The Supersymmetric Fat Higgs

Supersymmetric models have traditionally been assumed to be perturbative up to high scales due to the requirement of calculable unification. In this note I review the recently proposed `Fat Higgs' model which relaxes the requirement of perturbativity. In this framework, an NMSSM-like trilinear coupling becomes strong at some intermediate scale. The NMSSM Higgses are meson composites of an asymptotically-free gauge theory. This allows us to raise the mass of the Higgs, thus alleviating the MSSM of its fine tuning problem. Despite the strong coupling at an intermediate scale, the UV completion allows us to maintain gauge coupling unification.Comment: Talk given at the 12th International Conference on Supersymmetry and Unification of Fundamental Interactions (SUSY 04), Tsukuba, Japan, 17-23 Jun 2004. To appear in the proceedings. 4 page

Developing Effective K-16 Geoscience Partnerships

This article describes the benefits of research partnerships to scientists, students, and teachers. There is growing awareness that the way science is experienced in the K-16 classroom deviates greatly from the experiences of practicing researchers. Whereas researchers are immersed in more open-ended observation and inquiry, many K-16 students find themselves cramming to memorize core scientific content in preparation for standardized examinations. This issue can be mitigated by the development of partnerships in which scientists benefit by added human resources (teachers and students) for data collection and analysis, and teachers and students benefit from a learning process that fosters creativity, sets high standards, teaches problem solving, and is highly motivating. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Public Spaces/Private Money: The Triumphs and Pitfalls of Urban Park Conservancies

This study explores city park conservancies -- private organizations that utilize donations to rebuild, refurbish, and even maintain some of their most iconic parks. The study uses examples and experiences from 41 organizations across the country that have a collective experience record of nearly 750 years