Design of inquiry-oriented science labs: impacts on students' attitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baseya, J. M.; Francis, C. D.

2011-11-01

Background: Changes in lab style can lead to differences in learning. Two inquiry-oriented lab styles are guided inquiry (GI) and problem-based (PB). Students' attitudes towards lab are important to consider when choosing between GI and PB styles during curriculum design. Purpose: We examined the degree to which lab experiences are explained by a GI or a PB lab style vs. students' attitudes towards specific aspects of the experience, reflected by perceived excitement (exc), difficulty (dif), time efficiency (eff) and association between lab and lecture material (help). Sample: Approximately 1000 students attending first-semester, college biology lab for science majors at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, participated in the study. Design and method: In 2007, two labs were run as GI and one as PB. Formats were switched in 2008. Attitudes were assessed with a post-semester survey. Results: Only the four attitude variables (not lab style) had a strong relationship with overall lab rating which was most strongly related to exc, followed by dif and help/eff. Dif and eff had the greatest influence on attitudes for or against GI vs. PB labs, and help and exc had little influence on a GI vs. a PB lab. Also, when dif was low, students' attitudes were not significantly different between PB and GI labs, but when dif was high, students' significantly rated GI labs higher than PB labs. Conclusions: Students' attitudes towards lab are more dependent on specific aspects of the experience than on lab style. Changes in GI vs. PB lab styles primarily influence dif and eff rather than exc and help. Dif may be an important factor to consider when implementing a lab in the PB vs. the GI format. It might be good to go with a GI when dif is high and a PB when dif is low.

Generalized Nanosatellite Avionics Testbed Lab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, Chad R.; Sorgenfrei, Matthew C.; Nehrenz, Matt

2015-01-01

The Generalized Nanosatellite Avionics Testbed (G-NAT) lab at NASA Ames Research Center provides a flexible, easily accessible platform for developing hardware and software for advanced small spacecraft. A collaboration between the Mission Design Division and the Intelligent Systems Division, the objective of the lab is to provide testing data and general test protocols for advanced sensors, actuators, and processors for CubeSat-class spacecraft. By developing test schemes for advanced components outside of the standard mission lifecycle, the lab is able to help reduce the risk carried by advanced nanosatellite or CubeSat missions. Such missions are often allocated very little time for testing, and too often the test facilities must be custom-built for the needs of the mission at hand. The G-NAT lab helps to eliminate these problems by providing an existing suite of testbeds that combines easily accessible, commercial-offthe- shelf (COTS) processors with a collection of existing sensors and actuators.

National Labs Host Classroom Ready Energy Educational Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howell, C. D.

2009-12-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) has a clear goal of joining all climate and energy agencies in the task of taking climate and energy research and development to communities across the nation and throughout the world. Only as information on climate and energy education is shared with the nation and world do research labs begin to understand the massive outreach work yet to be accomplished. The work at hand is to encourage and ensure the climate and energy literacy of our society. The national labs have defined the K-20 population as a major outreach focus, with the intent of helping them see their future through the global energy usage crisis and ensure them that they have choices and a chance to redirect their future. Students embrace climate and energy knowledge and do see an opportunity to change our energy future in a positive way. Students are so engaged that energy clubs are springing up in highschools across the nation. Because of such global clubs university campuses are being connected throughout the world (Energy Crossroads www.energycrossroads.org) etc. There is a need and an interest, but what do teachers need in order to faciliate this learning? It is simple, they need financial support for classroom resources; standards based classroom ready lessons and materials; and, training. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a Department of Energy Lab, provides standards based education materials to schools across the nation. With a focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency education, NREL helps educators to prompt students to analyze and then question their energy choices and evaluate their carbon footprint. Classrooms can then discover the effects of those choices on greenhouse gas emmissions and climate change. The DOE Office of Science has found a way to contribute to teachers professional development through the Department of Energy Academics Creating Teacher Scientists (DOE ACTS) Program. This program affords teachers an opportunity to

Innovation - A view from the Lab

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The USDA Ag Lab in Peoria helps bridge the gap between agricultural producers and commercial manufacturers. In 2015, the Ag Lab, officially known as the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR), is celebrating 75 years of research in Peoria. T...

Experiences with lab-centric instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titterton, Nathaniel; Lewis, Colleen M.; Clancy, Michael J.

2010-06-01

Lab-centric instruction emphasizes supervised, hands-on activities by substituting lab for lecture time. It combines a multitude of pedagogical techniques into the format of an extended, structured closed lab. We discuss the range of benefits for students, including increased staff interaction, frequent and varied self-assessments, integrated collaborative activities, and a systematic sequence of activities that gradually increases in difficulty. Instructors also benefit from a deeper window into student progress and understanding. We follow with discussion of our experiences in courses at U.C. Berkeley, and using data from some of these investigate the effects of lab-centric instruction on student learning, procrastination, and course pacing. We observe that the lab-centric format helped students on exams but hurt them on extended programming assignments, counter to our hypothesis. Additionally, we see no difference in self-ratings of procrastination and limited differences in ratings of course pace. We do find evidence that the students who choose to attend lab-centric courses are different in several important ways from students who choose to attend the same course in a non-lab-centric format.

Advanced teaching labs in physics - celebrating progress; challenges ahead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Richard

A few examples of optical physics experiments may help us first reflect on significant progress on how advanced lab initiatives may now be more effectively developed, discussed, and disseminated - as opposed to only 10 or 15 years back. Many cooperative developments of the last decade are having profound impacts on advanced lab workers and students. Central to these changes are the programs of the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA) (Immersions, BFY conferences), AAPT (advlab-l server, ComPADRE, apparatus competitions, summer workshops/sessions), APS (Reichert Award, FEd activities and sessions), and the Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation (ALPhA support and institution matched equipment grants for Immersion participants). Broad NSF support has helped undergird several of these initiatives. Two of the most significant challenges before this new advanced lab community are (a) to somehow enhance funding opportunities for teaching equipment and apparatus in an era of minimal NSF equipment support, and (b) to help develop a more complementary relationship between research-based advanced lab pedagogies and the development of fresh physics experiments that help enable the mentoring and experimental challenge of our students.

ASM LabCap's contributions to disease surveillance and the International Health Regulations (2005).

PubMed

Specter, Steven; Schuermann, Lily; Hakiruwizera, Celestin; Sow, Mah-Séré Keita

2010-12-03

). Successful activities of ASM LabCap have occurred throughout Africa, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean. In addition, ASM LabCap coordinates efforts with international agencies such as the WHO in order to maximize resources and ensure a unified response, with the intended goal to help build integrated disease surveillance and response capabilities worldwide in compliance with HR(2005)'s requirements.

Helping Students to Think Like Scientists in Socratic Dialogue-Inducing Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hake, Richard

2012-01-01

Socratic dialogue-inducing (SDI) labs are based on Arnold Arons' half-century of ethnographic research, listening carefully to students' responses to probing Socratic questions on physics, science, and ways of thinking, and culminating in his landmark "Teaching Introductory Physics." They utilize "interactive engagement" methods and are designed,…

Advanced LabVIEW Labs

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

Jones, Eric D.

1999-06-17

In the world of computer-based data acquisition and control, the graphical interface program LabVIEW from National Instruments is so ubiquitous that in many ways it has almost become the laboratory standard. To date, there have been approximately fifteen books concerning LabVIEW, but Professor Essick's treatise takes on a completely different tack than all of the previous discussions. In the more standard treatments of the ways and wherefores of LabVIEW such as LabVIEW Graphical Programming: Practical Applications in Instrumentation and Control by Gary W. Johnson (McGraw Hill, NY 1997), the emphasis has been instructing the reader how to program LabVIEW tomore » create a Virtual Instrument (VI) on the computer for interfacing to a particular instruments. LabVIEW is written in G a graphical programming language developed by National Instruments. In the past the emphasis has been on training the experimenter to learn G . Without going into details here, G incorporates the usual loops, arithmetic expressions, etc., found in many programming languages, but in an icon (graphical) environment. The net result being that LabVIEW contains all of the standard methods needed for interfacing to instruments, data acquisition, data analysis, graphics, and also methodology to incorporate programs written in other languages into LabVIEW. Historically, according to Professor Essick, he developed a series of experiments for an upper division laboratory course for computer-based instrumentation. His observation was that while many students had the necessary background in computer programming languages, there were students who had virtually no concept about writing a computer program let alone a computer- based interfacing program. Thus the beginnings of a concept for not only teaching computer- based instrumentation techniques, but aiso a method for the beginner to experience writing a com- puter program. Professor Essick saw LabVIEW as the perfect environment in which to teach

Advanced LabVIEW Labs

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

Jones, Eric D.

1999-06-17

In the world of computer-based data acquisition and control, the graphical interface program LabVIEW from National Instruments is so ubiquitous that in many ways it has almost become the laboratory standard. To date, there have been approximately fifteen books concerning LabVIEW, but Professor Essick's treatise takes on a completely different tack than all of the previous discussions. In the more standard treatments of the ways and wherefores of LabVIEW such as LabVIEW Graphical Programming: Practical Applications in Instrumentation and Control by Gary W. Johnson (McGraw Hill, NY 1997), the emphasis has been instructing the reader how to program LabVIEW tomore » create a Virtual Instrument (VI) on the computer for interfacing to a particular instruments. LabVIEW is written in "G" a graphical programming language developed by National Instruments. In the past the emphasis has been on training the experimenter to learn "G". Without going into details here, "G" incorporates the usual loops, arithmetic expressions, etc., found in many programming languages, but in an icon (graphical) environment. The net result being that LabVIEW contains all of the standard methods needed for interfacing to instruments, data acquisition, data analysis, graphics, and also methodology to incorporate programs written in other languages into LabVIEW. Historically, according to Professor Essick, he developed a series of experiments for an upper division laboratory course for computer-based instrumentation. His observation was that while many students had the necessary background in computer programming languages, there were students who had virtually no concept about writing a computer program let alone a computer- based interfacing program. Thus the beginnings of a concept for not only teaching computer- based instrumentation techniques, but aiso a method for the beginner to experience writing a com- puter program. Professor Essick saw LabVIEW as the "perfect environment in which to

Evaluation of oral microbiology lab curriculum reform.

PubMed

Nie, Min; Gao, Zhen Y; Wu, Xin Y; Jiang, Chen X; Du, Jia H

2015-12-07

According to the updated concept of oral microbiology, the School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, has carried out oral microbiology teaching reforms during the last 5 years. There was no lab curriculum before 2009 except for a theory course of oral microbiology. The school has implemented an innovative curriculum with oral medicine characteristics to strengthen understanding of knowledge, cultivate students' scientific interest and develop their potential, to cultivate the comprehensive ability of students. This study was designed to evaluate the oral microbiology lab curriculum by analyzing student performance and perceptions regarding the curriculum from 2009 to 2013. The lab curriculum adopted modalities for cooperative learning. Students collected dental plaque from each other and isolated the cariogenic bacteria with selective medium plates. Then they purified the enrichment culture medium and identified the cariogenic strains by Gram stain and biochemical tests. Both quantitative and qualitative data for 5 years were analysed in this study. Part One of the current study assessed student performance in the lab from 2009 to 2013. Part Two used qualitative means to assess students' perceptions by an open questionnaire. The 271 study students' grades on oral microbiology improved during the lab curriculum: "A" grades rose from 60.5 to 81.2 %, and "C" grades fell from 28.4 to 6.3 %. All students considered the lab curriculum to be interesting and helpful. Quantitative and qualitative data converge to suggest that the lab curriculum has strengthened students' grasp of important microbiology-related theory, cultivated their scientific interest, and developed their potential and comprehensive abilities. Our student performance and perception data support the continued use of the innovative teaching system. As an extension and complement of the theory course, the oral microbiology lab curriculum appears to improve the quality of oral medicine education and help to

Reflections on Three Corporate Research Labs: Bell Labs, HP Labs, Agilent Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollenhorst, James

2008-03-01

This will be a personal reflection on corporate life and physics-based research in three industrial research labs over three decades, Bell Labs during the 1980's, HP Labs during the 1990's, and Agilent Labs during the 2000's. These were times of great change in all three companies. I'll point out some of the similarities and differences in corporate cultures and how this impacted the research and development activities. Along the way I'll mention some of the great products that resulted from physics-based R&D.

Serial Dilution Simulation Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keler, Cynthia; Balutis, Tabitha; Bergen, Kim; Laudenslager, Bryanna; Rubino, Deanna

2010-01-01

Serial dilution is often a difficult concept for students to understand. In this short dry lab exercise, students perform serial dilutions using seed beads. This exercise helps students gain skill at performing dilutions without using reagents, bacterial cultures, or viral cultures, while being able to visualize the process.

GeneLab: A Systems Biology Platform for Spaceflight Omics Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinsch, Sigrid S.; Lai, San-Huei; Chen, Rick; Thompson, Terri; Berrios, Daniel; Fogle, Homer; Marcu, Oana; Timucin, Linda; Chakravarty, Kaushik; Coughlan, Joseph

2015-01-01

NASA's mission includes expanding our understanding of biological systems to improve life on Earth and to enable long-duration human exploration of space. Resources to support large numbers of spaceflight investigations are limited. NASA's GeneLab project is maximizing the science output from these experiments by: (1) developing a unique public bioinformatics database that includes space bioscience relevant "omics" data (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) and experimental metadata; (2) partnering with NASA-funded flight experiments through bio-sample sharing or sample augmentation to expedite omics data input to the GeneLab database; and (3) developing community-driven reference flight experiments. The first database, GeneLab Data System Version 1.0, went online in April 2015. V1.0 contains numerous flight datasets and has search and download capabilities. Version 2.0 will be released in 2016 and will link to analytic tools. In 2015 Genelab partnered with two Biological Research in Canisters experiments (BBRIC-19 and BRIC-20) which examine responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to spaceflight. GeneLab also partnered with Rodent Research-1 (RR1), the maiden flight to test the newly developed rodent habitat. GeneLab developed protocols for maxiumum yield of RNA, DNA and protein from precious RR-1 tissues harvested and preserved during the SpaceX-4 mission, as well as from tissues from mice that were frozen intact during spaceflight and later dissected. GeneLab is establishing partnerships with at least three planned flights for 2016. Organism-specific nationwide Science Definition Teams (SDTs) will define future GeneLab dedicated missions and ensure the broader scientific impact of the GeneLab missions. GeneLab ensures prompt release and open access to all high-throughput omics data from spaceflight and ground-based simulations of microgravity and radiation. Overall, GeneLab will facilitate the generation and query of parallel multi-omics data, and

How NASA Utilizes Dashboards to Help Ensure Mission Success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blakeley, Chris

2013-01-01

NASA is actively planning to expand human spaceflight and robotic exploration beyond low Earth orbit. To prepare for the challenge of exploring these destinations in space, NASA conducts missions here on Earth in remote locations that have physical similarities to extreme space environments. Program managers for the Advanced Exploration Systems program requested a simple way to track financial information to ensure that each task stayed within their budgetary constraints. Using SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards (Formerly Xcelsius), a dashboard was created to satisfy all of their key requirements. Lessons learned, along with some tips and tricks, will be highlighted during this session.

Hooked on Inquiry: History Labs in the Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Linda Sargent

2012-01-01

Methods courses provide a rich opportunity to unpack what it means to "learn history by doing history." To help explain what "doing history" means, the author has created history labs to walk teacher candidates through the historical process. Each lab poses a historical problem, requires analysis of primary and secondary…

Research and Teaching. Effects of a Research-Based Ecology Lab Course: A Study of Nonvolunteer Achievement, Self-Confidence, and Perception of Lab Course Purpose

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kloser, Matthew J.; Brownell, Sara E.; Shavelson, Richard J.; Fukami, Tadashi

2013-01-01

Undergraduate biology lab courses have long been criticized for engaging students in "cookbook" experiences in which students follow a given protocol to collect data that help answer a predetermined question. Recent reform documents in biology education have suggested that students should engage in lab courses that provide more authentic…

A Case Study of a High School Fab Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacy, Jennifer E.

This dissertation examines making and design-based STEM education in a formal makerspace. It focuses on how the design and implementation of a Fab Lab learning environment and curriculum affect how instructors and students see themselves engaging in science, and how the Fab Lab relates to the social sorting practices that already take place at North High School. While there is research examining design-based STEM education in informal and formal learning environments, we know little about how K-12 teachers define STEM in making activities when no university or museum partnership exists. This study sought to help fill this gap in the research literature. This case study of a formal makerspace followed instructors and students in one introductory Fab Lab course for one semester. Additional observations of an introductory woodworking course helped build the case and set it into the school context, and provided supplementary material to better understand the similarities and differences between the Fab Lab course and a more traditional design-based learning course. Using evidence from observational field notes, participant interviews, course materials, and student work, I found that the North Fab Lab relies on artifacts and rhetoric symbolic of science and STEM to set itself apart from other design-based courses at North High School. Secondly, the North Fab Lab instructors and students were unable to explain how what they were doing in the Fab Lab was science, and instead relied on vague and unsupported claims related to interdisciplinary STEM practices and dated descriptions of science. Lastly, the design and implementation of the Fab Lab learning environment and curriculum and its separation from North High School's low tech, design-based courses effectively reinforced social sorting practices and cultural assumptions about student work and intelligence.

Pilot Plants Enhance Brazosport Lab Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krieger, James

1986-01-01

Describes an experiential lab program for a two-year college's chemical technology program. Discusses student experiences in six miniature pilot plants that represent the essential instrumentation and chemical processes found in the chemical industry. Recognizes the industries that helped implement the program. (TW)

eComLab: remote laboratory platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pontual, Murillo; Melkonyan, Arsen; Gampe, Andreas; Huang, Grant; Akopian, David

2011-06-01

Hands-on experiments with electronic devices have been recognized as an important element in the field of engineering to help students get familiar with theoretical concepts and practical tasks. The continuing increase the student number, costly laboratory equipment, and laboratory maintenance slow down the physical lab efficiency. As information technology continues to evolve, the Internet has become a common media in modern education. Internetbased remote laboratory can solve a lot of restrictions, providing hands-on training as they can be flexible in time and the same equipment can be shared between different students. This article describes an on-going remote hands-on experimental radio modulation, network and mobile applications lab project "eComLab". Its main component is a remote laboratory infrastructure and server management system featuring various online media familiar with modern students, such as chat rooms and video streaming.

Strategic planning for skills and simulation labs in colleges of nursing.

PubMed

Gantt, Laura T

2010-01-01

While simulation laboratories for clinical nursing education are predicted to grow, budget cuts may threaten these programs. One of the ways to develop a new lab, as well as to keep an existing one on track, is to develop and regularly update a strategic plan. The process of planning not only helps keep the lab faculty and staff apprised of the challenges to be faced, but it also helps to keep senior level management engaged by reason of the need for their input and approval of the plan. The strategic planning documents drafted by those who supervised the development of the new building and Concepts Integration Labs (CILs) helped guide and orient faculty and other personnel hired to implement the plan and fulfill the vision. As the CILs strategic plan was formalized, the draft plans, including the SWOT analysis, were reviewed to provide historical perspective, stimulate discussion, and to make sure old or potential mistakes were not repeated.

Being a Clinical Psychologist at the Lab School of Baltimore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Edwin

2010-01-01

Each day, seeking to address the never ending challenge of helping students with learning disabilities, the author's Baltimore Lab School and Lab School of Washington (LSW) colleagues remember a similar situation in the past and they try to recall what Sally Smith taught them. Smith taught the author a lot in his seven years of working with…

ExperimentaLab: A Virtual Platform to Enhance Entrepreneurial Education through Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iscaro, Valentina; Castaldi, Laura; Sepe, Enrica

2017-01-01

With a view to enhancing the entrepreneurial activity of universities, the authors explore the concepts and features of the "experimental lab", presenting it as an effective means of supporting entrepreneurial training programmes and helping students to turn ideas into actual start-ups. In this context, the term experimental lab refers…

The experiment editor: supporting inquiry-based learning with virtual labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galan, D.; Heradio, R.; de la Torre, L.; Dormido, S.; Esquembre, F.

2017-05-01

Inquiry-based learning is a pedagogical approach where students are motivated to pose their own questions when facing problems or scenarios. In physics learning, students are turned into scientists who carry out experiments, collect and analyze data, formulate and evaluate hypotheses, and so on. Lab experimentation is essential for inquiry-based learning, yet there is a drawback with traditional hands-on labs in the high costs associated with equipment, space, and maintenance staff. Virtual laboratories are helpful to reduce these costs. This paper enriches the virtual lab ecosystem by providing an integrated environment to automate experimentation tasks. In particular, our environment supports: (i) scripting and running experiments on virtual labs, and (ii) collecting and analyzing data from the experiments. The current implementation of our environment supports virtual labs created with the authoring tool Easy Java/Javascript Simulations. Since there are public repositories with hundreds of freely available labs created with this tool, the potential applicability to our environment is considerable.

Integration of MSFC Usability Lab with Usability Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Yiwei; Richardson, Sally

2010-01-01

As part of the Stage Analysis Branch, human factors engineering plays an important role in relating humans to the systems of hardware and structure designs of the new launch vehicle. While many branches are involved in the technical aspects of creating a launch vehicle, human factors connects humans to the scientific systems with the goal of improving operational performance and safety while reducing operational error and damage to the hardware. Human factors engineers use physical and computerized models to visualize possible areas for improvements to ensure human accessibility to components requiring maintenance and that the necessary maintenance activities can be accomplished with minimal risks to human and hardware. Many methods of testing are used to fulfill this goal, such as physical mockups, computerized visualization, and usability testing. In this analysis, a usability test is conducted to test how usable a website is to users who are and are not familiar with it. The testing is performed using participants and Morae software to record and analyze the results. This analysis will be a preliminary test of the usability lab in preparation for use in new spacecraft programs, NASA Enterprise, or other NASA websites. The usability lab project is divided into two parts: integration of the usability lab and a preliminary test of the usability lab.

STS-115 Vitual Lab Training

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-07

JSC2005-E-21191 (7 June 2005) --- Astronaut Steven G. MacLean, STS-115 mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency, uses the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center to train for his duties aboard the space shuttle. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

STS-115 Vitual Lab Training

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-06-07

JSC2005-E-21192 (7 June 2005) --- Astronauts Christopher J. Ferguson (left), STS-115 pilot, and Daniel C. Burbank, mission specialist, use the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

Love the Lab, Hate the Lab Report?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjorn, Genevive

2018-01-01

In the author's large, urban high school, enrollment in a laboratory science is mandatory. While the student participation rate for lab activities is over 98%, the turn-in rate for traditional lab reports averages just 35% to 85%. Those students who don't produce a lab report miss a critical opportunity to improve their skills in scientific…

Video streaming technologies using ActiveX and LabVIEW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panoiu, M.; Rat, C. L.; Panoiu, C.

2015-06-01

The goal of this paper is to present the possibilities of remote image processing through data exchange between two programming technologies: LabVIEW and ActiveX. ActiveX refers to the process of controlling one program from another via ActiveX component; where one program acts as the client and the other as the server. LabVIEW can be either client or server. Both programs (client and server) exist independent of each other but are able to share information. The client communicates with the ActiveX objects that the server opens to allow the sharing of information [7]. In the case of video streaming [1] [2], most ActiveX controls can only display the data, being incapable of transforming it into a data type that LabVIEW can process. This becomes problematic when the system is used for remote image processing. The LabVIEW environment itself provides little if any possibilities for video streaming, and the methods it does offer are usually not high performance, but it possesses high performance toolkits and modules specialized in image processing, making it ideal for processing the captured data. Therefore, we chose to use existing software, specialized in video streaming along with LabVIEW and to capture the data provided by them, for further use, within LabVIEW. The software we studied (the ActiveX controls of a series of media players that utilize streaming technology) provide high quality data and a very small transmission delay, ensuring the reliability of the results of the image processing.

Ensuring Longevity: Ancient Glasses Help Predict Durability of Vitrified Nuclear Waste

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

Weaver, Jamie L.; McCloy, John S.; Ryan, Joseph V.

How does glass alter with time? For the last hundred years this has been an important question to the fields of object conservation and archeology to ensure the preservation of glass artifacts. This same question is part of the development and assessment of durable glass waste forms for the immobilization of nuclear wastes. Researchers have developed experiments ranging from simple to highly sophisticated to answer this question, and, as a result, have gained significant insight into the mechanisms that drive glass alteration. However, the gathered data have been predominately applicable to only short-term alteration times, i.e. over the course ofmore » decades. What has remained elusive is the long-term mechanisms of glass alteration[1]. These mechanisms are of particular interest to the international nuclear waste glass community as they strive to ensure that vitrified products will be durable for thousands to tens of thousands of years. For the last thirty years this community has been working to fill this research gap by partnering with archeologists, museum curators, and geologists to identify hundred to million-year old glass analogues that have altered in environments representative of those expected at potential nuclear waste disposal sites. The process of identifying a waste glass relevant analogue is challenging as it requires scientists to relate data collected from short-term laboratory experiments to observations made from long-term analogues and extensive geochemical modeling.« less

GeoLab: A Geological Workstation for Future Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Cynthia; Calaway, Michael; Bell, Mary Sue; Li, Zheng; Tong, Shuo; Zhong, Ye; Dahiwala, Ravi

2014-01-01

The GeoLab glovebox was, until November 2012, fully integrated into NASA's Deep Space Habitat (DSH) Analog Testbed. The conceptual design for GeoLab came from several sources, including current research instruments (Microgravity Science Glovebox) used on the International Space Station, existing Astromaterials Curation Laboratory hardware and clean room procedures, and mission scenarios developed for earlier programs. GeoLab allowed NASA scientists to test science operations related to contained sample examination during simulated exploration missions. The team demonstrated science operations that enhance theThe GeoLab glovebox was, until November 2012, fully integrated into NASA's Deep Space Habitat (DSH) Analog Testbed. The conceptual design for GeoLab came from several sources, including current research instruments (Microgravity Science Glovebox) used on the International Space Station, existing Astromaterials Curation Laboratory hardware and clean room procedures, and mission scenarios developed for earlier programs. GeoLab allowed NASA scientists to test science operations related to contained sample examination during simulated exploration missions. The team demonstrated science operations that enhance the early scientific returns from future missions and ensure that the best samples are selected for Earth return. The facility was also designed to foster the development of instrument technology. Since 2009, when GeoLab design and construction began, the GeoLab team [a group of scientists from the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office within the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Directorate at JSC] has progressively developed and reconfigured the GeoLab hardware and software interfaces and developed test objectives, which were to 1) determine requirements and strategies for sample handling and prioritization for geological operations on other planetary surfaces, 2) assess the scientific contribution of selective in-situ sample

Federal Labs and Research Centers Benefiting California: 2017 Impact Report for State Leaders.

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

Koning, Patricia Brady

Sandia National Laboratories is the largest of the Department of Energy national laboratories with more than 13,000 staff spread across its two main campuses in New Mexico and California. For more than 60 years, the Sandia National Laboratories campus in Livermore, California has delivered cutting-edge science and technology solutions to resolve the nation’s most challenging and complex problems. As a multidisciplinary laboratory, Sandia draws from virtually every science and engineering discipline to address challenges in energy, homeland security, cybersecurity, climate, and biosecurity. Today, collaboration is vital to ensuring that the Lab stays at the forefront of science and technology innovation.more » Partnerships with industry, state, and local governments, and California universities help drive innovation and economic growth in the region. Sandia contributed to California’s regional and statewide economy with more than $145 million in contracts to California companies, $92 million of which goes to California small businesses. In addition, Sandia engages the community directly by running robust STEM education programs for local schools and administering community giving programs. Meanwhile, investments like the Livermore Valley Open Campus (LVOC), an innovation hub supported by LLNL and Sandia, help catalyze the local economy.« less

Creative payment strategy helps ensure a future for teaching hospitals.

PubMed

Vancil, D R; Shroyer, A L

1998-11-01

The Colorado Medicaid Program in years past relied on disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payment programs to increase access to hospital care for Colorado citizens, ensure the future financial viability of key safety-net hospitals, and partially offset the state's cost of funding the Medicaid program. The options to finance Medicaid care using DSH payments, however, recently have been severely limited by legislative and regulatory changes. Between 1991 and 1997, a creative Medicaid refinancing strategy called the major teaching hospital (MTH) payment program enabled $131 million in net payments to be distributed to the two major teaching hospitals in Colorado to provide enhanced funding related to their teaching programs and to address the ever-expanding healthcare needs of their low-income patients. This new Medicaid payment mechanism brought the state $69.5 million in Federal funding that otherwise would not have been received.

Field Botanist for a Day: A Group Exercise for the Introductory Botany Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbatt, Natalie M.

2004-01-01

A group exercise, suggested to be most effective when used near the semester-end, enables entry-level students to appreciate the application of plant biology and makes botany labs experimental. It is believed that this series of labs helps students to appreciate their own learning when they teach and explain things to others.

Helping the Defense Sector Build a Clean Energy Future | Working with Us |

Science.gov Websites

Laboratory Program Manager, Partnership Development Email me Photo of a male and female researcher in a lab a male and female researcher in a lab working on a machine Helping to Solve the Army's Refueling

STS-105 Crew Training in VR Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-15

JSC2001-00751 (15 March 2001) --- Astronaut Scott J. Horowitz, STS-105 mission commander, uses the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for his duties aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with International Space Station (ISS) elements.

STS-105 Crew Training in VR Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-15

JSC2001-00758 (15 March 2001) --- Astronaut Frederick W. Sturckow, STS-105 pilot, uses the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for his duties aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with International Space Station (ISS) elements.

NASA GeneLab Concept of Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Terri; Gibbs, Kristina; Rask, Jon; Coughlan, Joseph; Smith, Jeffrey

2014-01-01

NASA's GeneLab aims to greatly increase the number of scientists that are using data from space biology investigations on board ISS, emphasizing a systems biology approach to the science. When completed, GeneLab will provide the integrated software and hardware infrastructure, analytical tools and reference datasets for an assortment of model organisms. GeneLab will also provide an environment for scientists to collaborate thereby increasing the possibility for data to be reused for future experimentation. To maximize the value of data from life science experiments performed in space and to make the most advantageous use of the remaining ISS research window, GeneLab will apply an open access approach to conducting spaceflight experiments by generating, and sharing the datasets derived from these biological studies in space.Onboard the ISS, a wide variety of model organisms will be studied and returned to Earth for analysis. Laboratories on the ground will analyze these samples and provide genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic and proteomic data. Upon receipt, NASA will conduct data quality control tasks and format raw data returned from the omics centers into standardized, annotated information sets that can be readily searched and linked to spaceflight metadata. Once prepared, the biological datasets, as well as any analysis completed, will be made public through the GeneLab Space Bioinformatics System webb as edportal. These efforts will support a collaborative research environment for spaceflight studies that will closely resemble environments created by the Department of Energy (DOE), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), and other institutions in additional areas of study, such as cancer and environmental biology. The results will allow for comparative analyses that will help scientists around the world take a major leap forward in understanding the effect of microgravity, radiation, and other aspects of the space environment on model organisms

"OpenLAB": A 2-Hour PCR-Based Practical for High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bouakaze, Caroline; Eschbach, Judith; Fouquerel, Elise; Gasser, Isabelle; Kieffer, Emmanuelle; Krieger, Sophie; Milosevic, Sara; Saandi, Thoueiba; Florentz, Catherine; Marechal-Drouard, Laurence; Labouesse, Michel

2010-01-01

The Strasbourg University PhD school in Life and Health Sciences launched an initiative called "OpenLAB." This project was developed in an effort to help high school teenagers understand theoretical and abstract concepts in genetics. A second objective of this program is to help students in defining their future orientation and to…

Hospital policy on medical futility - does it help in conflict resolution and ensuring good end-of-life care?

PubMed

Joseph, Roy

2011-01-01

This paper aimed to ascertain if hospital policy on medical futility helps in conflict resolution, and in ensuring good end-of-life care. Literature on the subject published in the last 5 years was identified through Pubmed, and those with empirical data pertaining to the outcomes of interest were examined. A systematic analysis was not possible as papers varied greatly in aims, designs, outcomes and their measures. Instead, the outcomes of representative papers were described and discussed. There is a widespread use of policies and guidelines based on the concept of medical futility. Conflicts are rare and appear to arise primarily from the manner in which policies are implemented. End-of-life care appears to be improving as evidenced by a significant number of deaths occurring following: (i) discussions involving patient, family, healthcare team members; (ii) cessation of intensive care and (iii) cessation of institution of palliative care. Deaths are increasingly taking place in the presence of family and outside the intensive care wards. Finally, post mortem audit of processes and practices indicate (i) compliance but in a limited manner with policies and recommended guidelines, (ii) family satisfaction and (iii) identify areas where improvement in end-of-life (EOL) care can be effected. Key areas are in improving education of, communication with, and documentation by all stakeholders. Hospital policies on medical futility have helped to resolve conflicts and improve end-of-life care. Prospective, multicentre and controlled trials will be useful in determining the value of specific interventions, obtaining generalisable data and facilitating implementation of better end-of-life care models.

SEAS Classroom to Sea Labs: New Directions for Ridge 2000 Communitywide Education Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goehring, L.

2005-12-01

Lessons learned from the two year SEAS pilot program emphasize that student participation in deep-sea research is an important motivator in student learning. Further, SEAS students experience a paradigm shift in understanding evidence-based reasoning and the process of scientific discovery. At the same time, we have learned that fostering authentic student investigations within the confines of the academic year is challenging and only fits classrooms with some academic flexibility. As a result, this year, SEAS will focus on the new Classroom to Sea Lab as a means to help foster student inquiry in the secondary school science classroom. The Classroom to Sea Lab invites student participation in deep-sea research but does so without requiring students to identify and propose suitable sea-going experiments. Classroom to Sea labs are designed to feature current deep-sea research, and emphasize critical skills in laboratory techniques, data collection and analysis, and scientific reporting. Labs are conducted in the classroom (by students) and at sea (by scientists for the students), resulting in parallel datasets for comparison. Labs also feature the work of practicing scientists. An annual Classroom to Sea Report Fair invites students to summarize their findings and submit written analyses for scientist feedback and prizes, emphasizing the importance of communications skills in science. This year, the SEAS program will feature the Shallow-water vs. Deep-sea Vent Mussel Classroom to Sea lab. In this lab, students explore differences in mussel anatomy and feeding strategies, and understand how chemosynthetic symbionts function in this animal. The lab instructs students to dissect shallow-water mussels and measure the proportion of gill tissue to total body tissue. Students are also instructed to download a dataset of vent mussel measurements and compare average proportions. Finally, students are invited to submit their analyses of the lab to the on-line Report Fair

e-Learning - Physics Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohottala, Hashini

2014-03-01

The general student population enrolled in any college level class is highly diverse. An increasing number of ``nontraditional'' students return to college and most of these students follow distance learning degree programs while engaging in their other commitments, work and family. However, those students tend to avoid taking science courses with labs, mostly because of the incapability of remotely completing the lab components in such courses. In order to address this issue, we have come across a method where introductory level physics labs can be taught remotely. In this process a lab kit with the critical lab components that can be easily accessible are conveniently packed into a box and distributed among students at the beginning of the semester. Once the students are given the apparatus they perform the experiments at home and gather data All communications with reference to the lab was done through an interactive user-friendly webpage - Wikispaces (WikiS). Students who create pages on WikiS can submit their lab write-ups, embed videos of the experiments they perform, post pictures and direct questions to the lab instructor. The students who are enrolled in the same lab can interact with each other through WikiS to discuss labs and even get assistance.

(De)Constructing the Undergraduate Research Experience in an Environmental Geochemistry Lab (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, C. S.

2013-12-01

Maintaining a productive research lab at the undergraduate level requires a savvy combination of internal organization, high (but realistic) expectations, and adaptation of one's research interests into semester- and summer-length projects. Several key strategies can help achieve the goal of building a lab culture that both enriches students' academic experiences and advances one's own scholarly research and visibility. Foremost among these is the need to maintain momentum and preserve institutional knowledge in an environment where undergraduate students' lifetime in an individual lab may only last a year or two. Examples from the Environmental Geochemistry Lab at Chapman University (www.chapman.edu/envgeo) developed over several years and with 40+ undergraduate students will be presented which can be transferable to other faculty research labs in the earth sciences. Approaches to writing successful external research grant proposals at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) and strategies for both personal and institutional time management/savings will also be discussed, with a focus on new models at Chapman offered to further incentivize faculty involvement in undergraduate research.

From the lab - Can Potassium Help Your Heart? | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... Help Your Heart? Follow us Photo: AdobeStock Can Potassium Help Your Heart? Potassium is a mineral in your body that helps ... A recent study provides early evidence that increased potassium may help prevent hardening of the arteries, which ...

Enhancing Scientific Foundations to Ensure Reproducibility: A New Paradigm.

PubMed

Hsieh, Terry; Vaickus, Max H; Remick, Daniel G

2018-01-01

Progress in science is dependent on a strong foundation of reliable results. The publish or perish paradigm in research, coupled with an increase in retracted articles from the peer-reviewed literature, is beginning to erode the trust of both the scientific community and the public. The NIH is combating errors by requiring investigators to follow new guidelines addressing scientific premise, experimental design, biological variables, and authentication of reagents. Herein, we discuss how implementation of NIH guidelines will help investigators proactively address pitfalls of experimental design and methods. Careful consideration of the variables contributing to reproducibility helps ensure robust results. The NIH, investigators, and journals must collaborate to ensure that quality science is funded, explored, and published. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The national labs and their future

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

Crease, R.P.

National laboratories of the USA, born with the atomic age and raised to prominence by the need for scientific superiority during the long Cold War, are facing the most critical challenge: how best to support the nation's current need to improve its international competitiveness through superior technology The charge that the national laboratories are [open quotes]Cold War relics[close quotes] that have outlived their usefulness is based on a misunderstanding of their mission, says Robert P. Crease, historian for Brookhaven National laboratory. Three of the labs-Los Alamos, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore- are weapons laboratories and their missions must change. Oak Ridge,more » Argonne, and Brookhaven laboratories are multipurpose: basic research facilities with a continuing role in the world of science The national laboratory system traces its origins to the Manhattan Project. Over the next half-century, America's national labs grew into part of the most effective scientific establishment in the world, a much-copied model for management of large-scale scientific programs. In the early years, each lab defined a niche in the complex world of reactors, accelerators, and high-energy proton and electron physics. In the 1970s, several labs worked on basic energy sciences to help solve a national energy crisis. Today, the labs are pressured to do more applied research-research to transfer to the private sector and will have to respond by devising more effective ways of coordinating basic and applied research. But, Crease warns, [open quotes]It also will be essential that any commitment to applied research not take place at the cost of reducing the wellspring of basic research from which so much applied research flows. [open quotes]Making a solid and persuasive case for the independent value of basic research, and for their own role in that enterprise, may be the most important task facing the laboratories in their next half-century,[close quotes].« less

Institutional profile: the national Swedish academic drug discovery & development platform at SciLifeLab

PubMed Central

Arvidsson, Per I; Sandberg, Kristian; Sakariassen, Kjell S

2017-01-01

The Science for Life Laboratory Drug Discovery and Development Platform (SciLifeLab DDD) was established in Stockholm and Uppsala, Sweden, in 2014. It is one of ten platforms of the Swedish national SciLifeLab which support projects run by Swedish academic researchers with large-scale technologies for molecular biosciences with a focus on health and environment. SciLifeLab was created by the coordinated effort of four universities in Stockholm and Uppsala: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Uppsala University, and has recently expanded to other Swedish university locations. The primary goal of the SciLifeLab DDD is to support selected academic discovery and development research projects with tools and resources to discover novel lead therapeutics, either molecules or human antibodies. Intellectual property developed with the help of SciLifeLab DDD is wholly owned by the academic research group. The bulk of SciLifeLab DDD's research and service activities are funded from the Swedish state, with only consumables paid by the academic research group through individual grants. PMID:28670468

Institutional profile: the national Swedish academic drug discovery & development platform at SciLifeLab.

PubMed

Arvidsson, Per I; Sandberg, Kristian; Sakariassen, Kjell S

2017-06-01

The Science for Life Laboratory Drug Discovery and Development Platform (SciLifeLab DDD) was established in Stockholm and Uppsala, Sweden, in 2014. It is one of ten platforms of the Swedish national SciLifeLab which support projects run by Swedish academic researchers with large-scale technologies for molecular biosciences with a focus on health and environment. SciLifeLab was created by the coordinated effort of four universities in Stockholm and Uppsala: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Uppsala University, and has recently expanded to other Swedish university locations. The primary goal of the SciLifeLab DDD is to support selected academic discovery and development research projects with tools and resources to discover novel lead therapeutics, either molecules or human antibodies. Intellectual property developed with the help of SciLifeLab DDD is wholly owned by the academic research group. The bulk of SciLifeLab DDD's research and service activities are funded from the Swedish state, with only consumables paid by the academic research group through individual grants.

GeoLab's First Field Trials, 2010 Desert RATS: Evaluating Tools for Early Sample Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, Cindy A.; Bell, M. S.; Calaway, M. J.; Graff, Trevor; Young, Kelsey

2011-01-01

As part of an accelerated prototyping project to support science operations tests for future exploration missions, we designed and built a geological laboratory, GeoLab, that was integrated into NASA's first generation Habitat Demonstration Unit-1/Pressurized Excursion Module (HDU1-PEM). GeoLab includes a pressurized glovebox for transferring and handling samples collected on geological traverses, and a suite of instruments for collecting preliminary data to help characterize those samples. The GeoLab and the HDU1-PEM were tested for the first time as part of the 2010 Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS), NASA's analog field exercise for testing mission technologies. The HDU1- PEM and GeoLab participated in two weeks of joint operations in northern Arizona with two crewed rovers and the DRATS science team.

Faraday's Principle and Air Travel in the Introductory Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdul-Razzaq, Wathiq; Thakur, Saikat Chakraborty

2017-01-01

We all know that we must improve the quality of teaching in science at all levels. Not only physicists but also many students from other areas of study take the introductory physics courses in college. Physics introductory laboratories (labs) can be one of the best tools to help these students understand applications of scientific principles that…

A Framework for Lab Work Management in Mass Courses. Application to Low Level Input/Output without Hardware

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Santiago; Zamorano, Juan; Rosales, Francisco; Dopico, Antonio Garcia; Pedraza, Jose Luis

2007-01-01

This paper describes a complete lab work management framework designed and developed in the authors' department to help teachers to manage the small projects that students are expected to complete as lab assignments during their graduate-level computer engineering studies. The paper focuses on an application example of the framework to a specific…

A Comparative Study on Real Lab and Simulation Lab in Communication Engineering from Students' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balakrishnan, B.; Woods, P. C.

2013-01-01

Over the years, rapid development in computer technology has engendered simulation-based laboratory (lab) in addition to the traditional hands-on (physical) lab. Many higher education institutions adopt simulation lab, replacing some existing physical lab experiments. The creation of new systems for conducting engineering lab activities has raised…

Kinematic Labs with Mobile Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinser, Jason M.

