With the growing concern over the reduction of university students pursuing degrees in STEM fields, there are a number of entities sponsoring and implementing programs for young people in order to promote interest in and self-efficacy for these fields. Summer Engineering Academies (SEAs) are implemented in a variety of settings by stakeholders with a single purpose: to expose young people to the fields and work of engineers in the hope of recruiting them. This study is seeks to identify whether any positive changes to the self-efficacy of the participants occurs through the curricula of the program. This self-efficacy can be the driving force for many young people as they feel that they are both capable of success in addition to the desire to pursue a career in the field. The SEAs in this study serve a variety of age groups and specialized demographic sub-groups; of greatest interest is the possible impact of these programs on traditionally under-represented groups. Each program hosts a specific demographic sub-group but they all share specific pedagogical practices in order to identify which may emerge as best practices in affecting change on the self-efficacy of the participants toward engineering. A secondary purpose was to identify which, if any, practices had a positive impact on the participants’ self-efficacy and presume those as best practices across demographics. The programs were found to have a positive effect on the participants as identified through focus groups, journal entries, and personal interviews with the students. There were no identifiable differences in the impact of the practices between the subgroups. Each subgroup had gains in self-efficacy from each of the instructional practices which may allow for the distinction of best practice to be used in their description. These practices include: the use mentors or role models in face to face experiences; hands-on learning with tangible results; and recognizable real-world applications. Each practice yielded a positive result, but none of them appeared to be more successful with any group than the others. This allows them each to be considered a productive instructional strategy for the increase of self-efficacy of participants toward engineering.

Cover crops and composted broiler litter (CBL) are two organic methods used to improve soils and organic vegetable production. The objectives of this study included determining the extent summer cover crops and CBL alter nutrient availability in soil, determining how summer cover crops and CBL influence fall vegetable crops in organic production systems and identifying which cover crops/ CBL combinations improve fall vegetable crop production best. Four cover crops were tested: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), sesame (Sesamum indicum), sorghum sudan grass (Sorghum X drummondii) and a sunn hemp + sesame blend, in combination with four composted broiler litter rates: 0, 2,800, 5,600, 11,200 kg.ha-1 for two years. Few differences were seen among cover crop treatments except for the sorghum sudan grass treatment, which had negative effects on fall broccoli production unless combined with CBL. The CBL increased nutrient availability, percent organic matter, pH and broccoli yield as the rate increased.

No description available.

<p> Previous studies on subjective response to noise have been conducted during the summer months. These studies have served as the basis for noise standards and legislation; therefore an implicit assumption has been made that response to noise is similar in summer and winter. Whether or not this applies equally well to the winter months, which represent approximately one-half of the year, warranted investigation. Data on summer and winter responses to comparable noise levels were collected and hypotheses were tested for differences in response to overall noise levels and to specific noise sources. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between summer and winter responses.</p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

No description available.

For nearly half a century, institutions of higher education have implemented bridge programs in order to increase the retention and graduation rates of at-risk students (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). In fact, summer bridge programs (SBPs), which typically occur prior to a student's freshman fall term, are among the oldest strategies used to improve college retention rates (Garcia, 1991). Surprisingly, even though SBPs are widely acknowledged by both students and program administrators to be beneficial, there is very little empirical evidence assessing their effectiveness (Garcia, 1991; Kluepfel,1994; Pascarella & Terenzini; Rita and Bacote,1997; Ackerman 1990; Gandara & Maxwell-Jolly, 1999). This study, therefore, used a mixed methods approach to investigate the various adjustment issues of participants versus non-participants in a summer bridge program for engineering students at a predominantly White institution (PWI) in the mid-southeastern region of the United States. Specifically, the Academic, Social, Personal-Emotional, and Goal Commitment/Institutional Attachment subscales of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) were utilized (Baker & Siryk, 1999) for this purpose. One important finding that the SACQ revealed was that the personal-emotional scale was significant for gender since scores for men were higher than for females. The Summer Bridge Inventory (SBI) that was employed in this research also revealed that summer bridge participants and the director of support programs shared similar opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of the program and its related activities. In conclusion, college administrators and directors of summer support programs should carefully assess programmatic outcomes to ensure that their institutions' SBPs provided the needed supports that will enhance the retention and graduation rates of at-risk students in engineering. / Ph. D.

