The Technology Partnership (United States)

In Chicago Public Schools there is a need to provide guidance to schools on placing students into an intro-level CS class (ECS) or the more difficult AP CSP as a student's first CS class. Previous work created a placement exam based on the ECS curriculum to identify students prepared for AP CSP without taking ECS. This analysis found that after controlling for many variables including GPA, attendance at a selective enrollment school, and perceived value of CS, that the placement score was positively associated with the probability of a student passing the AP CSP exam.

Abstract Navy Metrology Engineering Center STEM Outreach through the STEP Program: Challenges, Lessons Learned and Application to DoD StrategyThe Science and Technology Education Partnership (STEP) Program has been operating inRiverside, California as a 501 (c) non-profit for over 10 years. The Navy’s MetrologyEngineering Center (MEC) is a Department of Defense engineering activity which has been along time STEP Program partner. Since its inception, STEP’s focus has been on the 3rd through8th grades in order to increase the numbers of students qualified to obtain technical educationsand degrees at higher levels. With the assistance of MEC, the STEP Program model has beenexported to other areas of the United States with some demonstrated success as well as somelessons learned concerning underlying requirements. Over 50,000 students and 3,000 of theirteachers have experienced the STEP Program to dateThis paper will explore the original STEP Program model with the challenges faced over theyears that caused refinements to be made. The paper will address the importance of STEMoutreach in the early grades along with the need for focusing increased resources at this earlyeducational stage. Insights into the lessons learned and many issues faced over the past 10 yearsof attempting to succeed at STEM outreach in the early grades will be presented from thissuccessful program’s perspective. The refined STEP model template will be provided along withthe challenges faced to successfully export this program model to other communities withMEC‘s help. Achievements to date will be provided along with future program goals.This paper will also present information showing an increase in national activity and focus onSTEM outreach efforts such as STEP. As a concrete example of increasing STEM outreach, theco-authors of this paper from the Navy’s Metrology Engineering Center located in Corona,California will present their view of the STEP Program and its role in helping them execute therecently released Department of Defense’s (DoD) Strategic Plan on STEM Education andOutreach. MEC DoD has renewed its commitment to STEM outreach with this recently releasedstrategic plan for 2010 through 2014. The basics of the DoD strategic plan including vision,mission and goals will be presented along with the stated underlying rationale for DoD’srenewed focus on STEM education and outreach. The specific motivation for MEC’s interest intheir long term commitment to STEM outreach will be shown to parallel the driving factors thatmotivated DoD generally.

This study compares the characteristics and professional development (PD) experiences between teachers who began teaching Exploring Computer Science before and after the enactment of a CS graduation requirement in the Chicago Public Schools. The post-requirement teachers were less likely to have a CS background, but their experience in the ECS PD and their level of confidence at the end of the PD were equivalent to the early adopters.

Research Practice Partnerships (RPPs) are a relatively recent development as a potential strategy to address the complex challenges in computer science education. Consequently, there is little guidance available for assessing the effectiveness of RPPs. This paper describes the formative evaluation approach used to assess the progress of the first year of the formalized RPP, Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science (CAFE CS). This paper contributes to the RPP literature by providing a case study of how an RPP effectiveness framework can be adapted and used to inform partnership improvement efforts in computer science education.

The Teacher Wellbeing Index has revealed just how stressed many school leaders are. Julian Stanley looks at what must change

Voice care is incredibly important for teachers and vocal damage is a big risk. Julian Stanley offers some voice care advice

Jordyn McCord and Michael Mavity are 2016 graduates of both biological engineering and pharmaceutical sciences. David Wintczak is a third-year pharmacy doctoral candidate. Here, in their second article published in PJSL, they describe a weeklong study abroad course at the Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy in Tanzania, designed to engage students in the implementation of methods for detecting counterfeit medications.

We present the results of contemporaneous seeing measurements using a multi-object Shack—Hartmann wavefront sensor, SCIDAR optical turbulence profiling, and a DIMM seeing monitor at the William Herschel Telescope in La Palma. The data are used to determine the accuracy with which angular anisoplanatism can be predicted from generalized SCIDAR turbulence profile measurements. Theoretical predictions of the angular correlation of the Zernike aberration coefficients, based on the SCIDAR profiles, agree with direct measurements from the wavefront sensor to within 7 per cent rms. Estimates of the total seeing (integrated optical turbulence strength) from the methods agree to 10 per cent rms. We conclude that SCIDAR represents a reliable means for calibration of the spatially and temporally variable point-spread function for imaging with adaptive optics in astronomy.

<div class="htmlview paragraph">Liquefied natural gas (LNG) use as a heavy-duty vehicle fuel is increasing. Current generation high-horsepower natural gas engines used in trucks and buses typically require fuel supply pressures in the range 75 to 120 psig. LNG delivered to the fueling station usually has a saturation pressure of roughly 10 psig. A variety of approaches may be used to provide the required fuel pressure increase. Each approach involves a different on-vehicle fuel system design, and LNG station capabilities must accommodate vehicle fuel system requirements. This paper describes various LNG vehicle fuel system design strategies including key tradeoffs, implications on station requirements, and developmental status.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The most commonly used fuel system design receives and stores the LNG in the vehicle tank at a saturation pressure at least equal to the engine fuel supply pressure requirement. This design is relatively simple, but it requires fuel conditioning (saturation pressure and temperature increase) at the station. This increases station cost and decreases fuel density and hence vehicle range. Saturated LNG fuel systems typically include a pressure-reducing function which can increase the tank hold time for most applications.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">LNG vehicle fuel systems based on non-saturated LNG theory are also being developed and tested. These seek to maintain the liquid in the fuel tank in a subcooled state (at lower temperatures and higher densities than saturated systems). This approach employs a pressure-building circuit. A key issue for pressure-building circuits, which are also used in certain saturated fuel system concepts, is the time needed to build initial pressure following refueling. Pumped systems have been used for direct-injection natural gas engines with very high fuel pressure requirements that cannot be met with practical pressure-transfer systems. Cryogenic pumps may also be used for lower pressure requirements, but there are concerns regarding their relative cost and durability for this application.</div>