2015-07-01

This book provides 13 labs spanning the common topics in the first semester of university-level physics. Each lab is designed to use only the student's smartphone, laptop and items easily found in big-box stores or a hobby shop. Each lab contains theory, set-up instructions and basic analysis techniques. All of these labs can be performed outside of the traditional university lab setting and initial costs averaging less than 8 per student, per lab.

MethLAB

PubMed Central

Kilaru, Varun; Barfield, Richard T; Schroeder, James W; Smith, Alicia K

2012-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that DNA methylation changes may underlie numerous complex traits and diseases. The advent of commercial, array-based methods to interrogate DNA methylation has led to a profusion of epigenetic studies in the literature. Array-based methods, such as the popular Illumina GoldenGate and Infinium platforms, estimate the proportion of DNA methylated at single-base resolution for thousands of CpG sites across the genome. These arrays generate enormous amounts of data, but few software resources exist for efficient and flexible analysis of these data. We developed a software package called MethLAB (http://genetics.emory.edu/conneely/MethLAB) using R, an open source statistical language that can be edited to suit the needs of the user. MethLAB features a graphical user interface (GUI) with a menu-driven format designed to efficiently read in and manipulate array-based methylation data in a user-friendly manner. MethLAB tests for association between methylation and relevant phenotypes by fitting a separate linear model for each CpG site. These models can incorporate both continuous and categorical phenotypes and covariates, as well as fixed or random batch or chip effects. MethLAB accounts for multiple testing by controlling the false discovery rate (FDR) at a user-specified level. Standard output includes a spreadsheet-ready text file and an array of publication-quality figures. Considering the growing interest in and availability of DNA methylation data, there is a great need for user-friendly open source analytical tools. With MethLAB, we present a timely resource that will allow users with no programming experience to implement flexible and powerful analyses of DNA methylation data. PMID:22430798

SoftLab: A Soft-Computing Software for Experimental Research with Commercialization Aspects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akbarzadeh-T, M.-R.; Shaikh, T. S.; Ren, J.; Hubbell, Rob; Kumbla, K. K.; Jamshidi, M

1998-01-01

SoftLab is a software environment for research and development in intelligent modeling/control using soft-computing paradigms such as fuzzy logic, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and genetic programs. SoftLab addresses the inadequacies of the existing soft-computing software by supporting comprehensive multidisciplinary functionalities from management tools to engineering systems. Furthermore, the built-in features help the user process/analyze information more efficiently by a friendly yet powerful interface, and will allow the user to specify user-specific processing modules, hence adding to the standard configuration of the software environment.

TangoLab-2 Card Troubleshooting

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-17

iss053e105442 (Oct. 17, 2017) --- Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei swaps out a payload card from the TangoLab-1 facility and places into the TangoLab-2 facility. TangoLab provides a standardized platform and open architecture for experimental modules called CubeLabs. CubeLab modules may be developed for use in 3-dimensional tissue and cell cultures.

Revisiting lab-on-a-chip technology for drug discovery.

PubMed

Neuži, Pavel; Giselbrecht, Stefan; Länge, Kerstin; Huang, Tony Jun; Manz, Andreas

2012-08-01

The field of microfluidics or lab-on-a-chip technology aims to improve and extend the possibilities of bioassays, cell biology and biomedical research based on the idea of miniaturization. Microfluidic systems allow more accurate modelling of physiological situations for both fundamental research and drug development, and enable systematic high-volume testing for various aspects of drug discovery. Microfluidic systems are in development that not only model biological environments but also physically mimic biological tissues and organs; such 'organs on a chip' could have an important role in expediting early stages of drug discovery and help reduce reliance on animal testing. This Review highlights the latest lab-on-a-chip technologies for drug discovery and discusses the potential for future developments in this field.

The Advanced Lab Course at the University of Houston

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forrest, Rebecca

2009-04-01

The University of Houston Advanced Lab course is designed to help students understand the physics in classic experiments, become familiar with experimental equipment and techniques, gain experience with independent experimentation, and learn to communicate results orally and in writing. It is a two semester course, with a Lab Seminar also required during the first semester. In the Seminar class we discuss keeping a notebook and writing a laboratory report, error analysis, data fitting, and scientific ethics. The students give presentations, in pairs, on the workings and use of basic laboratory equipment. In the Lab courses students do a one week introductory experiment, followed by six two-week experiments each semester. These range from traditional experiments in modern physics to contemporary experiments with superconductivity and chaos. The students are required to keep a laboratory notebook and to write a four-page paper for each experiment in the publication style of the American Institute of Physics. This course introduces students to the experimental tools and techniques used in physics, engineering, and industry laboratories, and allows them to mature as experimentalists.

A comparative study on real lab and simulation lab in communication engineering from students' perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balakrishnan, B.; Woods, P. C.

2013-05-01

Over the years, rapid development in computer technology has engendered simulation-based laboratory (lab) in addition to the traditional hands-on (physical) lab. Many higher education institutions adopt simulation lab, replacing some existing physical lab experiments. The creation of new systems for conducting engineering lab activities has raised concerns among educators on the merits and shortcomings of both physical and simulation labs; at the same time, many arguments have been raised on the differences of both labs. Investigating the effectiveness of both labs is complicated, as there are multiple factors that should be considered. In view of this challenge, a study on students' perspectives on their experience related to key aspects on engineering laboratory exercise was conducted. In this study, the Visual Auditory Read and Kinetic model was utilised to measure the students' cognitive styles. The investigation was done through a survey among participants from Multimedia University, Malaysia. The findings revealed that there are significant differences for most of the aspects in physical and simulation labs.

Engineering and Scientific Applications: Using MatLab(Registered Trademark) for Data Processing and Visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sen, Syamal K.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2011-01-01

MatLab(TradeMark)(MATrix LABoratory) is a numerical computation and simulation tool that is used by thousands Scientists and Engineers in many countries. MatLab does purely numerical calculations, which can be used as a glorified calculator or interpreter programming language; its real strength is in matrix manipulations. Computer algebra functionalities are achieved within the MatLab environment using "symbolic" toolbox. This feature is similar to computer algebra programs, provided by Maple or Mathematica to calculate with mathematical equations using symbolic operations. MatLab in its interpreter programming language form (command interface) is similar with well known programming languages such as C/C++, support data structures and cell arrays to define classes in object oriented programming. As such, MatLab is equipped with most of the essential constructs of a higher programming language. MatLab is packaged with an editor and debugging functionality useful to perform analysis of large MatLab programs and find errors. We believe there are many ways to approach real-world problems; prescribed methods to ensure foregoing solutions are incorporated in design and analysis of data processing and visualization can benefit engineers and scientist in gaining wider insight in actual implementation of their perspective experiments. This presentation will focus on data processing and visualizations aspects of engineering and scientific applications. Specifically, it will discuss methods and techniques to perform intermediate-level data processing covering engineering and scientific problems. MatLab programming techniques including reading various data files formats to produce customized publication-quality graphics, importing engineering and/or scientific data, organizing data in tabular format, exporting data to be used by other software programs such as Microsoft Excel, data presentation and visualization will be discussed.

A Constructivist Cloud Lab.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emery, Dave

1996-01-01

Describes a lab involving a cloud formation activity that uses the constructivist learning model to get students more involved in creating the lab. Enables students to develop a greater understanding of the concepts involved and more interest in the lab's outcomes. (JRH)

Sensor-Augmented Virtual Labs: Using Physical Interactions with Science Simulations to Promote Understanding of Gas Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Jie; Chiu, Jennifer L.; DeJaegher, Crystal J.; Pan, Edward A.

2016-02-01

Deep learning of science involves integration of existing knowledge and normative science concepts. Past research demonstrates that combining physical and virtual labs sequentially or side by side can take advantage of the unique affordances each provides for helping students learn science concepts. However, providing simultaneously connected physical and virtual experiences has the potential to promote connections among ideas. This paper explores the effect of augmenting a virtual lab with physical controls on high school chemistry students' understanding of gas laws. We compared students using the augmented virtual lab to students using a similar sensor-based physical lab with teacher-led discussions. Results demonstrate that students in the augmented virtual lab condition made significant gains from pretest and posttest and outperformed traditional students on some but not all concepts. Results provide insight into incorporating mixed-reality technologies into authentic classroom settings.

New Guide Helps Industry Link with Department of Energy Labs

Science.gov Websites

. industry access to a "virtual" laboratory that can be tailored to meet specific requirements for Laboratory Coordinating Council. The guide explains how the DOE's Laboratory Coordinating Council gives U.S steel. Laboratory resources are available to help American companies address new opportunities, improve

Creating a lab to facilitate high school student engagement in authentic paleoclimate science practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maloney, A.; Walsh, E.

2012-12-01

A solid understanding of timescales is crucial for any climate change discussion. This hands-on lab was designed as part of a dual-credit climate change course in which high school students can receive college credit. Using homemade ice cores, students have the opportunity to participate in scientific practices associated with collecting, processing, and interpreting temperature and CO2 data. Exploring millennial-scale cycles in ice core data and extending the CO2 record to the present allows students to discover timescales from an investigators perspective. The Ice Core Lab has been piloted in two high school classrooms and student engagement, and epistemological and conceptual understanding was evaluated using quantitative pre and post assessment surveys. The process of creating this lab involved a partnership between an education assessment professional, high school teachers, and University of Washington professors and graduate students in Oceanography, Earth and Space Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences and the Learning Sciences as part of the NASA Global Climate Change University of Washington in the High School program. This interdisciplinary collaboration led to the inception of the lab and was necessary to ensure that the lesson plan was pedagogically appropriate and scientifically accurate. The lab fits into a unit about natural variability and is paired with additional hands-on activities created by other graduate students that explore short-timescale temperature variations, Milankovitch cycles, isotopes, and other proxies. While the Ice Core Lab is intended to follow units that review the scientific process, global energy budget, and transport, it can be modified to fit any teaching platform.

Dancing Around My Technology Classroom Box (My Second RET Lab)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Terry

2010-01-01

The laboratory the author had been assigned for his RET (Research Experience for Teachers) at Vanderbilt University is new and different from the one he had previously experienced. This summer he was assigned to the Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-chip laboratory to help research dielectrophoresis. As this is an emerging technology, there was not a lot…

A Visual Dashboard for Moving Health Technologies From “Lab to Village”

PubMed Central

Singer, Peter A

2007-01-01

New technologies are an important way of addressing global health challenges and human development. However, the road for new technologies from “lab to village” is neither simple nor straightforward. Until recently, there has been no conceptual framework for analyzing and addressing the myriad forces and issues involved in moving health technologies from the lab to those who need them. Recently, based on empirical research, we published such a model. In this paper, we focus on extending the model into a dashboard and examine how this dashboard can be used to manage the information related to the path from lab to village. The next step will be for groups interested in global health, and even the public via the Internet, to use the tool to help guide technologies down this tricky path to improve global health and foster human development. PMID:17951216

Why humans might help strangers

PubMed Central

Raihani, Nichola J.; Bshary, Redouan

2015-01-01

Humans regularly help strangers, even when interactions are apparently unobserved and unlikely to be repeated. Such situations have been simulated in the laboratory using anonymous one-shot games (e.g., prisoner’s dilemma) where the payoff matrices used make helping biologically altruistic. As in real-life, participants often cooperate in the lab in these one-shot games with non-relatives, despite that fact that helping is under negative selection under these circumstances. Two broad explanations for such behavior prevail. The “big mistake” or “mismatch” theorists argue that behavior is constrained by psychological mechanisms that evolved predominantly in the context of repeated interactions with known individuals. In contrast, the cultural group selection theorists posit that humans have been selected to cooperate in anonymous one-shot interactions due to strong between-group competition, which creates interdependence among in-group members. We present these two hypotheses before discussing alternative routes by which humans could increase their direct fitness by cooperating with strangers under natural conditions. In doing so, we explain why the standard lab games do not capture real-life in various important aspects. First, asymmetries in the cost of perceptual errors regarding the context of the interaction (one-shot vs. repeated; anonymous vs. public) might have selected for strategies that minimize the chance of making costly behavioral errors. Second, helping strangers might be a successful strategy for identifying other cooperative individuals in the population, where partner choice can turn strangers into interaction partners. Third, in contrast to the assumptions of the prisoner’s dilemma model, it is possible that benefits of cooperation follow a non-linear function of investment. Non-linear benefits result in negative frequency dependence even in one-shot games. Finally, in many real-world situations individuals are able to parcel

Recent developments from the OPEnS Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selker, J. S.; Good, S. P.; Higgins, C. W.; Sayde, C.; Buskirk, B.; Lopez, M.; Nelke, M.; Udell, C.

2016-12-01

The Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) lab is a facility that is open to all from around the world to use (http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/open-sensing). With 3-D CAD, electronics benches, 3-D printers and laser cutters, and a complete precision metal shop, the lab can build just about anything. Electronic platforms such as the Arduino are combined with cutting edge sensors, and packaged in rugged housing to address critical environmental sensing needs. The results are published in GITHub and in the AGU journal Earth and Space Sciences under the special theme of "Environmental Sensing." In this poster we present advancements including: A ultra-precise isotopic sampler for rainfall; an isotopic sampler for soil gas; a data-logging wind vane that can be mounted on the tether of a balloon; a rain-gage calibrator with three rates of constant application; a <$20 dissolved O2 probe for water; a stream-bed permeameter that gives rapid quantification of permeability. You can use the OPEnS lab! Just sketch your idea on a white board and send it in. The conversation is started, and your prototype can be ready in a few weeks. We have a staff of three engineers ready to help, where you are working remotely, or decide to spend some time with the team in Corvallis.

Dr. Monaco Examines Lab-on a-Chip

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Dr. Lisa Monaco, Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) project scientist for the Lab-on-a-Chip Applications Development (LOCAD) program, examines a lab on a chip. The small dots are actually ports where fluids and chemicals can be mixed or samples can be collected for testing. Tiny channels, only clearly visible under a microscope, form pathways between the ports. Many chemical and biological processes, previously conducted on large pieces of laboratory equipment, can now be performed on these small glass or plastic plates. Monaco and other researchers at MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama, are customizing the chips to be used for many space applications, such as monitoring microbes inside spacecraft and detecting life on other planets. The portable, handheld Lab-on-a Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) made its debut flight aboard Discovery during the STS-116 mission launched December 9, 2006. The system allowed crew members to monitor their environment for problematic contaminants such as yeast, mold, and even E.coli, and salmonella. Once LOCAD-PTS reached the International Space Station (ISS), the Marshall team continued to manage the experiment, monitoring the study from a console in the Payload Operations Center at MSFC. The results of these studies will help NASA researchers refine the technology for future Moon and Mars missions. (NASA/MSFC/D.Stoffer)

Recommendations for the use of notebooks in upper-division physics lab courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, Jacob T.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2018-01-01

The use of lab notebooks for scientific documentation is a ubiquitous part of physics research. However, it is common for undergraduate physics laboratory courses not to emphasize the development of documentation skills, despite the fact that such courses are some of the earliest opportunities for students to start engaging in this practice. One potential impediment to the inclusion of explicit documentation training is that it may be unclear to instructors which features of authentic documentation practice are efficacious to teach and how to incorporate these features into the lab class environment. In this work, we outline some of the salient features of authentic documentation, informed by interviews with physics researchers, and provide recommendations for how these can be incorporated into the lab curriculum. We do not focus on structural details or templates for notebooks. Instead, we address holistic considerations for the purpose of scientific documentation that can guide students to develop their own documentation style. While taking into consideration all the aspects that can help improve students' documentation, it is also important to consider the design of the lab activities themselves. Students should have experience with implementing these authentic features of documentation during lab activities in order for them to find practice with documentation beneficial.

Sustainable dual-use labs: neurovascular interventional capabilities within the cath lab.

PubMed

Lang, Stacey

2012-01-01

The inclusion of neurovascular interventional capabilities within the cath lab setting can be key to optimal utilization of resources, increased staff efficiency, and streamlined operations. When considering an expansion, look beyond the patient population traditionally associated with cardiac cath labs and consider the integration of programs outside cardiac alone--to create a true dual-use lab space. With proper planning, quality dual purpose equipment, appropriately trained staff, capable physicians, and strong leadership, an organization willing to embrace the challenge can build a truly extraordinary service.

Lab at Home: Hardware Kits for a Digital Design Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, J. P.; Haim, F.

2009-01-01

An innovative laboratory methodology for an introductory digital design course is presented. Instead of having traditional lab experiences, where students have to come to school classrooms, a "lab at home" concept is proposed. Students perform real experiments in their own homes, using hardware kits specially developed for this purpose. They…

Dissemination of information about the technologies of the Vision Research Lab through the World Wide Web

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorais, Christopher M.

2004-01-01

The Vision Research Lab at NASA John Glenn Research Center is headed by Dr. Rafat Ansari. Dr. Ansari and other researchers have developed technologies that primarily use laser and fiber optics to non-invasively detect different ailments and diseases of the eye. One of my goals as a LERCIP intern and ACCESS scholar for the 2004 summer is to inform other NASA employees, researchers and the general public about these technologies through the development of a website. The website incorporates the theme that the eye is a window to the body. Thus by investigating the processes of the eye, we can better understand and diagnosis different ailments and diseases. These ailments occur in not only earth bound humans, but astronauts as well as a result of exposure to elevated levels of radiation and microgravity conditions. Thus the technologies being developed at the Vision Research Lab are invaluable to humans on Earth in addition to those astronauts in space. One of my first goals was to research the technologies being developed at the lab. The first several days were spent immersing myself in the various articles, journals and reports about the theories behind Dynamic Light Scattering, Laser Doppler Flowmetry, Autofluoresence, Raman Spectroscopy, Polarimetry and Oximetry. Interviews with the other researchers proved invaluable to help understand these theories as well gain hands on experience with the devices being developed using these technologies. The rest of the Vision Research Team and I sat down and discussed how the overall website should be presented. Combining this information with the knowledge of the theories and applications of the hardware being developed, I worked out different ideas to present this information. I quickly learned Paint Shop Pro 8 and FrontPage 2002, as well as using online tutorials and other resources to help design an effective website. The Vision Research Lab website incorporates the anatomy and physiology of the eye, different diseases

Helping Leaders Take Effective Action: A Program Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Dianne P.; Dixon, Nancy M.

In 1991 the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) launched its LeaderLab program, with the goal of helping executives take more effective action in their leadership situations. This publication presents findings of a program evaluation that explored whether program participants took more effective action in their leadership situations. Data were…

Computer Labs Get Rebooted as Lounges: New Gathering Places for Laptop Users Help Colleges Save on Upkeep

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terris, Ben

2010-01-01

Colleges are looking for ways to cut costs, and most students now own laptops. As a result, many campus technology leaders are taking a hard look at those brightly lit rooms with rows of networked computers, which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to maintain. More than 11% of colleges and universities are phasing out computer labs or…

In Situ Teaching: Fusing Labs & Lectures in Undergraduate Science Courses to Enhance Immersion in Scientific Research

PubMed Central

Round, Jennifer; Lom, Barbara

2015-01-01

Undergraduate courses in the life sciences at most colleges and universities are traditionally composed of two or three weekly sessions in a classroom supplemented with a weekly three-hour session in a laboratory. We have found that many undergraduates can have difficulty making connections and/or transferring knowledge between lab activities and lecture material. Consequently, we are actively developing ways to decrease the physical and intellectual divides between lecture and lab to help students make more direct links between what they learn in the classroom and what they learn in the lab. In this article we discuss our experiences teaching fused laboratory biology courses that intentionally blurred the distinctions between lab and lecture to provide undergraduates with immersive experiences in science that promote discovery and understanding. PMID:26240531

LCOGT Imaging Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tufts, Joseph R.; Lobdill, Rich; Haldeman, Benjamin J.; Haynes, Rachel; Hawkins, Eric; Burleson, Ben; Jahng, David

2008-07-01

The Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) is an ambitious project to build and operate, within 5 years, a worldwide robotic network of 50 0.4, 1, and 2 m telescopes sharing identical instrumentation and optimized for precision photometry of time-varying sources. The telescopes, instrumentation, and software are all developed in house with two 2 m telescopes already installed. The LCOGT Imaging Lab is responsible for assembly and characterization of the network's cameras and instrumentation. In addition to a fully equipped CNC machine shop, two electronics labs, and a future optics lab, the Imaging Lab is designed from the ground up to be a superb environment for bare detectors, precision filters, and assembled instruments. At the heart of the lab is an ISO class 5 cleanroom with full ionization. Surrounding this, the class 7 main lab houses equipment for detector characterization including QE and CTE, and equipment for measuring transmission and reflection of optics. Although the first science cameras installed, two TEC cooled e2v 42-40 deep depletion based units and two CryoTiger cooled Fairchild Imaging CCD486-BI based units, are from outside manufacturers, their 18 position filter wheels and the remainder of the network's science cameras, controllers, and instrumentation will be built in house. Currently being designed, the first generation LCOGT cameras for the network's 1 m telescopes use existing CCD486-BI devices and an in-house controller. Additionally, the controller uses digital signal processing to optimize readout noise vs. speed, and all instrumentation uses embedded microprocessors for communication over ethernet.

Inexpensive DAQ based physics labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Benjamin; Clark, Shane

2015-11-01

Quality Data Acquisition (DAQ) based physics labs can be designed using microcontrollers and very low cost sensors with minimal lab equipment. A prototype device with several sensors and documentation for a number of DAQ-based labs is showcased. The device connects to a computer through Bluetooth and uses a simple interface to control the DAQ and display real time graphs, storing the data in .txt and .xls formats. A full device including a larger number of sensors combined with software interface and detailed documentation would provide a high quality physics lab education for minimal cost, for instance in high schools lacking lab equipment or students taking online classes. An entire semester’s lab course could be conducted using a single device with a manufacturing cost of under $20.

MatLab Script and Functional Programming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2007-01-01

MatLab Script and Functional Programming: MatLab is one of the most widely used very high level programming languages for scientific and engineering computations. It is very user-friendly and needs practically no formal programming knowledge. Presented here are MatLab programming aspects and not just the MatLab commands for scientists and engineers who do not have formal programming training and also have no significant time to spare for learning programming to solve their real world problems. Specifically provided are programs for visualization. The MatLab seminar covers the functional and script programming aspect of MatLab language. Specific expectations are: a) Recognize MatLab commands, script and function. b) Create, and run a MatLab function. c) Read, recognize, and describe MatLab syntax. d) Recognize decisions, loops and matrix operators. e) Evaluate scope among multiple files, and multiple functions within a file. f) Declare, define and use scalar variables, vectors and matrices.

Race to improve student understanding of uncertainty: Using LEGO race cars in the physics lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parappilly, Maria; Hassam, Christopher; Woodman, Richard J.

2018-01-01

Laboratories using LEGO race cars were developed for students in an introductory physics topic with a high early drop-out rate. In a 2014 pilot study, the labs were offered to improve students' confidence with experiments and laboratory skills, especially uncertainty propagation. This intervention was extended into the intro level physics topic the next year, for comparison and evaluation. Considering the pilot study, we subsequently adapted the delivery of the LEGO labs for a large Engineering Mechanics cohort. A qualitative survey of the students was taken to gain insight into their perception of the incorporation of LEGO race cars into physics labs. For Engineering, the findings show that LEGO physics was instrumental in teaching students the measurement and uncertainty, improving their lab reporting skills, and was a key factor in reducing the early attrition rate. This paper briefly recalls the results of the pilot study, and how variations in the delivery yielded better learning outcomes. A novel method is proposed for how LEGO race cars in a physics lab can help students increase their understanding of uncertainty and motivate them towards physics practicals.

Food and Drug Administration: Helping pharmacists ensure that patients receive high-quality medicines.

PubMed

Kremzner, Mary

2016-01-01

Ensuring that the drugs patients take are safe and effective is critical to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mission and a major reason for testing an active pharmaceutical ingredient or currently marketed drug product. To address gaps in the assessment of drug quality, FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has created the Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ). This newly formed "super-office" within CDER launched a concerted new strategy that enhances the surveillance of drug manufacturing and will bring a comprehensive approach to quality oversight. With OPQ and these new performance measures in place, FDA can sharpen its focus on issues critical to quality and can identify and respond to manufacturing issues before they become major systemic problems. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A survey of Lab Tests Online-UK users: a key resource for patients to empower and help them understand their laboratory test results.

PubMed

Leyland, Rebecca; Freedman, Danielle B

2016-11-01

Background Lab Tests Online-UK celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2014 and to mark the occasion the first comprehensive survey of website users was undertaken. Methods A pop-up box with a link to Survey Monkey was used to offer website users the chance to participate in the survey, which was live from 4 March 2014 to 11 April 2014. Results Six hundred and sixty-one participants started the questionnaire and 338 completed all of the demographic questions. Although the website is designed and aimed at patients and the public, a significant number of respondents were health-care professionals (47%). The majority of survey participants found the Lab Tests Online-UK website via a search engine and were visiting the site for themselves. The majority of participants found what they were looking for on the website and found the information very easy or fairly easy to understand. The patient respondents were keen to see their laboratory test results (87%), but the majority did not have access (60%) at the time of the survey. Conclusions This survey provides good evidence that the Lab Tests Online-UK website is a useful resource for patients and health-care professionals alike. It comes at a poignant time as the release of results direct to patients starts with access to their medical records. The Lab Tests Online-UK website has a key role in enabling patients to understand their lab test results, and therefore empowering them to take an interest and engage in their own healthcare.

Improving the Quality of Lab Reports by Using Them as Lab Instructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haagen-Schuetzenhoefer, Claudia

2012-10-01

Lab exercises are quite popular in teaching science. Teachers have numerous goals in mind when teaching science laboratories. Nevertheless, empirical research draws a heterogeneous picture of the benefits of lab work. Research has shown that it does not necessarily contribute to the enhancement of practical abilities or content knowledge. Lab activities are frequently based on recipe-like, step-by-step instructions ("cookbook style"), which do not motivate students to engage cognitively. Consequently, students put the emphasis on "task completion" or "manipulating equipment."2

Using EarthLabs to Enhance Earth Science Curriculum in Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chegwidden, D. M.; Ellins, K. K.; Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.

2012-12-01

As an educator in Texas, a state that values and supports an Earth Science curriculum, I find it essential to educate my students who are our future voting citizens and tax payers. It is important to equip them with tools to understand and solve the challenges of solving of climate change. As informed citizens, students can help to educate others in the community with basic knowledge of weather and climate. They can also help to dispose of the many misconceptions that surround the climate change, which is perceived as a controversial topic. As a participant in a NSF-sponsored Texas Earth and Space (TXESS) Revolution teacher professional development program, I was selected to participate in a curriculum development project led by TERC to develop and test education resources for the EarthLabs climate literacy collection. I am involved in the multiple phases of the project, including reviewing labs that comprise the Climate, Weather and Biosphere module during the development phase, pilot teaching the module with my students, participating in research, and delivering professional development to other Texas teachers to expose them to the content found in the module and to encourage them to incorporate it into their teaching. The Climate, Weather and the Biosphere module emphasizes different forms of evidence and requires that learners apply different inquiry-based approaches to build the knowledge they need to develop as climate literate citizens. My involvement with the EarthLabs project has strengthened my overall knowledge and confidence to teach about Earth's climate system and climate change. In addition, the project has produced vigorous classroom discussion among my students as well as encouraged me to collaborate with other educators through our delivery of professional development to other teachers. In my poster, I will share my experiences, describe the impact the curriculum has made on my students, and report on challenges and valuable lessons gained by

Optum Labs: building a novel node in the learning health care system.

PubMed

Wallace, Paul J; Shah, Nilay D; Dennen, Taylor; Bleicher, Paul A; Bleicher, Paul D; Crown, William H

2014-07-01

Unprecedented change in the US health care system is being driven by the rapid uptake of health information technology and national investments in multi-institution research networks comprising academic centers, health care delivery systems, and other health system components. An example of this changing landscape is Optum Labs, a novel network "node" that is bringing together new partners, data, and analytic techniques to implement research findings in health care practice. Optum Labs was founded in early 2013 by Mayo Clinic and Optum, a commercial data, infrastructure services, and care organization that is part of UnitedHealth Group. Optum Labs now has eleven collaborators and a database of deidentified information on more than 150 million people that is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. This article describes the early progress of Optum Labs. The combination of the diverse collaborator perspectives with rich data, including deep patient and provider information, is intended to reveal new insights about diseases, treatments, and patients' behavior to guide changes in practice. Practitioners' involvement in agenda setting and translation of findings into practical care innovations accelerates the implementation of research results. Furthermore, feedback loops from the clinic help Optum Labs expand on successes and give quick attention to challenges as they emerge. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Biology Labs That Work: The Best of How-To-Do-Its.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Randy, Ed.

This book is a compilation of articles from the The American Biology Teacher journal that present biology labs that are safe, simple, dependable, economic, and diverse. Each activity can be used alone or as a starting point for helping students design follow-up experiments for in-depth study on a particular topic. Students must make keen…

Lab Report Blues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz, Andrew

2004-01-01

For middle school students, writing a formal lab report can be challenging. For middle level teachers, reading students lab reports can be overwhelming. After grading report after report with incomplete procedures, incorrect graphs, and missing conclusions, the author's frustration level was at an all-time high. Ready to try anything, he thought,…

Reforming Cookbook Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Erin

2005-01-01

Deconstructing cookbook labs to require the students to be more thoughtful could break down perceived teacher barriers to inquiry learning. Simple steps that remove or disrupt the direct transfer of step-by-step procedures in cookbook labs make students think more critically about their process. Through trials in the author's middle school…

Engineering and Scientific Applications: Using MatLab(Registered Trademark) for Data Processing and Visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sen, Syamal K.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2011-01-01

MatLab(R) (MATrix LABoratory) is a numerical computation and simulation tool that is used by thousands Scientists and Engineers in many cou ntries. MatLab does purely numerical calculations, which can be used as a glorified calculator or interpreter programming language; its re al strength is in matrix manipulations. Computer algebra functionalities are achieved within the MatLab environment using "symbolic" toolbo x. This feature is similar to computer algebra programs, provided by Maple or Mathematica to calculate with mathematical equations using s ymbolic operations. MatLab in its interpreter programming language fo rm (command interface) is similar with well known programming languag es such as C/C++, support data structures and cell arrays to define c lasses in object oriented programming. As such, MatLab is equipped with most ofthe essential constructs of a higher programming language. M atLab is packaged with an editor and debugging functionality useful t o perform analysis of large MatLab programs and find errors. We belie ve there are many ways to approach real-world problems; prescribed methods to ensure foregoing solutions are incorporated in design and ana lysis of data processing and visualization can benefit engineers and scientist in gaining wider insight in actual implementation of their perspective experiments. This presentation will focus on data processing and visualizations aspects of engineering and scientific applicati ons. Specifically, it will discuss methods and techniques to perform intermediate-level data processing covering engineering and scientifi c problems. MatLab programming techniques including reading various data files formats to produce customized publication-quality graphics, importing engineering and/or scientific data, organizing data in tabu lar format, exporting data to be used by other software programs such as Microsoft Excel, data presentation and visualization will be discussed. The presentation will emphasize creating

KP-LAB: Breaking New Ground on How to Create Knowledge through Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Sally; Camilleri, Anthony Fisher

2010-01-01

The 5 year KP-Lab project funded under the FP6 of the European Commission's Programme for Research and Technological Development is about developing theories, tools, practical models, and research methods that deliberately advance the ways in which knowledge is created and which help to transform knowledge practices in education and in the…

Some assembly required: Contributions of Tom Stevens' lab to the V-ATPase field.

PubMed

Graham, Laurie A; Finnigan, Gregory C; Kane, Patricia M

2018-06-01

Tom Stevens' lab has explored the subunit composition and assembly of the yeast V-ATPase for more than 30 years. Early studies helped establish yeast as the predominant model system for study of V-ATPase proton pumps and led to the discovery of protein splicing of the V-ATPase catalytic subunit. The Vma - phenotype, characteristic of loss-of-V-ATPase activity in yeast was key in determining the enzyme's subunit composition via yeast genetics. V-ATPase subunit composition proved to be highly conserved among eukaryotes. Genetic screens for new vma mutants led to identification of a set of dedicated V-ATPase assembly factors and helped unravel the complex pathways for V-ATPase assembly. In later years, exploration of the evolutionary history of several V-ATPase subunits provided new information about the enzyme's structure and function. This review highlights V-ATPase work in the Stevens' lab between 1987 and 2017. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

STS-98 U.S. Lab Destiny rests in Atlantis' payload bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In this view from Level 5, wing platform, of Atlantis''' payload bay, the U.S. Lab Destiny can be seen near the bottom. A key element in the construction of the International Space Station, Destiny is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node of the ISS using the Shuttle'''s robot arm, seen here on the left with the help of an elbow camera, facing left. Measurements of the elbow camera revealed only a one-inch clearance from the U.S. Lab payload, which is under review. Destiny will fly on STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the ISS. Launch of STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2:11 a.m. EST.

PatternLab for proteomics 4.0: A one-stop shop for analyzing shotgun proteomic data

PubMed Central

Carvalho, Paulo C; Lima, Diogo B; Leprevost, Felipe V; Santos, Marlon D M; Fischer, Juliana S G; Aquino, Priscila F; Moresco, James J; Yates, John R; Barbosa, Valmir C

2017-01-01

PatternLab for proteomics is an integrated computational environment that unifies several previously published modules for analyzing shotgun proteomic data. PatternLab contains modules for formatting sequence databases, performing peptide spectrum matching, statistically filtering and organizing shotgun proteomic data, extracting quantitative information from label-free and chemically labeled data, performing statistics for differential proteomics, displaying results in a variety of graphical formats, performing similarity-driven studies with de novo sequencing data, analyzing time-course experiments, and helping with the understanding of the biological significance of data in the light of the Gene Ontology. Here we describe PatternLab for proteomics 4.0, which closely knits together all of these modules in a self-contained environment, covering the principal aspects of proteomic data analysis as a freely available and easily installable software package. All updates to PatternLab, as well as all new features added to it, have been tested over the years on millions of mass spectra. PMID:26658470

Setting Up a Veterinary Medicine Skills Lab in Germany

PubMed Central

Dilly, Marc; Tipold, Andrea; Schaper, Elisabeth; Ehlers, Jan P.

2014-01-01

The amendments introduced to the current Veterinary Licensing Ordinance (TAppV) by the Veterinary Licensing Regulation (TAppO) have brought a high degree of skills orientation to fill the gap between academic study and preparing for a wide range of professional skills. In order to improve the veterinary skills of students while conveying fundamental methods in a structured and reproducible way, the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, has set up the first central veterinary skills lab in Germany. Practical training is provided by means of a three-tier delivery approach. This involves around 40 simulators on an area of approx. 800 m² under the guidance of 6-8 staff members, along with supplementary resources such as posters, text instructions and YouTube videos. Since it opened in March 2013, there have been 769 visits to the skills lab and 30,734 hits on YouTube. Initial results show that the skills lab helps to maintain student motivation by teaching them practical skills at an early stage of the basic study-based acquisition of knowledge, whilst reinforcing skills acquisition per se in competence-based teaching. It enables veterinary students to prepare for their first examinations and treatments of live patients in a manner compliant with animal welfare. PMID:24872855

Status of chemistry lab safety in Nepal.

PubMed

Kandel, Krishna Prasad; Neupane, Bhanu Bhakta; Giri, Basant

2017-01-01

Chemistry labs can become a dangerous environment for students as the lab exercises involve hazardous chemicals, glassware, and equipment. Approximately one hundred thousand students take chemistry laboratory classes annually in Nepal. We conducted a survey on chemical lab safety issues across Nepal. In this paper, we assess the safety policy and equipment, protocols and procedures followed, and waste disposal in chemistry teaching labs. Significant population of the respondents believed that there is no monitoring of the lab safety in their lab (p<0.001). Even though many labs do not allow food and beverages inside lab and have first aid kits, they lack some basic safety equipment. There is no institutional mechanism to dispose lab waste and chemical waste is disposed haphazardly. Majority of the respondents believed that the safety training should be a part of educational training (p = 0.001) and they would benefit from short course and/or workshop on lab safety (p<0.001).

Status of chemistry lab safety in Nepal

PubMed Central

Kandel, Krishna Prasad; Neupane, Bhanu Bhakta

2017-01-01

Chemistry labs can become a dangerous environment for students as the lab exercises involve hazardous chemicals, glassware, and equipment. Approximately one hundred thousand students take chemistry laboratory classes annually in Nepal. We conducted a survey on chemical lab safety issues across Nepal. In this paper, we assess the safety policy and equipment, protocols and procedures followed, and waste disposal in chemistry teaching labs. Significant population of the respondents believed that there is no monitoring of the lab safety in their lab (p<0.001). Even though many labs do not allow food and beverages inside lab and have first aid kits, they lack some basic safety equipment. There is no institutional mechanism to dispose lab waste and chemical waste is disposed haphazardly. Majority of the respondents believed that the safety training should be a part of educational training (p = 0.001) and they would benefit from short course and/or workshop on lab safety (p<0.001). PMID:28644869

Photographic coverage of STS-112 during EVA 3 in VR Lab.

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-08-21

JSC2002-E-34622 (21 August 2002) --- Astronaut David A. Wolf, STS-112 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for his duties aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with ISS elements.

SenseLab

PubMed Central

Crasto, Chiquito J.; Marenco, Luis N.; Liu, Nian; Morse, Thomas M.; Cheung, Kei-Hoi; Lai, Peter C.; Bahl, Gautam; Masiar, Peter; Lam, Hugo Y.K.; Lim, Ernest; Chen, Huajin; Nadkarni, Prakash; Migliore, Michele; Miller, Perry L.; Shepherd, Gordon M.

2009-01-01

This article presents the latest developments in neuroscience information dissemination through the SenseLab suite of databases: NeuronDB, CellPropDB, ORDB, OdorDB, OdorMapDB, ModelDB and BrainPharm. These databases include information related to: (i) neuronal membrane properties and neuronal models, and (ii) genetics, genomics, proteomics and imaging studies of the olfactory system. We describe here: the new features for each database, the evolution of SenseLab’s unifying database architecture and instances of SenseLab database interoperation with other neuroscience online resources. PMID:17510162

Applying Neurological Learning Research to an Intro Astronomy Online Lab Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrd, Gene G.; Byrd, Dana

2015-01-01

The neurological research used the 'Tower of London', a well-tested puzzle requiring multi-step planning toward a solution. Four and five year-olds are starting multistep reasoning and provide good puzzle subjects. Preschoolers who talked to themselves about future moves had greatly improved performance over those who did not. Adults given preplanning time prior to solving the same puzzle showed more neural activation during preplanning, especially in brain areas which serve higher level thinking. Applying these results to teaching astronomy, we modified an online introductory lab course in which students take a multiple choice final exam. We composed questions related to the learning objectives of the course modules (LOQs). Students could 'talk to themselves' by discursively answering these for extra credit prior to the final. Results were compared to an otherwise identical previous unmodified class. Modified classes showed statistically much better final exam average scores (78% vs. 66%). This modification helped those students who most need help. Students in the lower third of the class preferentially answered the LOQs to improve their scores and the class average on the exam. These results also show the effectiveness of relevant extra credit work. For more details plus an application to a lecture course, see Byrd and Byrd http://www.ncolr.org/issues/jiol/v12/n2/3 (Journal of Interactive Online Learning). The online lab course emphasized real photographic and quantitative astronomical observations. We also discuss and show equipment found to be most useful for the online lab course, including a 'pin-hole protractor', telescope kit and "AL-henge" telescope mount..

STS-109 Crew Training in VR Lab, Building 9

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-08

JSC2001-E-24452 (8 August 2001) --- Astronauts John M. Grunsfeld (left), STS-109 payload commander, and Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, use the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for some of their duties aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps to prepare the entire team to perform its duties during the fourth Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission.

Graduate student training and creating new physics labs for biology students, killing two birds with one stone.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Barbara

2001-03-01

At UCSD biology majors are required to take 3 quarters of a calculus based physics course. This is taught in a standard format large lecture class partly by faculty and partly by freeway flyers. We are working with physics graduate students who are also participating in our PFPF (Preparing Future Physics Faculty) program to write, review, and teach new weekly labs for these biology students. This provides an experience for the grad student that is both rewarding to them and useful to the department. The grad students participate in curriculum development, they observe the students behaviour in the labs, and assess the effectiveness of different lab formats. The labs are intended to provide an interactive, hands on experience with a wide variety of equipment which is mostly both simple and inexpensive. Both students and grads find the labs to be engaging and fun. Based on group discussions the labs are modified to try to try to create the best teaching environment. The biology students benefit from the improvements both in the quality of the labs they do, and from the enthusiasm of the TAs who take an active interest in their learning. The ability to make significant changes to the material taught maintains the interest of the grad students and helps to make the labs a stable and robust environment.

Integrating Robotic Observatories into Astronomy Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruch, Gerald T.

2015-01-01

The University of St. Thomas (UST) and a consortium of five local schools is using the UST Robotic Observatory, housing a 17' telescope, to develop labs and image processing tools that allow easy integration of observational labs into existing introductory astronomy curriculum. Our lab design removes the burden of equipment ownership by sharing access to a common resource and removes the burden of data processing by automating processing tasks that are not relevant to the learning objectives.Each laboratory exercise takes place over two lab periods. During period one, students design and submit observation requests via the lab website. Between periods, the telescope automatically acquires the data and our image processing pipeline produces data ready for student analysis. During period two, the students retrieve their data from the website and perform the analysis. The first lab, 'Weighing Jupiter,' was successfully implemented at UST and several of our partner schools. We are currently developing a second lab to measure the age of and distance to a globular cluster.

Semantic SenseLab: implementing the vision of the Semantic Web in neuroscience

PubMed Central

Samwald, Matthias; Chen, Huajun; Ruttenberg, Alan; Lim, Ernest; Marenco, Luis; Miller, Perry; Shepherd, Gordon; Cheung, Kei-Hoi

2011-01-01

Summary Objective Integrative neuroscience research needs a scalable informatics framework that enables semantic integration of diverse types of neuroscience data. This paper describes the use of the Web Ontology Language (OWL) and other Semantic Web technologies for the representation and integration of molecular-level data provided by several of SenseLab suite of neuroscience databases. Methods Based on the original database structure, we semi-automatically translated the databases into OWL ontologies with manual addition of semantic enrichment. The SenseLab ontologies are extensively linked to other biomedical Semantic Web resources, including the Subcellular Anatomy Ontology, Brain Architecture Management System, the Gene Ontology, BIRNLex and UniProt. The SenseLab ontologies have also been mapped to the Basic Formal Ontology and Relation Ontology, which helps ease interoperability with many other existing and future biomedical ontologies for the Semantic Web. In addition, approaches to representing contradictory research statements are described. The SenseLab ontologies are designed for use on the Semantic Web that enables their integration into a growing collection of biomedical information resources. Conclusion We demonstrate that our approach can yield significant potential benefits and that the Semantic Web is rapidly becoming mature enough to realize its anticipated promises. The ontologies are available online at http://neuroweb.med.yale.edu/senselab/ PMID:20006477

Semantic SenseLab: Implementing the vision of the Semantic Web in neuroscience.

