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• 131. [Article] Photoelectric properties and detection of the aromatic carcinogens benzo(a)pyrene and dimethylbenzanthracene

  8 pages

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Photoelectric properties and detection of the aromatic carcinogens benzo(a)pyrene and dimethylbenzanthracene Author: Houle, W. A., Brown, H. M., Griffith, O. H. Year: 2016, 1979 8 pages Title: Photoelectric properties and detection of the aromatic carcinogens benzo(a)pyrene and dimethylbenzanthracene Author: Houle, W. A., Brown, H. M., Griffith, O. H. Year: 2016, 1979 8 pages Close

• 132. [Article] Citizen Access to Complex Environmental Decison Making: A Case Study of the Proposed LNG Projects in Oregon

  144 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Citizen Access to Complex Environmental Decison Making: A Case Study of the Proposed LNG Projects in Oregon Author: Greenblatt, Dana Rebecca Year: 2017, 2016 144 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Fall 2016 Title: Citizen Access to Complex Environmental Decison Making: A Case Study of the Proposed LNG Projects in Oregon Author: Greenblatt, Dana Rebecca Year: 2017, 2016 144 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Fall 2016 Close

• 133. [Article] The impact hazard.

  48 pages

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The impact hazard. Author: Morrison, David, Chapman, Clark R., Slovic, Paul Year: 2017, 1994 48 pages Title: The impact hazard. Author: Morrison, David, Chapman, Clark R., Slovic, Paul Year: 2017, 1994 48 pages Close

• 134. [Article] Citizen Access to Complex Environmental Decision Making: A Case Study of the Proposed LNG Pipeline in Oregon

  144 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Public Policy, Planning and Management, and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Citizen Access to Complex Environmental Decision Making: A Case Study of the Proposed LNG Pipeline in Oregon Author: Greenblatt, Dana Year: 2017, 2016 144 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Public Policy, Planning and Management, and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Fall 2016. Title: Citizen Access to Complex Environmental Decision Making: A Case Study of the Proposed LNG Pipeline in Oregon Author: Greenblatt, Dana Year: 2017, 2016 144 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Public Policy, Planning and Management, and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Fall 2016. Close

