University of Wyoming

Excess human emissions, largely from industrialized nations, cause the climate crisis. Calls for climate action are thus inherently group-based (i.e., target people from industrialized nations) and often critical (i.e., challenging unsustainable lifestyles). Because group criticism by fellow ingroup members has been shown to be more acceptable than criticism by outsiders (intergroup sensitivity effect), we argue that critical calls for climate action across group-boundaries are ineffective as compared to the same calls by a messenger within that group. In the present work, American and European participants consistently rejected criticism of insufficient climate action in the U.S. and Europe (i.e., “the West”) from a Chinese participant (outgroup source) as compared to the same comments from participants from their own region (ingroup sources). Further, joint membership in the superordinate group “the West” was sufficient to make criticism acceptable; extended ingroup commenters (e.g., Europeans for American participants) were equally accepted as ingroup sources. Exploratory moderation analyses showed that the group-based rejection of criticism emerged only among participants with moderate-to-high beliefs in the existence of climate change but not among climate change deniers. We discuss how changing group processes can help master the climate crisis. • Unsustainable lifestyles among different groups cause the climate crisis • Different groups are thus a legitimate target for critical calls to climate action • Outgroup calls were consistently rejected as compared to the same ingroup calls • Responses to calls by full and extended ingroup (superordinate group) did not differ • Redefining group boundaries could be one key to mastering the climate crisis

The Agricultural Microbiomes Thinkathon, held on 12 August 2023, in Denver, CO, U.S.A. brought together early-career and established scientists from academia, government, and industry to explore new approaches to microbiome research design, integration, and application. Organized by the U.S. National Science Foundation-funded Agricultural Microbiomes Research Coordination Network (AgMicrobiomes RCN), this community-based workshop emphasized collaborative thinking, interdisciplinary dialogue, and the cocreation of research ideas. Participants engaged in team-based activities aimed at transforming microbiome data into knowledge and actionable outcomes. Through structured breakout sessions, they developed research questions, interpreted microbiome datasets, and proposed projects focused on improving plant health and agricultural sustainability. These projects reflected systems thinking, practical applications, and shared interests in microbial function, plant–microbiome interactions, and data-informed management strategies. The Thinkathon demonstrated the value of workshop formats that move beyond passive or technical training to emphasize critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. As microbiome data become more accessible and computational tools grow increasingly complex, the ability to pose thoughtful questions and connect research to real-world outcomes is essential. By combining active learning with interdisciplinary team science, the Thinkathon model provides a replicable framework for building capacity, empowering early-career scientists, and advancing innovation in agricultural microbiome research. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Sustainable lunar crop production will likely require coarse-textured media to mitigate waterlogging under reduced gravity, although larger particle sizes reduce water retention and availability. Maintaining a target root zone water content via sensor-based irrigation may improve plant water status in such media. For harvest management, the standard multiharvest “pick-and-eat” method enables continuous production, whereas a single-harvest “cut-and-sow” alternative may limit root buildup. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of sensor-based vs. time-based irrigation on growth, physiology, mineral content, and palatability of Lactuca sativa ‘Little Gem’ using pick-and-eat and cut-and-sow harvesting techniques in a coarse calcined-clay medium (Turface) to quantify interactions among plant performance, rhizosphere water availability, root zone salinity, and sensory outcomes. Forty-eight greenhouse-grown plants and 24 nonplant controls were randomly assigned to either sensor-based irrigation (maintaining a volumetric water content of 0.40 m³·m − ³) or time-based irrigation (daily application until leaching occurred). Within each irrigation treatment, the plants were subjected to either the pick-and-eat or the cut-and-sow harvesting technique. Plant growth and physiology were recorded throughout the experiment, and a sensory evaluation was conducted at termination. Within the pick-and-eat technique, sensor-based irrigation increased photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration and lowered leaf–air temperature, resulting in higher cumulative fresh and dry mass and larger leaf area and leaf mineral contents, including phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, than time-based irrigation. In the cut-and-sow technique, reseeding into the same medium promoted salt accumulation, particularly under sensor-based irrigation due to lack of leaching, and subsequently depressed gas exchange, total leaf area, and leaf dry and fresh weights compared with the pick-and-eat technique. The lowest palatability was reported on lettuce receiving time-based irrigation with pick-and-eat due to unpleasant mouth feel and flavor, which was attributed to early bolting. Overall, pairing sensor-based irrigation with a pick-and-eat harvest strategy maximized yield, stabilized physiology, limited premature bolting, and preserved sensory quality in coarse Turface media. Cut-and-sow harvesting technique under nonleaching irrigation minimized the risks of salinity buildup and performance impairment. These results highlight the importance of closed-loop water management and harvest strategy codesign when translating crop systems to reduced-gravity, regolith-based agriculture.