PubMed

Samwald, Matthias; Chen, Huajun; Ruttenberg, Alan; Lim, Ernest; Marenco, Luis; Miller, Perry; Shepherd, Gordon; Cheung, Kei-Hoi

2010-01-01

Integrative neuroscience research needs a scalable informatics framework that enables semantic integration of diverse types of neuroscience data. This paper describes the use of the Web Ontology Language (OWL) and other Semantic Web technologies for the representation and integration of molecular-level data provided by several of SenseLab suite of neuroscience databases. Based on the original database structure, we semi-automatically translated the databases into OWL ontologies with manual addition of semantic enrichment. The SenseLab ontologies are extensively linked to other biomedical Semantic Web resources, including the Subcellular Anatomy Ontology, Brain Architecture Management System, the Gene Ontology, BIRNLex and UniProt. The SenseLab ontologies have also been mapped to the Basic Formal Ontology and Relation Ontology, which helps ease interoperability with many other existing and future biomedical ontologies for the Semantic Web. In addition, approaches to representing contradictory research statements are described. The SenseLab ontologies are designed for use on the Semantic Web that enables their integration into a growing collection of biomedical information resources. We demonstrate that our approach can yield significant potential benefits and that the Semantic Web is rapidly becoming mature enough to realize its anticipated promises. The ontologies are available online at http://neuroweb.med.yale.edu/senselab/. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

H CANYON PROCESSING IN CORRELATION WITH FH ANALYTICAL LABS

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

Weinheimer, E.

2012-08-06

Management of radioactive chemical waste can be a complicated business. H Canyon and F/H Analytical Labs are two facilities present at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC that are at the forefront. In fact H Canyon is the only large-scale radiochemical processing facility in the United States and this processing is only enhanced by the aid given from F/H Analytical Labs. As H Canyon processes incoming materials, F/H Labs provide support through a variety of chemical analyses. Necessary checks of the chemical makeup, processing, and accountability of the samples taken from H Canyon process tanks are performed at themore » labs along with further checks on waste leaving the canyon after processing. Used nuclear material taken in by the canyon is actually not waste. Only a small portion of the radioactive material itself is actually consumed in nuclear reactors. As a result various radioactive elements such as Uranium, Plutonium and Neptunium are commonly found in waste and may be useful to recover. Specific processing is needed to allow for separation of these products from the waste. This is H Canyon's specialty. Furthermore, H Canyon has the capacity to initiate the process for weapons-grade nuclear material to be converted into nuclear fuel. This is one of the main campaigns being set up for the fall of 2012. Once usable material is separated and purified of impurities such as fission products, it can be converted to an oxide and ultimately turned into commercial fuel. The processing of weapons-grade material for commercial fuel is important in the necessary disposition of plutonium. Another processing campaign to start in the fall in H Canyon involves the reprocessing of used nuclear fuel for disposal in improved containment units. The importance of this campaign involves the proper disposal of nuclear waste in order to ensure the safety and well-being of future generations and the environment. As processing proceeds in the fall, H Canyon will have a

Improving the Quality of Lab Reports by Using Them as Lab Instructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haagen-Schuetzenhoefer, Claudia

2012-01-01

Lab exercises are quite popular in teaching science. Teachers have numerous goals in mind when teaching science laboratories. Nevertheless, empirical research draws a heterogeneous picture of the benefits of lab work. Research has shown that it does not necessarily contribute to the enhancement of practical abilities or content knowledge. Lab…

Ensuring Quality in AFRINEST and SATT

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background: Three randomized open-label clinical trials [Simplified Antibiotic Therapy Trial (SATT) Bangladesh, SATT Pakistan and African Neonatal Sepsis Trial (AFRINEST)] were developed to test the equivalence of simplified antibiotic regimens compared with the standard regimen of 7 days of parenteral antibiotics. These trials were originally conceived and designed separately; subsequently, significant efforts were made to develop and implement a common protocol and approach. Previous articles in this supplement briefly describe the specific quality control methods used in the individual trials; this article presents additional information about the systematic approaches used to minimize threats to validity and ensure quality across the trials. Methods: A critical component of quality control for AFRINEST and SATT was striving to eliminate variation in clinical assessments and decisions regarding eligibility, enrollment and treatment outcomes. Ensuring appropriate and consistent clinical judgment was accomplished through standardized approaches applied across the trials, including training, assessment of clinical skills and refresher training. Standardized monitoring procedures were also applied across the trials, including routine (day-to-day) internal monitoring of performance and adherence to protocols, systematic external monitoring by funding agencies and external monitoring by experienced, independent trial monitors. A group of independent experts (Technical Steering Committee/Technical Advisory Group) provided regular monitoring and technical oversight for the trials. Conclusions: Harmonization of AFRINEST and SATT have helped to ensure consistency and quality of implementation, both internally and across the trials as a whole, thereby minimizing potential threats to the validity of the trials’ results. PMID:23945575

Computational Labs Using VPython Complement Conventional Labs in Online and Regular Physics Classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachlechner, Martina E.

2009-03-01

Fairmont State University has developed online physics classes for the high-school teaching certificate based on the text book Matter and Interaction by Chabay and Sherwood. This lead to using computational VPython labs also in the traditional class room setting to complement conventional labs. The computational modeling process has proven to provide an excellent basis for the subsequent conventional lab and allows for a concrete experience of the difference between behavior according to a model and realistic behavior. Observations in the regular class room setting feed back into the development of the online classes.

Diagnostic laboratory for bleeding disorders ensures efficient management of haemorrhagic disorders.

PubMed

Riddell, A; Chuansumrit, A; El-Ekiaby, M; Nair, S C

2016-07-01

Haemorrhagic disorders like Postpartum haemorrhage and Dengue haemorrhagic fever are life threatening and requires an active and efficient transfusion service that could provide the most appropriate blood product which could be effective in managing them. This would essentially require prompt identification of the coagulopathy so that the best available product can be given to the bleeding patient to correct the identified haemostatic defect which will help control the bleeding. This would only be possible if the transfusion service has a laboratory to correctly detect the haemostatic defect and that too with an accuracy and precision which is ensured by a good laboratory quality assurance practices. These same processes are necessary for the transfusion services to ensure the quality of the blood products manufactured by them and that it contains adequate amounts of haemostasis factors which will be good to be effective in the management of haemorrhagic disorders. These issues are discussed in detail individually in the management of postpartum haemorrhage and Dengue haemorrhagic fever including when these can help in the use of rFVIIa in Dengue haemorrhagic fever. The requirements to ensure good-quality blood products are made available for the management of these disorders and the same have also been described. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

E-Labs - Learning with Authentic Data

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

Bardeen, Marjorie G.; Wayne, Mitchell

the success teachers have had providing an opportunity for students to: • Organize and conduct authentic research. • Experience the environment of scientific collaborations. • Possibly make real contributions to a burgeoning scientific field. We've created projects that are problem-based, student driven and technology dependent. Students reach beyond classroom walls to explore data with other students and experts and share results, publishing original work to a worldwide audience. Students can discover and extend the research of other students, modeling the processes of modern, large-scale research projects. From start to finish e-Labs are student-led, teacher-guided projects. Students need only a Webmore » browser to access computing techniques employed by professional researchers. A Project Map with milestones allows students to set the research plan rather than follow a step-by-step process common in other online projects. Most importantly, e-Labs build the learning experience around the students' own questions and let them use the very tools that scientists use. Students contribute to and access shared data, most derived from professional research databases. They use common analysis tools, store their work and use metadata to discover, replicate and confirm the research of others. This is where real scientific collaboration begins. Using online tools, students correspond with other research groups, post comments and questions, prepare summary reports, and in general participate in the part of scientific research that is often left out of classroom experiments. Teaching tools such as student and teacher logbooks, pre- and post-tests and an assessment rubric aligned with learner outcomes help teachers guide student work. Constraints on interface designs and administrative tools such as registration databases give teachers the "one-stop-shopping" they seek for multiple e-Labs. Teaching and administrative tools also allow us to track usage and assess the

Web-based e-learning and virtual lab of human-artificial immune system.

PubMed

Gong, Tao; Ding, Yongsheng; Xiong, Qin

2014-05-01

Human immune system is as important in keeping the body healthy as the brain in supporting the intelligence. However, the traditional models of the human immune system are built on the mathematics equations, which are not easy for students to understand. To help the students to understand the immune systems, a web-based e-learning approach with virtual lab is designed for the intelligent system control course by using new intelligent educational technology. Comparing the traditional graduate educational model within the classroom, the web-based e-learning with the virtual lab shows the higher inspiration in guiding the graduate students to think independently and innovatively, as the students said. It has been found that this web-based immune e-learning system with the online virtual lab is useful for teaching the graduate students to understand the immune systems in an easier way and design their simulations more creatively and cooperatively. The teaching practice shows that the optimum web-based e-learning system can be used to increase the learning effectiveness of the students.

Island Explorations: Discovering Effects of Environmental Research-Based Lab Activities on Analytical Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomasik, Janice Hall; LeCaptain, Dale; Murphy, Sarah; Martin, Mary; Knight, Rachel M.; Harke, Maureen A.; Burke, Ryan; Beck, Kara; Acevedo-Polakovich, I. David

2014-01-01

Motivating students in analytical chemistry can be challenging, in part because of the complexity and breadth of topics involved. Some methods that help encourage students and convey real-world relevancy of the material include incorporating environmental issues, research-based lab experiments, and service learning projects. In this paper, we…

STS-111 Training in VR lab with Expedition IV and V Crewmembers

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-10-18

JSC2001-E-39090 (18 October 2001) --- Cosmonaut Valeri G. Korzun, Expedition Five mission commander representing Rosaviakosmos, uses the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for his duties on the International Space Station (ISS). This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps the entire team for dealing with ISS elements.

STS-126 crew during preflight VR LAB MSS EVA2 training

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-04-14

JSC2008-E-033771 (14 April 2008) --- Astronaut Eric A. Boe, STS-126 pilot, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of his duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

An Automatic Lab-on-Disc System for Blood Typing.

PubMed

Chang, Yaw-Jen; Fan, Yi-Hua; Chen, Shia-Chung; Lee, Kuan-Hua; Lou, Liao-Yong

2018-04-01

A blood-typing assay is a critical test to ensure the serological compatibility of a donor and an intended recipient prior to a blood transfusion. This article presents a lab-on-disc blood-typing system to conduct a total of eight assays for a patient, including forward-typing tests, reverse-typing tests, and irregular-antibody tests. These assays are carried out in a microfluidic disc simultaneously. A blood-typing apparatus was designed to automatically manipulate the disc. The blood type can be determined by integrating the results of red blood cell (RBC) agglutination in the microchannels. The experimental results of our current 40 blood samples show that the results agree with those examined in the hospital. The accuracy reaches 97.5%.

Berkeley Lab scientists develop criteria for $20 million energy challenge

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

Walker, Iain

2009-08-26

Berkeley Labs Iain Walker and his colleagues in environmental energy research helped the Siebel Foundation develop the criteria for its Energy Free Home Challenge, which comes with a $20 million global incentive prize. The Challenge is a competition to create a new generation of systems and technologies for practical homes that realize a net-zero, non-renewable energy footprint without increasing the cost of ownership. It is open to everyone everywhere — university teams to handymen and hobbyists.

GeneLab: Open Science For Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galazka, Jonathan

2018-01-01

The NASA GeneLab project capitalizes on multi-omic technologies to maximize the return on spaceflight experiments. The GeneLab project houses spaceflight and spaceflight-relevant multi-omics data in a publicly accessible data commons, and collaborates with NASA-funded principal investigators to maximize the omics data from spaceflight and spaceflight-relevant experiments. I will discuss the current status of GeneLab and give specific examples of how the GeneLab data system has been used to gain insight into how biology responds to spaceflight conditions.

A Museum Learning Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vandiver, Kathleen M.; Bijur, Jon Markowitz; Epstein, Ari W.; Rosenthal, Beryl; Stidsen, Don

2008-01-01

The "Learning Lab: The Cell" exhibit was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Museum and the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS). Specially designed for middle and high school students, the Learning Lab provides museum visitors of all ages with fascinating insights into how our living cells work. The…

Lab-on a-Chip

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

Labs on chips are manufactured in many shapes and sizes and can be used for numerous applications, from medical tests to water quality monitoring to detecting the signatures of life on other planets. The eight holes on this chip are actually ports that can be filled with fluids or chemicals. Tiny valves control the chemical processes by mixing fluids that move in the tiny channels that look like lines, connecting the ports. Scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama designed this chip to grow biological crystals on the International Space Station (ISS). Through this research, they discovered that this technology is ideally suited for solving the challenges of the Vision for Space Exploration. For example, thousands of chips the size of dimes could be loaded on a Martian rover looking for biosignatures of past or present life. Other types of chips could be placed in handheld devices used to monitor microbes in water or to quickly conduct medical tests on astronauts. The portable, handheld Lab-on-a Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) made its debut flight aboard Discovery during the STS-116 mission launched December 9, 2006. The system allowed crew members to monitor their environment for problematic contaminants such as yeast, mold, and even E.coli, and salmonella. Once LOCAD-PTS reached the ISS, the Marshall team continued to manage the experiment, monitoring the study from a console in the Payload Operations Center at MSFC. The results of these studies will help NASA researchers refine the technology for future Moon and Mars missions. (NASA/MSFC/D.Stoffer)

Speech/Language Pathologists Reflect on Sally Smith and the Lab School of Washington

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 2010

2010-01-01

Sally L. Smith had a clear vision of how she thought speech and language services should be integrated into her school, The Lab School of Washington. It was Smith's idea that language therapists should work individually with students to help them make gains in their particular areas of need, as well as to work collaboratively with the teachers,…

OceanVideoLab: A Tool for Exploring Underwater Video

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrini, V. L.; Morton, J. J.; Wiener, C.

2016-02-01

Video imagery acquired with underwater vehicles is an essential tool for characterizing seafloor ecosystems and seafloor geology. It is a fundamental component of ocean exploration that facilitates real-time operations, augments multidisciplinary scientific research, and holds tremendous potential for public outreach and engagement. Acquiring, documenting, managing, preserving and providing access to large volumes of video acquired with underwater vehicles presents a variety of data stewardship challenges to the oceanographic community. As a result, only a fraction of underwater video content collected with research submersibles is documented, discoverable and/or viewable online. With more than 1 billion users, YouTube offers infrastructure that can be leveraged to help address some of the challenges associated with sharing underwater video with a broad global audience. Anyone can post content to YouTube, and some oceanographic organizations, such as the Schmidt Ocean Institute, have begun live-streaming video directly from underwater vehicles. OceanVideoLab (oceanvideolab.org) was developed to help improve access to underwater video through simple annotation, browse functionality, and integration with related environmental data. Any underwater video that is publicly accessible on YouTube can be registered with OceanVideoLab by simply providing a URL. It is strongly recommended that a navigational file also be supplied to enable geo-referencing of observations. Once a video is registered, it can be viewed and annotated using a simple user interface that integrates observations with vehicle navigation data if provided. This interface includes an interactive map and a list of previous annotations that allows users to jump to times of specific observations in the video. Future enhancements to OceanVideoLab will include the deployment of a search interface, the development of an application program interface (API) that will drive the search and enable querying of

BECCS Market Launch Strategy Aiming to Help Ensure Reliable Grid Power at High Penetrations of IRE (Intermittent Renewable Electricity)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

WIlliams, R. H.

2017-12-01

Despite its recognized importance for carbon (C)-mitigation, progress in advancing biomass energy with CO2 capture and sequestration (BECCS) has been slow. A BECCS market launch strategy based on technologies ready for commercial-scale demonstration is discussed—based on co-gasification of coal and biomass to make H2 with CCS. H2 so produced would be a key element of a H2 balancing capacity (H2-BC) strategy for ensuring reliable grid power at high IRE penetrations. High grid penetrations of IRE must be complemented by fast-ramping balancing (backup and/or storage) capacity (BC) to ensure reliable grid power. BC provided now by natural gas-fired gas turbine combined cycle and combustion turbine units would eventually have to be decarbonized to realize C-mitigation goals, via CCS or other means. Capital-intensive CCS energy systems require baseload operation to realize favourable economics, but at high IRE penetrations, BC plants must be operated at low capacity factors. A H2-BC strategy is a promising way to address this challenge. The elements of a H2-BC system are: (a) H2 production from carbonaceous feedstocks in baseload plants with CCS; (b) H2 consumption in fast-ramping BC units that operate at low capacity factors; (c) Buffer underground H2 storage to enable decoupling baseload H2 production from highly variable H2 consumption by BC units. The concept is likely to "work" because underground H2 storage is expected to be inexpensive. A H2 production analysis is presented for a negative GHG-emitting H2-BC system based on cogasification of corn stover and coal, with captured CO2 used for enhanced oil recovery. The technical readiness of each system component is discussed, and preliminary insights are offered as to the conditions under which the corresponding H2-BC system might compete with natural gas in providing backup for IRE on US electric grids. Public policy to help advance this strategy might be forthcoming, because 2 US Senate bills with broad

The Leadership Lab for Women: Advancing and Retaining Women in STEM through Professional Development.

PubMed

Van Oosten, Ellen B; Buse, Kathleen; Bilimoria, Diana

2017-01-01

Innovative professional development approaches are needed to address the ongoing lack of women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Developed from the research on women who persist in engineering and computing professions and essential elements of women's leadership development, the Leadership Lab for Women in STEM Program was launched in 2014. The Leadership Lab was created as a research-based leadership development program, offering 360-degree feedback, coaching, and practical strategies aimed at increasing the advancement and retention of women in the STEM professions. The goal is to provide women with knowledge, tools and a supportive learning environment to help them navigate, achieve, flourish, and catalyze organizational change in male-dominated and technology-driven organizations. This article describes the importance of creating unique development experiences for women in STEM fields, the genesis of the Leadership Lab, the design and content of the program, and the outcomes for the participants.

The Leadership Lab for Women: Advancing and Retaining Women in STEM through Professional Development

PubMed Central

Van Oosten, Ellen B.; Buse, Kathleen; Bilimoria, Diana

2017-01-01

Innovative professional development approaches are needed to address the ongoing lack of women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Developed from the research on women who persist in engineering and computing professions and essential elements of women’s leadership development, the Leadership Lab for Women in STEM Program was launched in 2014. The Leadership Lab was created as a research-based leadership development program, offering 360-degree feedback, coaching, and practical strategies aimed at increasing the advancement and retention of women in the STEM professions. The goal is to provide women with knowledge, tools and a supportive learning environment to help them navigate, achieve, flourish, and catalyze organizational change in male-dominated and technology-driven organizations. This article describes the importance of creating unique development experiences for women in STEM fields, the genesis of the Leadership Lab, the design and content of the program, and the outcomes for the participants. PMID:29326618

Lab-on a-Chip

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Helen Cole, the project manager for the Lab-on-a-Chip Applications Development program, and Lisa Monaco, the project scientist for the program, insert a lab on a chip into the Caliper 42 which is specialized equipment that controls processes on commercial chips to support development of lab-on-a-chip applications. The system has special microscopes and imaging systems, so scientists can process and study different types of fluid, chemical, and medical tests conducted on chips. For example, researchers have examined fluorescent bacteria as it flows through the chips' fluid channels or microfluidic capillaries. Researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, have been studying how the lab-on-a-chip technology can be used for microbial detection, water quality monitoring, and detecting biosignatures of past or present life on Mars. The Marshall Center team is also collaborating with scientists at other NASA centers and at universities to develop custom chip designs for not only space applications, but for many Earth applications, such as for detecting deadly microbes in heating and air systems. (NASA/MSFC/D.Stoffer)

Good Data Can Be Better Data - How Data Management Maturity Can Help Repositories Improve Operations, Data Quality, And Usability, Helping Researchers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stall, S.

2015-12-01

Much earth and space science data and metadata are managed and supported by an infrastructure of repositories, ranging from large agency or instrument facilities, to institutions, to smaller repositories including labs. Scientists face many challenges in this ecosystem both on storing their data and in accessing data from others for new research. Critical for all uses is ensuring the credibility and integrity of the data and conveying that and provenance information now and in the future. Accurate information is essential for future researchers to find (or discover) the data, evaluate the data for use (content, temporal, geolocation, precision) and finally select (or discard) that data as meeting a "fit-for-purpose" criteria. We also need to optimize the effort it takes in describing the data for these determinations, which means making it efficient for the researchers who collect the data. At AGU we are developing a program aimed at helping repositories, and thereby researchers, improve data quality and data usability toward these goals. AGU has partnered with the CMMI Institute to develop their Data Management Maturity (DMM) framework within the Earth and space sciences. The CMMI DMM framework guides best practices in a range of data operations, and the application of the DMM, through an assessment, reveals how repositories and institutions can best optimize efforts to improve operations and functionality throughout the data lifecycle and elevate best practices across a variety of data management operations. Supporting processes like data operations, data governance, and data architecture are included. An assessment involves identifying accomplishment, and weaknesses compared to leading practices for data management. Broad application of the DMM can help improve quality in data and operations, and consistency across the community that will facilitate interoperability, discovery, preservation, and reuse. Good data can be better data. Consistency results in

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., helps install a Dionex DX-500 IC/HPLC system in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-01-05

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lanfang Levine, with Dynamac Corp., helps install a Dionex DX-500 IC/HPLC system in the Space Life Sciences Lab. The equipment will enable analysis of volatile compounds, such as from plants. The 100,000 square-foot facility houses labs for NASA’s ongoing research efforts, microbiology/microbial ecology studies and analytical chemistry labs. Also calling the new lab home are facilities for space flight-experiment and flight-hardware development, new plant growth chambers, and an Orbiter Environment Simulator that will be used to conduct ground control experiments in simulated flight conditions for space flight experiments. The SLS Lab, formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory or SERPL, provides space for NASA’s Life Sciences Services contractor Dynamac Corporation, Bionetics Corporation, and researchers from the University of Florida. NASA’s Office of Biological and Physical Research will use the facility for processing life sciences experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station. The SLS Lab is the magnet facility for the International Space Research Park at KSC being developed in partnership with Florida Space Authority.

ERLN Lab Compendium Fact Sheet

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Compendium is an online database of environmental testing laboratories nationwide. It enables labs to create profiles of their capabilities, so emergency responders can quickly identify a lab that will meet their support needs.

Physics Labs with Flavor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agrest, Mikhail M.

2009-01-01

This paper describes my attempts to look deeper into the so-called "shoot for your grade" labs, started in the '90s, when I began applying my teaching experience in Russia to introductory physics labs at the College of Charleston and other higher education institutions in South Carolina. The term "shoot for your grade" became popular among…

Making Real Virtual Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Harry E.; Keller, Edward E.

2005-01-01

Francis Bacon began defining scientific methodology in the early 17th century, and secondary school science classes began to implement science labs in the mid-19th century. By the early 20th century, leading educators were suggesting that science labs be used to develop scientific thinking habits in young students, and at the beginning of the 21st…

NOT Another Lab Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ende, Fred

2012-01-01

Ask students to name the aspects of science class they enjoy most, and working on labs will undoubtedly be mentioned. What often won't be included, however, is writing lab reports. For many students, the process of exploration and data collection is paramount, while the explanation and analysis of findings often takes a backseat. After all, if…

Are Virtual Labs as Effective as Hands-on Labs for Undergraduate Physics? A Comparative Study at Two Major Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darrah, Marjorie; Humbert, Roxann; Finstein, Jeanne; Simon, Marllin; Hopkins, John

2014-01-01

Most physics professors would agree that the lab experiences students have in introductory physics are central to the learning of the concepts in the course. It is also true that these physics labs require time and money for upkeep, not to mention the hours spent setting up and taking down labs. Virtual physics lab experiences can provide an…

The Development of MSFC Usability Lab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Yiwei; Richardson, Sally

2010-01-01

This conference poster reviews the development of the usability lab at Marshall Space Flight Center. The purpose of the lab was to integrate a fully functioning usability laboratory to provide a resource for future human factor assessments. and to implement preliminary usability testing on a MSFC website to validate the functionality of the lab.

Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

Science.gov Websites

Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Search MSD Go MSD - Materials Investigators Division Staff Facilities and Centers Staff Jobs Safety Personnel Resources Committees In Case of

Labs That Are a Blast.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendrix, Laura

1996-01-01

Presents activities that use a simple homemade apparatus called "the cannon" to demonstrate Newton's Third Law. Reviews the chemistry concepts behind the ignition of the cannon and presents the Momentum Lab and the Projectile Motion Lab. (JRH)

Berkeley Lab scientists develop criteria for $20 million energy challenge

ScienceCinema

Walker, Iain

2017-12-12

Berkeley Labs Iain Walker and his colleagues in environmental energy research helped the Siebel Foundation develop the criteria for its Energy Free Home Challenge, which comes with a $20 million global incentive prize. The Challenge is a competition to create a new generation of systems and technologies for practical homes that realize a net-zero, non-renewable energy footprint without increasing the cost of ownership. It is open to everyone everywhere — university teams to handymen and hobbyists.

RoboLab and virtual environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giarratano, Joseph C.

1994-01-01

A useful adjunct to the manned space station would be a self-contained free-flying laboratory (RoboLab). This laboratory would have a robot operated under telepresence from the space station or ground. Long duration experiments aboard RoboLab could be performed by astronauts or scientists using telepresence to operate equipment and perform experiments. Operating the lab by telepresence would eliminate the need for life support such as food, water and air. The robot would be capable of motion in three dimensions, have binocular vision TV cameras, and two arms with manipulators to simulate hands. The robot would move along a two-dimensional grid and have a rotating, telescoping periscope section for extension in the third dimension. The remote operator would wear a virtual reality type headset to allow the superposition of computer displays over the real-time video of the lab. The operators would wear exoskeleton type arms to facilitate the movement of objects and equipment operation. The combination of video displays, motion, and the exoskeleton arms would provide a high degree of telepresence, especially for novice users such as scientists doing short-term experiments. The RoboLab could be resupplied and samples removed on other space shuttle flights. A self-contained RoboLab module would be designed to fit within the cargo bay of the space shuttle. Different modules could be designed for specific applications, i.e., crystal-growing, medicine, life sciences, chemistry, etc. This paper describes a RoboLab simulation using virtual reality (VR). VR provides an ideal simulation of telepresence before the actual robot and laboratory modules are constructed. The easy simulation of different telepresence designs will produce a highly optimum design before construction rather than the more expensive and time consuming hardware changes afterwards.

Virtual Labs and Virtual Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boehler, Ted

2006-12-01

Virtual Labs and Virtual Worlds Coastline Community College has under development several virtual lab simulations and activities that range from biology, to language labs, to virtual discussion environments. Imagine a virtual world that students enter online, by logging onto their computer from home or anywhere they have web access. Upon entering this world they select a personalized identity represented by a digitized character (avatar) that can freely move about, interact with the environment, and communicate with other characters. In these virtual worlds, buildings, gathering places, conference rooms, labs, science rooms, and a variety of other “real world” elements are evident. When characters move about and encounter other people (players) they may freely communicate. They can examine things, manipulate objects, read signs, watch video clips, hear sounds, and jump to other locations. Goals of critical thinking, social interaction, peer collaboration, group support, and enhanced learning can be achieved in surprising new ways with this innovative approach to peer-to-peer communication in a virtual discussion world. In this presentation, short demos will be given of several online learning environments including a virtual biology lab, a marine science module, a Spanish lab, and a virtual discussion world. Coastline College has been a leader in the development of distance learning and media-based education for nearly 30 years and currently offers courses through PDA, Internet, DVD, CD-ROM, TV, and Videoconferencing technologies. Its distance learning program serves over 20,000 students every year. sponsor Jerry Meisner

STS-98 U.S. Lab Destiny rests in Atlantis' payload bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The U.S. Lab Destiny rests in the payload bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis before closure of the doors. A key element in the construction of the International Space Station, Destiny is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node on the ISS using the Shuttle'''s robot arm, seen here on the left side, with the help of an elbow camera attached to the arm (near the upper end of the lab in the photo). This research and command-and-control center is the most sophisticated and versatile space laboratory ever built. It will ultimately house a total of 23 experiment racks for crew support and scientific research. Destiny will fly on STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the ISS. Launch of STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2:11 a.m. EST.

GeneLab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berrios, Daniel C.; Thompson, Terri G.

2015-01-01

NASA GeneLab is expected to capture and distribute omics data and experimental and process conditions most relevant to research community in their statistical and theoretical analysis of NASAs omics data.

MetaLIMS, a simple open-source laboratory information management system for small metagenomic labs.

PubMed

Heinle, Cassie Elizabeth; Gaultier, Nicolas Paul Eugène; Miller, Dana; Purbojati, Rikky Wenang; Lauro, Federico M

2017-06-01

As the cost of sequencing continues to fall, smaller groups increasingly initiate and manage larger sequencing projects and take on the complexity of data storage for high volumes of samples. This has created a need for low-cost laboratory information management systems (LIMS) that contain flexible fields to accommodate the unique nature of individual labs. Many labs do not have a dedicated information technology position, so LIMS must also be easy to setup and maintain with minimal technical proficiency. MetaLIMS is a free and open-source web-based application available via GitHub. The focus of MetaLIMS is to store sample metadata prior to sequencing and analysis pipelines. Initially designed for environmental metagenomics labs, in addition to storing generic sample collection information and DNA/RNA processing information, the user can also add fields specific to the user's lab. MetaLIMS can also produce a basic sequencing submission form compatible with the proprietary Clarity LIMS system used by some sequencing facilities. To help ease the technical burden associated with web deployment, MetaLIMS options the use of commercial web hosting combined with MetaLIMS bash scripts for ease of setup. MetaLIMS overcomes key challenges common in LIMS by giving labs access to a low-cost and open-source tool that also has the flexibility to meet individual lab needs and an option for easy deployment. By making the web application open source and hosting it on GitHub, we hope to encourage the community to build upon MetaLIMS, making it more robust and tailored to the needs of more researchers. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

MetaLIMS, a simple open-source laboratory information management system for small metagenomic labs

PubMed Central

Gaultier, Nicolas Paul Eugène; Miller, Dana; Purbojati, Rikky Wenang; Lauro, Federico M.

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: As the cost of sequencing continues to fall, smaller groups increasingly initiate and manage larger sequencing projects and take on the complexity of data storage for high volumes of samples. This has created a need for low-cost laboratory information management systems (LIMS) that contain flexible fields to accommodate the unique nature of individual labs. Many labs do not have a dedicated information technology position, so LIMS must also be easy to setup and maintain with minimal technical proficiency. Findings: MetaLIMS is a free and open-source web-based application available via GitHub. The focus of MetaLIMS is to store sample metadata prior to sequencing and analysis pipelines. Initially designed for environmental metagenomics labs, in addition to storing generic sample collection information and DNA/RNA processing information, the user can also add fields specific to the user's lab. MetaLIMS can also produce a basic sequencing submission form compatible with the proprietary Clarity LIMS system used by some sequencing facilities. To help ease the technical burden associated with web deployment, MetaLIMS options the use of commercial web hosting combined with MetaLIMS bash scripts for ease of setup. Conclusions: MetaLIMS overcomes key challenges common in LIMS by giving labs access to a low-cost and open-source tool that also has the flexibility to meet individual lab needs and an option for easy deployment. By making the web application open source and hosting it on GitHub, we hope to encourage the community to build upon MetaLIMS, making it more robust and tailored to the needs of more researchers. PMID:28430964

Awakening interest in the natural sciences - BASF's Kids' Labs.

PubMed

Lang, Cinthia

2012-01-01

At BASF's Ludwigshafen headquarters, kids and young adults in grades 1-13 can learn about chemistry in the Kids' Labs. Different programs exist for different levels of knowledge. In the two 'Hands-on Lab H(2)O & Co.' Kids' Labs, students from grades 1-6 explore the secrets of chemistry. BASF Kids' Labs have now been set up in over 30 countries. In Switzerland alone, almost 2,000 students have taken part in the 'Water Loves Chemistry' Kids' Lab since it was started in 2011. In Alsace, 600 students have participated to date. In the Teens' Lab 'Xplore Middle School', middle school students explore five different programs with the themes 'substance labyrinth', 'nutrition', 'coffee, caffeine & co.', 'cosmetics' and 'energy'. Biotechnological methods are the focus of the Teens' Lab 'Xplore Biotech' for students taking basic and advanced biology courses. In the 'Xplore High School' Teens' Lab, chemistry teachers present their own experimental lab instruction for students in basic and advanced chemistry courses. The Virtual Lab has been expanding the offerings of the BASF Kids' Labs since 2011. The online lab was developed by the company for the International Year Of Chemistry and gives kids and young adults the opportunity to do interactive experiments outside of the lab.

Sensor-Augmented Virtual Labs: Using Physical Interactions with Science Simulations to Promote Understanding of Gas Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chao, Jie; Chiu, Jennifer L.; DeJaegher, Crystal J.; Pan, Edward A.

2016-01-01

Deep learning of science involves integration of existing knowledge and normative science concepts. Past research demonstrates that combining physical and virtual labs sequentially or side by side can take advantage of the unique affordances each provides for helping students learn science concepts. However, providing simultaneously connected…

Employers Should Help Pay Student Loans for Their Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wrubel, Paul R.

2008-01-01

The troubled student-loan market is a hot topic among legislators, policy makers, and the public. Two recurring issues are how to ensure that enough funds are available to students and how to ensure that lenders are fully repaid. Yet despite all the talk about loans, little has been proposed to help college students and their families with the…

Photographic coverage of STS-112 during EVA 3 in VR Lab.

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-08-21

JSC2002-E-34625 (21 Aug. 2002) --- Astronaut Sandra H. Magnus (left), STS-112 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab at NASA?s Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for her duties aboard the space shuttle Atlantis. This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with ISS elements. Lead SSRMS instructor Elizabeth C. Bloomer assisted Magnus. Astronaut Ellen Ochoa (standing) looks on. Photo credit: NASA

FameLab: A Communication Skills-Building Program Disguised as an International Competition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scalice, D.

2015-12-01

One of the key pieces of training missing from most graduate studies in science is skills-building in communication. Beyond the responsibility to share their work with the public, good communication skills enhance a scientist's career path, facilitating comprehension of their work by stakeholders and funders, as well as increasing the ability to collaborate interdisciplinarily. FameLab, an American Idol-style communication competition for early career scientists, helps fill this void, and provides an opportunity to pratice communication skills, with the coaching of professionals, in a safe space. The focus is on training and networking with like-minded scientists. NASA's Astrobiology Program has been implementing FameLab in the US since 2011, but over 25 countries take part globally. Come learn about this innovative program, what impact it's had on participants, and how you can get involved.

Data consistency checks for Jefferson Lab Experiment E00-002

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Telfeyan, John; Niculescu, Gabriel; Niculescu, Ioana

2006-10-01

Jefferson Lab experiment E00-002 aims to measure inclusive electron-proton and electron-deuteron scattering cross section at low Q squared and moderately low Bjorken x. Data in this kinematic region will further our understanding of the transition between the perturbative and non-perturbative regimes of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). As part of the data analysis effort underway at James Madison University (JMU) a comprehensive set of checks and tests was implemented. These tests ensure the quality and consistency of the experimental data, as well as providing, where appropriate, correction factors between the experimental apparatus as used and its idealized computer-simulated representation. This contribution will outline this testing procedure as implemented in the JMU analysis, highlighting the most important features/results.

Curricular Adaptations in Introductory Physics Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreyfus, Benjamin W.; Ewell, Mary; Moore, Kimberly

2017-01-01

When curricular materials are disseminated to new sites, there can be a tension between fidelity to the original intent of the developers and adaptation to local needs. In this case study we look at a lab activity that was initially developed for an introductory physics for the life sciences (IPLS) course at the University of Maryland, then implemented at George Mason University with significant adaptations. The goals of the two implementations were overlapping, but also differed in ways that are reflected in the two versions of the lab. We compare student lab report data from the two sites to examine the impacts of the adaptation on how students engaged with the lab.

Lab architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crease, Robert P.

2008-04-01

There are few more dramatic illustrations of the vicissitudes of laboratory architecturethan the contrast between Building 20 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and its replacement, the Ray and Maria Stata Center. Building 20 was built hurriedly in 1943 as temporary housing for MIT's famous Rad Lab, the site of wartime radar research, and it remained a productive laboratory space for over half a century. A decade ago it was demolished to make way for the Stata Center, an architecturally striking building designed by Frank Gehry to house MIT's computer science and artificial intelligence labs (above). But in 2004 - just two years after the Stata Center officially opened - the building was criticized for being unsuitable for research and became the subject of still ongoing lawsuits alleging design and construction failures.

Standardization by ISO to Ensure the Sustainability of Space Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, A.; Lazare, B.; Oltrogge, D.; Stokes, H.

2013-08-01

The ISO / Technical Committee 20 / Sub-committee 14 develops debris-related standards and technical reports to mitigate debris and help ensure mission and space sustainability. While UN Guidelines and the IADC Guidelines encourage national governments and agencies to promote debris mitigation design and operation, the ISO standards will help the global space industry promote and sustain its space-related business. In this paper the scope and status of each ISO standard is discussed within an overall framework. A comparison with international guidelines is also provided to demonstrate the level of consistency. Finally, as a case study, the ISO standards are applied to a CubeSat mission, thus demonstrating their usability on a relatively recent and popular class of satellite.

STS-98 U.S. Lab Destiny rests in Atlantis' payload bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In this closeup, the U.S. Lab Destiny is seen installed in the payload bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis before closure of the doors. A key element in the construction of the International Space Station, Destiny is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node on the ISS using the Shuttle'''s robot arm, seen here on the left side, with the help of an elbow camera attached to the arm (near the upper end of the lab in the photo). This research and command-and-control center is the most sophisticated and versatile space laboratory ever built. It will ultimately house a total of 23 experiment racks for crew support and scientific research. Destiny will fly on STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the ISS. Launch of STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2:11 a.m. EST.

STS-98 U.S. Lab Destiny rests in Atlantis' payload bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- This closeup reveals the tight clearance between an elbow camera on the robotic arm (left) and the U.S. Lab Destiny when the payload bay doors are closed. Measurements of the elbow camera revealed only a one-inch clearance from the U.S. Lab payload, which is under review. A key element in the construction of the International Space Station, Destiny is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node on the ISS using the Shuttle'''s robot arm, with the help of the camera. This research and command-and-control center is the most sophisticated and versatile space laboratory ever built. It will ultimately house a total of 23 experiment racks for crew support and scientific research. Destiny will fly on STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the ISS. Launch of STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2:11 a.m. EST.

STS-111 Training in VR lab with Expedition IV and V Crewmembers

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-10-18

JSC2001-E-39082 (18 October 2001) --- Cosmonaut Valeri G. Korzun (left), Expedition Five mission commander, and astronaut Carl E. Walz, Expedition Four flight engineer, use the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for their duties on the International Space Station (ISS). This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps the entire team for dealing with ISS elements. Korzun represents Rosaviakosmos.

TQM in a Computer Lab.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Dewey A.; Phillips, Julie A.

At the Purdue University School of Technology (PST) at Columbus, Indiana, the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy was used in the computer laboratories to better meet student needs. A customer satisfaction survey was conducted to gather data on lab facilities, lab assistants, and hardware/software; other sections of the survey included…

Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

Science.gov Websites

Synthesis Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Scattering and Instrumentation Science Centers Center for Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Search MSD Go MSD - Materials Sciences Division About Organization Contact Research Core Programs Materials Discovery, Design and

EPICS Channel Access Server for LabVIEW

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

Zhukov, Alexander P.

It can be challenging to interface National Instruments LabVIEW (http://www.ni.com/labview/) with EPICS (http://www.aps.anl.gov/epics/). Such interface is required when an instrument control program was developed in LabVIEW but it also has to be part of global control system. This is frequently useful in big accelerator facilities. The Channel Access Server is written in LabVIEW, so it works on any hardware/software platform where LabVIEW is available. It provides full server functionality, so any EPICS client can communicate with it.

An ECG Lab Project for Teaching Signal Conditioning Systems in a Master's Degree in Mechatronic Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martín, Francisco Javier Ferrero; Martínez, Alberto López; Llopis, Marta Valledor; Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Campo; Viejo, Cecilio Blanco; Vershinin, Yuri A.

2015-01-01

Ongoing technological progress in measurement systems triggered the development of an in­novative, hands-on teaching program to help students toward a fuller understanding of recent changes in the field. This paper presents a lab project that links theoretical principles with the practical issues of signal conditioning systems. This is…

Graduate teaching assistants' perceptions of teaching competencies required for work in undergraduate science labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deacon, Christopher; Hajek, Allyson; Schulz, Henry

2017-11-01

Many post-secondary institutions provide training and resources to help GTAs fulfil their teaching roles. However, few programmes focus specifically on the teaching competencies required by GTAs who work with undergraduate students in laboratory settings where learning tends to be more active and inquiry based than in classroom settings. From a review of 8 GTA manuals, we identified 20 competencies and then surveyed faculty and lab coordinators (FIS) and GTAs from a Faculty of Science at a comprehensive Canadian university to identify which of those competencies are required of GTAs who work in undergraduate science labs. GTAs and FIS did not significantly differ in the competencies they view as required for GTAs to work effectively in undergraduate labs. But, when comparing the responses of GTAs and FIS to TA manuals, 'Clearly and effectively communicates ideas and information with students' was the only competency for which there was agreement on the level of requirement. We also examined GTAs' self-efficacy for each of the identified competencies and found no overall relationship between self-efficacy and demographic characteristics, including experience and training. Our results can be used to inform the design of training programmes specifically for GTAs who work in undergraduate science labs, for example, programmes should provide strategies for GTAs to obtain feedback which they can use to enhance their teaching skills. The goal of this study is to improve undergraduate lab instruction in faculties of science and to enhance the teaching experience of GTAs by better preparing them for their role.

Future{at}Labs.Prosperity Game{trademark}

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

Beck, D.F.; Boyack, K.W.; Berman, M.

Prosperity Games{trademark} are an outgrowth and adaptation of move/countermove and seminar War Games, Prosperity Games{trademark} are simulations that explore complex issues in a variety of areas including economics, politics, sociology, environment, education, and research. These issues can be examined from a variety of perspectives ranging from global, macroeconomic and geopolitical viewpoint down to the details of customer/supplier/market interactions specific industries. All Prosperity Games{trademark} are unique in that both the game format and the player contributions vary from game to game. This report documents the Future{at}Labs.Prosperity Game{trademark} conducted under the sponsorship of the Industry Advisory Boards of the national labs, themore » national labs, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and the University of California. Players were drawn from all stakeholders involved including government, industry, labs, and academia. The primary objectives of this game were to: (1) explore ways to optimize the role of the multidisciplinary labs in serving national missions and needs; (2) explore ways to increase collaboration and partnerships among government, laboratories, universities, and industry; and (3) create a network of partnership champions to promote findings and policy options. The deliberations and recommendations of these players provided valuable insights as to the views of this diverse group of decision makers concerning the future of the labs.« less

Science Lab: A Peer Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ronca, Courtney C.

