as functions relating to data security, sharing settings and key term searches. Consequently, we recommend that a future online collaboration tool for the region is not framed specifically as a mapping or citizen science tool, but rather as an adaptive collaboration and communication tool that can incorporate a variety of data types and formats and be modified over time in line with changing landholder needs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Technical Service Agreement (TSA) | FNLCR Staging

    Cancer.gov

    Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research (FNLCR)scientists provide services and solutions to collaborators through the Technical Services Program, whose portfolio includes more than200 collaborations with more than 80 partners such as t

  9. Collaborative Preservation of At-Risk Data at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Casey, K. S.; Collins, D.; Cooper, J. M.; Ritchey, N. A.

    2017-12-01

    The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) serves as the official long term archive of NOAA's environmental data. Adhering to the principles and responsibilities of the Open Archival Information System (OAIS, ISO 14721), and backed by both agency policies and formal legislation, NCEI ensures that these irreplaceable environmental data are preserved and made available for current users and future generations. These goals are achieved through regional, national, and international collaborative efforts like the ICSU World Data System, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission's International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) program, NSF's DataOne, and through specific data preservation projects with partners such as the NOAA Cooperative Institutes, ESIP, and even retired federal employees. Through efforts like these, at-risk data with poor documentation, on aging media, and of unknown format and content are being rescued and made available to the public for widespread reuse.

  10. Improving Virtual Collaborative Learning through Canonical Action Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weber, Peter; Lehr, Christian; Gersch, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Virtual collaboration continues to gain in significance and is attracting attention also as virtual collaborative learning (VCL) in education. This paper addresses aspects of VCL that we identified as critical in a series of courses named "Net Economy": (1) technical infrastructure, (2) motivation and collaboration, and (3) assessment…

  11. Writing Together: Gender's Effect on Collaboration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rehling, Louise

    1996-01-01

    Analyzes the behaviors of over 60 student groups in professional writing classes. Finds gender-related effects on collaboration: tendencies to stereotype men as technical experts and to self-segregate into gendered working teams. Suggests new perspectives on the role of gender for collaborative groups in professional writing classrooms. (PA)

  12. Building on common ground to address biodiversity conflicts and foster collaboration in environmental management.

    PubMed

    Lecuyer, Lou; White, Rehema M; Schmook, Birgit; Calmé, Sophie

    2018-08-15

    Conservation biology faces critical challenges that require collaborative approaches, including novel strategies to support interactions among actors in biodiversity conflicts. The goals of this study were to investigate the concept of common ground across multiple issues and to explore its practical application for the support of environmental management. We conceptually defined common ground as the areas of relevance underlying the suite of issues expressed by people regarding environmental management in a particular context. We then empirically tested this in the Calakmul region of Mexico, where the complex socio-historical context and high biodiversity have created environmental management challenges that are now being addressed by a local, multi-stakeholder management board. We conducted 26 open interviews with members of the board and a further round of quantitative prioritisation of issues raised. Using a coding process designed to reveal common ground, we categorized the issues at four levels ranging from coarse to fine (themes, topics, sub-topics and perspectives). We then analysed two levels, topics (n = 14 issues) and sub-topics (n = 51 issues). To do so, we built common ground matrices to identify and analyze common ground among actors and across issues. First, cluster and non-metrical data analyses revealed the diversity of actor positions and the lack of consistent grouping among actors by occupational activity. This demonstrated that focusing on actors' differences might be misleading, and that actors' views were not closely aligned with their roles. Second, we located issues according to their levels of common ground and importance among actors. We showed that by not focusing on single issue conflicts, the identification of common ground across multiple issues can pinpoint synergies. We then proposed a framework for collaboration that prioritizes issues of high importance with greater common ground (e.g. sustainable resource use activities

  13. How Citizens Learn and Use Scientific and Technical Information in Environmental Decision Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartley, Troy W.

    2005-01-01

    There is concern that laypersons participating in environmental or natural resource decision making cannot or do not engage the scientific and technical information sufficiently to integrate that information into the decisions and reach a highquality, science-based decision. This study examined how thirteen citizens participating in two Superfund…

  14. Collaborative Concept Mapping Activities in a Classroom Scenario

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elorriaga, J. A.; Arruarte, A.; Calvo, I.; Larrañaga, M.; Rueda, U.; Herrán, E.

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study is to test collaborative concept mapping activities using computers in a classroom scenario and to evaluate the possibilities that Elkar-CM offers for collaboratively learning non-technical topics. Elkar-CM is a multi-lingual and multi-media software program designed for drawing concept maps (CMs) collaboratively. Concept…

  15. Three Case Studies on Business Collaboration and Process Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fan, Shaokun

    2012-01-01

    The importance of collaboration has been recognized for more than 2000 years. While recent improvement in technology creates vast opportunities for collaboration, effective collaboration remains challenging as ad hoc teams work across time, geographical, language, and technical boundaries, and suffer from process inefficiency. My dissertation…

  16. Collaborative writing: Tools and tips.

    PubMed

    Eapen, Bell Raj

    2007-01-01

    Majority of technical writing is done by groups of experts and various web based applications have made this collaboration easy. Email exchange of word processor documents with tracked changes used to be the standard technique for collaborative writing. However web based tools like Google docs and Spreadsheets have made the process fast and efficient. Various versioning tools and synchronous editors are available for those who need additional functionality. Having a group leader who decides the scheduling, communication and conflict resolving protocols is important for successful collaboration.

  17. Our built and natural environments : a technical review of the interactions between land use, transportation, and environmental quality

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-01-01

    In recent years interest has grown in Smart Growth as a mechanism for improving environmental quality. In Our Built and Natural Environments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) summarizes technical research on the relationship between the...

  18. 78 FR 33416 - Notification of a Public Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Environmental Justice Technical...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-04

    ....federalregister.gov/articles/2013/05/09/2013-11165/technical-guidance-for-assessing-environmental-justice-in... of nationally and internationally recognized scientists to serve on this panel. Additional background...

  19. Assisting people with disabilities to actively improve their collaborative physical activities with Nintendo Wii Balance Boards by controlling environmental stimulation.

    PubMed

    Shih, Ching-Hsiang; Chen, Ling-Che; Shih, Ching-Tien

    2012-01-01

    The latest researches have adopted software technology to modify the Nintendo Wii Balance Board functionality and used it to enable two people with developmental disabilities to actively perform physical activities. This study extended the latest research of the Wii Balance Board application to assess whether four people (two groups) with developmental disabilities would be able to actively improve their physical activities collaboration--walking to the designated location following simple instructions, by controlling their favorite environmental stimulation through using three Nintendo Wii Balance Boards. We employed an A-B-A-B design, with A represented the baseline and B represented intervention phases. Data showed that both groups of participants significantly increased their collaborative target response (collaboratively performing designated physical activities) by activating the control system to produce their preferred environmental stimulation during the intervention phases. Practical and developmental implications of the findings are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Technical, economic and environmental assessment of sludge treatment wetlands.

    PubMed

    Uggetti, Enrica; Ferrer, Ivet; Molist, Jordi; García, Joan

    2011-01-01

    Sludge treatment wetlands (STW) emerge as a promising sustainable technology with low energy requirements and operational costs. In this study, technical, economic and environmental aspects of STW are investigated and compared with other alternatives for sludge management in small communities (<2000 population equivalent). The performance of full-scale STW was characterised during 2 years. Sludge dewatering increased total solids (TS) concentration by 25%, while sludge biodegradation lead to volatile solids around 45% TS and DRI(24h) between 1.1 and 1.4 gO(2)/kgTS h, suggesting a partial stabilisation of biosolids. In the economic and environmental assessment, four scenarios were considered for comparison: 1) STW with direct land application of biosolids, 2) STW with compost post-treatment, 3) centrifuge with compost post-treatment and 4) sludge transport to an intensive wastewater treatment plant. According to the results, STW with direct land application is the most cost-effective scenario, which is also characterised by the lowest environmental impact. The life cycle assessment highlights that global warming is a significant impact category in all scenarios, which is attributed to fossil fuel and electricity consumption; while greenhouse gas emissions from STW are insignificant. As a conclusion, STW are the most appropriate alternative for decentralised sludge management in small communities. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Continuing Challenges and Potential for Collaborative Approaches to Education Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bodilly, Susan J.; Karam, Rita; Orr, Nate

    2011-01-01

    The Ford Foundation began the Collaborating for Education Reform Initiative (CERI) in 1997-1998 by issuing grants and providing grantees with funds, guidance, and technical assistance to develop collaboratives and carry out activities to improve teaching and learning. CERI's collaborative activities were directed at three possible community…

  2. Collaborative engagement experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mullens, Katherine; Troyer, Bradley; Wade, Robert; Skibba, Brian; Dunn, Michael

    2006-05-01

    Unmanned ground and air systems operating in collaboration have the potential to provide future Joint Forces a significant capability for operations in complex terrain. Collaborative Engagement Experiment (CEE) is a consolidation of separate Air Force, Army and Navy collaborative efforts within the Joint Robotics Program (JRP) to provide a picture of the future of unmanned warfare. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Material and Manufacturing Directorate, Aerospace Expeditionary Force Division, Force Protection Branch (AFRL/MLQF), The Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) Joint Technology Center (JTC)/Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL), and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center - San Diego (SSC San Diego) are conducting technical research and proof of principle experiments for an envisioned operational concept for extended range, three dimensional, collaborative operations between unmanned systems, with enhanced situational awareness for lethal operations in complex terrain. This paper describes the work by these organizations to date and outlines some of the plans for future work.

  3. Deployment Area Selection and Land Withdrawal/Acquisition. M-X/MPS (M-X/Multiple Protective Shelter) Environmental Technical Report. Washington County, Utah.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-10-02

    file a FEIS for the MPS system. However, the attached preliminary FEIS captures the environ- mental data and analysis in the document that was nearing...efforts in the study area. There- fore, in response to requests for environmental technical data from the Congress, federal agencies and the states involved...associated Environmental Technical Reports (ETRs). The data tables presented here provide projections of the key socioeconomic impacts of M-X deployment for

  4. Strategic Mobility 21 Technical Plan

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-09-06

    or grant. b. Technical documents with this statement may be made available or sold to the public and foreign nationals, companies, and governments ...including adversary governments , and may be exported. c. This statement may not be used on technical documents that formerly were classified...Transportation Technologies (CCDOTT), a government -industry academic collaborative enterprise. 2 Dual-use technology serves as a basis for both

  5. Learning together: a Canada-Cuba research collaboration to improve the sustainable management of environmental health risks.

    PubMed

    Spiegel, Jerry; Garcia, Maricel; Bonet, Mariano; Yassi, Annalee

    2006-01-01

    To build a national Cuban capacity for training environmental health professionals directly linked to the needs of policy-makers and communities. The University of Manitoba and University of British Columbia collaborated with an established training centre in Cuba (the Instituto Nacional de Higiene y Epidemiologia--INHEM) and new centres in the Central (Santa Clara) and Eastern (Santiago) regions of the country. Cuba. In the mid-1990s, a comprehensive curriculum (masters and diploma programs) was collaboratively developed, applying interactive teaching methods, and was delivered through a series of workshops and other interactions in Cuba, and short-term visits to Canada by Cuban PhD students. The collaboration was successful in fulfilling capacity-building targets (over 50 Masters graduates, 467 Diploma graduates, over 30 trained core faculty in all regional centres as well as new curriculum and new accredited regional programs). Alongside this, a number of collaborative community-based research projects were undertaken in all three regions (drinking water in Santiago; housing and urban renewal, and dengue control in Havana; and tourism-related effects, and effective intersectoral management of population health determinants in Santa Clara). The collaboration led to adopting new strategies for challenges such as a dengue epidemic in 2002, and new research on the effectiveness of intersectoral management of risks of particular interest to both Cuban and Canadian policy-makers. It triggered an ambitious collaboration between the Canadian-Cuban team and colleagues in Ecuador in order to build a similar national network there, built on South-South and North-South links.

  6. Leveraged resources and systems changes in community collaboration.

    PubMed

    Harper, Christopher R; Kuperminc, Gabriel P; Weaver, Scott R; Emshoff, Jim; Erickson, Steve

    2014-12-01

    Most models of community collaboration emphasize the ability of diverse partners to come together to enact systematic changes that improve the health of individuals and communities. The ability of these groups to leverage resources is thought to be an important marker of successful collaboration and eventual improvements in community health. However, there is a paucity of research addressing linkages between systems change activities and leveraged resources. This study used a sample of collaboratives (N = 157) that received technical assistance and funding through the Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) between 2006 and 2007. Data were collected from collaborative report of activities and funding, member ratings of collaborative functioning, and characteristics of the communities served by the collaboratives drawn from US Census data. Cross-lagged regression models tested longitudinal associations between systems change activities and leveraged dollars. The results indicated that systems change activities predict increased leveraging of resources from state/federal and private partners. However, there was no evidence that systems changes were linked with leveraging resources from local groups and agencies. These findings have important implications for providing technical assistance and training to health partnerships. Furthermore, future research should consider the relative strength of different systems change activities in relation to the ability of coalitions to leverage resources.

  7. COLLABORATIONS AND SPECIALIZED CLIENT INTERACTIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The goal of this task is to improve our understanding of atmospheric modeling research applications through collaborations with the international air pollution community and to demonstrate the applicability of our AQ models for their utility through technical applications by clie...

  8. Student Perceptions of Collaborative Learning in Operations Management Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yazici, Hulya Julie

    2004-01-01

    Given today's global work environment, business education should prepare learners not only for technical excellence but also for effective collaboration. In this article, the author describes how collaborative activities--ranging from exams to projects and role playing--enhance the understanding of operations management (OM). The author found that…

  9. Delaware GK-12: Improvement of Science Education in Vocational Technical High Schools Through Collaborative Learning and Coteaching

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Madsen, J.; Skalak, K.; Watson, G.; Scantlebury, K.; Allen, D.; Quillen, A.

    2006-12-01

    nearly all levels from the freshman through the senior year. Three of the current group of nine fellows are engaged in Ph.D.-level research within the disciplines of astronomy and hydrology. They will bring this expertise into their collaboration with their practicing teachers with the goal of improving the understanding of earth science topics by high school students within a vocational technical school setting.

  10. Aerospace Systems Design in NASA's Collaborative Engineering Environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Monell, Donald W.; Piland, William M.

    1999-01-01

    Past designs of complex aerospace systems involved an environment consisting of collocated design teams with project managers, technical discipline experts, and other experts (e.g. manufacturing and systems operations). These experts were generally qualified only on the basis of past design experience and typically had access to a limited set of integrated analysis tools. These environments provided less than desirable design fidelity, often lead to the inability of assessing critical programmatic and technical issues (e.g., cost risk, technical impacts), and generally derived a design that was not necessarily optimized across the entire system. The continually changing, modern aerospace industry demands systems design processes that involve the best talent available (no matter where it resides) and access to the best design and analysis tools. A solution to these demands involves a design environment referred to as collaborative engineering. The collaborative engineering environment evolving within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a capability that enables the Agency's engineering infrastructure to interact and use the best state-of-the-art tools and data across organizational boundaries. Using collaborative engineering, the collocated team is replaced with an interactive team structure where the team members are geographically distributed and the best engineering talent can be applied to the design effort regardless of physical location. In addition, a more efficient, higher quality design product is delivered by bringing together the best engineering talent with more up-to-date design and analysis tools. These tools are focused on interactive, multidisciplinary design and analysis with emphasis on the complete life cycle of the system, and they include nontraditional, integrated tools for life cycle cost estimation and risk assessment. NASA has made substantial progress during the last two years in developing a collaborative

  11. Aerospace Systems Design in NASA's Collaborative Engineering Environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Monell, Donald W.; Piland, William M.

    2000-01-01

    Past designs of complex aerospace systems involved an environment consisting of collocated design teams with project managers, technical discipline experts, and other experts (e.g., manufacturing and systems operation). These experts were generally qualified only on the basis of past design experience and typically had access to a limited set of integrated analysis tools. These environments provided less than desirable design fidelity, often lead to the inability of assessing critical programmatic and technical issues (e.g., cost, risk, technical impacts), and generally derived a design that was not necessarily optimized across the entire system. The continually changing, modern aerospace industry demands systems design processes that involve the best talent available (no matter where it resides) and access to the the best design and analysis tools. A solution to these demands involves a design environment referred to as collaborative engineering. The collaborative engineering environment evolving within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a capability that enables the Agency's engineering infrastructure to interact and use the best state-of-the-art tools and data across organizational boundaries. Using collaborative engineering, the collocated team is replaced with an interactive team structure where the team members are geographical distributed and the best engineering talent can be applied to the design effort regardless of physical location. In addition, a more efficient, higher quality design product is delivered by bringing together the best engineering talent with more up-to-date design and analysis tools. These tools are focused on interactive, multidisciplinary design and analysis with emphasis on the complete life cycle of the system, and they include nontraditional, integrated tools for life cycle cost estimation and risk assessment. NASA has made substantial progress during the last two years in developing a collaborative

  12. Aerospace Systems Design in NASA's Collaborative Engineering Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Monell, Donald W.; Piland, William M.

    2000-07-01

    Past designs of complex aerospace systems involved an environment consisting of collocated design teams with project managers, technical discipline experts, and other experts (e.g., manufacturing and systems operations). These experts were generally qualified only on the basis of past design experience and typically had access to a limited set of integrated analysis tools. These environments provided less than desirable design fidelity, often led to the inability of assessing critical programmatic and technical issues (e.g., cost, risk, technical impacts), and generally derived a design that was not necessarily optimized across the entire system. The continually changing, modern aerospace industry demands systems design processes that involve the best talent available (no matter where it resides) and access to the best design and analysis tools. A solution to these demands involves a design environment referred to as collaborative engineering. The collaborative engineering environment evolving within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a capability that enables the Agency's engineering infrastructure to interact and use the best state-of-the-art tools and data across organizational boundaries. Using collaborative engineering, the collocated team is replaced with an interactive team structure where the team members are geographically distributed and the best engineering talent can be applied to the design effort regardless of physical location. In addition, a more efficient, higher quality design product is delivered by bringing together the best engineering talent with more up-to-date design and analysis tools. These tools are focused on interactive, multidisciplinary design and analysis with emphasis on the complete life cycle of the system, and they include nontraditional, integrated tools for life cycle cost estimation and risk assessment. NASA has made substantial progress during the last two years in developing a collaborative

  13. TSCA Work Plan Chemical Technical Supplement – Physicochemical Properties and Environmental Fate of the Brominated Phthalates Cluster (BPC) Chemicals

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    TSCA Work Plan Chemical Technical Supplement – Physicochemical Properties and Environmental Fate of the Brominated Phthalates Cluster (BPC) Chemicals -- Brominated Phthalates Cluster Flame Retardants.

  14. Going national with HERS and EEMs: Issues and impacts. The collected papers of the national collaborative

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    This collection of papers is a companion volume to A National Program for Energy-Efficient Mortgages and Home Energy Rating Systems: A Blueprint for Action (NREL/TP-261-4677). The Blueprint reports the findings and recommendations of the National Collaborative on Home Energy Rating Systems and Mortgage Incentives for Energy Efficiency about a voluntary national program linking energy-efficient mortgages and home energy rating systems. This volume provides technical documentation for A Blueprint for Action. It consists of 55 technical issue papers and 13 special papers prepared by the technical advisory committees and some members of the Collaborative Consensus Committee of the National Collaborative. Itmore » also contains the bibliography and the glossary written by the members and staff of the National Collaborative.« less

  15. Digital Library Collaboration: A Service-Oriented Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buchanan, Steven; Gibb, Forbes; Simmons, Susan; McMenemy, David

    2012-01-01

    Collaboration in the digital domain offers an opportunity to provide enhanced digital services and extended reach to the community. This article adopts a service-oriented perspective through which it considers environmental drivers for digital library collaboration; discusses emergent collaborative partnerships across UK educational institutions,…

  16. Technical Service Agreement (TSA) | Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

    Cancer.gov

    Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) scientists provide services and solutions to collaborators through the Technical Services Program, whose portfolio includes more than 200 collaborations with more than 80 partners. The Frederi

  17. Minnesota Deaf-Blind Technical Assistance Project. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kloos, Eric

    This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the 3-year federally supported Minnesota Deaf-Blind Technical Assistance Project. The project provided training and technical assistance, information sharing, and support services to families of children with deaf-blindness. Activities and accomplishments included: collaboration with…

  18. Asian Universities' Collaboration for Advanced Environmental Engineering via Simultaneous Distant Learning Classes Using Video Playback

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Araki, Mituhiko; Nakamura, Yuichi; Fujii, Shigeo; Tsuno, Hiroshi

    Three international simultaneous lectures of the post graduate level in the field of environmental science and engineering are under preparation in Kyoto University. They are planned to be opened in three Asian universities (Tsinghua University in China, University of Malaya in Malaysia, and Kyoto University in Japan) as formal courses. The contents of the lectures, purpose of the project and technical problems are reported.

  19. A Sharper Focus on Technical Workers: How to Educate and Train for the Global Economy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamos, Erin; Simon, Martin; Waits, Mary Jo

    2010-01-01

    This report presents a case study of the Automotive Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative (AMTEC), which brings together auto manufacturers and community colleges across 12 states to identify and implement wide-ranging improvements in technical education for automotive manufacturing workers. A "Big Collaboration"--AMTEC…

  20. The Relationship between Environmental Turbulence, Management Support, Organizational Collaboration, Information Technology Solution Realization, and Process Performance, in Healthcare Provider Organizations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muglia, Victor O.

    2010-01-01

    The Problem: The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between environmental turbulence, management support, organizational collaboration, information technology solution realization, and process performance in healthcare provider organizations. Method: A descriptive/correlational study of Hospital medical services process…

  1. Summary of Session Activities: Coordination of Environmental Education Projects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Keeler, Michael; Mahootian, Farzad

    1995-01-01

    In this session, we address four fundamental questions related to environmental fields with emphasis on education. These are: What are the goals, objectives, and practical opportunities for coordinating our projects? How can we improve awareness of, interest in, access to, and support the products of our work? How can we build relationships between projects for scientific, educational, technical, and programmatic benefit? How can we evaluate the effectiveness of coordination efforts. In this working session, we produced answers to these questions and proposed a structure for future collaboration.

  2. Environmental Defense Fund Oil and Gas Methane Studies: Principles for Collaborating with Industry Partners while Maintaining Scientific Objectivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamburg, S.

    2016-12-01

    Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) launched a series of 16 research studies in 2012 to quantify methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas (O&G) supply chain. In addition to EDF's funding from philanthropic individuals and foundations and in-kind contributions from universities, over forty O&G companies contributed money to the studies. For a subset of studies that required partner companies to provide site access to measure their equipment, five common principles were followed to assure that research was objective and scientifically rigorous. First, academic scientists were selected as principal investigators (PIs) to lead the studies. In line with EDF's policy of not accepting money from corporate partners, O&G companies provided funding directly to academic PIs. Technical work groups and steering committees consisting of EDF and O&G partner staff advised the PIs in the planning and implementation of research, but PIs had the final authority in scientific decisions including publication content. Second, scientific advisory panels of independent experts advised the PIs in the study design, data analysis, and interpretation. Third, studies employed multiple methodologies when possible, including top-down and bottom-up measurements. This helped overcome the limitations of individual approaches to decrease the uncertainty of emission estimates and minimize concerns with data being "cherry-picked". Fourth, studies were published in peer-reviewed journals to undergo an additional round of independent review. Fifth, transparency of data was paramount. Study data were released after publication, although operator and site names of individual data points were anonymized to ensure transparency and allow independent analysis. Following these principles allowed an environmental organization, O&G companies, and academic scientists to collaborate in scientific research while minimizing conflicts of interest. This approach can serve as a model for a scientifically rigorous

  3. Environmental Influences on Independent Collaborative Play

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mawson, Brent

    2010-01-01

    Data from two qualitative research projects indicated a relationship between the type of early childhood setting and children's independent collaborative play. The first research project involved 22 three and four-year-old children in a daylong setting and 47 children four-year-old children in a sessional kindergarten. The second project involved…

  4. Strengthen the collaboration between the River Basin Management Organization of China and International Environmental Specimen Bank Group.

    PubMed

    Tan, Lingzhi; Liu, Hui; Shu, Jinxiang; Xia, Fan

    2015-02-01

    Several types of emerging organic contaminants were investigated in many recent researches, such as persistent toxic substance (PTS), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), endocrine disrupters (EDs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But the Chinese country standard detection methods of emerging organic pollutants were not developed with the dramatic increasing of the organic substances production. Hence, it is necessary to obtain the latest informations about the long-term storage of representative environmental specimens, which could provide scientific basis for environmental management and environmental decision-making of the water resources protection and management organization. As the significant water resource conservation organization, the Water Environment Monitoring Center of Yangtze River Basin is experienced in water environmental monitoring and records many useful water resources and environment informations. It is also our responsibility to monitor all the pollutants in water environment of the Yangtze River valley, especially the emerging organic contaminants. Meanwhile, the International Environmental Specimen Bank (IESB) accumulates lots environmental organic pollution specimens and plays a significant role in environmental monitoring. Thus, the collaboration between the two parties will be greatly helpful for each further researches and monitoring work of organic contaminants in Yangtze River Basin.

  5. Teaching the Environment with Collaboration: Photo Essays across Disciplines

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stock, Paul V.; Darby, D. Bryon; Meyer, Kate

    2018-01-01

    Much has been written about the benefits of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity for addressing environmental issues, but how do we teach such collaboration? Here, we describe our experiences attempting to foster collaboration between undergraduate students from sociology, environmental studies, and photography. We describe and reflect on a…

  6. Collaborative Approaches in Developing Environmental and Safety Management Systems for Commercial Space Transportation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zee, Stacey; Murray, D.

    2009-01-01

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) licenses and permits U.S. commercial space launch and reentry activities, and licenses the operation of non-federal launch and reentry sites. ASTs mission is to ensure the protection of the public, property, and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States during commercial space transportation activities and to encourage, facilitate, and promote U.S. commercial space transportation. AST faces unique challenges of ensuring the protection of public health and safety while facilitating and promoting U.S. commercial space transportation. AST has developed an Environmental Management System (EMS) and a Safety Management System (SMS) to help meet its mission. Although the EMS and SMS were developed independently, the systems share similar elements. Both systems follow a Plan-Do-Act-Check model in identifying potential environmental aspects or public safety hazards, assessing significance in terms of severity and likelihood of occurrence, developing approaches to reduce risk, and verifying that the risk is reduced. This paper will describe the similarities between ASTs EMS and SMS elements and how AST is building a collaborative approach in environmental and safety management to reduce impacts to the environment and risks to the public.

  7. Topical Collaboration "Neutrinos and Nucleosynthesis in Hot and Dense Matter"

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Allahverdi, Rouzbeh

    2015-09-18

    This is the final technical report describing contributions from the University of New Mexico to Topical Collaboration on "Neutrinos and Nucleosynthesis in Hot and Dense Matter" in the period June 2010 through May 2015. During the funding period, the University of New Mexico successfully hired Huaiyu Duan as a new faculty member with the support from DOE, who has contributed to the Topical Collaboration through his research and collaborations.

  8. 48 CFR 715.370-2 - Title XII selection procedure-collaborative assistance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION... contracting system is appropriate. See AIDR sppendix F (of this chapter)—Use of Collaborative Assistance... initiating any contract actions under the collaborative assistance method: (1) The cognizant technical office...

  9. 48 CFR 715.370-2 - Title XII selection procedure-collaborative assistance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION... contracting system is appropriate. See AIDR sppendix F (of this chapter)—Use of Collaborative Assistance... initiating any contract actions under the collaborative assistance method: (1) The cognizant technical office...

  10. Environmental Management Science Program Workshop. Proceedings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    1998-07-01

    The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM), in partnership with the Office of Energy Research (ER), designed, developed, and implemented the Environmental Management Science Program as a basic research effort to fund the scientific and engineering understanding required to solve the most challenging technical problems facing the government's largest, most complex environmental cleanup program. The intent of the Environmental Management Science Program is to: (1) Provide scientific knowledge that will revolutionize technologies and cleanup approaches to significantly reduce future costs, schedules, and risks. (2) Bridge the gap between broad fundamental research that has wide-ranging applications such as thatmore » performed in the Department's Office of Energy Research and needs-driven applied technology development that is conducted in Environmental Management's Office of Science and Technology. (3) Focus the nation's science infrastructure on critical Department of Energy environmental problems. In an effort to share information regarding basic research efforts being funded by the Environmental Management Science Program and the Environmental Management/Energy Research Pilot Collaborative Research Program (Wolf-Broido Program), this CD includes summaries for each project. These project summaries, available in portable document format (PDF), were prepared in the spring of 1998 by the principal investigators and provide information about their most recent project activities and accomplishments.« less

  11. Interpersonal Conflict in Collaborative Writing: What We Can Learn from Gender Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lay, Mary M.

    1989-01-01

    Discusses how gender studies reveal psychological and cultural sources of interpersonal conflict during collaboration. Notes that an awareness of these conflict sources enables scholars and teachers in technical communication to predict and ease interpersonal conflict among collaborators. (MM)

  12. Physical characterization of uranium oxide pellets and powder applied in the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group Collaborative Materials Exercise 4

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Griffiths, Grant; Keegan, E.; Young, E.

    Physical characterization is one of the most broad and important categories of techniques to apply in a nuclear forensic examination. Physical characterization techniques vary from simple weighing and dimensional measurements to complex sample preparation and scanning electron microscopy-electron backscatter diffraction analysis. This paper reports on the physical characterization conducted by several international laboratories participating in the fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise, organized by the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. Methods include a range of physical measurements, microscopy-based observations, and profilometry. In conclusion, the value of these results for addressing key investigative questions concerning two uranium dioxide pellets and a uraniummore » dioxide powder is discussed.« less

  13. Physical characterization of uranium oxide pellets and powder applied in the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group Collaborative Materials Exercise 4

    DOE PAGES

    Griffiths, Grant; Keegan, E.; Young, E.; ...

    2018-01-06

    Physical characterization is one of the most broad and important categories of techniques to apply in a nuclear forensic examination. Physical characterization techniques vary from simple weighing and dimensional measurements to complex sample preparation and scanning electron microscopy-electron backscatter diffraction analysis. This paper reports on the physical characterization conducted by several international laboratories participating in the fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise, organized by the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. Methods include a range of physical measurements, microscopy-based observations, and profilometry. In conclusion, the value of these results for addressing key investigative questions concerning two uranium dioxide pellets and a uraniummore » dioxide powder is discussed.« less

  14. Technical, economic and environmental feasibility of recycling nutrients in waste in Southern Thailand.

    PubMed

    Schouw, Nanette Levanius; Bregnhøj, Henrik; Mosbaek, Hans; Tjell, Jens Christian

    2003-06-01

    Technical, economic and environmental criteria were used to evaluate the feasibility of recycling plant nutrients in kitchen waste, human excreta and sullage from households in Phattalung (urban), Kuan Lang (peri urban) and Prik (rural) in Southern Thailand. The difference in situation and context of the three areas called for individual solutions, and for each area three sanitation systems were evaluated. However, in all three areas recycling human excreta and kitchen waste via composting latrines was found to be more environmental feasible than human excreta managed in septic tanks or sub surface trickle irrigation and kitchen waste disposed of at landfill sites or treated at composting plants. Sullage should in Kuan Lang and Prik be used directly on garden crops, but in Phattalung be treated in waste stabilisation ponds before discharge, to be environmentally feasible. The economic feasibility results varied among the three areas and among the involved stakeholders: farmers and Kuan Lang administration benefited from recycling waste, at the expense of other private users, Phattalung municipality and Prik municipality. The main cause of these conflicting interests was lack of cost recovery and public participation, which should therefore serve as the fundament of any future environmental and economic feasible sanitation system.

  15. Information Infrastructure, Information Environments, and Long-Term Collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baker, K. S.; Pennington, D. D.

    2009-12-01

    Information infrastructure that supports collaborative science is a complex system of people, organizational arrangements, and tools that require co-management. Contemporary studies are exploring how to establish and characterize effective collaborative information environments. Collaboration depends on the flow of information across the human and technical system components through mechanisms that create linkages, both conceptual and technical. This transcends the need for requirements solicitation and usability studies, highlighting synergistic interactions between humans and technology that can lead to emergence of group level cognitive properties. We consider the ramifications of placing priority on establishing new metaphors and new types of learning environments located near-to-data-origin for the field sciences. In addition to changes in terms of participant engagement, there are implications in terms of innovative contributions to the design of information systems and data exchange. While data integration occurs in the minds of individual participants, it may be facilitated by collaborative thinking and community infrastructure. Existing learning frameworks - from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to organizational learning - require modification and extension if effective approaches to decentralized information management and systems design are to emerge. Case studies relating to data integration include ecological community projects: development of cross-disciplinary conceptual maps and of a community unit registry.

  16. Research data management support for large-scale, long-term, interdisciplinary collaborative research centers with a focus on environmental sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Curdt, C.; Hoffmeister, D.; Bareth, G.; Lang, U.

    2017-12-01

    Science conducted in collaborative, cross-institutional research projects, requires active sharing of research ideas, data, documents and further information in a well-managed, controlled and structured manner. Thus, it is important to establish corresponding infrastructures and services for the scientists. Regular project meetings and joint field campaigns support the exchange of research ideas. Technical infrastructures facilitate storage, documentation, exchange and re-use of data as results of scientific output. Additionally, also publications, conference contributions, reports, pictures etc. should be managed. Both, knowledge and data sharing is essential to create synergies. Within the coordinated programme `Collaborative Research Center' (CRC), the German Research Foundation offers funding to establish research data management (RDM) infrastructures and services. CRCs are large-scale, interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, long-term (up to 12 years), university-based research institutions (up to 25 sub-projects). These CRCs address complex and scientifically challenging research questions. This poster presents the RDM services and infrastructures that have been established for two CRCs, both focusing on environmental sciences. Since 2007, a RDM support infrastructure and associated services have been set up for the CRC/Transregio 32 (CRC/TR32) `Patterns in Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere-Systems: Monitoring, Modelling and Data Assimilation' (www.tr32.de). The experiences gained have been used to arrange RDM services for the CRC1211 `Earth - Evolution at the Dry Limit' (www.crc1211.de), funded since 2016. In both projects scientists from various disciplines collect heterogeneous data at field campaigns or by modelling approaches. To manage the scientific output, the TR32DB data repository (www.tr32db.de) has been designed and implemented for the CRC/TR32. This system was transferred and adapted to the CRC1211 needs (www.crc1211db.uni-koeln.de) in 2016. Both

  17. Technical Tension Between Achieving Particulate and Molecular Organic Environmental Cleanliness: Data from Astromaterial Curation Laboratories

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allton, J. H.; Burkett, P. J.

    2011-01-01

    NASA Johnson Space Center operates clean curation facilities for Apollo lunar, Antarctic meteorite, stratospheric cosmic dust, Stardust comet and Genesis solar wind samples. Each of these collections is curated separately due unique requirements. The purpose of this abstract is to highlight the technical tensions between providing particulate cleanliness and molecular cleanliness, illustrated using data from curation laboratories. Strict control of three components are required for curating samples cleanly: a clean environment; clean containers and tools that touch samples; and use of non-shedding materials of cleanable chemistry and smooth surface finish. This abstract focuses on environmental cleanliness and the technical tension between achieving particulate and molecular cleanliness. An environment in which a sample is manipulated or stored can be a room, an enclosed glovebox (or robotic isolation chamber) or an individual sample container.

  18. Experiences and Lessons Learnt with Collaborative e-Research Infrastructure and the application of Identity Management and Access Control for the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kershaw, P.

    2016-12-01

    CEDA, the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis, hosts a range of services on behalf of NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) for the UK environmental sciences community and its work with international partners. It is host to four data centres covering atmospheric science, earth observation, climate and space data domain areas. It holds this data on behalf of a number of different providers each with their own data policies which has thus required the development of a comprehensive system to manage access. With the advent of CMIP5, CEDA committed to be one of a number of centres to host the climate model outputs and make them available through the Earth System Grid Federation, a globally distributed software infrastructure developed for this purpose. From the outset, a means for restricting access to datasets was required, necessitating the development a federated system for authentication and authorisation so that access to data could be managed across multiple providers around the world. From 2012, CEDA has seen a further evolution with the development of JASMIN, a multi-petabyte data analysis facility. Hosted alongside the CEDA archive, it provides a range of services for users including a batch compute cluster, group workspaces and a community cloud. This has required significant changes and enhancements to the access control system. In common with many other examples in the research community, the experiences of the above underline the difficulties of developing collaborative e-Research infrastructures. Drawing from these there are some recurring themes: Clear requirements need to be established at the outset recognising that implementing strict access policies can incur additional development and administrative overhead. An appropriate balance is needed between ease of access desired by end users and metrics and monitoring required by resource providers. The major technical challenge is not with security technologies themselves but their effective

  19. Issues and Experiences in Logistics Collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lehoux, Nadia; Audy, Jean-François; D‘Amours, Sophie; Rönnqvist, Mikael

    Collaborative logistics is becoming more important in today’s industry. This is driven by increased environmental concerns, improved efficiency through collaborative planning supporting resources sharing and new business models implementation. This paper explores collaborative logistics and reports on business applications within the forest products industry in Sweden and Canada. It first describes current opportunities in collaborative planning. It then discusses issues related to building the coalition as well as sharing resources and benefits. Three business cases are described and used to support the discussion around these main issues. Finally, different challenges are detailed, opening new paths for researchers in the field.

