LABOR MOBILITY AMONG AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE GRADUATES: A HUMAN CAPITAL APPROACH

Determinants of job mobility and job advancement were motivated from a model of investment in human capital. Least squares and Tobit models were specified and estimated using data from a recent survey of Kansas State University College of Agriculture graduates. Determinants of job turnover and the number of promotions earned were quantified. Job change and job advancement were found to occur early in the careers of agriculture college alumni. Job experience was found to be the most significant determinant of labor mobility and promotion. Personal and occupational characteristics were found to have significant but small impacts on labor mobility and advancement.Labor and Human Capital,

“Academic Coaching” for Enhanced Learning, Higher Levels of Student Responsibility, and Greater Retention

The relationship between teachers and students has changed. Many writers have put forth hypotheses and ideas about how the current generation of students (Gen‐Y; the “Me Generation”) differs from previous generations. Others focus on teaching methods, course strategies, and technological tools that are effective in the new environment. The objective of this research is to investigate the possibility of “academic coaching” for enhanced student responsibility, higher levels of learning, and greater retention. The concept of “academic coaching” refers to a relationship between teachers and students that is proactive, responsive to student learning outcomes, and committed to student success. The teacher/learner relationship becomes less like a formal instructor and more like a coach.academic coaching, effective teaching, generational change, teaching practices, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

WHEN KENNETH BOULDING SPOKE TO AGRICULTURAL ECONOMISTS

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

THE FUTURE OF TEACHING UNDERGRADUATE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS: LIFELONG LEARNING IN AN ERA OF RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

The need for institutions of higher education to teach students of all ages how to think, synthesize ideas, and assimilate new information has become crucial in the information age. Analytical ability is increasingly important, not only for traditional university clientele of young adult residential learners, but also for productive individuals throughout their lives. Agricultural economics teachers must invest in the acquisition of new skills and knowledge, including a willingness to change traditional teaching structures and institutions, to take full advantage of the huge opportunities and challenges of the massive changes in technology and the economy. This paper considers how well teaching programs in agricultural economics enhance student learning.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

EMPLOYMENT GENERATION STRATEGIES FOR SMALL TOWNS: AN OVERVIEW OF ALTERNATIVES

Employment growth is a primary economic development goal of most small communities. More jobs generally mean more residents, more spending at local businesses, and more tax revenues for local governments. Thus job growth permits the expansion and improvement of public goods and services, leading to an improved local quality of life and enhanced prospects for future employment growth. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the principal advantages and disadvantages associated with alternative employment generation strategies. The discussion of community approaches to more and better jobs is organized as follows. First, two theories of community economic growth are presented as background to the causes and effects of local employment change. Second, six employment generation strategies are introduced along with suggested plans of action for communities interested in implementing a specific strategy. Finally, a procedure is provided for incorporating an employment generation program in the community economic development strategic plan.Labor and Human Capital,

AN ANALYSIS OF ONLINE EXAMINATIONS IN COLLEGE COURSES

This research evaluates the use of online examinations in college courses from both instructor and student perspectives. Instructional software was developed at Kansas State University to administer online homework assignments and examinations. Survey data were collected from two classes to measure the level of student support for online examinations. The determinants of the level of student support for online testing were identified and quantified using logistic regression analysis.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Symmetry breaking and turbulence in perturbed plane Couette flow

Perturbed plane Couette flow containing a thin spanwise-oriented ribbon undergoes a subcritical bifurcation at Re = 230 to a steady 3D state containing streamwise vortices. This bifurcation is followed by several others giving rise to a fascinating series of stable and unstable steady states of different symmetries and wavelengths. First, the backwards-bifurcating branch reverses direction and becomes stable near Re = 200. Then, the spanwise reflection symmetry is broken, leading to two asymmetric branches which are themselves destabilized at Re = 420. Above this Reynolds number, time evolution leads first to a metastable state whose spanwise wavelength is halved and then to complicated time-dependent behavior. These features are in agreement with experiments

Modeling the transition to turbulence in shear flows

One-dimensional models are presented for transitional shear flows. The models have two variables corresponding to turbulence intensity and mean shear. These variables evolve according to simple equations based on known properties of transitional turbulence. The first model considered is for pipe flow. A previous study modeled turbulence using a chaotic tent map. In the present work turbulence is modeled instead as multiplicative noise. This model captures the character of transitional pipe flow and contains metastable puffs, puff splitting, and slugs. These ideas are extended to a limited model of plane Couette flow.Comment: ETC13 Conference Proceeding, 8 pages, 6 figure

Spiral wave drift in an electric field and scroll wave instabilities

I present the numerical computation of speed and direction of the drift of a spiral wave in an excitable medium in the presence of an electric field. In contrast to earlier results, the drift speed presents a strong variation close to the parameter value where the drift speed component along the field changes direction. Using a simple phenomenological model and results from a numerical linear stability analysis of scroll waves, I show this behavior can be attributed to a resonance of the meander modes with the translation modes of the spiral wave. Extending this phenomenological model to scroll waves also clarifies the link between the drift and long wavelength instabilities of scroll waves.Comment: Phys Rev E accepte