The two goals of this program were to increase the number of classroom teachers using the lab and to increase the amount of time that the science lab was used. The solution strategy chosen was a combination of peer tutoring, orientation presentations, small group discovery experiments and activities, and individual science experiment stations. The…

LANGUAGE LABS--AN UPDATED REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1963

REPORTS FROM SEVERAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS ON THE USE OF AND PLANNING OF LANGUAGE LABORATORIES ARE PRESENTED. LABORATORIES SHOULD BE ARRANGED FOR FLEXIBLE USE. THE AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT CAN USE A LAB PROFITABLY FOR 20 TO 25 MINUTES. THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LANGUAGE LABORATORIES THAT ARE DESCRIBED. THE SATELLITE LAB IS DIVIDED BY A…

Academic Pipeline and Futures Lab

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

AFRL-RY-WP-TR-2015-0186 ACADEMIC PIPELINE AND FUTURES LAB Brian D. Rigling Wright State University FEBRUARY 2016...DD-MM-YY) 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) February 2016 Final 12 June 2009 – 30 September 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE ACADEMIC ...6 3 WSU ACADEMIC PIPELINE AND LAYERED SENSING FUTURES LAB (prepared by K

Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

Science.gov Websites

Synthesis Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Scattering and Instrumentation Science Centers Center for materials and phenomena at multiple time and length scales. Through our core programs and research centers Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Search MSD Go MSD - Materials

Towards a Manifesto for Living Lab Co-creation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Følstad, Asbjørn; Brandtzæg, Petter Bae; Gulliksen, Jan; Börjeson, Mikael; Näkki, Pirjo

There is a growing interest in Living Labs for innovation and development in the field of information and communication technology. In particular there seem to be a tendency that current Living Labs aim to involve users for co-creative purposes. However, the current literature on Living Lab co-creation is severely limited. Therefore an Interact workshop is arranged as a first step towards a manifesto for Living Lab co-creation.

STS-133 crew during MSS/EVAA TEAM training in Virtual Reality Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-01

JSC2010-E-170878 (1 Oct. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, STS-133 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of his duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS-133 crew during MSS/EVAA TEAM training in Virtual Reality Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-01

JSC2010-E-170888 (1 Oct. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, STS-133 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS-133 crew during MSS/EVAA TEAM training in Virtual Reality Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-01

JSC2010-E-170882 (1 Oct. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, STS-133 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Berkeley Lab 2nd Grader Outreach

ScienceCinema

Scoggins, Jackie; Louie, Virginia

2017-12-11

The Berkeley Lab IT Department sponsored a community outreach program aimed at teaching young children about computers and networks. Second graders from LeConte Elementary School joined Lab IT Staff for a day of in-depth exercises and fun.

Labs: 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Igelsrud, Don, Ed.

1988-01-01

This article presents a variety of topics discussed in this column and at a biology teachers' workshop concerning the quality and value of lab techniques used for teaching high school biology. Topics included are Drosophila salivary glands, sea urchins, innovations, dyes and networking. (CW)

Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

Science.gov Websites

-486-6999 Urgent Radiation Protection Group Assistance Non-Life Threatening Event 24/7 Lab Phone: x7277 : 911 (no extentions required now) Non-Emergency Reporting (Fire and Police) Non-Life Threatening Event Spill Non-Life Threatening Event 24/7 Lab Phone: x6999 Cell Phone: 510-486-6999 Off Site Locations: 510

Report from the banding lab

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tautin, J.

1995-01-01

Mr. Tautin reported on the seemingly everchanging structure of biological science units within the Interior Department. Current Congressional proposals would either change the name of the Bird Banding Lab's parent agency or make it part of the Geological Survey. The current Congress has not looked favorably on science budgets within the Interior Department, and the Banding Lab's budget is being squeezed ever tighter.

Computer-based Astronomy Labs for Non-science Majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, A. B. E.; Murray, S. D.; Ward, R. A.

1998-12-01

We describe and demonstrate two laboratory exercises, Kepler's Third Law and Stellar Structure, which are being developed for use in an astronomy laboratory class aimed at non-science majors. The labs run with Microsoft's Excel 98 (Macintosh) or Excel 97 (Windows). They can be run in a classroom setting or in an independent learning environment. The intent of the labs is twofold; first and foremost, students learn the subject matter through a series of informational frames. Next, students enhance their understanding by applying their knowledge in lab procedures, while also gaining familiarity with the use and power of a widely-used software package and scientific tool. No mathematical knowledge beyond basic algebra is required to complete the labs or to understand the computations in the spreadsheets, although the students are exposed to the concepts of numerical integration. The labs are contained in Excel workbook files. In the files are multiple spreadsheets, which contain either a frame with information on how to run the lab, material on the subject, or one or more procedures. Excel's VBA macro language is used to automate the labs. The macros are accessed through button interfaces positioned on the spreadsheets. This is done intentionally so that students can focus on learning the subject matter and the basic spreadsheet features without having to learn advanced Excel features all at once. Students open the file and progress through the informational frames to the procedures. After each procedure, student comments and data are automatically recorded in a preformatted Lab Report spreadsheet. Once all procedures have been completed, the student is prompted for a filename in which to save their Lab Report. The lab reports can then be printed or emailed to the instructor. The files will have full worksheet and workbook protection, and will have a "redo" feature at the end of the lab for students who want to repeat a procedure.

Restricted daily consumption of a highly palatable food (chocolate Ensure(R)) alters striatal enkephalin gene expression.

PubMed

Kelley, A E; Will, M J; Steininger, T L; Zhang, M; Haber, S N

2003-11-01

Brain opioid peptide systems are known to play an important role in motivation, emotion, attachment behaviour, the response to stress and pain, and the control of food intake. Opioid peptides within the ventral striatum are thought to play a key role in the latter function, regulating the affective response to highly palatable, energy-dense foods such as those containing fat and sugar. It has been shown previously that stimulation of mu opiate receptors within the ventral striatum increases intake of palatable food. In the present study, we examined enkephalin peptide gene expression within the striatum in rats that had been given restricted daily access to an energy-dense, palatable liquid food, chocolate Ensure(R). Rats maintained on an ad libitum diet of rat chow and water were given 3-h access to Ensure(R) daily for two weeks. One day following the end of this period, preproenkephalin gene expression was measured with quantitative in situ hybridization. Compared with control animals, rats that had been exposed to Ensure(R) had significantly reduced enkephalin gene expression in several striatal regions including the ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens), a finding that was confirmed in a different group with Northern blot analysis. Rats fed this regimen of Ensure(R) did not differ in weight from controls. In contrast to chronic Ensure(R), acute ingestion of Ensure(R) did not appear to affect enkephalin peptide gene expression. These results suggest that repeated consumption of a highly rewarding, energy-dense food induces neuroadaptations in cognitive-motivational circuits.

Open Labware: 3-D Printing Your Own Lab Equipment

PubMed Central

Baden, Tom; Chagas, Andre Maia; Gage, Greg; Marzullo, Timothy; Prieto-Godino, Lucia L.; Euler, Thomas

2015-01-01

The introduction of affordable, consumer-oriented 3-D printers is a milestone in the current “maker movement,” which has been heralded as the next industrial revolution. Combined with free and open sharing of detailed design blueprints and accessible development tools, rapid prototypes of complex products can now be assembled in one’s own garage—a game-changer reminiscent of the early days of personal computing. At the same time, 3-D printing has also allowed the scientific and engineering community to build the “little things” that help a lab get up and running much faster and easier than ever before. PMID:25794301

STS-131 crew during VR Lab MSS/EVAB SUPT3 Team 91016 training

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-25

JSC2009-E-214346 (25 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

STS-131 crew during VR Lab MSS/EVAB SUPT3 Team 91016 training

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-25

JSC2009-E-214328 (25 Sept. 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, STS-131 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

Guidelines for generators to meet HWHF acceptance requirements for hazardous, radioactive, and mixed wastes at Berkeley Lab. Revision 3

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

Albert, R.

1996-06-01

This document provides performance standards that one, as a generator of hazardous chemical, radioactive, or mixed wastes at the Berkeley Lab, must meet to manage their waste to protect Berkeley Lab staff and the environment, comply with waste regulations and ensure the continued safe operation of the workplace, have the waste transferred to the correct Waste Handling Facility, and enable the Environment, Health and Safety (EH and S) Division to properly pick up, manage, and ultimately send the waste off site for recycling, treatment, or disposal. If one uses and generates any of these wastes, one must establish a Satellitemore » Accumulation Area and follow the guidelines in the appropriate section of this document. Topics include minimization of wastes, characterization of the wastes, containers, segregation, labeling, empty containers, and spill cleanup and reporting.« less

Demo of three ways to use a computer to assist in lab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neville, J. P.

1990-01-01

The objective is to help the slow learner and students with a language problem, or to challenge the advanced student. Technology has advanced to the point where images generated on a computer can easily be recorded on a VCR and used as a video tutorial. This transfer can be as simple as pointing a video camera at the screen and recording the image. For more clarity and professional results, a board may be inserted into a computer which will convert the signals directly to the TV standard. Using a computer program that generates movies one can animate various principles which would normally be impossible to show or would require time-lapse photography. For example, you might show the change in shape of grains as a piece of metal is cold worked and then show the recrystallization and grain growth as heat is applied. More imaginative titles and graphics are also possible using this technique. Remedial help may also be offered via computer to those who find a specific concept difficult. A printout of specific data, details of the theory or equipment set-up can be offered. Programs are now available that will help as well as test the student in specific areas so that a Keller type approach can be used with each student to insure each knows the subject before going on to the next topic. A computer can serve as an information source and contain the microstructures, physical data and availability of each material tested in the lab. With this source present unknowns can be evaluated and various tests simulated to create a simple or complex case study lab assignment.

STS-111 Training in VR lab with Expedition IV and V Crewmembers

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-10-18

JSC2001-E-39085 (18 October 2001) --- Cosmonaut Valeri G. Korzun (left), Expedition Five mission commander, astronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition Five flight engineer, and astronaut Carl E. Walz, Expedition Four flight engineer, use the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to train for their duties on the International Space Station (ISS). This type of computer interface paired with virtual reality training hardware and software helps the entire team for dealing with ISS elements. Korzun represents Rosaviakosmos.

LABS Foundational Technology

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

Olson, Jerry

2012-01-01

They are the inventors of our generation dedicated to exceptional science, advancing the technologies of tomorrow. CO-LABS honors the outstanding achievements of researchers and their impact on the world.

STS-116 and Expedition 12 Preflight Training, VR Lab Bldg. 9.

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-05-06

JSC2005-E-18147 (6 May 2005) --- Astronauts Sunita L. Williams (left), Expedition 14 flight engineer, and Joan E. Higginbotham, STS-116 mission specialist, use the virtual reality lab at the Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements. Williams will join Expedition 14 in progress and serve as a flight engineer after traveling to the station on space shuttle mission STS-116.

Radiation safety in the cardiac catheterization lab: A time series quality improvement initiative.

PubMed

Abuzeid, Wael; Abunassar, Joseph; Leis, Jerome A; Tang, Vicky; Wong, Brian; Ko, Dennis T; Wijeysundera, Harindra C

Interventional cardiologists have one of the highest annual radiation exposures yet systems of care that promote radiation safety in cardiac catheterization labs are lacking. This study sought to reduce the frequency of radiation exposure, for PCI procedures, above 1.5Gy in labs utilizing a Phillips system at our local institution by 40%, over a 12-month period. We performed a time series study to assess the impact of different interventions on the frequency of radiation exposure above 1.5Gy. Process measures were percent of procedures where collimation and magnification were used and percent of completion of online educational modules. Balancing measures were the mean number of cases performed and mean fluoroscopy time. Information sessions, online modules, policies and posters were implemented followed by the introduction of a new lab with a novel software (AlluraClarity©) to reduce radiation dose. There was a significant reduction (91%, p<0.05) in the frequency of radiation exposure above 1.5Gy after utilizing a novel software (AlluraClarity©) in a new Phillips lab. Process measures of use of collimation (95.0% to 98.0%), use of magnification (20.0% to 14.0%) and completion of online modules (62%) helped track implementation. The mean number of cases performed and mean fluoroscopy time did not change significantly. While educational strategies had limited impact on reducing radiation exposure, implementing a novel software system provided the most effective means of reducing radiation exposure. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

STS-98 U.S. Lab Destiny rests in Atlantis' payload bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Viewed from the floor of the Payload Changeout Room, Destiny is inside Atlantis''' payload bay, waiting for closure of the payload bay doors. A key element in the construction of the International Space Station, Destiny is 28 feet long and weighs 16 tons. Destiny will be attached to the Unity node on the ISS using the Shuttle'''s robot arm, seen here on the left side, with the help of an elbow camera attached to the arm (near the upper end of the lab in the photo). Measurements of the elbow camera revealed only a one-inch clearance from the U.S. Lab payload, which is under review. This research and command-and-control center is the most sophisticated and versatile space laboratory ever built. It will ultimately house a total of 23 experiment racks for crew support and scientific research. Destiny will fly on STS-98, the seventh construction flight to the ISS. Launch of STS-98 is scheduled for Jan. 19 at 2:11 a.m. EST.

Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

Science.gov Websites

Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Phone Book Jobs Search DOE Search MSD Go MSD - Materials Investigators Ager, Joel W » Alivisatos, A Paul » Altman, Ehud » Analytis, James » Anderson, Christopher  , Naomi » Gullikson, Eric M » Harris, Stephen J » Hasan, M. Zahid » Hellman, Frances » Helms, Brett A

Experiential Learning of Digital Communication Using LabVIEW

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhan, Wei; Porter, Jay R.; Morgan, Joseph A.

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the design and implementation of laboratories and course projects using LabVIEW in an instrumentation course. The pedagogical challenge is to enhance students' learning of digital communication using LabVIEW. LabVIEW was extensively used in the laboratory sessions, which better prepared students for the course projects. Two…

Practical Physics Labs: A Resource Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwin, Peter

This resource manual focuses on physics labs that relate to the world around us and utilize simple equipment and situations. Forty-five laboratories are included that relate to thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, dynamics, optics, wave transmission, centripetal force, and atomic physics. Each lab has three sections. The first section…

My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-02

Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program line the railings of an observation deck overlooking the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Lab at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-02

Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program try out some of the machinery inside the Prototype Lab at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Florida spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-02

Mike Lane demonstrates a 3D scanner inside the NASA Kennedy Space Center Prototype Lab for students in the My Brother’s Keeper program. The Florida spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-02

Harold (Russ) McAmis demonstrates machinery inside NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Prototype Lab for students in the My Brother’s Keeper program. The Florida spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-02

Jose Nunez of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Research and Technology Programs talks to students in the My Brother’s Keeper program outside the Florida spaceport’s Swamp Works Lab. Kennedy is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

STS-133 crew training in VR Lab with replacement crew member Steve Bowen

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-24

JSC2011-E-006293 (24 Jan. 2011) --- NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, STS-133 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of his duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

STS-131 crew during VR Lab MSS/EVAB SUPT3 Team 91016 training

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-25

JSC2009-E-214321 (25 Sept. 2009) --- NASA astronauts James P. Dutton Jr., STS-131 pilot; and Stephanie Wilson, mission specialist, use the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

Baseball Physics: A New Mechanics Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagoner, Kasey; Flanagan, Daniel

2018-05-01

The game of baseball provides an interesting laboratory for experimenting with mechanical phenomena (there are many good examples in The Physics Teacher, available on Professor Alan Nathan's website, and discussed in Physics of Baseball & Softball). We have developed a lab, for an introductory-level physics course, that investigates many of these phenomena. The lab uses inexpensive, readily available equipment such as wooden baseball bats, baseballs, and actual Major League Baseball data. By the end of the lab, students have revisited many concepts they learned earlier in the semester and come away with an understanding of how to put seemingly disparate ideas together to analyze a fun sport.

Teaching Chemistry Lab Safety through Comics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

di Raddo, Pasquale

2006-04-01

As a means for raising students' interest in aspects pertaining to chemistry lab safety, this article presents a novel approach to teaching this important subject. Comic book lab scenes that involve fictional characters familiar to many students are presented and discussed as to the safety concerns represented in those images. These are discussed in a safety prelab session. For the sake of comparison, students are then shown images taken from current chemistry journals of safety-conscious contemporary chemists at work in their labs. Finally the need to adhere to copyright regulations for the use of the images is discussed so as to increase students' awareness of academic honesty and copyright issues.

Defense Health Care Reform: Actions Needed to Help Ensure Defense Health Agency Maintains Implementation Progress

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

business case analyses, and performance measures for the DHA’s shared services. GAO compared this information with key management practices and DOD...headquarters personnel within the MHS in annual budget documents. • Approach to help achieve cost savings - The DHA has developed a business case...comprehensive business case analyses for 2 shared services— Public Health, and Medical Education and Training. Specifically, the DHA has proposed the

Using a Practical Instructional Development Process to Show That Integrating Lab and Active Learning Benefits Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goacher, Robyn E.; Kline, Cynthia M.; Targus, Alexis; Vermette, Paul J.

2017-01-01

We describe how a practical instructional development process helped a first-year assistant professor rapidly develop, implement, and assess the impact on her Analytical Chemistry course caused by three changes: (a) moving the lab into the same semester as the lecture, (b) developing a more collaborative classroom environment, and (c) increasing…

Hydrogel Beads: The New Slime Lab?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brockway, Debra; Libera, Matthew; Welner, Heidi

2011-01-01

Creating slime fascinates students. Unfortunately, though intrigue is at its peak, the educational aspect of this activity is often minimal. This article describes a chemistry lab that closely relates to the slime lab and allows high school students to explore the concepts of chemical bonding, properties, and replacement reactions. It involves the…

Interactive, Online, Adsorption Lab to Support Discovery of the Scientific Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, K. C.; Ulery, A. L.; Chamberlin, B.; Dettmer, A.

2014-12-01

Science students require more than methods practice in lab activities; they must gain an understanding of the application of the scientific process through lab work. Large classes, time constraints, and funding may limit student access to science labs, denying students access to the types of experiential learning needed to motivate and develop new scientists. Interactive, discovery-based computer simulations and virtual labs provide an alternative, low-risk opportunity for learners to engage in lab processes and activities. Students can conduct experiments, collect data, draw conclusions, and even abort a session. We have developed an online virtual lab, through which students can interactively develop as scientists as they learn about scientific concepts, lab equipment, and proper lab techniques. Our first lab topic is adsorption of chemicals to soil, but the methodology is transferrable to other topics. In addition to learning the specific procedures involved in each lab, the online activities will prompt exploration and practice in key scientific and mathematical concepts, such as unit conversion, significant digits, assessing risks, evaluating bias, and assessing quantity and quality of data. These labs are not designed to replace traditional lab instruction, but to supplement instruction on challenging or particularly time-consuming concepts. To complement classroom instruction, students can engage in a lab experience outside the lab and over a shorter time period than often required with real-world adsorption studies. More importantly, students can reflect, discuss, review, and even fail at their lab experience as part of the process to see why natural processes and scientific approaches work the way they do. Our Media Productions team has completed a series of online digital labs available at virtuallabs.nmsu.edu and scienceofsoil.com, and these virtual labs are being integrated into coursework to evaluate changes in student learning.

Bituminous Mixtures Lab

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-07-25

The Bituminous Mixtures Laboratory (BML) specializes in the research of asphalt pavement mixtures. This lab supports FHWA's efforts to develop, evaluate and improve materials, mixture design technology and performance-based tests for asphalt paving m...

Prevalence of Pre-Analytical Errors in Clinical Chemistry Diagnostic Labs in Sulaimani City of Iraqi Kurdistan.

PubMed

Najat, Dereen

2017-01-01

hospitals focus only on the analytical phase, and none of the pre-analytical errors were recorded. Interestingly, none of the labs were internationally accredited; therefore, corrective actions are needed at these hospitals to ensure better health outcomes. Internal and External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) for the pre-analytical phase at Sulaimani clinical laboratories should be implemented at public hospitals. Furthermore, lab personnel, particularly phlebotomists, need continuous training on the importance of sample quality to obtain accurate test results.

Seeing an Old Lab in a New Light: Transforming a Traditional Optics Lab into Full Guided Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maley, Tim; Stoll, Will; Demir, Kadir

2013-01-01

This paper describes the authors' experiences transforming a "cookbook" lab into an inquiry-based investigation and the powerful effect the inquiry-oriented lab had on our students' understanding of lenses. We found the inquiry-oriented approach led to richer interactions between students as well as a deeper conceptual…

The Writing of the Scientific Paper To Help Students Process Water Quality Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friday, Gerald

This paper describes how a water monitoring program uses a science research paper to help students apply knowledge learned from the field, the lab, and class discussion. The application consists of examining water quality data of a river and determining what factors had an impact on the river, either biotic or abiotic. Students are asked to…

My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-02

Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program watch as Jose Nunez of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Research and Technology Programs demonstrates some of the hardware in the Electrostatic and Surface Physics Lab at the Florida spaceport. Kennedy is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-02

Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program listen as Jose Nunez of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Research and Technology Programs explains some of the hardware in the Electrostatic and Surface Physics Lab at the Florida spaceport. Kennedy is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

e-Labs and Work Objects: Towards Digital Health Economies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ainsworth, John D.; Buchan, Iain E.

The optimal provision of healthcare and public health services requires the synthesis of evidence from multiple disciplines. It is necessary to understand the genetic, environmental, behavioural and social determinants of disease and health-related states; to balance the effectiveness of interventions with their costs; to ensure the maximum safety and acceptability of interventions; and to provide fair access to care services for given populations. Ever expanding databases of knowledge and local health information, and the ability to employ computationally expensive methods, promises much for decisions to be both supported by best evidence and locally relevant. This promise will, however, not be realised without providing health professionals with the tools to make sense of this information rich environment and to collaborate across disciplines. We propose, as a solution to this problem, the e-Lab and Work Objects model as a sense-making platform for digital health economies - bringing together data, methods and people for timely health intelligence.

Supercharging Lessons with a Virtual Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Jefferson; Vincent, Daniel

2013-01-01

The authors describes their experiences incorporating the virtual lab into a simple circuit lesson during an energy unit in a sixth-grade class. The lesson included a hands-on group experiment using wire, batteries, and light bulbs to make a circuit and an online simulation, using a virtual lab. Class discussions, student inquiries, and the study…

Magnetic Viscous Drag for Friction Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaffney, Chris; Catching, Adam

2016-01-01

The typical friction lab performed in introductory mechanics courses is usually not the favorite of either the student or the instructor. The measurements are not all that easy to make, and reproducibility is usually a troublesome issue. This paper describes the augmentation of such a friction lab with a study of the viscous drag on a magnet…

Ensuring Payload Safety in Missions with Special Partnerships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Staubus, Calvert A.; Willenbring, Rachel C.; Blankenship, Michael D.

2016-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) payload space flight missions involve cooperative work between NASA and partners including spacecraft (or payload) contractors, universities, nonprofit research centers, Agency payload organization, Range Safety organization, Agency launch service organizations, and launch vehicle contractors. The role of NASA's Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Directorate is typically fairly straightforward, but when a mission's partnerships become more complex, to realize cost and science benefits (e.g., multi-agency payload(s) or cooperative international missions), the task of ensuring payload safety becomes much more challenging. This paper discusses lessons learned from NASA safety professionals working multiple-agency missions and offers suggestions to help fellow safety professionals working multiple-agency missions.

Berkeley Lab Scientist Named MacArthur "Genius" Fellow for Audio

Science.gov Websites

Preservation Research | Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Directory Submit Web People Navigation Berkeley Lab Search Submit Web People Close About the Lab Leadership/Organization Calendar News to digitally recover a 128-year-old recording of Alexander Graham Bell's voice, enabling people to

Gamblers seeking online help are active help-seekers: Time to support autonomy and competence.

PubMed

Rodda, S N; Dowling, N A; Lubman, D I

2018-06-05

Research investigating rates of help-seeking for problem gambling has traditionally focused on the uptake of face-to-face gambling services alone, despite the World Health Organisation defining help-seeking as any action or activity undertaken to improve or resolve emotional, psychological or behavioural problems. The primary aim of this study is to examine the full range of help-seeking options utilised by gamblers, and to determine whether administering a comprehensive list of help options yields higher help-seeking rates than a single item measure. A one-item and expanded 14-item help-seeking Questionnaire (the Help-Seeking Questionnaire; HSQ) were administered to 277 problem gamblers seeking help online. We found the 14-item HSQ yielded a significantly higher level of lifetime professional help-seeking (70%) compared to the one-item measure (22%). When we included self-directed activities, 93% of gamblers reported they had previously attempted at least one activity to reduce their gambling. Current measurement of help-seeking appears to underestimate the range of activities currently undertaken by gamblers to reduce their gambling. Surveys need to include the one-item HSQ (over the past 12 months have you sought professional help or advice (online, by phone, or in person), support from family or friends, or did something by yourself to limit or reduce your gambling?) or the three-item HSQ which measures engagement of face-to-face services (i.e., counselling, advice, groups), distance-based (i.e., anonymous telephone, online) and self-directed (i.e., activities not involving professional oversight) activities separately. The full 14-item screen can be administered when brief screens are positive to ensure accurate measurement of help-seeking. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flexible HVAC System for Lab or Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedan, Jonathan

2001-01-01

Discusses an effort to design a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system flexible enough to accommodate an easy conversion of classrooms to laboratories and dry labs to wet labs. The design's energy efficiency and operations and maintenance are examined. (GR)

Assessing Usage and Maximizing Finance Lab Impact: A Case Exploration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noguera, Magdy; Budden, Michael Craig; Silva, Alberto

2011-01-01

This paper reports the results of a survey conducted to assess students' usage and perceptions of a finance lab. Finance labs differ from simple computer labs as they typically contain data boards, streaming market quotes, terminals and software that allow for real-time financial analyses. Despite the fact that such labs represent significant and…

Design of Inquiry-Oriented Science Labs: Impacts on Students' Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baseya, J. M.; Francis, C. D.

2011-01-01

Background: Changes in lab style can lead to differences in learning. Two inquiry-oriented lab styles are guided inquiry (GI) and problem-based (PB). Students' attitudes towards lab are important to consider when choosing between GI and PB styles during curriculum design. Purpose: We examined the degree to which lab experiences are explained by a…

Development of a Computer-Assisted Instrumentation Curriculum for Physics Students: Using LabVIEW and Arduino Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuan, Wen-Hsuan; Tseng, Chi-Hung; Chen, Sufen; Wong, Ching-Chang

2016-06-01

We propose an integrated curriculum to establish essential abilities of computer programming for the freshmen of a physics department. The implementation of the graphical-based interfaces from Scratch to LabVIEW then to LabVIEW for Arduino in the curriculum `Computer-Assisted Instrumentation in the Design of Physics Laboratories' brings rigorous algorithm and syntax protocols together with imagination, communication, scientific applications and experimental innovation. The effectiveness of the curriculum was evaluated via statistical analysis of questionnaires, interview responses, the increase in student numbers majoring in physics, and performance in a competition. The results provide quantitative support that the curriculum remove huge barriers to programming which occur in text-based environments, helped students gain knowledge of programming and instrumentation, and increased the students' confidence and motivation to learn physics and computer languages.

Designing virtual science labs for the Islamic Academy of Delaware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AlZahrani, Nada Saeed

Science education is a basic part of the curriculum in modern day classrooms. Instructional approaches to science education can take many forms but hands-on application of theory via science laboratory activities for the learner is common. Not all schools have the resources to provide the laboratory environment necessary for hands-on application of science theory. Some settings rely on technology to provide a virtual laboratory experience instead. The Islamic Academy of Delaware (IAD), a typical community-based organization, was formed to support and meet the essential needs of the Muslim community of Delaware. IAD provides science education as part of the overall curriculum, but cannot provide laboratory activities as part of the science program. Virtual science labs may be a successful model for students at IAD. This study was conducted to investigate the potential of implementing virtual science labs at IAD and to develop an implementation plan for integrating the virtual labs. The literature has shown us that the lab experience is a valuable part of the science curriculum (NBPTS, 2013, Wolf, 2010, National Research Council, 1997 & 2012). The National Research Council (2012) stressed the inclusion of laboratory investigations in the science curriculum. The literature also supports the use of virtual labs as an effective substitute for classroom labs (Babateen, 2011; National Science Teachers Association, 2008). Pyatt and Simms (2011) found evidence that virtual labs were as good, if not better than physical lab experiences in some respects. Although not identical in experience to a live lab, the virtual lab has been shown to provide the student with an effective laboratory experience in situations where the live lab is not possible. The results of the IAD teacher interviews indicate that the teachers are well-prepared for, and supportive of, the implementation of virtual labs to improve the science education curriculum. The investigator believes that with the

Transforming the advanced lab: Part I - Learning goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwickl, Benjamin; Finkelstein, Noah; Lewandowski, H. J.

2012-02-01

Within the physics education research community relatively little attention has been given to laboratory courses, especially at the upper-division undergraduate level. As part of transforming our senior-level Optics and Modern Physics Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder we are developing learning goals, revising curricula, and creating assessments. In this paper, we report on the establishment of our learning goals and a surrounding framework that have emerged from discussions with a wide variety of faculty, from a review of the literature on labs, and from identifying the goals of existing lab courses. Our goals go beyond those of specific physics content and apparatus, allowing instructors to personalize them to their contexts. We report on four broad themes and associated learning goals: Modeling (math-physics-data connection, statistical error analysis, systematic error, modeling of engineered "black boxes"), Design (of experiments, apparatus, programs, troubleshooting), Communication, and Technical Lab Skills (computer-aided data analysis, LabVIEW, test and measurement equipment).

Student Plagiarism and Faculty Responsibility in Undergraduate Engineering Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parameswaran, Ashvin; Devi, Poornima

2006-01-01

In undergraduate engineering labs, lab reports are routinely copied. By ignoring this form of plagiarism, teaching assistants and lab technicians neglect their role responsibility. By designing courses that facilitate it, however inadvertently, professors neglect their causal responsibility. Using the case of one university, we show via interviews…

Using lab notebooks to examine students' engagement in modeling in an upper-division electronics lab course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, Jacob T.; Su, Weifeng; Lewandowski, H. J.

2017-12-01

We demonstrate how students' use of modeling can be examined and assessed using student notebooks collected from an upper-division electronics lab course. The use of models is a ubiquitous practice in undergraduate physics education, but the process of constructing, testing, and refining these models is much less common. We focus our attention on a lab course that has been transformed to engage students in this modeling process during lab activities. The design of the lab activities was guided by a framework that captures the different components of model-based reasoning, called the Modeling Framework for Experimental Physics. We demonstrate how this framework can be used to assess students' written work and to identify how students' model-based reasoning differed from activity to activity. Broadly speaking, we were able to identify the different steps of students' model-based reasoning and assess the completeness of their reasoning. Varying degrees of scaffolding present across the activities had an impact on how thoroughly students would engage in the full modeling process, with more scaffolded activities resulting in more thorough engagement with the process. Finally, we identified that the step in the process with which students had the most difficulty was the comparison between their interpreted data and their model prediction. Students did not use sufficiently sophisticated criteria in evaluating such comparisons, which had the effect of halting the modeling process. This may indicate that in order to engage students further in using model-based reasoning during lab activities, the instructor needs to provide further scaffolding for how students make these types of experimental comparisons. This is an important design consideration for other such courses attempting to incorporate modeling as a learning goal.

Cost accounting helps ensure group practice profitability.

PubMed

Conrad, K A; Nagle, C B; Wunar, R J

1996-11-01

Physician practice managers are faced with the challenge of developing overall practice budgets, identifying strategies for the practice, and negotiating profitable managed care contracts. To accomplish these objectives, they need to understand and manage the costs associated with practice operations. Practices that have used cost accounting methodologies to identify their operational costs in greater detail and have developed methods to effectively manage their costs are likely to be more attractive partners to health plans and better positioned to thrive under managed care.

Effectiveness of a Lab Manual Delivered on CD-ROM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brickman, Peggy; Ketter, Catherine A. Teare; Pereira, Monica

2005-01-01

Although electronic instructional media are becoming increasingly prevalent in science classrooms, their worth remains unproven. Here, student perceptions and performance using CD-ROM delivery of lab materials are assessed. Numerous learning barriers that produced lower lab grades for students using a CD-ROM lab manual in comparison to a print…

California State University, Northridge: Hybrid Lab Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EDUCAUSE, 2014

2014-01-01

California State University, Northridge's Hybrid Lab course model targets high failure rate, multisection, gateway courses in which prerequisite knowledge is a key to success. The Hybrid Lab course model components incorporate interventions and practices that have proven successful at CSUN and other campuses in supporting students, particularly…

The Portable Usability Testing Lab: A Flexible Research Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hale, Michael E.; And Others

A group of faculty at the University of Georgia obtained funding for a research and development facility called the Learning and Performance Support Laboratory (LPSL). One of the LPSL's primary needs was obtaining a portable usability lab for software testing, so the facility obtained the "Luggage Lab 2000." The lab is transportable to…

Modifying Cookbook Labs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Robert, L.; Clough, Michael P.; Berg, Craig A.

2000-01-01

Modifies an extended lab activity from a cookbook approach for determining the percent mass of water in copper sulfate pentahydrate crystals to one which incorporates students' prior knowledge, engenders active mental struggling with prior knowledge and new experiences, and encourages metacognition. (Contains 12 references.) (ASK)

GeneLab for High Schools: Data Mining for the Next Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blaber, Elizabeth A.; Ly, Diana; Sato, Kevin Y.; Taylor, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

Modern biological sciences have become increasingly based on molecular biology and high-throughput molecular techniques, such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. NASA Scientists and the NASA Space Biology Program have aimed to examine the fundamental building blocks of life (RNA, DNA and protein) in order to understand the response of living organisms to space and aid in fundamental research discoveries on Earth. In an effort to enable NASA funded science to be available to everyone, NASA has collected the data from omics studies and curated them in a data system called GeneLab. Whilst most college-level interns, academics and other scientists have had some interaction with omics data sets and analysis tools, high school students often have not. Therefore, the Space Biology Program is implementing a new Summer Program for high-school students that aims to inspire the next generation of scientists to learn about and get involved in space research using GeneLabs Data System. The program consists of three main components core learning modules, focused on developing students knowledge on the Space Biology Program and Space Biology research, Genelab and the data system, and previous research conducted on model organisms in space; networking and team work, enabling students to interact with guest lecturers from local universities and their fellow peers, and also enabling them to visit local universities and genomics centers around the Bay area; and finally an independent learning project, whereby students will be required to form small groups, analyze a dataset on the Genelab platform, generate a hypothesis and develop a research plan to test their hypothesis. This program will not only help inspire high-school students to become involved in space-based research but will also help them develop key critical thinking and bioinformatics skills required for most college degrees and furthermore, will enable them to establish networks with their peers and connections

Development and design of a late-model fitness test instrument based on LabView

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Ying; Wu, Feiqing

2010-12-01

Undergraduates are pioneers of China's modernization program and undertake the historic mission of rejuvenating our nation in the 21st century, whose physical fitness is vital. A smart fitness test system can well help them understand their fitness and health conditions, thus they can choose more suitable approaches and make practical plans for exercising according to their own situation. following the future trends, a Late-model fitness test Instrument based on LabView has been designed to remedy defects of today's instruments. The system hardware consists of fives types of sensors with their peripheral circuits, an acquisition card of NI USB-6251 and a computer, while the system software, on the basis of LabView, includes modules of user register, data acquisition, data process and display, and data storage. The system, featured by modularization and an open structure, is able to be revised according to actual needs. Tests results have verified the system's stability and reliability.

The development of lab-on-a-chip fabricated from two molds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pramuanjaroenkij, A.; Bunta, J.; Thiangpadung, J.; Sansaradee, S.; Kamsopa, P.; Sodsai, S.; Vichainsan, S.; Wongpanit, K.; Maturos, T.; Lomas, T.; Tuantranont, A.; Cetin, B.; Phankhoksoong, S.; Tongkratoke, A.

2018-01-01

Development of diagnostic technique of microfluidic or lab-on-a-chip (LOCs) is currently of great interest for researchers and inventors for their many advantages. It can be used as a real laboratory was many ways to help to the diagnosis faster. This research aims to develop Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) lab-on-a-chip (LOCs) which were produced from different molds; the silicon wafer mold and the stainless mold to investigate the flow of the biological sample as the flow in nanochannels. In addition, this research proposes a means to leakage and the blockage of the channel flow. The experimental results were found that the LOCs casted from the silicon wafer mold sandwiched by both the plasma cleaner machine and H shaped acrylic sheets showed leakages around the electrode areas because the first new electrodes were too thick, the proper thickness of the nickel electrode was at 0.05 millimeters. The LOCs casted from the stainless mold were inserted by the nickel electrodes produced by the from the prototype shaped electroplating process; this LOCs using nickel plated electrodes 2 times to make a groove on the nickel electrode backsides when pouring the PDMS into the LOCs casted from the stainless mold. It was found that PDMS was able to flow under the nickel electrode and the PDMS sheet could stick with the glass slide smoothly. In conclusion, it was possible to develop these LOC designs and new electrode fabrications continually under helps from Micro-Electro-Mechanical system, Thailand National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, since causes of the LOC problems were found, and demonstrated the feasibility of developing the LOCs for chemical detection and disease diagnostics.

Traditional Labs + New Questions = Improved Student Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rezba, Richard J.; And Others

1992-01-01

Presents three typical lab activities involving the breathing rate of fish, the behavior of electromagnets, and tests for water hardness to demonstrate how labs can be modified to teach process skills. Discusses how basic concepts about experimentation are developed and ways of generating and improving science experiments. Includes a laboratory…

A Well-Maintained Lab Is a Safer Lab. Safety Spotlight

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walls, William H.; Strimel, Greg J.

2018-01-01

Administration and funding can cause Engineering/Technology Education (ETE) programs to thrive or die. To administrators, the production/prototyping equipment and laboratory setting are often viewed as the features that set ETE apart from other school subjects. A lab is a unique gift as well as a responsibility. If an administrator can see that…

MatLab Programming for Engineers Having No Formal Programming Knowledge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaykhian, Linda H.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2007-01-01

MatLab is one of the most widely used very high level programming languages for Scientific and engineering computations. It is very user-friendly and needs practically no formal programming knowledge. Presented here are MatLab programming aspects and not just the MatLab commands for scientists and engineers who do not have formal programming training and also have no significant time to spare for learning programming to solve their real world problems. Specifically provided are programs for visualization. Also, stated are the current limitations of the MatLab, which possibly can be taken care of by Mathworks Inc. in a future version to make MatLab more versatile.

A text input system developed by using lips image recognition based LabVIEW for the seriously disabled.

PubMed

Chen, S C; Shao, C L; Liang, C K; Lin, S W; Huang, T H; Hsieh, M C; Yang, C H; Luo, C H; Wuo, C M

2004-01-01

In this paper, we present a text input system for the seriously disabled by using lips image recognition based on LabVIEW. This system can be divided into the software subsystem and the hardware subsystem. In the software subsystem, we adopted the technique of image processing to recognize the status of mouth-opened or mouth-closed depending the relative distance between the upper lip and the lower lip. In the hardware subsystem, parallel port built in PC is used to transmit the recognized result of mouth status to the Morse-code text input system. Integrating the software subsystem with the hardware subsystem, we implement a text input system by using lips image recognition programmed in LabVIEW language. We hope the system can help the seriously disabled to communicate with normal people more easily.

Prevalence of Pre-Analytical Errors in Clinical Chemistry Diagnostic Labs in Sulaimani City of Iraqi Kurdistan

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

%). Most quality control schemes at Sulaimani hospitals focus only on the analytical phase, and none of the pre-analytical errors were recorded. Interestingly, none of the labs were internationally accredited; therefore, corrective actions are needed at these hospitals to ensure better health outcomes. Internal and External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) for the pre-analytical phase at Sulaimani clinical laboratories should be implemented at public hospitals. Furthermore, lab personnel, particularly phlebotomists, need continuous training on the importance of sample quality to obtain accurate test results. PMID:28107395

Commerce Lab - A program of commercial flight opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, J.; Atkins, H. L.; Williams, J. R.

1985-01-01

Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab program provides mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program, in general, and the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

EPA Science Matters Newsletter: Stand-by Science: EPA Helps the Nation Be Better Prepared for Emergency Response (Published November 2013)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn about the EPA guide (Selected Analytical Methods for Environmental Remediation and Recovery) that helps labs around the country quickly select the appropriate environmental testing and analysis methods to use after a wide-scale chemical event

Frederick National Lab Collaboration Success Stories | FNLCR Staging

Cancer.gov

IBBR and Frederick National Lab Collaborate to Study Vaccine-Boosting Compounds The Frederick National Lab and the University of Maryland’s Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) will work under a formal collaboration to eval

Microsoft Licenses Berkeley Lab's Home Energy Saver Code for Its Energy

Science.gov Websites

-based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. About one million people visit the Home Management Software | Berkeley Lab Berkeley Lab A-Z Index Directory Submit Web People Navigation Berkeley Lab Search Submit Web People Close About the Lab Leadership/Organization Calendar News

Reducing unnecessary lab testing in the ICU with artificial intelligence.

PubMed

Cismondi, F; Celi, L A; Fialho, A S; Vieira, S M; Reti, S R; Sousa, J M C; Finkelstein, S N

2013-05-01

To reduce unnecessary lab testing by predicting when a proposed future lab test is likely to contribute information gain and thereby influence clinical management in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Recent studies have demonstrated that frequent laboratory testing does not necessarily relate to better outcomes. Data preprocessing, feature selection, and classification were performed and an artificial intelligence tool, fuzzy modeling, was used to identify lab tests that do not contribute an information gain. There were 11 input variables in total. Ten of these were derived from bedside monitor trends heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure, and urine collections, as well as infusion products and transfusions. The final input variable was a previous value from one of the eight lab tests being predicted: calcium, PTT, hematocrit, fibrinogen, lactate, platelets, INR and hemoglobin. The outcome for each test was a binary framework defining whether a test result contributed information gain or not. Predictive modeling was applied to recognize unnecessary lab tests in a real world ICU database extract comprising 746 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Classification accuracy of necessary and unnecessary lab tests of greater than 80% was achieved for all eight lab tests. Sensitivity and specificity were satisfactory for all the outcomes. An average reduction of 50% of the lab tests was obtained. This is an improvement from previously reported similar studies with average performance 37% by [1-3]. Reducing frequent lab testing and the potential clinical and financial implications are an important issue in intensive care. In this work we present an artificial intelligence method to predict the benefit of proposed future laboratory tests. Using ICU data from 746 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, and eleven measurements, we demonstrate high accuracy in predicting the likely information to be gained from proposed future

Reducing unnecessary lab testing in the ICU with artificial intelligence

PubMed Central

Cismondi, F.; Celi, L.A.; Fialho, A.S.; Vieira, S.M.; Reti, S.R.; Sousa, J.M.C.; Finkelstein, S.N.

