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Snapshot analysis of the abundance and community composition of terrestrial invertebrates in three tributaries of the Beebe river in Campton, NH
Get PDFRiparian areas are biologically rich ecosystems and invertebrates represent a large proportion of the diversity within them and perform various ecological functions. Benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates have been well studied in relation to their availability as a prey item for brook trout. However, terrestrial allochthonous inputs can account for most of their diet during summer months. Our study looked at three tributaries of the Beebe River in Campton, NH. Two of the tributaries have riparian areas that have been logged and clear cut in recent years and have had more human influence. The third tributary has very little human disturbance. We split the tributaries into zones depending on their riparian zone types. We then quantified the abundance and community composition of terrestrial riparian arthropods in each of the tributaries using pit-fall traps. This allowed us to compare within and between tributaries to see if the differing types of riparian zones has influence on the types and quantity of terrestrial macroinvertebrates that live there. We used chi-square analysis and ANOVA to compare them statistically. Preliminary analyses suggest that there is a significant difference between the sites as well as between riparian zones.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement Spring 201
All odds against them: the superintendent's leadership in rapid and sustained system improvement in small, rural, impoverished, school districts
Get PDFThis research is an examination of the instructional leadership practices of effective rural superintendents who oversee school districts in small, rural school districts in the most northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The study looked at the successful leadership practices of school district superintendents who have maintained a path of growth and improvement in districts that were small, rural and impoverished, however, they have overcome these limiting factors to show improvement in student achievement and instruction. The purpose of this study was to identify these successful leadership practices and to compare them to those identified in the meta-analysis done by Marzano and Waters in 2009. It is important to discover why these districts improved and identify factors that might account for their success as compared to other districts with similar demographics. There is value in studying the leadership in schools that have needed improvement and become successful and sustained their turnaround over time. Such information will provide a model school leaders can learn from and replicate in their own efforts in future school reform.
A multiple case study approach utilized several steps to gather information from four cases selected using the model proposed in a case study done by Masumoto and Brown-Welty in 2009. This current study employed a multiple case study design using interviews with four superintendents, staff members (i.e., teachers and administrators and other educational professionals) at both the building level and at the district level during site visits to each school selected. Interviews were used as primary source data and were compared with documents related to the school district's work. Results indicate that the factors identified in prior research related to effective district leadership, collaborative goal setting, establishment of nonnegotiable goals for achievement and instruction, creation of school board alignment and support of goals, and the allocation of resources to support the goals for achievement and instruction were present in these successful turnaround rural districts (Marzano & Waters, 2009). In addition, the research identified two new factors, high expectations and climate and culture that appeared to play an important role in the improvement of the districts with increased student achievement despite their challenging demographics. Recommendations as a result of these findings for rural district leaders are discussed.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
An investigation into the leadership behaviors of school librarians: a qualitative study
No full textIn order to evolve from traditional librarianship roles to dynamic and proactive leaders today's school librarians need to understand what it means to be a school librarian leader, build those skills, and advocate for new opportunities within their school communities. This qualitative investigation into the leadership behaviors of school librarian leaders contributes to the work of Everhart and Johnston (2016) by developing their definition in order to operationalize school library leadership through the documentation of what it looks like in practice. This research is among the first efforts to move a proposed model of school librarian leadership from a theoretical model to a working theory. A multi-case design compared and examined leadership behaviors as they occurred in practice. Interviews, observations, and documents, collected at three high school libraries in Maine, served as the primary methods for data collection. The findings support Everhart and Johnston's (2016) proposed theory that school librarian leaders intentionally develop strong relationships within the school community, serve as communication conduits in order to improve the school environment, and increase their confidence through mentorship from administrators and support from the school community. The findings extend the proposed theory by adding risk-taking, vulnerability, and job crafting as supports to the innovative work of school librarian leaders. This knowledge will help school librarians develop skills and an understanding of their updated role and prepare them to reach their full potential as school librarian leaders.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Comparing the experiences of Plymouth State University's global community
No full textThe United States hosts the largest number of international students globally, demonstrating how globalized the world has become. Plymouth State University is among the thousands of colleges that annually take on students from the global community. However, first and second-generation immigrant students are not considered international, though they may share commonalities. Through student interviews, this research aims to identify the experiences of what it means to be an international student, an exchange student, and a first or second-generation immigrant student at Plymouth State University. The information derived will create a lens of empathy for the Plymouth community, and provide useful information on how Plymouth State University can better serve and celebrate the global community on campus.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement Spring 201
Hydrometeorological characteristics of ice jams on the pemigewasset river in central New Hampshire
No full textIce jams regularly occur across the Northeast U.S. during the winter and early spring and can result in significant localized flooding, such as those that occurred on the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth, NH on 26 February 2017 and 13 January 2018. The hydrometeorological characteristics of 20 ice jams that occurred on the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth, NH since 1981 are investigated. Composite analyses indicate a period of slightly below normal temperatures over the Northeast U.S. from 1-2 weeks before the ice jam date that transitioned into a period of highly anomalous temperatures >7˚C above normal from two days before through one day after the ice jam date. All 20 events were associated with a period of enhanced integrated vapor transport (IVT) >250 kg m-1s-1during the anomalously warm period. The composite synoptic-scale flow over eastern North America was characterized by a plume of integrated water vapor values >25 mm and IVT magnitudes >600 kg m-1s-1into New England resulting in average precipitation totals of 30-50 in the Pemigewasset watershed.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement Spring 201