• 135. [Article] The West Tidewater Earthflow, Northern Oregon Coast Range

  The West Tidewater earthflow, one of the largest in Oregon's history, occurred in December of 1994. The earthflow is located approximately 15 km north of Jewel, Oregon near the summit ofthe Northern Oregon ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The West Tidewater Earthflow, Northern Oregon Coast Range Author: Sanford, Barry A. Year: 2014 The West Tidewater earthflow, one of the largest in Oregon's history, occurred in December of 1994. The earthflow is located approximately 15 km north of Jewel, Oregon near the summit ofthe Northern Oregon Coast Range Mountains. The earthflow is 900 m long and 250 m wide, giving it a surface area of 9 ha, or 22 acres. Volume is 3.5 million m3. The earthflow occurred in low strength, well-bedded, tuffaceous, carbonaceous, micaceous, clay-rich mudstone, and very fine-grained, feldspathic, clay-rich siltstone of the lower Miocene age Northrup Creek Formation. The soil clay fractions contain up to 90% smectite with indications ofhalloysite. This earthflow is a reactivation ofa 650-year-old landslide (C-14 dating of uncovered buried trees). The failure mode is examined using a Janbu slope analysis and includes double wedge failure near the headscarp. High soil pore water pressure is one of the major causes of this slope failure. Rainfall levels for October, November, and December of 1994 were twice the previous five-year average. Present day groundwater level within the basin is less than one meter below ground surface. The earthflow is partially controlled by two faults of regional extent that dissect the basin near the headscarp in NW-SE and NE-SW directions. The Inceptisol soils in the basin remain moist below 20 cm year around. Soil in the basin may have been further weakened due to loss of root strength following timber harvest on the site in 1991. Soil liquid limits range from 42% to 95%, with PI values ranging from 2% to 77%. Soil clay content ranges between 18% and 30%. Direct shear tests on the mudstone and siltstone bedrock in both drained and undrained conditions produced internal friction angles of 14-18°, with cohesion values of 4 - 8 kPa. Back calculation of study area soil strength using the modified Bishop method results in a residual friction angle of 20.7°. The failure mode ofthe earthflow is from the headscarp downward and is modeled using Janbu methods. The study includes a detailed topographic map and a failure analysis of the earthflow basin. Title: The West Tidewater Earthflow, Northern Oregon Coast Range Author: Sanford, Barry A. Year: 2014 The West Tidewater earthflow, one of the largest in Oregon's history, occurred in December of 1994. The earthflow is located approximately 15 km north of Jewel, Oregon near the summit ofthe Northern Oregon Coast Range Mountains. The earthflow is 900 m long and 250 m wide, giving it a surface area of 9 ha, or 22 acres. Volume is 3.5 million m3. The earthflow occurred in low strength, well-bedded, tuffaceous, carbonaceous, micaceous, clay-rich mudstone, and very fine-grained, feldspathic, clay-rich siltstone of the lower Miocene age Northrup Creek Formation. The soil clay fractions contain up to 90% smectite with indications ofhalloysite. This earthflow is a reactivation ofa 650-year-old landslide (C-14 dating of uncovered buried trees). The failure mode is examined using a Janbu slope analysis and includes double wedge failure near the headscarp. High soil pore water pressure is one of the major causes of this slope failure. Rainfall levels for October, November, and December of 1994 were twice the previous five-year average. Present day groundwater level within the basin is less than one meter below ground surface. The earthflow is partially controlled by two faults of regional extent that dissect the basin near the headscarp in NW-SE and NE-SW directions. The Inceptisol soils in the basin remain moist below 20 cm year around. Soil in the basin may have been further weakened due to loss of root strength following timber harvest on the site in 1991. Soil liquid limits range from 42% to 95%, with PI values ranging from 2% to 77%. Soil clay content ranges between 18% and 30%. Direct shear tests on the mudstone and siltstone bedrock in both drained and undrained conditions produced internal friction angles of 14-18°, with cohesion values of 4 - 8 kPa. Back calculation of study area soil strength using the modified Bishop method results in a residual friction angle of 20.7°. The failure mode ofthe earthflow is from the headscarp downward and is modeled using Janbu methods. The study includes a detailed topographic map and a failure analysis of the earthflow basin. Close

• 136. [Article] An Assessment Model for Energy Efficiency Program Planning in Electric Utilities: Case of the Pacific of Northwest U.S.A.

