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Learning to Love Science: Preservice Elementary Teachers Conceptualizations of Science Teaching and Self-Efficacy to Teach Science
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The Employment Situation of Veterans: November 2025
No full textThe November 2025 Employment Situation Report shows that U.S. employment changed little, while the overall unemployment rate held at 4.6 percent. Veteran unemployment rose from 2.6 percent in September to 3.4 percent in November, with Post‑9/11 veterans experiencing a sharper increase to 4.3 percent. Unemployment patterns varied widely across veteran age groups: rates spiked for ages 18–24 and 35–44, while veterans 45–54 and those 65+ saw declines. Female veteran unemployment fell significantly, while male veteran unemployment rose. Racial disparities persisted, with Black veteran unemployment rising and Hispanic veteran unemployment falling
Institutional Effectiveness in Practice at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Get PDFInitially perceived as a compliance-driven, accreditation mandate, institutional effectiveness (IE) evolved into a comprehensive framework often encompassing institutional research, evaluation and assessment, and strategic planning. This study investigated the expanding role of IE at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) by examining how individuals in IE positions approached their work and whether those efforts contributed to knowledge creation at their institutions. Considering the alarming rate of closures among institutions of higher education (IHEs) and the finite number of HBCUs, this research is timely as it explored IE as a mechanism to drive institutional innovation and support financial sustainability. By interviewing leaders and staff involved in IE functions at HBCUs, the study characterized their multifaceted work, highlighting their efforts to facilitate knowledge creation and contribute to strategic initiatives. Interview responses were analyzed through the lens of Nonaka and Takeuchi\u27s SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization) Model of Knowledge Creation that emphasizes the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in transforming individual knowledge into organizational learning. The analysis illustrated how specific approaches to IE not only fulfilled compliance mandates but also fostered innovation in programs and services and supported sustainable institutional growth. Key findings revealed that enhancing data literacy and developing talent played pivotal roles in ensuring the future success of IE efforts. Building trust and nurturing relationships between IE offices and their communities were critical for fostering collaboration and aligning program operations with institutional goals. Frequently assessing institutional goal alignment with the mission-driven commitment to student success that underscored the values and priorities of HBCUs framed and informed approaches to IE at these institutions. Rather than a compliance-focused approach to IE, this study promotes a knowledge-based approach at HBCUs, ensuring these institutions continue to thrive in an increasingly challenging higher education landscape. The implications of this study are particularly relevant for resource-constrained IHEs
Understanding Shell Adhesion Mechanics For Soft Gripper Design
Get PDFThis dissertation investigates the adhesion mechanics of hyperelastic hemispherical shells with finite thicknesses undergoing large deformation against rigid planar substrates. By integrating theoretical modeling, numerical simulations, and experimental validation, a comprehensive understanding of the adherence-detachment behavior of soft elastomeric shell structures is established. The study also applies these insights to the design of soft robotic grippers based on tunable adhesion. To understand the dry adhesion of a free soft shell against a rigid substrate, first, a graphical-numerical modeling framework based on the energy approach is developed and used to predict shell adhesion with a wide range of surface energy, thickness, and stiffness. Experimental characterization is then conducted using a benchmark elastomer as the shell material and pull-off forces as adhesion strength. Both theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that shell thickness and material compliance significantly influence the pull-off force, which means shell adhesion deviates from classical JKR predictions for hemispheres. Specifically, shells with thickness ratios h/R\u3c0.1 exhibit pull-off forces nearly 50% lower when compared to that of a JKR hemisphere. The dissertation further explores the design of soft grippers using hemispherical shells with tunable adhesion triggered by pneumatic actuation. It is found that a soft shell in contact with a rigid substrate under depressurization exhibits much higher adhesion than that of the same shell under zero pressure. This discovery enables robotic pick-and-place operations using soft shells. Through a combination of theoretical and computational modeling efforts and experiments, the underlying mechanism for the observed enhanced adhesion is identified as a combination of dry adhesion and suction. Experiments show that the soft shell grippers exhibit high tolerance to misalignment, while in contrast, adhesion of solid and hollow pillars suffer from misalignment. In addition, through manipulation of how the negative pressure is applied during initiation of adhesive contact, very low preloads for gripping are needed for these soft shell grippers, which makes them suitable for manipulating fragile and lightweight objects. It is demonstrated that the shell grippers can be used to manipulate various objects, regardless of whether they are curved or flat, smooth or rough, wet or dry, soft or rigid, with through holes or not. Shell grippers thus are a very promising platform towards universal manipulation
Memetics Reinformed: Three Informational Developments of Memes
Get PDFMemetics and information have been connected since Richard Dawkins defined memes in 1976. Yet, information studies rarely contributes despite the connection. This dissertation develops a memetic program that exists within an information framework. An information-centric study of memes offers answers to questions of cultural dynamics, meaning production, and applies to questions in cultural heritage informatics and knowledge organization. This proposal offers a theoretically and empirically connected space within an information-centric development of memetics. What is provided is a three paper dissertation. These three papers include a (1) literature review and citation analysis paper, (2) a preliminary theory-method paper exemplifying a study of memetic differences, and (3) a grounded theory of Know Your Meme, a memory institution of visual memetic documents. These three papers offer a schema for Information Studies to proceed in the study of memetics by connecting memetics to theories of information and developing a methodology which prioritizes informationally-oriented data. The three studies contained in this dissertation position present information in memetics such that it develops a joint theory-methodology of culture. It contributes ``a methodology of difference\u27\u27 motivated by Gregory Bateson\u27s psycho-sensory information using both content analysis and grounded theory to illustrate a more extensive idea of what cultural information and data are theoretically. The dissertation concludes by re-evaluating memetic theory and information\u27s place in the study. It also notes some limitations of the dissertation that in turn motivates some future directions of study