  20. Environmental Engineering Curricula assessment in the global world

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caporali, Enrica; Catelani, Marcantonio; Manfrida, Giampaolo; Valdiserri, Juna

    2014-05-01

    Environmental engineers are technicians with specific expertise on the sustainability of human presence in the environment. Among other global dilemmas, to the environmental engineers it is often demanded to be able in developing systematic, innovative solutions in order to simultaneously meet water and energy needs, to build resilience to natural and technological disasters, to more accurately gauge and manage countries' greenhouse gas emissions. The general objectives of the Environmental Engineers are to establish actions of environmental sustainability as well as to verify progress toward global goals or international commitments. The globalization of challenges and problems to be faced, leads, in general, to the globalization of the engineering profession. In particular, since the environmental issues are without boundaries, and many and different are the involved professions and the competences, the environmental engineer must have a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to adequately answer to the demand of technical innovative knowledge at global scale. The environmental engineers, more and more, are involved in international projects were the effective collaboration requires not only the capacity to communicate in a common technical language, but also the assurance of an adequate and common level of technical competences, knowledge and understanding. The Europe-based EUR ACE system, currently operated by ENAEE - European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education, can represent the proper framework and accreditation system in order to provide a set of measures to assess the quality of engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad. In the global frame of the knowledge triangle: education-innovation-research, the accreditation and quality assurance of engineering curricula in Europe is discussed with reference to the Environmental engineering curricula, of the 1st and 2nd cycle, based on the European Credit Transfer System and in

  1. Collaborative Learning in Technological Project Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hong, Jon-Chao; Yu, Kuang-Chao; Chen, Mei-Yung

    2011-01-01

    The POWERTECH contest in Taiwan was established in an attempt to promote inventiveness and technology to elementary school pupils. The POWERTECH contest is designed as a collaborative learning system for project design. Project design is comprised of technical processes, which include the construction of an artifact and improvement of its…

  2. Report on the CEPA activities [Consorcio Educativo para la Proteccion Ambiental/Educational Consortium for Environmental Preservation] [Final report of activities from 1998 to 2002

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cruz, Miriam

    This report compiles the instances of scientific, educational, and institutional cooperation on environmental issues and other activities in which CEPA was engaged during the past five years, and includes several annual reports and meeting summaries. CEPA is a collaborative international consortium that brings together higher education institutions with governmental agencies, research laboratories, and private sector entities. CEPA's mission is to strengthen the technical, professional, and educational environmental infrastructure in the United States and Latin America. The CEPA program includes curriculum development, student exchange, faculty development, and creation of educational materials, joint research, and other cooperative activities. CEPA's goals are accomplishedmore » by actively working with Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education in the United States, in collaboration with institutions of higher education in Latin America and other Consortium members to deliver competitive environmental programs.« less

  3. Word Processors and Invention in Technical Writing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barker, Thomas T.

    1989-01-01

    Explores how word processing affects thinking and writing. Examines two myths surrounding word processors and invention in technical writing. Describes how word processing can enhance invention through collaborative writing, templates, and on-screen outlining. (MM)

  4. Setting up spaces for collaboration in industry between researchers from the natural and social sciences.

    PubMed

    Flipse, Steven M; van der Sanden, Maarten C A; Osseweijer, Patricia

    2014-03-01

    Policy makers call upon researchers from the natural and social sciences to collaborate for the responsible development and deployment of innovations. Collaborations are projected to enhance both the technical quality of innovations, and the extent to which relevant social and ethical considerations are integrated into their development. This could make these innovations more socially robust and responsible, particularly in new and emerging scientific and technological fields, such as synthetic biology and nanotechnology. Some researchers from both fields have embarked on collaborative research activities, using various Technology Assessment approaches and Socio-Technical Integration Research activities such as Midstream Modulation. Still, practical experience of collaborations in industry is limited, while much may be expected from industry in terms of socially responsible innovation development. Experience in and guidelines on how to set up and manage such collaborations are not easily available. Having carried out various collaborative research activities in industry ourselves, we aim to share in this paper our experiences in setting up and working in such collaborations. We highlight the possibilities and boundaries in setting up and managing collaborations, and discuss how we have experienced the emergence of 'collaborative spaces.' Hopefully our findings can facilitate and encourage others to set up collaborative research endeavours.

  5. Environmental Sciences Division annual progress report for period ending September 30, 1991

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1992-04-01

    This progress report summarizes the research and development activities conducted in the Environmental Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory during the period October 1, 1990, through September 30, 1991. The report is structured to provide descriptions of current activities and accomplishments in each of the division's major organizational units. Following the sections describing the organizational units is a section devoted to lists of information necessary to convey the scope of the work in the division. The Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) conducts environmental research and analyses associated with both energy technology development and themore » interactions between people and the environment. The division engages in basic and applied research for a diverse list of sponsors. While the US Department of Energy (DOE) is the primary sponsor ESD staff also perform research for other federal agencies, state agencies, and private industry. The division works collaboratively with federal agencies, universities, and private organizations in achieving its research objectives and hosts a large number of visiting investigators from these organizations. Given the diverse interdisciplinary specialization of its staff, ESD provides technical expertise on complex environmental problems and renders technical leadership for major environmental issues of national and local concern. This progress report highlights many of ESD's accomplishment in these and other areas in FY 1991.« less

  6. Environmental Sciences Division annual progress report for period ending September 30, 1991

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1992-04-01

    This progress report summarizes the research and development activities conducted in the Environmental Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory during the period October 1, 1990, through September 30, 1991. The report is structured to provide descriptions of current activities and accomplishments in each of the division`s major organizational units. Following the sections describing the organizational units is a section devoted to lists of information necessary to convey the scope of the work in the division. The Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) conducts environmental research and analyses associated with both energy technology development and themore » interactions between people and the environment. The division engages in basic and applied research for a diverse list of sponsors. While the US Department of Energy (DOE) is the primary sponsor ESD staff also perform research for other federal agencies, state agencies, and private industry. The division works collaboratively with federal agencies, universities, and private organizations in achieving its research objectives and hosts a large number of visiting investigators from these organizations. Given the diverse interdisciplinary specialization of its staff, ESD provides technical expertise on complex environmental problems and renders technical leadership for major environmental issues of national and local concern. This progress report highlights many of ESD`s accomplishment in these and other areas in FY 1991.« less

  7. Economic and environmental benefits of reducing standby power lossin DVD/VCD players and copiers in China

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lin, Jiang; Li, Tienan; Li, Aizhen

    With the popularization of household electrical appliances and the rapid development of office automation and networking, a huge number of consumer electronic devices, computers, copiers, and fax machines have been put into use in China over the last two decades. These products almost all use a certain amount of standby power--the power that is consumed when a device is connected but not performing its primary function. The rapid growth of standby energy consumption due to these products--and the consequent environmental problems--has attracted more and more attentions from researchers and from many government and international agencies. Numerous countries have developed policiesmore » and measures to restrict and reduce standby energy consumption (US EPA, 2004, IEA, 2001, and GEEA, 2004). However, standby energy consumption is still a new concept for Chinese consumers and the phenomenon of ''unconscious waste of energy'' is still very common in the people's daily life and work. With the goal of reducing China's standby energy consumption, China Certification Center for Energy Conservation Products (CECP) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have, under the sponsorship of the Energy Foundation (EF), entered into a collaboration to develop technical requirements for CECP's labeling program for consumer electronics and office equipment. These technical requirements will be used to qualify products for CECP's energy efficiency endorsement label in China. In the phase I of this collaborative project, CECP and LBNL conducted technical and economic research on televisions and printers in China. Based on the results of this research, CECP developed specifications for, and carried out corresponding energy conservation certifications for these two products. CECP's standby power certification program has made impressive gains in China. Leading manufacturers, such as Haier, Hesons, TCL, Chuangwei, Lenovo, EPSON, Fujitsu, and Brother have participated in CECP

  8. Envri Cluster - a Community-Driven Platform of European Environmental Researcher Infrastructures for Providing Common E-Solutions for Earth Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asmi, A.; Sorvari, S.; Kutsch, W. L.; Laj, P.

    2017-12-01

    European long-term environmental research infrastructures (often referred as ESFRI RIs) are the core facilities for providing services for scientists in their quest for understanding and predicting the complex Earth system and its functioning that requires long-term efforts to identify environmental changes (trends, thresholds and resilience, interactions and feedbacks). Many of the research infrastructures originally have been developed to respond to the needs of their specific research communities, however, it is clear that strong collaboration among research infrastructures is needed to serve the trans-boundary research requires exploring scientific questions at the intersection of different scientific fields, conducting joint research projects and developing concepts, devices, and methods that can be used to integrate knowledge. European Environmental research infrastructures have already been successfully worked together for many years and have established a cluster - ENVRI cluster - for their collaborative work. ENVRI cluster act as a collaborative platform where the RIs can jointly agree on the common solutions for their operations, draft strategies and policies and share best practices and knowledge. Supporting project for the ENVRI cluster, ENVRIplus project, brings together 21 European research infrastructures and infrastructure networks to work on joint technical solutions, data interoperability, access management, training, strategies and dissemination efforts. ENVRI cluster act as one stop shop for multidisciplinary RI users, other collaborative initiatives, projects and programmes and coordinates and implement jointly agreed RI strategies.

  9. Adaptation in Collaborative Governance Regimes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Emerson, Kirk; Gerlak, Andrea K.

    2014-10-01

    Adaptation and the adaptive capacity of human and environmental systems have been of central concern to natural and social science scholars, many of whom characterize and promote the need for collaborative cross-boundary systems that are seen as flexible and adaptive by definition. Researchers who study collaborative governance systems in the public administration, planning and policy literature have paid less attention to adaptive capacity specifically and institutional adaptation in general. This paper bridges the two literatures and finds four common dimensions of capacity, including structural arrangements, leadership, knowledge and learning, and resources. In this paper, we focus on institutional adaptation in the context of collaborative governance regimes and try to clarify and distinguish collaborative capacity from adaptive capacity and their contributions to adaptive action. We posit further that collaborative capacities generate associated adaptive capacities thereby enabling institutional adaptation within collaborative governance regimes. We develop these distinctions and linkages between collaborative and adaptive capacities with the help of an illustrative case study in watershed management within the National Estuary Program.

  10. Linear and branched perfluorooctane sulfonate isomers in technical product and environmental samples by in-port derivatization-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Chu, Shaogang; Letcher, Robert J

    2009-06-01

    Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is found globally as an environmental contaminant and is highly bioaccumulative in exposed biota including humans. However, there is a dearth of environmental information on the isomeric profile of PFOS, especially in biological samples, which requires suitable analysis methods for the identification and quantification of ultratrace amounts. In the present study, a novel method was developed that incorporates clean up by solid-phase extraction (SPE) WAX cartridges and in-port derivatization-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to identify and quantitatively determine linear PFOS (L-PFOS) and branched (monotrifluoromethyl and bistrifluoromethyl) isomers in PFOS technical product and in environmentally relevant biological samples. Tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) was used for derivatization via an in situ pyrolytic alkylation reaction that occurred in the GC injector and generated butyl PFOS isomer derivatives. In addition to L-PFOS, ten branched PFOS isomers were identified in the technical product. The environmental relevance of branched PFOS isomers in addition to L-PFOS was evidenced by the presence of six branched and L-PFOS in representative herring gull and double-crested cormorant egg, and polar bear liver and plasma samples from the Great Lakes and Arctic, respectively. For all PFOS isomers in the technical product and biota samples the method demonstrated high sensitivity with the limit of detection (LOD) ranging from 0.05 to 0.25 ng/mL, with exception of L-PFOS where the LOD was 1.46 ng/mL. For the biotic samples, the method detection limits (MDLs) were slightly higher than the LODs and ranged from 0.09 to 0.46 ng/g wet weight (w.w.) with exception of L-PFOS (MDL = 6.87 ng/g w.w.).

  11. Public-Private Collaborations with Earth-Space Benefits

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, Jeffrey R.; Richard, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    The NASA Human Health and Performance Center (NHHPC) was established in October 2010 to promote collaborative problem solving and project development to advance human health and performance innovations benefiting life in space and on Earth. The NHHPC, which now boasts over 150 corporate, government, academic and non-profit members, has convened four successful workshops and engaged in multiple collaborative projects. The virtual center facilitates member engagement through a variety of vehicles, including annual in-person workshops, webcasts, quarterly electronic newsletters, web postings, and the new system for partner engagement. NHHPC workshops serve to bring member organizations together to share best practices, discuss common goals, and facilitate development of the collaborative projects. The most recent NHHPC workshop was conducted in November 2013 on the topic of "Accelerating Innovation: New Organizational Business Models," and focused on various collaborative approaches successfully used by organizations to achieve their goals. Past workshops have addressed smart media and health applications, connecting through collaboration, microbiology innovations, and strategies and best practices in open innovation. A fifth workshop in Houston, Texas, planned for September 18, 2014, will feature "Innovation Through Co-Development: Engaging Partners". One area of great interest to NASA is mobile health applications, including mobile laboratory analytics, health monitoring, and close loop sensing, all of which also offer ground-based health applications for remote and underserved areas. Another project being coordinated by NASA and the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute is the pursuit of one to several novel strategies to increase medication stability that would enable health care in remote terrestrial settings as well as during space flight. NASA has also funded work with corporate NHHPC partner GE, seeking to develop ultrasound methodologies that will

  12. Police Reform, Task Force Rhetoric, and Traces of Dissent: Rethinking Consensus-as-Outcome in Collaborative Writing Situations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knievel, Michael

    2008-01-01

    Pedagogical and scholarly representations of collaborative writing and knowledge construction in technical communication have traditionally recognized consensus as the logical outcome of collaborative work, even as scholars and teachers have acknowledged the value of conflict and "dissensus" in the process of collaborative knowledge…

  13. The role of interdisciplinary collaboration for stated preference methods to value marine environmental goods and ecosystem services

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Börger, Tobias; Böhnke-Henrichs, Anne; Hattam, Caroline; Piwowarczyk, Joanna; Schasfoort, Femke; Austen, Melanie C.

    2018-02-01

    With the increasing use of environmental valuation methods in coastal, marine and deep-sea settings, there is a growing need for the collaboration of natural scientists and environmental economists. Stated preference valuation methods in particular need to be based on sound natural science information and translate such information to be used in social surveys. This paper uses three applications to make explicit the flow of information between different disciplines in the preparation and implementation of stated preference studies. One approach for facilitating this flow is to increase knowledge and understanding of natural scientists on these methods. To address this, this paper highlights key opportunities and pitfalls and demonstrates those in the context of three case studies. It therefore provides guidance on stated preference valuation for natural scientists rather than for economists.

  14. Technical assistance from state health departments for communities engaged in policy, systems, and environmental change: the ACHIEVE Program.

    PubMed

    Hefelfinger, Jenny; Patty, Alice; Ussery, Ann; Young, Walter

    2013-10-24

    This study assessed the value of technical assistance provided by state health department expert advisors and by the staff of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) to community groups that participated in the Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and Environmental Change (ACHIEVE) Program, a CDC-funded health promotion program. We analyzed quantitative and qualitative data reported by community project coordinators to assess the nature and value of technical assistance provided by expert advisors and NACDD staff and the usefulness of ACHIEVE resources in the development and implementation of community action plans. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze and categorize phrases in text data provided by community coordinators. Open coding placed conceptual labels on text phrases. Frequency distributions of the quantitative data are described and discussed. The most valuable technical assistance and program support resources were those determined to be in the interpersonal domain (ie, interactions with state expert advisors, NACDD staff, and peer-to-peer support). The most valuable technical assistance events were action institutes, coaches' meetings, webinars, and technical assistance conference calls. This analysis suggests that ACHIEVE communities valued the management and training assistance provided by expert advisors and NACDD staff. State health department expert advisors provided technical guidance and support, including such skills or knowledge-based services as best-practice strategies, review and discussion of community assessment data, sustainability planning, and identification of possible funding opportunities. NACDD staff led development and implementation of technical assistance events.

  15. EPA Collaboration with Mexico

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA works with our Mexican neighbors on the U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program, a collaboration between the United States and Mexico to improve the environment and protect the health of the nearly 12 million people living along the border.

  16. Collaborative environmental projects in a multicultural society: working from within separate or mutual landscapes?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tal, Tali; Alkaher, Iris

    2010-06-01

    A multicultural socio-environmental project that is framed in the ideas of education for sustainability brought together Jew and Arab students was investigated to identify the participants' views of the program's objectives and their accomplishments. We investigated the project's strengths and weaknesses according to the participants' views and the way culturally diverse students addressed the main local socio-environmental conflict related to conservation versus development of a local creek. The participants agreed that the environmental objectives were properly attained, while the social objectives were accomplished to a limited extent. All the participants emphasized the importance of multicultural knowledge and expected to learn and work together. We found different views of the Jewish and the Arab participants regarding expectations, collaboration and overall satisfaction, with higher expectations of the Arab students and leaders. The students' views of the local conflict varied but were not associated with their ethnic background. We suggest that the differences between the groups result from the different positions and needs of each community, and mainly as a consequence of the difficulties that the Arab minority faces in Israel. Overall, we found that the project allowed the expression of multiple voices of both groups, and suggested an applicable program for education for sustainability in a multicultural society. [InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.][InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.

  17. Enhancing Non-Technical Skills by a Multidisciplinary Engineering Summer School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Larsen, Peter Gorm; Kristiansen, Erik Lasse; Bennedsen, Jens; Bjerge, Kim

    2017-01-01

    In general engineering studies focus on the technical skills in their own discipline. However, in their subsequent industrial careers, a significant portion of their time needs to be devoted to non-technical skills. In addition, in an increasingly globalised world collaboration in teams across cultures and disciplines is paramount to the creation…

  18. Technical Support for Contaminated Sites

    EPA Science Inventory

    In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD), Office of Land and Emergency Management, and EPA Regional waste management offices established the Technical Support Project. The creation of the Technical Support Project enabled...

  19. Communication Behaviors and Trust in Collaborative Online Teams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bulu, Saniye Tugba; Yildirim, Zahide

    2008-01-01

    This study investigates preservice teachers' trust levels and collaborative communication behaviors namely leadership, feedback, social interaction, enthusiasm, task and technical uncertainties, and task-oriented interactions in online learning environment. A case study design involving qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis was…

  20. Technical Report Bibliography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoffnagle, Gale F.

    A Bibliography of all unclassified technical reports prepared by USAF Environmental Health Laboratory, McClellan is presented. It contains a listing by subject matter and a listing of all reports by year with report number and abstract. The reports cover most areas of environmental topics such as air, water, noise, and radiation pollution. (NTIS)

  1. ENVRI PLUS: European initiative towards technical and research cultural solutions for across-disciplines accessible Research Infrastructure products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asmi, A.; Kutsch, W. L.

    2015-12-01

    Environmental Research Infrastructures are often built as bottom-up initiatives to provide products for specific target group, which often is very discipline specific. However, the societal or environmental challenges are typically not concentrated on specific disciplines, and require usage of data sets from many RIs. ENVRI PLUS is an initiative where the European environmental RIs work together to provide common technical background (in physical observation technologies and in data products and descriptions) to make the RI products more usable to user groups outside of the original RI target groups. ENVRI PLUS also includes many policy and dissemination concentrated actions to make the RI operations coherent and understandable to both scientists and other potential users. The actions include building common technological capital of the RIs (physical and data-oriented), creating common access procedures (especially for cross-diciplinary access), developing ethical guidelines and related policies, distributing know-how between RIs and building common communication and collaboration system for European environmental RIs. All ENVRI PLUS products are free to use, e.g. for use of new or existing environmental RIs worldwide.

  2. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

    1992-10-01

    The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP) provides technical direction. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impact on humans (dose estimates):Source Terms, Environmental Transport, Environmental Monitoring Data, Demography, Food Consumption, and Agriculture, and Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates.

  3. Chlordane (Technical)

    Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)

    TOXICOLOGICAL REVIEW of CHLORDANE ( TECHNICAL ) ( CAS No . 12789 - 03 - 6 ) In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System ( IRIS ) December 1997 U.S . Environmental Protection Agency Washington , DC TABLE OF CONTENTS Authors and Reviewers . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  4. U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT NEEDS RELATED TO CONCEPTUAL MODEL DEVELOPMENT FOR SUBSURFACE REACTIVE TRANSPORT MODELING OF INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS, RADIONUCLIDES, AND NUTRIENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    EPA's Office of Research and Development is responsible to EPA's Office of Solid Waste to provide research and technical support for waste site closures and the development of technical guidance in support of environmental regulations and programmatic policies. ORD is also respo...

  5. Environmental Effects of Agricultural Practices - Summary of Workshop Held on June 14-16, 2005

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    2006-01-01

    A meeting between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners was held June 14-16, 2005, in Denver, CO, to discuss science issues and needs related to agricultural practices. The goals of the meeting were to learn about the (1) effects of agricultural practices on the environment and (2) tools for identifying and quantifying those effects. Achieving these goals required defining the environmental concerns, developing scientific actions to address assessment of environmental effects, and creating collaborations to identify future research requirements and technical gaps. Five areas of concern were discussed-emerging compounds; water availability; genetically modified organisms; effects of conservation practices on ecosystems; and data, methods, and tools for assessing effects of agricultural practices.

  6. Preliminary Framework for Human-Automation Collaboration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Oxstrand, Johanna Helene; Le Blanc, Katya Lee; Spielman, Zachary Alexander

    The Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Technologies Program sponsors research, development and deployment activities through its Next Generation Nuclear Plant, Advanced Reactor Concepts, and Advanced Small Modular Reactor (aSMR) Programs to promote safety, technical, economical, and environmental advancements of innovative Generation IV nuclear energy technologies. The Human Automation Collaboration (HAC) Research Project is located under the aSMR Program, which identifies developing advanced instrumentation and controls and human-machine interfaces as one of four key research areas. It is expected that the new nuclear power plant designs will employ technology significantly more advanced than the analog systems in the existing reactor fleetmore » as well as utilizing automation to a greater extent. Moving towards more advanced technology and more automation does not necessary imply more efficient and safer operation of the plant. Instead, a number of concerns about how these technologies will affect human performance and the overall safety of the plant need to be addressed. More specifically, it is important to investigate how the operator and the automation work as a team to ensure effective and safe plant operation, also known as the human-automation collaboration (HAC). The focus of the HAC research is to understand how various characteristics of automation (such as its reliability, processes, and modes) effect an operator’s use and awareness of plant conditions. In other words, the research team investigates how to best design the collaboration between the operators and the automated systems in a manner that has the greatest positive impact on overall plant performance and reliability. This report addresses the Department of Energy milestone M4AT-15IN2302054, Complete Preliminary Framework for Human-Automation Collaboration, by discussing the two phased development of a preliminary HAC framework. The framework developed in the first phase was used

  7. Technical Assistance From State Health Departments for Communities Engaged in Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change: The ACHIEVE Program

    PubMed Central

    Hefelfinger, Jenny; Patty, Alice; Ussery, Ann

    2013-01-01

    Introduction This study assessed the value of technical assistance provided by state health department expert advisors and by the staff of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) to community groups that participated in the Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and Environmental Change (ACHIEVE) Program, a CDC-funded health promotion program. Methods We analyzed quantitative and qualitative data reported by community project coordinators to assess the nature and value of technical assistance provided by expert advisors and NACDD staff and the usefulness of ACHIEVE resources in the development and implementation of community action plans. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze and categorize phrases in text data provided by community coordinators. Open coding placed conceptual labels on text phrases. Frequency distributions of the quantitative data are described and discussed. Results The most valuable technical assistance and program support resources were those determined to be in the interpersonal domain (ie, interactions with state expert advisors, NACDD staff, and peer-to-peer support). The most valuable technical assistance events were action institutes, coaches’ meetings, webinars, and technical assistance conference calls. Conclusion This analysis suggests that ACHIEVE communities valued the management and training assistance provided by expert advisors and NACDD staff. State health department expert advisors provided technical guidance and support, including such skills or knowledge-based services as best-practice strategies, review and discussion of community assessment data, sustainability planning, and identification of possible funding opportunities. NACDD staff led development and implementation of technical assistance events. PMID:24157078

  8. Interagency Collaboration for Young Adults with Deaf-Blindness: Toward a Common Transition Goal.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Everson, Jane M.; And Others

    This monograph is a compilation of the knowledge gained by the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) of the Helen Keller National Center, from training and technical assistance activities conducted with state interagency teams serving youth and young adults with deaf-blindness. The book views interagency collaboration as essential in achieving…

  9. Collaboration and nested environmental governance: Scale dependency, scale framing, and cross-scale interactions in collaborative conservation.

    PubMed

    Wyborn, Carina; Bixler, R Patrick

    2013-07-15

    The problem of fit between social institutions and ecological systems is an enduring challenge in natural resource management and conservation. Developments in the science of conservation biology encourage the management of landscapes at increasingly larger scales. In contrast, sociological approaches to conservation emphasize the importance of ownership, collaboration and stewardship at scales relevant to the individual or local community. Despite the proliferation of initiatives seeking to work with local communities to undertake conservation across large landscapes, there is an inherent tension between these scales of operation. Consequently, questions about the changing nature of effective conservation across scales abound. Through an analysis of three nested cases working in a semiautonomous fashion in the Northern Rocky Mountains in North America, this paper makes an empirical contribution to the literature on nested governance, collaboration and communication across scales. Despite different scales of operation, constituencies and scale frames, we demonstrate a surprising similarity in organizational structure and an implicit dependency between these initiatives. This paper examines the different capacities and capabilities of collaborative conservation from the local to regional to supra regional. We draw on the underexplored concept of 'scale-dependent comparative advantage' (Cash and Moser, 2000), to gain insight into what activities take place at which scale and what those activities contribute to nested governance and collaborative conservation. The comparison of these semiautonomous cases provides fruitful territory to draw lessons for understanding the roles and relationships of organizations operating at different scales in more connected networks of nested governance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. DOE Chair of Excellence Professorship in Environmental Disciplines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shoou-Yuh Chang

    2013-01-31

    The United States (US) nuclear weapons program during the Cold War left a legacy of radioactive, hazardous, chemical wastes and facilities that may seriously harm the environment and people even today. Widespread public concern about the environmental pollution has created an extraordinary demand for the treatment and disposal of wastes in a manner to protect the public health and safety. The pollution abatement and environmental protection require an understanding of technical, regulatory, economic, permitting, institutional, and public policy issues. Scientists and engineers have a major role in this national effort to clean our environment, especially in developing alternative solutions andmore » evaluation criteria and designing the necessary facilities to implement the solutions. The objective of the DOE Chair of Excellence project is to develop a high quality educational and research program in environmental engineering at North Carolina A&T State University (A&T). This project aims to increase the number of graduate and undergraduate students trained in environmental areas while developing a faculty concentrated in environmental education and research. Although A&T had a well developed environmental program prior to the Massie Chair grant, A&T's goal is to become a model of excellence in environmental engineering through the program's support. The program will provide a catalyst to enhance collaboration of faculty and students among various engineering departments to work together in a focus research area. The collaboration will be expanded to other programs at A&T. The past research focus areas include: hazardous and radioactive waste treatment and disposal fate and transport of hazardous chemicals in the environment innovative technologies for hazardous waste site remediation pollution prevention Starting from 2005, the new research focus was in the improvement of accuracy for radioactive contaminant transport models by ensemble based data assimilation

  11. Research Institute for Technical Careers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glenn, Ronald L.

    1996-01-01

    The NASA research grant to Wilberforce University enabled us to establish the Research Institute for Technical Careers (RITC) in order to improve the teaching of science and engineering at Wilberforce. The major components of the research grant are infrastructure development, establishment of the Wilberforce Intensive Summer Experience (WISE), and Joint Research Collaborations with NASA Scientists. (A) Infrastructure Development. The NASA grant has enabled us to improve the standard of our chemistry laboratory and establish the electronics, design, and robotics laboratories. These laboratories have significantly improved the level of instruction at Wilberforce University. (B) Wilberforce Intensive Summer Experience (WISE). The WISE program is a science and engineering bridge program for prefreshman students. It is an intensive academic experience designed to strengthen students' knowledge in mathematics, science, engineering, computing skills, and writing. (C) Joint Collaboration. Another feature of the grant is research collaborations between NASA Scientists and Wilberforce University Scientists. These collaborations have enabled our faculty and students to conduct research at NASA Lewis during the summer and publish research findings in various journals and scientific proceedings.

  12. Public-Private Collaborations with Earth-Space Benefits

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, Jeffrey R.; Richard, Elizabeth E.

    2014-01-01

    The NASA Human Health and Performance Center (NHHPC) was established in October 2010 to promote collaborative problem solving and project development to advance human health and performance innovations benefiting life in space and on Earth. The NHHPC, which now boasts over 135 corporate, government, academic and non-profit members, has convened four successful workshops and engaged in multiple collaborative projects. The center is currently developing a streamlined partner engagement process to capture technical needs and opportunities of NHHPC members, facilitate partnership development, and establish and manage collaborative projects for NASA. The virtual center facilitates member engagement through a variety of vehicles, including annual inperson workshops, webcasts, quarterly electronic newsletters, web postings, and the new system for partner engagement. The most recent NHHPC workshop was conducted in November 2013 on the topic of "Accelerating Innovation: New Organizational Business Models," and focused on various collaborative approaches successfully used by organizations to achieve their goals. The powerful notion of collaboration across sectors to solve intractable problems was recently highlighted in Williams Eggers' book "The Solution Revolution,"i which provides numerous examples of how business, government and social enterprises partner to solve tough problems. Mr. Eggers was a keynote speaker at the workshop, along with Harvard Business School, Jump Associates, and the Conrad Foundation. The robust program also included an expert panel addressing collaboration across sectors, four interactive breakout sessions, and a concluding keynote on innovative ways to increase science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education by NASA Associate Administrator for Education, Leland Melvin. The NHHPC forum also provides a platform for international partners to interact on many topics. Members from around the world include ISS International Partner JAXA

  13. The collaboration imperative.

    PubMed

    Nidumolu, Ram; Ellison, Jib; Whalen, John; Billman, Erin

    2014-04-01

    Addressing global sustainability challenges--including climate change, resource depletion, and ecosystem loss--is beyond the individual capabilities of even the largest companies. To tackle these threats, and unleash new value, companies and other stakeholders must collaborate in new ways that treat fragile and complex ecosystems as a whole. In this article, the authors draw on cases including the Latin American Water Funds Partnership, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (led by Nike, Patagonia, and Walmart), and Action to Accelerate Recycling (a partnership between Alcoa, consumer packaged goods companies, and local governments, among others) to describe four new collaboration models that create shared value and address environmental protection across the value stream. Optimal collaborations focus on improving either business processes or outcomes. They start with a small group of key organizations, bring in project management expertise, link self-interest to shared interest, encourage productive competition, create quick wins, and, above all, build and maintain trust.

  14. EPA Collaboration with Vietnam

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Vietnam, one of Asia’s emerging economies, is an important environmental partner for EPA in Asia. EPA’s current cooperation with Vietnam primarily focuses on dioxin remediation and technical assistance to reduce methane emissions.

  15. A Day in the Professional Life of a Collaborative Biostatistician Deconstructed: Implications for Curriculum Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Samsa, Gregory P.

    2018-01-01

    Collaborative biostatistics is the creative application of statistical tools to biomedical problems. The relatively modest literature about the traits of effective collaborative biostatisticians focuses on four core competencies: (a) technical and analytical; (b) substance-matter knowledge; (c) communication; and (d) problem solving and problem…

  16. Designing Technology for Content-Independent Collaborative Mobile Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boticki, I.; Wong, Lung Hsiang; Looi, Chee-Kit

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes the design of a technology platform for supporting content-independent collaborative mobile learning in the classroom. The technical architecture provides mechanisms for assigning different content or materials to students and then guiding them to form groups with other students in which the combination and integration of…

  17. Establishment of the International Power Institute. Final technical report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Julius E. Coles

    The International Power Institute, in collaboration with American industries, seeks to address technical, political, economic and cultural issues of developing countries in the interest of facilitating profitable transactions in power related infrastructure projects. IPI works with universities, governments and commercial organizations to render project-specific recommendations for private-sector investment considerations. IPI also established the following goals: Facilitate electric power infrastructure transactions between developing countries and the US power industry; Collaborate with developing countries to identify development strategies to achieve energy stability; and Encourage market driven solutions and work collaboratively with other international trade energy, technology and banking organizations.

  18. Inland Waterway Environmental Safety

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reshnyak, Valery; Sokolov, Sergey; Nyrkov, Anatoliy; Budnik, Vlad

    2018-05-01

    The article presents the results of development of the main components of the environmental safety when operating vessels on inland waterways, which include strategy selection ensuring the environmental safety of vessels, the selection and justification of a complex of environmental technical means, activities to ensure operation of vessels taking into account the environmental technical means. Measures to ensure environmental safety are developed on the basis of the principles aimed at ensuring environmental safety of vessels. They include the development of strategies for the use of environmental protection equipment, which are determined by the conditions for wastewater treatment of purified sewage and oily bilge water as well as technical characteristics of the vessels, the introduction of the process of the out-of-the-vessel processing of ship pollution as a technology for their movement. This must take into account the operating conditions of vessels on different sections of waterways. An algorithm of actions aimed at ensuring ecological safety of operated vessels is proposed.

  19. The importance of defining technical issues in interagency environmental negotiations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lamb, B.L.; Burkardt, N.; Taylor, J.G.

    2001-01-01

    The role of technical clarity in successful multiparty negotiations was studied. Investigations involved in-depth interviews with the principal participants in six consultations conducted under the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s hydroelectric power project licensing procedures. Technical clarity was especially important in these cases because they concerned science-based questions. The principal issues in the six cases were fish passage, instream flow for fish habitat, and entrainment of fish in hydropower turbines. It was concluded that technical clarity was one of the most critical elements in resolving these conflicts. In the least successful negotiations, parties failed to address the basic values of the dispute before plunging into technical studies. The results of those studies usually highlighted the potential for negative outcomes and increased polarization between the participants. In the most successful negotiations, the various parties shared an understanding of each of their basic values. These shared understandings led to technical studies that cast the negotiation in a positive light and illuminated possible solutions.

  20. Advancing Innovation Through Collaboration: Implementation of the NASA Space Life Sciences Strategy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, Jeffrey R.; Richard, Elizabeth E.

    2010-01-01

    On October 18, 2010, the NASA Human Health and Performance center (NHHPC) was opened to enable collaboration among government, academic and industry members. Membership rapidly grew to 90 members (http://nhhpc.nasa.gov ) and members began identifying collaborative projects as detailed in this article. In addition, a first workshop in open collaboration and innovation was conducted on January 19, 2011 by the NHHPC resulting in additional challenges and projects for further development. This first workshop was a result of the SLSD successes in running open innovation challenges over the past two years. In 2008, the NASA Johnson Space Center, Space Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) began pilot projects in open innovation (crowd sourcing) to determine if these new internet-based platforms could indeed find solutions to difficult technical problems. From 2008 to 2010, the SLSD issued 34 challenges, 14 externally and 20 internally. The 14 external challenges were conducted through three different vendors: InnoCentive, Yet2.com and TopCoder. The 20 internal challenges were conducted using the InnoCentive platform, customized to NASA use, and promoted as NASA@Work. The results from the 34 challenges involved not only technical solutions that were reported previously at the 61st IAC, but also the formation of new collaborative relationships. For example, the TopCoder pilot was expanded by the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate to the NASA Tournament Lab in collaboration with Harvard Business School and TopCoder. Building on these initial successes, the NHHPC workshop in January of 2011, and ongoing NHHPC member discussions, several important collaborations have been developed: (1) Space Act Agreement between NASA and GE for collaborative projects (2) NASA and academia for a Visual Impairment / Intracranial Hypertension summit (February 2011) (3) NASA and the DoD through the Defense Venture Catalyst Initiative (DeVenCI) for a technical needs workshop (June 2011) (4

  1. Enhancing non-technical skills by a multidisciplinary engineering summer school

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Larsen, Peter Gorm; Kristiansen, Erik Lasse; Bennedsen, Jens; Bjerge, Kim

    2017-11-01

    In general engineering studies focus on the technical skills in their own discipline. However, in their subsequent industrial careers, a significant portion of their time needs to be devoted to non-technical skills. In addition, in an increasingly globalised world collaboration in teams across cultures and disciplines is paramount to the creation of new and innovative products. In order to enhance the non-technical skills for groups of engineering students a series of innovation courses has been arranged and delivered in close collaboration with an industrial company (Bang & Olufsen). These courses have been organised as summer schools called 'Conceptual Design and Development of Innovative Products' (CD-DIP) and delivered outside the usual educational environment. In order to explore the impact of this single course, we have conducted a study among the students participating from 2007 to 2013. This has been carried out both qualitatively using interviews with selected students as well as quantitatively using a survey. The results are outstanding in demonstrating that the non-technical skills obtained in this single course have been of high value for a large portion of the students' subsequent professional life.

  2. Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG): a collaboration of scientists, law enforcement officials, and regulators working to combat nuclear terrorism and proliferation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schwantes, Jon M.

    Founded in 1996 upon the initiative of the “Group of 8” governments (G8), the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) is an ad hoc organization of official Nuclear Forensics practitioners (scientists, law enforcement, and regulators) that can be called upon to provide technical assistance to the global community in the event of a seizure of nuclear or radiological materials. The ITWG is supported by and is affiliated with nearly 40 countries and international partner organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), EURATOM, INTERPOL, EUROPOL, and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) (Figure 1). Besidesmore » providing a network of nuclear forensics laboratories that are able to assist the global community during a nuclear smuggling event, the ITWG is also committed to the advancement of the science of nuclear forensic analysis, largely through participation in periodic table top and Collaborative Materials Exercises (CMXs). Exercise scenarios use “real world” samples with realistic forensics investigation time constraints and reporting requirements. These exercises are designed to promote best practices in the field and test, evaluate, and improve new technical capabilities, methods and techniques in order to advance the science of nuclear forensics. Past efforts to advance nuclear forensic science have also included scenarios that asked laboratories to adapt conventional forensics methods (e.g. DNA, fingerprints, tool marks, and document comparisons) for collecting and preserving evidence comingled with radioactive materials.« less

  3. Collaborative environmental DNA sampling from petal surfaces of flowering cherry Cerasus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' across the Japanese archipelago.