  Energy efficiency stands out with its potential to address a number of challenges that today's electric utilities face, including increasing and changing electricity demand, shrinking operating capacity, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: An Assessment Model for Energy Efficiency Program Planning in Electric Utilities: Case of the Pacific of Northwest U.S.A. Author: Iskin, Ibrahim Year: 2014 Energy efficiency stands out with its potential to address a number of challenges that today's electric utilities face, including increasing and changing electricity demand, shrinking operating capacity, and decreasing system reliability and flexibility. Being the least cost and least risky alternative, the share of energy efficiency programs in utilities' energy portfolios has been on the rise since the 1980s, and their increasing importance is expected to continue in the future. Despite holding great promise, the ability to determine and invest in only the most promising program alternatives plays a key role in the successful use of energy efficiency as a utility-wide resource. This issue becomes even more significant considering the availability of a vast number of potential energy efficiency programs, the rapidly changing business environment, and the existence of multiple stakeholders. This dissertation introduces hierarchical decision modeling as the framework for energy efficiency program planning in electric utilities. The model focuses on the assessment of emerging energy efficiency programs and proposes to bridge the gap between technology screening and cost/benefit evaluation practices. This approach is expected to identify emerging technology alternatives which have the highest potential to pass cost/benefit ratio testing procedures and contribute to the effectiveness of decision practices in energy efficiency program planning. The model also incorporates rank order analysis and sensitivity analysis for testing the robustness of results from different stakeholder perspectives and future uncertainties in an attempt to enable more informed decision-making practices. The model was applied to the case of 13 high priority emerging energy efficiency program alternatives identified in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A. The results of this study reveal that energy savings potential is the most important program management consideration in selecting emerging energy efficiency programs. Market dissemination potential and program development and implementation potential are the second and third most important, whereas ancillary benefits potential is the least important program management consideration. The results imply that program value considerations, comprised of energy savings potential and ancillary benefits potential; and program feasibility considerations, comprised of program development and implementation potential and market dissemination potential, have almost equal impacts on assessment of emerging energy efficiency programs. Considering the overwhelming number of value-focused studies and the few feasibility-focused studies in the literature, this finding clearly shows that feasibility-focused studies are greatly understudied. The hierarchical decision model developed in this dissertation is generalizable. Thus, other utilities or power systems can adopt the research steps employed in this study as guidelines and conduct similar assessment studies on emerging energy efficiency programs of their interest. Title: An Assessment Model for Energy Efficiency Program Planning in Electric Utilities: Case of the Pacific of Northwest U.S.A. Author: Iskin, Ibrahim Year: 2014 Energy efficiency stands out with its potential to address a number of challenges that today's electric utilities face, including increasing and changing electricity demand, shrinking operating capacity, and decreasing system reliability and flexibility. Being the least cost and least risky alternative, the share of energy efficiency programs in utilities' energy portfolios has been on the rise since the 1980s, and their increasing importance is expected to continue in the future. Despite holding great promise, the ability to determine and invest in only the most promising program alternatives plays a key role in the successful use of energy efficiency as a utility-wide resource. This issue becomes even more significant considering the availability of a vast number of potential energy efficiency programs, the rapidly changing business environment, and the existence of multiple stakeholders. This dissertation introduces hierarchical decision modeling as the framework for energy efficiency program planning in electric utilities. The model focuses on the assessment of emerging energy efficiency programs and proposes to bridge the gap between technology screening and cost/benefit evaluation practices. This approach is expected to identify emerging technology alternatives which have the highest potential to pass cost/benefit ratio testing procedures and contribute to the effectiveness of decision practices in energy efficiency program planning. The model also incorporates rank order analysis and sensitivity analysis for testing the robustness of results from different stakeholder perspectives and future uncertainties in an attempt to enable more informed decision-making practices. The model was applied to the case of 13 high priority emerging energy efficiency program alternatives identified in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A. The results of this study reveal that energy savings potential is the most important program management consideration in selecting emerging energy efficiency programs. Market dissemination potential and program development and implementation potential are the second and third most important, whereas ancillary benefits potential is the least important program management consideration. The results imply that program value considerations, comprised of energy savings potential and ancillary benefits potential; and program feasibility considerations, comprised of program development and implementation potential and market dissemination potential, have almost equal impacts on assessment of emerging energy efficiency programs. Considering the overwhelming number of value-focused studies and the few feasibility-focused studies in the literature, this finding clearly shows that feasibility-focused studies are greatly understudied. The hierarchical decision model developed in this dissertation is generalizable. Thus, other utilities or power systems can adopt the research steps employed in this study as guidelines and conduct similar assessment studies on emerging energy efficiency programs of their interest. Close