Creative arts programming: instrumentation to assess youth self-motivation
Get PDFThis presentation describes our partnership with a local nonprofit organization to create an instrument that assesses self-motivation of youth engaged in a creative arts afterschool program. An overview of the current research about creative arts programs and protective factors associated with self-motivation related to such programming are explored. Through our work we designed two assessment instruments; one to be completed by youth engaged in the creative arts program and another to be completed by the instructors of the program. We discuss how the instruments were designed, and the intended delivery process of each instrument. Additionally, we present implications for the nonprofit organization based on the potential outcome data, as well as how future school counselors can use the instrument data and the literature review findings in their future work.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement Spring 201
The effect of creatine on 24-hour blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure
No full textPURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of a 1 week creatine supplementation (CrS) on blood pressure (BP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP) in healthy males and females. METHODS: Subjects were 10 males (21±1.2 year) and 4 females (20.3 ± 0.47 year), with VO2max values of 53.53 ± 4.6 ml/kg/min (males) and 47.7 ± 2.9 ml/kg/min (females). Subjects were divided into two groups: placebo supplementation (PS) and CrS. Subjects attended a pre-supplementation and post-supplementation exercise intervention where subjects ran for 30 min at 70-80% of VO2max. Between the exercise interventions, subjects consumed 0.3 g/kg of body weight/day of supplement for 7 days. Following each exercise intervention, subjects wore an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) for 24 hr to collect BP, MAP, and PP. RESULTS: A 7 day CrS will result in benefits to cardiovascular health (CVH). The CrS group will have lower mean BP, MAP, and PP when compared to the PS group following the second exercise intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed research will contribute to greater understanding of the effects of CrS on CVH.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement Spring 201
A climatological study of linear convective systems in northern New England
Get PDFLinear convective systems (LCS) over northern New England were classified for 5 warm seasons (April-September 2003-2007) using 0.5 degree base reflectivity radar data for the Gray, Maine (KGYX) radar domain. This classification was used to develop a climatology of LCS mountain interactions. The LCS were identified by their structure, following the method of Lombardo and Colle, into: broken lines, bow echos, lines with no stratiform precipitation, lines with leading stratiform precipitation, lines with trailing stratiform precipitation, lines with parallel stratiform precipitation, and an additional classification for this study, miscellaneous structures. Lines were then categorized by their interaction with the mountain ranges within the KGYX radar domain, specifically the White and Ossipee Mountains of New Hampshire, and the Longfellow Mountains of Maine. The interaction types were increasing intensity, decreasing intensity, no change in intensity, dissipating entirely, or dissipating and then reforming downstream of the mountains. Prevailing 700 hPa flow was identified to determine if the storm intensity was affected by prevailing wind direction. The purpose of this study was to: 1) determine if a previous classification system developed for the Midwest could be used in complex, mountainous terrain; 2) create a climatology of LCS mountain interactions; and 3) determine the factors driving the interactions. No correlation was found between prevailing flow and mountain interaction. One interesting discovery was that in southwest flow storms tended to increase intensity only slightly less often than they dissipated entirely, with other interactions being statistically insignificant. Two case studies were completed to determine what other factors most likely had the strongest impact on the LCS interaction with the mountains for both southwest flow increasing intensity and southwest flow dissipating entirely.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Flooding and paleoclimatology of central NH wetlands
No full textEvery watershed has its own local potential for flooding, but the scale of regional events affect multiple watersheds. By examining paleoflood records of regional events, we can determine the frequency of regional floods and improve resilience to them at the local scale. Selecting the right management style for a particular wetland is important for maintaining a functioning and sustainable environment. Increased development or unsustainable management approaches can lead to changes in local hydrology and increased erosion of the shore, enhancing sediment build up on the lake/wetland beds and causing eutrophication at an increasing rate. This project aims to enhance community preparedness by identifying the frequency of high magnitude flooding over several thousands of years in central New Hampshire. Multiple sediment cores have been extracted from two flood-sensitive wetlands, Quincy Bog in Rumney, NH and McLane Bog located on Newfound Lake. I have been working on these cores in the laboratory to determine evidence of flood deposits through calculating water content, loss on ignition (organic matter), magnetic susceptibility, and particle size distribution. Using Carbon-14 and Lead-210 isotopes, layers within each core have been dated and correlated to determine whether flooding events are local or regional, overlapping at both sites.Student Showcase of Research & Engagement Spring 201
Theory to practice: exploring the possible misalignment between job expectations and the actual work of the assistant principal through the lens of leadership theory
Get PDFThe purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed-methods study was to explore the possible misalignment between the job expectations and the actual work of assistant principals (AP) in New Hampshire (NH), through the lens of leadership theory. Data from the quantitative Phase I addressed the research question, What is the alignment or misalignment, determined by ranking, of what NH APs anticipated their duties would be and the duties they actually perform? Sixty NH APs completed the survey. Spearman's rank order coefficient was calculated to analyze Phase I data and resulted in a correlation coefficient value of .633. This value indicates that there is a measure of misalignment. Data was gathered in the qualitative Phase II and answered the remaining two research questions: How do current public school assistant principals in NH describe the alignment or misalignment between what they anticipated their duties would be and the actual duties they perform? How do current public school assistant principals in NH relate leadership theories to the alignment or misalignment between what they anticipated their duties would be and the actual duties they perform? New Hampshire APs reported that, although they view the role of the AP as primarily transactional in nature, they strive to incorporate transformational leadership whenever possible. Assistant principals also expressed their hope and belief that those serving in the role be granted increased decision-making authority, autonomy, in order to better meet the goals of the organization.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio