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Annual Report 2022
Get PDFAlong with new faces, Fall Quarter always brings a sense of adventure to the College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech, and Ruston. It\u27s nice to see the buildings filled with students eager to begin a new year of studies. We\u27ve reached the point in the quarter when students and faculty have settled into a rhythm, and first-year engineering students are well on their way to fabricating their first projects. Seeing their progress and watching them become part of the Tech community is one of my favorite things about the fall. We have you to thank for that.
During the last academic year, our students and faculty coordinated international competitions, developed new technologies and groundbreaking theories, established a new research center, and implemented a two-day Design and Research Conference for first- and fourth-year students. Most importantly, our project- and research-based curricula continue to prepare our graduates for success in the workforce.
The internships, mentorships, and funding you provide for our students, programs, and College are a valuable part of the COES Experience. This report will give you some insight into successes that we had in the past year - successes that your generosity helps drive. I want to thank you for your continued support and invite you to contact us to learn about opportunities for you to impact our College.
Hisham Hegab, Dean, College of Engineering and Sciencehttps://digitalcommons.latech.edu/coes-annual-reports/1010/thumbnail.jp
Bridging the Career Transitional Gap Between Field Experts and University Instructors: Factors Affecting New Faculty Members’ Feelings of Preparedness of Teaching in Higher Education
Get PDFThis quantitative study determined factors affecting preparedness for higher education teachers who have transitioned from their expert-level fieldwork into academia. It is a common practice for new university faculty members to be recruited from their areas of expertise as clinicians and practitioners (Eret et al., 2018; Freeman & DiRamio, 2016; Savage & Pollard, 2016). Transitioning from a chosen field into a novice teacher can carry varying weights depending on university teaching appointments. Having the qualities of an experienced practitioner is highly desired to fill faculty roles, but the expertise as a practitioner does not necessarily develop the teaching skills (Eret et al., 2018; Freeman & DiRamio, 2016; Savage & Pollard, 2016). Due to the frequent hiring of faculty with limited andragogy training, university learning outcomes can be jeopardized, and the quality of the university could suffer as a result of the lack of foundational educational knowledge teachers need to successfully possess the skill sets required in the higher education classroom setting (Eret, et al., 2018; Freeman & DiRamio, 2016; Savage & Pollard, 2016).This study was completed using the Delphi process. The following research question was used to inform this study: What factors affect new faculty members’ feelings of preparedness of teaching in higher education? The theoretical framework used to guide this study was Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory which argues that there are two factors an organization can adjust to influence workplace motivations (Herzberg et al., 1959)
Transient Thermal Response of Tissues Surrounding an Implanted Medical Device During Inductive Charging
Get PDFInductive charging as a means of power delivery to implanted device is becoming more commonplace as increasingly sophisticated implants with higher power requirements enter clinical use. When such devices undergo inductive charging, losses within the system result in dissipated heat that must be absorbed by the surrounding tissue. The skin-mounted primary antenna and components within the implanted device such as the metal casing, battery, and secondary antenna are all susceptible to temperature increase during a charging cycle. Heating of this kind must be considered when designing modern implants utilizing this mode of power transfer in order to safeguard surrounding tissues from thermal damage, ensure patient comfort, and guarantee device longevity. The transient thermal response of tissues in the vicinity of a primary antenna and inductively charged neuromodulation implant during a charging cycle are presented in this work via a computational model incorporating device heating, tissue cooling due to blood perfusion, and multiple tissue layers. Previous studies utilizing similar numerical techniques have been conducted to investigate tissue heating, however this work seeks to transcend previous results to provide a generalized performance model across a wide range of heating conditions for a generic implanted device geometry. This will provide a useful benchmark for device manufacturers in the design of a wide variety of rechargeable implantable devices. Additionally, to maximize power transfer capability and charging performance, several thermal regulation techniques to mitigate device heating are investigated that incorporate both active and passive cooling schemes. For cases approaching 1 W heat generation within the implanted device and antenna with no applied thermal management, local tissue temperatures did not pose a significant risk of thermal tissue damage after a two-hour charging duration. At high levels of heat dissipation, however, thermal discomfort at the skin’s surface is likely to precede any actual tissue damage, thus being the limiting factor in terms of allowable heat dissipation. Comparisons against tissue temperature results for devices in clinical use proved reliability in the proposed generic model to predict maximum tissue temperatures for similar devices up to 1 W heat generation in the primary antenna and implanted device. For the four thermal regulation techniques investigated, passive standoffs at the antenna base proved most effective, decreasing max tissue temperatures by just over 1 °C
Familial Weight and Diet Talk\u27s Relationship to Weight Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction
Get PDFToday, body weight can be a sensitive topic, and a person’s insecurities and sensitivity to this topic may be rooted in their childhood experiences. Because of the sensitive nature of the weight issue, investigating early life experiences around familial weight and diet talk of young adults will provide information about their current feelings regarding weight satisfaction. Establishing the sources of this talk beyond that of parents and whether they affect later life and weight satisfaction has yet to be determined.The purpose of this study is to determine if there is an association between familial weight and diet talk, its source and frequency, and weight and life satisfaction in college-age students (18-28 years of age).This study utilized a cross-sectional online survey design with network sampling. The researcher-designed questionnaire included demographic items, the Satisfaction with Life validated scale, a researcher-developed Satisfaction with Weight scale, and self-reported height and weight. Participants were recruited via email through campus groups, classroom announcements by faculty members, and with posters/flyers around campus. All communications contained a link to the consent and questionnaire.Responses from 249 participants from 16 different U.S. states were analyzed. The majority were female (68.3%) and identified as White, non-Hispanic (70.3%)with a mean age of 20.85 (SD=2.60) years. Participants (n=229) reported a mean household size of 4.72 persons (SD=1.44; range of 2 to 12). Most lived with parents and siblings (79.5%).