• 137. [Article] The State of the Portland MSA Housing Market

  On its surface, the rapid increase of home prices in the Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) resembles the overheated moments before the housing bubble burst in 2007. OnPoint Community Credit ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The State of the Portland MSA Housing Market Author: Portland State University. Northwest Economic Research Center Year: 2016 On its surface, the rapid increase of home prices in the Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) resembles the overheated moments before the housing bubble burst in 2007. OnPoint Community Credit Union, concerned that history may already be repeating itself, asked the Northwest Economic Research Center (NERC) to investigate speculation within the Portland housing market, provide a forecast of home prices, and summarize potential market headwinds and tailwinds. To accomplish this, NERC estimates the change in local home prices due to ‘fundamental’ drivers. Using population and income to estimate a fundamental home price index (HPI), this analysis compares the fundamental HPI with the actual level of the Case-Shiller HPI to indicate that home values within the Portland MSA are, within a margin of error, correctly valued. This method indicates that increasing growth in income and migration significantly contributes to rising home prices. This comparison also shows a period of undervaluation following the burst of the last bubble, which helps to explain the price growth of the past few years (the ‘expansion phase’ of the recovery). This analysis uses Error-Correction (EC), General Autoregressive Moving Average (GARMA), and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models to forecast the inflation-adjusted Case Shiller HPI to the end of the year. The inherent strengths and weaknesses of these models necessitate a discussion of their assumptions and consequent limitations. Encouragingly, each of the models describes the same basic story: that average home sale prices will increase at a decreasing growth rate from June to at least December 2016. Changes to land use and building height restrictions are among the external shocks to home prices not included in the model. Since predicting policy decisions is fraught with risk, real-world awareness of potential political outcomes should accompany all forecasts based on known factors. Due to data limitations, not all of the indicators NERC feels are important to HPI are explicitly included in the models. Instead, these indicators offer supporting evidence. Generally, they describe a tight housing market with high demand (as indicated by income, employment, and migration) and low supply (as indicated by housing permits and inventory levels). This analysis corroborates the model estimations and supports the forecasts. Title: The State of the Portland MSA Housing Market Author: Portland State University. Northwest Economic Research Center Year: 2016 On its surface, the rapid increase of home prices in the Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) resembles the overheated moments before the housing bubble burst in 2007. OnPoint Community Credit Union, concerned that history may already be repeating itself, asked the Northwest Economic Research Center (NERC) to investigate speculation within the Portland housing market, provide a forecast of home prices, and summarize potential market headwinds and tailwinds. To accomplish this, NERC estimates the change in local home prices due to ‘fundamental’ drivers. Using population and income to estimate a fundamental home price index (HPI), this analysis compares the fundamental HPI with the actual level of the Case-Shiller HPI to indicate that home values within the Portland MSA are, within a margin of error, correctly valued. This method indicates that increasing growth in income and migration significantly contributes to rising home prices. This comparison also shows a period of undervaluation following the burst of the last bubble, which helps to explain the price growth of the past few years (the ‘expansion phase’ of the recovery). This analysis uses Error-Correction (EC), General Autoregressive Moving Average (GARMA), and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models to forecast the inflation-adjusted Case Shiller HPI to the end of the year. The inherent strengths and weaknesses of these models necessitate a discussion of their assumptions and consequent limitations. Encouragingly, each of the models describes the same basic story: that average home sale prices will increase at a decreasing growth rate from June to at least December 2016. Changes to land use and building height restrictions are among the external shocks to home prices not included in the model. Since predicting policy decisions is fraught with risk, real-world awareness of potential political outcomes should accompany all forecasts based on known factors. Due to data limitations, not all of the indicators NERC feels are important to HPI are explicitly included in the models. Instead, these indicators offer supporting evidence. Generally, they describe a tight housing market with high demand (as indicated by income, employment, and migration) and low supply (as indicated by housing permits and inventory levels). This analysis corroborates the model estimations and supports the forecasts. Close

• 138. [Article] Measuring Stress in Captive Bonobos: A Look to the Past and Future to Improve Methods