2017-01-01

Objectives To reduce unnecessary lab testing by predicting when a proposed future lab test is likely to contribute information gain and thereby influence clinical management in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Recent studies have demonstrated that frequent laboratory testing does not necessarily relate to better outcomes. Design Data preprocessing, feature selection, and classification were performed and an artificial intelligence tool, fuzzy modeling, was used to identify lab tests that do not contribute an information gain. There were 11 input variables in total. Ten of these were derived from bedside monitor trends heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure, and urine collections, as well as infusion products and transfusions. The final input variable was a previous value from one of the eight lab tests being predicted: calcium, PTT, hematocrit, fibrinogen, lactate, platelets, INR and hemoglobin. The outcome for each test was a binary framework defining whether a test result contributed information gain or not. Patients Predictive modeling was applied to recognize unnecessary lab tests in a real world ICU database extract comprising 746 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Main results Classification accuracy of necessary and unnecessary lab tests of greater than 80% was achieved for all eight lab tests. Sensitivity and specificity were satisfactory for all the outcomes. An average reduction of 50% of the lab tests was obtained. This is an improvement from previously reported similar studies with average performance 37% by [1–3]. Conclusions Reducing frequent lab testing and the potential clinical and financial implications are an important issue in intensive care. In this work we present an artificial intelligence method to predict the benefit of proposed future laboratory tests. Using ICU data from 746 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, and eleven measurements, we demonstrate high accuracy in predicting the

STS-134 crew in Virtual Reality Lab during their MSS/EVAA SUPT2 Team training

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-27

JSC2010-E-121056 (27 Aug. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Gregory H. Johnson, STS-134 pilot, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of his duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Latest results from FROST at Jefferson Lab

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

Ritchie, Barry G.

2014-06-01

The spectrum of broad and overlapping nucleon excitations can be greatly clarified by use of a polarized photon beam incident on a polarized target in meson photoproduction experiments. At Jefferson Lab, a program of such measurements has made use of the Jefferson Lab FROzen Spin Target (FROST). An overview of preliminary results are presented.

Constructing Inexpensive, Flexible, and Versatile Microdialysis Probes in an Undergraduate Microdialysis Research Lab

PubMed Central

Steffes, Sally; Sandstrom, Michael

2008-01-01

Several challenges await new assistant professors setting up a neuroscience lab, and obtaining sufficient research help is typically a top priority. A secondary, but no less daunting, challenge is juggling accuracy and reliability with costs and limited start-up funds. These concerns are particularly crucial for those engaging technically sophisticated measurements, such as microdialysis. We have developed straightforward procedures that our undergraduate students have utilized to successfully construct high-quality, low-cost microdialysis probes. Students mastering the various steps involved have also gained valuable insight into their use, troubleshooting, and the implications of data obtained from these constructed probes. These procedures are explained here to foster increased use in neuroscience labs that involve undergraduates, along with pointers about teaching the technique to newcomers. Students who master the techniques can pass them on to new students easily. These procedures train students in the overall research technique of microdialysis more thoroughly than when manufactured probes are used, they save money, and will eventually save the principal investigator time when students develop independence with troubleshooting and repairs. PMID:23493044

National Labs and Nuclear Emergency Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budil, Kimberly

2015-04-01

The DOE national laboratories, and in particular the three NNSA national security laboratories, have long supported a broad suite of national nuclear security missions for the U.S. government. The capabilities, infrastructure and base of expertise developed to support the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile have been applied to such challenges as stemming nuclear proliferation, understanding the nuclear capabilities of adversaries, and assessing and countering nuclear threats including essential support to nuclear emergency response. This talk will discuss the programs that are underway at the laboratories and the essential role that science and technology plays therein. Nuclear scientists provide expertise, fundamental understanding of nuclear materials, processes and signatures, and tools and technologies to aid in the identification and mitigation of nuclear threats as well as consequence management. This talk will also discuss the importance of direct engagement with the response community, which helps to shape research priorities and to enable development of useful tools and techniques for responders working in the field. National Labs and Nuclear Emergency Response.

The Mysterious Death: An HPLC Lab Experiment. An Undergraduate Forensic Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beussman, Douglas J.

2007-01-01

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) laboratory experiment based on the separation of four prescription drugs (disopyramide, lidocaine, procainamide, and quinidine) is presented. The experiment is set within the forensic science context of the discovery of a patient's mysterious death where a drug overdose is suspected. Each lab group…

Sodium Blood Test: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

MedlinePlus

... Lab Tests Online [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2017. Cirrhosis; [updated 2017 Jan 8; cited ... Lab Tests Online [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2017. Electrolytes: Common Questions [updated 2015 Dec ...

Integrating Multiple On-line Knowledge Bases for Disease-Lab Test Relation Extraction.

PubMed

Zhang, Yaoyun; Soysal, Ergin; Moon, Sungrim; Wang, Jingqi; Tao, Cui; Xu, Hua

2015-01-01

A computable knowledge base containing relations between diseases and lab tests would be a great resource for many biomedical informatics applications. This paper describes our initial step towards establishing a comprehensive knowledge base of disease and lab tests relations utilizing three public on-line resources. LabTestsOnline, MedlinePlus and Wikipedia are integrated to create a freely available, computable disease-lab test knowledgebase. Disease and lab test concepts are identified using MetaMap and relations between diseases and lab tests are determined based on source-specific rules. Experimental results demonstrate a high precision for relation extraction, with Wikipedia achieving the highest precision of 87%. Combining the three sources reached a recall of 51.40%, when compared with a subset of disease-lab test relations extracted from a reference book. Moreover, we found additional disease-lab test relations from on-line resources, indicating they are complementary to existing reference books for building a comprehensive disease and lab test relation knowledge base.

LIVING LAB: User-Driven Innovation for Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liedtke, Christa; Welfens, Maria Jolanta; Rohn, Holger; Nordmann, Julia

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to summarize and discuss the results from the LIVING LAB design study, a project within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. The aim of this project was to develop the conceptual design of the LIVING LAB Research Infrastructure that will be used to research human interaction with, and stimulate…

Furniture for the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roskos, Bob

1999-01-01

Discusses key planning tips prior to purchasing computer-lab furniture to help ensure the furniture is stylish yet able to deliver efficient, cost-effective technology support. Discusses one school's solutions to wire management and finding furniture that was durable, easy to maintain, and competitively priced. (GR)

A study of energy-size relationship and wear rate in a lab-scale high pressure grinding rolls unit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashidi Dashtbayaz, Samira

This study is focused on two independent topics of energy-size relationship and wear-rate measurements on a lab-scale high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR). The first part of this study has been aimed to investigate the influence of the operating parameters and the feed characteristics on the particle-bed breakage using four different ore samples in a 200 mm x 100 mm lab-scale HPGR. Additionally, multistage grinding, scale-up from a lab-scale HPGR, and prediction of the particle size distributions have been studied in detail. The results obtained from energy-size relationship studies help with better understanding of the factors contributing to more energy-efficient grinding. It will be shown that the energy efficiency of the two configurations of locked-cycle and open multipass is completely dependent on the ore properties. A test procedure to produce the scale-up data is presented. The comparison of the scale-up factors between the data obtained on the University of Utah lab-scale HPGR and the industrial machine at the Newmont Boddington plant confirmed the applicability of lab-scale machines for trade-off studies. The population balance model for the simulation of product size distributions has shown to work well with the breakage function estimated through tests performed on the HPGR at high rotational speed. Selection function has been estimated by back calculation of population balance model with the help of the experimental data. This is considered to be a major step towards advancing current research on the simulation of particle size distribution by using the HPGR machine for determining the breakage function. Developing a technique/setup to measure the wear rate of the HPGR rolls' surface is the objective of the second topic of this dissertation. A mockup was initially designed to assess the application of the linear displacement sensors for measuring the rolls' weight loss. Upon the analysis of that technique and considering the corresponding sources of

Electron Microscopy Lab

Science.gov Websites

Facilities Science Pillars Research Library Science Briefs Science News Science Highlights Lab Organizations Science Programs Applied Energy Programs Civilian Nuclear Energy Programs Laboratory Directed Research Science Seaborg Institute Fellows Conferences Research Opportunities Center for Integrated

Ensuring that consumers receive appropriate information from drug ads: what is the FDA's role?

PubMed

Waxman, Henry A

2004-01-01

The promise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements lies in their potential to educate consumers about medical conditions and the possibility of treatment. But this promise can only be fulfilled if consumers are given clear and accurate information. The responsibility for ensuring that this occurs falls on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recent congressional investigations have indicated that the agency is failing at this task, as FDA enforcement actions against false and misleading ads have declined precipitously in recent years. Other FDA efforts, such as its recently released guidelines on prescription drugs, do not appear to be helpful, potentially confusing consumers more than helping them.

Jefferson Lab Virtual Tour

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

Take a virtual tour of the campus of Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. You can see inside our two accelerators, three experimental areas, accelerator component fabrication and testing areas, high-performance computing areas and laser labs.

The History of Science and Technology at Bell Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bishop, David

2008-03-01

Over the last 80 years, Bell Labs has been one of the most scientifically and technologically productive research labs in the world. Inventions such as the transistor, laser, cell phone, solar cell, negative feedback amplifier, communications satellite and many others were made there. Scientific breakthroughs such as discovery of the Big Bang, the wave nature of the electron, electron localization and the fractional quantum hall effect were also made there making Bell Labs almost unique in terms of large impacts in both science and technology. In my talk, I will discuss the history of the lab, talk about the present and give some suggestions for how I see it evolving into the future.

Towards a Flexible Language Lab for Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conway, Diana

1992-01-01

Suggestions are offered for ways to modify a typical community college language laboratory to serve diverse student needs. The discussion is based on experiences of Anchorage Community College, which modeled its lab on a learning resources center rather than a traditional lab. (LB)

Introducing ADS Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Accomazzi, Alberto; Henneken, E.; Grant, C. S.; Kurtz, M. J.; Di Milia, G.; Luker, J.; Thompson, D. M.; Bohlen, E.; Murray, S. S.

2011-05-01

ADS Labs is a platform that ADS is introducing in order to test and receive feedback from the community on new technologies and prototype services. Currently, ADS Labs features a new interface for abstract searches, faceted filtering of results, visualization of co-authorship networks, article-level recommendations, and a full-text search service. The streamlined abstract search interface provides a simple, one-box search with options for ranking results based on a paper relevancy, freshness, number of citations, and downloads. In addition, it provides advanced rankings based on collaborative filtering techniques. The faceted filtering interface allows users to narrow search results based on a particular property or set of properties ("facets"), allowing users to manage large lists and explore the relationship between them. For any set or sub-set of records, the co-authorship network can be visualized in an interactive way, offering a view of the distribution of contributors and their inter-relationships. This provides an immediate way to detect groups and collaborations involved in a particular research field. For a majority of papers in Astronomy, our new interface will provide a list of related articles of potential interest. The recommendations are based on a number of factors, including text similarity, citations, and co-readership information. The new full-text search interface allows users to find all instances of particular words or phrases in the body of the articles in our full-text archive. This includes all of the scanned literature in ADS as well as a select portion of the current astronomical literature, including ApJ, ApJS, AJ, MNRAS, PASP, A&A, and soon additional content from Springer journals. Fulltext search results include a list of the matching papers as well as a list of "snippets" of text highlighting the context in which the search terms were found. ADS Labs is available at http://adslabs.org

Time Trials--An AP Physics Challenge Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, David

2009-01-01

I have come to the conclusion that for high school physics classroom and laboratory experiences, simpler is better! In this paper I describe a very simple and effective lab experience that my AP students have thoroughly enjoyed year after year. I call this lab exercise "Time Trials." The experiment is simple in design and it is a lot of fun for…

Elemental Chem Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franco Mariscal, Antonio Joaquin

2008-01-01

This educative material uses the symbols of 45 elements to spell the names of 32 types of laboratory equipment usually found in chemical labs. This teaching material has been divided into three puzzles according to the type of the laboratory equipment: (i) glassware as reaction vessels or containers; (ii) glassware for measuring, addition or…

Lab with Dad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Havers, Brenda; Delmotte, Karen

2012-01-01

Family science nights are fantastic, but planning one can be overwhelming, especially when one considers the already overloaded schedule of a classroom teacher. To overcome this challenge, the authors--colleagues with a mutual love of science--developed a much simpler annual event called "Lab With Dad." The purpose was for one target age group of…

My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-02

Students in the My Brother’s Keeper program get an inside look at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s iconic Vehicle Assembly Building from the transfer aisle. The Florida spaceport is one of six NASA centers that participated in My Brother’s Keeper National Lab Week. The event is a nationwide effort to bring youth from underrepresented communities into federal labs and centers for hands-on activities, tours and inspirational speakers. Sixty students from the nearby cities of Orlando and Sanford visited Kennedy, where they toured the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Station Processing Facility and the center’s innovative Swamp Works Labs. The students also had a chance to meet and ask questions of a panel of subject matter experts from across Kennedy.

STS-134 crew in Virtual Reality Lab during their MSS/EVAA SUPT2 Team training

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-27

JSC2010-E-121049 (27 Aug. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel (foreground), STS-134 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of his duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Constructing the Components of a Lab Report Using Peer Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, David E.; Fawkes, Kelli L.

2010-01-01

A protocol that emphasizes lab report writing using a piecemeal approach coupled with peer review is described. As the lab course progresses, the focus of the report writing changes sequentially through the abstract and introduction, the discussion, and the procedure. Two styles of lab programs are presented. One style rotates the students through…

Can Graduate Teaching Assistants Teach Inquiry-Based Geology Labs Effectively?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryker, Katherine; McConnell, David

2014-01-01

This study examines the implementation of teaching strategies by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in inquiry-based introductory geology labs at a large research university. We assess the degree of inquiry present in each Physical Geology lab and compare and contrast the instructional practices of new and experienced GTAs teaching these labs. We…

Open web system of Virtual labs for nuclear and applied physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saldikov, I. S.; Afanasyev, V. V.; Petrov, V. I.; Ternovykh, M. Yu

2017-01-01

An example of virtual lab work on unique experimental equipment is presented. The virtual lab work is software based on a model of real equipment. Virtual labs can be used for educational process in nuclear safety and analysis field. As an example it includes the virtual lab called “Experimental determination of the material parameter depending on the pitch of a uranium-water lattice”. This paper included general description of this lab. A description of a database on the support of laboratory work on unique experimental equipment which is included this work, its concept development are also presented.

Life or death decisions: framing the call for help.

PubMed

Chou, Eileen Y; Murnighan, J Keith

2013-01-01

Chronic blood shortages in the U.S. would be alleviated by small increases, in percentage terms, of people donating blood. The current research investigated the effects of subtle changes in charity-seeking messages on the likelihood of people responses to a call for help. We predicted that "avoid losses" messages would lead to more helping behavior than "promote gains" messages would. Two studies investigated the effects of message framing on helping intentions and behaviors. With the help and collaboration of the Red Cross, Study 1, a field experiment, directly assessed the effectiveness of a call for blood donations that was presented as either death-preventing (losses) or life-saving (gains), and as being of either more or less urgent need. With the help and collaboration of a local charity, Study 2, a lab experiment, assessed the effects of the gain-versus-loss framing of a donation-soliciting flyer on individuals' expectations of others' monetary donations as well their own volunteering behavior. Study 2 also assessed the effects of three emotional motivators - feelings of empathy, positive affect, and relational closeness. Study 1 indicated that, on a college campus, describing blood donations as a way to "prevent a death" rather than "save a life" boosted the donation rate. Study 2 showed that framing a charity's appeals as helping people to avoid a loss led to larger expected donations, increased intentions to volunteer, and more helping behavior, independent of other emotional motivators. This research identifies and demonstrates a reliable and effective method for increasing important helping behaviors by providing charities with concrete ideas that can effectively increase helping behavior generally and potentially death-preventing behavior in particular.

Inside Linden Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Tom

2008-01-01

In this article, the author provides an overview of Second Life[trademark], or simply SL, which was developed at Linden Lab, a San Francisco-based corporation. SL is an online society within a threee-dimensional virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents, where they can explore, build, socialize and participate in their own economy.…

Introductory labs; what they don't, should, and can teach (and why)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieman, Carl

2016-03-01

Introductory physics labs are widely used and expensive. They have a wide variety of potential learning goals, but these are seldom specified and less often measured if they are achieved. We cover three different research projects on introductory labs: 1) We have done cognitive task analyses of both experimental research in physics and instructional labs. The striking differences explain much of the unhappiness expressed by students with labs: 2) We have measured the effectiveness of two introductory physics lab courses specifically intended to teach the physics content covered in standard introductory courses on mechanics and E & M. As measured by course exams, the benefit is 0 +/-2% for both. 3) We show how it is possible to use lab courses to teach students to correctly evaluate physical models with uncertain data. Such quantitative critical thinking is an important skill that is not learned in typical lab courses, but is well learned by our modified lab instruction.

Behind the Scenes at Berkeley Lab - The Mechanical Fabrication Facility

ScienceCinema

Wells, Russell; Chavez, Pete; Davis, Curtis; Bentley, Brian

2018-04-16

Part of the Behind the Scenes series at Berkeley Lab, this video highlights the lab's mechanical fabrication facility and its exceptional ability to produce unique tools essential to the lab's scientific mission. Through a combination of skilled craftsmanship and precision equipment, machinists and engineers work with scientists to create exactly what's needed - whether it's measured in microns or meters.

New Features in ADS Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Accomazzi, Alberto; Kurtz, M. J.; Henneken, E. A.; Grant, C. S.; Thompson, D.; Di Milia, G.; Luker, J.; Murray, S. S.

2013-01-01

The NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) has been working hard on updating its services and interfaces to better support our community's research needs. ADS Labs is a new interface built on the old tried-and-true ADS Abstract Databases, so all of ADS's content is available through it. In this presentation we highlight the new features that have been developed in ADS Labs over the last year: new recommendations, metrics, a citation tool and enhanced fulltext search. ADS Labs has long been providing article-level recommendations based on keyword similarity, co-readership and co-citation analysis of its corpus. We have now introduced personal recommendations, which provide a list of articles to be considered based on a individual user's readership history. A new metrics interface provides a summary of the basic impact indicators for a list of records. These include the total and normalized number of papers, citations, reads, and downloads. Also included are some of the popular indices such as the h, g and i10 index. The citation helper tool allows one to submit a set of records and obtain a list of top 10 papers which cite and/or are cited by papers in the original list (but which are not in it). The process closely resembles the network approach of establishing "friends of friends" via an analysis of the citation network. The full-text search service now covers more than 2.5 million documents, including all the major astronomy journals, as well as physics journals published by Springer, Elsevier, the American Physical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and all of the arXiv eprints. The full-text search interface interface allows users and librarians to dig deep and find words or phrases in the body of the indexed articles. ADS Labs is available at http://adslabs.org

LabVIEW Interface for PCI-SpaceWire Interface Card

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lux, James; Loya, Frank; Bachmann, Alex

2005-01-01

This software provides a LabView interface to the NT drivers for the PCISpaceWire card, which is a peripheral component interface (PCI) bus interface that conforms to the IEEE-1355/ SpaceWire standard. As SpaceWire grows in popularity, the ability to use SpaceWire links within LabVIEW will be important to electronic ground support equipment vendors. In addition, there is a need for a high-level LabVIEW interface to the low-level device- driver software supplied with the card. The LabVIEW virtual instrument (VI) provides graphical interfaces to support all (1) SpaceWire link functions, including message handling and routing; (2) monitoring as a passive tap using specialized hardware; and (3) low-level access to satellite mission-control subsystem functions. The software is supplied in a zip file that contains LabVIEW VI files, which provide various functions of the PCI-SpaceWire card, as well as higher-link-level functions. The VIs are suitably named according to the matching function names in the driver manual. A number of test programs also are provided to exercise various functions.

Practical Clinical Training in Skills Labs: Theory and Practice

PubMed Central

Bugaj, T. J.; Nikendei, C.

2016-01-01

Today, skills laboratories or “skills labs”, i.e. specific practical skill training facilities, are a firmly established part of medical education offering the possibility of training clinical procedures in a safe and fault-forging environment prior to real life application at bedside or in the operating room. Skills lab training follows a structured teaching concept, takes place under supervision and in consideration of methodological-didactic concepts, ideally creating an atmosphere that allows the repeated, anxiety- and risk-free practice of targeted skills. In this selective literature review, the first section is devoted to (I) the development and dissemination of the skills lab concept. There follows (II) an outline of the underlying idea and (III) an analysis of key efficacy factors. Thereafter, (IV) the training method’s effectiveness and transference are illuminated, before (V) the use of student tutors, in the sense of peer-assisted-learning, in skills labs is discussed separately. Finally, (VI) the efficiency of the skills lab concept is analyzed, followed by an outlook on future developments and trends in the field of skills lab training. PMID:27579363

EarthLabs - Investigating Hurricanes: Earth's Meteorological Monsters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDaris, J. R.; Dahlman, L.; Barstow, D.

2007-12-01

Earth science is one of the most important tools that the global community needs to address the pressing environmental, social, and economic issues of our time. While, at times considered a second-rate science at the high school level, it is currently undergoing a major revolution in the depth of content and pedagogical vitality. As part of this revolution, labs in Earth science courses need to shift their focus from cookbook-like activities with known outcomes to open-ended investigations that challenge students to think, explore and apply their learning. We need to establish a new model for Earth science as a rigorous lab science in policy, perception, and reality. As a concerted response to this need, five states, a coalition of scientists and educators, and an experienced curriculum team are creating a national model for a lab-based high school Earth science course named EarthLabs. This lab course will comply with the National Science Education Standards as well as the states' curriculum frameworks. The content will focus on Earth system science and environmental literacy. The lab experiences will feature a combination of field work, classroom experiments, and computer access to data and visualizations, and demonstrate the rigor and depth of a true lab course. The effort is being funded by NOAA's Environmental Literacy program. One of the prototype units of the course is Investigating Hurricanes. Hurricanes are phenomena which have tremendous impact on humanity and the resources we use. They are also the result of complex interacting Earth systems, making them perfect objects for rigorous investigation of many concepts commonly covered in Earth science courses, such as meteorology, climate, and global wind circulation. Students are able to use the same data sets, analysis tools, and research techniques that scientists employ in their research, yielding truly authentic learning opportunities. This month-long integrated unit uses hurricanes as the story line by

Stream piracy in the Black Hills: A geomorphology lab exercise

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zaprowski, B.J.; Evenson, E.B.; Epstein, J.B.

2002-01-01

The Black Hills of South Dakota exhibits many fine examples of stream piracy that are very suitable for teaching geomorphology lab exercises. This lab goes beyond standard topographic map interpretation by using geologic maps, well logs, gravel provenance and other types of data to teach students about stream piracy. Using a step-by-step method in which the lab exercises ramp up in difficulty, students hone their skills in deductive reasoning and data assimilation. The first exercises deal with the identification of stream piracy at a variety of spatial scales and the lab culminates with an exercise on landscape evolution and drainage rearrangement.

Creative Science Teaching Labs: New Dimensions in CPD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chappell, Kerry; Craft, Anna

2009-01-01

This paper offers analysis and evaluation of "Creative Science Teaching (CST) Labs III", a unique and immersive approach to science teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) designed and run by a London-based organisation, Performing Arts Labs (PAL), involving specialists from the arts, science and technology as integral. Articulating…

Online Writing Labs as Sites for Community Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Jaclyn Michelle

2010-01-01

This dissertation investigates the Community Writing and Education Station (CWEST), a community engagement project that partners a community adult basic literacy program with a university writing lab. The author argues that the community and university partners, the Lafayette Adult Resource Academy (LARA) and the Purdue Writing Lab, offer positive…

Developing and Implementing Lab Skills Seminars, a Student-Led Learning Approach in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory: Mentoring Current Students While Benefiting Facilitators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabanayagam, Kalyani; Dani, Vivek D.; John, Matthew; Restivo, Wanda; Mikhaylichenko, Svetlana; Dalili, Shadi

2017-01-01

This paper describes the successful adaptation of certain components of peer-led team learning (PLTL) as well as service learning principles into our initiative: lab skills seminars (LSS). These seminars were organized for large, second year organic chemistry laboratory courses. Prior to LSS, the only help available for students was traditional…

Berkeley Lab's Saul Perlmutter wins Nobel Prize in Physics | Berkeley Lab

Science.gov Websites

astrophysics, dark energy, physics Connect twitter instagram LinkedIn facebook youtube This form needs Berkeley Lab's Saul Perlmutter wins Nobel Prize in Physics News Release Paul Preuss 510-486-6249 * October professor of physics at the University of California at Berkeley, has won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics

NASA's GreenLab Research Facility: A Guide for a Self-Sustainable Renewable Energy Ecosystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bomani, B. M. McDowell; Hendricks, R. C.; Elbuluk, Malik; Okon, Monica; Lee, Eric; Gigante, Bethany

2011-01-01

There is a large gap between the production and demand for energy from alternative fuel and alternative renewable energy sources. The sustainability of humanity, as we know it, directly depends on the ability to secure affordable fuel, food, and freshwater. NASA Glenn Research Center (Glenn) has initiated a laboratory pilot study on using biofuels as viable alternative fuel resources for the field of aviation, as well as utilizing wind and solar technology as alternative renewable energy resources. The GreenLab Research Facility focuses on optimizing biomass feedstock using algae and halophytes as the next generation of renewable aviation fuels. The unique approach in this facility helps achieve optimal biomass feedstock through climatic adaptation of balanced ecosystems that do not use freshwater, compete with food crops, or use arable land. In addition, the GreenLab Research Facility is powered, in part, by alternative and renewable energy sources, reducing the major environmental impact of present electricity sources. The ultimate goal is to have a 100 percent clean energy laboratory that, when combined with biomass feedstock research, has the framework in place for a self-sustainable renewable energy ecosystem that can be duplicated anywhere in the world and can potentially be used to mitigate the shortage of food, fuel, and water. This paper describes the GreenLab Research Facility at Glenn and its power and energy sources, and provides recommendations for worldwide expansion and adoption of the facility s concept.

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

Letters Home as an Alternative to Lab Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, W. Brian

2014-01-01

The traditional lab report is known to create several pedagogical shortcomings in the introductory physics course, particularly with regard to promoting student engagement and encouraging quality writing. This paper discusses the use of a "letter home" written to a non-physicist as an alternative to lab reports that creates a more…

Introduction to Computing: Lab Manual. Faculty Guide [and] Student Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frasca, Joseph W.

This lab manual is designed to accompany a college course introducing students to computing. The exercises are designed to be completed by the average student in a supervised 2-hour block of time at a computer lab over 15 weeks. The intent of each lab session is to introduce a topic and have the student feel comfortable with the use of the machine…

STS-134 crew in Virtual Reality Lab during their MSS/EVAA SUPT2 Team training

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-08-27

JSC2010-E-121045 (27 Aug. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel (right), STS-134 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center to train for some of his duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare crew members for dealing with space station elements. David Homan assisted Feustel. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Rust Contamination from Water Leaks in the Cosmic Dust Lab and Lunar and Meteorite Thin Sections Labs at Johnson Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kent, J. J.; Berger, E. L.; Fries, M. D.; Bastien, R.; McCubbin, F. M.; Pace, L.; Righter, K.; Sutter, B.; Zeigler, R. A.; Zolensky, M.

2017-01-01

On the early morning of September 15th, 2016, on the first floor of Building 31 at NASA-Johnson Space Center, the hose from a water chiller ruptured and began spraying water onto the floor. The water had been circulating though old metal pipes, and the leaked water contained rust-colored particulates. The water flooded much of the western wing of the building's ground floor before the leak was stopped, and it left behind a residue of rust across the floor, most notably in the Apollo and Meteorite Thin Section Labs and Sample Preparation Lab. No samples were damaged in the event, and the affected facilities are in the process of remediation. At the beginning of 2016, a separate leak occurred in the Cosmic Dust Lab, located in the same building. In that lab, a water leak occurred at the bottom of the sink used to clean the lab's tools and containers with ultra-pure water. Over years of use, the ultra-pure water eroded the metal sink piping and leaked water onto the inside of the lab's flow bench. This water also left behind a film of rusty material. The material was cleaned up and the metal piping was replaced with PVC pipe and sealed with Teflon plumber's tape. Samples of the rust detritus were collected from both incidents. These samples were imaged and analyzed to determine their chemical and mineralogical compositions. The purpose of these analyses is to document the nature of the detritus for future reference in the unlikely event that these materials occur as contaminants in the Cosmic Dust samples or Apollo or Meteorite thin sections.

Macromolecules Inquiry: Transformation of a Standard Biochemistry Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unsworth, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Identification of macromolecules in food is a standard introductory high school biology lab. The intent of this article is to describe the conversion of this standard cookbook lab into an inquiry investigation. Instead of verifying the macromolecules found in food, students use their knowledge of the macromolecules in food to determine the…

Personal Adult Learning Lab (Pall). Implications for Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klippel, Judith A.; And Others

The Personal Adult Learning Lab was establsiehd at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education (GCCE) at the University of Georgia to serve self-directed adult learners and conduct research on self-directed learning. The lab allows adult learners to design, conduct, and evaluate their personal learning experiences while proceeding at their own…

The Role of Corporations in Ensuring Biodiversity

PubMed

KELLY; HODGE

1996-11-01

/ Corporations own approximately 25% of all private land in the United States and, therefore, play an essential role in protecting biodiversity and maintaining natural habitats. The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a unique joint venture between conservation organizations and corporations to utilize corporate lands for ensuring biodiversity. The following case studies demonstrate how corporations have helped ensure healthy ecosystems and provided critical leadership in regional efforts. Amoco Chemical Company's Cooper River Plant has been instrumental in developing a cooperative project that involves numerous corporations, plantation owners, private citizens, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and community groups to develop a comprehensive, ecosystem-based management plan for part of the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. The second case focuses on the Morie Company, a national sand quarry operator headquartered in southern New Jersey, USA. Morie Company is working with WHC, community groups, the Pinelands Commission, and other state regulatory agencies to explore sustainable development opportunities for companies within the Pinelands regulations. The third case takes us to DuPont Company's Asturias, Spain, site. A win-win success story of improved habitat and cost savings is the result of DuPont's concern for the environment, ability to work with a variety of groups, and willingness to consider innovative restoration techniques. The fourth case discusses Consumers Power Company's Campbell Plant in West Olive, Michigan, USA. In addition to implementing projects that contribute to biodiversity, Consumers Power has developed an environmental education field station to teach others about the importance of natural habitats. The final case highlights Baltimore Gas & Electric Company's efforts to maintain habitat for endangered species at their Calvert Cliffs site in Maryland.KEY WORDS: Partnerships; Stewardship; International; Habitats

The College of Charleston's 400-Student Observational Lab Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

True, C. M.

2006-06-01

For over thirty years the College of Charleston has been teaching a year-long introductory astronomy course incorporating a mandatory 3 hour lab. Despite our location in a very light polluted, coastal, high humidity, and often cloudy metropolitan area we have emphasized observational activities as much as possible. To accommodate our population of between 300-400 students per semester, we have 28 8-inch Celestron Telescopes and 25 GPS capable 8-inch Meade LX-200 telescopes. Finally, we have a 16 DFM adjacent to our rooftop observing decks. For indoor activities we have access to 42 computers running a variety of astronomy education software. Some of the computer activities are based on the Starry Night software (Backyard and Pro), the CLEA software from Gettysburg College, and Spectrum Explorer from Boston University. Additionally, we have labs involving cratering, eclipses and phases, coordinate systems with celestial globes, the inverse square law, spectroscopy and spectral classification, as well as others. In this presentation we will discuss the difficulties in managing a program of this size. We have approximately 14 lab sections a week. The lab manager's task involves coordinating 8-10 lab instructors and the same number of undergraduate teaching assistants as well as trying to maintain a coherent experience between the labs and lecture sections. Our lab manuals are produced locally with yearly updates. Samples from the manuals will be available. This program has been developed by a large number of College of Charleston astronomy faculty, including Don Drost, Bob Dukes, Chris Fragile, Tim Giblin, Jon Hakkila, Bill Kubinec, Lee Lindner, Jim Neff, Laura Penny, Al Rainis, Terry Richardson, and D. J. Williams, as well as adjunct and visiting faculty Bill Baird, Kevin Bourque, Ethan Denault, Kwayera Davis, Francie Halter, and Alan Johnson. Part of this work has been funded by NSF DUE grants to the College of Charleston.

The Living Labs: Innovation in Real-Life Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawk, Nathan; Bartle, Gamin; Romine, Martha

2012-01-01

The living lab (LL) is an open innovation ecosystem serving to provide opportunities for local stakeholders to practice research and to experiment with meaningful improvements for cities and other organizations. Living labs aim at involving the user as a cocreator. In this article the relationship between the LLs and a variety of stakeholders is…

Glucose in Urine Test: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

MedlinePlus

... Lab Tests Online [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2017. Diabetes [updated 2017 Jan 15; cited ... Lab Tests Online [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2017. Glucose Tests: Common Questions [updated 2017 ...

Portable capillary electrophoresis-system for on-site food analysis with lab-on-a-chip based contactless conductivity detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gärtner, Claudia; Sewart, René; Klemm, Richard; Becker, Holger

2014-06-01

A portable analytical system for the characterization of liquid environmental samples and beverages in food control was realized. The key element is the implementation of contactless conductivity detection on lab-on-a-chip basis ensuring the system to be operated in a label free mode. Typical target molecules such as small ionic species like Li+, Na+, K+, SO4 2- or NO3-, organic acids in wine whose concentration and ratio to each other documents the wine quality, or caffeine or phosphate in coke were detected. Results from sample matrices like various beverages as water, cola, tea, wine and milk, water from heaters, environmental samples and blood will be presented.

Life or Death Decisions: Framing the Call for Help

PubMed Central

Chou, Eileen Y.; Murnighan, J. Keith

2013-01-01

Background Chronic blood shortages in the U.S. would be alleviated by small increases, in percentage terms, of people donating blood. The current research investigated the effects of subtle changes in charity-seeking messages on the likelihood of people responses to a call for help. We predicted that “avoid losses” messages would lead to more helping behavior than “promote gains” messages would. Method Two studies investigated the effects of message framing on helping intentions and behaviors. With the help and collaboration of the Red Cross, Study 1, a field experiment, directly assessed the effectiveness of a call for blood donations that was presented as either death-preventing (losses) or life-saving (gains), and as being of either more or less urgent need. With the help and collaboration of a local charity, Study 2, a lab experiment, assessed the effects of the gain-versus-loss framing of a donation-soliciting flyer on individuals’ expectations of others’ monetary donations as well their own volunteering behavior. Study 2 also assessed the effects of three emotional motivators - feelings of empathy, positive affect, and relational closeness. Result Study 1 indicated that, on a college campus, describing blood donations as a way to “prevent a death” rather than “save a life” boosted the donation rate. Study 2 showed that framing a charity’s appeals as helping people to avoid a loss led to larger expected donations, increased intentions to volunteer, and more helping behavior, independent of other emotional motivators. Conclusion This research identifies and demonstrates a reliable and effective method for increasing important helping behaviors by providing charities with concrete ideas that can effectively increase helping behavior generally and potentially death-preventing behavior in particular. PMID:23483903

Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

Science.gov Websites

Emergency Diversity and Inclusion Committee Members Lab Contacts Resources & Operations Acknowledging ; Finance Templates Travel One-Stop Personnel Resources Committees In Case of Emergency Looking for MSD0010

What Is LAB and Why Was It Renormed?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, Muriel

A report on the Language Assessment Battery (LAB) explains, in question-and-answer form, the causes and results of some changes made in the test norms. The LAB is a test of communicative language competence, written in English and Spanish versions and used for student placement in the New York City Public Schools. The report describes the test…

Solar University-National Lab Ultra-Effective Program | Photovoltaic

Science.gov Websites

Lab Ultra-Effective Program Solar University-National lab Ultra-effective Program (SUN UP) was created scientists arise out of long-standing collaborations. SUN UP was created to facilitate these interactions of a young man working in a laboratory setting with equipment. The goal of SUN UP is to increase the

FOREWORD: Jefferson Lab: A Long Decade of Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montgomery, Hugh

2011-04-01

Jefferson Lab Jefferson Lab was created in 1984 and started operating in about 1996. 2011 is an appropriate time to try to take a look at the results that have appeared, what has been learned, and what has been exciting for our scientific community. Rather than attempt to construct a coherent view with a single author or at least a small number, we have, instead, invited small groups of people who have been intimately involved in the work itself to make contributions. These people are accelerator experts, experimentalists and theorists, staff and users. We have, in the main, sought reviews of the actual sub-fields. The primary exception is the first paper, which sets the scene as it was, in one person's view, at the beginning of Jefferson Lab. In reviewing the material as it appeared, I was impressed by the breadth of the material. Major advances are documented from form factors to structure functions, from spectroscopy to physics beyond the standard model of nuclear and particle physics. Recognition of the part played by spin, the helicities of the beams, the polarizations of the targets, and the polarizations of final state particles, is inescapable. Access to the weak interaction amplitudes through measurements of the parity violating asymmetries has led to quantification of the strange content of the nucleon and the neutron radius of lead, and to measurements of the electroweak mixing angle. Lattice QCD calculations flourished and are setting the platform for understanding of the spectroscopy of baryons and mesons. But the star of the game was the accelerator. Its performance enabled the physics and also the use of the technology to generate a powerful free electron laser. These important pieces of Jefferson Lab physics are given their place. As the third Director of Jefferson Lab, and on behalf of the other physicists and others presently associated with the lab, I would like to express my admiration and gratitude for the efforts of the directors, chief

StagLab: Post-Processing and Visualisation in Geodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crameri, Fabio

2017-04-01

Despite being simplifications of nature, today's Geodynamic numerical models can, often do, and sometimes have to become very complex. Additionally, a steadily-increasing amount of raw model data results from more elaborate numerical codes and the still continuously-increasing computational power available for their execution. The current need for efficient post-processing and sensible visualisation is thus apparent. StagLab (www.fabiocrameri.ch/software) provides such much-needed strongly-automated post-processing in combination with state-of-the-art visualisation. Written in MatLab, StagLab is simple, flexible, efficient and reliable. It produces figures and movies that are both fully-reproducible and publication-ready. StagLab's post-processing capabilities include numerous diagnostics for plate tectonics and mantle dynamics. Featured are accurate plate-boundary identification, slab-polarity recognition, plate-bending derivation, mantle-plume detection, and surface-topography component splitting. These and many other diagnostics are derived conveniently from only a few parameter fields thanks to powerful image processing tools and other capable algorithms. Additionally, StagLab aims to prevent scientific visualisation pitfalls that are, unfortunately, still too common in the Geodynamics community. Misinterpretation of raw data and exclusion of colourblind people introduced with the continuous use of the rainbow (a.k.a. jet) colour scheme is just one, but a dramatic example (e.g., Rogowitz and Treinish, 1998; Light and Bartlein, 2004; Borland and Ii, 2007). StagLab is currently optimised for binary StagYY output (e.g., Tackley 2008), but is adjustable for the potential use with other Geodynamic codes. Additionally, StagLab's post-processing routines are open-source. REFERENCES Borland, D., and R. M. T. Ii (2007), Rainbow color map (still) considered harmful, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 27(2), 14-17. Light, A., and P. J. Bartlein (2004), The end of

Helping Homeless Individuals with Co-Occurring Disorders: The Four Components

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, An-Pyng

2012-01-01

Homeless individuals with co-occurring disorders (CODs) of severe mental illness and substance use disorder are one of the most vulnerable populations. This article provides practitioners with a framework and strategies for helping this client population. Four components emerged from a literature review: (1) ensuring an effective transition for…

Outreach Science Education: Evidence-Based Studies in a Gene Technology Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scharfenberg, Franz-Josef; Bogner, Franz X.

2014-01-01

Nowadays, outreach labs are important informal learning environments in science education. After summarizing research to goals outreach labs focus on, we describe our evidence-based gene technology lab as a model of a research-driven outreach program. Evaluation-based optimizations of hands-on teaching based on cognitive load theory (additional…

Undergraduate Student Construction and Interpretation of Graphs in Physics Lab Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nixon, Ryan S.; Godfrey, T. J.; Mayhew, Nicholas T.; Wiegert, Craig C.

2016-01-01

Lab activities are an important element of an undergraduate physics course. In these lab activities, students construct and interpret graphs in order to connect the procedures of the lab with an understanding of the related physics concepts. This study investigated undergraduate students' construction and interpretation of graphs with best-fit…

Virtual Labs in proteomics: new E-learning tools.

PubMed

Ray, Sandipan; Koshy, Nicole Rachel; Reddy, Panga Jaipal; Srivastava, Sanjeeva

2012-05-17

Web-based educational resources have gained enormous popularity recently and are increasingly becoming a part of modern educational systems. Virtual Labs are E-learning platforms where learners can gain the experience of practical experimentation without any direct physical involvement on real bench work. They use computerized simulations, models, videos, animations and other instructional technologies to create interactive content. Proteomics being one of the most rapidly growing fields of the biological sciences is now an important part of college and university curriculums. Consequently, many E-learning programs have started incorporating the theoretical and practical aspects of different proteomic techniques as an element of their course work in the form of Video Lectures and Virtual Labs. To this end, recently we have developed a Virtual Proteomics Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, which demonstrates different proteomics techniques, including basic and advanced gel and MS-based protein separation and identification techniques, bioinformatics tools and molecular docking methods, and their applications in different biological samples. This Tutorial will discuss the prominent Virtual Labs featuring proteomics content, including the Virtual Proteomics Lab of IIT-Bombay, and E-resources available for proteomics study that are striving to make proteomic techniques and concepts available and accessible to the student and research community. This Tutorial is part of the International Proteomics Tutorial Programme (IPTP 14). Details can be found at: http://www.proteomicstutorials.org/. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dan Says - Continuum Magazine | NREL

Science.gov Websites

vital role of providing technology-neutral analysis to ensure that innovations developed in the lab fit success-and NREL analysis is playing a major role. We are also identifying the connections among energy and financial front, NREL analysis leadership is helping to identify and overcome barriers with

Problem Solvers: MathLab's Design Brings Professional Learning into the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morales, Sara; Sainz, Terri

2017-01-01

Imagine teachers, administrators, and university mathematicians and staff learning together in a lab setting where students are excited about attending a week-long summer math event because they are at the forefront of the experience. Piloted in three New Mexico classrooms during summer 2014, MathLab expanded into 17 lab settings over six…

LabLessons: Effects of Electronic Prelabs on Student Engagement and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gryczka, Patrick; Klementowicz, Edward; Sharrock, Chappel; Maxfield, MacRae; Montclare, Jin Kim

2016-01-01

Lab instructors, for both high school and undergraduate college level courses, face issues of constricted time within the lab period and limited student engagement with prelab materials. To address these issues, an online prelab delivery system named LabLessons is developed and tested out in a high school chemistry classroom. The system…

Qualification Lab Testing on M1 Abrams Engine Oil Filters

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-01

UNCLASSIFIED QUALIFICATION LAB TESTING ON M1 ABRAMS ENGINE OIL FILTERS FINAL REPORT TFLRF No. 483 by Kristi K. Rutta U.S...the originator. UNCLASSIFIED QUALIFICATION LAB TESTING ON M1 ABRAMS ENGINE OIL FILTERS FINAL REPORT TFLRF No. 483 by Kristi K...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Qualification Lab Testing on M1 Abrams Engine Oil Filter 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W56HZV-15-C-0030 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM

An Evaluation of Two Hands-On Lab Styles for Plant Biodiversity in Undergraduate Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basey, John M.; Maines, Anastasia P.; Francis, Clinton D.; Melbourne, Brett

2014-01-01

We compared learning cycle and expository formats for teaching about plant biodiversity in an inquiry-oriented university biology lab class (n = 465). Both formats had preparatory lab activities, a hands-on lab, and a postlab with reflection and argumentation. Learning was assessed with a lab report, a practical quiz in lab, and a multiple-choice…

A "Canned" Computer Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowling, John, Jr.

1972-01-01

Discusses the use of a set of computer programs (FORTRAN IV) in an introductory mechanics course for science majors. One laboratory activity is described for determining the coefficient of restitution of a glider on an air track. A student evaluation for the lab is included in the appendix. (Author/TS)

Validity of Selected Lab and Field Tests of Physical Working Capacity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Edmund J.

The validity of selected lab and field tests of physical working capacity was investigated. Forty-four male college students were administered a series of lab and field tests of physical working capacity. Lab tests include a test of maximum oxygen uptake, the PWC 170 test, the Harvard Step Test, the Progressive Pulse Ratio Test, Margaria Test of…

Electronics lab instructors' approaches to troubleshooting instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2017-06-01

In this exploratory qualitative study, we describe instructors' self-reported practices for teaching and assessing students' ability to troubleshoot in electronics lab courses. We collected audio data from interviews with 20 electronics instructors from 18 institutions that varied by size, selectivity, and other factors. In addition to describing participants' instructional practices, we characterize their perceptions about the role of troubleshooting in electronics, the importance of the ability to troubleshoot more generally, and what it means for students to be competent troubleshooters. One major finding of this work is that, while almost all instructors in our study said that troubleshooting is an important learning outcome for students in electronics lab courses, only half of instructors said they directly assessed students' ability to troubleshoot. Based on our findings, we argue that there is a need for research-based instructional materials that attend to both cognitive and noncognitive aspects of troubleshooting proficiency. We also identify several areas for future investigation related to troubleshooting instruction in electronics lab courses.

Networking Labs in the Online Environment: Indicators for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lahoud, Hilmi A.; Krichen, Jack P.

2010-01-01

Several techniques have been used to provide hands-on educational experiences to online learners, including remote labs, simulation software, and virtual labs, which offer a more structured environment, including simulations and scheduled asynchronous access to physical resources. This exploratory study investigated how these methods can be used…

Vista and Pemex in LAB deal

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

Morris, G.D.L.

1993-01-20

Vista Chemical (Houston) and Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex; Mexico City) have firmed up their long-negotiated plans for Pemex to supply feedstock for a linear alkylbenzene (LAB) plant that Vista will build in Mexico (CW, Sept. 16, 1992 p. 8). Specifically, the two companies have signed an agreement of understanding to pursue negotiations and finalize agreements. The plant would cost $250 million, produce 260 million-330 million lbs/year of LAB, and create about 200 permanent jobs. Final agreements, including a site selection, are expected to be completed by midyear. Vista expects startup in 1996, and is considering forming aj oint venture with amore » Mexican partner.« less

The Influence of Tablet PCs on Students' Use of Multiple Representations in Lab Reports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guelman, Clarisa Bercovich; De Leone, Charles; Price, Edward

2009-11-01

This study examined how different tools influenced students' use of representations in the Physics laboratory. In one section of a lab course, every student had a Tablet PC that served as a digital-ink based lab notebook. Students could seamlessly create hand-drawn graphics and equations, and write lab reports on the same computer used for data acquisition, simulation, and analysis. In another lab section, students used traditional printed lab guides, kept paper notebooks, and then wrote lab reports on regular laptops. Analysis of the lab reports showed differences between the sections' use of multiple representations, including an increased use of diagrams and equations by the Tablet users.

Interfacing LabVIEW With Instrumentation for Electronic Failure Analysis and Beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buchanan, Randy K.; Bryan, Coleman; Ludwig, Larry

1996-01-01

The Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workstation (LabVIEW) software is designed such that equipment and processes related to control systems can be operationally lined and controlled by the use of a computer. Various processes within the failure analysis laboratories of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) demonstrate the need for modernization and, in some cases, automation, using LabVIEW. An examination of procedures and practices with the Failure Analaysis Laboratory resulted in the conclusion that some device was necessary to elevate the potential users of LabVIEW to an operational level in minimum time. This paper outlines the process involved in creating a tutorial application to enable personnel to apply LabVIEW to their specific projects. Suggestions for furthering the extent to which LabVIEW is used are provided in the areas of data acquisition and process control.

State of the Lab 2012

ScienceCinema

King, Alex

2018-05-07

Ames Laboratory Director Alex King delivers the annual State of the Lab address on Thursday, May 17, 2012, the 65th Anniversary of the founding of The Ames Laboratory. This video contains highlights from the address.

State of the Lab 2012

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

King, Alex

2012-01-01

Ames Laboratory Director Alex King delivers the annual State of the Lab address on Thursday, May 17, 2012, the 65th Anniversary of the founding of The Ames Laboratory. This video contains highlights from the address.

Writing Better Lab Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Rhiannon; Guarienti, Kristy; Brydon, Barbara; Robb, Jeanine; Royston, Ann; Painter, Heidi; Sutherland, Alex; Passmore, Cynthia; Smith, Martin H.

2010-01-01

As science teachers at a suburban California high school, the authors were concerned about the lab report conclusions written by their upper-level chemistry, biology, and ecology students--which were consistently of poor quality. Their work lacked inferences derived from data and support for their concluding statements. Working as part of a…

Science Labs: Beyond Isolationism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanagh, Sean

2007-01-01

A national study released in 2005 concluded that most high school students are not exposed to high quality science labs because of these reasons: (a) poor school facilities and organizations; (b) weak teacher preparation; (c) poor design; (d) cluttered state standards; (e) little representation on state tests; and (f) scarce evidence of what…

WetLab-2: Wet Lab RNA SmartCycler Providing PCR Capability on ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parra, Macarena; Schonfeld, Julie

2015-01-01

The WetLab-2 system will provide sample preparation and qRT-PCR analysis on-board the ISS, a capability to enable using the ISS as a real laboratory. The system will be validated on SpX-7, and is planned for its first PI use on SpX-9.

Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) isolated from Indonesian shrimp paste (terasi)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amalia, U.; Sumardianto; Agustini, T. W.

2018-02-01

Shrimp paste was one of fermented products, popular as a taste enhancer in many dishes. The processing of shrimp paste was natural fermentation, depends on shrimp it self and the presence of salt. The salt inhibits the growth of undesirable microorganism and allows the salt-tolerant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to ferment the protein source to lactic acids. The objectives of this study were to characterize LAB isolated from Indonesian shrimp paste or "Terasi" with different times of fermentation (30, 60 and 90 days). Vitech analysis showed that there were four strains of the microorganism referred to as lactic acid bacteria (named: LABS1, LABS2, LABS3 and LABS4) with 95% sequence similarity. On the basis of biochemical, four isolates represented Lactobacillus, which the name Lactobacillus plantarum is proposed. L.plantarum was play role in resulting secondary metabolites, which gave umami flavor in shrimp paste.

Strategic Design of an Interactive Video Learning Lab (IVL).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Switzer, Ralph V., Jr.; Switzer, Jamie S.

1993-01-01

Describes a study that researched elements necessary for the design of an interactive video learning (IVL) lab for business courses. Highlights include a review of pertinent literature; guidelines for the use of an IVL lab; IVL systems integration; system specifications; hardware costs; and system software. (five references) (LRW)

Innovative Use of a Classroom Response System During Physics Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walgren, Jay

2011-01-01

More and more physics instructors are making use of personal/classroom response systems or "clickers." The use of clickers to engage students with multiple-choice questions during lecture and available instructor resources for clickers have been well documented in this journal.1-4 Newer-generation clickers, which I refer to as classroom response systems (CRS), have evolved to accept numeric answers (such as 9.81) instead of just single "multiple-choice" entries (Fig. 1). This advancement is available from most major clicker companies and allows for a greater variety of engaging questions during lecture. In addition, these new "numeric ready" clickers are marketed to be used for student assessments. During a test or quiz, students' answers are entered into their clicker instead of on paper or Scantron® and immediately absorbed by wireless connection into a computer for grading and analysis. I recognize the usefulness and benefit these new-generation CRSs provide for many instructors. However, I do not use my CRS in either of the aforementioned activities. Instead, I use it in an unconventional way. I use the CRS to electronically capture students' lab data as they are performing a physics lab (Fig. 2). I set up the clickers as if I were going to use them for a test, but instead of entering answers to a test, my students enter lab data as they collect it. In this paper I discuss my use of a classroom response system during physics laboratory and three benefits that result: 1) Students are encouraged to "take ownership of" and "have integrity with" their physics lab data. 2) Students' measuring and unit conversion deficiencies are identified immediately during the lab. 3) The process of grading students' labs is simplified because the results of each student's lab calculations can be pre-calculated for the instructor using a spreadsheet. My use of clickers during lab can be implemented with most clicker systems available to instructors today. The CRS I use is the e

First results on GlioLab/GlioSat Precursors Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cappelletti, Chantal; Notarangelo, Angelo; Demoss, Darrin; Carella, Massimo

2012-07-01

Since 2009 GAUSS group is involved in a joint collaboration with Morehead State University (MSU) Space Science Center and IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (CSS) research labs with the aim to design a biomedical project in order to investigate if the combined effects of microgravity conditions and ionizing radiation increase or decrease the survival rate of cancer cells. The biological sample consists of Glioblastoma cancer cell line ANGM-CSS. Glioblastoma is a kind of cancer that can be treated after surgery only by radiotherapy using ionizing radiation. This treatment, anyway, results in a very low survival rate. This project uses different university space platforms: a CubeLab, named GlioLab, on board the International Space Station and the university microsatellite UniSat-5 designed by GAUSS. In addition a GlioLab/GlioSat precursor experiment has already flown two times with the Space Shuttle during the missions STS-134 and STS-135. The phase 0 or the precursor of GlioLab uses a COTS system, named Liquid Mixing Apparatus (LMA), to board the biological samples inside the Space Shuttle for thirty day . The LMA allows to board liquids inside a vial but is not equipped with environment control system. After landing the samples were investigated by researchers at CSS in Italy and at MSU in Kentucky. This paper deals with the experimental set up and the results obtained during the STS-134 and STS-135 missions and with the new evidences on the behavior of this kind of cancer. In particular the results obtained on the DNA analysis give a confirmation of the original idea of GLioLab/Gliosat project justifying the development of the two systems.

EUSO@TurLab: An experimental replica of ISS orbits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertaina, M.; Bowaire, A.; Cambursano, S.; Caruso, R.; Contino, G.; Cotto, G.; Crivello, F.; Forza, R.; Guardone, N.; Manfrin, M.; Mignone, M.; Mulas, R.; Suino, G.; Tibaldi, P. S.

2015-03-01

The EUSO@TurLab project is an on-going activity aimed to reproduce atmospheric and luminous conditions that JEM-EUSO will encounter on its orbits around the Earth. The use of the TurLab facility, part of the Department of Physics of the University of Torino, allows the simulation of different surface conditions in a very dark and rotating environment in order to test the response of JEM-EUSO's sensors and sensitivity. The experimental setup currently in operation has been used to check the potential of the TurLab facility for the above purposes, and the acquired data will be used to test the concept of JEM-EUSO's trigger system.

An update on Lab Rover: A hospital material transporter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattaboni, Paul

1994-01-01

The development of a hospital material transporter, 'Lab Rover', is described. Conventional material transport now utilizes people power, push carts, pneumatic tubes and tracked vehicles. Hospitals are faced with enormous pressure to reduce operating costs. Cyberotics, Inc. developed an Autonomous Intelligent Vehicle (AIV). This battery operated service robot was designed specifically for health care institutions. Applications for the AIV include distribution of clinical lab samples, pharmacy drugs, administrative records, x-ray distribution, meal tray delivery, and certain emergency room applications. The first AIV was installed at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. Lab Rover was beta tested for one year and has been 'on line' for an additional 2 years.

LabPatch, an acquisition and analysis program for patch-clamp electrophysiology.

PubMed

Robinson, T; Thomsen, L; Huizinga, J D

2000-05-01

An acquisition and analysis program, "LabPatch," has been developed for use in patch-clamp research. LabPatch controls any patch-clamp amplifier, acquires and records data, runs voltage protocols, plots and analyzes data, and connects to spreadsheet and database programs. Controls within LabPatch are grouped by function on one screen, much like an oscilloscope front panel. The software is mouse driven, so that the user need only point and click. Finally, the ability to copy data to other programs running in Windows 95/98, and the ability to keep track of experiments using a database, make LabPatch extremely versatile. The system requirements include Windows 95/98, at least a 100-MHz processor and 16 MB RAM, a data acquisition card, digital-to-analog converter, and a patch-clamp amplifier. LabPatch is available free of charge at http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/huizinga/.

Conducting On-orbit Gene Expression Analysis on ISS: WetLab-2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parra, Macarena; Almeida, Eduardo; Boone, Travis; Jung, Jimmy; Lera, Matthew P.; Ricco, Antonio; Souza, Kenneth; Wu, Diana; Richey, C. Scott

2013-01-01

WetLab-2 will enable expanded genomic research on orbit by developing tools that support in situ sample collection, processing, and analysis on ISS. This capability will reduce the time-to-results for investigators and define new pathways for discovery on the ISS National Lab. The primary objective is to develop a research platform on ISS that will facilitate real-time quantitative gene expression analysis of biological samples collected on orbit. WetLab-2 will be capable of processing multiple sample types ranging from microbial cultures to animal tissues dissected on orbit. WetLab-2 will significantly expand the analytical capabilities onboard ISS and enhance science return from ISS.

Comfortably numb: desensitizing effects of violent media on helping others.

PubMed

Bushman, Brad J; Anderson, Craig A

2009-03-01

Two studies tested the hypothesis that exposure to violent media reduces aid offered to people in pain. In Study 1, participants played a violent or nonviolent video game for 20 min. After game play, while completing a lengthy questionnaire, they heard a loud fight, in which one person was injured, outside the lab. Participants who played violent games took longer to help the injured victim, rated the fight as less serious, and were less likely to "hear" the fight in comparison to participants who played nonviolent games. In Study 2, violent- and nonviolent-movie attendees witnessed a young woman with an injured ankle struggle to pick up her crutches outside the theater either before or after the movie. Participants who had just watched a violent movie took longer to help than participants in the other three conditions. The findings from both studies suggest that violent media make people numb to the pain and suffering of others.

A Computer Lab that Students Use but Never See

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jeffrey R.

2008-01-01

North Carolina State University may never build another computer lab. Instead the university has installed racks of equipment in windowless rooms where students and professors never go. This article describes a project called the Virtual Computing Lab. Users enter it remotely from their own computers in dormitory rooms or libraries. They get all…

A Simple, Successful Capacitor Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ennis, William

2011-01-01

Capacitors are a fundamental component of modern electronics. They appear in myriad devices and in an enormous range of sizes. Although our students are taught the function and analysis of capacitors, few have the opportunity to use them in our labs.

Swanson in the US Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-18

ISS039-E-013158 (18 April 2014) --- In the U.S. lab Destiny on the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA works on WRS condensate pumping, using the high flow water transfer pump.

Living Labs: overview of ecological approaches for health promotion and rehabilitation.

PubMed

Korman, M; Weiss, P L; Kizony, R

2016-01-01

The term "Living Lab" was coined to reflect the use of sensors to monitor human behavior in real life environments. Until recently such measurements had been feasible only within experimental laboratory settings. The objective of this paper is to highlight research on health care sensing and monitoring devices that enable direct, objective and accurate capture of real-world functioning. Selected articles exemplifying the key technologies that allow monitoring of the motor-cognitive activity of persons with disabilities during naturally occurring daily experiences in real-life settings are discussed in terms of (1) the ways in which the Living Lab approach has been used to date, (2) limitations related to clinical assessment in rehabilitation settings and (3) three categories of the instruments most commonly used for this purpose: personal technologies, ambient technologies and external assistive systems. Technology's most important influences on clinical practice and rehabilitation are in a shift from laboratory-based to field-centered research and a transition between in-clinic performance to daily life activities. Numerous applications show its potential for real-time clinical assessment. Current technological solutions that may provide clinicians with objective, unobtrusive measurements of health and function, as well as tools that support rehabilitation on an individual basis in natural environments provide an important asset to standard clinical measures. Until recently objective clinical assessment could not be readily performed in a client's daily functional environment. Novel technologies enable health care sensing and monitoring devices that enable direct, objective and accurate capture of real-world functioning. Such technologies are referred to as a "Living Lab" approach since they enable the capture of objective and non-obtrusive data that clinicians can use to assess performance. Research and development in this field help clinicians support maintain

Transferring experience labs for production engineering students to universities in newly industrialized countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leiden, A.; Posselt, G.; Bhakar, V.; Singh, R.; Sangwan, K. S.; Herrmann, C.

2018-01-01

The Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the demand for the skilled engineers is increasing. Subsequently the Indian education sector is growing to provide the necessary number of skilled engineers. Current Indian engineering graduates have broad theoretical background but lack in methodological, soft and practical skills. To bridge this gap, the experience lab ideas from the engineering education at “Die Lernfabrik” (learning factory) of the Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig) is transferred to the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani (BITS Pilani), India. This Lernfabrik successfully strengthened the methodological, soft and practical skills of the TU Braunschweig production-engineering graduates. The target group is discrete manufacturing education with focusing on energy and resource efficiency as well as cyber physical production systems. As the requirements of industry and academia in India differs from Germany, the transfer of the experience lab to the Indian education system needs special attention to realize a successful transfer project. This publication provides a unique approach to systematically transfer the educational concept in Learning Factory from a specific university environment to a different environment in a newly industrialized country. The help of a bilateral university driven practice partnership between the two universities creates a lighthouse for the Indian university environment.

Near Space Lab-Rat Experimentation using Stratospheric Balloon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buduru, Suneel Kumar; Reddy Vizapur, Anmi; Rao Tanneeru, Venkateswara; Trivedi, Dharmesh; Devarajan, Anand; Pandit Manikrao Kulkarni, MR..; Ojha, Devendra; Korra, Sakram; Neerudu, Nagendra; Seng, Lim; Godi, Stalin Peter

2016-07-01

First ever balloon borne lab-rat experiment up to near space stratospheric altitude levels carried out at TIFR Balloon Facility, Hydeabad using zero pressure balloons for the purpose of validating the life support system. A series of two balloon experiments conducted under joint collaboration with IN.Genius, Singapore in the year 2015. In these experiments, three lab-rats sent to stratosphere in a pressurized capsule designed to reach an altitude of 30 km by keeping constant pressure, temperature and maintained at a precise rate of oxygen supply inside the capsule. The first experiment conducted on 1 ^{st} February, 2015 with a total suspended weight of 225 kg. During the balloon ascent stage at 18 km altitude, sensors inside the capsule reported drastic drop in internal pressure while oxygen and temperatures maintained at correct levels resulted in premature fligt termination at 20.1 km. All the three lab-rats recovered without life due to the collapse of their lungs caused by the depressurization inside the capsule. The second experiment conducted on 14th March, 2015 using a newly developed capsule with rectification of depressurization fault by using improved sealing gaskets and hermitically sealed connectors for sending lab-rats again to stratosphere comprising a total suspended load of 122.3 kg. The balloon flight was terminated after reaching 29.5 km in 110 minutes and succesfully recovered all the three lab-rats alive. This paper focuses on lessons learnt of the development of the life support system as an integral pressurized vessel, flight control instrumentation, flight simulation tests using thermo-vaccum chamber with pre-flight operations.

Developing Guided Inquiry-Based Student Lab Worksheet for Laboratory Knowledge Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmi, Y. L.; Novriyanti, E.; Ardi, A.; Rifandi, R.

2018-04-01

The course of laboratory knowledge is an introductory course for biology students to follow various lectures practicing in the biology laboratory. Learning activities of laboratory knowledge course at this time in the Biology Department, Universitas Negeri Padang has not been completed by supporting learning media such as student lab worksheet. Guided inquiry learning model is one of the learning models that can be integrated into laboratory activity. The study aimed to produce student lab worksheet based on guided inquiry for laboratory knowledge course and to determine the validity of lab worksheet. The research was conducted using research and developmet (R&D) model. The instruments used in data collection in this research were questionnaire for student needed analysis and questionnaire to measure the student lab worksheet validity. The data obtained was quantitative from several validators. The validators consist of three lecturers. The percentage of a student lab worksheet validity was 94.18 which can be categorized was very good.

Attack of the Killer Fungus: A Hypothesis-Driven Lab Module †

PubMed Central

Sato, Brian K.

2013-01-01

Discovery-driven experiments in undergraduate laboratory courses have been shown to increase student learning and critical thinking abilities. To this end, a lab module involving worm capture by a nematophagous fungus was developed. The goals of this module are to enhance scientific understanding of the regulation of worm capture by soil-dwelling fungi and for students to attain a set of established learning goals, including the ability to develop a testable hypothesis and search for primary literature for data analysis, among others. Students in a ten-week majors lab course completed the lab module and generated novel data as well as data that agrees with the published literature. In addition, learning gains were achieved as seen through a pre-module and post-module test, student self-assessment, class exam, and lab report. Overall, this lab module enables students to become active participants in the scientific method while contributing to the understanding of an ecologically relevant model organism. PMID:24358387

Integrating self-help materials into mental health practice.

PubMed

Church, Elizabeth; Cornish, Peter; Callanan, Terrence; Bethune, Cheri

2008-10-01

Patients' mental health issues have become an increasing focus of Canadian family physicians' practices. A self-help approach can help meet this demand, but there are few guidelines for professionals about how to use mental health self-help resources effectively. To aid health professionals in integrating self-help materials into their mental health practices. A resource library of print, audiotape, and videotape self-help materials about common mental health issues was developed for a rural community. The materials were prescreened in order to ensure high quality, and health professionals were given training on how to integrate self-help into their practices. The library was actively used by both health professionals and community members, and most resources were borrowed, particularly the nonprint materials. Health professionals viewed the resources as a way to supplement their mental health practice and reduce demands on their time, as patients generally worked through the resources independently. Some improvements are planned for future implementations of the program, such as providing health professionals with a "prescription pad" of resources and implementing Stages of Change and stepped-care models to maximize the program's effectiveness. Although more evidence is needed regarding the effectiveness of self-help within a family practice context, this program offers a promising way for family physicians to address mild to moderate mental health problems.

Implementation of Siemens USS protocol into LabVIEW.

PubMed

Hosek, P; Diblik, M

2011-10-01

This article gives basic overview of the USS protocol as a communication interface to drive Siemens frequency inverters. It presents our implementation of this protocol into LabVIEW, as there was permanent demand from the community of the users to have native LabVIEW implementation of the USS protocol. It also states encountered problems and their solutions. Copyright © 2011 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Commerce Lab: Mission analysis and payload integration study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The needs of an aggressive commercial microgravity program are identified, space missions are defined, and infrastructural issues are identified and analyzed. A commercial laboratory, commerce lab, is conceived to be one or more an array of carriers which would fly aboard the space shuttle and accommodate microgravity science experiment payloads. Commerce lab is seen as a logical transition between currently planned space shuttle missions and future microgravity missions centered around the space station.

Study on property and stability mechanism of LAB-AEO-4 system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Kaifei; Ge, Jijiang; Wang, Yang; Zhang, Guicai; Jiang, Ping

2017-04-01

The behaviors of binary blending systems of fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-4) blended with the laurel amide betaine (LAB) was investigated at 80°C,the results indicated that the optimal ratio of the mixed system of LAB-AEO-4 was 5:2. The stability mechanism of LAB-AEO-4 system was analyzed from three aspects of dynamic surface tension,gas permeation rate and surface rheology.The results showed that the tension of mixed system was easier to achieve balance,the constant of gas permeation rate of the mixed system decreased by about 7% and the elastic modulus and dilational modulus increased by about 2 times compared with the single LAB system.

The NASA Langley Isolator Dynamics Research Lab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Middleton, Troy F.; Balla, Robert J.; Baurle, Robert A.; Humphreys, William M.; Wilson, Lloyd G.

2010-01-01

The Isolator Dynamics Research Lab (IDRL) is under construction at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. A unique test apparatus is being fabricated to support both wall and in-stream measurements for investigating the internal flow of a dual-mode scramjet isolator model. The test section is 24 inches long with a 1-inch by 2-inch cross sectional area and is supplied with unheated, dry air through a Mach 2.5 converging-diverging nozzle. The test section is being fabricated with two sets (glass and metallic) of interchangeable sidewalls to support flow visualization and laser-based measurement techniques as well as static pressure, wall temperature, and high frequency pressure measurements. During 2010, a CFD code validation experiment will be conducted in the lab in support of NASA s Fundamental Aerodynamics Program. This paper describes the mechanical design of the Isolator Dynamics Research Lab test apparatus and presents a summary of the measurement techniques planned for investigating the internal flow field of a scramjet isolator model.

34 CFR 300.154 - Methods of ensuring services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Methods of Ensuring Services § 300.154 Methods of ensuring... for providing services described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section to ensure FAPE to children with... this section, including the State Medicaid agency and other public insurers of children with...

34 CFR 300.154 - Methods of ensuring services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Methods of Ensuring Services § 300.154 Methods of ensuring... for providing services described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section to ensure FAPE to children with... this section, including the State Medicaid agency and other public insurers of children with...

34 CFR 300.154 - Methods of ensuring services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Methods of Ensuring Services § 300.154 Methods of ensuring... for providing services described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section to ensure FAPE to children with... this section, including the State Medicaid agency and other public insurers of children with...

34 CFR 300.154 - Methods of ensuring services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Methods of Ensuring Services § 300.154 Methods of ensuring... for providing services described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section to ensure FAPE to children with... this section, including the State Medicaid agency and other public insurers of children with...

Integration of LCoS-SLM and LabVIEW based software to simulate fundamental optics, wave optics, and Fourier optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyu, Bo-Han; Wang, Chen; Tsai, Chun-Wei

2017-08-01

Jasper Display Corp. (JDC) offer high reflectivity, high resolution Liquid Crystal on Silicon - Spatial Light Modulator (LCoS-SLM) which include an associated controller ASIC and LabVIEW based modulation software. Based on this LCoS-SLM, also called Education Kit (EDK), we provide a training platform which includes a series of optical theory and experiments to university students. This EDK not only provides a LabVIEW based operation software to produce Computer Generated Holograms (CGH) to generate some basic diffraction image or holographic image, but also provides simulation software to verity the experiment results simultaneously. However, we believe that a robust LCoSSLM, operation software, simulation software, training system, and training course can help students to study the fundamental optics, wave optics, and Fourier optics more easily. Based on these fundamental knowledges, they could develop their unique skills and create their new innovations on the optoelectronic application in the future.

Social-cognitive determinants of help-seeking for mental health problems among prison inmates.

PubMed

Skogstad, Philip; Deane, Frank P; Spicer, John

2006-01-01

Prisoners experience high rates of mental health problems and suicidal behaviours. Failure to seek help may exacerbate these problems and limit opportunities to participate in offending-related programmes. To assess whether prisoners'; intentions to seek help for a personal-emotional problem, including suicidal feelings, can be predicted using variables from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). These TPB variables were supplemented by measures of emotional distress, prior contact with a psychologist and demographic variables. Male inmates from six New Zealand prisons were asked to participate, with approximately 50% (n = 527) of those who initially expressed an interest in the study completing the self-report questionnaire. Most participants completed the questionnaire in small-group meetings in the prison units and returned them to the researchers immediately after completion.Results On average, participants reported higher levels of current emotional distress than comparison student samples. TPB variables predicted help-seeking intentions for suicidality and personal-emotional problems. Those with prior contact with prison psychologists had lower intentions to seek help for suicidal feelings than prisoners without such contact. Older prisoners, those with more years of education, and those who had previous contact with a psychologist outside prison tended to have higher intentions to seek psychological help. Social-cognitive factors predicted intentions to seek help among New Zealand prisoners but prison-specific issues, such as relative reluctance to seek help when suicidal and reluctance to seek help from prison psychologists, were also identified. Implications for practice Prisoners'; access to services could be improved, for example, through directly working on attitudinal barriers. Strategies to ensure access to specialized forensic mental health in-reach services could also be an alternative or additional route to ensure that this disadvantaged group

Low Budget Biology 3: A Collection of Low Cost Labs and Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wartski, Bert; Wartski, Lynn Marie

This document contains biology labs, demonstrations, and activities that use low budget materials. The goal is to get students involved in the learning process by experiencing biology. Each lab has a teacher preparation section which outlines the purpose of the lab, some basic information, a list of materials , and how to prepare the different…

Learning Experience on Transformer Using HOT Lab for Pre-service Physics Teacher’s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, A.; Setiawan, A.; Suhandi, A.; Permanasari, A.

2017-09-01

This study aimed at investigating pre-service teacher’s critical thinking skills improvement through Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Lab on transformer learning. This research used mix method with the embedded experimental model. Research subjects are 60 students of Physics Education in UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. The results showed that based on the results of the analysis of practical reports and observation sheet shows students in the experimental group was better in carrying out the practicum and can solve the real problem while the control group was going on the opposite. The critical thinking skills of students applying the HOT Lab were higher than the verification lab. Critical thinking skills could increase due to HOT Lab based problems solving that can develop higher order thinking skills through laboratory activities. Therefore, it was concluded that the application of HOT Lab was more effective than verification lab on improving students’ thinking skills on transformer topic learning. Finally, HOT Lab can be implemented in other subject learning and could be used to improve another higher order thinking skills.

Lab-on-a-Chip Pathogen Sensors for Food Safety

PubMed Central

Yoon, Jeong-Yeol; Kim, Bumsang

2012-01-01

There have been a number of cases of foodborne illness among humans that are caused by pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, etc. The current practices to detect such pathogenic agents are cell culturing, immunoassays, or polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). These methods are essentially laboratory-based methods that are not at all real-time and thus unavailable for early-monitoring of such pathogens. They are also very difficult to implement in the field. Lab-on-a-chip biosensors, however, have a strong potential to be used in the field since they can be miniaturized and automated; they are also potentially fast and very sensitive. These lab-on-a-chip biosensors can detect pathogens in farms, packaging/processing facilities, delivery/distribution systems, and at the consumer level. There are still several issues to be resolved before applying these lab-on-a-chip sensors to field applications, including the pre-treatment of a sample, proper storage of reagents, full integration into a battery-powered system, and demonstration of very high sensitivity, which are addressed in this review article. Several different types of lab-on-a-chip biosensors, including immunoassay- and PCR-based, have been developed and tested for detecting foodborne pathogens. Their assay performance, including detection limit and assay time, are also summarized. Finally, the use of optical fibers or optical waveguide is discussed as a means to improve the portability and sensitivity of lab-on-a-chip pathogen sensors. PMID:23112625

Allergen screening bioassays: recent developments in lab-on-a-chip and lab-on-a-disc systems.

PubMed

Ho, Ho-pui; Lau, Pui-man; Kwok, Ho-chin; Wu, Shu-yuen; Gao, Minghui; Cheung, Anthony Ka-lun; Chen, Qiulan; Wang, Guanghui; Kwan, Yiu-wa; Wong, Chun-kwok; Kong, Siu-kai

2014-01-01

Allergies occur when a person's immune system mounts an abnormal response with or without IgE to a normally harmless substance called an allergen. The standard skin-prick test introduces suspected allergens into the skin with lancets in order to trigger allergic reactions. This test is annoying and sometimes life threatening. New tools such as lab-on-a-chip and lab-on-a-disc, which rely on microfabrication, are designed for allergy testing. These systems provide benefits such as short analysis times, enhanced sensitivity, simplified procedures, minimal consumption of sample and reagents and low cost. This article gives a summary of these systems. In particular, a cell-based assay detecting both the IgE- and non-IgE-type triggers through the study of degranulation in a centrifugal microfluidic system is highlighted.

Five Help Desk Tips To Increase Retention Rates, Learner Satisfaction and Revenues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldberg, Jeffrey

2001-01-01

Discusses the necessity of a good help desk available around the clock for students of online courses to ensure a higher retention rate. Recommends a mission that emphasizes student success as the main focus, full time employees, proper training, and short response times. (LRW)

A Big Bang Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheider, Walter

2005-01-01

The February 2005 issue of The Science Teacher (TST) reminded everyone that by learning how scientists study stars, students gain an understanding of how science measures things that can not be set up in lab, either because they are too big, too far away, or happened in a very distant past. The authors of "How Far are the Stars?" show how the…

'Trust but verify'--five approaches to ensure safe medical apps.

PubMed

Wicks, Paul; Chiauzzi, Emil

2015-09-25

Mobile health apps are health and wellness programs available on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. In three systematic assessments published in BMC Medicine, Huckvale and colleagues demonstrate that widely available health apps meant to help patients calculate their appropriate insulin dosage, educate themselves about asthma, or perform other important functions are methodologically weak. Insulin dose calculators lacked user input validation and made inappropriate dose recommendations, with a lack of documentation throughout. Since 2011, asthma apps have become more interactive, but have not improved in quality; peak flow calculators have the same issues as the insulin calculators. A review of the accredited National Health Service Health Apps Library found poor and inconsistent implementation of privacy and security, with 28% of apps lacking a privacy policy and one even transmitting personally identifying data the policy claimed would be anonymous. Ensuring patient safety might require a new approach, whether that be a consumer education program at one extreme or government regulation at the other. App store owners could ensure transparency of algorithms (whiteboxing), data sharing, and data quality. While a proper balance must be struck between innovation and caution, patient safety must be paramount.Please see related articles: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0444-y , http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/13/106 and http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/13/58.

34 CFR 300.154 - Methods of ensuring services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Methods of ensuring services. 300.154 Section 300.154... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Methods of Ensuring Services § 300.154 Methods of ensuring... following: (1) An identification of, or a method for defining, the financial responsibility of each agency...

Empowering biomedical engineering undergraduates to help teach design.

PubMed

Allen, Robert H; Tam, William; Shoukas, Artin A

2004-01-01

We report on our experience empowering upperclassmen and seniors to help teach design courses in biomedical engineering. Initiated in the fall of 1998, these courses are a projects-based set, where teams of students from freshmen level to senior level converge to solve practical problems in biomedical engineering. One goal in these courses is to teach the design process by providing experiences that mimic it. Student teams solve practical projects solicited from faculty, industry and the local community. To hone skills and have a metric for grading, written documentation, posters and oral presentations are required over the two-semester sequence. By requiring a mock design and build exercise in the fall, students appreciate the manufacturing process, the difficulties unforeseen in the design stage and the importance of testing. A Web-based, searchable design repository captures reporting information from each project since its inception. This serves as a resource for future projects, in addition to traditional ones such as library, outside experts and lab facilities. Based on results to date, we conclude that characteristics about our design program help students experience design and learn aspects about teamwork and mentoring useful in their profession or graduate education.

Logistics in the Computer Lab.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowles, Jim

1989-01-01

Discusses ways to provide good computer laboratory facilities for elementary and secondary schools. Topics discussed include establishing the computer lab and selecting hardware; types of software; physical layout of the room; printers; networking possibilities; considerations relating to the physical environment; and scheduling methods. (LRW)

State of the Lab Address

ScienceCinema

King, Alex

2018-05-07

In his third-annual State of the Lab address, Ames Laboratory Director Alex King called the past year one of "quiet but strong progress" and called for Ames Laboratory to continue to build on its strengths while responding to changing expectations for energy research.

State of the Lab Address

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

King, Alex

2010-01-01

In his third-annual State of the Lab address, Ames Laboratory Director Alex King called the past year one of "quiet but strong progress" and called for Ames Laboratory to continue to build on its strengths while responding to changing expectations for energy research.

A Lab for All Reasons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cronin-Jones, Linda L.

1990-01-01

Described is a demonstration science laboratory at the University of Florida. Discussed is laboratory design, including instructional space, lab stations, sink areas, safety areas, and a storage and distribution area. The impact of this type of design is cited. Diagrams and photographs are included. (CW)

Human Engineering Modeling and Performance Lab Study Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliva-Buisson, Yvette J.

2014-01-01

The HEMAP (Human Engineering Modeling and Performance) Lab is a joint effort between the Industrial and Human Engineering group and the KAVE (Kennedy Advanced Visualiations Environment) group. The lab consists of sixteen camera system that is used to capture human motions and operational tasks, through te use of a Velcro suit equipped with sensors, and then simulate these tasks in an ergonomic software package know as Jac, The Jack software is able to identify the potential risk hazards.

Promoting Metacognition in Introductory Calculus-based Physics Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grennell, Drew; Boudreaux, Andrew

2010-10-01

In the Western Washington University physics department, a project is underway to develop research-based laboratory curriculum for the introductory calculus-based course. Instructional goals not only include supporting students' conceptual understanding and reasoning ability, but also providing students with opportunities to engage in metacognition. For the latter, our approach has been to scaffold reflective thinking with guided questions. Specific instructional strategies include analysis of alternate reasoning presented in fictitious dialogues and comparison of students' initial ideas with their lab group's final, consensus understanding. Assessment of student metacognition includes pre- and post- course data from selected questions on the CLASS survey, analysis of written lab worksheets, and student opinion surveys. CLASS results are similar to a traditional physics course and analysis of lab sheets show that students struggle to engage in a metacognitive process. Future directions include video studies, as well as use of additional written assessments adapted from educational psychology.

Comparison between simulations and lab results on the ASSIST test-bench

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Louarn, Miska; Madec, Pierre-Yves; Kolb, Johann; Paufique, Jerome; Oberti, Sylvain; La Penna, Paolo; Arsenault, Robin

2016-07-01

We present the latest comparison results between laboratory tests carried out on the ASSIST test bench and Octopus end-to end simulations. We simulated, as closely to the lab conditions as possible, the different AOF modes (Maintenance and commissioning mode (SCAO), GRAAL (GLAO in the near IR), Galacsi Wide Field mode (GLAO in the visible) and Galacsi narrow field mode (LTAO in the visible)). We then compared the simulation results to the ones obtained on the lab bench. Several aspects were investigated, like number of corrected modes, turbulence wind speeds, LGS photon flux etc. The agreement between simulations and lab is remarkably good for all investigated parameters, giving great confidence in both simulation tool and performance of the AO system in the lab.

Microfluidic Platform for the Long-Term On-Chip Cultivation of Mammalian Cells for Lab-On-A-Chip Applications.

PubMed

Bunge, Frank; Driesche, Sander van den; Vellekoop, Michael J

2017-07-10

Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) applications for the long-term analysis of mammalian cells are still very rare due to the lack of convenient cell cultivation devices. The difficulties are the integration of suitable supply structures, the need of expensive equipment like an incubator and sophisticated pumps as well as the choice of material. The presented device is made out of hard, but non-cytotoxic materials (silicon and glass) and contains two vertical arranged membranes out of hydrogel. The porous membranes are used to separate the culture chamber from two supply channels for gases and nutrients. The cells are fed continuously by diffusion through the membranes without the need of an incubator and low requirements on the supply of medium to the assembly. The diffusion of oxygen is modelled in order to find the optimal dimensions of the chamber. The chip is connected via 3D-printed holders to the macroscopic world. The holders are coated with Parlyene C to ensure that only biocompatible materials are in contact with the culture medium. The experiments with MDCK-cells show the successful seeding inside the chip, culturing and passaging. Consequently, the presented platform is a step towards Lab-on-a-Chip applications that require long-term cultivation of mammalian cells.

The Updated AGU Ethics Policy: Supporting Inclusive and Diverse Field and Lab Environments within the Geosciences.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, B. M.; McPhaden, M. J.; Gundersen, L. C.

2017-12-01

The American Geophysical Union (AGU), a scientific society of >60,000 members worldwide, has established a set of scientific integrity and professional ethics guidelines for the actions of its members, for the governance of the union in its internal activities, and for the operations and participation in its publications and scientific meetings. More recently AGU has undertaken actions to help address the issue of harassment in the sciences and other work climate issues; and, where applied more broadly as a code of standard behavior, will help address tangential issues of diversity and inclusion. This presentation will highlight the proposed policy changes and additional resources now in place, as they apply to field and lab environments. Progress to date and remaining challenges of this effort will be discussed, including AGU's work to provide additional program strength in the areas of Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion.

Generator Inspection Report: Bio - Lab, Inc.

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Contains report from Georgia Department of Natural Resources of July 21, 1999 inspection of the Bio - Lab Incorporated Plant 4 in Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia, reporting that no violations were observed.

The Design of NetSecLab: A Small Competition-Based Network Security Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, C. P.; Uluagac, A. S.; Fairbanks, K. D.; Copeland, J. A.

2011-01-01

This paper describes a competition-style of exercise to teach system and network security and to reinforce themes taught in class. The exercise, called NetSecLab, is conducted on a closed network with student-formed teams, each with their own Linux system to defend and from which to launch attacks. Students are expected to learn how to: 1) install…

Attracting STEM talent: do STEM students prefer traditional or work/life-interaction labs?

PubMed

DeFraine, William C; Williams, Wendy M; Ceci, Stephen J

2014-01-01

The demand for employees trained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields continues to increase, yet the number of Millennial students pursuing STEM is not keeping pace. We evaluated whether this shortfall is associated with Millennials' preference for flexibility and work/life-interaction in their careers-a preference that may be inconsistent with the traditional idea of a science career endorsed by many lab directors. Two contrasting approaches to running STEM labs and training students were explored, and we created a lab recruitment video depicting each. The work-focused video emphasized the traditional notions of a science lab, characterized by long work hours and a focus on individual achievement and conducting research above all else. In contrast, the work/life-interaction-focused video emphasized a more progressive view - lack of demarcation between work and non-work lives, flexible hours, and group achievement. In Study 1, 40 professors rated the videos, and the results confirmed that the two lab types reflected meaningful real-world differences in training approaches. In Study 2, we recruited 53 current and prospective graduate students in STEM fields who displayed high math-identification and a commitment to science careers. In a between-subjects design, they watched one of the two lab-recruitment videos, and then reported their anticipated sense of belonging to and desire to participate in the lab depicted in the video. Very large effects were observed on both primary measures: Participants who watched the work/life-interaction-focused video reported a greater sense of belonging to (d = 1.49) and desire to participate in (d = 1.33) the lab, relative to participants who watched the work-focused video. These results suggest Millennials possess a strong desire for work/life-interaction, which runs counter to the traditional lab-training model endorsed by many lab directors. We discuss implications of these findings for STEM

Virtual lab demonstrations improve students' mastery of basic biology laboratory techniques.