Pearson’s correlations (two-tailed) explored the relationships among the SWLS,
SWWS, and BMI. There was a significant positive correlation between SWLS and
SWWS, r (214) =0.460, p \u3c 0.01; a significant negative correlation between SWWS and
BMI, r (214) = -0.363, p \u3c0.01; and no significance was found between SWLS and BMI.
When asked whether participants had experienced food intake or diet comments while
growing up, 65.5% responded “yes”, 24.9% responded “no”, and 4.8% did not remember.
Frequency of experiencing these comments were reported to be: several times per month (18.5%), 2 to 3 times per week (13.3%), once per week (11.2%), during holidays and celebrations (9.6%), four to six times per week (6%), and daily (4.8%). When asked whether these comments felt positive or negative, 39% of these participants reported the comments were both positive and negative, 18.9% responded that they were negative, and 6.4% positive.To compare the presence of body weight comments with the SWLS and SWWS, independent samples t-tests were calculated which resulted in a significant difference between those who did and did not experience body weight comments. The mean SWLS score for those experiencing body weight comments (M = 23.82, SD = 6.35) was lower than the score for those not experiencing comments (M=26.60, SD = 5.56); t (218) = -3.142, p = 0.002. The mean SWWS score for those experiencing body weight comments (M = 19.94, SD = 7.38) was lower than the score for those not experiencing comments (M = 25.03, SD = 5.94); t (212) = -5.40, p \u3c0.01. Therefore, those who experienced body weight–related comments had lower satisfaction with life and lower satisfaction with weight scores.Independent samples t-tests were conducted to determine whether the presence alone of body weight or food intake/diet related comments resulted in significant differences between SWLS and SWWS scores for friends or teachers; no significant differences were found.
Data analysis results demonstrated a significant negative correlation between weight talk and both satisfaction scales. A significant difference in the mean scores for the SWLS and the SWWS was found if body weight comments were experienced.
Findings from this study may begin to fill that gap by contributing to the literature to and enable a better understanding of the dynamics that contribute to a person’s weight satisfaction and life satisfaction. This is the first study known to this researcher that attempted to gather comments from extended family, friends, and teachers. Future investigations are needed to further explore grandparent interactions
Effective Leadership of Institutional Effectiveness Accreditation Initiaties: A Qualitative Case Study
Get PDFA qualitative case study of a two-year institution of higher education which had recently completed a successful institutional effectiveness initiative explored the factors that faculty and administrators believe encourage the support of institutional effectiveness initiatives and how certain factors encourage faculty and administrative support for institutional effectiveness activities that lead to their success. Participants included faculty and administrators at institutions of higher education and experts in the field of institutional effectiveness. There were four basic findings of the study. First, leaders of institutional effectiveness initiatives should ensure that the motivation of the topic of a project is perceived to be internal by the entire campus community. Second, participation in the initiative is optional. Third, communication and collaboration are benefits of institutional effectiveness initiatives. Finally, the value of accreditation is built into the culture of the institution. Leaders of institutional effectiveness initiatives can benefit from the findings of the current study and support the success of the initiatives to create lasting impacts on quality at institutions of higher education
Practices of Instructional Leaders Which Support and Monitor Implementation of Individualized Education Plans and Influence Teaching in Inclusive Classroom Settings
Get PDFThis qualitative case study was designed to learn more about how the practices of instructional leaders support and monitor the implementation of Individual Education Plans (I.E.P.s) and influence teaching in inclusive classroom settings. It was designed to explore a sample of general educators’ and administrators’ perceptions about the challenges they face to remain in adherence to obligations bound by duty to deliver I.E.P. services as outlined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The selected participants were twelve middle school general educators and administrators from two school districts in northwest Louisiana chosen through purposive sampling. The primary data collection method was semi-structured interviews. Document analyses of school improvement plans, district contingency plans, professional development opportunities offered to teachers, and the Louisiana Educational Rights of Children with Disabilities manual were used as supportive methods to establish triangulation
The Socialization Experiences of African American Women in Higher Education Student Affairs
No full textA qualitative, instrumental case study approach with multiple embedded cases guided the examination of each African American woman’s experience in socialization across various higher education institutions. Due to the intersectional identities of African American women, the theoretical framework for the current study uses both the newcomer’s adjustment framework and Black feminist thought (BFT). The findings include the following: 1) African American women in higher education student affairs experience a lack of official training and onboarding, 2) In the various roles held by African American women, they take on advanced commitments to Black and minority student populations, causing feelings of being superhuman and burnout, and 3) African American women experience a lack of autonomy in their professional roles and place a great value on years of experience to reach career advancement. This study contributes to the literature on African American women, identifying their socialization experiences and how they impact their retention and resilience to leadership or cause thoughts of field attrition. The African American women participants experienced challenges that are not always overt experiences in racism and sexism but oppressive in reaching career goals and occupying stress-free environments. The participants found value in being African American representation for students on campus, but as one of the participants directly stated, “representation matters, but so does me.
