High Research Activity Research Articles

Undergraduate Student Career Development and Career Center Services: Faculty Perspectives

Despite the rise in scope and role of campus career centers and the role of faculty in career advising, faculty perspectives on undergraduate careers have received minimal scholarly attention. We conducted a qualitative study bounded in a medium‐sized R1 institution (i.e., a doctoral university with very high research activity in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions) in the Northeast to examine faculty perspectives on undergraduate career development and undergraduate career services. Eight faculty members participated in semistructured focus groups allowing for in‐depth conversations and analysis. Using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), we identified five principal themes: (a) positive impressions of the career center, (b) barriers to faculty engagement, (c) collective responsibility for students' career development, (d) nonlinear career paths, and (e) student perceptions. Results indicate career centers should engage faculty as a constituent group, describe to faculty how centers help students address broad career questions, and tailor resources for faculty. Future research with larger, more diverse, and multi‐institutional samples of faculty could expand knowledge in this area toward improved synergy between faculty and career centers in promoting student career development.

Leveraging undergraduate federal work study student skill sets to support an R2 university libraries’ research data services

This article discusses creative approaches to establishing a research data services (RDS) at an R2 (high research activity) institution with a limited budget. Seton Hall University Libraries conducted a study of faculty data practices to inform services. The findings indicated that there was a need to support student, faculty, and administrative offices with data related questions such as obtaining data and performing data analysis. To support the findings, undergraduate Federal Work Students (FWS) were hired to build the RDS program in the Seton Hall University Libraries. This model makes it possible for medium sized institutions with limited resources to offer RDS.

The Purpose of a PhD in Engineering: Where Does Teaching Fit In?

<strong>Background:</strong> Institutions in the United States are classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. These classifications are largely delineated by the institutions’ focus on research versus teaching. Almost all professors in the US earn their doctorate degrees at doctoral universities with the highest research activity (R1), given that those institutions are the ones that confer PhD degrees; however, there exists a misalignment between earning a PhD at an R1 institution and preparing for a faculty career at a more teaching-focused institution (non-R1). Some professors pursue a PhD entirely for the teaching credential with the goal of teaching at an institution of higher education. With R1 institutions focusing primarily on research, the purpose of graduate education and its effectiveness in preparing the next generation of engineering faculty is put into question. <strong>Purpose:</strong> The purpose of this paper is to explore the following question: How do engineering assistant professors at US institutions experience the transition from graduate school at R1 institutions to their current faculty position at non-R1 institutions? <strong>Methods:</strong> Audio-recorded semi-structured ethnographic interviews were conducted with twelve participants, three representing each of four institution types (R2, R3, master’s, and baccalaureate). One participant at each institution type identified as female, and the other two identified as male. An inductive-deductive thematic analysis was conducted and resulted in three major themes. <strong>Results:</strong> The participants described feelings of misalignment between their graduate program and preparation for a faculty career, especially in terms of preparation for teaching, which was attributed to the research mission of the universities they attended (R1 institutions). In addition to feeling underprepared to teach, many participants described feeling unprepared for the emotional challenge of pursuing a position that is perceived to be less prestigious than a position at an R1 institution. <strong>Discussion and Conclusions: </strong>The results of the thematic analysis point to the need to reimagine the training graduate students receive to better align with future employment opportunities, especially preparation for teaching-focused positions and including preparation for non-academic positions. Additionally, the results indicate the need for a cultural shift toward doctoral training that is more inclusive of the diverse career interests of graduate students.

Software Phase Correction Technique for Passive Radar

A traditional radar actively transmits pulses and receive the corresponding echoes. By computing the time taken to receive the echoes the system is able to detect targets and estimate their ranges. However, mainly for military applications, an active radar has a major drawback: it can be detected by the enemy since it radiates electromagnetic pulses. As such, there is currently high research and development activity in the field of passive radar systems. In this alternative scenario, the radar does transmit any signal. Instead, it uses signals already present in the environment, such as TV, radio broadcasts and satellite digital video broadcast as transmitters of opportunity. By measuring the time difference between the signal received by the transmitter of opportunity and the signal echoed by the targets, the radar can detect targets and estimate their ranges. In scenarios which use very low power illuminators of opportunity, such as satellite DVB-S or GPS, relatively long integration times are required in order to obtain reasonable values of signal to noise ratio. This implies that, besides frequency correction, the coherency of local oscillators in the receivers need to be maintained during long time intervals, which can be very difficult. The paper presents a novel phase correction technique for passive radar which uses targets of opportunity, already present in the target area, as references to maintain the coherency of the oscillators for all the integration interval. The proposed methodology is quite simple and enables the use of low-cost hardware with independent oscillators for the reference and surveillance channels which can be geographically distributed. The obtained results illustrate the effectiveness and applicability of the method.