PubMed

Maldarelli, Grace A; Hartmann, Erica M; Cummings, Patrick J; Horner, Robert D; Obom, Kristina M; Shingles, Richard; Pearlman, Rebecca S

2009-01-01

Biology laboratory classes are designed to teach concepts and techniques through experiential learning. Students who have never performed a technique must be guided through the process, which is often difficult to standardize across multiple lab sections. Visual demonstration of laboratory procedures is a key element in teaching pedagogy. The main goals of the study were to create videos explaining and demonstrating a variety of lab techniques that would serve as teaching tools for undergraduate and graduate lab courses and to assess the impact of these videos on student learning. Demonstrations of individual laboratory procedures were videotaped and then edited with iMovie. Narration for the videos was edited with Audacity. Undergraduate students were surveyed anonymously prior to and following screening to assess the impact of the videos on student lab performance by completion of two Participant Perception Indicator surveys. A total of 203 and 171 students completed the pre- and posttesting surveys, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed to compare student perceptions of knowledge of, confidence in, and experience with the lab techniques before and after viewing the videos. Eleven demonstrations were recorded. Chi-square analysis revealed a significant increase in the number of students reporting increased knowledge of, confidence in, and experience with the lab techniques after viewing the videos. Incorporation of instructional videos as prelaboratory exercises has the potential to standardize techniques and to promote successful experimental outcomes.

An evaluation of two hands-on lab styles for plant biodiversity in undergraduate biology.

PubMed

Basey, John M; Maines, Anastasia P; Francis, Clinton D; Melbourne, Brett

2014-01-01

We compared learning cycle and expository formats for teaching about plant biodiversity in an inquiry-oriented university biology lab class (n = 465). Both formats had preparatory lab activities, a hands-on lab, and a postlab with reflection and argumentation. Learning was assessed with a lab report, a practical quiz in lab, and a multiple-choice exam in the concurrent lecture. Attitudes toward biology and treatments were also assessed. We used linear mixed-effect models to determine impacts of lab style on lower-order cognition (LO) and higher-order cognition (HO) based on Bloom's taxonomy. Relative to the expository treatment, the learning cycle treatment had a positive effect on HO and a negative effect on LO included in lab reports; a positive effect on transfer of LO from the lab report to the quiz; negative impacts on LO quiz performance and on attitudes toward the lab; and a higher degree of perceived difficulty. The learning cycle treatment had no influence on transfer of HO from lab report to quiz or exam; quiz performance on HO questions; exam performance on LO and HO questions; and attitudes toward biology as a science. The importance of LO as a foundation for HO relative to these lab styles is addressed. © 2014 J. M. Basey et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2014 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

A Series of Computational Neuroscience Labs Increases Comfort with MATLAB.

PubMed

Nichols, David F

2015-01-01

Computational simulations allow for a low-cost, reliable means to demonstrate complex and often times inaccessible concepts to undergraduates. However, students without prior computer programming training may find working with code-based simulations to be intimidating and distracting. A series of computational neuroscience labs involving the Hodgkin-Huxley equations, an Integrate-and-Fire model, and a Hopfield Memory network were used in an undergraduate neuroscience laboratory component of an introductory level course. Using short focused surveys before and after each lab, student comfort levels were shown to increase drastically from a majority of students being uncomfortable or with neutral feelings about working in the MATLAB environment to a vast majority of students being comfortable working in the environment. Though change was reported within each lab, a series of labs was necessary in order to establish a lasting high level of comfort. Comfort working with code is important as a first step in acquiring computational skills that are required to address many questions within neuroscience.

A Series of Computational Neuroscience Labs Increases Comfort with MATLAB

PubMed Central

Nichols, David F.

2015-01-01

Computational simulations allow for a low-cost, reliable means to demonstrate complex and often times inaccessible concepts to undergraduates. However, students without prior computer programming training may find working with code-based simulations to be intimidating and distracting. A series of computational neuroscience labs involving the Hodgkin-Huxley equations, an Integrate-and-Fire model, and a Hopfield Memory network were used in an undergraduate neuroscience laboratory component of an introductory level course. Using short focused surveys before and after each lab, student comfort levels were shown to increase drastically from a majority of students being uncomfortable or with neutral feelings about working in the MATLAB environment to a vast majority of students being comfortable working in the environment. Though change was reported within each lab, a series of labs was necessary in order to establish a lasting high level of comfort. Comfort working with code is important as a first step in acquiring computational skills that are required to address many questions within neuroscience. PMID:26557798

Lab notebooks as scientific communication: Investigating development from undergraduate courses to graduate research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, Jacob T.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2016-12-01

In experimental physics, lab notebooks play an essential role in the research process. For all of the ubiquity of lab notebooks, little formal attention has been paid to addressing what is considered "best practice" for scientific documentation and how researchers come to learn these practices in experimental physics. Using interviews with practicing researchers, namely, physics graduate students, we explore the different experiences researchers had in learning how to effectively use a notebook for scientific documentation. We find that very few of those interviewed thought that their undergraduate lab classes successfully taught them the benefit of maintaining a lab notebook. Most described training in lab notebook use as either ineffective or outright missing from their undergraduate lab course experience. Furthermore, a large majority of those interviewed explained that they did not receive any formal training in maintaining a lab notebook during their graduate school experience and received little to no feedback from their advisors on these records. Many of the interviewees describe learning the purpose of, and how to maintain, these kinds of lab records only after having a period of trial and error, having already started doing research in their graduate program. Despite the central role of scientific documentation in the research enterprise, these physics graduate students did not gain skills in documentation through formal instruction, but rather through informal hands-on practice.

Genomics Education in Practice: Evaluation of a Mobile Lab Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Mil, Marc H. W.; Boerwinkel, Dirk Jan; Buizer-Voskamp, Jacobine E.; Speksnijder, Annelies; Waarlo, Arend Jan

2010-01-01

Dutch genomics research centers have developed the "DNA labs on the road" to bridge the gap between modern genomics research practice and secondary-school curriculum in the Netherlands. These mobile DNA labs offer upper-secondary students the opportunity to experience genomics research through experiments with laboratory equipment that…

Fully On-line Introductory Physics with a Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schatz, Michael

We describe the development and implementation of a college-level introductory physics (mechanics) course and laboratory that is suited for both on-campus and on-line environments. The course emphasizes a ``Your World is Your Lab'' approach whereby students first examine and capture on video (using cellphones) motion in their immediate surroundings, and then use free, open-source software both to extract data from the video and to apply physics principles to build models that describe, predict, and visualize the observations. Each student reports findings by creating a video lab report and posting it online; these video lab reports are then distributed to the rest of the class for peer review. In this talk, we will discuss the student and instructor experiences in courses offered to three distinct audiences in different venues: (1) a Massively Open On-line Course (MOOC) for off-campus participants, (2) a flipped/blended course for on-campus students, and, most recently, (3) a fully-online course for off-campus students.

Commerce Lab - An enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Jack; Atkins, Harry L.; Williams, John R.

1986-01-01

Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab provides an enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities. Commerce Lab program activities to date have focused on mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program to facilitate the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

50 years of service: The Missoula Fire Sciences Lab

Treesearch

Jane Kapler Smith; Diane Smith; Colin Hardy

2011-01-01

In September 12, 1960, the brand new Northern Forest Fire Laboratory was dedicated in Missoula, MT. The fire lab’s mission was - and is - to improve scientific understanding of wildland fire so it can be managed more safely and effectively in the field. The first scientists to work at the fire lab initiated research that continues to be used, refined, and extended....

The Earth is our lab: Ten years of geoscience school lab in Potsdam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaus Küppers, Andreas

2016-04-01

Starting in 2004, a geoscientific school lab for senior high school students was developed in the historical "Großer Refraktor" premises on the Telegraphenberg in Potsdam. Based on a one-day course architecture, laboratory days were developed covering singular themes: - Magnetic field of the Earth - Geographical Information Systems and geodata - Gravity field of the Earth - Geodynamics: seismology and seismics - Geoscience math - Geodata Brandenburg (Geological mapping with aerophotographs, remote sensing, underground data processing) With a focus on geophysical methodologies, course days generally focused on the field work around the Telegraphenberg site while introducing into the art of handling original professional equipment. Field data were afterwards compiled, analysed and interpreted in the group. Single days could be combined as clusters of up to one week and were bookable for national and international groups of max. 25 students. The courses were taught by active scientists with the assistance of student guides as the larger groups had to be split up. The paper gives an overview over the development history of the school lab and explains the course contents, the teaching methods and several employed escorting measures. Possible impact on the professional career decisions of the students is discussed.

Podcast: Scientific Integrity and Lab Fraud

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Nov 25, 2015. Dr. Bruce Woods, a chemist in the Electronic Crimes Division within the OIG’s Office of Investigations discusses his recent webinar for the Association of Public Health Laboratories on lab fraud.

Perspectives on Industrial Innovation from Agilent, HP, and Bell Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollenhorst, James

2014-03-01

Innovation is the life blood of technology companies. I will give perspectives gleaned from a career in research and development at Bell Labs, HP Labs, and Agilent Labs, from the point of view of an individual contributor and a manager. Physicists bring a unique set of skills to the corporate environment, including a desire to understand the fundamentals, a solid foundation in physical principles, expertise in applied mathematics, and most importantly, an attitude: namely, that hard problems can be solved by breaking them into manageable pieces. In my experience, hiring managers in industry seldom explicitly search for physicists, but they want people with those skills.

77 FR 64143 - Manufacturer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Cambridge Isotope Lab

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-18

...; Notice of Registration; Cambridge Isotope Lab By Notice dated June 18, 2012, and published in the Federal Register on June 26, 2012, 77 FR 38086, Cambridge Isotope Lab, 50 Frontage Road, Andover, Massachusetts....C. 823(a) and determined that the registration of Cambridge Isotope Lab to manufacture the listed...

Cyberinfrastructure to Support Collaborative Research Within Small Ecology Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laney, C.; Jaimes, A.; Cody, R. P.; Kassin, A.; Salayandia, L.; Tweedie, C. E.

2011-12-01

Increasingly, ecological research programs addressing complex challenges are driving technological innovations that allow the acquisition and analysis of data collected over larger spatial scales and finer temporal resolutions. Many research labs are shifting from deploying technicians or students into the field to setting up automated sensors. These sensors can cost less on an individual basis, provide continuous and reliable data collection, and allow researchers to spend more time analyzing data and testing hypotheses. They can provide an enormous amount of complex information about an ecosystem. However, the effort to manage, analyze, and disseminate that information can be daunting. Small labs unfamiliar with these efforts may find their capacity to publish at competitive rates hindered by information management. Such labs would be well served by an easy to manage cyberinfrastructure (CI) that is organized in a modular, plug-and-play design and is amenable to a wide variety of data types. Its functionality would permit addition of new sensors and perform automated data analysis and visualization. Such a system would conceivably enhance access to data from small labs through web services, thereby improving the representation of smaller labs in scientific syntheses and enhancing the spatial and temporal coverage of such efforts. We present a CI that is designed to meet the needs of a small but heavily instrumented research site located within the USDA ARS Jornada Experimental Range in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. This site was constructed and is operated by the Systems Ecology Lab at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a relatively small and young lab. Researchers at the site study land-atmosphere carbon, water, and energy fluxes at a mixed creosote (Larrea tridentata) - mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) shrubland. The site includes an eddy covariance tower built to AmeriFlux and FLUXNET specifications, a robotic cart that measures hyperspectral

Engineering Students' Experiences from Physics Group Work in Learning Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mellingsaeter, Magnus Strøm

2014-01-01

Background: This paper presents a case study from a physics course at a Norwegian university college, investigating key aspects of a group-work project, so-called learning labs, from the participating students' perspective. Purpose: In order to develop these learning labs further, the students' perspective is important. Which aspects are essential…

Towards ensuring gender equity.

PubMed

Basu, A

1996-01-01

All people should participate in the development process. Many, however, remain excluded from the benefits of development. For example, women are privy to only a small share of developmental opportunities. The goals of equality, development, and peace were stated during the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in September 1995. The author considers whether women truly have equitable access to literacy, education, food, nutrition, health, employment, and the political and economic decision making process. She stresses that the goals pronounced at the Fourth World Conference on Women must be backed up with the necessary resources, including institutions established at the local, state, and national levels to ensure that the objectives are implemented and the implementation is monitored. The author further argues that in order for women to achieve equality with men, all girls must have access to primary and secondary schools; basic literacy is inadequate. Moreover, gender stereotyping must be avoided and gender sensitization ensured at all levels.

Physical Therapist Assistant Fitness Lab.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backstrom, Kurt; And Others

Colby Community College's (CCC) Fitness Lab was established to provide the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program with a learning laboratory in which students can practice classroom-acquired skills, while at the same time promoting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual well-being of CCC students and staff, and community members. A…

The Multisensory Sound Lab: Sounds You Can See and Feel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lederman, Norman; Hendricks, Paula

1994-01-01

A multisensory sound lab has been developed at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (District of Columbia). A special floor allows vibrations to be felt, and a spectrum analyzer displays frequencies and harmonics visually. The lab is used for science education, auditory training, speech therapy, music and dance instruction, and relaxation…

SuperLab LT: Evaluation and Uses in Teaching Experimental Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ragozzine, Frank

2002-01-01

I describe and evaluate SuperLab LT (Chase & Abboud, 1990), a software package that enables students to replicate classic experiments in cognitive psychology. I also discuss the package with respect to its uses in teaching an undergraduate course in Experimental Psychology. Although the package has minor flaws, SuperLab LT provides numerous…

What happens in the lab does not stay in the lab [corrected]: Applying midstream modulation to enhance critical reflection in the laboratory.

PubMed

Schuurbiers, Daan

2011-12-01

In response to widespread policy prescriptions for responsible innovation, social scientists and engineering ethicists, among others, have sought to engage natural scientists and engineers at the 'midstream': building interdisciplinary collaborations to integrate social and ethical considerations with research and development processes. Two 'laboratory engagement studies' have explored how applying the framework of midstream modulation could enhance the reflections of natural scientists on the socio-ethical context of their work. The results of these interdisciplinary collaborations confirm the utility of midstream modulation in encouraging both first- and second-order reflective learning. The potential for second-order reflective learning, in which underlying value systems become the object of reflection, is particularly significant with respect to addressing social responsibility in research practices. Midstream modulation served to render the socio-ethical context of research visible in the laboratory and helped enable research participants to more critically reflect on this broader context. While lab-based collaborations would benefit from being carried out in concert with activities at institutional and policy levels, midstream modulation could prove a valuable asset in the toolbox of interdisciplinary methods aimed at responsible innovation.

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals’ pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers. PMID:28178270

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers.

PubMed

Roach, Michael

2017-01-01

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications. At the same time, labs that encourage entrepreneurship are significantly more likely to report invention disclosures, particularly in engineering where such labs are 41% more likely to disclose inventions. With respect to career pathways, PhDs students in labs that encourage entrepreneurship do not differ from other PhDs in their interest in academic careers, but they are 87% more likely to be interested in careers in entrepreneurship and 44% more likely to work in a startup after graduation. These results persist even when accounting for individuals' pre-PhD interest in entrepreneurship and the encouragement of other non-academic industry careers.

Attracting STEM Talent: Do STEM Students Prefer Traditional or Work/Life-Interaction Labs?

PubMed Central

DeFraine, William C.; Williams, Wendy M.; Ceci, Stephen J.

2014-01-01

The demand for employees trained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields continues to increase, yet the number of Millennial students pursuing STEM is not keeping pace. We evaluated whether this shortfall is associated with Millennials' preference for flexibility and work/life-interaction in their careers-a preference that may be inconsistent with the traditional idea of a science career endorsed by many lab directors. Two contrasting approaches to running STEM labs and training students were explored, and we created a lab recruitment video depicting each. The work-focused video emphasized the traditional notions of a science lab, characterized by long work hours and a focus on individual achievement and conducting research above all else. In contrast, the work/life-interaction-focused video emphasized a more progressive view – lack of demarcation between work and non-work lives, flexible hours, and group achievement. In Study 1, 40 professors rated the videos, and the results confirmed that the two lab types reflected meaningful real-world differences in training approaches. In Study 2, we recruited 53 current and prospective graduate students in STEM fields who displayed high math-identification and a commitment to science careers. In a between-subjects design, they watched one of the two lab-recruitment videos, and then reported their anticipated sense of belonging to and desire to participate in the lab depicted in the video. Very large effects were observed on both primary measures: Participants who watched the work/life-interaction-focused video reported a greater sense of belonging to (d = 1.49) and desire to participate in (d = 1.33) the lab, relative to participants who watched the work-focused video. These results suggest Millennials possess a strong desire for work/life-interaction, which runs counter to the traditional lab-training model endorsed by many lab directors. We discuss implications of these findings for

Multimedia software to help caregivers cope.

PubMed

Chambers, Mary G; Connor, Samantha L; McGonigle, Mary; Diver, Mike G

2003-01-01

This report describes the design and evaluation of a software application to help carers cope when faced with caring problems and emergencies. The design process involved users at each stage to ensure the content of the software application was appropriate, and the research team carefully considered the requirements of disabled and elderly users. Focus group discussions and individual interviews were conducted in five European countries to ascertain the needs of caregivers in this area. The findings were used to design a three-part multimedia software application to help family caregivers prepare to cope with sudden, unexpected, and difficult situations that may arise during their time as a caregiver. This prototype then was evaluated via user trials and usability questionnaires to consider the usability and acceptance of the application and any changes that may be required. User acceptance of the software application was high, and the key features of usability such as content, appearance, and navigation were highly rated. In general, comments were positive and enthusiastic regarding the content of the software application and relevance to the caring situation. The software application has the potential to offer information and support to those who are caring for the elderly and disabled at home and to help them prepare for a crisis.

Lab experiments are a major source of knowledge in the social sciences.

PubMed

Falk, Armin; Heckman, James J

2009-10-23

Laboratory experiments are a widely used methodology for advancing causal knowledge in the physical and life sciences. With the exception of psychology, the adoption of laboratory experiments has been much slower in the social sciences, although during the past two decades the use of lab experiments has accelerated. Nonetheless, there remains considerable resistance among social scientists who argue that lab experiments lack "realism" and generalizability. In this article, we discuss the advantages and limitations of laboratory social science experiments by comparing them to research based on nonexperimental data and to field experiments. We argue that many recent objections against lab experiments are misguided and that even more lab experiments should be conducted.

Monitoring Ensures Protection for Workers, Public and Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-01

the best technology to protect workers , the public and the environment. Oversight and Health Standards There are several groups and agencies...2007 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2007 to 00-00-2007 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Monitoring Ensures Protection for Workers , Public and...Monitoring Ensures Protection for Workers , Public and Environment CMA_Monitoring_ensures_protection_fs_10-07.indd O V E R Safety is the primary

Labs21 Approach to Climate Neutral Campuses | Climate Neutral Research

Science.gov Websites

Campuses | NREL Labs21 Approach to Climate Neutral Campuses Labs21 Approach to Climate Neutral included a whole-building approach to energy efficiency in laboratory buildings. This website takes that approach a step further in carrying out campus-wide energy- and carbon-reduction strategies. The

OBLIQUE VIEW OF MISSILE LAB WITH CRANE SHOWING SOUTHWEST AND ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

OBLIQUE VIEW OF MISSILE LAB WITH CRANE SHOWING SOUTHWEST AND NORTHWEST SIDES. VIEW FACING EAST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

THIRD LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING) SHOWING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

THIRD LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING) SHOWING MISSILE TUBE. VIEW FACING SOUTH - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

OBLIQUE VIEW OF MISSILE LAB WITH CRANE SHOWING SOUTHEAST AND ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

OBLIQUE VIEW OF MISSILE LAB WITH CRANE SHOWING SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST SIDES. VIEW FACING NORTH/NORTHWEST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

Incorporating a Career Planning Lab into a Managerial Communications Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Gary L.

2005-01-01

This article describes how a small business school, as part of a strategic planning initiative to improve career services, added a self-directed career planning lab to an existing managerial communication course. The lab concept and the learning design are innovative because they met a student need without creating additional time demands on the…

Indicators for the use of robotic labs in basic biomedical research: a literature analysis

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Robotic labs, in which experiments are carried out entirely by robots, have the potential to provide a reproducible and transparent foundation for performing basic biomedical laboratory experiments. In this article, we investigate whether these labs could be applicable in current experimental practice. We do this by text mining 1,628 papers for occurrences of methods that are supported by commercial robotic labs. Using two different concept recognition tools, we find that 86%–89% of the papers have at least one of these methods. This and our other results provide indications that robotic labs can serve as the foundation for performing many lab-based experiments. PMID:29134146

ThinkSpace: Spatial Thinking in Middle School Astronomy Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udomprasert, Patricia S.; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Plummer, Julia; Sadler, Philip M.; Johnson, Erin; Sunbury, Susan; Zhang, Helen; Dussault, Mary E.

2016-01-01

Critical breakthroughs in science (e.g., Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, and Watson & Crick's discovery of the structure of DNA), originated with those scientists' ability to think spatially, and research has shown that spatial ability correlates strongly with likelihood of entering a career in STEM. Mounting evidence also shows that spatial skills are malleable, i.e., they can be improved through training. We report early work from a new project that will build on this research to create a series of middle schools science labs called "Thinking Spatially about the Universe" (ThinkSpace), in which students will use a blend of physical and virtual models (in WorldWide Telescope) to explore complex 3-dimensional phenomena in space science. In the three-year ThinkSpace labs project, astronomers, technologists, and education researchers are collaborating to create and test a suite of three labs designed to improve learners' spatial abilities through studies of: 1) Moon phases and eclipses; 2) planetary systems around stars other than the Sun; and 3.) celestial motions within the broader universe. The research program will determine which elements in the labs will best promote improvement of spatial skills within activities that emphasize disciplinary core ideas; and how best to optimize interactive dynamic visualizations to maximize student understanding.

DOE EiR at Oakridge National Lab 2008/09

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

Bauer, Michael

2012-11-30

This project placed an experienced technology entrepreneur at Oak Ridge National Lab, one of DOE's premier laboratories undertaking cutting edge research in a variety of fields, including energy technologies. With the goal of accelerating the commercialization of advanced energy technologies, the task was to review available technologies at the lab and identify those that qualify for licensing and commercialization by a private startup company, backed by private venture capital. During the project, more than 1,500 inventions filed at the lab were reviewed over a 1 year period; a successively smaller number was selected for more detailed review, ultimately resulting inmore » five, and then 1 technology, being reviewed for immediate commercialization. The chosen technology, consisting in computational chemistry based approached to optimization of enzymes, was tested in lab experiments, paid for by funds raised by ORNL for the purpose of proving out the effectiveness of the technology and readiness for commercialization. The experiments proved out that the technology worked however it's performance proved not yet mature enough to qualify for private venture capital funded commercialization in a high tech startup. As a consequence, the project did not result in a new startup company being formed, as originally intended.« less

KNMI DataLab experiences in serving data-driven innovations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noteboom, Jan Willem; Sluiter, Raymond

2016-04-01

Climate change research and innovations in weather forecasting rely more and more on (Big) data. Besides increasing data from traditional sources (such as observation networks, radars and satellites), the use of open data, crowd sourced data and the Internet of Things (IoT) is emerging. To deploy these sources of data optimally in our services and products, KNMI has established a DataLab to serve data-driven innovations in collaboration with public and private sector partners. Big data management, data integration, data analytics including machine learning and data visualization techniques are playing an important role in the DataLab. Cross-domain data-driven innovations that arise from public-private collaborative projects and research programmes can be explored, experimented and/or piloted by the KNMI DataLab. Furthermore, advice can be requested on (Big) data techniques and data sources. In support of collaborative (Big) data science activities, scalable environments are offered with facilities for data integration, data analysis and visualization. In addition, Data Science expertise is provided directly or from a pool of internal and external experts. At the EGU conference, gained experiences and best practices are presented in operating the KNMI DataLab to serve data-driven innovations for weather and climate applications optimally.

Bethune-Cookman University STEM Research Lab. DOE Renovation Project

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

Thompson, Herbert W.

DOE funding was used to renovate 4,500 square feet of aging laboratories and classrooms that support science, engineering, and mathematics disciplines (specifically environmental science, and computer engineering). The expansion of the labs was needed to support robotics and environmental science research, and to better accommodate a wide variety of teaching situations. The renovated space includes a robotics laboratory, two multi-use labs, safe spaces for the storage of instrumentation, modern ventilation equipment, and other “smart” learning venues. The renovated areas feature technologies that are environmentally friendly with reduced energy costs. A campus showcase, the laboratories are a reflection of the University’smore » commitment to the environment and research as a tool for teaching. As anticipated, the labs facilitate the exploration of emerging technologies that are compatible with local and regional economic plans.« less

Simulation and visualization of fundamental optics phenomenon by LabVIEW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyu, Bohan

2017-08-01

Most instructors teach complex phenomenon by equation and static illustration without interactive multimedia. Students usually memorize phenomenon by taking note. However, only note or complex formula can not make user visualize the phenomenon of the photonics system. LabVIEW is a good tool for in automatic measurement. However, the simplicity of coding in LabVIEW makes it not only suit for automatic measurement, but also suitable for simulation and visualization of fundamental optics phenomenon. In this paper, five simple optics phenomenon will be discuss and simulation with LabVIEW. They are Snell's Law, Hermite-Gaussian beam transverse mode, square and circular aperture diffraction, polarization wave and Poincare sphere, and finally Fabry-Perrot etalon in spectrum domain.

OVERVIEW OF FOURTH LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (ROOFTOP LEVEL OF ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

OVERVIEW OF FOURTH LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (ROOFTOP LEVEL OF BUILDING) SHOWING TOP OF MISSILE TUBE. VIEW FACING WEST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

The Computer-Networked Writing Lab: One Instructor's View. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puccio, P. M.

According to an instructor of basic writing in the Writing Lab at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, he can teach differently in a computer-networked writing lab than he did in a conventional classroom. Because the room is designed to teach writing and nothing else, it offers a congenial workspace where the teacher can interact with…

No weapons in the weapons lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trebino, Rick

2010-03-01

I spent 12 years working at a top-secret nuclear-weapons lab that had its own dedicated force of heavily armed security guards. Of course, security-related incidents were rare, so the guards' main challenge was simply staying awake.

Using collaborative technologies in remote lab delivery systems for topics in automation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashby, Joe E.

Lab exercises are a pedagogically essential component of engineering and technology education. Distance education remote labs are being developed which enable students to access lab facilities via the Internet. Collaboration, students working in teams, enhances learning activity through the development of communication skills, sharing observations and problem solving. Web meeting communication tools are currently used in remote labs. The problem identified for investigation was that no standards of practice or paradigms exist to guide remote lab designers in the selection of collaboration tools that best support learning achievement. The goal of this work was to add to the body of knowledge involving the selection and use of remote lab collaboration tools. Experimental research was conducted where the participants were randomly assigned to three communication treatments and learning achievement was measured via assessments at the completion of each of six remote lab based lessons. Quantitative instruments used for assessing learning achievement were implemented, along with a survey to correlate user preference with collaboration treatments. A total of 53 undergraduate technology students worked in two-person teams, where each team was assigned one of the treatments, namely (a) text messaging chat, (b) voice chat, or (c) webcam video with voice chat. Each had little experience with the subject matter involving automation, but possessed the necessary technical background. Analysis of the assessment score data included mean and standard deviation, confirmation of the homogeneity of variance, a one-way ANOVA test and post hoc comparisons. The quantitative and qualitative data indicated that text messaging chat negatively impacted learning achievement and that text messaging chat was not preferred. The data also suggested that the subjects were equally divided on preference to voice chat verses webcam video with voice chat. To the end of designing collaborative

Unique Approach to Hydraulic Characterization at an Underground Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, T. L.; Wang, J. S.

2009-12-01

The Sanford Underground Laboratory is the interim lab for the future federally funded DUSEL (Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab). The Sanford Lab took over the abandoned Homestake mine in Lead, SD. Over three hundred miles of drift, extending 8,000 feet below the surface, are now being used to house experiments in disciplines including physics, geology, and biology. The lab is situated in Precambrian metamorphic rocks intersected by Tertiary dike swarms. Three relevant geologic units are defined within the Precambrian rock system; all of which are interpreted to be metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary deposits. The Sanford Lab provides a unique environment to study several aspects of hydrogeology and hydrology; including geochemistry, hydraulic systems in fractured aquifers, and fluvial activity within mine workings. Aquifer characteristics housing the mine workings’ is important to define for future and present research at the underground lab. Outlined here is a unique approach to defining the matrix porosity within the fractured aquifer system. The Homestake mine was abandoned and the pump system keeping the mine dry was turned off in 2003. Over the course of the next five years the water level rose 3470 feet. Oxidation of iron from the water left a red staining on the submerged rocks. Hydrological observations are conducted on different levels throughout the Homestake facility as the water levels are lowered. Isolated air pockets and long stretches of unstained areas along the roof of drifts have been observed, together with less frequent occurrences of seepages. These observations are documented to supplement hydrological monitoring and testing with sensors. The sizes and widths of the trapped air pockets are indications of low permeability values and can be used to estimate the degree of heterogeneity along drifts. It is noted that sections of long stretches of trapped air have more delayed drainages, consistent with low effective permeability

Enhancing pre-service physics teachers' creative thinking skills through HOT lab design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, Adam; Setiawan, Agus; Suhandi, Andi; Permanasari, Anna

2017-08-01

A research on the implementation of HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Laboratory has been carried out. This research is aimed to compare increasing of creative thinking skills of pre-service physics teachers who receive physics lesson with HOT Lab and with verification lab for the topic of electric circuit. This research used a quasi-experiment methods with control group pretest-posttest design. The subject of the research is 40 Physics Education pre-service physics teachers of UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. Research samples were selected by class random sampling technique. Data on pre-service physics teachers' creative thinking skills were collected using test of creative thinking skills in the form of essay. The results of the research reveal that average of N-gain of creative thinking skills are <0,69> for pre-service physics teachers who received lesson with HOT Lab design and <0,39> for pre-service physics teachers who received lesson with verification lab, respectively. Therefore, we conclude that application of HOT Lab design is more effective to increase creative thinking skills in the lesson of electric circuit.

National Lab Science Day | News

Science.gov Websites

Laboratory news From lab leadership Submit content - login required Provide feedback Subscribe to our officer at Fermilab, guided Secretary Moniz and members of the U.S. Senate and House on virtual tours of virtual tour Particle detector tours Collisions in 3-D DOE facilities Dark matter and dark energy Particle

Berkeley Lab - Materials Sciences Division

Science.gov Websites

Investigators Division Staff Facilities and Centers Staff Jobs Safety Personnel Resources Committees In Case of ? Click Here! Personnel Safety Personnel MSD EH&S Manager Martin Neitzel 66-242 ext. 6169 MLNeitzel Schwartz 66-250E ext. 4957 nischwartz@lbl.gov Lab Safety Advisory Committee Rep Robert Kaindl 2-354 ext

VIEW OF THIRD LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (SECOND FLOOR OF ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF THIRD LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB (SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING) SHOWING MISSILE TUBE IN CENTER WITH OPEN HATCH AT RIGHT. VIEW FACING NORTHEAST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

VIEW OF SECOND LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB WITH MISSILE TUBE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF SECOND LEVEL OF MISSILE LAB WITH MISSILE TUBE WITH HATCH ON LEFT AND CONTROL PANEL ON RIGHT. VIEW FACING SOUTHEAST - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Polaris Missile Lab & U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Training Center, Between Lexington Boulvevard and the sea plane ramps on the southwest side of Ford Island, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI

Resources available to help family physicians provide advice to travellers.

PubMed Central

Lechky, O

1995-01-01

Because many Canadians are travelling to exotic destinations, family physicians may be asked for advice on immunization and health tips to prevent illnesses such as malaria, altitude disease, meningitis and schistosomiasis. A Toronto family physician who is on staff at a travel clinic says a few guiding principles and good resources can help family physicians ensure that their patients are healthy when they return from a trip. PMID:7553504

Ames Lab 101: Single Crystal Growth

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

Schlagel, Deborah

2013-09-27

Ames Laboratory scientist Deborah Schlagel talks about the Lab's research in growing single crystals of various metals and alloys. The single crystal samples are vital to researchers' understanding of the characteristics of a materials and what gives these materials their particular properties.

Ames Lab 101: Single Crystal Growth

ScienceCinema

Schlagel, Deborah

2018-01-16

Ames Laboratory scientist Deborah Schlagel talks about the Lab's research in growing single crystals of various metals and alloys. The single crystal samples are vital to researchers' understanding of the characteristics of a materials and what gives these materials their particular properties.

Interesting Guided-Inquiry Labs for a Large-Enrollment, Active Learning Physics II Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagoner, Kasey; Hynes, K. Mairin; Flanagan, Daniel

2018-04-01

Introductory physics labs often focus on a series of common experiments intending to teach the student the measurement side of physics. While these experiments have the potential to be quite instructive, we observed that our students often consider them to be boring and monotonous, which often leads to them being uninstructive. To combat this, we have designed a series of labs with two major goals: the experiments should be relevant to the students' world, and the labs should gently guide the students to develop the experimental process on their own. Meeting these goals is difficult, particularly in a course with large enrollment where labs are instructed by graduate students. We have had success meeting these goals in our classroom, where over the last decade our introductory physics course has transformed from a traditional, lecture-learning class to a flipped class based on the textbook Six Ideas that Shaped Physics. Here we describe the structure of the new labs we have designed to capitalize on our classroom success while overcoming the aforementioned difficulties. These new labs are more engaging and instructive for our introductory physics students.

Adapting NBODY4 with a GRAPE-6a Supercomputer for Web Access, Using NBodyLab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, V.; Aarseth, S.

2006-07-01

A demonstration site has been developed by the authors that enables researchers and students to experiment with the capabilities and performance of NBODY4 running on a GRAPE-6a over the web. NBODY4 is a sophisticated open-source N-body code for high accuracy simulations of dense stellar systems (Aarseth 2003). In 2004, NBODY4 was successfully tested with a GRAPE-6a, yielding an unprecedented low-cost tool for astrophysical research. The GRAPE-6a is a supercomputer card developed by astrophysicists to accelerate high accuracy N-body simulations with a cluster or a desktop PC (Fukushige et al. 2005, Makino & Taiji 1998). The GRAPE-6a card became commercially available in 2004, runs at 125 Gflops peak, has a standard PCI interface and costs less than 10,000. Researchers running the widely used NBODY6 (which does not require GRAPE hardware) can compare their own PC or laptop performance with simulations run on http://www.NbodyLab.org. Such comparisons may help justify acquisition of a GRAPE-6a. For workgroups such as university physics or astronomy departments, the demonstration site may be replicated or serve as a model for a shared computing resource. The site was constructed using an NBodyLab server-side framework.

DoD Research Labs 101: Who They Are, What They Do | DoDLive

Science.gov Websites

Corner Behind the Lens DoD Research Labs 101: Who They Are, What They Do Posted on March 24, 2016 by service branch has several research labs across the country that focus on specific technologies. I could just going to fill you in on what each of the main labs does and give some examples of the cool things

Effects of Implementing a Hybrid Wet Lab and Online Module Lab Curriculum into a General Chemistry Course: Impacts on Student Performance and Engagement with the Chemistry Triplet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irby, Stefan M.; Borda, Emily J.; Haupt, Justin

2018-01-01

Here, we describe the implementation a hybrid general chemistry teaching laboratory curriculum that replaces a portion of a course's traditional "wet lab" experiences with online virtual lab modules. These modules intentionally utilize representations on all three levels of the chemistry triplet-macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic.…

AnimatLab: a 3D graphics environment for neuromechanical simulations.

PubMed

Cofer, David; Cymbalyuk, Gennady; Reid, James; Zhu, Ying; Heitler, William J; Edwards, Donald H

2010-03-30

The nervous systems of animals evolved to exert dynamic control of behavior in response to the needs of the animal and changing signals from the environment. To understand the mechanisms of dynamic control requires a means of predicting how individual neural and body elements will interact to produce the performance of the entire system. AnimatLab is a software tool that provides an approach to this problem through computer simulation. AnimatLab enables a computational model of an animal's body to be constructed from simple building blocks, situated in a virtual 3D world subject to the laws of physics, and controlled by the activity of a multicellular, multicompartment neural circuit. Sensor receptors on the body surface and inside the body respond to external and internal signals and then excite central neurons, while motor neurons activate Hill muscle models that span the joints and generate movement. AnimatLab provides a common neuromechanical simulation environment in which to construct and test models of any skeletal animal, vertebrate or invertebrate. The use of AnimatLab is demonstrated in a neuromechanical simulation of human arm flexion and the myotactic and contact-withdrawal reflexes. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative Comparisons to Promote Inquiry in the Introductory Physics Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmes, N. G.; Bonn, D. A.

2015-09-01

In a recent report, the American Association of Physics Teachers has developed an updated set of recommendations for curriculum of undergraduate physics labs. This document focuses on six major themes: constructing knowledge, modeling, designing experiments, developing technical and practical laboratory skills, analyzing and visualizing data, and communicating physics. These themes all tie together as a set of practical skills in scientific measurement, analysis, and experimentation. In addition to teaching students how to use these skills, it is important for students to know when to use them so that they can use them autonomously. This requires, especially in the case of analytical skills, high levels of inquiry behaviors to reflect on data and iterate measurements, which students rarely do in lab experiments. Often, they perform lab experiments in a plug-and-chug frame, procedurally completing each activity with little to no sensemaking. An emphasis on obtaining true theoretical values or agreement on individual measurements also reinforces inauthentic behaviors such as retroactively inflating measurement uncertainties. This paper aims to offer a relatively simple pedagogical framework for engaging students authentically in experimentation and inquiry in physics labs.

Micron2 Lab: Microfluidic Microbiology Lab Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burton, Aaron; Botkin, Douglas; Castro, Sarah; Crucian, Brian

2015-01-01

Microbial monitoring during spaceflight is crucial to maintain crew health and ensure water purifications systems are functioning properly. Current protocols for in-flight enumeration of bacteria in potable water systems require culture based methods. In this project, we aim to develop a flight- and microgravity-compatible flow cytometer capable of counting total microbial counts in the water supply and differentiating live from dead bacteria.

The Participatory Design of a (Today and) Future Digital Entomology Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hai-Jew, Shalin

2011-01-01

This article showcases a virtual interactive participatory design activity for building a digital entomology lab. Conceptualized as a virtual complement to a general entomology course at Kansas State University, the lab would allow learners to explore morphological aspects of insects--their various forms and functions--in order to understand…

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Alternative Fuels Help Ensure America's

Science.gov Websites

key players from the start. For example, a strategic partnership with Black Bear Solar Institute led is replacing its fleet vehicles with efficient and alternative fuel vehicles. For example, in recent deploying seven propane mowers, thanks to a donation from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC

How Principals Can Help to Ensure Safe Science Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaufman, James A.

1995-01-01

Most schools inadequately protect the health and safety of students involved in science study. Echoing industry standards (and safety records), schools should have safety policies and committees, develop safety orientation programs, make working safely an employment condition, reward good safety performance, inspect and correct, and supply…

Planning ahead can help ensure patient's wishes are expressed.

PubMed

Garland, Sara

2012-09-05

The article on cardiopulmonary resuscitation in end of life care (art&science August 22) was thought-provoking, most notably for its focus on the ethical, legal and professional issues associated with any decisions taken in these circumstances.

Reduced-Gravity Experiments Conducted to Help Bioreactor Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niederhaus, Charles E.; Nahra, Henry K.; Kizito, John P.

2004-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center and the NASA Johnson Space Center are collaborating on fluid dynamic investigations for a future cell science bioreactor to fly on the International Space Station (ISS). Project Manager Steven Gonda from the Cellular Biotechnology Program at Johnson is leading the development of the Hydrodynamic Focusing Bioreactor--Space (HFB-S) for use on the ISS to study tissue growth in microgravity. Glenn is providing microgravity fluid physics expertise to help with the design and evaluation of the HFB-S. These bioreactors are used for three-dimensional tissue culture, which cannot be done in ground-based labs in normal gravity. The bioreactors provide a continual supply of oxygen for cell growth, as well as periodic replacement of cell culture media with nutrients. The bioreactor must provide a uniform distribution of oxygen and nutrients while minimizing the shear stresses on the tissue culture.

Proposed measurement of tagged deep inelastic scattering in Hall A of Jefferson lab

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

Montgomery, Rachel; Annand, John; Dutta, Dipangkar

2017-03-01

A tagged deep inelastic scattering (TDIS) experiment is planned for Hall A of Jefferson Lab, which will probe the mesonic content of the nucleon directly. Low momentum recoiling (and spectator) protons will be measured in coincidence with electrons scattered in a deep inelastic regime from hydrogen (and deuterium) targets, covering kinematics of 8 < W2 < 18 GeV2, 1 < Q2 < 3 (GeV/c)2 and 0:05 < x < 0:2. The tagging technique will help identify scattering from partons in the meson cloud and provide access to the pion structure function via the Sullivan process. The experiment will yield themore » first TDIS results in the valence regime, for both proton and neutron targets. We present here an overview of the experiment.« less

LabNet: Toward A Community of Practice. Technology in Education Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruopp, Richard, Ed.; And Others

Many educators advocate the use of projects in the science classroom. This document describes an effort (LabNet) that has successfully implemented a program that allows students to learn science using projects. Chapter 1, "An Introduction to LabNet" (Richard Ruopp, Megham Pfister), provides an initial framework for understanding the…

The LabTube - a novel microfluidic platform for assay automation in laboratory centrifuges.

PubMed

Kloke, A; Fiebach, A R; Zhang, S; Drechsel, L; Niekrawietz, S; Hoehl, M M; Kneusel, R; Panthel, K; Steigert, J; von Stetten, F; Zengerle, R; Paust, N

2014-05-07

Assay automation is the key for successful transformation of modern biotechnology into routine workflows. Yet, it requires considerable investment in processing devices and auxiliary infrastructure, which is not cost-efficient for laboratories with low or medium sample throughput or point-of-care testing. To close this gap, we present the LabTube platform, which is based on assay specific disposable cartridges for processing in laboratory centrifuges. LabTube cartridges comprise interfaces for sample loading and downstream applications and fluidic unit operations for release of prestored reagents, mixing, and solid phase extraction. Process control is achieved by a centrifugally-actuated ballpen mechanism. To demonstrate the workflow and functionality of the LabTube platform, we show two LabTube automated sample preparation assays from laboratory routines: DNA extractions from whole blood and purification of His-tagged proteins. Equal DNA and protein yields were observed compared to manual reference runs, while LabTube automation could significantly reduce the hands-on-time to one minute per extraction.