  Understanding stress in primates has wide ranging implications. It impacts how we understand human stress from an evolutionary perspective and how captive and laboratory primates are kept to best impact ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Measuring Stress in Captive Bonobos: A Look to the Past and Future to Improve Methods Author: Midttveit, Erica Year: 2016 Understanding stress in primates has wide ranging implications. It impacts how we understand human stress from an evolutionary perspective and how captive and laboratory primates are kept to best impact their health and well-being. Stress studies in non-human primates often focus on measuring cortisol. Cortisol can be measured in blood, urine, feces, saliva, or hair in primates. Quantification of cortisol is typically achieved by enzyme or radio immunoassay, high performance liquid chromatography, or mass spectroscopy. Once cortisol is quantified, it is traditionally related to stress in primates by determining associations to variables classically seen as potential stressors, such as dominance rank, aggression received, food availability, or moving facilities for captive primates. It is vitally important that researchers engaging in non-human primate cortisol research properly select the sample type and quantification method best suited to answer their particular research questions. It is also important that the quantification of cortisol and the subsequent reporting of methods and results obtained is done correctly and transparently so that other researchers are able to interpret and build upon previous results. In this dissertation, the past instances of non-human primate cortisol analyses are reviewed with a particular focus on urinary analyses. A critical view is taken of past methods and means of reporting results, and suggestions for better practices are made. Researchers should be reporting ranges of raw values measured for cortisol in order to help establish expected values in specific species, as well as explicit justifications for protocol modifications if any are made. A new method for assessment of urinary cortisol in bonobos (Pan paniscus) is validated and reported. A longitudinal study of captive bonobos at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium contributed 154 urine samples for analyses over three field seasons (2012, 2013, and 2014). A commercially available cortisol EIA kit (Arbor Assays, Ann Arbor, MI) was determined to be appropriate for use in bonobos and subsequently used to test 154 urine samples. A diurnal cortisol rhythm was detected in bonobos for the first time. Individual differences were identified in AM and PM samples and will be the foundation for future behavioral association investigations. Title: Measuring Stress in Captive Bonobos: A Look to the Past and Future to Improve Methods Author: Midttveit, Erica Year: 2016 Understanding stress in primates has wide ranging implications. It impacts how we understand human stress from an evolutionary perspective and how captive and laboratory primates are kept to best impact their health and well-being. Stress studies in non-human primates often focus on measuring cortisol. Cortisol can be measured in blood, urine, feces, saliva, or hair in primates. Quantification of cortisol is typically achieved by enzyme or radio immunoassay, high performance liquid chromatography, or mass spectroscopy. Once cortisol is quantified, it is traditionally related to stress in primates by determining associations to variables classically seen as potential stressors, such as dominance rank, aggression received, food availability, or moving facilities for captive primates. It is vitally important that researchers engaging in non-human primate cortisol research properly select the sample type and quantification method best suited to answer their particular research questions. It is also important that the quantification of cortisol and the subsequent reporting of methods and results obtained is done correctly and transparently so that other researchers are able to interpret and build upon previous results. In this dissertation, the past instances of non-human primate cortisol analyses are reviewed with a particular focus on urinary analyses. A critical view is taken of past methods and means of reporting results, and suggestions for better practices are made. Researchers should be reporting ranges of raw values measured for cortisol in order to help establish expected values in specific species, as well as explicit justifications for protocol modifications if any are made. A new method for assessment of urinary cortisol in bonobos (Pan paniscus) is validated and reported. A longitudinal study of captive bonobos at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium contributed 154 urine samples for analyses over three field seasons (2012, 2013, and 2014). A commercially available cortisol EIA kit (Arbor Assays, Ann Arbor, MI) was determined to be appropriate for use in bonobos and subsequently used to test 154 urine samples. A diurnal cortisol rhythm was detected in bonobos for the first time. Individual differences were identified in AM and PM samples and will be the foundation for future behavioral association investigations. Close

• 139. [Article] Opportunities for Incidental Acquisition of Academic Vocabulary from Teacher Speech in an English for Academic Purposes Classroom