The project is a summer camp where children can learn about nature. The thesis involves the placement of buildings in a natural setting. The challenge is to design and locate the buildings so that they may help explain the site and enable children to understand it. The thesis is more than finding a place. It is an effort to understand a place at a variety of levels, to discover a place which was known and to see it in a new light. The thesis is above all else an exploration of the ideas of site, position, and the boundary of buildings. / Master of Architecture

This thesis is concerned with architecture and its changes through four seasons. It is about drawing new images of a building in different seasons. Like trees change their leaves in seasons and like people change their clothes in seasons, this project is about architecture changing its architectural elements in four seasons. It all began with an imagination of how a building would respond differently in each of the four seasons. The project, located at the waterfront of Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, is an Aquatic Center with swimming pools, changing areas, saunas, fitness area, and massage areas. The Aquatic Center creates different images to its visitors through surrounding natures and their changes, architectural elements and their movements, visitors and their activities. The goal was to provide people unique and different experiences every time they visit. / Master of Architecture

The general food supply is usually the source of vitamin C for many people, and since squash is a common food in the popular diets of Texans and is so generally grown over the state, this study has a two-fold purpose: (1) to ascertain the amount of vitamin C in the two varieties of squash most commonly used as food in Texas, and (2) to determine the effect of various methods of cooking upon the vitamin C content of these two varieties of squash.

Up to 40% of all edible food is wasted in the United States (U.S.) and a large proportion represents consumer waste. Research on food waste is in its infancy, particularly as it relates to youth. Summer camps offer a unique setting for food-based education, with the opportunity to reach large numbers of youth. This MS thesis describes a study that used a mixed-methods research approach to explore three objectives: 1) assess food waste in a residential 4-H youth summer camp setting; 2) determine if an educational program delivered to youth ages 9-13 years, would reduce food waste; and 3) understand stakeholders' views about the benefits and barriers to food waste reduction programs in the camp setting. The research team and camp staff developed and adapted food waste activities based on the Experiential Learning Model. Participants attended one of four weekly sessions to raise their awareness about food waste. Consumer and production food waste from three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) was collected over a 24-hour cycle and weighed before and after each weekly program to determine total amount of food wasted (pounds) during each week, average waste/child (pounds), and waste/meal (percentage). Waste was collected using the direct weighing method. Paired t-tests were used to assess differences. Stakeholder interviews (n=6) were conducted with Extension Agents, camp program directors, and camp staffers involved with the program. Inductive thematic analysis was used to determine themes and subthemes. This cross-sectional study included 864 residential campers. Over the course of the four weeks, the cafeteria produced a total amount of 3,182 lbs of food of which, 996.6 lb (30.4%) was wasted. Total consumer waste for all four weeks before and after the intervention was 76.5 lbs and 57.3 lbs, respectively. Although a decrease in consumer food waste was observed, results were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Total production waste decreased from 441.5 lbs before to 390.6 lb after the intervention. Production waste, in relation to the number of servings prepared, also decreased throughout the course of the four weeks. The main themes from the stakeholder interviews emphasized the need for a food waste curriculum and adequate resources to build and sustain the capacity of the education program.The limitations of this study included different menu items served throughout the four weeks, lack of randomization, and limited sample size of camps (n=4). This was the first food waste study conducted at a youth summer camp, which showed that food waste reduction and behavior change among campers are possible within a short time period. Further research is warranted to minimize food waste in broader contexts and in other camp settings. / Master of Science / Up to 40% of all edible food is wasted in the U.S., mostly from consumer waste. Research on food waste is in its infancy, particularly as it relates to youth. Summer camps offer a unique setting for food-based education, with the opportunity to reach large numbers of youth. This study aimed to explore food waste reduction at a residential youth summer camp through an awareness program. Additionally, stakeholder interviews were conducted to gain insight on the feasibility of implementing this program into other education settings. The research team and camp staff developed and adapted food waste activities based on the Experiential Learning Model. Campers attended one of four weekly sessions that were offered. Waste from three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) was collected over a 24-hour cycle, before and after the program. Waste was collected using the direct weighing method. Interviews were conducted with employees and volunteers who were involved with the summer camp. This study included 864 residential campers, ages 9 to 13. Over the course of the four weeks, the cafeteria produced a total amount of 3,182 pounds (lbs) of food and of that, 996.6 lb (30.4%) was wasted; however, waste decreased after the awareness program. Stakeholders mentioned that the need for a food waste curriculum and resources to build and sustain the capacity of the education program were necessary for this program to continue. As the first food waste study conducted at a summer camp, this study indicated that decreases in food waste and behavior change among campers are possible within a short period of time. Further research is warranted to minimize food waste in broader contexts and in other camp settings.