How global is global health research? A large-scale analysis of trends in authorship

Many have called for greater inclusion of researchers from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the conduct of global health research, yet the extent to which this occurs is unclear....

ПУБЛИКАЦИИ ЭТНОГРАФИЧЕСКОГО СБОРНИКА «СИБИРСКАЯ ЖИВАЯ СТАРИНА» (1923–1929) К проблеме изучения истории русской фольклористики Сибири

The article is written with consideration of socio-cultural and historical context of the epoch based on personological, quantitative and thematic analysis of articles published in the collections of "Siberian Living Antiquity" — first post-revolutionary periodical on ethnography in the USSR. The main goal is to identify materials that can be used as sources for studying the history of Russian folkloristics in Siberia in the 1920s. Selected articles are systematized, annotated and placed in the index. High research and publication activity of Irkutsk folklorists testified to the time of the rise and flowering of regional Siberian folklore, and the contribution of its largest scientists (M. K. Azadovsky and G. S. Vinogradov) seems to be very significant not only for regional science, but also for Russian folkloristics in general.

Faculty subcultures in engineering and their implications for organizational change

AbstractBackgroundPrior efforts to understand faculty culture have largely described monoliths where individuals are differentiated by their productivity. Little prior work provides rich faculty subcultural descriptions and their connections to specific activities, including disposition to change.Purpose/HypothesisThis article describes the goals, assumptions, methods, and inferences made about faculty culture within an engineering department at a large university with very high research activity, with the potential to enrich future discussions about change among the target audience of engineering faculty, administrators, and researchers.Design/MethodWe employ cultural consensus theory (CCT) to characterize faculty culture, based upon a detailed survey, analysis, and member checking. We use the academic ratchet—as a theoretical framework to interpret CCT results, and extend our understanding using previously published change theories.ResultsWe discovered two faculty subcultures of roughly equal membership: (a) change‐oriented and (b) continuity‐embracing. Members of each subculture agree on the primacy of research but differ in their views of change, leadership, and trust. Members of the change‐oriented subculture seek large‐scale changes but feel disempowered to pursue them, while members of the continuity‐embracing subculture seek modest changes and feel empowered to enact them.ConclusionsWe introduce a scalable, person‐centered culture characterization approach (CCT) to the engineering education research community. This approach deepens our understanding of faculty culture, and our results reinforce the central role of the academic ratchet in shaping faculty activities. This analysis illustrates the potential roles of each subculture in enacting change of various types and magnitudes.

Applying the social ecological framework to enhance wellness for student veterans

Objective To increase campus-wide wellness for student service members/veterans (SSM/Vs), student services professionals, healthcare providers, and faculty collaborated to implement the Social Ecological Framework (SEF) over a three-year project. Participants One thousand six hundred and seventy eight SSM/Vs enrolled at a medium-sized doctoral granting institution with high-research activity (R2). SSM/Vs were directly and indirectly impacted through a series of initiatives, including stigma reduction efforts, wellness promotion, faculty training, therapeutic services, and peer-advising. Methods Data collection included student success measures such as retention, student satisfaction/feedback, peer-advising meetings, psychotherapy sessions, TBI screenings, and growth measures from a mental health stigma scale. Results A significant increase in therapy sessions conducted at the Wellness Center, increased faculty trainings, new and strengthened partnerships, and an increase in SSM/V retention. Conclusions Results suggest that collaborative efforts applying the SEF can create improved educational conditions and outcomes for SSM/Vs. A review of SSM/V wellness literature and suggestions for other campuses are offered.