  This study examines an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher's speech throughout one curricular unit of an intermediate grammar and writing course in order to better understand which high-value vocabulary ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Opportunities for Incidental Acquisition of Academic Vocabulary from Teacher Speech in an English for Academic Purposes Classroom Author: Dodson, Eric Dean Year: 2014 This study examines an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher's speech throughout one curricular unit of an intermediate grammar and writing course in order to better understand which high-value vocabulary students might acquire through attending to the teacher and noticing words that are used. Vocabulary acquisition is important for English for Academic Purposes students, given the vocabulary demands of academic language. The Academic Word List (Coxhead, 2000) has been shown to include important vocabulary in written academic texts, and has become a standard part of English for Academic Purposes curricula and pedagogical materials. Although explicit vocabulary instruction is important, research has shown that large amounts of vocabulary may be acquired incidentally by attending to meaning. Classroom instruction provides a great deal of input, and could potentially offer a chance for students to encounter and begin to learn academic vocabulary through incidental acquisition. However, existing research on incidental vocabulary acquisition in classrooms has focused on adult instruction and English as a Foreign Language settings, resulting in a lack of evidence about English for Academic Purposes classrooms. To respond to these needs, this study analyzes the occurrence and repetition of Academic Word List items in the teacher's speech throughout two weeks of a course in an intensive academic English program in the United States. Two weeks of naturalistic class recordings from the Multimedia Adult Learner Corpus were transcribed and analyzed using the RANGE program to find the number of academic vocabulary types in the teacher's speech and how often they were repeated. Additionally, I derived categories of classroom topics and coded the transcribed speech in order to investigate the connection between topics and academic word use. Academic Word List items are present in the teacher's speech, although they do not constitute a large proportion overall, only 2.8% of the running words. Most of the AWL types relate to specific classroom topics or routines. There are 13 AWL types repeated to a high degree, and 26 AWL types repeated to a moderate degree. These items are the most likely candidates for incidental vocabulary acquisition, though there is evidence from the videos that most of the students already understand their general meanings. It is unlikely that students could learn a great deal about AWL items that they were not already familiar with. However, it is possible that the teacher's speech provides incremental gains in AWL word knowledge. These findings show that there may be a substantial number of AWL items that students learn about even before explicitly studying academic vocabulary. Teachers should try to draw out students' familiarity with these forms when explicitly teaching AWL vocabulary in order to connect familiar words with their academic meanings and uses. Title: Opportunities for Incidental Acquisition of Academic Vocabulary from Teacher Speech in an English for Academic Purposes Classroom Author: Dodson, Eric Dean Year: 2014 This study examines an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher's speech throughout one curricular unit of an intermediate grammar and writing course in order to better understand which high-value vocabulary students might acquire through attending to the teacher and noticing words that are used. Vocabulary acquisition is important for English for Academic Purposes students, given the vocabulary demands of academic language. The Academic Word List (Coxhead, 2000) has been shown to include important vocabulary in written academic texts, and has become a standard part of English for Academic Purposes curricula and pedagogical materials. Although explicit vocabulary instruction is important, research has shown that large amounts of vocabulary may be acquired incidentally by attending to meaning. Classroom instruction provides a great deal of input, and could potentially offer a chance for students to encounter and begin to learn academic vocabulary through incidental acquisition. However, existing research on incidental vocabulary acquisition in classrooms has focused on adult instruction and English as a Foreign Language settings, resulting in a lack of evidence about English for Academic Purposes classrooms. To respond to these needs, this study analyzes the occurrence and repetition of Academic Word List items in the teacher's speech throughout two weeks of a course in an intensive academic English program in the United States. Two weeks of naturalistic class recordings from the Multimedia Adult Learner Corpus were transcribed and analyzed using the RANGE program to find the number of academic vocabulary types in the teacher's speech and how often they were repeated. Additionally, I derived categories of classroom topics and coded the transcribed speech in order to investigate the connection between topics and academic word use. Academic Word List items are present in the teacher's speech, although they do not constitute a large proportion overall, only 2.8% of the running words. Most of the AWL types relate to specific classroom topics or routines. There are 13 AWL types repeated to a high degree, and 26 AWL types repeated to a moderate degree. These items are the most likely candidates for incidental vocabulary acquisition, though there is evidence from the videos that most of the students already understand their general meanings. It is unlikely that students could learn a great deal about AWL items that they were not already familiar with. However, it is possible that the teacher's speech provides incremental gains in AWL word knowledge. These findings show that there may be a substantial number of AWL items that students learn about even before explicitly studying academic vocabulary. Teachers should try to draw out students' familiarity with these forms when explicitly teaching AWL vocabulary in order to connect familiar words with their academic meanings and uses. Close

• 140. [Article] Introducing Complex Systems Analysis in High School Mathematics Using System Dynamics Modeling: A Potential Game-Changer for Mathematics Instruction