Enhancing Communication Skills of Pre-service Physics Teacher through HOT Lab Related to Electric Circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, A.; Setiawan, A.; Suhandi, A.; Permanasari, A.; Dirgantara, Y.; Yuniarti, H.; Sapriadil, S.; Hermita, N.

2018-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the improvement to pre-service teacher’s communication skills through Higher Order Thinking Laboratory (HOT Lab) on electric circuit topic. This research used the quasi-experiment method with pretest-posttest control group design. Research subjects were 60 students of Physics Education in UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. The sample was chosen by random sampling technique. Students’ communication skill data collected using a communication skills test instruments-essays form and observations sheets. The results showed that pre-service teacher communication skills using HOT Lab were higher than verification lab. Student’s communication skills in groups using HOT Lab were not influenced by gender. Communication skills could increase due to HOT Lab based on problems solving that can develop communication through hands-on activities. Therefore, the conclusion of this research shows the application of HOT Lab is more effective than the verification lab to improve communication skills of pre-service teachers in electric circuit topic and gender is not related to a person’s communication skills.

ExoGeoLab Pilot Project for Landers, Rovers and Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foing, Bernard

2010-05-01

We have developed a pilot facility with a Robotic Test Bench (ExoGeoLab) and a Mobile Lab Habitat (ExoHab). They can be used to validate concepts and external instruments from partner institutes. The ExoGeoLab research incubator project, has started in the frame of a collaboration between ILEWG (International Lunar Exploration working Group http://sci.esa.int/ilewg), ESTEC, NASA and academic partners, supported by a design and control desk in the European Space Incubator (ESI), as well as infrastructure. ExoGeoLab includes a sequence of technology and research pilot project activities: - Data analysis and interpretation of remote sensing and in-situ data, and merging of multi-scale data sets - Procurement and integration of geophysical, geo-chemical and astrobiological breadboard instruments on a surface station and rovers - Integration of cameras, environment and solar sensors, Visible and near IR spectrometer, Raman spectrometer, sample handling, cooperative rovers - Delivery of a generic small planetary lander demonstrator (ExoGeoLab lander, Sept 2009) as a platform for multi-instruments tests - Research operations and exploitation of ExoGeoLab test bench for various conceptual configurations, and support for definition and design of science surface packages (Moon, Mars, NEOs, outer moons) - Field tests of lander, rovers and instruments in analogue sites (Utah MDRS 2009 & 2010, Eifel volcanic park in Sept 2009, and future campaigns). Co-authors, ILEWG ExoGeoLab & ExoHab Team: B.H. Foing(1,11)*#, C. Stoker(2,11)*, P. Ehrenfreund(10,11), L. Boche-Sauvan(1,11)*, L. Wendt(8)*, C. Gross(8, 11)*, C. Thiel(9)*, S. Peters(1,6)*, A. Borst(1,6)*, J. Zavaleta(2)*, P. Sarrazin(2)*, D. Blake(2), J. Page(1,4,11), V. Pletser(5,11)*, E. Monaghan(1)*, P. Mahapatra(1)#, A. Noroozi(3), P. Giannopoulos(1,11) , A. Calzada(1,6,11), R. Walker(7), T. Zegers(1, 15) #, G. Groemer(12)# , W. Stumptner(12)#, B. Foing(2,5), J. K. Blom(3)#, A. Perrin(14)#, M. Mikolajczak(14)#, S. Chevrier(14

NASA GeneLab Project: Bridging Space Radiation Omics with Ground Studies.

PubMed

Beheshti, Afshin; Miller, Jack; Kidane, Yared; Berrios, Daniel; Gebre, Samrawit G; Costes, Sylvain V

2018-06-01

Accurate assessment of risks of long-term space missions is critical for human space exploration. It is essential to have a detailed understanding of the biological effects on humans living and working in deep space. Ionizing radiation from galactic cosmic rays (GCR) is a major health risk factor for astronauts on extended missions outside the protective effects of the Earth's magnetic field. Currently, there are gaps in our knowledge of the health risks associated with chronic low-dose, low-dose-rate ionizing radiation, specifically ions associated with high (H) atomic number (Z) and energy (E). The NASA GeneLab project ( https://genelab.nasa.gov/ ) aims to provide a detailed library of omics datasets associated with biological samples exposed to HZE. The GeneLab Data System (GLDS) includes datasets from both spaceflight and ground-based studies, a majority of which involve exposure to ionizing radiation. In addition to detailed information on radiation exposure for ground-based studies, GeneLab is adding detailed, curated dosimetry information for spaceflight experiments. GeneLab is the first comprehensive omics database for space-related research from which an investigator can generate hypotheses to direct future experiments, utilizing both ground and space biological radiation data. The GLDS is continually expanding as omics-related data are generated by the space life sciences community. Here we provide a brief summary of the space radiation-related data available at GeneLab.

Living Lab as an Agile Approach in Developing User-Friendly Welfare Technology.

PubMed

Holappa, Niina; Sirkka, Andrew

2017-01-01

This paper discusses living lab as a method of developing user-friendly welfare technology, and presents a qualitative evaluation research of how living lab tested technologies impacted on the life of healthcare customers and professionals over test periods.

Ensuring Quality Nursing Home Care

MedlinePlus

Ensuring Quality Nursing Home Care Before you choose a nursing home Expert information from Healthcare Professionals Who Specialize in the Care ... Nearly 1.6 million older Americans live in nursing homes in the United States. The move to ...

Incorporating a Literature-Based Learning Approach into a Lab Course to Increase Student Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parent, Beth A.; Marbach-Ad, Gili; Swanson, Karen V.; Smith, Ann C.

2010-01-01

Scientific literature was used to give a research oriented context to our immunology lab course. Immunology lab, a senior level course (60 students/year) was formerly taught in a traditional mode, with exercises aimed at learning lab protocols. To engage students in understanding we connected the protocols to their use as reported in research…

Baseball Physics: A New Mechanics Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagoner, Kasey; Flanagan, Daniel

2018-01-01

The game of baseball provides an interesting laboratory for experimenting with mechanical phenomena (there are many good examples in "The Physics Teacher," available on Professor Alan Nathan's website, and discussed in "Physics of Baseball & Softball"). We have developed a lab, for an introductory-level physics course, that…

The target vacuum storage facility at iThemba LABS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neveling, R.; Kheswa, N. Y.; Papka, P.

2018-05-01

A number of nuclear physics experiments at iThemba LABS require target foils that consist of specific isotopes of elements which are reactive in air. Not only is it important to prepare these targets in a suitable environment to prevent oxidation, but consideration should also be given to the long term storage and handling facilities of such targets. The target vacuum storage facility at iThemba LABS, as well as additional hardware necessary to transport and install the target foils in the experimental chamber, will be discussed.

Incorporating inquiry and the process of science into introductory astronomy labs at the George Washington University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobb, Bethany E.

2018-01-01

Since 2013, the Physics Department at GWU has used student-centered active learning in the introductory astronomy course “Introduction to the Cosmos.” Class time is spent in groups on questions, math problems, and hands-on activities, with multiple instructors circulating to answer questions and engage with the students. The students have responded positively to this active-learning. Unfortunately, in transitioning to active-learning there was no time to rewrite the labs. Very quickly, the contrast between the dynamic classroom and the traditional labs became apparent. The labs were almost uniformly “cookie-cutter” in that the procedure and analysis were specified step-by-step and there was just one right answer. Students rightly criticized the labs for lacking a clear purpose and including busy-work. Furthermore, this class fulfills the GWU scientific reasoning general education requirement and thus includes learning objectives related to understanding the scientific method, testing hypotheses with data, and considering uncertainty – but the traditional labs did not require these skills. I set out to rejuvenate the lab sequence by writing new inquiry labs based on both topic-specific and scientific reasoning learning objectives. While inquiry labs can be challenging for the students, as they require active thinking and creativity, these labs engage the students more thoroughly in the scientific process. In these new labs, whenever possible, I include real astronomical data and ask the students to use digital tools (SDSS SkyServer, SOHO archive) as if they are real astronomers. To allow students to easily plot, manipulate and analyze data, I built “smart” Excel files using formulas, dropdown menus and macros. The labs are now much more authentic and thought-provoking. Whenever possible, students independently develop questions, hypotheses, and procedures and the scientific method is “scaffolded” over the semester by providing more guidance in the

Nanophotonics for Lab-on-Chip Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seitz, Peter

Optical methods are the preferred measurement techniques for biosensors and lab-on-chip applications. Their key properties are sensitivity, selectivity and robustness. To simplify the systems and their operation, it is desirable to employ label-free optical methods, requiring the functionalization of interfaces. Evanescent electromagnetic waves are probing the optical proper ties near the interfaces, a few 100 nm deep into the sample fluid. The sensitivity of these measurements can be improved with optical micro-resonators, in particular whispering gallery mode devices. Q factors as high as 2x108 have been achieved in practice. The resulting narrow-linewidth resonances and an unexpected thermo-optic effect make it possible to detect single biomolecules using a label-free biosensor principle. Future generations of biosensors and labs-on-chip for point-of-care and high-troughput screening applications will require large numbers of parallel measurement channels, necessitating optical micro-resonators in array format produced very cost-effectively.

Commerce lab: Mission analysis and payload integration study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Conceived as one or more arrays of carriers which would fly aboard space shuttle, Commerce Lab can provide a point of focus for implementing a series of shuttle flights, co-sponsored by NASA and U.S. domestic concerns, for performing materials processing in research and pre-commercial investigations. As an orbiting facility for testing, developing, and implementing hardware and procedures, Commerce Lab can enhance space station development and hasten space platform production capability. Tasks considered include: (1) synthesis of user requirements and identification of common element and voids; (2) definition of performance and infrastructure requirement and alternative approaches; and (3) carrier, mission model, and infrastructure development.

Helping Users Help Themselves.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Malley, Claire E.

This discussion of the design of user-initiated help systems in computers focuses on the information that users actively seek to help them with their tasks, with emphasis on how to help users ask the questions that will bridge the gap between the initial internal (mental) form of the query and their information need as expressed by the system.…

ESIP Lab: Supporting Development of Earth Sciences Cyberinfrastructure through Innovation Commons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burgess, A. B.; Robinson, E.

2017-12-01

The Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is an open, networked community that brings together science, data and information technology practitioners from across sectors. Participation in ESIP is beneficial because it provides an intellectual commons to expose, gather and enhance in-house capabilities in support of an organization's own mandate. Recently, ESIP has begun to explore piloting activities that have worked in the U.S. in other countries as a way to facilitate international collaboration and cross-pollination. The newly formed ESIP Lab realizes the commons concept by providing a virtual place to come up with with new solutions through facilitated ideation, take that idea to a low stakes development environment and potentially fail, but if successful, expose developing technology to domain experts through a technology evaluation process. The Lab does this by supporting and funding solution-oriented projects that have discrete development periods and associated budgets across organizations and agencies. In addition, the Lab provides access to AWS cloud computing resources, travel support, virtual and in-person collaborative platform for distributed groups and exposure to the ESIP community as an expert pool. This cycle of ideation to incubation to evaluation and ultimately adoption or infusion of Earth sciences cyberinfrastructure empowers the scientific community and has spawned a variety of developments like community-led ontology portals, ideas for W3C prov standard improvement and an evaluation framework that pushes technology forward and aides in infusion. The Lab is one of these concepts that could be implemented in other countries and the outputs of the Lab would be shared as a commons and available across traditional borders. This presentation will share the methods and the outcomes of the Lab and seed ideas for adoption internationally.

Comparing Physical, Virtual, and Hybrid Flipped Labs for General Education Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Son, Ji Y.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact on learning, attitudes, and costs in a redesigned general education undergraduate biology course that implemented web-based virtual labs (VLs) to replace traditional physical labs (PLs). Over an academic year, two new modes of VL instruction were compared to the traditional PL offering: (1) all…

Domain Adaptation Methods for Improving Lab-to-field Generalization of Cocaine Detection using Wearable ECG.

PubMed

Natarajan, Annamalai; Angarita, Gustavo; Gaiser, Edward; Malison, Robert; Ganesan, Deepak; Marlin, Benjamin M

2016-09-01

Mobile health research on illicit drug use detection typically involves a two-stage study design where data to learn detectors is first collected in lab-based trials, followed by a deployment to subjects in a free-living environment to assess detector performance. While recent work has demonstrated the feasibility of wearable sensors for illicit drug use detection in the lab setting, several key problems can limit lab-to-field generalization performance. For example, lab-based data collection often has low ecological validity, the ground-truth event labels collected in the lab may not be available at the same level of temporal granularity in the field, and there can be significant variability between subjects. In this paper, we present domain adaptation methods for assessing and mitigating potential sources of performance loss in lab-to-field generalization and apply them to the problem of cocaine use detection from wearable electrocardiogram sensor data.

Pion and Kaon Lab Frame Differential Cross Sections for Intermediate Energy Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norbury, John W.; Blattnig, Steve R.

2008-01-01

Space radiation transport codes require accurate models for hadron production in intermediate energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. Codes require cross sections to be written in terms of lab frame variables and it is important to be able to verify models against experimental data in the lab frame. Several models are compared to lab frame data. It is found that models based on algebraic parameterizations are unable to describe intermediate energy differential cross section data. However, simple thermal model parameterizations, when appropriately transformed from the center of momentum to the lab frame, are able to account for the data.

Exploring problem-based cooperative learning in undergraduate physics labs: student perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergin, S. D.; Murphy, C.; Shuilleabhain, A. Ni

2018-03-01

This study examines the potential of problem-based cooperative learning (PBCL) in expanding undergraduate physics students’ understanding of, and engagement with, the scientific process. Two groups of first-year physics students (n = 180) completed a questionnaire which compared their perceptions of learning science with their engagement in physics labs. One cohort completed a lab based on a PBCL approach, whilst the other completed the same experiment, using a more traditional, manual-based lab. Utilising a participant research approach, the questionnaire was co-constructed by researchers and student advisers from each cohort in order to improve shared meaning between researchers and participants. Analysis of students’ responses suggests that students in the PBCL cohort engaged more in higher-order problem-solving skills and evidenced a deeper understanding of the scientific process than students in the more traditional, manual-based cohort. However, the latter cohort responses placed more emphasis on accuracy and measurement in lab science than the PBCL cohort. The students in the PBCL cohort were also more positively engaged with their learning than their counterparts in the manual led group.

Life Lab Computer Support System's Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lippman, Beatrice D.; Walfish, Stephen

Step-by-step procedures for utilizing the computer support system of Miami-Dade Community College's Life Lab program are described for the following categories: (1) Registration--Student's Lists and Labels, including three separate computer programs for current listings, next semester listings, and grade listings; (2) Competence and Resource…

A "Language Lab" for Architectural Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackenzie, Arch; And Others

This paper discusses a "language lab" strategy in which traditional studio learning may be supplemented by language lessons using computer graphics techniques to teach architectural grammar, a body of elements and principles that govern the design of buildings belonging to a particular architectural theory or style. Two methods of…

Measure, Then Show: Grasping Human Evolution Through an Inquiry-Based, Data-driven Hominin Skulls Lab.

PubMed

Bayer, Chris N; Luberda, Michael

2016-01-01

Incomprehension and denial of the theory of evolution among high school students has been observed to also occur when teachers are not equipped to deliver a compelling case also for human evolution based on fossil evidence. This paper assesses the outcomes of a novel inquiry-based paleoanthropology lab teaching human evolution to high-school students. The inquiry-based Be a Paleoanthropologist for a Day lab placed a dozen hominin skulls into the hands of high-school students. Upon measuring three variables of human evolution, students explain what they have observed and discuss findings. In the 2013/14 school year, 11 biology classes in 7 schools in the Greater New Orleans area participated in this lab. The interviewed teacher cohort unanimously agreed that the lab featuring hominin skull replicas and stimulating student inquiry was a pedagogically excellent method of delivering the subject of human evolution. First, the lab's learning path of transforming facts to data, information to knowledge, and knowledge to acceptance empowered students to themselves execute part of the science that underpins our understanding of deep time hominin evolution. Second, although challenging, the hands-on format of the lab was accessible to high-school students, most of whom were readily able to engage the lab's scientific process. Third, the lab's exciting and compelling pedagogy unlocked higher order thinking skills, effectively activating the cognitive, psychomotor and affected learning domains as defined in Bloom's taxonomy. Lastly, the lab afforded students a formative experience with a high degree of retention and epistemic depth. Further study is warranted to gauge the degree of these effects.

Exploring the changing learning environment of the gross anatomy lab.

PubMed

Hopkins, Robin; Regehr, Glenn; Wilson, Timothy D

2011-07-01

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of virtual models and prosected specimens in the context of the gross anatomy lab. In 2009, student volunteers from an undergraduate anatomy class were randomly assigned to study groups in one of three learning conditions. All groups studied the muscles of mastication and completed identical learning objectives during a 45-minute lab. All groups were provided with two reference atlases. Groups were distinguished by the type of primary tools they were provided: gross prosections, three-dimensional stereoscopic computer model, or both resources. The facilitator kept observational field notes. A prepost multiple-choice knowledge test was administered to evaluate students' learning. No significant effect of the laboratory models was demonstrated between groups on the prepost assessment of knowledge. Recurring observations included students' tendency to revert to individual memorization prior to the posttest, rotation of models to match views in the provided atlas, and dissemination of groups into smaller working units. The use of virtual lab resources seemed to influence the social context and learning environment of the anatomy lab. As computer-based learning methods are implemented and studied, they must be evaluated beyond their impact on knowledge gain to consider the effect technology has on students' social development.

Affordable Imaging Lab for Noninvasive Analysis of Biomass and Early Vigour in Cereal Crops

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Plant phenotyping by imaging allows automated analysis of plants for various morphological and physiological traits. In this work, we developed a low-cost RGB imaging phenotyping lab (LCP lab) for low-throughput imaging and analysis using affordable imaging equipment and freely available software. LCP lab comprising RGB imaging and analysis pipeline is set up and demonstrated with early vigour analysis in wheat. Using this lab, a few hundred pots can be photographed in a day and the pots are tracked with QR codes. The software pipeline for both imaging and analysis is built from freely available software. The LCP lab was evaluated for early vigour analysis of five wheat cultivars. A high coefficient of determination (R2 0.94) was obtained between the dry weight and the projected leaf area of 20-day-old wheat plants and R2 of 0.9 for the relative growth rate between 10 and 20 days of plant growth. Detailed description for setting up such a lab is provided together with custom scripts built for imaging and analysis. The LCP lab is an affordable alternative for analysis of cereal crops when access to a high-throughput phenotyping facility is unavailable or when the experiments require growing plants in highly controlled climate chambers. The protocols described in this work are useful for building affordable imaging system for small-scale research projects and for education. PMID:29850536

Space Life Sciences Lab

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-09

The Space Life Sciences Lab (SLSL), formerly known as the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL), is a state-of-the-art facility built for ISS biotechnology research. Developed as a partnership between NASA-KSC and the State of Florida, NASA’s life sciences contractor is the primary tenant of the facility, leasing space to conduct flight experiment processing and NASA-sponsored research. About 20 percent of the facility will be available for use by Florida’s university researchers through the Florida Space Research Institute.

Value added or misattributed? A multi-institution study on the educational benefit of labs for reinforcing physics content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmes, N. G.; Olsen, Jack; Thomas, James L.; Wieman, Carl E.

2017-06-01

Instructional labs are widely seen as a unique, albeit expensive, way to teach scientific content. We measured the effectiveness of introductory lab courses at achieving this educational goal across nine different lab courses at three very different institutions. These institutions and courses encompassed a broad range of student populations and instructional styles. The nine courses studied had two key things in common: the labs aimed to reinforce the content presented in lectures, and the labs were optional. By comparing the performance of students who did and did not take the labs (with careful normalization for selection effects), we found universally and precisely no added value to learning course content from taking the labs as measured by course exam performance. This work should motivate institutions and departments to reexamine the goals and conduct of their lab courses, given their resource-intensive nature. We show why these results make sense when looking at the comparative mental processes of students involved in research and instructional labs, and offer alternative goals and instructional approaches that would make lab courses more educationally valuable.

Teaching Ocean Sciences in the 21st Century Classroom: Lab to Classroom Videoconferencing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peach, C. L.; Gerwick, W.; Gerwick, L.; Senise, M.; Jones, C. S.; Malloy, K.; Jones, A.; Trentacoste, E.; Nunnery, J.; Mendibles, T.; Tayco, D.; Justice, L.; Deutscher, R.

2010-12-01

Teaching Ocean Science in the 21st Century Classroom (TOST) is a Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE CA) initiative aimed at developing and disseminating technology-based instructional strategies, tools and ocean science resources for both formal and informal science education. San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) and the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) have established a proving ground for TOST activities and for development of effective, sustainable solutions for researchers seeking to fulfill NSF and other funding agency broader impact requirements. Lab to Classroom Videoconferencing: Advances in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) are making it easier to connect students and researchers using simple online tools that allow them to interact in novel ways. COSEE CA is experimenting with these tools and approaches to identify effective practices for providing students with insight into the research process and close connections to researchers and their laboratory activities. At the same time researchers, including graduate students, are learning effective communication skills and how to align their presentations to specific classroom needs - all from the comfort of their own lab. The lab to classroom videoconferencing described here is an ongoing partnership between the Gerwick marine biomedical research lab and a group of three life science teachers (7th grade) at Pershing Middle School (SDUSD) that started in 2007. Over the last 5 years, the Pershing science teachers have created an intensive, semester-long unit focused on drug discovery. Capitalizing on the teacher team’s well-developed unit of study and the overlap with leading-edge research at SIO, COSEE CA created the videoconferencing program as a broader impact solution for the lab. The team has refined the program over 3 iterations, experimenting with structuring the activities to most effectively reach the students. In the

A Positive Psychology Intervention in a Hindu Community: The Pilot Study of the Hero Lab Curriculum.

PubMed

Sundar, Siddhi; Qureshi, Adil; Galiatsatos, Panagis

2016-12-01

India has high rates of mental health issues among its youth and low-income communities experience a disproportionate amount of depression and suicide. Positive psychology, the act of promoting well-being, could be used as a tool to promote wellness and help improve the mental health of youth living in slum areas of India. A pilot positively psychology program, "The Hero Lab", was conducted in a migratory slum in Worli, Mumbai, with trained Hindu community leaders implementing the interventions toward at-risk Hindu youth. The curriculum's impact showed statistical improvement (p < 0.001) in happiness (General Happiness Scale from 11.24 ± 1.56 to 19.08 ± 3.32), grit (Grit Survey from 2.23 ± 0.34 to 3.24 ± 0.67), empathy (Toronto Empathy Questionnaire from 24.92 ± 3.27 to 41.96 ± 8.41), and gratitude (Gratitude Survey from 16.88 ± 3.47 to 27.98 ± 6.59). While a pilot study, the Hero Lab curriculum demonstrates that positive psychology interventions may be an important tool in improving mental health in at-risk children.

ASK4Labs: A Web-Based Repository for Supporting Learning Design Driven Remote and Virtual Labs Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zervas, Panagiotis; Fiskilis, Stefanos; Sampson, Demetrios G.

2014-01-01

Over the past years, Remote and Virtual Labs (RVLs) have gained increased attention for their potential to support technology-enhanced science education by enabling science teachers to improve their day-to-day science teaching. Therefore, many educational institutions and scientific organizations have invested efforts for providing online access…

Library-Labs-for-Science Literacy Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pestel, Beverly C.; Engeldinger, Eugene A.

1992-01-01

Describes two library-lab exercises the authors have incorporated into their college chemistry course. The first exercise introduces students to scientific information and familiarizes them with the tools for accessing it. The second provides a framework for evaluating the reliability of that information and addresses the criteria that should be…

Tap Teens' Curiosity with Lab Band.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Jane

2002-01-01

Describes the Lab Band project used with 12th grade students at the Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Thunder Bay, Ontario (Canada). Explains that each band student taught a peer how to play their instrument which created versatility in the band. States that all students kept a reflective journal. (CMK)

From Computer Lab to Technology Class.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherwood, Sandra

1999-01-01

Discussion of integrating technology into elementary school classrooms focuses on teacher training that is based on a three-year plan developed at an elementary school in Marathon, New York. Describes the role of a technology teacher who facilitates technology integration by running the computer lab, offering workshops, and developing inservice…

Differences between Lab Completion and Non-Completion on Student Performance in an Online Undergraduate Environmental Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corsi, Gianluca

2011-12-01

Web-based technology has revolutionized the way education is delivered. Although the advantages of online learning appeal to large numbers of students, some concerns arise. One major concern in online science education is the value that participation in labs has on student performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between lab completion and student academic success as measured by test grades, scientific self-confidence, scientific skills, and concept mastery. A random sample of 114 volunteer undergraduate students, from an online Environmental Science program at the American Public University System, was tested. The study followed a quantitative, non-experimental research design. Paired sample t-tests were used for statistical comparison between pre-lab and post-lab test grades, two scientific skills quizzes, and two scientific self-confidence surveys administered at the beginning and at the end of the course. The results of the paired sample t-tests revealed statistically significant improvements on all post-lab test scores: Air Pollution lab, t(112) = 6.759, p < .001; Home Chemicals lab t(114) = 8.585, p < .001; Water Use lab, t(116) = 6.657, p < .001; Trees and Carbon lab, t(113) = 9.921, p < .001; Stratospheric Ozone lab, t(112) =12.974, p < .001; Renewable Energy lab, t(115) = 7.369, p < .001. The end of the course Scientific Skills quiz revealed statistically significant improvements, t(112) = 8.221, p < .001. The results of the two surveys showed a statistically significant improvement on student Scientific Self-Confidence because of lab completion, t(114) = 3.015, p < .05. Because age and gender were available, regression models were developed. The results indicated weak multiple correlation coefficients and were not statistically significant at alpha = .05. Evidence suggests that labs play a positive role in a student's academic success. It is recommended that lab experiences be included in all online Environmental Science

Integration of the HTC Vive into the medical platform MeVisLab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egger, Jan; Gall, Markus; Wallner, Jürgen; de Almeida Germano Boechat, Pedro; Hann, Alexander; Li, Xing; Chen, Xiaojun; Schmalstieg, Dieter

2017-03-01

Virtual Reality (VR) is an immersive technology that replicates an environment via computer-simulated reality. VR gets a lot of attention in computer games but has also great potential in other areas, like the medical domain. Examples are planning, simulations and training of medical interventions, like for facial surgeries where an aesthetic outcome is important. However, importing medical data into VR devices is not trivial, especially when a direct connection and visualization from your own application is needed. Furthermore, most researcher don't build their medical applications from scratch, rather they use platforms, like MeVisLab, Slicer or MITK. The platforms have in common that they integrate and build upon on libraries like ITK and VTK, further providing a more convenient graphical interface to them for the user. In this contribution, we demonstrate the usage of a VR device for medical data under MeVisLab. Therefore, we integrated the OpenVR library into MeVisLab as an own module. This enables the direct and uncomplicated usage of head mounted displays, like the HTC Vive under MeVisLab. Summarized, medical data from other MeVisLab modules can directly be connected per drag-and-drop to our VR module and will be rendered inside the HTC Vive for an immersive inspection.

A LabVIEW®-based software for the control of the AUTORAD platform: a fully automated multisequential flow injection analysis Lab-on-Valve (MSFIA-LOV) system for radiochemical analysis.

PubMed

Barbesi, Donato; Vicente Vilas, Víctor; Millet, Sylvain; Sandow, Miguel; Colle, Jean-Yves; Aldave de Las Heras, Laura

2017-01-01

A LabVIEW ® -based software for the control of the fully automated multi-sequential flow injection analysis Lab-on-Valve (MSFIA-LOV) platform AutoRAD performing radiochemical analysis is described. The analytical platform interfaces an Arduino ® -based device triggering multiple detectors providing a flexible and fit for purpose choice of detection systems. The different analytical devices are interfaced to the PC running LabVIEW ® VI software using USB and RS232 interfaces, both for sending commands and receiving confirmation or error responses. The AUTORAD platform has been successfully applied for the chemical separation and determination of Sr, an important fission product pertinent to nuclear waste.

MatLab program for precision calibration of optical tweezers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tolić-Nørrelykke, Iva Marija; Berg-Sørensen, Kirstine; Flyvbjerg, Henrik

2004-06-01

Optical tweezers are used as force transducers in many types of experiments. The force they exert in a given experiment is known only after a calibration. Computer codes that calibrate optical tweezers with high precision and reliability in the ( x, y)-plane orthogonal to the laser beam axis were written in MatLab (MathWorks Inc.) and are presented here. The calibration is based on the power spectrum of the Brownian motion of a dielectric bead trapped in the tweezers. Precision is achieved by accounting for a number of factors that affect this power spectrum. First, cross-talk between channels in 2D position measurements is tested for, and eliminated if detected. Then, the Lorentzian power spectrum that results from the Einstein-Ornstein-Uhlenbeck theory, is fitted to the low-frequency part of the experimental spectrum in order to obtain an initial guess for parameters to be fitted. Finally, a more complete theory is fitted, a theory that optionally accounts for the frequency dependence of the hydrodynamic drag force and hydrodynamic interaction with a nearby cover slip, for effects of finite sampling frequency (aliasing), for effects of anti-aliasing filters in the data acquisition electronics, and for unintended "virtual" filtering caused by the position detection system. Each of these effects can be left out or included as the user prefers, with user-defined parameters. Several tests are applied to the experimental data during calibration to ensure that the data comply with the theory used for their interpretation: Independence of x- and y-coordinates, Hooke's law, exponential distribution of power spectral values, uncorrelated Gaussian scatter of residual values. Results are given with statistical errors and covariance matrix. Program summaryTitle of program: tweezercalib Catalogue identifier: ADTV Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland. Program Summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADTV Computer for

Providing Data and Modeling to Help Manage Water Supplies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nickles, James

2008-01-01

The Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) and other local water purveyors have partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to assess hydrologic conditions and to quan-tify the county-wide interconnections between surface water and ground water. Through this partnership, USGS scientists have completed assessments of the geohydrology and geochemistry of the Sonoma and Alexander Valley ground-water basins. Now, the USGS is constructing a detailed ground-water flow model of the Santa Rosa Plain. It will be used to help identify strategies for surface-water/ground-water management and help to ensure long-term viability of the water supply. The USGS is also working with the SCWA to help meet future demand in the face of possible new restrictions on its main source of water, the Russian River. SCWA draws water from the alluvial aquifer underlying and adjacent to the Russian River and may want to extend riverbank filtration facilities to new areas. USGS scientists are conducting research to charac-terize riverbank filtration processes and changes in water quality during reduced river flows.

Experience in Evaluating AAL Solutions in Living Labs

PubMed Central

Colomer, Juan Bautista Montalvá; Salvi, Dario; Cabrera-Umpierrez, Maria Fernanda; Arredondo, Maria Teresa; Abril, Patricia; Jimenez-Mixco, Viveca; García-Betances, Rebeca; Fioravanti, Alessio; Pastorino, Matteo; Cancela, Jorge; Medrano, Alejandro

2014-01-01

Ambient assisted living (AAL) is a complex field, where different technologies are integrated to offer solutions for the benefit of different stakeholders. Several evaluation techniques are commonly applied that tackle specific aspects of AAL; however, holistic evaluation approaches are lacking when addressing the needs of both developers and end-users. Living labs have been often used as real-life test and experimentation environments for co-designing AAL technologies and validating them with relevant stakeholders. During the last five years, we have been evaluating AAL systems and services in the framework of various research projects. This paper presents the lessons learned in this experience and proposes a set of harmonized guidelines to conduct evaluations in living labs. PMID:24763209

Compensatory help-seeking in young and older adults: does seeking help, help?

PubMed

Alea, Nicole; Cunningham, Walter R

2003-01-01

Asking other people for help is a compensatory behavior that may be useful across the life span to enhance functioning. Seventy-two older and younger men and women were either allowed to ask for help or were not allowed to ask for help while solving reasoning problems. Although the older adults answered fewer problems correctly, they did not seek additional help to compensate for their lower levels of performance. Younger adults sought more help. There were no age differences, however, in the types of help sought: indirect help (e.g., hints) was sought more often than direct help (e.g., asking for the answer). Exploratory analyses revealed that one's ability level was a better indicator than age of the utility of help-seeking. Findings are interpreted in the context of social and task-related influences on the use of help-seeking as a compensatory behavior across the life span.

User recruitment, training, and support at NOAO Data Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikutta, Robert; Fitzpatrick, Michael J.; NOAO Data Lab

2018-06-01

The NOAO Data Lab (datalab.noao.edu) is a fully-fledged science data & analysis platform. However, simply building a science platform is notenough to declare it a success. Like any such system built for users, it needs actual users who see enough value in it to be willing toovercome the inertia of registering an account, studying the documentation, working through examples, and ultimately attempting tosolve their own science problems using the platform. The NOAO Data Lab has been open to users since June 2016. In this past year we haveregistered hundreds of users and improved the system, not least through the interaction with and feedback from our users. The posterwill delineate our efforts to recruit new users through conference presentations, platform demos and user workshops, and what we do toassure that users experience their first steps and their learning process with Data Lab as easy, competent, and inspiring. It will alsopresent our efforts in user retention and user support, from a human-staffed helpdesk, to one-on-one sessions, to regular"bring-your-own-problem (BYOP)" in-house sessions with interested users.

Andy Jenkins Builds Applications Development For Lab-on-a-Chip

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Andy Jenkins, an engineer for the Lab on a Chip Applications Development program, helped build the Applications Development Unit (ADU-25), a one-of-a-kind facility for controlling and analyzing processes on chips with extreme accuracy. Pressure is used to cause fluids to travel through network of fluid pathways, or micro-channels, embossed on the chips through a process similar to the one used to print circuits on computer chips. To make customized chips for various applications, NASA has an agreement with the U.S. Army's Micro devices and Micro fabrication Laboratory at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, where NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is located. The Marshall Center team is also collaborating with scientists at other NASA centers and at universities to develop custom chip designs for many applications, such as studying how fluidic systems work in spacecraft and identifying microbes in self-contained life support systems. Chips could even be designed for use on Earth, such as for detecting deadly microbes in heating and air systems. (NASA/MSFC/D.Stoffer)

geneLAB: Expanding the Impact of NASA's Biological Research in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rayl, Nicole; Smith, Jeffrey D.

2014-01-01

The geneLAB project is designed to leverage the value of large 'omics' datasets from molecular biology projects conducted on the ISS by making these datasets available, citable, discoverable, interpretable, reusable, and reproducible. geneLAB will create a collaboration space with an integrated set of tools for depositing, accessing, analyzing, and modeling these diverse datasets from spaceflight and related terrestrial studies.

Teacher Support in Computer-Supported Lab Work: Bridging the Gap between Lab Experiments and Students' Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furberg, Anniken

2016-01-01

This paper reports on a study of teacher support in a setting where students engaged with computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) in science. The empirical basis is an intervention study where secondary school students and their teacher performed a lab experiment in genetics supported by a digital learning environment. The analytical…

The NOAO Data Lab PHAT Photometry Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, Knut; Williams, Ben; Fitzpatrick, Michael; PHAT Team

2018-01-01

We present a database containing both the combined photometric object catalog and the single epoch measurements from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT). This database is hosted by the NOAO Data Lab (http://datalab.noao.edu), and as such exposes a number of data services to the PHAT photometry, including access through a Table Access Protocol (TAP) service, direct PostgreSQL queries, web-based and programmatic query interfaces, remote storage space for personal database tables and files, and a JupyterHub-based Notebook analysis environment, as well as image access through a Simple Image Access (SIA) service. We show how the Data Lab database and Jupyter Notebook environment allow for straightforward and efficient analyses of PHAT catalog data, including maps of object density, depth, and color, extraction of light curves of variable objects, and proper motion exploration.

Governing Methods: Policy Innovation Labs, Design and Data Science in the Digital Governance of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Ben

2015-01-01

Policy innovation labs are emerging knowledge actors and technical experts in the governing of education. The article offers a historical and conceptual account of the organisational form of the policy innovation lab. Policy innovation labs are characterised by specific methods and techniques of design, data science, and digitisation in public…

A New Twist on Torque Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, W. Brian

2014-01-01

The traditional introductory-level meterstick-balancing lab assumes that students already know what torque is and that they readily identify it as a physical quantity of interest. We propose a modified version of this activity in which students qualitatively and quantitatively measure the amount of force required to keep the meterstick level. The…

Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-28

to all Technical Advisors. Must agree with code of conduct, confidentiality and our mission DoD ELAP Program  ISO / IEC 17025 :2005 and DoD QSM...Additional DoD QSM requirements fit well in current 17025 process … just much, much more. Sector Specific. Outcome (L-A-B case)  83

The StratusLab cloud distribution: Use-cases and support for scientific applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floros, E.

2012-04-01

The StratusLab project is integrating an open cloud software distribution that enables organizations to setup and provide their own private or public IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) computing clouds. StratusLab distribution capitalizes on popular infrastructure virtualization solutions like KVM, the OpenNebula virtual machine manager, Claudia service manager and SlipStream deployment platform, which are further enhanced and expanded with additional components developed within the project. The StratusLab distribution covers the core aspects of a cloud IaaS architecture, namely Computing (life-cycle management of virtual machines), Storage, Appliance management and Networking. The resulting software stack provides a packaged turn-key solution for deploying cloud computing services. The cloud computing infrastructures deployed using StratusLab can support a wide range of scientific and business use cases. Grid computing has been the primary use case pursued by the project and for this reason the initial priority has been the support for the deployment and operation of fully virtualized production-level grid sites; a goal that has already been achieved by operating such a site as part of EGI's (European Grid Initiative) pan-european grid infrastructure. In this area the project is currently working to provide non-trivial capabilities like elastic and autonomic management of grid site resources. Although grid computing has been the motivating paradigm, StratusLab's cloud distribution can support a wider range of use cases. Towards this direction, we have developed and currently provide support for setting up general purpose computing solutions like Hadoop, MPI and Torque clusters. For what concerns scientific applications the project is collaborating closely with the Bioinformatics community in order to prepare VM appliances and deploy optimized services for bioinformatics applications. In a similar manner additional scientific disciplines like Earth Science can take

Lab-on-fiber technology: a new vision for chemical and biological sensing.

PubMed

Ricciardi, Armando; Crescitelli, Alessio; Vaiano, Patrizio; Quero, Giuseppe; Consales, Marco; Pisco, Marco; Esposito, Emanuela; Cusano, Andrea

2015-12-21

The integration of microfluidics and photonic biosensors has allowed achievement of several laboratory functions in a single chip, leading to the development of photonic lab-on-a-chip technology. Although a lot of progress has been made to implement such sensors in small and easy-to-use systems, many applications such as point-of-care diagnostics and in vivo biosensing still require a sensor probe able to perform measurements at precise locations that are often hard to reach. The intrinsic property of optical fibers to conduct light to a remote location makes them an ideal platform to meet this demand. The motivation to combine the good performance of photonic biosensors on chips with the unique advantages of optical fibers has thus led to the development of the so-called lab-on-fiber technology. This emerging technology envisages the integration of functionalized materials on micro- and nano-scales (i.e. the labs) with optical fibers to realize miniaturized and advanced all-in-fiber probes, especially useful for (but not limited to) label-free chemical and biological applications. This review presents a broad overview of lab-on-fiber biosensors, with particular reference to lab-on-tip platforms, where the labs are integrated on the optical fiber facet. Light-matter interaction on the fiber tip is achieved through the integration of thin layers of nanoparticles or nanostructures supporting resonant modes, both plasmonic and photonic, highly sensitive to local modifications of the surrounding environment. According to the physical principle that is exploited, different configurations - such as localized plasmon resonance probes, surface enhanced Raman scattering probes and photonic probes - are classified, while various applications are presented in context throughout. For each device, the surface chemistry and the related functionalization protocols are reviewed. Moreover, the implementation strategies and fabrication processes, either based on bottom-up or top

Using RSpec in an introductory bright star spectroscopy lab activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howe, James; Sitar, David J.

2018-01-01

After presenting at the North Carolina Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers during the fall 2016 meeting, we were encouraged to turn our poster into a paper. This article describes the strengthening of a bright star spectroscopy lab activity for introductory astronomy lab students (AST1002) at Appalachian State University. Explanations of the tools and methods used in the activity are included, particularly the preparation of additional materials using RSpec and calibrated instrument response curves.

Design methodology and results evaluation of a heating functionality in modular lab-on-chip systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streit, Petra; Nestler, Joerg; Shaporin, Alexey; Graunitz, Jenny; Otto, Thomas

2018-06-01

Lab-on-a-chip (LoC) systems offer the opportunity of fast and customized biological analyses executed at the ‘point-of-need’ without expensive lab equipment. Some biological processes need a temperature treatment. Therefore, it is important to ensure a defined and stable temperature distribution in the biosensor area. An integrated heating functionality is realized with discrete resistive heating elements including temperature measurement. The focus of this contribution is a design methodology and evaluation technique of the temperature distribution in the biosensor area with regard to the thermal-electrical behaviour of the heat sources. Furthermore, a sophisticated control of the biosensor temperature is proposed. A finite element (FE) model with one and more integrated heat sources in a polymer-based LoC system is used to investigate the impact of the number and arrangement of heating elements on the temperature distribution around the heating elements and in the biosensor area. Based on this model, various LOC systems are designed and fabricated. Electrical characterization of the heat sources and independent temperature measurements with infrared technique are performed to verify the model parameters and prove the simulation approach. The FE model and the proposed methodology is the foundation for optimization and evaluation of new designs with regard to temperature requirements of the biosensor. Furthermore, a linear dependency of the heater temperature on the electric current is demonstrated in the targeted temperature range of 20 °C to 70 °C enabling the usage of the heating functionality for biological reactions requiring a steady-state temperature up to 70 °C. The correlation between heater and biosensor area temperature is derived for a direct control through the heating current.

My Green Car: The Adventure Begins (Ep. 1) – DOE Lab-Corps Video Series

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

Saxena, Samveg; Shah, Nihar; Hansen, Dana

One key difference between a great technology that stays in the lab and one that reaches the marketplace is customer interest. In Episode 1, the Lab’s MyGreenCar team gets ready to step outside the lab and test their technology’s value to consumers in a scientific way. What makes a new technology compelling enough to transition out of the lab and become a consumer product? That’s the question Berkeley Lab researchers Samveg Saxena, Nihar Shah, and Dana Hansen plus industry mentor Russell Carrington set out to answer for MyGreenCar, an app providing personalized fuel economy or electric vehicle range estimates formore » consumers researching new cars. DOE’s Lab-Corps program offered the technology team some answers. The EERE-funded program, based on the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps™ model for entrepreneurial training, provides tools and training to move energy-related inventions to the marketplace. During Lab-Corp’s intensive six-week session, technology teams interview 100 customer and value chain members to discover which potential products based on their technologies will have significant market pull. A six video series follows the MyGreenCar team’s Lab-Corps experience, from pre-training preparation with the Lab’s Innovation and Partnerships Office through the ups and downs of the customer discovery process. Will the app make it to the marketplace? You’ll just have to watch.« less