Современные взгляды на роль военного духовенства Российской империи в годы Первой мировой войны

This paper provides a historiographic review of modern research on the role of the military clergy of the Russian Empire during the First World War. The conclusions of the authors who made the most significant contribution to the analysis of the problem under consideration are generalized; the points of view of various scientists are compared. The author concludes that the high research activity in the field of studying the military clergy observed in recent years has revealed a new layer of questions requiring a detailed scientific assessment. The unique practical experience of military priests in extreme war conditions is now more than ever needed in the difficult socio-political circumstances in which modern Russian spiritual and military institutions are. Based on this, prospects have been outlined for further analysis of the role of the military clergy and the expansion of the theoretical base necessary to find solutions to pressing problems in the field of cooperation between religious organizations and the armed forces.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Tailor-Made Amino Acids Using Chiral Ni(II) Complexes of Schiff Bases. An Update of the Recent Literature

Tailor-made amino acids are indispensable structural components of modern medicinal chemistry and drug design. Consequently, stereo-controlled preparation of amino acids is the area of high research activity. Over last decade, application of Ni(II) complexes of Schiff bases derived from glycine and chiral tridentate ligands has emerged as a leading methodology for the synthesis of various structural types of amino acids. This review article summarizes examples of asymmetric synthesis of tailor-made α-amino acids via the corresponding Ni(II) complexes, reported in the literature over the last four years. A general overview of this methodology is provided, with the emphasis given to practicality, scalability, cost-structure and recyclability of the chiral tridentate ligands.

Analysis of factors affecting Canadian medical students' success in the residency match.

BackgroundIn North America, there is limited data to support deliberate application strategies for post-graduate residency training. There is significant interest in determining what factors play a role in Canadian medical graduate (CMG) matching to their first choice discipline and heightened concern about the number of students going unmatched altogether.MethodsWe analyzed matching outcomes of CMGs based on seven years (2013-2019) of residency application data (n= 13,499) from the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) database using descriptive and binary logistic regression modeling techniques.ResultsThe sample was 54% female, with 60% between the ages of 26 and 29, and 60% attended medical schools in Ontario. Applicants who received more rankings from residency programs were more likely (OR = 1.185, p < 0.001) to match. Higher research activities (OR = 0.985, p < 0.001) and number of applications submitted (OR = 0.920, p < 0.001) were associated with a reduced likelihood of matching. Number of volunteer activities and self-report publications did not significantly affect matching. Being male (OR = 0.799, p < 0.05) aged <25 (OR = 0.756, p < 0.05), and from Eastern (OR = 0.497, p < 0.01), or Western (OR = 0.450, p < 0.001) Canadian medical schools were predictors of remaining unmatched.ConclusionsThis study identified several significant associations of demographic and application factors that affected matching outcomes. The results will help to better inform medical student application strategies and highlight possible biases in the selection process.

Research productivity during orthopedic surgery residency correlates with pre-planned and protected research time: a survey of German-speaking countries

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to identify modifiable factors associated with research activity among residents working in orthopedic surgery and traumatology.MethodsResidents at 796 university-affiliated hospitals in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland were invited to participate. The online survey consisted of questions that ascertained 13 modifiable and 17 non-modifiable factors associated with the residents’ current research activities. Responses of 129 residents were analyzed. Univariate linear regression was used to determine the association of individual factors with the current research activity (hours per week). The impact of significant non-modifiable factors (with unadjusted p values < 0.05) was controlled for using multivariate linear regression.ResultsThe univariate analysis demonstrated six non-modifiable factors that were significantly associated with the current research activity: a University hospital setting (p < 0.001), an A-level hospital setting (p = 0.024), Swiss residents (p = 0.0012), the completion of a dedicated research year (p = 0.007), female gender (p = 0.016), and the department’s size (p = 0.048). Multivariate regression demonstrated that the number of protected research days per year (p < 0.029) and the percentage of protected days, that were known 1 week before (p < 0.001) or the day before (p < 0.001), were significantly associated with a higher research activity.ConclusionsAs hypothesized, more frequent and predictable protected research days were associated with higher research activity among residents in orthopedic surgery and traumatology.Level of evidenceIII.

The University of Michigan IRACDA Program: Training Future Professors of Engineering and Physiology