  Complex systems abound on this planet, in the composition of the human body, in ecosystems, in social interaction, in political decision-making, and more. Analytical methods allowing us to better understand ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Introducing Complex Systems Analysis in High School Mathematics Using System Dynamics Modeling: A Potential Game-Changer for Mathematics Instruction Author: Fisher, Diana Marie Year: 2016 Complex systems abound on this planet, in the composition of the human body, in ecosystems, in social interaction, in political decision-making, and more. Analytical methods allowing us to better understand how these systems operate and, consequently, to have a chance to intervene and change the undesirable behavior of some of the more pernicious systems have developed and continue to be enhanced via quickly changing technology. Some of these analytical methods are accessible by pre-college students, but have not been widely used at that level of education. Jay Forrester, the founder of one of the methodologies, System Dynamics (SD), used to study complex system behavior involving feedback, laments the lack of understanding of complex systems evident in short-sited decisions made by legislators -- global climate change and fiscal policies being cases in point. In order to better prepare future decision makers with tools that could allow them to make more informed decisions about issues involving complex systems efforts have been underway to increase pre-college teacher understanding of the SD method. The research described in this dissertation introduces the mathematics education community to the value of System Dynamics modeling in pre-college algebra classes, indicates a path by which a traditional mathematics curriculum could be enhanced to include small SD models as a new representation for elementary functions studied in algebra classes, and provides an empirical study regarding conceptual understanding of functions by students. Chapter 2 indicates the numerous beneficial learning outcomes that empirical studies have shown accompany model-building activities. Chapter 3 indicates the need for students to become familiar with complex systems analysis, how SD modeling (one method of complex systems analysis) aligns with the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, and the work that has transpired over the past two decades using SD in K-12. Chapter 4 focuses on the importance of the concept of function in high school mathematics, some limitations of exclusive reliance on the closed form equation representation for mathematizing problems and the SD stock/flow representations of some of the elementary functions that are studied in algebra classes. Chapter 5 looks at the issues affecting two traditional teachers and the challenges they faced when trying to reintroduce SD modeling into their algebra classes. Chapter 6 explains the student component of the classroom experiment that was conducted by the teachers who are highlighted in Chapter 5. The analysis of the results of student model-building activities in the two classroom studies that are part of the third paper did not indicate a statistical difference between the two experimental groups and the two control groups. Many environmental and scheduling issues conspired to adversely affect the experiment. However, positive outcomes were evident from the two pairs of students who were videotaped while they built the final multi-function drug model, the final student lesson in the experiment. Research focused on student outcomes is needed to further assess the strengths and weakness of the SD approach for student learning in mathematics. Title: Introducing Complex Systems Analysis in High School Mathematics Using System Dynamics Modeling: A Potential Game-Changer for Mathematics Instruction Author: Fisher, Diana Marie Year: 2016 Complex systems abound on this planet, in the composition of the human body, in ecosystems, in social interaction, in political decision-making, and more. Analytical methods allowing us to better understand how these systems operate and, consequently, to have a chance to intervene and change the undesirable behavior of some of the more pernicious systems have developed and continue to be enhanced via quickly changing technology. Some of these analytical methods are accessible by pre-college students, but have not been widely used at that level of education. Jay Forrester, the founder of one of the methodologies, System Dynamics (SD), used to study complex system behavior involving feedback, laments the lack of understanding of complex systems evident in short-sited decisions made by legislators -- global climate change and fiscal policies being cases in point. In order to better prepare future decision makers with tools that could allow them to make more informed decisions about issues involving complex systems efforts have been underway to increase pre-college teacher understanding of the SD method. The research described in this dissertation introduces the mathematics education community to the value of System Dynamics modeling in pre-college algebra classes, indicates a path by which a traditional mathematics curriculum could be enhanced to include small SD models as a new representation for elementary functions studied in algebra classes, and provides an empirical study regarding conceptual understanding of functions by students. Chapter 2 indicates the numerous beneficial learning outcomes that empirical studies have shown accompany model-building activities. Chapter 3 indicates the need for students to become familiar with complex systems analysis, how SD modeling (one method of complex systems analysis) aligns with the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, and the work that has transpired over the past two decades using SD in K-12. Chapter 4 focuses on the importance of the concept of function in high school mathematics, some limitations of exclusive reliance on the closed form equation representation for mathematizing problems and the SD stock/flow representations of some of the elementary functions that are studied in algebra classes. Chapter 5 looks at the issues affecting two traditional teachers and the challenges they faced when trying to reintroduce SD modeling into their algebra classes. Chapter 6 explains the student component of the classroom experiment that was conducted by the teachers who are highlighted in Chapter 5. The analysis of the results of student model-building activities in the two classroom studies that are part of the third paper did not indicate a statistical difference between the two experimental groups and the two control groups. Many environmental and scheduling issues conspired to adversely affect the experiment. However, positive outcomes were evident from the two pairs of students who were videotaped while they built the final multi-function drug model, the final student lesson in the experiment. Research focused on student outcomes is needed to further assess the strengths and weakness of the SD approach for student learning in mathematics. Close