Isolation,resilience, and faith: Experiences of Black Christian students in biology graduate programs

To increase participation of students of color in science graduate programs, research has focused on illuminating student experiences to inform ways to improve them. In biology, Black students are vastly underrepresented, and while religion has been shown to be a particularly important form of cultural wealth for Black students, Christianity is stigmatized in biology. Very few studies have explored the intersection of race/ethnicity and Christianity for Black students in biology where there is high documented tension between religion and science. Since graduate school is important for socialization and Black students are likely to experience stigmatization of their racial and religious identity, it is important to understand their experiences and how we might be able to improve them. Thus, we interviewed 13 Black Christian students enrolled in biology graduate programs and explored their experiences using the theoretical lens of stigmatized identities. Through thematic content analysis, we revealed that students negotiated experiences of cultural isolation, devaluation of intelligence, and acts of bias like other racially minoritized students in science. However, by examining these experiences at the intersection of race/ethnicity and religion, we shed light on interactions students have had with faculty and peers within the biology community that cultivated perceptions of mistrust, conflict, and stigma. Our study also revealed ways in which students' religious/spiritual capital has positively supported their navigation through biology graduate school. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of why Black Christian graduate students are more likely to leave or not pursue advanced degrees in biology with implications for research and practice that help facilitate their success.     

Instructional practices in secondary science: How teachers achieve local and standards-based success

This article reports on analyses of the instructional practices of six middle- and high-school science teachers in the United States who participated in a research-practice partnership that aims to support reform science education goals at scale. All six teachers were well qualified, experienced, and locally successful—respected by students, parents, colleagues, and administrators—but they differed in their success in supporting students' three-dimensional learning. Our goal is to understand how the teachers' instructional practices contributed to their similarities in achieving local success and to differences in enabling students' learning, and to consider the implications of these findings for research-practice partnerships. Data sources included classroom videos supplemented by interviews with teachers and focus students and examples of student work. We also compared students' learning gains by teacher using pre–post assessments that elicited three-dimensional performances. Analyses of classroom videos showed how all six teachers achieved local success—they led effectively managed classrooms, covered the curriculum by teaching almost all unit activities, and assessed students' work in fair and efficient ways. There were important differences, however, in how teachers engaged students in science practices. Teachers in classrooms where students achieved lower learning gains followed a pattern of practice we describe as activity-based teaching, in which students completed investigations and hands-on activities with few opportunities for sensemaking discussions or three-dimensional science performances. Teachers whose students achieved higher learning gains combined the social stability characteristic of local classroom success with more demanding instructional practices associated with scientific sensemaking and cognitive apprenticeship. We conclude with a discussion of implications for research-practice partnerships, highlighting how partnerships need to support all teachers in achieving both local and standards-based success.     

The 2010 Benjamin Franklin medal in Computer and Cognitive Science presented to Shafrira Goldwasser,Ph.D.

The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, awards the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science to Professor Shafrira Goldwasser for fundamental work contributing to the theoretical foundation of modern cryptography and leading to techniques that mathematically guarantee secure access to the internet. More precisely, she is recognized for key contributions in provable security and in particular for interactive and zero-knowledge proofs and their application to cryptography and complexity theory.     

Musculoskeletal stiffness during hopping and running does not change following downhill backwards walking

Eccentric contractions that provide spring energy can also cause muscle damage. The aim of this study was to explore leg and vertical stiffness following muscle damage induced by an eccentric exercise protocol. Twenty active males completed 60 minutes of backward-walking on a treadmill at 0.67 m/s and a gradient of ? 8.5° to induce muscle damage. Tests were performed immediately before; immediately post; and 24, 48, and 168 hours post eccentric exercise. Tests included running at 3.35 m/s and hopping at 2.2 Hz using single- and double-legged actions. Leg and vertical stiffness were measured from kinetic and kinematic data, and electromyography (EMG) of five muscles of the preferred limb were recorded during hopping. Increases in pain scores (over 37%) occurred post-exercise and 24 and 48 hours later (p < 0.001). A 7% decrease in maximal voluntary contraction occurred immediately post-exercise (p = 0.019). Changes in knee kinematics during single-legged hopping were observed 168 hours post (p < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in EMG, creatine kinase activity, leg, or vertical stiffness. Results indicate that knee mechanics may be altered to maintain consistent levels of leg and vertical stiffness when eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage is present in the lower legs.     

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No abstract available for this article.     

Placement and frequency of powerless talk and impression formation

Study One examined the influence of initial use of hesitations and hedges on evaluations of witnesses and their persuasiveness in a budget hearing context. Results indicate that the negative attributions generated by the use of powerless language cannot be overcome by subsequent use of powerful talk. Study Two examined the relationship between the frequency of powerless language use and impression formation. For award/character and dynamism a perceptual threshold appeared to operate. The results of both studies suggest that auditors are very sensitive to the influence of powerless talk in formal settings.     

Teaching Prospect Theory with the Deal or No Deal Game Show

Recent evidence indicates that decision makers are more sensitive to potential losses than gains. Loss aversion psychology has led behavioural economists to look beyond expected utility by developing prospect theory. We demonstrate this theory using the Deal or No Deal game show.