Doctoral universities with moderate to high research activity comprise only ten percent of U.S. higher education institutions 1. Many STEM PhD graduates that find work as professors will be employed at R2, R3, and other primarily undergraduate institutions, where teaching plays a big role in determining their tenure. Unfortunately, many graduate and postdoctoral programs regard teaching as an optional task and do not provide explicit training. Programs that want to ensure their graduates will be successful on the job market must teach them how to teach.The Institutional Career and Academic Development Award (IRACDA) Program is an NIH‐funded training grant that “combines a traditional mentored postdoctoral research experience with an opportunity to develop academic skills, including teaching, through workshops and mentored teaching assignments at a partner institution” 2. There are currently 21 research‐intensive universities with a funded grant, partnered with 47 primarily undergraduate institutions “that have a historical mission and a demonstrated commitment to providing training, encouragement and assistance to students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical research enterprise of the nation” 2.The University of Michigan is a newer IRACDA program, with the first cohort starting in 2016. The two partner institutions are Wayne County Community College District and Henry Ford College, which both enroll a large proportion of part‐time and first‐generation students, as well as students from groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research. The general timeline of teaching training at UM starts with guest lecturing in a mentor’s class at the community college. Then, most postdocs serve as instructor of record at the community college. Postdoctoral scholars receive both peer feedback from teaching mentors and reviews from students. Scholars also participate in sessions run by UM’s Center for Research on Learning &amp; Teaching, including a postdoctoral short course on teaching. An emerging unique feature of the Michigan IRACDA program is training in curriculum development and educational research and publication. Postdocs have implemented new laboratory exercises in classes at the community colleges, assessed student learning and opinions, and published their scholarship in educational journals. UM IRACDA postdocs also mentor students from the community colleges in their labs over the summer, giving the postdoctoral scholars experience in another aspect of teaching that is often overlooked by training programs – the ability to mentor – and fulfilling an additional goal of the IRACDA programs to “provide a resource to motivate the next generation of scientists” 2.IRACDA programs are very successful, with over 70% of their alumni going on to academic faculty careers 3. The UM IRACDA program represents an excellent model for training postdoctoral scholars to be successful faculty members by including explicit mentored training in research and teaching.Support or Funding InformationZ.T. &amp; H.T. are funded by NIH K12‐GM111725.

A Bibliometric Analysis of COVID-19 Research Activity: A Call for Increased Output.

Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted many countries across all inhabited continents, and is now considered a global pandemic, due to its high rate of infectivity. Research related to this disease is pivotal for assessing pathogenic characteristics and formulating therapeutic strategies. The aim of this paper is to explore the activity and trends of COVID-19 research since its outbreak in December 2019.Methods: We explored the PubMed database and the World Health Organization (WHO) database for publications pertaining to COVID-19 since December 2019 up until March 18, 2020. Only relevant observational and interventional studies were included in our study. Data on COVID-19 incidence were extracted from the WHO situation reports. Research output was assessed with respect to gross domestic product (GDP) and population of each country.Results: Only 564 publications met our inclusion criteria. These articles came from 39 different countries, constituting 24% of all affected countries. China produced the greatest number of publications with 377 publications (67%). With respect to continental research activity, Asian countries had the highest research activity with 434 original publications (77%). In terms of publications per million persons (PPMPs), Singapore had the highest number of publications with 1.069 PPMPs. In terms of publications per billion-dollar GDP, Mauritius ranked first with 0.075.Conclusion: COVID-19 is a major disease that has impacted international public health on a global level. Observational studies and therapeutic trials pertaining to COVID-19 are essential for assessing pathogenic characteristics and developing novel treatment options.

Funding Sources for Open Access Article Processing Charges in the Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities in the United States

Article processing charges (APCs) are one method of many to ensure open access to research literature, but studies that explore the funding sources for such payments, especially as related to open access publications in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, have been limited. This study seeks to understand the range of funding sources that are available and used by faculties in these disciplines to pay for APCs associated with publishing in open access journals, as well as attitudes towards and awareness of available institutional funds that may inflect future engagement with open access publishing. The authors distributed a survey to faculty who had an open access journal article published in 2017 from three doctoral granting, high research activity universities in the United States. Twenty-two scholars participated in the final survey, ten of whom indicated that they paid an APC for their publication. While the results cannot make generalizations about funding sources, they do suggest that both the prevalence of APCs as well as attitudes about open access engagement may be influenced by disciplinary self-identification. This research contributes to discussions around the future of open access funding models as well as to disciplinary outreach regarding APC funding for journal publications.

The School Psychology Research Collaboration Conference: Examination of Scholarly Outcomes

Although most junior faculty are expected to produce research, studies suggest that mentorship and support for promoting their research careers may be limited. Accordingly, in 2003, the School Psychology Research Collaboration Conference (SPRCC) was developed as an opportunity for early career scholars to establish scholarly networks and collaborate with peers and top researchers in the field of school psychology. The conference was intended to both facilitate important and collaborative research, while also enhancing the productivity among early career participants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of the SPRCC on the research trajectories of 147 participants between 2003 and 2015. The findings indicate that SPRCC has positive research outcomes, especially for participants from institutions with the highest research activity, those with more publications prior to SPRCC, and males. Implications for the field and ideas for future research are discussed.