    PubMed

    Ohta, Tazro; Kawashima, Takeshi; Shinozaki, Natsuko O; Dobashi, Akito; Hiraoka, Satoshi; Hoshino, Tatsuhiko; Kanno, Keiichi; Kataoka, Takafumi; Kawashima, Shuichi; Matsui, Motomu; Nemoto, Wataru; Nishijima, Suguru; Suganuma, Natsuki; Suzuki, Haruo; Taguchi, Y-H; Takenaka, Yoichi; Tanigawa, Yosuke; Tsuneyoshi, Momoka; Yoshitake, Kazutoshi; Sato, Yukuto; Yamashita, Riu; Arakawa, Kazuharu; Iwasaki, Wataru

    2018-02-19

    Recent studies have shown that environmental DNA is found almost everywhere. Flower petal surfaces are an attractive tissue to use for investigation of the dispersal of environmental DNA in nature as they are isolated from the external environment until the bud opens and only then can the petal surface accumulate environmental DNA. Here, we performed a crowdsourced experiment, the "Ohanami Project", to obtain environmental DNA samples from petal surfaces of Cerasus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' across the Japanese archipelago during spring 2015. C. × yedoensis is the most popular garden cherry species in Japan and clones of this cultivar bloom simultaneously every spring. Data collection spanned almost every prefecture and totaled 577 DNA samples from 149 collaborators. Preliminary amplicon-sequencing analysis showed the rapid attachment of environmental DNA onto the petal surfaces. Notably, we found DNA of other common plant species in samples obtained from a wide distribution; this DNA likely originated from the pollen of the Japanese cedar. Our analysis supports our belief that petal surfaces after blossoming are a promising target to reveal the dynamics of environmental DNA in nature. The success of our experiment also shows that crowdsourced environmental DNA analyses have considerable value in ecological studies.

  4. Accelerating what works: using qualitative research methods in developing a change package for a learning collaborative.

    PubMed

    Sorensen, Asta V; Bernard, Shulamit L

    2012-02-01

    Learning (quality improvement) collaboratives are effective vehicles for driving coordinated organizational improvements. A central element of a learning collaborative is the change package-a catalogue of strategies, change concepts, and action steps that guide participants in their improvement efforts. Despite a vast literature describing learning collaboratives, little to no information is available on how the guiding strategies, change concepts, and action items are identified and developed to a replicable and actionable format that can be used to make measurable improvements within participating organizations. The process for developing the change package for the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative entailed environmental scan and identification of leading practices, case studies, interim debriefing meetings, data synthesis, and a technical expert panel meeting. Data synthesis involved end-of-day debriefings, systematic qualitative analyses, and the use of grounded theory and inductive data analysis techniques. This approach allowed systematic identification of innovative patient safety and clinical pharmacy practices that could be adopted in diverse environments. A case study approach enabled the research team to study practices in their natural environments. Use of grounded theory and inductive data analysis techniques enabled identification of strategies, change concepts, and actionable items that might not have been captured using different approaches. Use of systematic processes and qualitative methods in identification and translation of innovative practices can greatly accelerate the diffusion of innovations and practice improvements. This approach is effective whether or not an individual organization is part of a learning collaborative.

  5. 77 FR 36533 - Notice of Availability of the Benchmark Dose Technical Guidance

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-19

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9688-7] Notice of Availability of the Benchmark Dose Technical Guidance AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of Availability. SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing the availability of Benchmark Dose Technical...

  6. Collaboration Nation: The Building of the Welsh Repository Network

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knowles, Jacqueline

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to disseminate information about the Welsh Repository Network (WRN), innovative work being undertaken to build an integrated network of institutional digital repositories. A collaborative approach, in particular through the provision of centralised technical and organisational support, has demonstrated…

  7. Enhanced Collaboration for Space Situational Awareness via Proxy Agents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Picciano, P.; Schurr, N.

    2012-09-01

    The call for dynamic partnerships demanded in the US. Space Policy confronts two formidable challenges. The first is evident in the lack of the adoption of technical innovations that could substantially enhance collaboration. The second category, and perhaps a greater impediment, involves organizational and social constraints that minimize information sharing. Compounding the technical challenges, the organizational barriers to collaboration present a different problem set. There is a culture in the space domain that predisposes most stakeholders to guard their information. Most owner/operators are reluctant to share asset data, whether experiencing an anomaly or just providing status updates. This is unfortunate, because the owner/operators generally have the most accurate and timely data pertaining to their satellite. Comprehensive Space Situational Awareness (SSA) requires the marshaling of disparate mission critical elements. The mission threads reliant on SSA are complex and often require analysis from a diverse team of experts with sophisticated systems and tools that may be dispersed across multiple entities including military, commercial, and public interests. Two significant trends are likely to further perpetuate this state of affairs: 1) the space environment continues to be more congested, contested, and competitive, and 2) further pressures to increase SSA Sharing with a greater number of stakeholders throughout the world. The challenge of delivering the right information to the right people, while protecting national security and privacy interests, is in need of an innovative solution. Our approach, entitled Space Collaboration via an Agent Network (SCAN), enables proxy software agents to represent stakeholders (as individuals and organizations) to enhance collaboration among various agency producers and consumers of space information The SCAN agent network will facilitate collaboration by identifying opportunities to collaborate, as well as optimize

  8. Connecting Hydrologic Research and Management in American Samoa through Collaboration and Capacity Building

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shuler, C. K.; El-Kadi, A. I.; Dulai, H.; Glenn, C. R.; Mariner, M. K. E.; DeWees, R.; Schmaedick, M.; Gurr, I.; Comeros, M.; Bodell, T.

    2017-12-01

    In small-island developing communities, effective communication and collaboration with local stakeholders is imperative for successful implementation of hydrologic or other socially pertinent research. American Samoa's isolated location highlights the need for water resource sustainability, and effective scientific research is a key component to addressing critical challenges in water storage and management. Currently, aquifer degradation from salt-water-intrusion or surface-water contaminated groundwater adversely affects much of the islands' municipal water supply, necessitating an almost decade long Boil-Water-Advisory. This presentation will share the approach our research group, based at the University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center, has taken for successfully implementing a collaboration-focused water research program in American Samoa. Instead of viewing research as a one-sided activity, our program seeks opportunities to build local capacity, develop relationships with key on-island stakeholders, and involve local community through forward-looking projects. This presentation will highlight three applications of collaborative research with water policy and management, water supply and sustainability, and science education stakeholders. Projects include: 1) working with the island's water utility to establish a long-term hydrological monitoring network, motivated by a need for data to parameterize numerical groundwater models, 2) collaboration with the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency to better understand groundwater discharge and watershed scale land-use impacts for management of nearshore coral reef ecosystems, and 3) participation of local community college and high school students as research interns to increase involvement in, and exposure to socially pertinent water focused research. Through these innovative collaborative approaches we have utilized resources more effectively, and focused research efforts on more pertinent

  9. 78 FR 36677 - Triforine, Pesticide Tolerances; Technical Correction

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-19

    ..., Pesticide Tolerances; Technical Correction AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Correcting.... What does this technical correction do? EPA is correcting the CFR section number assigned to the... opportunity for public comment. EPA has determined that there is good cause for making this technical...

  10. A Model for Collaborative Learning in Undergraduate Climate Change Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teranes, J. L.

    2008-12-01

    Like several colleges and universities across the nation, the University of California, San Diego, has introduced climate change topics into many existing and new undergraduate courses. I have administered a program in this area at UCSD and have also developed and taught a new lower-division UCSD course entitled "Climate Change and Society", a general education course for non-majors. This class covers the basics of climate change, such as the science that explains it, the causes of climate change, climate change impacts, and mitigation strategies. The teaching methods for this course stress interdisciplinary approaches. I find that inquiry-based and collaborative modes of learning are particularly effective when applied to science-based climate, environmental and sustainability topics. Undergraduate education is often dominated by a competitive and individualistic approach to learning. In this approach, individual success is frequently perceived as contingent on others being less successful. Such a model is at odds with commonly stated goals of teaching climate change and sustainability, which are to equip students to contribute to the debate on global environmental change and societal adaptation strategies; and to help students become better informed citizens and decision makers. I present classroom-tested strategies for developing collaborative forms of learning in climate change and environmental courses, including team projects, group presentations and group assessment exercises. I show how critical thinking skills and long-term retention of information can benefit in the collaborative mode of learning. I find that a collaborative learning model is especially appropriate to general education courses in which the enrolled student body represents a wide diversity of majors, class level and expertise. I also connect collaborative coursework in interdisciplinary environmental topics directly to applications in the field, where so much "real-world" achievement in

  11. Environmental Regulations as Drivers of Materials Obsolescence

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scroggins, Sharon

    2010-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the operations of the Principal Center for Regulatory Risk Analysis and Communication (RRAC-PC) and the impact of environmental regulations in making some materials obsolete. The center is NASA's resource for identifying and managing risks associated with changing environmental regulations. To this end the center acts as an regulatory early warning system, to review track and analyze emerging regulations, collaborate with the technical community on regulatory risk analysis and interpretation and to represent NASA's interests to the regulatory agencies. Regulations frequently result in making some materials unavailable forcing a change to another material. Processes may also be changed due to environmental regulations. For example some items that were sprayed with a chemical may now have to be painted or dipped with the chemical. Sometimes a regulation changes the use of a certain product, which does not affect the usage on Earth, but has significant implications in space. An example of this is the use of lead-free solders of basically tin, which don't appear to have any problem on Earth, but in space applications tin whiskers have resulted in several confirmed satellite failures.

  12. 77 FR 46306 - Fluxapyroxad; Pesticide Tolerances Technical Amendment

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-03

    ...; Pesticide Tolerances Technical Amendment AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Final rule; technical amendment. SUMMARY: EPA issued a final rule in the Federal Register of May 14, 2012, concerning.... Inadvertently, the terminology for the oilseed crop group and for dried plums was incorrect. This technical...

  13. Integrating research, legal technical assistance, and advocacy to inform shared use legislation in Mississippi.

    PubMed

    Spengler, John O; Frost, Natasha R; Bryant, Katherine K

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this article was to describe the process by which research findings informed the successful passage of legislation designed to increase opportunities for physical activity in Mississippi, and discuss implications and lessons learned from this process. The article is descriptive and conceptual, and addresses the collaborative process by which research, legal technical assistance, and advocacy informed and shaped shared use legislation in Mississippi. Collaborators informing this article were an Active Living Research grantee, a staff attorney with the Public Health Law Center, the American Heart Association Mississippi Government Relations Director, and community partners. The American Heart Association and Public Health Law Center developed policy guidance in the form of sample language for legislation as a starting point for states in determining policy needed to eliminate or reduce barriers to the shared use of school recreational facilities. The policy guidance was informed by evidence from Active Living Research-funded research studies. The American Heart Association, supporting a bill shaped by the policy guidance, led the effort to advocate for successful shared use legislation in Mississippi. Research should be policy relevant and properly translated and disseminated. Legal technical assistance should involve collaboration with both researchers and advocates so that policymakers have the information to make evidence-based decisions. Government relations directors should collaborate with legal technical staff to obtain and understand policy guidance relevant to their advocacy efforts. Effective collaborations, with an evidence-based approach, can lead to informed, successful policy change.

  14. If it takes two to tango, then why not teach both partners to dance? Collaboration instruction for all educators.

    PubMed

    Hudson, P; Glomb, N

    1997-01-01

    Being able to collaborate effectively is important for teachers who work together to serve students with learning disabilities in general education classrooms. Effective collaboration requires that teachers have knowledge and skills in how to effectively communicate and share their technical expertise for the purpose of solving classroom problems and providing continuity across instructional settings. Although both special education and general education preparation programs provide preservice teachers with the technical expertise for their respective areas of certification, few programs provide both special education and general education majors with instruction in interpersonal communication skills and collaboration strategies. The purpose of this article is to suggest guidelines and strategies to help teacher preparation programs move toward collaboration instruction for all educators. Suggestions for what to teach and how to teach it are offered, as well as an overview of factors that influence the implementation of collaboration instruction for all educators.

  15. 48 CFR Appendix F to Chapter 7 - Use of Collaborative Assistance Method for Title XII Activities

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... AIDAR 715.613-71. 2. Purpose The collaborative assistance system is designed to: (a) Increase the joint..., including the design stage of a technical assistance project. 3. Policy The collaborative assistance... joint research and development—including training. In such an activity, the difficulty in defining, in...

  16. 48 CFR Appendix F to Chapter 7 - Use of Collaborative Assistance Method for Title XII Activities

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... AIDAR 715.613-71. 2. Purpose The collaborative assistance system is designed to: (a) Increase the joint..., including the design stage of a technical assistance project. 3. Policy The collaborative assistance... joint research and development—including training. In such an activity, the difficulty in defining, in...

  17. 48 CFR Appendix F to Chapter 7 - Use of Collaborative Assistance Method for Title XII Activities

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... AIDAR 715.613-71. 2. Purpose The collaborative assistance system is designed to: (a) Increase the joint..., including the design stage of a technical assistance project. 3. Policy The collaborative assistance... joint research and development—including training. In such an activity, the difficulty in defining, in...

  18. 48 CFR Appendix F to Chapter 7 - Use of Collaborative Assistance Method for Title XII Activities

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... AIDAR 715.613-71. 2. Purpose The collaborative assistance system is designed to: (a) Increase the joint..., including the design stage of a technical assistance project. 3. Policy The collaborative assistance... joint research and development—including training. In such an activity, the difficulty in defining, in...

  19. 48 CFR Appendix F to Chapter 7 - Use of Collaborative Assistance Method for Title XII Activities

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... AIDAR 715.613-71. 2. Purpose The collaborative assistance system is designed to: (a) Increase the joint..., including the design stage of a technical assistance project. 3. Policy The collaborative assistance... joint research and development—including training. In such an activity, the difficulty in defining, in...

  20. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project. Monthly report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

    1992-10-01

    The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP) provides technical direction. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impact on humans (dose estimates):Source Terms, Environmental Transport, Environmental Monitoring Data, Demography, Food Consumption, and Agriculture, and Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates.

  1. Computer Networking Strategies for Building Collaboration among Science Educators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aust, Ronald

    The development and dissemination of science materials can be associated with technical delivery systems such as the Unified Network for Informatics in Teacher Education (UNITE). The UNITE project was designed to investigate ways for using computer networking to improve communications and collaboration among university schools of education and…

  2. Collaborative Development: A New Culture Affects an Old Organization

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phelps, Jim; Ruzicka, Terry

    2008-01-01

    At the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison, the Registrar's Office and the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) apply a collaborative development process to joint projects. This model differs from a "waterfall" model in that technical and functional staff work closely to develop requirements, prototypes, and the product throughout…

  3. A technical, economic, and environmental performance of grid-connected hybrid (photovoltaic-wind) power system in Algeria.

    PubMed

    Saheb-Koussa, Djohra; Koussa, Mustapha; Said, Nourredine

    2013-01-01

    This paper studies the technical, economic, and environmental analysis of wind and photovoltaic power systems connected to a conventional grid. The main interest in such systems is on-site consumption of the produced energy, system hybridization, pooling of resources, and contribution to the environment protection. To ensure a better management of system energy, models have been used for determining the power that the constituting subsystems can deliver under specific weather conditions. Simulation is performed using MATLAB-SIMULINK. While, the economic and environmental study is performed using HOMER software. From an economic point of view, this allows to compare the financial constraints on each part of the system for the case of Adrar site which is located to the northern part of the south of Algeria. It also permits to optimally size and select the system presenting the best features on the basis of two parameters, that is, cost and effectiveness. From an environmental point of view, this study allows highlighting the role of renewable energy in reducing gas emissions related to greenhouse effects. In addition, through a set of sensitivity analysis, it is found that the wind speed has more effects on the environmental and economic performances of grid-connected hybrid (photovoltaic-wind) power systems.

  4. A Technical, Economic, and Environmental Performance of Grid-Connected Hybrid (Photovoltaic-Wind) Power System in Algeria

    PubMed Central

    Saheb-Koussa, Djohra; Koussa, Mustapha; Said, Nourredine

    2013-01-01

    This paper studies the technical, economic, and environmental analysis of wind and photovoltaic power systems connected to a conventional grid. The main interest in such systems is on-site consumption of the produced energy, system hybridization, pooling of resources, and contribution to the environment protection. To ensure a better management of system energy, models have been used for determining the power that the constituting subsystems can deliver under specific weather conditions. Simulation is performed using MATLAB-SIMULINK. While, the economic and environmental study is performed using HOMER software. From an economic point of view, this allows to compare the financial constraints on each part of the system for the case of Adrar site which is located to the northern part of the south of Algeria. It also permits to optimally size and select the system presenting the best features on the basis of two parameters, that is, cost and effectiveness. From an environmental point of view, this study allows highlighting the role of renewable energy in reducing gas emissions related to greenhouse effects. In addition, through a set of sensitivity analysis, it is found that the wind speed has more effects on the environmental and economic performances of grid-connected hybrid (photovoltaic-wind) power systems. PMID:24489488

  5. Exploring the Capability of Evaluating Technical Solutions: A Collaborative Study into the Primary Technology Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Björkholm, Eva

    2014-01-01

    Within the field of technology education, evaluating technical solutions is considered as an important topic. Research indicates that pupils have difficulties in evaluating technical solutions in terms of fitness for purpose, i.e. how effective a technical solution supports its intended function. By using the learning study, which is an iterative…

  6. The YMCA/Steps Community Collaboratives, 2004-2008.

    PubMed

    Adamson, Katie; Shepard, Dennis; Easton, Alyssa; Jones, Ellen S

    2009-07-01

    Since the YMCA/Steps National Partnership began in 2004, the collaborative approach has built local synergy, linked content experts, and engaged national partners to concentrate on some of the most pressing health issues in the United States. Together, national and local partners used evidence-based public health programs to address risk factors such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and tobacco use. This article describes the YMCA/Steps National Partnership and focuses on the experiences and achievements of the YMCA/Steps Community Collaboratives, conducted with technical assistance from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors between 2004 and 2008. We introduce some of the fundamental concepts underlying the partnership's success and share evaluation results.

  7. Northern goshawk inventory and monitoring technical guide

    Treesearch

    B. Woodbridge; C.D. Hargis

    2006-01-01

    This technical guide provides information on all aspects of inventory and monitoring related to the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and is to be used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service consistent with national direction, local priorities, and available funding, and also by interested partners and collaborators. When the protocols...

  8. The Community Collaboration Stakeholder Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heath, Renee Guarriello

    2010-01-01

    Today's increasingly complex and diverse world demands 21st century communication skills to solve community and social justice problems. Interorganizational collaboration is at the heart of much community activism, such as that focused on solving environmental disputes, eradicating racially discriminating real estate practices, and bringing early…

  9. Distributed collaborative environments for virtual capability-based planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McQuay, William K.

    2003-09-01

    Distributed collaboration is an emerging technology that will significantly change how decisions are made in the 21st century. Collaboration involves two or more geographically dispersed individuals working together to share and exchange data, information, knowledge, and actions. The marriage of information, collaboration, and simulation technologies provides the decision maker with a collaborative virtual environment for planning and decision support. This paper reviews research that is focusing on the applying open standards agent-based framework with integrated modeling and simulation to a new Air Force initiative in capability-based planning and the ability to implement it in a distributed virtual environment. Virtual Capability Planning effort will provide decision-quality knowledge for Air Force resource allocation and investment planning including examining proposed capabilities and cost of alternative approaches, the impact of technologies, identification of primary risk drivers, and creation of executable acquisition strategies. The transformed Air Force business processes are enabled by iterative use of constructive and virtual modeling, simulation, and analysis together with information technology. These tools are applied collaboratively via a technical framework by all the affected stakeholders - warfighter, laboratory, product center, logistics center, test center, and primary contractor.

  10. Organizational collaborative capacity in fighting pandemic crises: a literature review from the public management perspective.

    PubMed

    Lai, Allen Y

    2012-01-01

    Collaborative capacity serves for organizations as the capacity to collaborate with other network players. Organizational capacity matters as collaboration outcomes usually go beyond single-shot implementation efforts or a single-minded focus on either the vertical dimension of program or the horizontal component. This review article explores organizational collaborative capacities from the perspective of public management, in particular, network theory. By applying the 5 attributes of network theory-interdependence, membership, resources, information, and learning-to the explanation of collaborative capacity in fighting pandemic crises, I argue in some ways organizational collaborative capacity is very much like an organization in its own right. Studying collaborative capacity in the battle against pandemics facilitate our understanding of multisectoral collaboration in technical, political, and institutional dimensions, and greatly advances the richness of capacity vocabulary in pandemic response and preparedness.

  11. Engineering Technical Support Center Annual Report Fiscal Year 2015

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Office of Research and Development (ORD) created the Engineering Technical Support Center (ETSC) in 1987, one of several technical support centers created as part of the Technical Support Project (TSP). ETSC provid...

  12. Problem formulation, metrics, open government, and on-line collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ziegler, C. R.; Schofield, K.; Young, S.; Shaw, D.

    2010-12-01

    Problem formulation leading to effective environmental management, including synthesis and application of science by government agencies, may benefit from collaborative on-line environments. This is illustrated by two interconnected projects: 1) literature-based evidence tools that support causal assessment and problem formulation, and 2) development of output, outcome, and sustainability metrics for tracking environmental conditions. Specifically, peer-production mechanisms allow for global contribution to science-based causal evidence databases, and subsequent crowd-sourced development of causal networks supported by that evidence. In turn, science-based causal networks may inform problem formulation and selection of metrics or indicators to track environmental condition (or problem status). Selecting and developing metrics in a collaborative on-line environment may improve stakeholder buy-in, the explicit relevance of metrics to planning, and the ability to approach problem apportionment or accountability, and to define success or sustainability. Challenges include contribution governance, data-sharing incentives, linking on-line interfaces to data service providers, and the intersection of environmental science and social science. Degree of framework access and confidentiality may vary by group and/or individual, but may ultimately be geared at demonstrating connections between science and decision making and supporting a culture of open government, by fostering transparency, public engagement, and collaboration.

  13. CERAPP: Collaborative Estrogen Receptor Activity Prediction Project

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Data from a large-scale modeling project called CERAPP (Collaborative Estrogen Receptor Activity Prediction Project) demonstrating using predictive computational models on high-throughput screening data to screen thousands of chemicals against the estrogen receptor.This dataset is associated with the following publication:Mansouri , K., A. Abdelaziz, A. Rybacka, A. Roncaglioni, A. Tropsha, A. Varnek, A. Zakharov, A. Worth, A. Richard , C. Grulke , D. Trisciuzzi, D. Fourches, D. Horvath, E. Benfenati , E. Muratov, E.B. Wedebye, F. Grisoni, G.F. Mangiatordi, G.M. Incisivo, H. Hong, H.W. Ng, I.V. Tetko, I. Balabin, J. Kancherla , J. Shen, J. Burton, M. Nicklaus, M. Cassotti, N.G. Nikolov, O. Nicolotti, P.L. Andersson, Q. Zang, R. Politi, R.D. Beger , R. Todeschini, R. Huang, S. Farag, S.A. Rosenberg, S. Slavov, X. Hu, and R. Judson. (Environmental Health Perspectives) CERAPP: Collaborative Estrogen Receptor Activity Prediction Project. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, USA, 1-49, (2016).

  14. Enhancing Effective Stakeholder Participation in Local Groundwater Sustainability Planning through Technical Assistance in California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weintraub, C.; Christian-Smith, J.; Dobbin, K.; Cullen, K.

    2017-12-01

    This presentation will share content from UCS's new publication, Getting Involved in Groundwater; A Guide to Effective Engagement in California's Groundwater Sustainability Plans, as well as lessons learned from collaborating with community organizations to provide technical assistance to Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) board members and stakeholders in the San Joaquin Valley on Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) development. California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) mandates extensive stakeholder engagement, presenting an opportunity for unincorporated, low-income communities that have historically been affected by but not included in water decisions. However, implementation requires a concerted, thoughtful effort. Through technical assistance and strategic outreach, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is working to ensure stakeholder engagement in GSP development is robust, diverse, and supported by the best science available. UCS created the GSP stakeholder engagement guide to equip GSA members, scientists and interested community members to meaningfully engage in the GSP development process. The guide serves as a technical primer on SGMA's GSP process and as a resource for understanding groundwater management in California. The guide is just one component of a larger effort to overcome barriers to effective engagement in sustainable groundwater management, especially those presented by technical information. In April, UCS co-hosted a technical assistance workshop for GSA and advisory committee members in Visalia, CA with the Community Water Center (CWC), a local environmental justice non-profit. The workshop was well received and UCS and the CWC were invited to host a second workshop in June. To deepen this engagement and provide one-on-one technical assistance, UCS developed a program to match relevant water experts in the UCS Science Network with GSA members or involved community members in need of specific technical support

  15. Collaboration across organizational boarders, the referral case.

    PubMed

    Heimly, Vigdis

    2010-01-01

    Referrals are requests for medical examination and evaluation by a specialist, outpatient clinic or a hospital. The referral can be sent from a GP, specialist or from one hospital to another. The referral transfers fully or partly the responsibility for further treatment of the patient. The diffusion of electronic referrals in the health sector has been slow in many countries despite the fact that EHR-systems, referral standards and technical infrastructure are available. This paper addresses shortcomings that have been seen in the Norwegian deployment process, and how collaboration can support, and be supported by, the involved actors in different organizations. Special attention is paid to how GPs that work in part time positions as practice consultants in Hospitals can act as boundary spanners in order to improve the collaborating actors understanding of each other's needs and work processes. Practice consultant should also be used actively in design of ICT-systems that support collaboration across organizational boarders in health care.

  16. Health Impact Assessment practice and potential for integration within Environmental Impact and Strategic Environmental Assessments in Italy.

    PubMed

    Linzalone, Nunzia; Assennato, Giorgio; Ballarini, Adele; Cadum, Ennio; Cirillo, Mario; Cori, Liliana; De Maio, Francesca; Musmeci, Loredana; Natali, Marinella; Rieti, Sabrina; Soggiu, Maria Eleonora; Bianchi, Fabrizio

    2014-12-01

    Avoiding or minimizing potential environmental impact is the driving idea behind protecting a population's health via Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs). However, both are often carried out without any systematic approach. This paper describes the findings of a review of HIA, EIA andSEA experiences carried out by the authors, who act as institutional competent subjects at the national and regional levels in Italy. The analysis of how health is tackled in EIA and SEA procedures could support the definition of a protocol for the integration of HIA with EIA and SEA. Although EIA and SEA approaches include the aim of protecting health,significant technical and methodological gaps are present when assessing health systematically, and their basic principles regarding assessment are unsatisfactory for promoting and addressing healthcare concepts stated by the WHO. HIA is still poorly integrated into the decision-making process, screening and monitoring phases are only occasionally implemented, and operational details are not well-defined. The collaborative approach of institutions involved in environment and health is a core element in a systematic advancement toward supporting effective decisions and effective protection ofthe environment and health. At the Italian national level, the definition of guidelines and tools for HIA, also in relation with EIA and SEA, is of great interest.

  17. The Belmont Forum - Facilitating International Collaboration through New Funding Opportunities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    von Schneidemesser, E.

    2012-12-01

    The Belmont Forum is an international group of the world's main funders of environmental change research and international science councils, committed to 'delivering knowledge needed for action to avoid and adapt to detrimental environmental change, including extreme hazardous events.' It aims to do so by mobilizing international resources at a scale that matches this challenge 'in order to catalyze delivery of the environmental science-derived solutions that society needs.' To achieve this goal, the member countries of the Belmont Forum have formed a new working partnership that launched the International Opportunities Fund (IOF) - an open call for proposals with focus themes and the intention of new themes for a new funding round each year. The IOF effectively lowers the activation energy needed for international collaboration while preserving national control over funding monies that stay within borders. This mechanism enables international collaboration to tackle global problems, while removing barriers such as the uncertainty of multiple proposal review processes for funding when partners from multiple countries wish to collaborate. During this presentation, perspectives on the Belmont Forum process will be shared, including the development of research themes for the IOF calls, mechanisms for collaboration, methods of information dissemination to various communities, lessons learned, and plans for future cooperation.

  18. Use of Communication Resources in a Networked Collaborative Design Environment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gay, Geri; Lentini, Marc

    1995-01-01

    Examines student use of a prototype networked collaborative design environment to support or augment learning about engineering design. Finds that students use the channels for a variety of activities to increase depth of communication, increase breadth of communication, and overcome technical difficulty. Suggests that students need multiple…

  19. THE DOE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE PROGRAM: OVERVIEW OF TECHNICAL TASKS AND RESULTS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Marra, J.; Fox, K.; Farfan, E.

    2009-12-08

    The DOE Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) Office of Engineering and Technology is responsible for implementing EM's International Cooperative Program. Over the past 15 years, collaborative work has been conducted through this program with researchers in Russia, Ukraine, France, United Kingdom and Republic of Korea. Currently, work is being conducted with researchers in Russia and Ukraine. Efforts aimed at evaluating and advancing technologies to support U.S. high-level waste (HLW) vitrification initiatives are being conducted in collaboration with Russian researchers. Work at Khlopin Radium Institute (KRI) is targeted at improving the throughput of current vitrification processes by increasing melting rate. Thesemore » efforts are specifically targeted at challenging waste types identified at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and Hanford Site. The objectives of current efforts at SIA Radon are to gain insight into vitrification process limits for the cold crucible induction melter (CCIM) technology. Previous demonstration testing has shown that the CCIM offers the potential for dramatic increases in waste loading and waste throughput. However, little information is known regarding operational limits that could affect long-term, efficient CCIM operations. Collaborative work with the Russian Electrotechnical University (ETU) 'LETI' is aimed at advancing CCIM process monitoring, process control and design. The goal is to further mature the CCIM technology and to establish it as a viable HLW vitrification technology. The greater than two year effort conducted with the International Radioecology Laboratory in the Ukraine recently completed. The objectives of this study were: to assess the long-term impacts to the environment from radiation exposure in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ); and to provide information on remediation guidelines and ecological risk assessment within radioactively contaminated territories around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (Ch

  20. Acquiring Data by Mining the Past: Pairing Communities with Environmental Monitoring Methods through Open Online Collaborative Replication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lippincott, M.; Lewis, E. S.; Gehrke, G. E.; Wise, A.; Pyle, S.; Sinatra, V.; Bland, G.; Bydlowski, D.; Henry, A.; Gilberts, P. A.

    2016-12-01

    Community groups are interested in low-cost sensors to monitor their environment. However, many new commercial sensors are unknown devices without peer-reviewed evaluations of data quality or pathways to regulatory acceptance, and the time to achieve these outcomes may be beyond a community's patience and attention. Rather than developing a device from scratch or validating a new commercial product, a workflow is presented whereby existing technologies, especially those that are out of patent, are replicated through open online collaboration between communities affected by environmental pollution, volunteers, academic institutions, and existing open hardware and open source software projects. Technology case studies will be presented, focusing primarily on a passive PM monitor based on the UNC Passive Monitor. Stages of the project will be detailed moving from identifying community needs, reviewing existing technology, partnership development, technology replication, IP review and licensing, data quality assurance (in process), and field evaluation with community partners (in process), with special attention to partnership development and technology review. We have leveraged open hardware and open source software to lower the cost and access barriers of existing technologies for PM10-2.5 and other atmospheric measures that have already been validated through peer review. Existing validation of and regulatory familiarity with a technology enables a rapid pathway towards collecting data, shortening the time it takes for communities to leverage data in environmental management decisions. Online collaboration requires rigorous documentation that aids in spreading research methods and promoting deep engagement by interested community researchers outside academia. At the same time, careful choice of technology and the use of small-scale fabrication through laser cutting, 3D printing, and open, shared repositories of plans and software enables educational engagement that

  1. Exploiting the Use of Social Networking to Facilitate Collaboration in the Scientific Community

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Coppock, Edrick G.

    The goal of this project was to exploit social networking to facilitate scientific collaboration. The project objective was to research and identify scientific collaboration styles that are best served by social networking applications and to model the most effective social networking applications to substantiate how social networking can support scientific collaboration. To achieve this goal and objective, the project was to develop an understanding of the types of collaborations conducted by scientific researchers, through classification, data analysis and identification of unique collaboration requirements. Another technical objective in support of this goal was to understand the current state of technology inmore » collaboration tools. In order to test hypotheses about which social networking applications effectively support scientific collaboration the project was to create a prototype scientific collaboration system. The ultimate goal for testing the hypotheses and research of the project was to refine the prototype into a functional application that could effectively facilitate and grow collaboration within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research community.« less

  2. ERLN Technical Support for Labs

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Environmental Response Laboratory Network provides policies and guidance on lab and data requirements, Standardized Analytical Methods, and technical support for water and radiological sampling and analysis

  3. Field Testing of Environmentally Friendly Drilling System

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    David Burnett

    2009-05-31

    The Environmentally Friendly Drilling (EFD) program addresses new low-impact technology that reduces the footprint of drilling activities, integrates light weight drilling rigs with reduced emission engine packages, addresses on-site waste management, optimizes the systems to fit the needs of a specific development sites and provides stewardship of the environment. In addition, the program includes industry, the public, environmental organizations, and elected officials in a collaboration that addresses concerns on development of unconventional natural gas resources in environmentally sensitive areas. The EFD program provides the fundamentals to result in greater access, reasonable regulatory controls, lower development cost and reduction of themore » environmental footprint associated with operations for unconventional natural gas. Industry Sponsors have supported the program with significant financial and technical support. This final report compendium is organized into segments corresponding directly with the DOE approved scope of work for the term 2005-2009 (10 Sections). Each specific project is defined by (a) its goals, (b) its deliverable, and (c) its future direction. A web site has been established that contains all of these detailed engineering reports produced with their efforts. The goals of the project are to (1) identify critical enabling technologies for a prototype low-impact drilling system, (2) test the prototype systems in field laboratories, and (3) demonstrate the advanced technology to show how these practices would benefit the environment.« less

  4. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Finch, S.M.; McMakin, A.H.

    1991-01-01

    The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is being managed and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) under the direction of an independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP). The TSP consists of experts in environmental pathways, epidemiology, surface-water transport, ground-water transport, statistics, demography, agriculture, meteorology, nuclear engineering, radiation dosimetry, and cultural anthropology. Included are appointed technical members representing the states of Oregon and Washington, a representative of Native American tribes, and an individual representing the public.more » The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from release to impact on human (dose estimates): Source Terms; Environmental Transport; Environmental Monitoring Data; Demographics, Agriculture, Food Habits and; Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates.« less

  5. Conflict Management in Collaborative Engineering Design: Basic Research in Fundamental Theory, Modeling Framework, and Computer Support for Collaborative Engineering Activities

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-01-01

    behaviors are influenced by social interactions, and to how modern IT sys- tems should be designed to support these group technical activities. The...engineering disciplines to behavior, decision, psychology, organization, and the social sciences. “Conflict manage- ment activity in collaborative...Researchers instead began to search for an entirely new paradigm, starting from a theory in social science, to construct a conceptual framework to describe

  6. NASA as a Convener: Government, Academic and Industry Collaborations Through the NASA Human Health and Performance Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, Jeffrey R.; Richard, Elizabeth E.

    2011-01-01

    On October 18, 2010, the NASA Human Health and Performance center (NHHPC) was opened to enable collaboration among government, academic and industry members. Membership rapidly grew to 60 members (http://nhhpc.nasa.gov ) and members began identifying collaborative projects as detailed below. In addition, a first workshop in open collaboration and innovation was conducted on January 19, 2011 by the NHHPC resulting in additional challenges and projects for further development. This first workshop was a result of the SLSD successes in running open innovation challenges over the past two years. In 2008, the NASA Johnson Space Center, Space Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) began pilot projects in open innovation (crowd sourcing) to determine if these new internet-based platforms could indeed find solutions to difficult technical problems. From 2008 to 2010, the SLSD issued 34 challenges, 14 externally and 20 internally. The 14 external challenges were conducted through three different vendors: InnoCentive, Yet2.com and TopCoder. The 20 internal challenges were conducted using the InnoCentive platform, customized to NASA use, and promoted as NASA@Work. The results from the 34 challenges involved not only technical solutions that were reported previously at the 61st IAC, but also the formation of new collaborative relationships. For example, the TopCoder pilot was expanded by the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate to the NASA Tournament Lab in collaboration with Harvard Business School and TopCoder. Building on these initial successes, the NHHPC workshop in January of 2011, and ongoing NHHPC member discussions, several important collaborations are in development: Space Act Agreement between NASA and GE for collaborative projects, NASA and academia for a Visual Impairment / Intracranial Hypertension summit (February 2011), NASA and the DoD through the Defense Venture Catalyst Initiative (DeVenCI) for a technical needs workshop (June 2011), NASA and the San Diego Zoo

  7. Space Shuttle Technical Conference, Part 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chaffee, Norman (Compiler)

    1985-01-01

    The retrospective presentation provides technical disciplinary focus in the following technical areas: (1) integrated avionics; (2) guidance, navigation, and control; (3) aerodynamics; (4) structures; (5) life support, environmental control, and crew station; (6) ground operations; (7) propulsion and power; (8) communications and tracking; (9) mechanics and mechanical systems; and (10) thermal and contamination environments and protection systems.

  8. NIEHS extramural global environmental health portfolio: opportunities for collaboration.

    PubMed

    Drew, Christina H; Barnes, Martha I; Phelps, Jerry; Van Houten, Bennett

    2008-04-01

    Global environmental health has emerged as a critical topic for environmental health researchers and practitioners. Estimates of the environmental contribution of total worldwide disease burden range from 25 to 33%. We reviewed grants funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) during 2005-2007 to evaluate the costs and scientific composition of the global environmental health portfolio, with the ultimate aim of strengthening global environmental health research partnerships. We examined NIEHS grant research databases to identify the global environmental health portfolio. In the past 3 fiscal years (2005-2007), the NIEHS funded 57 scientific research projects in 37 countries, at an estimated cost of $30 million. Metals such as arsenic, methylmercury, and lead are the most frequently studied toxic agents, but a wide range of stressors, routes of exposure, and agents are addressed in the portfolio. The portfolio analysis indicates that there is a firm foundation of research activities upon which additional global environmental health partnerships could be encouraged. Current data structures could be strengthened to support more automated analysis of grantee information.

  9. Collaborative, Nondestructive Analysis of Contaminated Soil

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Knight, K. B.; Dai, Z.; Davidson, L.

    This report summarizes a joint nondestructive analysis exercise that LLNL, LANL, and COMENA discussed through a collaborative meeting in July 2017. This work was performed as one part of a collaboration with Algeria under Action Sheet 7: “Technical Cooperation and Assistance in Nuclear Forensics”. The primary intent of this exercise was for US and Algerian participants to jointly share results of nondestructive analyses (NDA) of a contaminated soil sample provided by the Algerians and to discuss key observations and analytical approaches. While the two samples were analyzed blind at LLNL and LANL, the soil samples were revealed after the exercisemore » to have a common origin, and to have originated as an IAEA soil sample (IAEA-326, Bojanowski et al., 2001) provided to COMENA as part of a previous exercise. Comparative analysis revealed common findings between the laboratories, and also emphasized the need for standardized operating procedures to improve inter-comparability and confidence in conclusions. Recommended handling practices in the presence of sample heterogeneities were also discussed. This exercise provided an opportunity to demonstrate nuclear forensics analytical capabilities at COMENA, LANL, and LLNL, and identified areas that could benefit from future technical exchanges. Plans were made for a follow-on joint exercise in 2018, involving destructive analyses of the CUP-2 uranium ore concentrate standard.« less

  10. Presentation to U.S.-Canada Bilateral Technical Working Group

    EPA Science Inventory

    DHS and EPA have collaborated in the development of a draft charter for Technical Working Group (TWG) to serve as the basis of negotiations of bilateral agreements with other countries. The TWG would provide a mechanism for sharing both response and R&D expertise and experience i...

  11. Final Technical Report summarizing Purdue research activities as part of the DOE JET Topical Collaboration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Molnar, Denes

    2015-09-01

    This report summarizes research activities at Purdue University done as part of the DOE JET Topical Collaboration. These mainly involve calculation of covariant radiative energy loss in the (Djordjevic-)Gyulassy-Levai-Vitev ((D)GLV) framework for relativistic A+A reactions at RHIC and LHC energies using realistic bulk medium evolution with both transverse and longitudinal expansion. The single PDF file provided also includes a report from the entire JET Collaboration.

  12. Sensor Authentication in Collaborating Sensor Networks

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bielefeldt, Jake Uriah

    2014-11-01

    In this thesis, we address a new security problem in the realm of collaborating sensor networks. By collaborating sensor networks, we refer to the networks of sensor networks collaborating on a mission, with each sensor network is independently owned and operated by separate entities. Such networks are practical where a number of independent entities can deploy their own sensor networks in multi-national, commercial, and environmental scenarios, and some of these networks will integrate complementary functionalities for a mission. In the scenario, we address an authentication problem wherein the goal is for the Operator O i of Sensor Network S imore » to correctly determine the number of active sensors in Network Si. Such a problem is challenging in collaborating sensor networks where other sensor networks, despite showing an intent to collaborate, may not be completely trustworthy and could compromise the authentication process. We propose two authentication protocols to address this problem. Our protocols rely on Physically Unclonable Functions, which are a hardware based authentication primitive exploiting inherent randomness in circuit fabrication. Our protocols are light-weight, energy efficient, and highly secure against a number of attacks. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first to addresses a practical security problem in collaborating sensor networks.« less

  13. Ground Water Technical Support Center (GWTSC) Annual ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Ground Water Technical Support Center (GWTSC) is part of the Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division (GWERD), which is based in the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center in Ada, Oklahoma. The GWERD is a research division of U.S. EPA’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL). The GWTSC is one of an interlinked group of specialized Technical Support Centersthat were established under the Technical Support Project (TSP). The GWTSC provides technical support on issues related to groundwater. Specifically, the GWTSC provides technical support to U.S. EPA and State regulators for issues and problems related to:1. subsurface contamination (contaminants in ground water, soils and sediments),2. cross-media transfer (movement of contaminants from the subsurface to other media such as surface water or air), and3. restoration of impacted ecosystems.The GWTSC works with Remedial Project Managers (RPMs) and other decision makers to solve specific problems at Superfund, RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act), Brownfields sites, and ecosystem restoration sites. The Ground Water Technical Support Center (GWTSC) is part of the Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division (GWERD), which is based in the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center in Ada, Oklahoma. The GWERD is a research division of U.S. EPA’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL). The GWTSC is one of an interlinked group of specialized Technical Suppo

  14. Case Study: Collaborative Creation of an On-Line Degree Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Barbara L.; Norwood, Marcella; Ezell, Shirley; Waight, Consuelo

    2006-01-01

    Faculty collaboratively developed an on-line Bachelor of Science degree in Consumer Science and Merchandising (CSM). Part-time faculty and technical support services supported the four-member team. Small grants assisted in the creation and redesign of all CSM major courses for on-line delivery. Issues of appropriate learning strategies, student…

  15. Creating an Overall Environmental Quality Index - Technical Report

    EPA Science Inventory

    A better estimate of overall environmental quality is needed to improve our understanding of the relationship between environmental conditions and humanhealth. Described in this report is the effort to construct an environmental quality index representing multiple domains of the ...

  16. Incorporating a collaborative web-based virtual laboratory in an undergraduate bioinformatics course.

    PubMed

    Weisman, David

    2010-01-01

    Face-to-face bioinformatics courses commonly include a weekly, in-person computer lab to facilitate active learning, reinforce conceptual material, and teach practical skills. Similarly, fully-online bioinformatics courses employ hands-on exercises to achieve these outcomes, although students typically perform this work offsite. Combining a face-to-face lecture course with a web-based virtual laboratory presents new opportunities for collaborative learning of the conceptual material, and for fostering peer support of technical bioinformatics questions. To explore this combination, an in-person lecture-only undergraduate bioinformatics course was augmented with a remote web-based laboratory, and tested with a large class. This study hypothesized that the collaborative virtual lab would foster active learning and peer support, and tested this hypothesis by conducting a student survey near the end of the semester. Respondents broadly reported strong benefits from the online laboratory, and strong benefits from peer-provided technical support. In comparison with traditional in-person teaching labs, students preferred the virtual lab by a factor of two. Key aspects of the course architecture and design are described to encourage further experimentation in teaching collaborative online bioinformatics laboratories. Copyright © 2010 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  17. The Role of Semantics in Open-World, Integrative, Collaborative Science Data Platforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fox, Peter; Chen, Yanning; Wang, Han; West, Patrick; Erickson, John; Ma, Marshall

    2014-05-01

    As collaborative science spreads into more and more Earth and space science fields, both participants and funders are expressing stronger needs for highly functional data and information capabilities. Characteristics include a) easy to use, b) highly integrated, c) leverage investments, d) accommodate rapid technical change, and e) do not incur undue expense or time to build or maintain - these are not a small set of requirements. Based on our accumulated experience over the last ~ decade and several key technical approaches, we adapt, extend, and integrate several open source applications and frameworks to handle major portions of functionality for these platforms. This includes: an object-type repository, collaboration tools, identity management, all within a portal managing diverse content and applications. In this contribution, we present our methods and results of information models, adaptation, integration and evolution of a networked data science architecture based on several open source technologies (Drupal, VIVO, the Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network; CKAN, and the Global Handle System; GHS). In particular we present the Deep Carbon Observatory - a platform for international science collaboration. We present and discuss key functional and non-functional attributes, and discuss the general applicability of the platform.

  18. Participatory design of a collaborative clinical trial protocol writing system.

    PubMed

    Weng, Chunhua; McDonald, David W; Sparks, Dana; McCoy, Jason; Gennari, John H

    2007-06-01

    To explore concrete approaches to socio-technical design of collaborative healthcare information systems and to design a groupware technology for collaborative clinical trial protocol writing. We conducted "quick and dirty ethnography" through semi-structured interviews, observational studies, and work artifacts analysis to understand the group work for protocol development. We used participatory design through evolutionary prototyping to explore the feature space of a collaborative writing system. Our design strategies include role-based user advocacy, formative evaluation, and change management. Quick and dirty ethnography helped us efficiently understand relevant work practice, and participatory design helped us engage users into design and bring out their tacit work knowledge. Our approach that intertwined both techniques helped achieve a "work-informed and user-oriented" design. This research leads to a collaborative writing system that supports in situ communication, group awareness, and effective work progress tracking. The usability evaluation results have been satisfactory. The system design is being transferred to an organizational tool for daily use.

  19. Carving a niche: establishing bioinformatics collaborations

    PubMed Central

    Lyon, Jennifer A.; Tennant, Michele R.; Messner, Kevin R.; Osterbur, David L.

    2006-01-01

    Objectives: The paper describes collaborations and partnerships developed between library bioinformatics programs and other bioinformatics-related units at four academic institutions. Methods: A call for information on bioinformatics partnerships was made via email to librarians who have participated in the National Center for Biotechnology Information's Advanced Workshop for Bioinformatics Information Specialists. Librarians from Harvard University, the University of Florida, the University of Minnesota, and Vanderbilt University responded and expressed willingness to contribute information on their institutions, programs, services, and collaborating partners. Similarities and differences in programs and collaborations were identified. Results: The four librarians have developed partnerships with other units on their campuses that can be categorized into the following areas: knowledge management, instruction, and electronic resource support. All primarily support freely accessible electronic resources, while other campus units deal with fee-based ones. These demarcations are apparent in resource provision as well as in subsequent support and instruction. Conclusions and Recommendations: Through environmental scanning and networking with colleagues, librarians who provide bioinformatics support can develop fruitful collaborations. Visibility is key to building collaborations, as is broad-based thinking in terms of potential partners. PMID:16888668

  20. Agencies Collaborate, Develop a Cyanobacteria Assessment Network

    EPA Science Inventory

    This collaborative effort integrates the efforts of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to provide an approach for mainstrea...

  1. 32 CFR 202.13 - Technical assistance for public participation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... TRC may request technical assistance for interpreting scientific and engineering issues with regard to the nature of environmental hazards at the installation and environmental restoration activities...

  2. Environmental Management in Mainland China.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shen, Thomas T.

    1984-01-01

    Provides an overview of China's environmental pollution management by discussing: China's Environmental Protection Organization; laws and regulations; environmental protection program; education and manpower training; and research into environmental pollution problems. (The author provided technical assistance to China's environmental pollution…

  3. NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 37: The impact of political control on technical communications: A comparative study of Russian and US aerospace engineers and scientists

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barclay, Rebecca O.; Pinelli, Thomas E.; Flammia, Madelyn; Kennedy, John M.

    1994-01-01

    Until the recent dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party exerted a strict control of access to and dissemination of scientific and technical information (STI). This article presents models of the Soviet-style information society and the Western-style information society and discusses the effects of centralized governmental control of information on Russian technical communication practices. The effects of political control on technical communication are then used to interpret the results of a survey of Russian and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists concerning the time devoted to technical communication, their collaborative writing practices and their attitudes toward collaboration, the kinds of technical documents they produce and use, and their use of computer technology, and their use of and the importance to them of libraries and technical information centers. The data are discussed in terms of tentative conclusions drawn from the literature. Finally, we conclude with four questions concerning government policy, collaboration, and the flow of STI between Russian and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists.

  4. OpenStreetMap Collaborative Prototype, Phase 1

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wolf, Eric B.; Matthews, Greg D.; McNinch, Kevin; Poore, Barbara S.

    2011-01-01

    Phase One of the OpenStreetMap Collaborative Prototype (OSMCP) attempts to determine if the open source software developed for the OpenStreetMap (OSM, http://www.openstreetmap.org) can be used for data contributions and improvements that meet or exceed the requirements for integration into The National Map (http://www.nationalmap.gov). OpenStreetMap Collaborative Prototype Phase One focused on road data aggregated at the state level by the Kansas Data Access and Support Center (DASC). Road data from the DASC were loaded into a system hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) in Rolla, Missouri. U.S. Geological Survey editing specifications were developed by NGTOC personnel (J. Walters and G. Matthews, USGS, unpub. report, 2010). Interstate and U.S. Highways in the dataset were edited to the specifications by NGTOC personnel while State roads were edited by DASC personnel. Resulting data were successfully improved to meet standards for The National Map once the system and specifications were in place. The OSM software proved effective in providing a usable platform for collaborative data editing

  5. The Unified Medical Language System: an informatics research collaboration.

    PubMed

    Humphreys, B L; Lindberg, D A; Schoolman, H M; Barnett, G O

    1998-01-01

    In 1986, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) assembled a large multidisciplinary, multisite team to work on the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), a collaborative research project aimed at reducing fundamental barriers to the application of computers to medicine. Beyond its tangible products, the UMLS Knowledge Sources, and its influence on the field of informatics, the UMLS project is an interesting case study in collaborative research and development. It illustrates the strengths and challenges of substantive collaboration among widely distributed research groups. Over the past decade, advances in computing and communications have minimized the technical difficulties associated with UMLS collaboration and also facilitated the development, dissemination, and use of the UMLS Knowledge Sources. The spread of the World Wide Web has increased the visibility of the information access problems caused by multiple vocabularies and many information sources which are the focus of UMLS work. The time is propitious for building on UMLS accomplishments and making more progress on the informatics research issues first highlighted by the UMLS project more than 10 years ago.

  6. SERVIR HIMALYA: Enabling Improved Environmental Management and Livelihoods in the HKH

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bajracharya, B.; Murthy, M. S. R.; Shrestha, B.

    2014-11-01

    With an overarching goal to improve environmental management and resilience to climate change, SERVIR-Himalaya is established as a collaborative initiative of USAID, NASA and ICIMOD. The SERVIR-Himalaya has been the key instrument to provide integrated and innovative geospatial solutions for generation and dissemination of information and knowledge resources on mountain environments. The SERVIR applications, products and services are viewed as essential cross-cutting elements to achieve the greater impacts on addressing Himalayan livelihood challenges. The broad thematic areas which are also subset of the societal benefit areas of Global Earth Observation (GEO), namely - agriculture and food security, ecosystems and sustainable landscapes, and disaster risk management are addressed. On the cross-cutting theme, SERVIR Himalaya is also focusing on developing regional level applications providing key information systems and services on multiple themes of regional significance. The regional level science applications include use of MODIS satellite information products and services for environmental and natural resources monitoring in the Himalayan region. Regional and national training and workshops, on-the-job training, internships and exchange programs and technical backstopping are key capacity building components to enhance the capacity of partners from national institutions in the regional member countries. These efforts are also seen as receiving feedback on the science applications, identify additional needs, and increase synergy by exploring opportunities for collaboration.

  7. An Urban Collaborative in Critical Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bruckerhoff, Charles E.; Popkewitz, Thomas S.

    1991-01-01

    Discusses the rationale behind the Cleveland Collaborative for Mathematics Education, which networks urban high school math teachers with college math professors and mathematicians in business. Describes a typical teaching day for one high school teacher and how environmental challenges such as family abuse, student absenteeism, and lack of…

  8. Using Visualization to Motivate Student Participation in Collaborative Online Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jin, Sung-Hee

    2017-01-01

    Online participation in collaborative online learning environments is instrumental in motivating students to learn and promoting their learning satisfaction, but there has been little research on the technical supports for motivating students' online participation. The purpose of this study was to develop a visualization tool to motivate learners…

  9. A collaborative resource management workspace and project management application for data collection, analysis and visualization: OpenNRM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Osti, A.

    2013-12-01

    During the process of research and design for OpenNRM, we imagined a place where diverse groups of people and communities could effectively and efficiently collaborate to manage large-scale environmental problems and projects. Our research revealed the need to combine a variety of software components. Users can explore and analyze a topic while simultaneously develop stories and solve problems in a way that the end result is consumable by their colleagues and the general public. To do this we brought together software modules that are typically separate: Document and Asset Management, GIS and Interactive Mapping, WIKI and Information Libraries, Data Catalogs and Services, Project Management Tools and Storytelling templates. These components, along with others are supported by extensive data catalogs (NWIS, Storet, CDEC, Cuahsi), data analysis tools and web services for a turn-key workspace that will allow you to quickly build project communities and data stories. In this presentation we will show you how our investigation into these collaborative efforts are implemented and working for some of our clients, including the State of California's Sacramento San Joaquin Bay-Delta and San Joaquin River Basin. The case study will display the use of the OpenNRM workspace for real time environmental conditions management, data visualization, project operations, environmental restoration, high frequency monitoring and data reporting. We will demonstrate how scientists and policy makers are working together to tell the story of this complicated and divisive system and how they are becoming better managers of that system. Using the genius of web services, we will show you how OpenNRM was designed to allow you to build your own community while easily sharing data stories, project data, monitoring results, document libraries, interactive maps and datasets with others. We will get into more technical detail by presenting how our data interpolation tools can show high frequency

  10. Health Impact Assessment Practice and Potential for Integration within Environmental Impact and Strategic Environmental Assessments in Italy

    PubMed Central

    Linzalone, Nunzia; Assennato, Giorgio; Ballarini, Adele; Cadum, Ennio; Cirillo, Mario; Cori, Liliana; De Maio, Francesca; Musmeci, Loredana; Natali, Marinella; Rieti, Sabrina; Soggiu, Maria Eleonora; Bianchi, Fabrizio

    2014-01-01

    Avoiding or minimizing potential environmental impact is the driving idea behind protecting a population’s health via Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs). However, both are often carried out without any systematic approach. This paper describes the findings of a review of HIA, EIA and SEA experiences carried out by the authors, who act as institutional competent subjects at the national and regional levels in Italy. The analysis of how health is tackled in EIA and SEA procedures could support the definition of a protocol for the integration of HIA with EIA and SEA. Although EIA and SEA approaches include the aim of protecting health, significant technical and methodological gaps are present when assessing health systematically, and their basic principles regarding assessment are unsatisfactory for promoting and addressing healthcare concepts stated by the WHO. HIA is still poorly integrated into the decision-making process, screening and monitoring phases are only occasionally implemented, and operational details are not well-defined. The collaborative approach of institutions involved in environment and health is a core element in a systematic advancement toward supporting effective decisions and effective protection of the environment and health. At the Italian national level, the definition of guidelines and tools for HIA, also in relation with EIA and SEA, is of great interest. PMID:25493391

  11. 7 CFR 1780.54 - Technical services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ..., Constructing and Inspections § 1780.54 Technical services. Owners are responsible for providing the engineering, architect and environmental services necessary for planning, designing, bidding, contracting, inspecting...

  12. Identifying emerging research collaborations and networks: method development.

    PubMed

    Dozier, Ann M; Martina, Camille A; O'Dell, Nicole L; Fogg, Thomas T; Lurie, Stephen J; Rubinstein, Eric P; Pearson, Thomas A

    2014-03-01

    Clinical and translational research is a multidisciplinary, collaborative team process. To evaluate this process, we developed a method to document emerging research networks and collaborations in our medical center to describe their productivity and viability over time. Using an e-mail survey, sent to 1,620 clinical and basic science full- and part-time faculty members, respondents identified their research collaborators. Initial analyses, using Pajek software, assessed the feasibility of using social network analysis (SNA) methods with these data. Nearly 400 respondents identified 1,594 collaborators across 28 medical center departments resulting in 309 networks with 5 or more collaborators. This low-burden approach yielded a rich data set useful for evaluation using SNA to: (a) assess networks at several levels of the organization, including intrapersonal (individuals), interpersonal (social), organizational/institutional leadership (tenure and promotion), and physical/environmental (spatial proximity) and (b) link with other data to assess the evolution of these networks.

  13. A mixed methods investigation into the use of non-technical skills by community and hospital pharmacists.

    PubMed

    Irwin, A; Weidmann, A E

    2015-01-01

    Non-technical skills refer to the social and cognitive factors that may influence efficient and safe job performance. Non-technical skills are an important element of patient safety in a variety of health care disciplines, including surgery, anesthesia and nursing. However, the use of non-technical skills in pharmacy practice has not yet been fully assessed. To examine attitudes toward, and use of, non-technical skills by pharmacy personnel. A mixed methods approach was used: An attitude survey explored pharmacy personnel attitudes towards non-technical skills and inter-professional collaboration, with community and hospital pharmacy staff (n = 62). Qualitative interviews were then conducted using the critical incident technique, with community pharmacists (n = 11). The survey results demonstrated differences in the opinions of community and hospital pharmacists on three non-technical skill constructs: team structure, mutual support, and situation monitoring, with community pharmacists reporting significantly more positive attitudes about all three constructs. Both groups reported low levels of collaboration with primary care physicians. The interviews identified five non-technical skills as key elements of successful pharmacist performance from the interview transcripts: teamwork; leadership; task management; situation awareness; decision-making. The survey and interviews identified the non-technical skills that are important to pharmacists. This represents the first step towards the development of a behavioral rating system for training purposes that could potentially improve the non-technical skills of pharmacists and enhance patient safety. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Technical, economic, and environmental impact study of converting Uzbekistan transportation fleets to natural gas operation. Export trade information

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1997-04-30

    This study, conducted by Radian International, was funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. The report assesses the feasibility (technical, economic and environmental) of converting the Uzbek transportation fleets to natural gas operation. The study focuses on the conversion of high fuel use vehicles and locomotives to liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the conversion of moderate fuel use veicles to compressed natural gas (CNG). The report is divided into the following sections: Executive Summary; (1.0) Introduction; (2.0) Country Background; (3.0) Characterization of Uzbek Transportation Fuels; (4.0) Uzbek Vehicle and Locomotive Fleet Characterization; (5.0) Uzbek Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion Shops;more » (6.0) Uzbek Natural Gas Infrastructure; (7.0) Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for Vehicular Fuel in Uzbekistan; (8.0) Economic Feasibility Study; (9.0) Environmental Impact Analysis; References; Appendices A - S.« less

  15. Mu2e Technical Design Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bartoszek, L.; et al.

    Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the Mu2e Collaboration, composed of about 155 scientists and engineers from 28 universities and laboratories around the world, have collaborated to create this technical design for a new facility to study charged lepton flavor violation using the existing Department of Energy investment in the Fermilab accelerator complex. Mu2e proposes to measure the ratio of the rate of the neutrinoless, coherent conversion of muons into electrons in the field of a nucleus, relative to the rate of ordinary muon capture on the nucleus. The conversion process is an example of charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV), amore » process that has never been observed experimentally. The significant motivation behind the search for muon-to-electron conversion is discussed in Chapter 3.« less

  16. Effective collaborative learning in biomedical education using a web-based infrastructure.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yunfeng; Zheng, Fang; Cai, Suxian; Xiang, Ning; Zhong, Zhangting; He, Jia; Xu, Fang

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a feature-rich web-based system used for biomedical education at the undergraduate level. With the powerful groupware features provided by the wiki system, the instructors are able to establish a community-centered mentoring environment that capitalizes on local expertise to create a sense of online collaborative learning among students. The web-based infrastructure can help the instructors effectively organize and coordinate student research projects, and the groupware features may support the interactive activities, such as interpersonal communications and data sharing. The groupware features also provide the web-based system with a wide range of additional ways of organizing collaboratively developed materials, which makes it become an effective tool for online active learning. Students are able to learn the ability to work effectively in teams, with an improvement of project management, design collaboration, and technical writing skills. With the fruitful outcomes in recent years, it is positively thought that the web-based collaborative learning environment can perform an excellent shift away from the conventional instructor-centered teaching to community- centered collaborative learning in the undergraduate education.

  17. Environmental Justice Small Grants Program

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations to build collaborative partnerships, to identify the local environmental and/or public health issues, and to envision solutions and empower the community

  18. Conclusions, Research Needs, and Recommendations of the Expert Panel: Technical Workshop on Human Milk Surveillance and Research for Environmental Chemicals in the U.S.

    EPA Science Inventory

    Proceedings of "The Technical Workshop on Human Milk Surveillance and Research on Environmental Chemicals in the United States" was organized to develop state-of-the-science protocols describing the various aspects of such a program. The 2-day workshop was held at the Mi...

  19. Advancing migratory bird conservation and management by using radar: An interagency collaboration

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ruth, Janet M.; Barrow, Wylie C.; Sojda, Richard S.; Dawson, Deanna K.; Diehl, Robert H.; Manville, Albert; Green, Michael T.; Krueper, David J.; Johnston, Scott

    2005-01-01

    Many technical issues make this work difficult, including complex data structures, massive data sets, digital recognition of birds, large areas not covered by weather radar, and model validation; however, progress will only be furthered by tackling the challenge. The new coalition will meets its goals by: (1) facilitating a productive collaboration with NOAA, Department of the Interior bureaus, state wildlife agencies, universities, power companies, and other potential partners; (2) building and strengthening scientific capabilities within USGS; (3) addressing key migratory bird management issues; and (4) ensuring full funding for the collaborative effort.

  20. Implementing Selective Waste Collection: The Articulation between Pedagogical Theory and Practice in the Pollution and Ecology Class in the Environmental Control Technical Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rocas, Giselle; Gonzalez, Wania R. Coutinho; Araujo, Flavia Monteiro de Barros

    2009-01-01

    This study focuses on the implementation of selective waste collection in a school located on the outskirts of the city of Rio de Janeiro. The participants consisted mainly of 64 students taking an Environmental Control technical course during 2007 and 2008. By addressing selective waste collection, the pedagogical proposal aimed at: a) enabling…

  1. Engineering Technical Support Center Annual Report Fiscal ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Office of Research and Development (ORD) created the Engineering Technical Support Center (ETSC) in 1987, one of several technical support centers created as part of the Technical Support Project (TSP). ETSC provides engineering expertise to Agency program and regional offices and remediation teams working at contaminated sites across the country. The ETSC is operated within ORD’s Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division (LRPCD) of the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) in Cincinnati, Ohio. The ETSC’s mission is to provide site-specific scientific and engineering technical support to Remedial Project Managers, On-Scene Coordinators, and other remediation personnel at contaminated sites. This allows local, regional, or national authorities to work more quickly, efficiently, and cost effectively, while also increasing the technical experience of the remediation team. Since its inception, the ETSC has supported countless projects across all EPA Regions in almost all states and territories. This report highlights significant projects the ETSC supported in fiscal year 2015 (FY15). These projects addressed an array of environmental scenarios, such as remote mining contamination, expansive landfill waste, cumulative impacts from multiple contamination sources, and persistent threats from abandoned industrial sites. Constructing and testing new and innovative treatment technol

  2. Device-tissue interactions: a collaborative communications system.

    PubMed

    Chekan, Edward; Whelan, Richard L; Feng, Alexander H

    2013-07-29

    Medical devices, including surgical staplers, energy-based devices, and access enabling devices, are used routinely today in the majority of surgical procedures. Although these technically advanced devices have proved to be of immense benefit to both surgeons and patients, their rapid development and continuous improvement have had the unintended consequence of creating a knowledge gap for surgeons due to a lack of adequate training and educational programs. Thus, there is an unmet need in the surgical community to collect existing data on device-tissue interactions and subsequently develop research and educational programs to fill this gap in surgical training. Gathering data and developing these new programs will require collaboration between doctors, engineers, and scientists, from both clinical practice and industry. This paper presents a communications system to enable this unique collaboration that can potentially result in significantly improved patient care.

  3. A Collaboration-Oriented M2M Messaging Mechanism for the Collaborative Automation between Machines in Future Industrial Networks

    PubMed Central

    Gray, John

    2017-01-01

    Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication is a key enabling technology for industrial internet of things (IIoT)-empowered industrial networks, where machines communicate with one another for collaborative automation and intelligent optimisation. This new industrial computing paradigm features high-quality connectivity, ubiquitous messaging, and interoperable interactions between machines. However, manufacturing IIoT applications have specificities that distinguish them from many other internet of things (IoT) scenarios in machine communications. By highlighting the key requirements and the major technical gaps of M2M in industrial applications, this article describes a collaboration-oriented M2M (CoM2M) messaging mechanism focusing on flexible connectivity and discovery, ubiquitous messaging, and semantic interoperability that are well suited for the production line-scale interoperability of manufacturing applications. The designs toward machine collaboration and data interoperability at both the communication and semantic level are presented. Then, the application scenarios of the presented methods are illustrated with a proof-of-concept implementation in the PicknPack food packaging line. Eventually, the advantages and some potential issues are discussed based on the PicknPack practice. PMID:29165347

  4. New Wine in New Bottles: Transforming Vocational Education into Career and Technical Education. Practice Application Brief No. 21.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Bettina Lankard

    Teachers responsible for transforming their vocational education programs into career and technical education (CTE) programs need to concentrate on ensuring programs' technical and academic rigor, engaging in collaboration in school and in the community, keeping current through professional development experiences, and extending learning beyond…

  5. The Computer Science Technical Report (CS-TR) Project: A Pioneering Digital Library Project Viewed from a Library Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Greg; And Others

    1996-01-01

    Describes the Computer Science Technical Report Project, one of the earliest investigations into the system engineering of digital libraries which pioneered multiinstitutional collaborative research into technical, social, and legal issues related to the development and implementation of a large, heterogeneous, distributed digital library. (LRW)

  6. Research Collaboration in a Communication Rights Campaign: Lessons Learned.

    PubMed

    Ryan, Charlotte

    2018-01-01

    In building public support for social change, activists in communities of color routinely approach broader audiences via news media. Communities of color, however, routinely face disparities that limit their access to media including local news media outlets. This lack of access mirrors inequalities in political, social, and economic arenas and can slow public awareness campaigns to address disparities in health, environmental, and other quality-of-life issues. I describe two community-based collaborative action research studies that documented and challenged how local television newscasts underrepresented and misrepresented three communities of color in Boston. The linkage between communication rights and campaigns to address quality-of-life issues is presented, as well as unresolved challenges in the collaborative research process. The study has implications for environmental health campaigns.

  7. Enabling Research without Geographical Boundaries via Collaborative Research Infrastructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gesing, S.

    2016-12-01

    Collaborative research infrastructures on global scale for earth and space sciences face a plethora of challenges from technical implementations to organizational aspects. Science gateways - also known as virtual research environments (VREs) or virtual laboratories - address part of such challenges by providing end-to-end solutions to aid researchers to focus on their specific research questions without the need to become acquainted with the technical details of the complex underlying infrastructures. In general, they provide a single point of entry to tools and data irrespective of organizational boundaries and thus make scientific discoveries easier and faster. The importance of science gateways has been recognized on national as well as on international level by funding bodies and by organizations. For example, the US NSF has just funded a Science Gateways Community Institute, which offers support, consultancy and open accessible software repositories for users and developers; Horizon 2020 provides funding for virtual research environments in Europe, which has led to projects such as VRE4EIC (A Europe-wide Interoperable Virtual Research Environment to Empower Multidisciplinary Research Communities and Accelerate Innovation and Collaboration); national or continental research infrastructures such as XSEDE in the USA, Nectar in Australia or EGI in Europe support the development and uptake of science gateways; the global initiatives International Coalition on Science Gateways, the RDA Virtual Research Environment Interest Group as well as the IEEE Technical Area on Science Gateways have been founded to provide global leadership on future directions for science gateways in general and facilitate awareness for science gateways. This presentation will give an overview on these projects and initiatives aiming at supporting domain researchers and developers with measures for the efficient creation of science gateways, for increasing their usability and sustainability

  8. PARTNERING WITH DOE TO APPLY ADVANCED BIOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    On February 18, 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the research collaboration of both agencies to advance biological, environmental, and computational sciences for protecting human health and the ...

  9. TECHNICAL BASIS FOR A CANDIDATE BUILDING MATERIALS RADIUM STANDARD

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report summarizes the technical basis for a candidate building materials radium standard. It contains the standard and a summary of the technical basis for the standard. (NOTE: The Florida Radon Research Program (FRRP), sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and the...

  10. Collaboration with Environmental Protection Administration Taiwan (EPAT)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Through this partnership, U.S. and Taiwan environmental authorities have developed a strong capacity to reduce pollution and manage the environment through joint projects, innovate research, and knowledge exchange.

  11. GIS, modeling, and politics: on the tensions of collaborative decision support.

    PubMed

    Ramsey, Kevin

    2009-05-01

    A tension exists at the heart of efforts to support collaboration with GIS. Many scholars and practitioners seek to support two separate objectives: (1) problem solving and (2) the exploration of diverse problem understandings. GIS applications designed for problem solving often pre-define the problem space by structuring the kind of information that can be considered or the way in which the problem is conceptualized. In doing so, they necessarily privilege particular perspectives and understandings of the problem while marginalizing others. As a result, these initiatives undermine their second objective. This is problematic in the context of contentious environmental decisions which have broad-reaching impacts on people with diverse perspectives and interests. In such contexts, I argue that equitable collaboration is impossible without first emphasizing the exploration of diverse problem understandings. I support this argument theoretically by turning to the literatures on collaborative planning and spatial decision support, and empirically in my analysis of a case study of an effort to construct a GIS for supporting collaborative water resource management in rural Idaho. Reflecting upon the case, I provide a set of recommendations to those seeking to better negotiate the tensions of supporting collaboration with GIS in the context of contentious environmental and natural resource decisions.

  12. Collaborative Research Goes to School: Guided Inquiry with Computers in Classrooms. Technical Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wiske, Martha Stone; And Others

    Twin aims--to advance theory and to improve practice in science, mathematics, and computing education--guided the Educational Technology Center's (ETC) research from its inception in 1983. These aims led ETC to establish collaborative research groups in which people whose primary interest was classroom teaching and learning, and researchers…

  13. Key Components of Collaborative Research in the Context of Environmental Health: A Scoping Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wine, Osnat; Ambrose, Sarah; Campbell, Sandy; Villeneuve, Paul J.; Burns, Katharina Kovacs; Vargas, Alvaro Osornio

    2017-01-01

    In a collaborative research process, the participation of interdisciplinary researchers and multi-sectoral stakeholders supports the co-creation, translation, and exchange of new knowledge. Following a scoping review methodology, we explored the collaborative research processes in the specific context of environment and human health research.…

  14. Methods and Strategies: Greenteam--A Community Collaboration Celebrates Environmental Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walters, Debi Molina; Oliver, Jill

    2013-01-01

    When teachers, parents, and community members work together, children benefit (Henderson and Mapp 2002). This is especially true when the collaboration is coordinated and focused as it was for the Greenteam, a science ecology club and an event created by a network of educators, elementary students, and science professionals. The club and a…

  15. The Environmental Protection Agency's Watershed-based Approach: where social and natural sciences meet to address today's water resource challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Biddle, J. C.

    2010-12-01

    A growing number of governmental organizations at the local, state, and federal level collaborate with nongovernmental organizations and individuals to solve watershed scale problems (Imperial and Koontz, 2007). Such a shift in policy approach from hierarchical regulation to bottom-up collaboration is largely a result of regulator’s recognition of the interdependence of natural and socio-economic systems on a watershed scale (Steelman and Carmin, 2002. Agencies throughout the federal government increasingly favored new governing institutions that encourage cooperation between local actors with conflicting interests, divergent geographic bases, and overlapping administrative jurisdictions to resolve continuing disputes over resource management (Bardach 1998). This favoritism of collaborative over command-and-control approaches for managing nonpoint source pollution led to the development of watershed partnerships and the watershed-based approach (Lubell et al., 2002). This study aims to further collaborative governance scholarship and aid decision-makers in identifying the critical elements of collaborative governance resulting in environmental improvements. To date, this relationship has not been empirically determined, in spite of the fact that collaborative governance is used routinely by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in resolving issues related to watershed management and other applications. This gap in the research is largely due to the lack of longitudinal data. In order to determine whether changes have occurred, environmental data must be collected over relatively long time periods (Koontz and Thomas, 2006; Sabatier, et al., 2005). However, collecting these data is often cost prohibitive. Monitoring water quality is expensive and requires technical expertise, and is often the first line item cut in environmental management budgets. This research is interdisciplinary, looking at the physical, chemical, and biological parameters for 44 waterbodies

  16. Technical Education Outreach in Materials Science and Technology Based on NASA's Materials Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jacobs, James A.

    2003-01-01

    The grant NAG-1 -2125, Technical Education Outreach in Materials Science and Technology, based on NASA s Materials Research, involves collaborative effort among the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Langley Research Center (NASA-LaRC), Norfolk State University (NSU), national research centers, private industry, technical societies, colleges and universities. The collaboration aims to strengthen math, science and technology education by providing outreach related to materials science and technology (MST). The goal of the project is to transfer new developments from LaRC s Center for Excellence for Structures and Materials and other NASA materials research into technical education across the nation to provide educational outreach and strengthen technical education. To achieve this goal we are employing two main strategies: 1) development of the gateway website and 2) using the National Educators Workshop: Update in Engineering Materials, Science and Technology (NEW:Updates). We have also participated in a number of national projects, presented talks at technical meetings and published articles aimed at improving k-12 technical education. Through the three years of this project the NSU team developed the successful MST-Online site and continued to upgrade and update it as our limited resources permitted. Three annual NEW:Updates conducted from 2000 though 2002 overcame the challenges presented first by the September 11,2001 terrorist attacks and the slow U.S. economy and still managed to conduct very effective workshops and expand our outreach efforts. Plans began on NEW:Update 2003 to be hosted by NASA Langley as a part of the celebration of the Centennial of Controlled Flight.

  17. The U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Environmental Management Cooperation Program with the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (ROSATOM)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gerdes, K.D.; Holtzscheiter, E.W.

    2006-07-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has collaborated with the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency - Rosatom (formerly Minatom) for 14 years on waste management challenges of mutual concern. Currently, EM is cooperating with Rosatom to explore issues related to high-level waste and investigate Russian experience and technologies that could support EM site cleanup needs. EM and Rosatom are currently implementing six collaborative projects on high-level waste issues: 1) Advanced Melter Technology Application to the U.S. DOE Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) - Cold Crucible Induction Heated Melter (CCIM); 2) - Design Improvements to themore » Cold Crucible Induction Heated Melter; 3) Long-term Performance of Hanford Low-Activity Glasses in Burial Environments; 4) Low-Activity-Waste (LAW) Glass Sulfur Tolerance; 5) Improved Retention of Key Contaminants of Concern in Low Temperature Immobilized Waste Forms; and, 6) Documentation of Mixing and Retrieval Experience at Zheleznogorsk. Preliminary results and the path forward for these projects will be discussed. An overview of two new projects 7) Entombment technology performance and methodology for the Future 8) Radiation Migration Studies at Key Russian Nuclear Disposal Sites is also provided. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of EM's objectives for participating in cooperative activities with the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, present programmatic and technical information on these activities, and outline specific technical collaborations currently underway and planned to support DOE's cleanup and closure mission. (authors)« less

  18. The Technology of Technology Transfer. The Case of the Japan-Singapore Technical Institute. Discussion Paper No. 93.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Araujo e Oliveira, Joao Batista; Pillay, Gerald F.

    The new economic and industrial policies of the 1980s called for a major restructuring of the industrial profile of Singapore. The government decided to set up three new technical institutes to prepare and supply skilled workers to new investors: French-, German-, and Japan-Singapore Technical Institutes with the collaboration of the government…

  19. Interprofessional collaboration in the ICU: how to define?

    PubMed

    Rose, Louise

    2011-01-01

    The intensive care unit (ICU) is a dynamic, complex and, at times, highly stressful work environment that involves ongoing exposure to the complexities of interprofessional team functioning. Failures of communication, considered examples of poor collaboration among health care professionals, are the leading cause of inadvertent harm across all health care settings. Evidence suggests effective interprofessional collaboration results in improved outcomes for critically ill patients. One recent study demonstrated a link between low standardized mortality ratios and self-identified levels of collaboration. The aim of this paper is to discuss determinants and complexities of interprofessional collaboration, the evidence supporting its impact on outcomes in the ICU, and interventions designed to foster better interprofessional team functioning. Elements of effective interprofessional collaboration include shared goals and partnerships including explicit, complementary and interdependent roles; mutual respect; and power sharing. In the ICU setting, teams continually alter due to large staff numbers, shift work and staff rotations through the institution. Therefore, the ideal 'unified' team working together to provide better care and improve patient outcomes may be difficult to sustain. Power sharing is one of the most complex aspects of interprofessional collaboration. Ownership of specialized knowledge, technical skills, clinical territory, or even the patient, may produce interprofessional conflict when ownership is not acknowledged. Collaboration by definition implies interdependency as opposed to autonomy. Yet, much nursing literature focuses on achievement of autonomy in clinical decision-making, cited to improve job satisfaction, retention and patient outcomes. Autonomy of health care professionals may be an inappropriate goal when striving to foster interprofessional collaboration. Tools such as checklists, guidelines and protocols are advocated, by some, as ways

  20. Evaluation of a collaborative model: a case study analysis of watershed planning in the intermountain west

    Treesearch

    Gary Bentrup

    2001-01-01

    Collaborative planning processes have become increasingly popular for addressing environmental planning issues, resulting in a number of conceptual models for collaboration. A model proposed by Selin and Chavez suggests that collaboration emerges from a series of antecedents and then proceeds sequentially through problem-setting, direction-setting, implementation, and...

  1. Proceedings of the Annual National Clinic on Technical Education (12th, Spokane, Washington, March 26-28, 1975). Human Resource Development: Technical Education's Challenge.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rutledge, Gene; And Others

    This report includes the presentations of the speakers appearing before the National Clinic on Technical Education. Topics cover human resource development; the impact of technical education on economic development (in Mississippi); economics of allied health education; manpower implications of environmental protection; manpower needs for…

  2. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project Monthly Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Finch, S.M.

    1991-02-01

    The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doses that populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is being managed and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) under the direction of an independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP). The TSP consists of experts in environmental pathways, epidemiology, surface-water transport, ground-water transport, statistics, demography, agriculture, meteorology, nuclear engineering, radiation dosimetry, and cultural anthropology. Included are appointed technical members representing the states of Oregon and Washington, cultural and technical experts nominated by the regional Native American tribes, and an individualmore » representing the public. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from release to impact on humans (dose estimates): source terms; environmental transport; environmental monitoring data; demographics, agriculture, food habits; and environmental pathways and dose estimates. Project reports and references used in the reports are made available to the public in a public reading room. Project progress is documented in this monthly report, which is available to the public. 3 figs., 3 tabs.« less

  3. {cross-disciplinary} Data CyberInfrastructure: A Different Approach to Developing Collaborative Earth and Environmental Science Research Platforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lenhardt, W. C.; Krishnamurthy, A.; Blanton, B.; Conway, M.; Coposky, J.; Castillo, C.; Idaszak, R.

    2017-12-01

    An integrated science cyberinfrastructure platform is fast becoming a norm in science, particularly where access to distributed resources, access to compute, data management tools, and collaboration tools are accessible to the end-user scientist without the need to spin up these services on their own. There platforms have various types of labels ranging from data commons to science-as-a-service. They tend to share common features, as outlined above. What tends to distinguish these platforms, however, is their affinity for particular domains, NanoHub - nanomaterials, iPlant - plant biology, Hydroshare - hydrology, and so on. The challenge still remains how to enable these platforms to be more easily adopted for use by other domains. This paper will provide an overview of RENCI's approach to creating a science platform that can be more easily adopted by new communities while also endeavoring to accelerate their research. At RENCI, we started with Hydroshare, but have now worked to generalize the methodology for application to other domains. This new effort is called xDCi, or {cross-disciplinary} Data CyberInfrastructure. We have adopted a broader approach to the challenge of domain adoption and includes two key elements in addition to the technology component. The first of these is how development is operationalized. RENCI implements a DevOps model of continuous development and deployment. This greatly increases the speed by which a new platform can come online and be refined to meet domain needs. DevOps also allows for migration over time, i.e. sustainability. The second element is a concierge model. In addition to the technical elements, and the more responsive development process, RENCI also supports domain adoption of the platform by providing a concierge service— dedicated expertise- in the following areas, Information Technology, Sustainable Software, Data Science, and Sustainability. The success of the RENCI methodology is illustrated by the adoption of the

  4. Innovative Socio-Technical Environments in Support of Distributed Intelligence and Lifelong Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fischer, G; Konomi, S.

    2007-01-01

    Individual, unaided human abilities are constrained. Media have helped us to transcend boundaries in thinking, working, learning and collaborating by supporting "distributed intelligence". Wireless and mobile technologies provide new opportunities for creating novel socio-technical environments and thereby empowering humans, but not without…

  5. Technical Challenges of Enterprise Imaging: HIMSS-SIIM Collaborative White Paper.

    PubMed

    Clunie, David A; Dennison, Don K; Cram, Dawn; Persons, Kenneth R; Bronkalla, Mark D; Primo, Henri Rik

    2016-10-01

    This white paper explores the technical challenges and solutions for acquiring (capturing) and managing enterprise images, particularly those involving visible light applications. The types of acquisition devices used for various general-purpose photography and specialized applications including dermatology, endoscopy, and anatomic pathology are reviewed. The formats and standards used, and the associated metadata requirements and communication protocols for transfer and workflow are considered. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of metadata capture in both order- and encounter-based workflow. The benefits of using DICOM to provide a standard means of recording and accessing both metadata and image and video data are considered, as is the role of IHE and FHIR.

  6. A New Meteo-oceanographic and Environmental Monitoring Laboratory in Brazil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fontes, Roberto F. C.; Dottori, Marcelo; Silveira, Ilson C. A.; Castro, Belmiro M.

    2013-04-01

    The newer oil provinces in the pre-salt regions off the Brazilian Coast have raised the necessity of the creation of monitoring and observational centers, regarding the best comprehension on the ocean and atmosphere dynamics. The relation between industry and university is a concept based on collaboration, and it is an innovative social experiment in Brazil. The sustainability of that collaboration depends on the balance of mutual interests on private business and public academic institutions. The entrepreneur needs continuous accesses to the new academic researches, and the greatest benefit, for the academy, are funding complementation and personnel qualification. We need to establish a thread of new challenges, some of them based on disruption of paradigms in the Brazilian academic culture, and removal of obstructive clauses from the entrepreneur. Questioning and methods revalidation, in the oceanic environment areas, also requires a collaborative and interdisciplinary effort, congregating the physical aspects along with others compartments of the environmental monitoring. We proposed the creation of a Meteo-oceanographic and Environmental Monitoring Laboratory - LAMMOA (Portuguese acronym), which will be installed in a new facility funded by PETROBRAS (the Brazilian leading oil company) and ruled by USP, UNESP and UNICAMP, the state public universities in Santos (São Paulo State, Brazil). The new facility will be a research center in oil and gas activities, named CENPEG-BS (Portuguese acronym for Research Center of Oil and Gas in the Bay of Santos). Several laboratories and groups will work together, in a highly collaborative environment and so, capable of quickly respond to sudden demands on offshore activities and logistic operations, as well as in contingency situations. LAMMOA will continuous monitor oceanic regions where the pre-salt activities of oil exploitation occur. It will monitor meteo-oceanographic parameters like winds, waves and currents

  7. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McMakin, A.H.; Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

    1992-07-01

    The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The TSP consists of experts in environmental pathways, epidemiology, surface-water transport, ground-water transport, statistics, demography, agriculture, meteorology, nuclear engineering, radiation dosimetry, and cultural anthropology. Included are appointed technical members representing the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, a representative of Native American tribes, and an individual representing the public. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impactmore » on humans (dose estimates): Source terms, environmental transport, environmental monitoring data, demography, food consumption, and agriculture, and environmental pathways and dose estimates. Progress is discussed.« less

  8. An Innovative Course in Technical Communication and More

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cranor, Maria B.; Price, Richard H.

    2004-05-01

    Several studies have shown that otherwise well-prepared physics undergraduates do not develop writing and speaking skills sufficient to the demands of graduate school or the technical workplace. To rectify this, we have developed and taught, for five semesters, a very successful course for junior and senior physics majors. Students improve their writing and speaking skills through technical projects and through a reading list which includes modules on scientific practice and ethics, pseudo science, management, and workplace collaboration. We present here an overview of this course, and discuss the pros and cons of introducing a useful, yet unusual and highly labor-intensive (for teachers and for students) class into the traditional physics curriculum.

  9. The politics of federal environmental education policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crouch, Richard Craig

    Both environmental governance1 and education governance 2 occupy contested territory in contemporary US political discourse. Environmental education (EE) policy has emerged at this intersection and taken on aspects of both controversies. Central to debates surrounding environmental education are still unresolved issues concerning the role of the federal government in education, the role of education in citizen-making, and the role of the public in environmental governance. As a case study of the politics of environmental education policy, I explore these issues as they relate to the National Environmental Education Act of 1990,3 attempts at its reauthorization, its continued appropriations, and its current state of policy stasis. The political controversy over the federal role in environmental education is an appropriate case study of environmental education politics insofar as it reflects the different positions held by actor groups with regard to the definition, efficacy, and legitimacy of environmental education. At the core of these debates, as we will see, is a definitional crisis---that is, there is no common understanding across the relevant actor groups as to what environmental education is, or should be. I suggest here that this definitional issue can be best understood as having technical, ideological, and structural components4---all of which are mutually reinforcing and thus perpetuate the stasis in federal environmental education policy. 1I rely on Durant, Fiorino and O'leary's definition of environmental governance in Environmental Governance Reconsidered ; "In the term environmental governance, we refer to the increasingly collaborative nature of [environmental and natural resource] policy formulation and implementation. In this vein, a wide array of third parties (for example, actors in the profit sector, the nonprofit sector, and civic society), in addition to government agencies, comprise non hierarchical networks of actors wielding a variety of

  10. INFOTERRA: Gateway to International Environmental Information.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNamar, Emma J.

    1993-01-01

    Describes the components, collaborators, and services of INFOTERRA, an environmental information exchange network designed to facilitate the exchange of information among countries and to promote knowledge with countries of the international environmental situation. (MDH)

  11. Using Collaborative Engineering to Inform Collaboration Engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, Lynne P.

    2012-01-01

    Collaboration is a critical competency for modern organizations as they struggle to compete in an increasingly complex, global environment. A large body of research on collaboration in the workplace focuses both on teams, investigating how groups use teamwork to perform their task work, and on the use of information systems to support team processes ("collaboration engineering"). This research essay presents collaboration from an engineering perspective ("collaborative engineering"). It uses examples from professional and student engineering teams to illustrate key differences in collaborative versus collaboration engineering and investigates how challenges in the former can inform opportunities for the latter.

  12. International collaboration: The cornerstone of satellite land remote sensing in the 21st century

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bailey, G. Bryan; Lauer, Donald T.; Carneggie, David M.

    2001-01-01

    Satellite land remotely sensed data are used by scientists and resource managers world-wide to study similar multidisciplinary earth science problems. Most of their information requirements can be met by a small number of satellite sensor types. Moderate-resolution resource satellites and low-resolution environmental satellites are the most prominent of these, and they are the focus of this paper. Building, launching, and operating satellite systems are very expensive endeavors. Consequently, nations should change the current pattern of independently launching and operating similar, largely redundant resource and environmental satellite systems in favor of true and full collaboration in developing, launching, operating, and sharing the data from such systems of the future. The past decade has seen encouraging signs of increasing international collaboration in earth remote sensing, but full collaboration has not yet been attempted. A general strategy to achieve such international collaboration is presented here, including discussion of potential obstacles, ideas for organizing and overseeing the long-term process toward collaboration, and short-term objectives whereby early successes critical to accomplishing long-term goals can be achieved.

  13. Collaboration with the United Kingdom on Air Quality Research

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    To initiate research collaboration among the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Unitd Kingdom's (UK) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Environment Agency for England and Wales (EA) on exposure science

  14. The Future of Career Technical Education (CTE) Assessment. Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council of Chief State School Officers, 2011

    2011-01-01

    On behalf of the states that participated in the 2009-10 State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (SCASS) on Technical Skills Assessment, this paper addresses two significant issues facing the nation: ensuring that more students are both college and career ready and addressing the need for better and more quality data to evaluate…

  15. A Word to the Wise: Advice for Scientists Engaged in Collaborative Adaptive Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hopkinson, Peter; Huber, Ann; Saah, David S.; Battles, John J.

    2017-05-01

    Collaborative adaptive management is a process for making decisions about the environment in the face of uncertainty and conflict. Scientists have a central role to play in these decisions. However, while scientists are well trained to reduce uncertainty by discovering new knowledge, most lack experience with the means to mitigate conflict in contested situations. To address this gap, we drew from our efforts coordinating a large collaborative adaptive management effort, the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project, to offer advice to our fellow environmental scientists. Key challenges posed by collaborative adaptive management include the confusion caused by multiple institutional cultures, the need to provide information at management-relevant scales, frequent turnover in participants, fluctuations in enthusiasm among key constituencies, and diverse definitions of success among partners. Effective strategies included a dedication to consistency, a commitment to transparency, the willingness to communicate frequently via multiple forums, and the capacity for flexibility. Collaborative adaptive management represents a promising, new model for scientific engagement with the public. Learning the lessons of effective collaboration in environmental management is an essential task to achieve the shared goal of a sustainable future.

  16. AAPG forms environmental unit; Geosat moving

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1992-07-20

    This paper reports that the American Association of Petroleum Geologists has established a new environmental geology division, while a geology related committee is moving from Oklahoma. AAPG set up a Division of Environmental Geosciences to provide services and information to its members working in environmental geosciences, the Bernold M. Bruno Hanson of Midland, Tex., the DEG's first president. The division will publish a newsletter in October, and plans are being set to solicit technical articles for consideration by the AAPG Bulletin and for a possible future separate DEG technical publication.

  17. Impact of Medicare Advantage penetration and hospital competition on technical efficiency of nursing care in US intensive care units.

    PubMed

    Min, Ari; Scott, Linda D; Park, Chang; Vincent, Catherine; Ryan, Catherine J; Lee, Taewha

    2018-04-10

    This study aimed to evaluate technical efficiency of US intensive care units and determine the effects of environmental factors on technical efficiency in providing quality of nursing care. Data were obtained from the 2014 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Data envelopment analysis was used to estimate technical efficiency for each intensive care unit. Multilevel modeling was used to determine the effects of environmental factors on technical efficiency. Overall, Medicare Advantage penetration and hospital competition in a market did not create pressure for intensive care units to become more efficient by reducing their inputs. However, these 2 environmental factors showed positive influences on technical efficiency in intensive care units with certain levels of technical efficiency. The implications of the study results for management strategies and health policy may vary according to the levels of technical efficiency in intensive care units. Further studies are needed to examine why and how intensive care units with particular levels of technical efficiency are differently affected by certain environmental factors. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. 32 CFR 203.12 - Technical assistance for public participation provider qualifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... in a relevant discipline (e.g., biochemistry, toxicology, environmental sciences, engineering). (3...) IN DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION ACTIVITIES § 203.12 Technical assistance for public... such criteria could include prior work in the area, knowledge of local environmental conditions or laws...

  19. 32 CFR 203.12 - Technical assistance for public participation provider qualifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... in a relevant discipline (e.g., biochemistry, toxicology, environmental sciences, engineering). (3...) IN DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION ACTIVITIES § 203.12 Technical assistance for public... such criteria could include prior work in the area, knowledge of local environmental conditions or laws...

  20. 32 CFR 203.12 - Technical assistance for public participation provider qualifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... in a relevant discipline (e.g., biochemistry, toxicology, environmental sciences, engineering). (3...) IN DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION ACTIVITIES § 203.12 Technical assistance for public... such criteria could include prior work in the area, knowledge of local environmental conditions or laws...

  1. 32 CFR 203.12 - Technical assistance for public participation provider qualifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... in a relevant discipline (e.g., biochemistry, toxicology, environmental sciences, engineering). (3...) IN DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION ACTIVITIES § 203.12 Technical assistance for public... such criteria could include prior work in the area, knowledge of local environmental conditions or laws...

  2. Measuring Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Efficiency: Developing a Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Guimei; Clayton, John

    2016-01-01

    The growing demand for an increasingly skilled competitive workforce and the associated demand for change and responsiveness in the provision of technical vocational education and training (TVET) has led to the development of stronger links between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China. A collaborative model programme project aims to…

  3. Modeling human-environmental systems

    Treesearch

    Morgan Grove; Charlie Schweik; Tom Evans; Glen Green

    2002-01-01

    This chapter focuses on the integration and development of environmental models that include human decision making. While many methodological and technical issues are common to all types of environmental models, our goal is to highlight the unique characteristics that need to be considered when modeling human-environmental dynamics and to identify future directions for...

  4. Bonding with the Nuclear Industry: A Technical Communication Professor and His Students Partner With Y-12 National Security Complex

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hirst, Russel

    2016-01-01

    This article describes how a special kind of academe-industry collaboration--based on a joint appointment agreement between a university and an industry site--was set up, promoted, and experienced by a professor of technical communication and his student interns. To illustrate the nature and value of this kind of collaboration, the article…

  5. Promoting environmental public health in rapidly urbanizing areas of less-developed countries in Africa: a collaborative interdisciplinary training in Ibadan, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Shendell, Derek G; Ana, Godson R E E

    2011-01-01

    Globally, urbanization has been occurring more rapidly in small-to-medium-sized cities in less-developed countries of Africa and Asia. Studies have suggested associations between traffic and industry-related air pollutants and adverse health outcomes. These chemical and physical exposure agents have also received increased attention for environmental quality concerns like global climate change. Most research to date, however, was conducted in larger industrialized country urban centers. Ibadan, Nigeria, is a historic city characterized by urban sprawl and increasing modernization as an academic and medical training center but is lacking in the implementation of environmental laws. The authors conducted their first training in Ibadan, Nigeria, May 19-23, 2008, based on initial collaborative work during 2006-2008 as well as a trip in mid-March 2007. They describe the rationale for and components of the training, likely one of the first of its kind in Africa. The title of the training was "Advances in Community Outdoor and Indoor Air and Environmental Quality Monitoring and Exposure Assessment." Content was multimedia and interdisciplinary. The authors included lectures, group discussions, field experiences at community and industrial sites with cross-sectional environmental monitoring, and planned pilot studies including master's thesis projects based on real-time, grant-funded monitoring equipment provided to the University of Ibadan, including protocol development demonstrations.

  6. Interactive, Collaborative Science via the 'Net: Live from the Hubble Space Telescope.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Federman, Alan N.; Edwards, Sheri

    1997-01-01

    As a part of the Passport to Knowledge Project "Live from the Hubble Space Telescope," over 60 schools collaborated by making weather observations that were displayed via the Internet during the week of April 15-19, 1996. Describes the weather activity, technical information, and the experiences of participating students in grades 5/6 at…

  7. Culture and Workplace Communications: A Comparison of the Technical Communications Practices of Japanese and U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Sato, Yuko; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Kennedy, John M.

    1997-01-01

    Japanese (n=94) and U.S. (n=340) aerospace scientists/engineers described time spent communicating information, collaborative writing, importance of technical communication courses, and the use of libraries, computer networks, and technical reports. Japanese respondents had greater language fluency; U.S. respondents spent more time with…

  8. From "sit and listen" to "shake it out yourself": Helping urban middle school students to bridge personal knowledge to scientific knowledge through a collaborative environmental justice curriculum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sadeh, Shamu Fenyvesi

    Science education and environmental education are not meeting the needs of marginalized communities such as urban, minority, and poor communities (Seller, 2001; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 1996). There exists an equity gap characterized by the racial and socioeconomic disparities in: levels of participation in scientific and environmental careers and environmental organizations (Lewis & James, 1995; Sheppard, 1995), access to appropriate environmental education programs (U.S. EPA, 1996), exposure to environmental toxins (Bullard, 1993), access to environmental amenities and legal protections (Bullard, 1993), and in grades and standardized test scores in K-12 science (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Johnston & Viadero, 2000). Researchers point to the cultural divide between home and school culture as one of the reasons for the equity gap in science education (Barton, 2003; Delpit, 1995; Seiler, 2001). This study is designed to address the equity gap by helping students connect personal/cultural knowledge to scientific knowledge. A collaborative action research study was conducted in 8th-grade science classrooms of low-income African American and Latino students. The participating teacher and the researcher developed, enacted and evaluated a curriculum that elicited students' personal and cultural knowledge in the investigation of local community issues. Using qualitative methods, data were collected through student and teacher interviews, observation, and written documents. Data were analyzed to answer questions on student participation and learning, bridging between personal and scientific knowledge, and student empowerment. The most compelling themes from the data were described as parts of three stories: tensions between the empire of school and the small student nation, bridging between the two nations, and students gaining empowerment. This study found that the bridging the curriculum intended was successful in that many students brought personal

  9. A soil biotechnology system for wastewater treatment: technical, hygiene, environmental LCA and economic aspects.

    PubMed

    Kamble, Sheetal Jaisingh; Chakravarthy, Yogita; Singh, Anju; Chubilleau, Caroline; Starkl, Markus; Bawa, Itee

    2017-05-01

    Soil biotechnology (SBT) is a green engineering approach for wastewater treatment and recycling. Five SBT units located in the Mumbai region were under consideration of which holistic assessment of two SBT plants was carried out considering its technical, environmental and economic aspects and was compared with published research of other three. LCA has been done to evaluate the environmental impacts of construction and operation phase of SBT. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal of more than 90% can be achieved using this technology. Also, the nutrient removal proficiency (nitrate, nitrite, ammoniacal nitrogen, TKN, total nitrogen and phosphates) of this technique is good. On the other hand, SBT has low annual operation and maintenance cost, comparable to land-based systems and lower than conventional or advanced technologies. From the life cycle impact assessment, the main contributors for overall impact from the plant were identified as electricity consumption, discharges of COD, P-PO 4 3- and N-NH 4 + and disposal of sludge. The construction phase was found to have significantly more impact than the operation phase of the plant. This study suggests plant I is not relatively as efficient enough regarding sanitation. SBT provides several benefits over other conventional technologies for wastewater treatment. It is based on a bio-conversion process and is practically maintenance free. It does not produce any odorous bio-sludge and consumes the least energy.

  10. A Socio-technical Approach for Transient SME Alliances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rezgui, Yacine

    The paper discusses technical requirements to promote the adoption of alliance modes of operation by SMEs in the construction sector. These requirements have provided a basis for specifying a set of functionality to support the collaboration and cooperation needs of SMEs. While service-oriented architectures and semantic web services provide the middleware technology to implement the identified functionality, a number of key technical limitations have been identified, including lack of support for the dynamic and non-functional characteristics of SME alliances distributed business processes, lack of execution monitoring functionality to manage running business processes, and lack of support for semantic reasoning to enable SME business process service composition. The paper examines these issues and provides key directions for supporting SME alliances effectively.

  11. Webinar Presentation: Children’s Environmental Health Research

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This presentation, Children’s Environmental Health Research, was given at the NIEHS/EPA Children's Centers 2015 Webinar Series: The Significance of Children’s Environmental Health Research Through Collaboration held on July 8, 2015.

  12. Instructional Design for Online Learning Environments and the Problem of Collaboration in the Cloud

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mehlenbacher, Brad; Kelly, Ashley Rose; Kampe, Christopher; Kittle Autry, Meagan

    2018-01-01

    To investigate how college students understand and use cloud technology for collaborative writing, the authors studied two asynchronous online courses, on science communication and on technical communication. Students worked on a group assignment (3-4 per group) using Google Docs and individually reflected on their experience writing…

  13. Environmental Horticulture Program Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Georgia Univ., Athens. Dept. of Vocational Education.

    This program guide contains the standard environmental horticulture curriculum for technical institutes in Georgia. The curriculum encompasses the minimum competencies required for entry-level workers in the environmental horticulture field. The general information section contains the following: purpose and objectives; program description,…

  14. 40 CFR Appendix A to Part 67 - Technical Support Document

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Technical Support Document A Appendix A to Part 67 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS...—Technical Support Document Note: EPA will make copies of appendix A available from: Director, Stationary...

  15. 40 CFR Appendix A to Part 66 - Technical Support Document

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Technical Support Document A Appendix A to Part 66 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS...—Technical Support Document Note: For text of appendix A see appendix A to part 67. ...

  16. Examining Educators' and Employers' Perceptions on Career and Technical Education Graduates' Employability Skills for the Labor Market in Jordan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Alawneh, Muhammad Khaled

    2009-01-01

    Preparing skilled and knowledgeable workforce that fits the labor market requires continued collaboration between education and work. Studying educators' and employers' perspectives on technical and non-technical skills may result in improving the quality of the graduates to compete on the level of the local as well as the global labor market.…

  17. Building capacity for community disaster preparedness: a call for collaboration between public environmental health and emergency preparedness and response programs.

    PubMed

    Gamboa-Maldonado, Thelma; Marshak, Helen Hopp; Sinclair, Ryan; Montgomery, Susanne; Dyjack, David T

    2012-09-01

    Partnerships among local public environmental health (EH), emergency preparedness and response (EPR) programs, and the communities they serve have great potential to build community environmental health emergency preparedness (EHEP) capacity. In the study described in this article, the beliefs and organizational practices pertaining to community EHEP outreach and capacity were explored through key informant (KI) interviews (N = 14) with a sample of governmental EH and EPR administrators and top-level managers from Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California. The results indicate that KIs were highly confident in their workforces' efficacy, ability, willingness, and motivation to directly engage local communities in EHEP. Best practices to combat organizational and systematic barriers to community EHEP outreach were identified. Based on the authors' results, training in participatory methods is needed to bridge technical knowledge in emergency management to daily practice. The lessons learned will form the basis of future interventions aimed to prepare EH and EPR professions to implement community-focused emergency preparedness strategies.

  18. A Collaboration on Collaboration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cobleigh, Brent

    2004-01-01

    NASA's 2003-2004 Leadership Development Program class recognized that effective collaborations are often the key to achieving mission success. Personal connections and common goals were key elements of their work together and key findings of their collaboration benchmarking within the agency.

  19. INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY IDENTIFICATION, DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, DEPLOYMENT AND EXCHANGE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Roy C. Herndon

    2001-02-28

    Cooperative Agreement (DE-FC21-95EW55101) between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Florida State University's Institute for International Cooperative Environmental Research (IICER) was designed to facilitate a number of joint programmatic goals of both the DOE and the IICER related to international technology identification, development, demonstration and deployment using a variety of mechanisms to accomplish these goals. These mechanisms included: laboratory and field research; technology demonstrations; international training and technical exchanges; data collection, synthesis and evaluation; the conduct of conferences, symposia and high-level meetings; and other appropriate and effective approaches. The DOE utilized the expertise and facilities of the IICERmore » at Florida State University to accomplish its goals related to this cooperative agreement. The IICER has unique and demonstrated capabilities that have been utilized to conduct the tasks for this cooperative agreement. The IICER conducted activities related to technology identification, development, evaluation, demonstration and deployment through its joint centers which link the capabilities at Florida State University with collaborating academic and leading research institutions in the major countries of Central and Eastern Europe (e.g., Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland) and Russia. The activities and accomplishments for this five-year cooperative agreement are summarized in this Final Technical Report.« less

  20. 40 CFR 35.4190 - How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... technical advisor? 35.4190 Section 35.4190 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Technical Assistance Procuring A Technical Advisor Or Other Contractor with Tag Funds § 35.4190 How does my group identify a qualified...

  1. Technical Support for Contaminated Sites | Science Inventory ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD), Office of Land and Emergency Management, and EPA Regional waste management offices established the Technical Support Project. The creation of the Technical Support Project enabled ORD to provide effective technical assistance by ensuring ORD scientists and engineers were accessible to the Agency’s Office and Regional decision makers, including Remedial Project Managers, On-Scene Coordinators, and corrective action staff. Five ORD Technical Support Centers (TSCs) were created to facilitate this technical assistance. Three of the five TSCs are supported by the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program, and are summarized in the poster being presented:• Engineering Technical Support Center (ETSC) in Cincinnati, Ohio• Ground Water Technical Support Center (GWTSC) in Ada, Oklahoma• Site Characterization and Monitoring Technical Support Center (SCMTSC) in Atlanta, GeorgiaOver the past 29 years, the Technical Support Centers have provided numerous influential products to its internal Agency clients and to those at the State level (through the EPA Regions). These products include, but are not limited to the following: Annual TSC reports from the three Centers, a hard-rock mining conference every other year, PRO-UCL software development for site characterization statistics, groundwater modeling using state-of-the-art modeling software, numerical mo

  2. Cooperation of international Research Infrastructures to address environmental global challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bonet García, Francisco J.; Suárez-Muñoz, María; Conchubhair, Diarmuid O.; Dohna, Tina; Lo Bue, Nadia

    2017-04-01

    Human impact on the planet is causing a set of global environmental problems that threaten the wellbeing of current and future generations. Examples of these environmental problems include climate change, decline of biodiversity, alteration of biogeochemical cycles, ocean acidification, etc. These environmental Global Challenges (GCs) are transnational and complex, combining elements of both natural and social factors. Providing solutions for these challenges can be significantly enhanced through the collaboration of various related institutions, governments and stakeholders. A deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of GCs, as well as the processes which control them is required. Environmental Research Infrastructures (DANUBIUS-RI) are key players in this learning process. Covering many fields of research, it is through RIs collaboration that GCs can be more fully addressed. However, the collaboration among environmental RIs is still limited nationally as well as internationally. Although contact is encouraged and interactions are common practice, there are few cases where RI managers initiate and foster transnational collaborations in order to address specific problems. The COOP+ project aims to explore and strengthen cooperation among global RIs by bringing various RIs together and working on the identification of requirements, strengths, knowledge gaps and other relevant items in regard to the selected GCs. For this purpose, 13 GCs have been selected: coral bleaching, marine debris, noise impact on marine fauna, Arctic sea ice melting, pollinators decline, threatened species, agriculture pollutants, nitrogen cycle, carbon and GHG, geohazards and extreme events, estuaries, global urbanization process, and ozone depletion. These GCs are being analysed and described by multidisciplinary teams of experts composed of scientists, RIs operators and other stakeholders. This assessment will derive a list of tasks and requirements to be fulfilled by the

  3. 75 FR 16461 - Meeting of the Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-01

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Meeting of the Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee AGENCY... Committee Act, Public Law 92- 463, notice is hereby given that the Mobile Sources Technical Review... site: http://www.epa.gov/air/caaac/mobile_sources.html . MSTRS listserver subscribers will receive...

  4. Collaboration and Commitment to Sealed Source Safety, Security, and Disposition - 13627

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jennison, Meaghan; Martin, David W.

    2013-07-01

    EnergySolutions, the Division of Radiation Control at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ), the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), and the Department of Energy's Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) are collaborating on a truly innovative effort to expand opportunities for cost-effective sealed source disposal. These entities have developed a first-of-its-kind initiative to dispose of certain sealed sources at the EnergySolutions disposal facility near Clive, Utah, which normally cannot accept sealed sources of any type. This creative and collaborative effort to improve radiation health, safety, and security exemplifies the spirit and commitment represented by the Richard S. Hodes,more » M.D. Honor Lecture Award, which is presented annually at the Waste Management Symposia by the Southeast Compact Commission to encourage environmental professionals and political leaders to develop innovative approaches to waste management in the United States. The participants in the collaborative initiative are honored to receive special recognition for their efforts thus far. They also recognize that the hard work remains to be done. (authors)« less

  5. Building multi-country collaboration on watershed ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Community-based watershed resilience programs that bridge public health and environmental outcomes often require cross-boundary, multi-country collaboration. The CRESSIDA project, led by the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) and supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), forwards a resilience-focused approach for Western Balkan communities in the Drini and Drina river watersheds with the goal of safeguarding public health and the environment. The initial phases of this project give a contextualized example of how to advance resilience-driven environmental health goals in Western Balkan communities, and experience within the region has garnered several theme areas that require focus in order to promote a holistic watershed management program. In this paper, using CRESSIDA as a case study, we show (1) how watershed projects designed with resilience-driven environmental health goals can work in context, (2) provide data surrounding contextualized problems with resilience and suggest tools and strategies for the implementation of projects to address these problems, and (3) explore how cross-boundary foci are central to the success of these approaches in watersheds that comprise several countries. Published in the journal, Reviews on Environmental Health.

  6. Virtual Laboratory Enabling Collaborative Research in Applied Vehicle Technologies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lamar, John E.; Cronin, Catherine K.; Scott, Laura E.

    2005-01-01

    The virtual laboratory is a new technology, based on the internet, that has had wide usage in a variety of technical fields because of its inherent ability to allow many users to participate simultaneously in instruction (education) or in the collaborative study of a common problem (real-world application). The leadership in the Applied Vehicle Technology panel has encouraged the utilization of this technology in its task groups for some time and its parent organization, the Research and Technology Agency, has done the same for its own administrative use. This paper outlines the application of the virtual laboratory to those fields important to applied vehicle technologies, gives the status of the effort, and identifies the benefit it can have on collaborative research. The latter is done, in part, through a specific example, i.e. the experience of one task group.

  7. Classroom Journal Club: Collaborative Study of Contemporary Primary Literature in the Biomechanics Classroom.

    PubMed

    Kuxhaus, Laurel; Corbiere, Nicole C

    2016-07-01

    Current engineering pedagogy primarily focuses on developing technical proficiency and problem solving skills; the peer-review process for sharing new research results is often overlooked. The use of a collaborative classroom journal club can engage students with the excitement of scientific discovery and the process of dissemination of research results, which are also important lifelong learning skills. In this work, a classroom journal club was implemented and a survey of student perceptions spanning three student cohorts was collected. In this collaborative learning activity, students regularly chose and discussed a recent biomechanics journal article, and were assessed based on specific, individual preparation tasks. Most student-chosen journal articles were relevant to topics discussed in the regular class lecture. Surveys assessed student perceptions of the activity. The survey responses show that, across all cohorts, students both enjoyed the classroom journal club and recognized it as an important learning experience. Many reported discussing their journal articles with others outside of the classroom, indicating good engagement. The results demonstrate that student engagement with primary literature can foster both technical knowledge and lifelong learning skills.

  8. The Effect of Explicit Environmentally Oriented Metacognitive Guidance and Peer Collaboration on Students' Expressions of Environmental Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adler, Idit; Zion, Michal; Mevarech, Zemira R.

    2016-01-01

    The prevalence of habitat and life-threatening environmental problems has motivated environmental researchers to develop education programs to strengthen students' environmental literacy. We argue that the connection between environmental literacy and metacognition is theoretically promising. Therefore, we developed the "Meta-CIC" model,…

  9. An optimized web-based approach for collaborative stereoscopic medical visualization

    PubMed Central

    Kaspar, Mathias; Parsad, Nigel M; Silverstein, Jonathan C

    2013-01-01

    Objective Medical visualization tools have traditionally been constrained to tethered imaging workstations or proprietary client viewers, typically part of hospital radiology systems. To improve accessibility to real-time, remote, interactive, stereoscopic visualization and to enable collaboration among multiple viewing locations, we developed an open source approach requiring only a standard web browser with no added client-side software. Materials and Methods Our collaborative, web-based, stereoscopic, visualization system, CoWebViz, has been used successfully for the past 2 years at the University of Chicago to teach immersive virtual anatomy classes. It is a server application that streams server-side visualization applications to client front-ends, comprised solely of a standard web browser with no added software. Results We describe optimization considerations, usability, and performance results, which make CoWebViz practical for broad clinical use. We clarify technical advances including: enhanced threaded architecture, optimized visualization distribution algorithms, a wide range of supported stereoscopic presentation technologies, and the salient theoretical and empirical network parameters that affect our web-based visualization approach. Discussion The implementations demonstrate usability and performance benefits of a simple web-based approach for complex clinical visualization scenarios. Using this approach overcomes technical challenges that require third-party web browser plug-ins, resulting in the most lightweight client. Conclusions Compared to special software and hardware deployments, unmodified web browsers enhance remote user accessibility to interactive medical visualization. Whereas local hardware and software deployments may provide better interactivity than remote applications, our implementation demonstrates that a simplified, stable, client approach using standard web browsers is sufficient for high quality three

  10. The role of collaborative ontology development in the knowledge negotiation process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rivera, Norma

    Interdisciplinary research (IDR) collaboration can be defined as the process of integrating experts' knowledge, perspectives, and resources to advance scientific discovery. The flourishing of more complex research problems, together with the growth of scientific and technical knowledge has resulted in the need for researchers from diverse fields to provide different expertise and points of view to tackle these problems. These collaborations, however, introduce a new set of "culture" barriers as participating experts are trained to communicate in discipline-specific languages, theories, and research practices. We propose that building a common knowledge base for research using ontology development techniques can provide a starting point for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, negotiation, and integration. The goal of this work is to extend ontology development techniques to support the knowledge negotiation process in IDR groups. Towards this goal, this work presents a methodology that extends previous work in collaborative ontology development and integrates learning strategies and tools to enhance interdisciplinary research practices. We evaluate the effectiveness of applying such methodology in three different scenarios that cover educational and research settings. The results of this evaluation confirm that integrating learning strategies can, in fact, be advantageous to overall collaborative practices in IDR groups.