Abstract This study examined mountain-front stream recharge to a karst aquifer in the Denver Basin (USA) from 2016 to 2023, a period of minimal water use, using a combination of existing data (geologic maps, borehole drilling and logging records, geophysical surveys, and hydrochemical stream and groundwater data) and new monitoring efforts (stream gauging, near-stream drilling, and water level (WL) instrumentation at stream gauges and monitoring wells). Stream and karst aquifer WLs were jointly analyzed in the context of all data. In a northern subwatershed, stream and aquifer WLs followed annual snowmelt cycles by rising in spring and falling in summer. Where the streambed intersects the aquifer, the stream recharges the aquifer through fractures and conduits at sinks, as supported by drilling data and similarity of hydrochemical composition and electrical conductivity of stream water at a sink and groundwater in wells located > 1 km downstream. Moreover, during a 2017–2022 drought that reduced streamflow, the karst aquifer received less recharge and its WLs declined. In two southern subwatersheds, recharge to the confined portion of the karst aquifer likely comes from both stream losses and subsurface inflow, whereas recharge to an unconfined portion of the aquifer could not be determined from the available data. Despite regional precipitation data suggesting that the drought ended in 2023, below-average mountain precipitation that year may have caused continued streamflow and aquifer depletion at the mountain front, suggesting the reliance of the Denver Basin water supply on mountain snowmelt runoff.

Multicultural education remains a foundational yet contested area of teacher preparation in increasingly diverse, unequal, and politically polarized educational contexts. This article offers a conceptual review of multicultural education in teacher preparation, focusing on culturally responsive, critical, and democratic approaches. Drawing on foundational and contemporary scholarship, including examples from research on culturally responsive pedagogy, critical curriculum analysis, intercultural competence, Indigenous education, and democratic teaching, the review synthesizes major conceptual traditions, pedagogical applications, and ongoing implementation challenges. The article argues that multicultural education is most effective when positioned as a foundational and integrative orientation across teacher preparation rather than as a stand-alone course or symbolic diversity requirement. It proposes a conceptual framework organized around three interrelated pedagogical orientations culturally responsive, critical, and democratic enacted through reflective practice, curriculum transformation, community and contextual engagement, and pedagogical translation. The review concludes by highlighting persistent tensions related to institutionalization, faculty preparedness, policy climates, and assessment, while identifying future directions for research and program development in diverse national, sociocultural, and decolonizing educational contexts. Overall, the article positions multicultural education as an ongoing project of pedagogical, curricular, and democratic renewal in teacher preparation.

Abstract Dryland winter wheat-fallow rotation in the US Northern High Plains face soil fertility and climate-related challenges, which contribute to low yields and reduced sustainability. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and wheat yield were monitored following a one-time compost (0, 15, 30, and 45 Mg ha⁻¹) in 20015 combined with annual cover cropping (2:1 Austrian winter pea and oats) during fallow phases. This study used the DAYCENT biogeochemical model to assess climate-smartness of the management, and determine the optimal timing for compost re-application between 2015 to 2050. The model was validated using field GHG observations and wheat yields from 2016, 2017 and 2018. The model showed positive correlations between observed and simulated carbon dioxide (CO₂, R² = 0.62), methane (CH₄, R² = 0.64), nitrous oxide (N₂O, R² = 0.52) emissions, and grain yield (R² = 0.93). Simulations for the period between 2015 to 2050 revealed that CO₂ and N₂O emissions peaked at 923 mg C m -2 hr -1 and 78 µg N m -2 hr -1 around 7 years after one-time compost application; and remained elevated between 923 to 1030 mg C m -2 hr -1 and 57 to 78 µg N m -2 hr -1 until 2031 and 2033 respectively, before gradually declining. CH₄ was consistently assimilated throughout the simulation, with an average of 99% greater uptake in compost and annual cover-crop- amended soils. Wheat yield followed a similar trajectory, declining slightly during the first 3-5 years, then increasing until year 15 (2031), after which yields gradually declined across all treatments. The simulations suggest that a single 45 Mg ha -1 compost application integrated with annual cover cropping can enhance soil function, increase productivity, and maintain a favorable GHG profile for 10 – 15 years (up to 2030). Compost re-application is necessary beyond this period to sustain long-term agronomic and environmental benefits.