Relationships Among Nursing Deans' Leadership Styles and Faculty Job Satisfaction Levels.

Although there is an abundance of empirical evidence on principals' leadership practices and teacher satisfaction in K-12 settings, a paucity of publications explore nursing faculty job satisfaction as influenced by leadership styles of academic deans. This research examined leadership styles of nursing deans to determine whether they correlate with nursing faculty job satisfaction at public U.S. universities with high research activity. A descriptive, correlational study was conducted with electronic self-administered questionnaires. The sample was recruited from 24 universities; 303 questionnaires were returned. Faculty perceived that nursing deans displayed transformational leadership style more frequently. Nursing faculty were moderately satisfied in their jobs, and they were more satisfied with nursing deans who practiced attributed idealized influence. Three types of leadership behaviors explained significant variance in faculty job satisfaction, indicating the need for training and development focused on effective leadership behaviors. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(2):68-75.].

Matrix materials used in composites: A comprehensive study

Abstract Composites are very significant materials for a large variety of applications in various engineering areas because of their enhanced mechanical, physical, and machining properties. These materials have been endless of applications because of their behavior, mainly mechanical, compared to other materials since it has demonstrated less density and significantly higher resistance. The composite materials have many benefits and excellent properties in comparison to conventional materials, which make the application of composites in many areas. More research and studies are being carried out to improve the characteristics and manufacturing techniques further, to promote the potential implementation of composites. In recent years, the application and development of MMCs have increased in many engineering fields. With the arrival of innovative technologies, high research activities and the development of different processing techniques, composites with improved properties become attractive materials for engineering applications. A wide array of metals, especially low-density metals or alloys, are generally selected as the matrix material for the composite. This research article provides a brief overview of matrix materials generally used in composites, and types of composites, with their important aspects.

Collaborative student-faculty research to support PhD research education.

This paper describes a three-semester hour applied research course taught over three semesters in a revamped PhD research curriculum at a Midwestern high research activity (R2) university-based nursing program. Faculty developed this strategy to help students become adequately prepared nurse scientists. Students and faculty engaged in a collaborative research project to provide students with opportunities to develop, integrate, and apply research knowledge, skills, and attitudes while concurrently advancing through the related research courses. A summary of these experiences and what was learned is organized within a knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) framework. The collaboration between faculty and student peers was essential to students' success in the course. Student and faculty perspectives were used to describe what was learned during the first year this course was taught, together with future recommendations.

An Analysis of Student Performance at the Intersection of Diversity and Information Literacy

Abstract&#x0D; Objective – When teaching Information Literacy (IL) concepts, instructors often have no knowledge about the background or previous IL exposure of the students they are teaching.&#x0D; This study aims to create a holistic picture of the students at a large Midwestern United States university in a first year introductory course on the design process for solving engineering problems.&#x0D; Methods – Institutional data and course level data were traced and linked to individual students in an introduction to design thinking first year course. This course is at a major high research activity institution in the Midwestern United States. From a total course size of 650, institutional and course level data of 127 students were selected randomly and analyzed. Some data points are self-reported and some data points are performance-based.&#x0D; Results – Underrepresented minorities (URMs) had a higher increase in IL score from assignment 1 to assignment 3 than non-URM students. However, non-URMs performed higher on both the first and the last assignments. Students in concurrent IL designated courses had a higher increase from assignments 1 to 3 than those not in simultaneous IL designated courses. Black and international students had the highest increases from assignments 1 to 3 of any demographic. Regarding IL, the fact that none of the students had been exposed to much IL instruction justified continued collaboration in the course between the instructor of record and the IL specialist. There were significantly negative correlations between the final grade and first-generation status. Legacy students also performed more poorly from assignments 1 to 3.&#x0D; Conclusion – Students are more diverse in a single classroom setting than presumed prior to research; therefore, our instructional practices should be diverse and inclusive, as well. More preparation work and fact finding should be conducted by library faculty and instructors to facilitate the learning of the students, and not just the act of teaching. Librarians could ask for more information about the course demographics and respond accordingly. Librarians should also be properly trained in instructional practices to be better equipped to meet the expectations and challenges of teaching a diverse class.