  11. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project. Monthly report, December 1991

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Finch, S.M.; McMakin, A.H.

    1991-12-31

    The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is being managed and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) under the direction of an independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP). The TSP consists of experts in environmental pathways, epidemiology, surface-water transport, ground-water transport, statistics, demography, agriculture, meteorology, nuclear engineering, radiation dosimetry, and cultural anthropology. Included are appointed technical members representing the states of Oregon and Washington, a representative of Native American tribes, and an individual representing the public.more » The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from release to impact on human (dose estimates): Source Terms; Environmental Transport; Environmental Monitoring Data; Demographics, Agriculture, Food Habits and; Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates.« less

  12. Three Essays on Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Information Sharing and Collaboration: An Insider Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Treglia, Joseph V.

    2013-01-01

    This dissertation identifies what may be done to overcome barriers to information sharing among federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and emergency responders. Social, technical, and policy factors related to information sharing and collaboration in the law enforcement and emergency response communities are examined. This…

  13. Presentation to US-Canada Bilateral Technical Working ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    DHS and EPA have collaborated in the development of a draft charter for Technical Working Group (TWG) to serve as the basis of negotiations of bilateral agreements with other countries. The TWG would provide a mechanism for sharing both response and R&D expertise and experience in the event of a CBRN incident. The membership of each TWG was tailored to provide appropriate support to the incident commander for the particular situation. Some of the same expertise has been engaged in response to the

  14. Technical-Environmental Permafrost Observatories (TEPO) of northern West Siberia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurchatova, A. N.; Griva, G. I.; Osokin, A. B.; Smolov, G. K.

    2005-12-01

    During the last decade one of the most developed topics in environmental studies was the effect of global climate change. This has been shown to be especially pronounced in northern regions, having an important influence on the subsequent transformation of frozen soil distribution and potential permafrost degradation. In West Siberia such studies are especially important with the prospect of plans for development of oil-gas fields (Yamal, Gydan and Kara Sea shelf). Presently the enterprises independently determine the necessary research for ecological control of the territory. Therefore, the Tyumen State Oil and Gas University (TSOGU) together with one of the leading gas enterprises "Nadymgasprom" started to create an observational network along the meridian transect of northern West Siberia (Yamal-Nenets administrative district). Observational network consists from a number of monitoring sites - Technical-Environmental permafrost Observatories (TEPO). The research complex includes temperature observations in boreholes (depths of 30) equipped with automatic systems for registration and data collection; seasonal field investigations on spatial distribution and temporal variability of the snow cover and vegetation and soil distribution. TSOGU and "Nadymgasprom" plan for the realization of long-term monitoring to obtain representative results on permafrost-climate interaction. At present there are three monitoring observatories located in the main landscape types and gas fields in use since 1972 (Medvezhye), 1992 (Yubileynoe) and in development (Harasavey). The next contribution to International Polar Year (2007-2008) will be renewal of one of the former monitoring sites (established in 1972) with a long-term period of observation and creation of a new site at the Yamal peninsula (Arctic tundra zone). At the last site the installation of an automatic Climate-Soil Station is being planned in the framework of the INTAS Infrastructure Action project with cooperation of

  15. [Potential Benchmarks for Successful Interdisciplinary Collaboration Projects in Germany: A Systematic Review].

    PubMed

    Weißenborn, Marina; Schulz, Martin; Kraft, Manuel; Haefeli, Walter E; Seidling, Hanna M

    2018-06-21

    Collaboration between general practitioners and community pharmacists is essential to ensure safe and effective patient care. However, collaboration in primary care is not standardized and varies greatly. This review aims to highlight projects about professional collaboration in ambulatory care in Germany and identifies promising approaches and successful benchmarks that should be considered for future projects. A systematic literature search was performed based on the PRISMA guidelines to identify articles focusing on professional collaboration between general practitioners and pharmacists. A total of 542 articles were retrieved. Six potential premises for successful cooperation projects were identified: GP and CP knowing each other (I), involvement of both health care providers in the project planning (II), sharing of experience or concerns during regular joint meetings enabling continuing evaluation and adaption (III), ensuring (technical) feasibility (IV), particularly by providing incentives (V), and by integrating these projects into existing health care structures (VI). Only few studies have been published in scientific journals. There was no standardized assessment of how the participants perceived their collaboration and how it facilitates their daily work, even when the study aimed to evaluate GP-CP collaboration. Successful cooperation between GP and CP in daily routine care was often characterized by personal contact and longtime relationships. Therefore, collaborative teaching sessions at university might establish sympathy and mutual understanding right from the beginning. There is a strong need to establish standardized tools to evaluate collaboration in future projects and to enable comparability of different studies. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  16. The social computing room: a multi-purpose collaborative visualization environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borland, David; Conway, Michael; Coposky, Jason; Ginn, Warren; Idaszak, Ray

    2010-01-01

    The Social Computing Room (SCR) is a novel collaborative visualization environment for viewing and interacting with large amounts of visual data. The SCR consists of a square room with 12 projectors (3 per wall) used to display a single 360-degree desktop environment that provides a large physical real estate for arranging visual information. The SCR was designed to be cost-effective, collaborative, configurable, widely applicable, and approachable for naive users. Because the SCR displays a single desktop, a wide range of applications is easily supported, making it possible for a variety of disciplines to take advantage of the room. We provide a technical overview of the room and highlight its application to scientific visualization, arts and humanities projects, research group meetings, and virtual worlds, among other uses.

  17. International Collaboration and Academic Exchange of the CHAIN Project in this Three Years (Period)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ueno, Satoru; Shibata, Kazunari; Morita, Satoshi; Kimura, Goichi; Asai, Ayumi; Kitai, Reizaburo; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Nagata, Shin'ichi; Ishii, Takako; Nakatani, Yoshikazu; Masashi, Yamaguchi; et al.

    2014-02-01

    We will introduce contents of international collaboration and academic exchange of the CHAIN project in recent three years (ISWI period). After April of 2010, we have not obtained any enough budget for new instruments. Therefore, we have not been able to install new Flare Monitoring Telescopes (FMT) in new countries, such as Algeria. On the other hand, however, we have continued international academic exchange through scientific and educational collaboration with mainly Peru, such as data-analysis training, holding scientific workshops etc. Additionally, in this year, King Saudi University of Saudi Arabia and CRAAG of Algeria have planned to build a new FMT in their university by their own budget. Therefore, we have started some collaboration in the field of technical advices of instruments and scientific themes etc. Moreover, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) also offered us participation in the CHAIN-project. We would like to continue to consider the possibility of academic collaboration with such new positive developing nations, too.

  18. Environment Online: The Greening of Databases. Part 2. Scientific and Technical Databases.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alston, Patricia Gayle

    1991-01-01

    This second in a series of articles about online sources of environmental information describes scientific and technical databases that are useful for searching environmental data. Topics covered include chemicals and hazardous substances; agriculture; pesticides; water; forestry, oil, and energy resources; air; environmental and occupational…

  19. A Collaborative Effort to Assess Environmental Health in ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Region 3 “Making a Visible Difference in Communities” (MVD) initiative for Southeast Newport News, VA has taken a community-centric, place-based approach to identifying and delivering service to the area’s residents and the city as a whole. Beginning with a CARE (Community Action for a Renewed Environment) Level 1 cooperative agreement (a grant with substantial government involvement and required outputs) in 2011, Region 3 funding helped to establish the Southeast CARE Coalition (“the Coalition”), and quickly formed a bond with the organization. Two years later, Region 3, the US EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the Coalition embarked on a scientific, socio-demographic Regional Sustainable Environmental Science (RESES) research project to assess local pollutant sources and their potential impacts to the community. These efforts helped EPA select Newport News as an MVD community, resulting in an expanded partnership that now includes the City of Newport News. Through this association and the MVD designation, the partners have identified and prioritized environmental and other concerns (e.g., improving air and water quality, adapting to extreme weather, promoting equitable development, improving transportation). Newport News has recently held workshops and training on topics such as environmental health, asthma, weather events, and equitable development, and continues to improve the community’s health, its knowledge of the relevant e

  20. 77 FR 60430 - Meeting of the Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-03

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9736-3] Meeting of the Mobile Sources Technical Review... Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92- 463, notice is hereby given that the Mobile Sources Technical Review... Advisory Committee. This is an open meeting. The meeting will include discussion of current topics and...

  1. The jABC Approach to Rigorous Collaborative Development of SCM Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hörmann, Martina; Margaria, Tiziana; Mender, Thomas; Nagel, Ralf; Steffen, Bernhard; Trinh, Hong

    Our approach to the model-driven collaborative design of IKEA's P3 Delivery Management Process uses the jABC [9] for model driven mediation and choreography to complement a RUP-based (Rational Unified Process) development process. jABC is a framework for service development based on Lightweight Process Coordination. Users (product developers and system/software designers) easily develop services and applications by composing reusable building-blocks into (flow-) graph structures that can be animated, analyzed, simulated, verified, executed, and compiled. This way of handling the collaborative design of complex embedded systems has proven to be effective and adequate for the cooperation of non-programmers and non-technical people, which is the focus of this contribution, and it is now being rolled out in the operative practice.

  2. The strategy for improving water-quality monitoring in the United States; final report of the Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality; technical appendices

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1995-01-01

    The Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality (ITFM) prepared this report in collaboration with representatives of all levels of government and the private sector. The report recommends a strategy for nationwide water-quality monitoring and technical monitoring improvements to support sound water-quality decisionmaking. The strategy is intended to achieve a better return on public and private investments in monitoring, environmental protection, and natural resources management. It is also designed to expand the base of information useful to a variety of users at multiple geographic scales. Institutional and technical changes are needed to improve water-quality monitoring and to meet the full range of monitoring requirements. Monitoring must be incorporated as a critical element of program planning, implementation, and evaluation. The strategy includes recommendations in many key elements, such as the development of goal-oriented monitoring and indicators, institutional collaboration, and methods comparability. Initial actions have been taken to implement the strategy. Several Federal agencies have jointly purchased and shared remotely sensed land-cover information needed for water assessment. Major agency data systems are using common data-element names and reference tables that will ensure easy sharing of data. A number of States have held meetings with collectors of water information to initiate statewide monitoring strategies. New monitoring guidance has been developed for Federal water-quality grants to States. Many State offices have changed monitoring programs to place emphasis on priority watersheds and to improve assessment of water quality. As the competition increases for adequate supplies of clean water, concerns about public health and the environment escalate, and more demands are placed on the water information infrastructure. To meet these demands, the collaborative approach has already produced benefits, which will continue to grow as

  3. Collaboration for Education with the Apple Learning Interchange

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Young, Patrick A.; Zimmerman, T.; Knierman, K. A.

    2006-12-01

    We present a progressive effort to deliver online education and outreach resources in collaboration with the Apple Learning Interchange, a free community for educators. We have created a resource site with astronomy activities, video training for the activities, and the possibility of interactive training through video chat services. Also in development is an online textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in stellar evolution, featuring an updatable and annotated text with multimedia content, online lectures, podcasts, and a framework for interactive simulation activities. Both sites will be highly interactive, combining online discussions, the opportunity for live video interaction, and a growing library of student work samples. This effort promises to provide a compelling model for collaboration between science educators and corporations. As scientists, we provide content knowledge and a compelling reason to communicate, while Apple provides technical expertise, a deep knowledge of online education, and a way for us to reach a wide audience of higher education, community outreach, and K-12 educators.

  4. Factors driving collaboration in natural resource conflict management: Evidence from Romania.

    PubMed

    Hossu, Constantina Alina; Ioja, Ioan Cristian; Susskind, Lawrence E; Badiu, Denisa L; Hersperger, Anna M

    2018-02-03

    A critical challenge in natural resource management is to bring all stakeholders together to negotiate solutions to critical problems. However, various collaborative approaches to heading off conflicts and resolving natural resource management disputes have been used. What drives these efforts, however, still needs further research. Our study provides a systematic look at the drivers likely to initiate collaborative problem-solving efforts in four cases in Romania. We use Emerson's et al. (2012) framework for collaborative governance and multi-value qualitative comparative analysis (mvQCA) to analyze cases involving endangered species, restrictions on forest harvest, conflicts associated with infrastructure development projects, and disputes over the management of environmentally sensitive areas. Our findings contribute to the already existing collaborative governance literature indicating which of the four factors: uncertainty, interdependence, consequential incentives, and leadership, in which combination, are necessary and sufficient to spur collaborative resource management efforts. Our results showed that in Romania the initiation of collaboration is best explained by positive consequential incentives (i.e., financial opportunities) which has determined leaders to take initiative. This study provides additional information for the complicated process of natural resource management which is often overriding collaboration by investigating what enables and constrains collaborative efforts in a country where natural resources were managed and used according to the principles of central planning.

  5. Supporting interoperability of collaborative networks through engineering of a service-based Mediation Information System (MISE 2.0)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benaben, Frederick; Mu, Wenxin; Boissel-Dallier, Nicolas; Barthe-Delanoe, Anne-Marie; Zribi, Sarah; Pingaud, Herve

    2015-08-01

    The Mediation Information System Engineering project is currently finishing its second iteration (MISE 2.0). The main objective of this scientific project is to provide any emerging collaborative situation with methods and tools to deploy a Mediation Information System (MIS). MISE 2.0 aims at defining and designing a service-based platform, dedicated to initiating and supporting the interoperability of collaborative situations among potential partners. This MISE 2.0 platform implements a model-driven engineering approach to the design of a service-oriented MIS dedicated to supporting the collaborative situation. This approach is structured in three layers, each providing their own key innovative points: (i) the gathering of individual and collaborative knowledge to provide appropriate collaborative business behaviour (key point: knowledge management, including semantics, exploitation and capitalisation), (ii) deployment of a mediation information system able to computerise the previously deduced collaborative processes (key point: the automatic generation of collaborative workflows, including connection with existing devices or services) (iii) the management of the agility of the obtained collaborative network of organisations (key point: supervision of collaborative situations and relevant exploitation of the gathered data). MISE covers business issues (through BPM), technical issues (through an SOA) and agility issues of collaborative situations (through EDA).

  6. Evaluation of a Web Conferencing Tool and Collaborative Tasks in an Online Chinese Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guo, Sijia

    2014-01-01

    This case study aims to explore the best practice of applying task-based language teaching (TBLT) via the web conferencing tool Blackboard Collaborate in a beginners' online Chinese course by evaluating the technical capacity of the software and the pedagogical values and limitations of the tasks designed. In this paper, Chapelle's (2001) criteria…

  7. Removing barriers to educating children in foster care through interagency collaboration: a seven county multiple-case study.

    PubMed

    Weinberg, Lois A; Zetlin, Andrea; Shea, Nancy M

    2009-01-01

    This multiple-case study examines interagency collaboration between child protective services (CPS), local education agencies (LEAs), and other public agencies in seven California counties. These agencies were provided technical assistance to remove barriers impeding the education of children in foster care and improve their educational outcomes. Results of this study suggest that making changes to remove educational barriers for foster children and improve their educational outcomes requires successful collaboration between CPS and LEAs and strong leadership within at least one of the agencies.

  8. A Collaborative Capstone to Develop a Mobile Hospital Clinic Application through a Student Team Competition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Wilson; Pepe, James; Stahl, James; Englander, Irv

    2013-01-01

    A new collaborative capstone model is presented that consists of three synergistic elements: (1) a capstone course component; (2) a business component; and (3) an advanced technical course component geared towards enhancing the student capstone learning experience. The model was fully implemented at Bentley University in spring 2012 with…

  9. Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Michelle L.

    2010-01-01

    This article explores collaboration between library media educators and regular classroom teachers. The article focuses on the context of the issue, positions on the issue, the impact of collaboration, and how to implement effective collaboration into the school system. Various books and professional journals are used to support conclusions…

  10. Toward a New Environmental Ethic.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.

    This pamphlet enumerates the goals and accomplishments of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relating to standards-setting and enforcement, research and monitoring, technical and financial assistance, manpower development, citizens technology assessment, and review of environmental impact statements. Also discussed are EPA responsibilities…

  11. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project. Monthly report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McMakin, A.H.; Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

    1992-07-01

    The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The TSP consists of experts in environmental pathways, epidemiology, surface-water transport, ground-water transport, statistics, demography, agriculture, meteorology, nuclear engineering, radiation dosimetry, and cultural anthropology. Included are appointed technical members representing the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, a representative of Native American tribes, and an individual representing the public. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impactmore » on humans (dose estimates): Source terms, environmental transport, environmental monitoring data, demography, food consumption, and agriculture, and environmental pathways and dose estimates. Progress is discussed.« less

  12. TECHNICAL RESOURCE DOCUMENT ON MONITORED NATURAL RECOVERY

    EPA Science Inventory

    In 2005, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a document entitled Contaminated Sediment Remediation Guidance for Hazardous Waste Sites (EPA, 2005), which provides technical and policy guidance for project managers and teams making risk manageme...

  13. CCSDS - Advancing Spaceflight Technology for International Collaboration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kearney, Mike; Kiely, Aaron; Yeh, Penshu; Gerner, Jean-Luc; Calzolari, Gian-Paolo; Gifford, Kevin; Merri, Mario; Weiss, Howard

    2010-01-01

    The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) has been developing data and communications standards since 1982, with the objective of providing interoperability for enabling international collaboration for spaceflight missions. As data and communications technology has advanced, CCSDS has progressed to capitalize on existing products when available and suitable for spaceflight, and to develop innovative new approaches when available products fail. The current scope of the CCSDS architecture spans the end-to-end data architecture of a spaceflight mission, with ongoing efforts to develop and standardize cutting-edge technology. This manuscript describes the overall architecture, the position of CCSDS in the standards and international mission community, and some CCSDS processes. It then highlights in detail several of the most interesting and critical technical areas in work right now, and how they support collaborative missions. Special topics include: Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), Asynchronous Message Service (AMS), Multispectral/Hyperspectral Data Compression (MHDC), Coding and Synchronization, Onboard Wireless, Spacecraft Monitor and Control, Navigation, Security, and Time Synchronization/Correlation. Broad international participation in development of CCSDS standards is encouraged.

  14. Project-based learning with international collaboration for training biomedical engineers.

    PubMed

    Krishnan, Shankar

    2011-01-01

    Training biomedical engineers while effectively keeping up with the fast paced scientific breakthroughs and the growth in technical innovations poses arduous challenges for educators. Traditional pedagogical methods are employed for coping with the increasing demands in biomedical engineering (BME) training and continuous improvements have been attempted with some success. Project-based learning (PBL) is an academic effort that challenges students by making them carry out interdisciplinary projects aimed at accomplishing a wide range of student learning outcomes. PBL has been shown to be effective in the medical field and has been adopted by other fields including engineering. The impact of globalization in healthcare appears to be steadily increasing which necessitates the inclusion of awareness of relevant international activities in the curriculum. Numerous difficulties are encountered when the formation of a collaborative team is tried, and additional difficulties occur as the collaboration team is extended to international partners. Understanding and agreement of responsibilities becomes somewhat complex and hence the collaborative project has to be planned and executed with clear understanding by all partners and participants. A model for training BME students by adopting PBL with international collaboration is proposed. The results of previous BME project work with international collaboration fit partially into the model. There were many logistic issues and constraints; however, the collaborative projects themselves greatly enhanced the student learning outcomes. This PBL type of learning experience tends to promote long term retention of multidisciplinary material and foster high-order cognitive activities such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. In addition to introducing the students to experiences encountered in the real-life workforce, the proposed approach enhances developing professional contracts and global networking. In conclusion, despite

  15. Collaborative mining and interpretation of large-scale data for biomedical research insights.

    PubMed

    Tsiliki, Georgia; Karacapilidis, Nikos; Christodoulou, Spyros; Tzagarakis, Manolis

    2014-01-01

    Biomedical research becomes increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Researchers need to efficiently and effectively collaborate and make decisions by meaningfully assembling, mining and analyzing available large-scale volumes of complex multi-faceted data residing in different sources. In line with related research directives revealing that, in spite of the recent advances in data mining and computational analysis, humans can easily detect patterns which computer algorithms may have difficulty in finding, this paper reports on the practical use of an innovative web-based collaboration support platform in a biomedical research context. Arguing that dealing with data-intensive and cognitively complex settings is not a technical problem alone, the proposed platform adopts a hybrid approach that builds on the synergy between machine and human intelligence to facilitate the underlying sense-making and decision making processes. User experience shows that the platform enables more informed and quicker decisions, by displaying the aggregated information according to their needs, while also exploiting the associated human intelligence.

  16. Collaborative Mining and Interpretation of Large-Scale Data for Biomedical Research Insights

    PubMed Central

    Tsiliki, Georgia; Karacapilidis, Nikos; Christodoulou, Spyros; Tzagarakis, Manolis

    2014-01-01

    Biomedical research becomes increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Researchers need to efficiently and effectively collaborate and make decisions by meaningfully assembling, mining and analyzing available large-scale volumes of complex multi-faceted data residing in different sources. In line with related research directives revealing that, in spite of the recent advances in data mining and computational analysis, humans can easily detect patterns which computer algorithms may have difficulty in finding, this paper reports on the practical use of an innovative web-based collaboration support platform in a biomedical research context. Arguing that dealing with data-intensive and cognitively complex settings is not a technical problem alone, the proposed platform adopts a hybrid approach that builds on the synergy between machine and human intelligence to facilitate the underlying sense-making and decision making processes. User experience shows that the platform enables more informed and quicker decisions, by displaying the aggregated information according to their needs, while also exploiting the associated human intelligence. PMID:25268270

  17. Environmental Management Guide for Educational Facilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    APPA: Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, 2017

    2017-01-01

    Since 1996, APPA and CSHEMA, the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association, have collaborated to produce guidance documents to help educational facilities get ahead of the moving target that is environmental compliance. This new 2017 edition will help you identify which regulations pertain to your institution, and assist in…

  18. A Case Study on Collaboration: Sharing the Responsibility of Economic Development in Juniata Valley, Pennsylvania

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ward, Shakoor A.; Clark, Robert W.

    2013-01-01

    In an attempt to better understand the need and importance of the community college's role in economic development, this article takes a closer look at how collaboration in the Juniata Valley of Pennsylvania between Industrial Development Corporations (IDCs) of Mifflin and Juniata counties, career and technical centers, and other agencies is…

  19. A Joint Learning Activity in Process Control and Distance Collaboration between Future Engineers and Technicians

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deschênes, Jean-Sebastien; Barka, Noureddine; Michaud, Mario; Paradis, Denis; Brousseau, Jean

    2013-01-01

    A joint learning activity in process control is presented, in the context of a distance collaboration between engineering and technical-level students, in a similar fashion as current practices in the industry involving distance coordination and troubleshooting. The necessary infrastructure and the setup used are first detailed, followed by a…

  20. Lessons Learned from the Everglades Collaborative Adaptive Management Program

    EPA Science Inventory

    Recent technical papers explore whether adaptive management (AM) is useful for environmental management and restoration efforts and discuss the many challenges to overcome for successful implementation, especially for large-scale restoration programs (McLain and Lee 1996; Levine ...

  1. Automated dredging and disposal alternatives management system (ADDAMS). Environmental effects of dredging. Technical note

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    This technical note describes the current capabilities and availability of the Automated Dredging and Disposal Alternatives Management System (ADDAMS). The technical note replaces the earlier Technical Note EEDP-06-12, which should be discarded. Planning, design, and management of dredging and dredged material disposal projects often require complex or tedious calculations or involve complex decision-making criteria. In addition, the evaluations often must be done for several disposal alternatives or disposal sites. ADDAMS is a personal computer (PC)-based system developed to assist in making such evaluations in a timely manner. ADDAMS contains a collection of computer programs (applications) designed to assist in managingmore » dredging projects. This technical note describes the system, currently available applications, mechanisms for acquiring and running the system, and provisions for revision and expansion.« less

  2. Technical writing versus technical writing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dillingham, J. W.

    1981-01-01

    Two terms, two job categories, 'technical writer' and 'technical author' are discussed in terms of industrial and business requirements and standards. A distinction between 'technical writing' and technical 'writing' is made. The term 'technical editor' is also considered. Problems inherent in the design of programs to prepare and train students for these jobs are discussed. A closer alliance between industry and academia is suggested as a means of preparing students with competent technical communication skills (especially writing and editing skills) and good technical skills.

  3. Web-based technical assistance and training to promote community tobacco control policy change.

    PubMed

    Young, Walter F; Montgomery, Debbie; Nycum, Colleen; Burns-Martin, Lavon; Buller, David B

    2006-01-01

    In 1998 the tobacco industry was released of claims that provided monetary relief for states. A significant expansion of tobacco control activity in many states created a need to develop local capacity. Technical assistance and training for new and experienced staff became a significant challenge for tobacco control leadership. In Colorado, this challenge was addressed in part through the development of a technical assistance and training Web site designed for local tobacco control staff and coalition members. Researchers, technical Web site development specialists, state health agency, and state tobacco control coalition staff collaborated to develop, promote, and test the efficacy of this Web site. The work group embodied a range of skills including tobacco control, Web site technical development, marketing, training, and project management. Persistent marketing, updating of Web site content, and institutionalizing it as a principal source of information and training were key to use by community coalition members.

  4. 40 CFR 35.4190 - How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... health, environmental sciences, engineering, environmental law and planning); and (3) Ability to... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor? 35.4190 Section 35.4190 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS...

  5. 40 CFR 35.4190 - How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... health, environmental sciences, engineering, environmental law and planning); and (3) Ability to... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor? 35.4190 Section 35.4190 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS...

  6. 40 CFR 35.4190 - How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... health, environmental sciences, engineering, environmental law and planning); and (3) Ability to... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false How does my group identify a qualified technical advisor? 35.4190 Section 35.4190 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS...

  7. Facilitating Social Collaboration in Mobile Cloud-Based Learning: A Teamwork as A Service (TaaS) Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sun, Geng; Shen, Jun

    2014-01-01

    Mobile learning is an emerging trend that brings many advantages to distributed learners, enabling them to achieve collaborative learning, in which the virtual teams are usually built to engage multiple learners working together towards the same pedagogical goals in online courses. However, the socio-technical mechanisms to enhance teamwork…

  8. New York: Northern Manhattan CARE Collaborative (A Former EPA CARE Project)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Northern Manhattan CARE Collaborative project is the recipient of a Level II CARE cooperative agreement, building on a successful level I award of 2007. West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (WE ACT) will be the organization leading this project.

  9. 76 FR 58833 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-22

    ... of Fish and Game have prepared a draft environmental impact statement and environmental impact report... Department of Fish and Game, 707-441-2062, [email protected] , for technical information. For public... INFORMATION: The Department of the Interior (Department) and the California Department of Fish and Game have...

  10. Teacher Collaborative Curriculum Design in Technical Vocational Colleges: A Strategy for Maintaining Curriculum Consistency?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Albashiry, Nabeel M.; Voogt, Joke M.; Pieters, Jules M.

    2015-01-01

    The Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum requires continuous renewal and constant involvement of stakeholders in the redesign process. Due to a lack of curriculum design expertise, TVET institutions in developing contexts encounter challenges maintaining and advancing the quality and relevance of their programmes to the…

  11. Creating a charter of collaboration for international university partnerships: the Elmina Declaration for Human Resources for Health.

    PubMed

    Anderson, Frank; Donkor, Peter; de Vries, Raymond; Appiah-Denkyira, Ebenezer; Dakpallah, George Fidelis; Rominski, Sarah; Hassinger, Jane; Lou, Airong; Kwansah, Janet; Moyer, Cheryl; Rana, Gurpreet K; Lawson, Aaron; Ayettey, Seth

    2014-08-01

    The potential of international academic partnerships to build global capacity is critical in efforts to improve health in poorer countries. Academic collaborations, however, are challenged by distance, communication issues, cultural differences, and historical context. The Collaborative Health Alliance for Reshaping Training, Education, and Research project (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented through academic medicine and public health and governmental institutions in Michigan and Ghana) took a prospective approach to address these issues. The project had four objectives: to create a "charter for collaboration" (CFC), to improve data-driven policy making, to enhance health care provider education, and to increase research capacity. The goal of the CFC was to establish principles to guide the course of the technical work. All participants participated at an initial conference in Elmina, Ghana. Nine months later, the CFC had been revised and adopted. A qualitative investigation of the CFC's effects identified three themes: the CFC's unique value, the influence of the process of creating the CFC on patterns of communication, and the creation of a context for research and collaboration. Creating the CFC established a context in which implementing technical interventions became an opportunity for dialogue and developing a mutually beneficial partnership. To increase the likelihood that research results would be translated into policy reforms, the CFC made explicit the opportunities, potential problems, and institutional barriers to be overcome. The process of creating a CFC and the resulting document define a new standard in academic and governmental partnerships.

  12. A DICOM Based Collaborative Platform for Real-Time Medical Teleconsultation on Medical Images.

    PubMed

    Maglogiannis, Ilias; Andrikos, Christos; Rassias, Georgios; Tsanakas, Panayiotis

    2017-01-01

    The paper deals with the design of a Web-based platform for real-time medical teleconsultation on medical images. The proposed platform combines the principles of heterogeneous Workflow Management Systems (WfMSs), the peer-to-peer networking architecture and the SPA (Single-Page Application) concept, to facilitate medical collaboration among healthcare professionals geographically distributed. The presented work leverages state-of-the-art features of the web to support peer-to-peer communication using the WebRTC (Web Real Time Communication) protocol and client-side data processing for creating an integrated collaboration environment. The paper discusses the technical details of implementation and presents the operation of the platform in practice along with some initial results.

  13. Implementing Speed and Separation Monitoring in Collaborative Robot Workcells.

    PubMed

    Marvel, Jeremy A; Norcross, Rick

    2017-04-01

    We provide an overview and guidance for the Speed and Separation Monitoring methodology as presented in the International Organization of Standardization's technical specification 15066 on collaborative robot safety. Such functionality is provided by external, intelligent observer systems integrated into a robotic workcell. The SSM minimum protective distance function equation is discussed in detail, with consideration for the input values, implementation specifications, and performance expectations. We provide analytical analyses and test results of the current equation, discuss considerations for implementing SSM in human-occupied environments, and provide directions for technological advancements toward standardization.

  14. Implementing Speed and Separation Monitoring in Collaborative Robot Workcells

    PubMed Central

    Marvel, Jeremy A.; Norcross, Rick

    2016-01-01

    We provide an overview and guidance for the Speed and Separation Monitoring methodology as presented in the International Organization of Standardization's technical specification 15066 on collaborative robot safety. Such functionality is provided by external, intelligent observer systems integrated into a robotic workcell. The SSM minimum protective distance function equation is discussed in detail, with consideration for the input values, implementation specifications, and performance expectations. We provide analytical analyses and test results of the current equation, discuss considerations for implementing SSM in human-occupied environments, and provide directions for technological advancements toward standardization. PMID:27885312

  15. The National Technical Association: A Hallmark for Access and Success

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jearld, A., Jr.

    2017-12-01

    Minority Technical Organizations (MTO) are under-utilized as a valuable resource that can help develop the next generation of scientists and engineers. For over 90 years, the National Technical Association (NTA) (www.ntaonline.org) has been the premiere technical association for scientists, engineers, architects, technologist, educators, and technical business entrepreneurs for people of color, offering professional development, mentoring and awards recognition to technical professionals. NTA and its partners are developing a diverse workforce by emphasizing enhanced access opportunities to skills development for youth among underrepresented STEM populations. Established in 1925 by Charles Summer Duke, the first African American to receive an engineering degree from Harvard University, NTA served as the model organization for more than 40 other minority technical organizations that began forming in the 1970's. NTA has served as consultants to the US government on the status of African Americans in science and engineering. The first technical organization to establish community based technical mentoring programs targeting minorities, NTA shares information and assists institutions in identifying minority talent. Members developed the first science and engineering curriculum at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's), and are working to produce more students with geoscience degrees to ensure greater career placement with increased minority participation in the geosciences. NTA addresses the lack of access, support, and the need for networking through the longest running annual conference for technical practitioners of color. A hallmark of NTA has been access and success through inter-organizational collaborations with communities of scholars, highly experienced professionals and students to discuss the definition of what is successful geoscience education, research, and employment.

  16. User requirements for geo-collaborative work with spatio-temporal data in a web-based virtual globe environment.

    PubMed

    Yovcheva, Zornitza; van Elzakker, Corné P J M; Köbben, Barend

    2013-11-01

    Web-based tools developed in the last couple of years offer unique opportunities to effectively support scientists in their effort to collaborate. Communication among environmental researchers often involves not only work with geographical (spatial), but also with temporal data and information. Literature still provides limited documentation when it comes to user requirements for effective geo-collaborative work with spatio-temporal data. To start filling this gap, our study adopted a User-Centered Design approach and first explored the user requirements of environmental researchers working on distributed research projects for collaborative dissemination, exchange and work with spatio-temporal data. Our results show that system design will be mainly influenced by the nature and type of data users work with. From the end-users' perspective, optimal conversion of huge files of spatio-temporal data for further dissemination, accuracy of conversion, organization of content and security have a key role for effective geo-collaboration. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  17. Collaboration and "visibility" of health research in the Western Pacific region.

    PubMed

    Paraje, Guillermo; Sadana, Ritu; Salmela, Reijo

    2009-04-01

    Using more than 3.5 million bibliographic references in Thomson ISI Web of Science (health-related articles, notes, and reviews) and a broad definition of health (covering related social, medical, environmental, and physical sciences) research production, collaboration patterns and "visibility" of that production for largest producers in the Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization are estimated for the 1992-2001 period. Two findings are of particular interest in relation to the production of relevant knowledge on health topics and equity in the access to this knowledge. The first is that intra-regional collaboration is low and that large regional producers of research (ie, Japan, Australia, China, etc) collaborate more with high-income countries from other regions than among themselves within the region, or with smaller regional research producers. The second one is that "visibility" of health research in the region is relatively low, even for high-income countries. High "visibility" research is mostly done with the involvement, through collaboration, of extra-region high-income countries. Collaboration between low-income or middle-income countries is mostly in low "visibility" research.

  18. Ahuachapan geothermal project: a technical and economic assessment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bloomster, C.H.; DiPippo; Kuwada, J.T.

    Theeconomic and technical factors involved in using geothermal energy at Ahuachapan are examined. The experience at Ahuachapan is evaluated in relation to conditions prevailing in El Salvador and to conditions in the U.S. technical characteristics considered are: geological characteristics, well programs and gathering system, well productivity and geofluid characteristics, and energy conversion systems. Economic factors considered for El Salvador are: construction costs; environmental control costs; operating experience and costs; financing; taxes, subsidies, or incentives; marketing; and electrical system characteristics. (MHR)

  19. Evaluation of a collaborative project to develop sustainable healthcare education in eight UK medical schools.

    PubMed

    Walpole, S C; Mortimer, F

    2017-09-01

    Environmental change poses pressing challenges to public health and calls for profound and far-reaching changes to policy and practice across communities and health systems. Medical schools can act as a seedbed where knowledge, skills and innovation to address environmental challenges can be developed through innovative and collaborative approaches. The objectives of this study were to (1) explore drivers and challenges of collaboration for educational development between and within medical schools; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of a range of pedagogies for sustainable healthcare education; and (3) identify effective strategies to facilitate the renewal of medical curricula to address evolving health challenges. Participatory action research. Medical school teams participated in a nine-month collaborative project, including a one-day seminar to learn about sustainable healthcare education and develop a project plan. After the seminar, teams were supported to develop, deliver and evaluate new teaching at their medical school. New teaching was introduced at seven medical schools. A variety of pedagogies were represented. Collaboration between schools motivated and informed participants. The main challenges faced related to time pressures. Educators and students commented that new teaching was enjoyable and effective at improving knowledge and skills. Collaborative working supported educators to develop and implement new teaching sessions rapidly and effectively. Collaboration can help to build educators' confidence and capacity in a new area of education development. Different forms of collaboration may be appropriate for different circumstances and at different stages of education development. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Ambiguous Capture: Collaborative Capitalism and the Meningitis Vaccine Project

    PubMed Central

    Graham, Janice

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT The primary health care approach advanced at Alma Ata to address social determinants of health was replaced by selective health care a year later at Bellagio. Subsequently, immunization was endorsed as a cost-effective technical intervention to combat targeted infectious diseases. Multilateral efforts to collaborate on immunization as a universal public health good ambiguously capture the interests of the world’s governments as well as private, public, and not-for-profit institutions. Global assemblages of scientists, governments, industry and nongovernmental organizations now work in public-private partnerships to develop and make essential vaccines accessible, with vaccines marketed as single fix solutions for global health. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork in France and Burkina Faso that followed the development, regulation, and implementation of the group A meningococcal conjugate vaccine for sub-Saharan Africa, in this article I describe events during and after the development of MenAfriVac. A technological success narrative steeped in collaborative capitalist rhetoric disguises neglected health care systems. PMID:27027575

  1. Ambiguous Capture: Collaborative Capitalism and the Meningitis Vaccine Project.

    PubMed

    Graham, Janice

    2016-01-01

    The primary health care approach advanced at Alma Ata to address social determinants of health was replaced by selective health care a year later at Bellagio. Subsequently, immunization was endorsed as a cost-effective technical intervention to combat targeted infectious diseases. Multilateral efforts to collaborate on immunization as a universal public health good ambiguously capture the interests of the world's governments as well as private, public, and not-for-profit institutions. Global assemblages of scientists, governments, industry and nongovernmental organizations now work in public-private partnerships to develop and make essential vaccines accessible, with vaccines marketed as single fix solutions for global health. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork in France and Burkina Faso that followed the development, regulation, and implementation of the group A meningococcal conjugate vaccine for sub-Saharan Africa, in this article I describe events during and after the development of MenAfriVac. A technological success narrative steeped in collaborative capitalist rhetoric disguises neglected health care systems.

  2. Influence of biological, environmental and technical factors on phenolic content and antioxidant activities of Tunisian halophytes.

    PubMed

    Ksouri, Riadh; Megdiche, Wided; Falleh, Hanen; Trabelsi, Nejla; Boulaaba, Mondher; Smaoui, Abderrazak; Abdelly, Chedly

    2008-11-01

    Halophyte ability to withstand salt-triggered oxidative stress is governed by multiple biochemical mechanisms that facilitate retention and/or acquisition of water, protect chloroplast functioning, and maintain ion homeostasis. Most essential traits include the synthesis of osmolytes, specific proteins, and antioxidant molecules. This might explain the utilization of some halophytes as traditional medicinal and dietary plants. The present study aimed at assessing the phenolic content and antioxidant activities of some Tunisian halophytes (Cakile maritima, Limoniastrum monopetalum, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, M. edule, Salsola kali, and Tamarix gallica), depending on biological (species, organ and developmental stage), environmental, and technical (extraction solvent) factors. The total polyphenol contents and antioxidant activities (DPPH and superoxide radicals scavenging activities, and iron chelating and reducing powers) were strongly affected by the above-cited factors. Such variability might be of great importance in terms of valorising these halophytes as a source of naturally secondary metabolites, and the methods for phenolic and antioxidant production.

  3. Modelling Digital Natives' International Collaboration: Finnish-Korean Experiences of Environmental Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leppisaari, Irja; Lee, Okhwa

    2012-01-01

    A new generation of young learners often described as digital native school children are attitudinally and technically equipped to employ social media as a social process in learning. However, few international virtual learning projects have been implemented and researched. This article examines a trial which aimed to combine viable technology…

  4. The CompreHensive collaborativE Framework (CHEF)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knoop, P. A.; Hardin, J.; Killeen, T.; Middleton, D.

    2002-12-01

    Data integration, publication, and archiving have become important considerations in most fields of science as experiments and models increase in complexity, and the collaborations necessary to conduct the research grow broader. The development of well thought out strategies and standards for such data handling, however, only goes part way in supporting the scientific process. A primary driving force for such efforts is the need of scientists to access and work with data in a timely, reasonable, and often collaborative fashion. Internet-based collaborative environments are one way to help complete this picture, linking scientists to the data they seek and to one another (e.g., Towards a Robust, Agile, and Comprehensive Information Infrastructure for the Geosciences: A Strategic Plan For High Performance Simulation, NCAR, 2000, http://www.ncar.ucar.edu/Director/plan.pdf). The CompreHensive collaborativE Framework (CHEF, http://chefproject.org) is a generic, extensible, web-based, open-source environment for collaboration. CHEF's goal is to provide the basic building blocks from which a community can assemble a collaborative environment that fits their needs. The design of CHEF has been influenced by our experience developing the Space Physics and Aeronomy Research Collaboratory (SPARC, http://www.si.umich.edu/SPARC), which provides integrated access to a wide variety of heterogeneous data sources, including community-standardized data bases. The design has also been heavily influenced by our involvement with an effort to extract and codify the broad underlying technical and social elements that lead to successful collaboratories (http://www.scienceofcollaboratories.org). A collaborative environment is in itself also not the complete answer to data handling, rather, it provides a facilitating environment in which community efforts to integrate, publish, archive, and share data using standard formats and practices can be taken advantage of by the end-users, the

  5. 7 CFR 1775.7 - Environmental requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 12 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Environmental requirements. 1775.7 Section 1775.7 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS General Provisions § 1775.7 Environmental requirements...

  6. 7 CFR 1775.7 - Environmental requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 12 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Environmental requirements. 1775.7 Section 1775.7 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS General Provisions § 1775.7 Environmental requirements...

  7. Integrating Science with Technical and Vocational Areas.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snyder, Larry; Shreckengast, Craig

    This guide presents learning activities and lesson plans that integrate science with technical and vocational areas. Activities and plans are organized under broad headings such as Environmental Science and Acid Rain Research; Criminal Justice, Chemistry, and Narcotics; Children's Education and Services; Cosmetology; and Health Professions.…

  8. Nurse administrators: leading environmental change.

    PubMed

    Tullai-McGuinness, Susan; Ballard, Karen A; Gallagher, Rita Munley; Carpenter, Holly

    2010-01-01

    Evidence is building about the impact of environmental contaminants on patients and health care providers. The nurse administrator has a professional responsibility to provide leadership in assuring that the health care organization does not have a negative impact on health. This article presents critical environmental health concerns and an overview of the nursing profession efforts to improve the environment, which includes development of the American Nurses Association's Principles of Environmental Health for Nursing Practice with Implementation Strategies. An example is provided as to how the nurse administrator can use Appreciative Inquiry to harness the nurses collaborative energy for an environmentally healthy organization.

  9. Guide to effective research-management collaboration at long-term environmental research sites

    Treesearch

    Frederick J. Swanson; Steve Eubanks; Mary Beth Adams; John C. Brissette

    2010-01-01

    The Forest Service system of experimental forests and ranges (EFRs) and other sites of long-term silvicultural, watershed, and ecological research have contributed to science and natural resource management for more than a century. An important aspect of the success of EFR programs is strong collaboration between the research and land manager communities. This guide...

  10. Boiler MACT Technical Assistance (Fact Sheet)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    2012-03-01

    Fact sheet describing the changes to Environmental Protection Act process standards. The DOE will offer technical assistance to ensure that major sources burning coal and oil have information on cost-effective, clean energy strategies for compliance, and to promote cleaner, more efficient boiler burning to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to finalize the reconsideration process for its Clean Air Act pollution standards National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters (known as Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT)), in Spring 2012.more » This rule applies to large and small boilers in a wide range of industrial facilities and institutions. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will offer technical assistance to ensure that major sources burning coal or oil have information on cost-effective clean energy strategies for compliance, including combined heat and power, and to promote cleaner, more efficient boilers to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs.« less

  11. Final Technical Report- Virginia Solar Pathways Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bond, Katharine; Cosby, Sarah

    This Report provides a technical review of the final results of a funding award to Virginia Electric and Power Company (Dominion Energy Virginia (DEV) or the Company) for a project under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office. The three-year project was formally known as the Virginia Solar Pathways Project (VSPP or the Project). The purpose of the VSPP was to develop a collaborative utility-administered solar strategy (Solar Strategy) for DEV’s service territory in the Commonwealth that could serve as a replicable model for other states with similar policy environments.

  12. 10 CFR 960.5-2-5 - Environmental quality.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... repository siting, construction, operation, closure, and decommissioning, and projected environmental impacts..., technical, social, economic, and environmental factors; and (2) the requirements specified in § 960.5-1(a)(2... the activities proposed to take place thereon. (2) Potential significant adverse environmental impacts...

  13. 10 CFR 960.5-2-5 - Environmental quality.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... repository siting, construction, operation, closure, and decommissioning, and projected environmental impacts..., technical, social, economic, and environmental factors; and (2) the requirements specified in § 960.5-1(a)(2... the activities proposed to take place thereon. (2) Potential significant adverse environmental impacts...

  14. 10 CFR 960.5-2-5 - Environmental quality.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... repository siting, construction, operation, closure, and decommissioning, and projected environmental impacts..., technical, social, economic, and environmental factors; and (2) the requirements specified in § 960.5-1(a)(2... the activities proposed to take place thereon. (2) Potential significant adverse environmental impacts...

  15. Exploring How Collaborative Dialogues Facilitate Synchronous Collaborative Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeh, Hui-Chin

    2014-01-01

    Collaborative writing (CW) research has gained prevalence in recent years. However, the ways in which students interact socially to produce written texts through synchronous collaborative writing (SCW) is rarely studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of SCW on students' writing products and how collaborative dialogues facilitate SCW.…

  16. TECHNICAL INFORMATION POLICY AND GUIDE OF THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    One of the primary missions of the Office of Research and Development (ORD) is to generate technical information that is key to the protection of environmental quality. This information also influences national environmental policy. In this context, the way in which information i...

  17. Designing for competence: spaces that enhance collaboration readiness in healthcare.

    PubMed

    Lamb, Gerri; Shraiky, James

    2013-09-01

    Many universities in the United States are investing in classrooms and campuses designed to increase collaboration and teamwork among the health professions. To date, we know little about whether these learning spaces are having the intended impact on student performance. Recent advances in the identification of interprofessional teamwork competencies provide a much-needed step toward a defined outcome metric. Rigorous study of the relationship between design and student competence in collaboration also requires clear specification of design concepts and development of testable frameworks. Such theory-based evaluation is crucial for design to become an integral part of interprofessional education strategies and initiatives. Current classroom and campus designs were analyzed for common themes and features in collaborative spaces as a starting place for specification of design concepts and model development. Four major themes were identified: flexibility, visual transparency/proximity, technology and environmental infrastructure. Potential models linking this preliminary set of design concepts to student competencies are proposed and used to generate hypotheses for future study of the impact of collaborative design spaces on student outcomes.

  18. Environmental problem solving

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Miller, A.

    Human influences create both environmental problems and barriers to effective policy aimed at addressing those problems. In effect, environmental managers manage people as much as they manage the environment. Therefore, they must gain an understanding of the psychological and sociopolitical dimensions of environmental problems that they are attempting to resolve. The author reappraises conventional analyses of environmental problems using lessons from the psychosocial disciplines. The author combines the disciplines of ecology, political sociology and psychology to produce a more adaptive approach to problem-solving that is specifically geared toward the environmental field. Numerous case studies demonstrate the practical application of theorymore » in a way that is useful to technical and scientific professionals as well as to policymakers and planners.« less

  19. 33 CFR 157.12d - Technical specifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.12d Technical specifications. (a) Oil discharge monitoring and... effectively under all environmental conditions normally encountered by oil tankers, and must be designed and... must be designed so a discharge of dirty-ballast or other oil-contaminated water from the cargo tank...

  20. 33 CFR 157.12d - Technical specifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.12d Technical specifications. (a) Oil discharge monitoring and... effectively under all environmental conditions normally encountered by oil tankers, and must be designed and... must be designed so a discharge of dirty-ballast or other oil-contaminated water from the cargo tank...

  1. Collaborative and Multilingual Approach to Learn Database Topics Using Concept Maps

    PubMed Central

    Calvo, Iñaki

    2014-01-01

    Authors report on a study using the concept mapping technique in computer engineering education for learning theoretical introductory database topics. In addition, the learning of multilingual technical terminology by means of the collaborative drawing of a concept map is also pursued in this experiment. The main characteristics of a study carried out in the database subject at the University of the Basque Country during the 2011/2012 course are described. This study contributes to the field of concept mapping as these kinds of cognitive tools have proved to be valid to support learning in computer engineering education. It contributes to the field of computer engineering education, providing a technique that can be incorporated with several educational purposes within the discipline. Results reveal the potential that a collaborative concept map editor offers to fulfil the above mentioned objectives. PMID:25538957

  2. Telementoring Physics: University-Community After-school Collaborations and the Mediation of the Formal/Informal Divide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lecusay, Robert A.

    For several decades improvement of science education has been a major concern of policy makers concerned that the U.S. is a "nation at risk" owing to the dearth of students pursing careers in science. Recent policy proposals have argued that provision of broadband digital connectivity to organizations in the informal sector would increase the reach of the formal, academic sector to raise the overall level of science literacy in the country. This dissertation reports on a longitudinal study of a physics telementoring activity jointly run by a university-community collaborative at a community learning center. The activity implemented a digital infrastructure that exceeds the technical and social-institutional arrangements promoted by policy makers. In addition to broadband internet access (for tele-conferencing between students at the community center and physicists at a university), supplemented by digital software designed to promote physics education, the activity included the presence of a collaborating researcher/tutor at the community learning center to coordinate and document the instructional activities. The current research revealed a fundamental contradiction between the logic, goals, and practices of the physics instructors, and the corresponding logic, goals, and practices of the participants at the community learning center. This contradiction revolves around a contrast between the physicists' formal, logocentric ways of understanding expressed in the ability to explain the scientific rules underlying physical phenomena and the informal, pragmatic orientation of the youth and adults at the learning center. The observations in this dissertation should remind techno-enthusiasts, especially in the arena of public education policy, that there are no turnkey solutions in "distance" science education. Technically "connecting" people is not equivalent to creating conditions that expand opportunities to learn and a functioning socio-technical system that

  3. A Web-Based Earth-Systems Knowledge Portal and Collaboration Platform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Agnese, F. A.; Turner, A. K.

    2010-12-01

    In support of complex water-resource sustainability projects in the Great Basin region of the United States, Earth Knowledge, Inc. has developed several web-based data management and analysis platforms that have been used by its scientists, clients, and public to facilitate information exchanges, collaborations, and decision making. These platforms support accurate water-resource decision-making by combining second-generation internet (Web 2.0) technologies with traditional 2D GIS and web-based 2D and 3D mapping systems such as Google Maps, and Google Earth. Most data management and analysis systems use traditional software systems to address the data needs and usage behavior of the scientific community. In contrast, these platforms employ more accessible open-source and “off-the-shelf” consumer-oriented, hosted web-services. They exploit familiar software tools using industry standard protocols, formats, and APIs to discover, process, fuse, and visualize earth, engineering, and social science datasets. Thus, they respond to the information needs and web-interface expectations of both subject-matter experts and the public. Because the platforms continue to gather and store all the contributions of their broad-spectrum of users, each new assessment leverages the data, information, and expertise derived from previous investigations. In the last year, Earth Knowledge completed a conceptual system design and feasibility study for a platform, which has a Knowledge Portal providing access to users wishing to retrieve information or knowledge developed by the science enterprise and a Collaboration Environment Module, a framework that links the user-access functions to a Technical Core supporting technical and scientific analyses including Data Management, Analysis and Modeling, and Decision Management, and to essential system administrative functions within an Administrative Module. The over-riding technical challenge is the design and development of a single

  4. RELATING AIR QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH TRACKING DATA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Initiated in February 2004, the Public Health Air Surveillance Evaluation (PHASE) Project is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and three Environmental Public Health Track...

  5. Centers for Environmental Education: Guidelines for Success.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Terry; Martin, Joan

    This report presents a model of collaborative effort that established a network of 15 university-based and 2 non-university based Centers for Environmental Education (CEE) in the Tennessee River watershed region. The report begins by establishing definitions for a Center for Environmental Education and a network system, both of which are…

  6. A Community Runs Through It: 30 Years of Collaboration in ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    When participants in the 2016 St Louis River Summit identified their roles and described their interactions with the estuary on the 50-year timeline, they were illustrating the community that built and is now implementing the Remedial Action Plan. From its inception, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement required that AOCs be collaborations between technical experts on remediation and restoration and the concerned public. Together, experts and the public form the community that runs through each AOC. Without such a community there is no way to gauge the success of BUI removal or AOC delisting in terms of associated social and health benefits. Community interactions are necessary in all stages of the journey to delisting to foster agreements, resolve conflicts, and to mobilize resources necessary to solve pressing environmental challenges. A social network analysis of the timeline responses was used to describe interactions of the community that runs through the SLRE. Self-identified managers and scientists were less likely than citizens and educators to form social networks. When social networks were present they typically included recreation as a major node. This suggests that while interactions among community members and the resource were diverse and widely distributed, a segment of the community remained professionally cloistered. These people clearly make important contributions to the science or management of the estuary, but constrain their further int

  7. Resource Materials To Support Your Environmental Education Efforts. EE-TIPS (Environmental Education Technical Information Packages).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    North American Association for Environmental Education, Troy, OH.

    This collection gathers together over 50 high-quality materials to support environmental education (EE) curricula. Because each community has unique environmental and educational needs, the guide includes a broad set of educational materials that can be adapted to a variety of settings. The materials can be used to supplement educational…

  8. Public Safety Networks--Examining Mimetic, Complexity, and Legacy Effects on Interorganizational Collaborations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dias, Martin A.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this dissertation is to examine information systems-enabled interorganizational collaborations called public safety networks--their proliferation, information systems architecture, and technology evolution. These networks face immense pressures from member organizations, external stakeholders, and environmental contingencies. This…

  9. Transforming the market for commercial and industrial distribution transformers: A government, manufacturer, and utility collaboration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    DeLaski, A.; Gauthier, J.; Shugars, J.

    Distribution transformers offer a largely untapped opportunity for efficiency improvements in buildings. Application of energy-efficient equipment can reduce transformer losses by about 20%, substantially cutting a facility's total electricity bill and offering typical paybacks less than three years. Since nearly all of the electricity powering the commercial and industrial sectors is stepped down in voltage by facility-owned distribution transformers, broad application of energy-efficient equipment will lead to huge economy-wide energy and dollar savings as well as associated environmental benefits. This opportunity has led to a multi-party coordinated effort that offers a new model for national partnerships to pursue market transformation.more » The model, called the Informal Collaborative Model for the purposes of this paper, is characterized by voluntary commitments of multiple stakeholders to carry out key market interventions in a coordinated fashion, but without pooling resources or control. Collaborative participants are joined by a common interest in establishing and expanding the market for a new product, service, or practice that will yield substantial energy savings. This paper summarizes the technical efficiency opportunity available in distribution transformers; discusses the market barriers to widespread adoption of energy-efficient transformers; and details an overall market transformation strategy to address the identified market barriers. The respective roles of each of the diverse players--manufacturers, government agencies, and utility and regional energy efficiency programs--are given particular attention. Each of the organizations involved brings a particular set of tools and capabilities for addressing the market barriers to more efficient transformers.« less

  10. Factors of collaborative working: a framework for a collaboration model.

    PubMed

    Patel, Harshada; Pettitt, Michael; Wilson, John R

    2012-01-01

    The ability of organisations to support collaborative working environments is of increasing importance as they move towards more distributed ways of working. Despite the attention collaboration has received from a number of disparate fields, there is a lack of a unified understanding of the component factors of collaboration. As part of our work on a European Integrated Project, CoSpaces, collaboration and collaborative working and the factors which define it were examined through the literature and new empirical work with a number of partner user companies in the aerospace, automotive and construction sectors. This was to support development of a descriptive human factors model of collaboration - the CoSpaces Collaborative Working Model (CCWM). We identified seven main categories of factors involved in collaboration: Context, Support, Tasks, Interaction Processes, Teams, Individuals, and Overarching Factors, and summarised these in a framework which forms a basis for the model. We discuss supporting evidence for the factors which emerged from our fieldwork with user partners, and use of the model in activities such as collaboration readiness profiling. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  11. Miscellaneous and Electronic Loads Energy Efficiency Opportunities for Commercial Buildings: A Collaborative Study by the United States and India

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ghatikar, Girish; Cheung, Iris; Lanzisera, Steven

    This report documents the technical evaluation of a collaborative research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) project that aims to address energy efficiency of Miscellaneous and Electronic Loads (MELs) (referred to as plug loads interchangeably in this report) using load monitoring and control devices. The goal s of this project are to identify and provide energy efficiency and building technologies to exemplary information technology (IT) office buildings, and to assist in transforming markets via technical assistance and engagement of Indian and U.S. stakeholders. This report describes the results of technology evaluation and United States – India collaboration between the Lawrence Berkeley Nationalmore » Laboratory (LBNL), Infosys Technologies Limited (India), and Smartenit, Inc. (U.S.) to address plug - load efficiency. The conclusions and recommendations focus on the larger benefits of such technologies and their impacts on both U.S. and Indian stakeholders.« less

  12. CHAPTER 10: CURRENT TECHNICAL PROBLEMS IN EMERGY ANALYSIS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Technical problems related to the determination of the emergy base for self-organization in environmental systems are considered in this paper. The comparability of emergy analysis results depends on emergy analysts making similar choices in determining the emergy base for a part...

  13. Safety Education--An Essential Element of Technical Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glazener, Everett R.; Comstock, Thomas W.

    1978-01-01

    After tracing the background of the safety movement, provisions of recent safety legislation, and the ecological and environmental impact of industrial processes, the author stresses the need for safety education in technical education programs to prepare future employees for industrial safety requirements. (MF)

  14. Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Project Descriptions for 2009

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Project Descriptions for the 2009 award recipients of the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program which is designed to assist recipients in building collaborative partnerships that will help them understand and address the environmental and/or public health issues in their communities.

  15. Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Project Descriptions for 2007

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Project Descriptions for the 2007 award recipients of the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program which is designed to assist recipients in building collaborative partnerships that will help them understand and address the environmental and/or public health issues in their communities.

  16. Technical note: The Linked Paleo Data framework - a common tongue for paleoclimatology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McKay, Nicholas P.; Emile-Geay, Julien

    2016-04-01

    Paleoclimatology is a highly collaborative scientific endeavor, increasingly reliant on online databases for data sharing. Yet there is currently no universal way to describe, store and share paleoclimate data: in other words, no standard. Data standards are often regarded by scientists as mere technicalities, though they underlie much scientific and technological innovation, as well as facilitating collaborations between research groups. In this article, we propose a preliminary data standard for paleoclimate data, general enough to accommodate all the archive and measurement types encountered in a large international collaboration (PAGES 2k). We also introduce a vehicle for such structured data (Linked Paleo Data, or LiPD), leveraging recent advances in knowledge representation (Linked Open Data).The LiPD framework enables quick querying and extraction, and we expect that it will facilitate the writing of open-source community codes to access, analyze, model and visualize paleoclimate observations. We welcome community feedback on this standard, and encourage paleoclimatologists to experiment with the format for their own purposes.

  17. Piloting a Collaborative Web-Based System for Testing ICD-11.

    PubMed

    Donada, Marc; Kostanjsek, Nenad; Della Mea, Vincenzo; Celik, Can; Jakob, Robert

    2017-01-01

    The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), for the first time in ICD history, deployed web-based collaboration of experts and ICT tools. To ensure that ICD-11 is working well, it needs to be systematically field tested in different settings, across the world. This will be done by means of a number of experiments. In order to support its implementation, a web-based system (ICDfit) has been designed and developed. The present paper illustrates the current prototype of the system and its technical testing. the system has been designed according to WHO requirements, and implemented using PHP and MySQL. Then, a preliminary technical test has been designed and run in January 2016, involving 8 users. They had to carry out double coding, that is, coding case summaries with both ICD-10 and ICD-11, and answering quick questions on the coding difficulty. the 8 users coded 632 cases each, spending an average of 163 seconds per case. While we found an issue in the mechanism used to record coding times, no further issues were found. the proposed system seems to be technically adequate for supporting future ICD-11 testing.

  18. 76 FR 32202 - Science Advisory Board Staff Office Request for Additional Nominations for the SAB Environmental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-03

    ... Additional Nominations for the SAB Environmental Justice Technical Review Panel(s) AGENCY: Environmental...) which consider environmental justice concerns. DATES: Nominations should be submitted by June 24, 2011... justice technical documents. The SAB is now seeking to augment the list of potential candidates to include...

  19. Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) | Advancing Open-Source Research, Instrumentation, and Dissemination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Udell, C.; Selker, J. S.

    2017-12-01

    The increasing availability and functionality of Open-Source software and hardware along with 3D printing, low-cost electronics, and proliferation of open-access resources for learning rapid prototyping are contributing to fundamental transformations and new technologies in environmental sensing. These tools invite reevaluation of time-tested methodologies and devices toward more efficient, reusable, and inexpensive alternatives. Building upon Open-Source design facilitates community engagement and invites a Do-It-Together (DIT) collaborative framework for research where solutions to complex problems may be crowd-sourced. However, barriers persist that prevent researchers from taking advantage of the capabilities afforded by open-source software, hardware, and rapid prototyping. Some of these include: requisite technical skillsets, knowledge of equipment capabilities, identifying inexpensive sources for materials, money, space, and time. A university MAKER space staffed by engineering students to assist researchers is one proposed solution to overcome many of these obstacles. This presentation investigates the unique capabilities the USDA-funded Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) Lab affords researchers, within Oregon State and internationally, and the unique functions these types of initiatives support at the intersection of MAKER spaces, Open-Source academic research, and open-access dissemination.

  20. Environmental information acquisition and maintenance techniques: reference guide. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Riggins, R.E.; Young, V.T.; Goran, W.D.

    1980-08-01

    This report provides a guide to techniques for collecting, using and maintaining data about each of the 13 environmental technical specialties in the Environmental Impact Computer System (EICS). The technical specialties are: (1) ecology, (2) environmental health, (3) air, (4) surface water, (5) ground water, (6) sociology, (7) economics, (8) earth science, (9) land use, (10) noise, (11) transportation, (12) aesthetics, and (13) energy and resource conservation. Acquisition techniques are classified by the following general categories: (1) secondary data, (2) remote sensing, (3) mathematical modeling, (4) field work, (5) mapping/maps and (6) expert opinion. A matrix identifies the most appropriatemore » techniques for collecting information on the EICS technical specialties. After selecting a method, the user may read an abstract of the report explaining that technique, and may also wish to obtain the original document for detailed information about applying the technique. Finally, this report offers guidelines on storing environmental information for future use, and on presenting that information effectively in environmental documents.« less

  1. NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwerin, T. G.; Callery, S.; Chambers, L. H.; Riebeek Kohl, H.; Taylor, J.; Martin, A. M.; Ferrell, T.

    2016-12-01

    The NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) is led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies with partners at three NASA Earth science Centers: Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Langley Research Center. This cross-organization team enables the project to draw from the diverse skills, strengths, and expertise of each partner to develop fresh and innovative approaches for building pathways between NASA's Earth-related STEM assets to large, diverse audiences in order to enhance STEM teaching, learning and opportunities for learners throughout their lifetimes. These STEM assets include subject matter experts (scientists, engineers, and education specialists), science and engineering content, and authentic participatory and experiential opportunities. Specific project activities include authentic STEM experiences through NASA Earth science themed field campaigns and citizen science as part of international GLOBE program (for elementary and secondary school audiences) and GLOBE Observer (non-school audiences of all ages); direct connections to learners through innovative collaborations with partners like Odyssey of the Mind, an international creative problem-solving and design competition; and organizing thematic core content and strategically working with external partners and collaborators to adapt and disseminate core content to support the needs of education audiences (e.g., libraries and maker spaces, student research projects, etc.). A scaffolded evaluation is being conducted that 1) assesses processes and implementation, 2) answers formative evaluation questions in order to continuously improve the project; 3) monitors progress and 4) measures outcomes.

  2. The US DOE-EM International Program - 13004

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Elmetti, Rosa R.; Han, Ana M.; Williams, Alice C.

    2013-07-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) conducts international collaboration activities in support of U.S. policies and objectives regarding the accelerated risk reduction and remediation of environmental legacy of the nations' nuclear weapons program and government sponsored nuclear energy research. The EM International Program supported out of the EM Office of the Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary pursues collaborations with foreign government organizations, educational institutions and private industry to assist in identifying technologies and promote international collaborations that leverage resources and link international experience and expertise. In fiscal year (FY) 2012, the International Program awarded eightmore » international collaborative projects for work scope spanning waste processing, groundwater and soil remediation, deactivation and decommissioning (D and D) and nuclear materials disposition initiatives to seven foreign organizations. Additionally, the International Program's scope and collaboration opportunities were expanded to include technical as well as non-technical areas. This paper will present an overview of the on-going tasks awarded in FY 2012 and an update of upcoming international activities and opportunities for expansion into FY 2013 and beyond. (authors)« less

  3. The US DOE EM international program

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Elmetti, Rosa R.; Han, Ana M.; Roach, Jay A.

    2013-07-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) conducts international collaboration activities in support of U.S. policies and objectives regarding the accelerated risk reduction and remediation of environmental legacy of the nations' nuclear weapons program and government sponsored nuclear energy research. The EM International Program supported out of the EM Office of the Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary pursues collaborations with foreign government organizations, educational institutions and private industry to assist in identifying technologies and promote international collaborations that leverage resources and link international experience and expertise. In fiscal year (FY) 2012, the International Program awarded eightmore » international collaborative projects for work scope spanning waste processing, groundwater and soil remediation, deactivation and decommissioning (D and D) and nuclear materials disposition initiatives to seven foreign organizations. Additionally, the International Program's scope and collaboration opportunities were expanded to include technical as well as non-technical areas. This paper will present an overview of the on-going tasks awarded in FY 2012 and an update of upcoming international activities and opportunities for expansion into the remainder of FY 2013 and beyond. (authors)« less

  4. Independent technical review, handbook

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    Purpose Provide an independent engineering review of the major projects being funded by the Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. The independent engineering review will address questions of whether the engineering practice is sufficiently developed to a point where a major project can be executed without significant technical problems. The independent review will focus on questions related to: (1) Adequacy of development of the technical base of understanding; (2) Status of development and availability of technology among the various alternatives; (3) Status and availability of the industrial infrastructure to support project design, equipment fabrication, facility construction,more » and process and program/project operation; (4) Adequacy of the design effort to provide a sound foundation to support execution of project; (5) Ability of the organization to fully integrate the system, and direct, manage, and control the execution of a complex major project.« less

  5. Technical Report for the Demonstration of Wide Area ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Report The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security conducted the “Wide-Area Urban Radiological Contaminant, Mitigation, and Cleanup Technology Demonstration” in Columbus, Ohio on June 22-25, 2015. Five wide-area radiological decontamination technologies (including strippable coatings, gels, and chemical foam technologies) were demonstrated on an urban building.

  6. Collaborative Systems Biology Projects for the Military Medical Community.

    PubMed

    Zalatoris, Jeffrey J; Scheerer, Julia B; Lebeda, Frank J

    2017-09-01

    from 18 extramural organizations and three other USAMRMC laboratories. Collaborators from six USAMRMC laboratories and 58 extramural organizations were identified who provided additional research expertise to these systems biology studies. At the end of fiscal year 2016, USAMRMC laboratories self-reported 66 systems biology/computational biology studies (62 of which were unique) with 25 intramural and 81 extramural collaborators. Nearly two-thirds were led by or in collaboration with the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center/Department of Defense Biotechnology High-Performance Computing Software Applications Institute and U.S. Army Center for Environmental Health Research. The most common study objective addressed biological mechanisms of disease. The most common types of Research Task Areas addressed infectious diseases (viral and bacterial) and chemical agents (environmental toxicant exposures, and traditional and emerging chemical threats). More than 40% of the studies (27/62) involved collaborations between the reporting USAMRMC laboratory and one other organization. Nearly half of the studies (30/62) involved collaborations between the reporting USAMRMC laboratory and at least two other organizations. These survey results indicate that USAMRMC laboratories are compliant with data-centric policy and guidance documents whose goals are to prevent redundancy and promote collaborations by sharing data and leveraging capabilities. These results also serve as a foundation to make recommendations for future systems biology research efforts. Reprint & Copyright © 2017 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

  7. Partnership for Environmental Technology Education: Tribal Colleges Initiative in Science and Environmental Education

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1999-01-01

    The Tribal Colleges Initiatives in Science and Environmental Education (TCI) was developed in collaboration with the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE). This program is focused on long-term, systematic change through assisting tribally-controlled colleges in improving science and technology infrastructure, faculty and curricula. The goals are to: develop new or enhance existing science and technology education programs within tribally-controlled colleges and affiliates with a focus on environmental education and technology; establish and maintain clearly defined and secure educational pathways for Native American students; produce more Native American environmental and advanced degree graduates who can contribute to meeting the environmental/natural resourcemore » management and economic development goals of Indian Nations; and enhance the general level of Native American scientific literacy through improved public access to information.« less

  8. Building multi-country collaboration on watershed management: lessons on linking environment and public health from the Western Balkans

    EPA Science Inventory

    Community-based watershed resilience programs that bridge public health and environmental outcomes often require cross-boundary, multi-country collaboration. The CRESSIDA project, led by the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) and supported by the U...

  9. 40 CFR 35.4185 - What does my group do with reports our technical advisor prepares for us?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... technical advisor prepares for us? 35.4185 Section 35.4185 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Technical Assistance Managing Your Tag § 35.4185 What does my group do with reports our technical advisor prepares for...

  10. Environmental and natural resource implications of sustainable urban infrastructure systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bergesen, Joseph D.; Suh, Sangwon; Baynes, Timothy M.; Kaviti Musango, Josephine

    2017-12-01

    As cities grow, their environmental and natural resource footprints also tend to grow to keep up with the increasing demand on essential urban services such as passenger transportation, commercial space, and thermal comfort. The urban infrastructure systems, or socio-technical systems providing these services are the major conduits through which natural resources are consumed and environmental impacts are generated. This paper aims to gauge the potential reductions in environmental and resources footprints through urban transformation, including the deployment of resource-efficient socio-technical systems and strategic densification. Using hybrid life cycle assessment approach combined with scenarios, we analyzed the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water use, metal consumption and land use of selected socio-technical systems in 84 cities from the present to 2050. The socio-technical systems analyzed are: (1) bus rapid transit with electric buses, (2) green commercial buildings, and (3) district energy. We developed a baseline model for each city considering gross domestic product, population density, and climate conditions. Then, we overlaid three scenarios on top of the baseline model: (1) decarbonization of electricity, (2) aggressive deployment of resource-efficient socio-technical systems, and (3) strategic urban densification scenarios to each city and quantified their potentials in reducing the environmental and resource impacts of cities by 2050. The results show that, under the baseline scenario, the environmental and natural resource footprints of all 84 cities combined would increase 58%-116% by 2050. The resource-efficient scenario along with strategic densification, however, has the potential to curve down GHG emissions to 17% below the 2010 level in 2050. Such transformation can also limit the increase in all resource footprints to less than 23% relative to 2010. This analysis suggests that resource-efficient urban infrastructure and decarbonization of

  11. The Strength of the Strongest Ties in Collaborative Problem Solving

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Montjoye, Yves-Alexandre; Stopczynski, Arkadiusz; Shmueli, Erez; Pentland, Alex; Lehmann, Sune

    2014-06-01

    Complex problem solving in science, engineering, and business has become a highly collaborative endeavor. Teams of scientists or engineers collaborate on projects using their social networks to gather new ideas and feedback. Here we bridge the literature on team performance and information networks by studying teams' problem solving abilities as a function of both their within-team networks and their members' extended networks. We show that, while an assigned team's performance is strongly correlated with its networks of expressive and instrumental ties, only the strongest ties in both networks have an effect on performance. Both networks of strong ties explain more of the variance than other factors, such as measured or self-evaluated technical competencies, or the personalities of the team members. In fact, the inclusion of the network of strong ties renders these factors non-significant in the statistical analysis. Our results have consequences for the organization of teams of scientists, engineers, and other knowledge workers tackling today's most complex problems.

  12. The strength of the strongest ties in collaborative problem solving.

    PubMed

    de Montjoye, Yves-Alexandre; Stopczynski, Arkadiusz; Shmueli, Erez; Pentland, Alex; Lehmann, Sune

    2014-06-20

    Complex problem solving in science, engineering, and business has become a highly collaborative endeavor. Teams of scientists or engineers collaborate on projects using their social networks to gather new ideas and feedback. Here we bridge the literature on team performance and information networks by studying teams' problem solving abilities as a function of both their within-team networks and their members' extended networks. We show that, while an assigned team's performance is strongly correlated with its networks of expressive and instrumental ties, only the strongest ties in both networks have an effect on performance. Both networks of strong ties explain more of the variance than other factors, such as measured or self-evaluated technical competencies, or the personalities of the team members. In fact, the inclusion of the network of strong ties renders these factors non-significant in the statistical analysis. Our results have consequences for the organization of teams of scientists, engineers, and other knowledge workers tackling today's most complex problems.

  13. Collaborative Data Mining

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moyle, Steve

    Collaborative Data Mining is a setting where the Data Mining effort is distributed to multiple collaborating agents - human or software. The objective of the collaborative Data Mining effort is to produce solutions to the tackled Data Mining problem which are considered better by some metric, with respect to those solutions that would have been achieved by individual, non-collaborating agents. The solutions require evaluation, comparison, and approaches for combination. Collaboration requires communication, and implies some form of community. The human form of collaboration is a social task. Organizing communities in an effective manner is non-trivial and often requires well defined roles and processes. Data Mining, too, benefits from a standard process. This chapter explores the standard Data Mining process CRISP-DM utilized in a collaborative setting.

  14. Innovation Balanced with Community Collaboration, ESIP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    White, C. E.

    2016-12-01

    Representing the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), I'll speak to how the organization supports a diverse community of science, data and information technology practitioners to foster innovation balanced with community collaboration on the why and how. ESIP builds connections among organizations, sectors, disciplines, systems and data so participants can leverage their collective expertise and technical capacity to address common challenges. This work improves Earth science data management practices and makes Earth science data more discoverable, accessible and useful to researchers, policy makers and the public. Greater than ever is the desire for guidelines in software/code development, evaluation of technology and its artifacts, and community validation of products and practices. ESIP's mechanisms for evaluation and assessment range from informal to formal, with opportunities for all.

