Teaching to Learn: iPads as Tools for Transforming Physics Student Roles

Students who serve as Learning Assistants (LAs) and have the opportunity to teach the content they are learning, while also studying effective teaching pedagogy, have demonstrated achievement gains in advanced content courses and positive shifts in attitudes about learning science [V. Otero, S. Pollock & N. Finkelstein, Amer J Physics 78, 11 (2010)]. Although the LA experience is also valuable for high school students, the tight schedule and credit requirements of advanced high school students limit opportunities for implementing traditional LA programs at the high school level. In order to provide high school physics students with an LA-like experience, iPads were used as tools for students to synthesize screencast video tutorials for students to access, review and evaluate. The iPads were utilized in a one-to-one tablet-to-student environment throughout the course of an entire school year. This research investigates the impact of a one-to-one iPad environment and the use of iPads to create teaching-to-learn (TtL) experiences on student agency and attitudes toward learning science. Project funded by NSF grant # DUE 934921.Comment: Proc. 2013 Physics Education Research Conference. AIP Pres

How reading published stories and making story webs can work together to enhance classroom story writing

Many students find story writing a challenge (Beard & Burrell, 2010; Calfee & Patrick, 1995; Dunn & Finley, 2010; Dymock & Nicholson, 2010; Richards, Sturm, & Cali, 2012; Saunders & Smith, 2014). Teachers need a simple strategy that will have a significant positive effect on the quality of student writing. This teaching idea is about going from "Too hard" to "I can do that". Our suggestion is to use the well-known story web strategy in a different way by applying it to a published story and then going from this to story writing

Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Flight Dynamics System (FDS)

The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) will be launched in January 2013 to continue the legacy of Landsat land imagery collection that has been on-going for the past 40 years. While the overall mission and science goals are designed to produce the SAME data over the years, the ground systems designed to support the mission objectives have evolved immensely. The LDCM Flight Dynamics System (FDS) currently being tested and deployed for operations is highly automated and well integrated with the other ground system elements. The FDS encompasses the full suite of flight dynamics functional areas, including orbit and attitude determination and prediction, orbit and attitude maneuver planning and execution, and planning product generation. The integration of the orbit, attitude, maneuver, and products functions allows a very smooth flow for daily operations support with minimal input needed from the operator. The system also provides a valuable real-time component that monitors the on-board orbit and attitude during every ground contact and will autonomously alert the Flight Operations Team (FOT) personnel when any violations are found. This paper provides an overview of the LDCM Flight Dynamics System and a detailed description of how it is used to support space operations. For the first time on a Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)-managed mission, the ground attitude and orbits systems are fully integrated into a cohesive package. The executive engine of the FDS permits three levels of automation: low, medium, and high. The high-level, which will be the standard mode for LDCM, represents nearly lights-out operations. The paper provides an in-depth look at these processes within the FDS in support of LDCM in all mission phases

Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Ascent and Operational Orbit Design

For the past 40-years, Landsat Satellites have collected Earth's continental data and enabled scientists to assess change in the Earth's landscape. The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) is the next generation satellite supporting the Landsat science program. LDCM will fly a 16-day ground repeat cycle, Sun-synchronous, frozen orbit with a mean local time of the descending node ranging between 10:10 am and 10:15 am. This paper presents the preliminary ascent trajectory design from the injection orbit to its final operational orbit. The initial four burn ascent design is shown to satisfy all the LDCM mission goals and requirement and to allow for adequate flexibility in re-planning the ascent

LandSAT Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Safe Operations Ascent Design

No abstract availabl

Elevated Expression of MAPK Phosphatase 3 in Breast Tumors—A Mechanism of Tamoxifen Resistance

Antiestrogen resistance is a major clinical problem in the treatment of breast cancer. Altered growth factor signaling with estrogen receptor (ER) α has been shown to be associated with the development of resistance. Gene expression profiling was utilized to identify MAPK phosphatase 3 (MKP3) whose expression was correlated with response to the antiestrogen tamoxifen in both patients and in vitro derived cell line models. Overexpression of MKP3 rendered ERα-positive breast cancer cells resistant to the growth inhibitory effects of tamoxifen, and enhanced tamoxifen agonist activity in endometrial cells. MKP3 overexpression was associated with lower levels of activated ERK1,2 phosphorylation in the presence of estrogen, but that estrogen deprivation and tamoxifen treatment decreased MKP3 phosphatase activity, leading to an up-regulation of pERK1,2 MAPK, phosphoserine 118 of ERα, and cyclin D1. The MEK inhibitor PD98059 blocked tamoxifen-resistant growth. Accumulation of reactive oxygen species was observed with tamoxifen treatment of MKP3 overexpressing cells, and antioxidant treatment increased MKP3 phosphatase activity, thereby blocking resistance. Furthermore, PD98059 increased the levels of phospho-JNK in tamoxifen-treated MKP3 overexpressing cells, suggesting an interaction between MKP3 levels, activation of ERK1,2 MAPK, and JNK signaling in human breast cancer cells. MKP3 represents a novel mechanism of resistance which may be a potential biomarker for the use of ERK1,2 and/or JNK inhibitors in combination with tamoxifen treatment