  15. A Citizen Science and Government Collaboration: Developing ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is actively involved in supporting citizen science projects and providing communities with information and assistance for conducting their own air pollution monitoring. As part of a Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) project, EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) worked collaboratively with EPA Region 2 and the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) in Newark, New Jersey, to develop and test the “Air Sensor Toolbox for Citizen Scientists.” In this collaboration, citizen scientists measured local gaseous and particulate air pollution levels by using a customized low-cost sensor pod designed and fabricated by EPA. This citizen science air quality measurement project provided an excellent opportunity for EPA to evaluate and improve the Toolbox resources available to communities. The Air Sensor Toolbox, developed in coordination with the ICC, can serve as a template for communities across the country to use in developing their own air pollution monitoring programs in areas where air pollution is a concern. This pilot project provided an opportunity for a highly motivated citizen science organization and the EPA to work together directly to address environmental concerns within the community. Useful lessons were learned about how to improve coordination between the government and communities and the types of tools and technologies needed for conducting an effective citizen science project that can be app

  16. The UP College of Nursing Collaborating Center for Nursing Development in Primary Health Care.

    PubMed

    Yapchiongco, A S

    1990-01-01

    Officially designated as one of WHO's Collaborating Centers for Nursing Development (CCND), the UP College of Nursing in the Philippines will take on a leading role in achieving "health for all" through primary health care (PHC). The 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata called for the goal of health for all by the year 2000, and recognized the key role of the nursing profession in this effort. In order to be designated a WHO collaborating center, an institution must be able to provide scientific and technical leadership at the national and international level, must be a stable institution, and must have the capacity to contribute to WHO programs. A WHO collaborating center forms part of an international network of institutions. Having become such a center, the UP College will form part of the Global Network for Nursing Development, organized in March 1987. The Global Network's functions include: 1) coordinating activities and promoting technical cooperation; 2) disseminating and exchanging informational; 3) monitoring trends in health services development and assessing their implications for nursing development; 4) supporting research; 5) gathering support and resources; and 6) promoting the goals of nursing development. As part of the Global Network, the UP College has developed a 4-year plan to fulfill the network's functions. During the June 1989 inauguration of the CCND, the Philippine Secretary of Health, Dr. Alfredo R. A. Bengzon, noted the country's lopsided ratio of health personnel per population, and issued a challenge to the UP College to lead the country in accelerating nursing development.

  17. Librarians and Scientists Partner to Address Data Management: Taking Collaboration to the Next Level.

    PubMed

    Medina-Smith, Andrea; Tryka, Kimberly A; Silcox, Barbara P; Hanisch, Robert J

    2016-01-01

    This study looks at the changing way in which the Information Services Office (ISO) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides services to NIST scientific and technical staff throughout their research and publishing cycles. These services include the more traditional services of a research library as well as publishing NIST technical reports and The Journal of Research of NIST , and preserving and exhibiting scientific instruments and other artifacts. ISO has always prided itself on having a close relationship with its customers, providing a high level of service, and developing new services to stay in front of NIST researcher needs. Through a concerted, strategic effort since the late 1990s, ISO has developed and promoted relationships with its key customers through its Lab Liaison Program. This paper discusses the relationship ISO has developed with the Office of Data and Informatics (ODI), how this relationship was forged, and how this collaboration will serve as a model for working with the other labs and programs at NIST. It will also discuss the risks and opportunities of this new collaborative service model, how ISO positioned itself to become an equal partner with ODI in the exploration of solutions to data management issues, and the benefits of the relationship from ODI's perspective. A pattern of strategic changes to the services and activities offered by the Lab Liaison program has put ISO in the position to collaborate as peers with researchers at NIST. This study provides an overview of how ISO made strategic decisions to incorporate non-traditional services to support data management at NIST.

  18. Environmental engineering education: examples of accreditation and quality assurance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caporali, E.; Catelani, M.; Manfrida, G.; Valdiserri, J.

    2013-12-01

    Environmental engineers respond to the challenges posed by a growing population, intensifying land-use pressures, natural resources exploitation as well as rapidly evolving technology. The environmental engineer must develop technically sound solutions within the framework of maintaining or improving environmental quality, complying with public policy, and optimizing the utilization of resources. The engineer provides system and component design, serves as a technical advisor in policy making and legal deliberations, develops management schemes for resources, and provides technical evaluations of systems. Through the current work of environmental engineers, individuals and businesses are able to understand how to coordinate society's interaction with the environment. There will always be a need for engineers who are able to integrate the latest technologies into systems to respond to the needs for food and energy while protecting natural resources. In general, the environment-related challenges and problems need to be faced at global level, leading to the globalization of the engineering profession which requires not only the capacity to communicate in a common technical language, but also the assurance of an adequate and common level of technical competences, knowledge and understanding. In this framework, the Europe-based EUR ACE (European Accreditation of Engineering Programmes) system, currently operated by ENAEE - European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education can represent the proper framework and accreditation system in order to provide a set of measures to assess the quality of engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad. The application of the accreditation model EUR-ACE, and of the National Italian Degree Courses Accreditation System, promoted by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR), to the Environmental Engineering Degree Courses at the University of Firenze is presented. In

  19. Midwife-physician collaboration: a conceptual framework for interprofessional collaborative practice.

    PubMed

    Smith, Denise Colter

    2015-01-01

    Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, collaborative practice has been cited as one method of increasing access to care, decreasing costs, and improving efficiency. How and under what conditions might these goals be achieved? Midwives and physicians have built effective collaborative practice models over a period of 30 years. Empirical study of interprofessional collaboration between midwives and physicians could be useful in guiding professional education, regulation, and health policy in women's health and maternity care. Construction of a conceptual framework for interprofessional collaboration between midwives and physicians was guided by a review of the literature. A theory derivation strategy was used to define dimensions, concepts, and statements of the framework. Midwife-physician interprofessional collaboration can be defined by 4 dimensions (organizational, procedural, relational, and contextual) and 12 concepts (trust, shared power, synergy, commitment, and respect, among others). The constructed framework provides the foundation for further empirical study of the interprofessional collaborative process. The experiences of midwife-physician collaborations provide solid support for a conceptual framework of the collaborative process. A conceptual framework provides a point from which further research can increase knowledge and understanding about how successful outcomes are achieved in collaborative health care practices. Construction of a measurement scale and validation of the model are important next steps. © 2014 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

  20. 40 CFR 34.300 - Professional and technical services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Professional and technical services. 34.300 Section 34.300 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE NEW RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING Activities by Other Than Own Employees § 34.300 Professional and...

  1. Environmental exposure assessment in European birth cohorts: results from the ENRIECO project

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Environmental exposures during pregnancy and early life may have adverse health effects. Single birth cohort studies often lack statistical power to tease out such effects reliably. To improve the use of existing data and to facilitate collaboration among these studies, an inventory of the environmental exposure and health data in these studies was made as part of the ENRIECO (Environmental Health Risks in European Birth Cohorts) project. The focus with regard to exposure was on outdoor air pollution, water contamination, allergens and biological organisms, metals, pesticides, smoking and second hand tobacco smoke (SHS), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), noise, radiation, and occupational exposures. The review lists methods and data on environmental exposures in 37 European birth cohort studies. Most data is currently available for smoking and SHS (N=37 cohorts), occupational exposures (N=33), outdoor air pollution, and allergens and microbial agents (N=27). Exposure modeling is increasingly used for long-term air pollution exposure assessment; biomonitoring is used for assessment of exposure to metals, POPs and other chemicals; and environmental monitoring for house dust mite exposure assessment. Collaborative analyses with data from several birth cohorts have already been performed successfully for outdoor air pollution, water contamination, allergens, biological contaminants, molds, POPs and SHS. Key success factors for collaborative analyses are common definitions of main exposure and health variables. Our review emphasizes that such common definitions need ideally be arrived at in the study design phase. However, careful comparison of methods used in existing studies also offers excellent opportunities for collaborative analyses. Investigators can use this review to evaluate the potential for future collaborative analyses with respect to data availability and methods used in the different cohorts and to identify potential partners for a specific research

  2. Collaborative Systems Testing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pocatilu, Paul; Ciurea, Cristian

    2009-01-01

    Collaborative systems are widely used today in various activity fields. Their complexity is high and the development involves numerous resources and costs. Testing collaborative systems has a very important role for the systems' success. In this paper we present taxonomy of collaborative systems. The collaborative systems are classified in many…

  3. The Development and Scaling of the easyCBM CCSS Middle School Mathematics Measures. Technical Report #1207

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Daniel; Irvin, P. Shawn; Patarapichayatham, Chalie; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

    2012-01-01

    In the following technical report, we describe the development and scaling of the easyCBM CCSS middle school mathematics measures, designed for use within a response to intervention framework. All items were developed in collaboration with experienced middle school mathematics teachers and were written to align with the Common Core State…

  4. Understanding the influence of power and empathic perspective-taking on collaborative natural resource management.

    PubMed

    Wald, Dara M; Segal, Elizabeth A; Johnston, Erik W; Vinze, Ajay

    2017-09-01

    Public engagement in collaborative natural resource management necessitates shared understanding and collaboration. Empathic perspective-taking is a critical facilitator of shared understanding and positive social interactions, such as collaboration. Yet there is currently little understanding about how to reliably generate empathic perspective-taking and collaboration, particularly in situations involving the unequal distribution of environmental resources or power. Here we examine how experiencing the loss or gain of social power influenced empathic perspective-taking and behavior within a computer-mediated scenario. Participants (n = 180) were randomly assigned to each condition: high resources, low resources, lose resources, gain resources. Contrary to our expectations, participants in the perspective-taking condition, specifically those who lost resources, also lost perspective taking and exhibited egoistic behavior. This finding suggests that resource control within the collaborative process is a key contextual variable that influences perspective-taking and collaborative behavior. Moreover, the observed relationship between perspective-taking and egoistic behavior within a collaborative resource sharing exercise suggests that when resource control or access is unequal, interventions to promote perspective-taking deserve careful consideration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Environmental regulations: Technical reference manual TRM 016.01, September 15, 1995

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1995-09-15

    This TRM is divided into two primary sections. The first section entitled Environmental Programs provides a synopsis of each environmental Act (Federal Law). The second section of the TRM is entitled Environmental Operations. This section is in effect the nuts and bolts of the regulatory compliance programs. In this section, the program manager can reference specific requirements which will aid in structuring the compliance program.

  6. Collaborative Multi-Scale 3d City and Infrastructure Modeling and Simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Breunig, M.; Borrmann, A.; Rank, E.; Hinz, S.; Kolbe, T.; Schilcher, M.; Mundani, R.-P.; Jubierre, J. R.; Flurl, M.; Thomsen, A.; Donaubauer, A.; Ji, Y.; Urban, S.; Laun, S.; Vilgertshofer, S.; Willenborg, B.; Menninghaus, M.; Steuer, H.; Wursthorn, S.; Leitloff, J.; Al-Doori, M.; Mazroobsemnani, N.

    2017-09-01

    Computer-aided collaborative and multi-scale 3D planning are challenges for complex railway and subway track infrastructure projects in the built environment. Many legal, economic, environmental, and structural requirements have to be taken into account. The stringent use of 3D models in the different phases of the planning process facilitates communication and collaboration between the stake holders such as civil engineers, geological engineers, and decision makers. This paper presents concepts, developments, and experiences gained by an interdisciplinary research group coming from civil engineering informatics and geo-informatics banding together skills of both, the Building Information Modeling and the 3D GIS world. New approaches including the development of a collaborative platform and 3D multi-scale modelling are proposed for collaborative planning and simulation to improve the digital 3D planning of subway tracks and other infrastructures. Experiences during this research and lessons learned are presented as well as an outlook on future research focusing on Building Information Modeling and 3D GIS applications for cities of the future.

  7. Collaboration support system for "Phobos-Soil" space mission.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nazarov, V.; Nazirov, R.; Zakharov, A.

    2009-04-01

    Rapid development of communication facilities leads growth of interactions done via electronic means. However we can see some paradox in this segment in last times: Extending of communication facilities increases collaboration chaos. And it is very sensitive for space missions in general and scientific space mission particularly because effective decision of this task provides successful realization of the missions and promises increasing the ratio of functional characteristic and cost of mission at all. Resolving of this problem may be found by using respective modern technologies and methods which widely used in different branches and not in the space researches only. Such approaches as Social Networking, Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 look most prospective in this context. The primary goal of the "Phobos-Soil" mission is an investigation of the Phobos which is the Martian moon and particularly its regolith, internal structure, peculiarities of the orbital and proper motion, as well as a number of different scientific measurements and experiments for investigation of the Martian environment. A lot of investigators involved in the mission. Effective collaboration system is key facility for information support of the mission therefore. Further to main goal: communication between users of the system, modern approaches allows using such capabilities as self-organizing community, user generated content, centralized and federative control of the system. Also it may have one unique possibility - knowledge management which is very important for space mission realization. Therefore collaboration support system for "Phobos-Soil" mission designed on the base of multilayer model which includes such levels as Communications, Announcement and Information, Data sharing and Knowledge management. The collaboration support system for "Phobos-Soil" mission will be used as prototype for prospective Russian scientific space missions and the presentation describes its architecture

  8. Collaborate!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Villano, Matt

    2007-01-01

    This article explores different approaches that facilitate online collaboration. The newest efforts in collaboration revolve around wikis. These websites allow visitors to add, remove, edit, and change content directly online. Another fairly affordable approach involves open source, a programming language that is, in many ways, collaborative…

  9. Collaboration in an Era of Change: New Forms of Community Problem-Solving

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramaley, Judith A.

    2016-01-01

    Campuses are developing new ways to respond to complex social, cultural, economic and environmental problems by adapting their educational approaches and their scholarship to address a changing world order. At the same time, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and businesses are embracing collaborative approaches to community…

  10. Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH): Scientific Understanding of Arctic Environmental Change to Help Society Understand and Respond to a Rapidly Changing Arctic.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wiggins, H. V.; Myers, B.

    2015-12-01

    The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) is a U.S. program with a mission to provide a foundation of Arctic change science through collaboration with the research community, funding agencies, and other stakeholders. To achieve this mission, SEARCH: Generates and synthesizes research findings and promotes Arctic science and scientific discovery across disciplines and among agencies. Identifies emerging issues in Arctic environmental change. Provides scientific information to Arctic stakeholders, policy-makers, and the public to help them understand and respond to arctic environmental change. Facilitates research activities across local-to-global scales, with an emphasis on addressing needs of decision-makers. Collaborates with national and international science programs integral to SEARCH goals. This poster presentation will present SEARCH activities and plans, highlighting those focused on providing information for decision-makers. http://www.arcus.org/search

  11. When Collaborative Is Not Collaborative: Supporting Student Learning through Self-Surveillance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kotsopoulos, Donna

    2010-01-01

    Collaborative learning has been widely endorsed in education. This qualitative research examines instances of collaborative learning during mathematics that were seen to be predominantly non-collaborative despite the pedagogical efforts and intentions of the teacher and the task. In an effort to disrupt the non-collaborative learning, small groups…

  12. Working for Water: A Transdisciplinary Collaboration for Wetlands Restoration in an Urbanizing Watershed

    EPA Science Inventory

    In 2013, I collaborated with staff at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Atlantic Ecology Division to explore the public perceptions of services and disservices associated with restoration of riparian areas and wetlands in the urbanizing Woonasquatucket River watershed i...

  13. State of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis: highlights from the 4th Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schwantes, Jon M.; Marsden, Oliva; Pellegrini, Kristi L.

    Founded in 1996 upon the initiative of the “Group of 8” governments (G8), the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) is an ad hoc organization of official nuclear forensics practitioners (scientists, law enforcement, and regulators) that can be called upon to provide technical assistance to the global community in the event of a seizure of nuclear or radiological materials. The ITWG is supported by and is affiliated with roughly 40 countries and international partner organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), EURATOM, INTERPOL, EUROPOL, and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). Besides providing amore » network of nuclear forensics laboratories that are able to assist law enforcement during a nuclear smuggling event, the ITWG is also committed to the advancement of the science of nuclear forensic analysis, largely through participation in periodic table top and Collaborative Materials Exercises (CMXs). Exercise scenarios use “real world” samples with realistic forensics investigation time constraints and reporting requirements. These exercises are designed to promote best practices in the field and test, evaluate, and improve new technical capabilities, methods and techniques in order to advance the science of nuclear forensics. The ITWG recently completed its fourth CMX in the 20 year history of the organization. This was also the largest materials exercise to date, with participating laboratories from 16 countries or organizations. Three samples of low enriched uranium were shipped to these laboratories as part of an illicit trafficking scenario, for which each laboratory was asked to conduct nuclear forensic analyses in support of a fictitious criminal investigation. An objective review of the State Of Practice and Art of international nuclear forensic analysis based upon the outcome of this most recent exercise is provided.« less

  14. Collaborative gaming and competition for CS-STEM education using SPHERES Zero Robotics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nag, Sreeja; Katz, Jacob G.; Saenz-Otero, Alvar

    2013-02-01

    There is widespread investment of resources in the fields of Computer Science, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (CS-STEM) education to improve STEM interests and skills. This paper addresses the goal of revolutionizing student education using collaborative gaming and competition, both in virtual simulation environments and on real hardware in space. The concept is demonstrated using the SPHERES Zero Robotics (ZR) Program which is a robotics programming competition. The robots are miniature satellites called SPHERES—an experimental test bed developed by the MIT SSL on the International Space Station (ISS) to test navigation, formation flight and control algorithms in microgravity. The participants compete to win a technically challenging game by programming their strategies into the SPHERES satellites, completely from a web browser. The programs are demonstrated in simulation, on ground hardware and then in a final competition when an astronaut runs the student software aboard the ISS. ZR had a pilot event in 2009 with 10 High School (HS) students, a nationwide pilot tournament in 2010 with over 200 HS students from 19 US states, a summer tournament in 2010 with ˜150 middle school students and an open-registration tournament in 2011 with over 1000 HS students from USA and Europe. The influence of collaboration was investigated by (1) building new web infrastructure and an Integrated Development Environment where intensive inter-participant collaboration is possible, (2) designing and programming a game to solve a relevant formation flight problem, collaborative in nature—and (3) structuring a tournament such that inter-team collaboration is mandated. This paper introduces the ZR web tools, assesses the educational value delivered by the program using space and games and evaluates the utility of collaborative gaming within this framework. There were three types of collaborations as variables—within matches (to achieve game objectives), inter

  15. Book Review: Space Research at the Technical University of Moldova.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaina, Alex

    Recently the historian of the Technical University of Moldova Aurel Marinchuk (Marinciuc) in a collaboration with the editorial team from the same University has published a Jubiliary Album "50 Years of the Technical University of Moldova". The Album is published at the Technical University in Chisinau (The Republic of Moldova). Two chapters of this album present major interest: 1) Space research at the Technical University of Moldova 2) The Foucault Pendulum manufactured at the same University under the supervision of the Rector of University, Dr. Hab. of Technical Sciences and Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova Ion Bostan. The parameters of the Pendulums are: m=102 kg L=17,24 m T=8.35 sec. >From the first chapter We learn that 3 astronauts: Frank Lee Culbertson, Vladimir Dezhurov and Dumitru Dorin Prunariu are Doctors Honoris Causa of this University. As well we can found in the album informations about the Microsatellit "Republic of Moldova" built also by a team from the same University. It is ready to fly, but many depends on the funds for launch the Satellite. The Foucault Pendulum presents also interest in view of its possible applications to detect the influence of the relative position of the Sun and the Moon on Earthquakes. As is well known the tidal gravitational Force varies, depending on the relative position of the Sun and the Moon.

  16. Environmental computing compendium - background and motivation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heikkurinen, Matti; Kranzlmüller, Dieter

    2017-04-01

    The emerging discipline of environmental computing brings together experts in applied, advanced environmental modelling. The application domains address several fundamental societal challenges, ranging from disaster risk reduction to sustainability issues (such as food security on the global scale). The community has used an Intuitive, pragmatic approach when determining which initiatives are considered to "belong to the discipline". The community's growth is based on sharing of experiences and tools provides opportunities for reusing solutions or applying knowledge in new settings. Thus, limiting possible synergies by applying an arbitrary, formal definition to exclude some of the sources of solutions and knowledge would be counterproductive. However, the number of individuals and initiatives involved has grown to the level where a survey of initiatives and sub-themes they focus on is of interest. By surveying the project landscape and identifying common themes and building a shared vocabulary to describe them we can both communicate the relevance of the new discipline to the general public more easily and make it easier for the new members of the community to find the most promising collaboration partners. This talk presents the methodology and initial findings of the initial survey of the environmental computing initiatives and organisations, as well as approaches that could lead to an environmental computing compendium that would be a collaborative maintained shared resource of the environmental computing community.

  17. Exploiting Publication Contents and Collaboration Networks for Collaborator Recommendation

    PubMed Central

    Kong, Xiangjie; Jiang, Huizhen; Yang, Zhuo; Xu, Zhenzhen; Xia, Feng; Tolba, Amr

    2016-01-01

    Thanks to the proliferation of online social networks, it has become conventional for researchers to communicate and collaborate with each other. Meanwhile, one critical challenge arises, that is, how to find the most relevant and potential collaborators for each researcher? In this work, we propose a novel collaborator recommendation model called CCRec, which combines the information on researchers’ publications and collaboration network to generate better recommendation. In order to effectively identify the most potential collaborators for researchers, we adopt a topic clustering model to identify the academic domains, as well as a random walk model to compute researchers’ feature vectors. Using DBLP datasets, we conduct benchmarking experiments to examine the performance of CCRec. The experimental results show that CCRec outperforms other state-of-the-art methods in terms of precision, recall and F1 score. PMID:26849682

  18. NATIONAL HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS RESEARCH LABORATORY - ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR FY 2001

    EPA Science Inventory

    This Annual Report showcases some of the scientific activities of the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) in various health and environmental effects research areas. Where appropriate, the contributions of other collaborating research organizat...

  19. Status of China's Energy Efficiency Standards and Labels for Appliances and International Collaboration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhou, Nan

    2008-03-01

    China first adopted minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) in 1989. Today, there are standards for a wide range of domestic, commercial and selected industrial equipment. In 1999, China launched a voluntary endorsement label, which has grown to cover over 40 products including water-saving products (See Figure 1). Further, in 2005, China started a mandatory energy information label (also referred to as the 'Energy Label'). Today, the Energy Label is applied to four products including: air conditioners; household refrigerators; clothes washers; and unitary air conditioners (See Figure 2). MEPS and the voluntary endorsement labeling specifications have been updated and revised inmore » order to reflect technology improvements to those products in the market. These programs have had an important impact in reducing energy consumption of appliances in China. Indeed, China has built up a strong infrastructure to develop and implement product standards. Historically, however, the government's primary focus has been on the technical requirements for efficiency performance. Less attention has been paid to monitoring and enforcement with a minimal commitment of resources and little expansion of administrative capacity in this area. Thus, market compliance with both mandatory standards and labeling programs has been questionable and actual energy savings may have been undermined as a result. The establishment of a regularized monitoring system for tracking compliance with the mandatory standard and energy information label in China is a major area for program improvement. Over the years, the Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (CLASP) has partnered with several Chinese institutions to promote energy-efficient products in China. CLASP, together with its implementing partner Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), has assisted China in developing and updating the above-mentioned standards and labeling programs. Because of the increasing need for

  20. National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The National Asthma Awards recognizes health plans, healthcare providers and communities in action that demonstrate an environmental component to address asthma triggers, collaborate with others and save healthcare dollars with their programming.

  1. Urban elementary students' views of environmental scientists, environmental caretakers and environmentally responsible behaviors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horne, Patricia Lynne

    The purpose of this research was to determine the nature of the relationship between urban elementary fifth graders, environmental workers, and the environment. The study examined 320 urban fifth grade elementary students' drawings of environmental scientists (DAEST) and environmental caretakers (DAECT). Additionally, semi-structured interviews were included to elucidate student illustrations. The study's sample represented one-third of all fifth graders in the mid-Atlantic school district selected for this research. Approximately 5% of participants were chosen for follow-up semi-structured interviews based on their illustrations. A general conclusion is some of the stereotypes, particularly related to gender, revealed in prior research (Barman, 1999, Chambers, 1983; Huber & Burton, 1995; Schibeci & Sorensen's, 1983; Sumrall, 1995) are evident among many elementary students. Male environmental scientists were drawn twice as often as female environmental scientists. Females were represented in more pictures of environmental caretakers than environmental scientists. Students overwhelmingly drew environmental scientists (98.1%) and environmental caretakers (76.5%) working alone. Wildlife was noticeably absent from most drawings (85%). Where wildlife was included, it was most often birds (6.9%) and fish (3.1%). More than one species was evident in only 2.5% of the pictures. Fifty percent of environmental caretakers were shown picking up trash from land. Actions such as reducing resource use occurred in only 13 out of 319 pictures (4.1%). Pictures of environmental caretakers sharing knowledge were even less common (2.5%). Almost 22% of females drew multiple individuals compared to 18.5% drawn by males. Females were more likely to show individuals collaborating (22.4% to 16.8%) while males were more likely to show individuals working in opposition (5.2% to 2.0%).

  2. Need for Enhanced Environmental Representation in the Implementation of One Health.

    PubMed

    Barrett, Meredith A; Bouley, Timothy A

    2015-06-01

    Issues of global environmental change, global health, emerging disease, and sustainability present some of the most complex challenges of the twenty-first century. Individual disciplines cannot address these issues in isolation. Proactive, innovative, and trans-disciplinary solutions are required. Recognizing the inherent connectedness of humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment, One Health encourages the collaboration of many disciplines-including human and veterinary medicine, public health, social science, public policy, environmental science, and others-to address global and local health challenges. Despite great progress in this shift toward transdisciplinarity, the environmental component of the One Health paradigm remains underrepresented in One Health discourse. Human and animal health issues are commonly discussed under the umbrella of the One Health paradigm, while upstream environmental drivers and solutions are less prominent. We assessed the current integration of environmental issues in One Health publications and leadership. There is room for enhanced integration of environmental knowledge in the implementation of One Health approaches. We discuss the potential benefits from the collaboration between One Health and ecohealth, and explore strategies for increased environmental involvement.

  3. Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1996

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dirkes, R.L.; Hanf, R.W.

    The Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, to describe environmental management performance, to demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and to highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet requirements and guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology.

  4. 77 FR 25995 - Western Technical College; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the Commission...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-02

    ... Technical College; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the Commission, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, Intent To Waive Scoping, Soliciting Comments....: 13417-002. c. Date filed: October 21, 2011. d. Applicant: Western Technical College. e. Name of Project...

  5. Science friction: data, metadata, and collaboration.

    PubMed

    Edwards, Paul N; Mayernik, Matthew S; Batcheller, Archer L; Bowker, Geoffrey C; Borgman, Christine L

    2011-10-01

    When scientists from two or more disciplines work together on related problems, they often face what we call 'science friction'. As science becomes more data-driven, collaborative, and interdisciplinary, demand increases for interoperability among data, tools, and services. Metadata--usually viewed simply as 'data about data', describing objects such as books, journal articles, or datasets--serve key roles in interoperability. Yet we find that metadata may be a source of friction between scientific collaborators, impeding data sharing. We propose an alternative view of metadata, focusing on its role in an ephemeral process of scientific communication, rather than as an enduring outcome or product. We report examples of highly useful, yet ad hoc, incomplete, loosely structured, and mutable, descriptions of data found in our ethnographic studies of several large projects in the environmental sciences. Based on this evidence, we argue that while metadata products can be powerful resources, usually they must be supplemented with metadata processes. Metadata-as-process suggests the very large role of the ad hoc, the incomplete, and the unfinished in everyday scientific work.

  6. Using collaborative tools for energy corridor planning.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuiper, J. A.; Cantwell, B.; Hlohowskyj, I.

    2008-01-01

    In November 2007, the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on Designation of Energy Corridors on Federal Land in the Western 11 States was released. The draft proposes a network of 6055 miles of energy corridors on lands managed by seven different federal agencies. Determining the proposed locations of the corridors was a large collaborative effort among the agencies and included local, state, and federal land managers. To connect this geographically dispersed group of people, the project team employed a variety of approaches to communicate corridor siting issues, including sharing GIS layers and electronic maps, a downloadable GIS database and ArcReadermore » project, workshops, and Internet webcast teleconferences. This collaborative approach allowed difficult siting issues to be understood and discussed from many perspectives, which resulted in rapid and effective decision making. The result was a proposed corridor system that avoids many sensitive resources and protected lands while accommodating expected energy development.« less

  7. Research on the industry environmental total factor productivity in Jiangsu Province based on the SBM-SML

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lingfang, Sun; Han, Wang; Jian, Gong

    2017-03-01

    This paper uses the SBM-SML to measure the industry environmental total factor productivity in Jiangsu province of its 13 cities during 2005-2014 with SO2 emissions as the undesirable output, and discomposes the total factor productivity into the pure technical efficiency, the scale efficiency change, the pure technical change and the scale technical change. The research shows that the overall trend of the industry environmental total factor productivity is increasing in Jiangsu province during 2005-2014, the technical change is a main reason pushing up growth rates of economy, and the pure technical change is the intrinsic motivation of the technical change.Introduction.

  8. The Development of Trust in Residential Environmental Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ardoin, Nicole M.; DiGiano, Maria L.; O'Connor, Kathleen; Podkul, Timothy E.

    2017-01-01

    Trust, a relational phenomenon that is an important building block of interpersonal relationships and within society, can also be an intermediary outcome of field-based environmental education programs. Trust creates a foundation for collaboration and decision-making, which are core to many ultimate outcomes of environmental education. Yet,…

  9. Symposium on Integrating the Science of Environmental Justice into Decision-Making at the Environmental Protection Agency: An Overview

    PubMed Central

    Payne-Sturges, Devon; Garcia, Lisa; Lee, Charles; Zenick, Hal; Grevatt, Peter; Sanders, William H.; Case, Heather; Dankwa-Mullan, Irene

    2011-01-01

    In March 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborated with government and nongovernmental organizations to host a groundbreaking symposium, “Strengthening Environmental Justice Research and Decision Making: A Symposium on the Science of Disproportionate Environmental Health Impacts.” The symposium provided a forum for discourse on the state of scientific knowledge about factors identified by EPA that may contribute to higher burdens of environmental exposure or risk in racial/ethnic minorities and low-income populations. Also featured were discussions on how environmental justice considerations may be integrated into EPA's analytical and decision-making frameworks and on research needs for advancing the integration of environmental justice into environmental policymaking. We summarize key discussions and conclusions from the symposium and briefly introduce the articles in this issue. PMID:22028456

  10. Global Environmental Priorities of Engineering Students in Krakow Poland.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Michael; Bowen, William M.

    2000-01-01

    Reports and interprets the rankings of Rodger Bybee's 12 global-environmental issues/threats by first and second year engineering students (n=175) at the Technical University of Krakow, Poland. Results indicate that personal experience with local environmental issues are the most important determinant for ranking global environmental threats.…

  11. Can Learning Collaboratives Support Implementation by Rewiring Professional Networks?

    PubMed

    Bunger, Alicia C; Hanson, Rochelle F; Doogan, Nathan J; Powell, Byron J; Cao, Yiwen; Dunn, Jerry

    2016-01-01

    This study examined how a learning collaborative focusing on trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) impacted advice-seeking patterns between clinicians and three key learning sources: (1) training experts who share technical knowledge about TF-CBT, (2) peers from other participating organizations who share their implementation experiences, and (3) colleagues from their own agency who provide social and professional support. Based on surveys administered to 132 clinicians from 32 agencies, participants' professional networks changed slightly over time by forming new advice-seeking relationships with training experts. While small, these changes at the clinician-level yielded substantial changes in the structure of the regional advice network.

  12. Can Learning Collaboratives Support Implementation By Rewiring Professional Networks?

    PubMed Central

    Hanson, Rochelle F.; Doogan, Nathan J.; Powell, Byron J.; Cao, Yiwen; Dunn, Jerry

    2015-01-01

    This study examined how a learning collaborative focusing on Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) impacted advice-seeking patterns between clinicians and three key learning sources: (1) training experts who share technical knowledge about TF-CBT, (2) peers from other participating organizations who share their implementation experiences, and (3) colleagues from their own agency who provide social and professional support. Based on surveys administered to 132 clinicians from 32 agencies, participants’ professional networks changed slightly over time by forming new advice-seeking relationships with training experts. While small, these changes at the clinician-level yielded substantial changes in the structure of the regional advice network. PMID:25542237

  13. 77 FR 33472 - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-06

    ... Environmental Health Sciences; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... Health Sciences Special Emphasis Panel International Collaborations in Environmental Health. Date: June....D., Scientific Review Administrator, Nat. Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Office of...

  14. Strategies for collaboration in the interdisciplinary field of emerging zoonotic diseases.

    PubMed

    Anholt, R M; Stephen, C; Copes, R

    2012-06-01

    The integration of the veterinary, medical and environmental sciences necessary to predict, prevent or respond to emerging zoonotic diseases requires effective collaboration and exchange of knowledge across these disciplines. There has been no research into how to connect and integrate these professions in the pursuit of a common task. We conducted a literature search looking at the experiences and wisdom resulting from collaborations built in health partnerships, health research knowledge transfer and exchange, business knowledge management and systems design engineering to identify key attributes of successful interdisciplinary (ID) collaboration. This was followed by a workshop with 16 experts experienced in ID collaboration including physicians, veterinarians and biologists from private practice, academia and government agencies. The workshop participants shared their perspectives on the facilitators and barriers to ID collaboration. Our results found that the elements that can support or impede ID collaboration can be categorized as follows: the characteristics of the people, the degree to which the task is a shared goal, the policies, practices and resources of the workplace, how information technology is used and the evaluation of the results. Above all, personal relationships built on trust and respect are needed to best assemble the disciplinary strength of the professions. The challenge of meeting collaborators outside the boundaries of one's discipline or jurisdiction may be met by an independent third party, an ID knowledge broker. The broker would know where the knowledge could be found, would facilitate introductions and would help to build effective ID teams. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  15. Measuring Local Public Health and Primary Care Collaboration: A Practice-Based Research Approach.

    PubMed

    Gyllstrom, Elizabeth; Gearin, Kimberly; Nease, Donald; Bekemeier, Betty; Pratt, Rebekah

    2018-06-07

    To describe the degree of public health and primary care collaboration at the local level and develop a model framework of collaboration, the Community Collaboration Health Model (CCHM). Mixed-methods, cross-sectional surveys, and semistructured, key informant interviews. All local health jurisdictions in Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, and Wisconsin. Leaders from each jurisdiction were identified to describe local collaboration. Eighty percent of local health directors completed our survey (n = 193), representing 80% of jurisdictions. The parallel primary care survey had a 31% response rate (n = 128), representing 50% of jurisdictions. Twenty pairs of local health directors and primary care leaders participated in key informant interviews. Thirty-seven percent of jurisdictions were classified as having strong foundational and energizing characteristics in the model. Ten percent displayed high energizing/low foundational characteristics, 11% had high foundational/low energizing characteristics, and 42% of jurisdictions were low on both. Respondents reported wide variation in relationship factors. They generally agreed that foundational characteristics were present in current working relationships but were less likely to agree that relationships had factors promoting sustainability or innovation. Both sectors valued working together in principle, yet few did. Identifying shared priorities and achieving tangible benefits may be critical to realizing sustained relationships resulting in population health improvement. Our study reveals broad variation in experiences among local jurisdictions in our sample. Tools, such as the CCHM, and technical assistance may be helpful to support advancing collaboration. Dedicated funding, reimbursement redesign, improved data systems, and data sharing capability are key components of promoting collaboration. Yet, even in the absence of new reimbursement models or funding mechanisms, there are steps leaders can take to build and

  16. State of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis: highlights from the 4th Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG)

    DOE PAGES

    Schwantes, Jon M.; Marsden, Oliva; Pellegrini, Kristi L.

    2016-09-16

    The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) recently completed its fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise (CMX-4) in the 21 year history of the Group. This was also the largest materials exercise to date, with participating laboratories from 16 countries or international organizations. Moreover, exercise samples (including three separate samples of low enriched uranium oxide) were shipped as part of an illicit trafficking scenario, for which each laboratory was asked to conduct nuclear forensic analyses in support of a fictitious criminal investigation. In all, over 30 analytical techniques were applied to characterize exercise materials, for which ten of those techniques weremore » applied to ITWG exercises for the first time. We performed an objective review of the state of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis based upon the outcome of this most recent exercise is provided.« less

  17. State of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis: highlights from the 4th Collaborative Materials Exercise of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schwantes, Jon M.; Marsden, Oliva; Pellegrini, Kristi L.

    The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) recently completed its fourth Collaborative Materials Exercise (CMX-4) in the 21 year history of the Group. This was also the largest materials exercise to date, with participating laboratories from 16 countries or international organizations. Moreover, exercise samples (including three separate samples of low enriched uranium oxide) were shipped as part of an illicit trafficking scenario, for which each laboratory was asked to conduct nuclear forensic analyses in support of a fictitious criminal investigation. In all, over 30 analytical techniques were applied to characterize exercise materials, for which ten of those techniques weremore » applied to ITWG exercises for the first time. We performed an objective review of the state of practice and emerging application of analytical techniques of nuclear forensic analysis based upon the outcome of this most recent exercise is provided.« less

  18. Webinar Presentation: EPA Actions to Reduce Children's Health Risks from Environmental Factors

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This presentation, EPA Actions to Reduce Children's Health Risks from Environmental Factors, was given at the NIEHS/EPA Children's Centers 2015 Webinar Series: The Significance of Children’s Environmental Health Research Through Collaboration.

  19. The Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions Environmental Technology Consortium annual report 1994--1995

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1998-07-01

    The HBCU/MI ET Consortium was established in January 1990, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among its member institutions. This group of research oriented Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MIs) agreed to work together to initiate or revise education programs, develop research partnerships with public and private sector organizations, and promote technology development to address the nation`s critical environmental contamination problems. The Consortium`s Research, Education and Technology Transfer (RETT) Plan became the working agenda. The Consortium is a resource for collaboration among the member institutions and with federal an state agencies, national and federal laboratories, industries, (includingmore » small businesses), majority universities, and two and four-year technical colleges. As a group of 17 institutions geographically located in the southern US, the Consortium is well positioned to reach a diverse group of women and minority populations of African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. This Report provides a status update on activities and achievements in environmental curriculum development, outreach at the K--12 level, undergraduate and graduate education, research and development, and technology transfer.« less

  20. Training for Collaboration: Collaborative Practice Skills for Mental Health Professionals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bischoff, Richard J.; Springer, Paul R.; Reisbig, Allison M. J.; Lyons, Sheena; Likcani, Adriatik

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to identify skills that mental health practitioners need for successful collaborative practice in medical settings. Known experts in the field of collaborative health care completed a survey designed to elicit their suggestions about what is needed for successful collaborative care practice. Through qualitative…

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