View All Items

Title: A SURVEY OF PRESERVICE TEACHERS IN REGARDS TO THEIR ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND ITS USE IN THE CLASSROOM.
Creator: Kosky, Amy, Hoffman, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In 1957 at the University of Chicago, Robert Heinlein asserted that through science fiction humanity can wonder upon important questions without causing harm to the real world. "Through such speculative experiments science fiction can warn against dangerous solutions, urge toward better solutions. Science fiction joyously tackles the real and pressing problems of our race, wrestles with them, never ignores them—problems which other forms of fiction cannot challenge. For this reason I assert...
Show moreIn 1957 at the University of Chicago, Robert Heinlein asserted that through science fiction humanity can wonder upon important questions without causing harm to the real world. "Through such speculative experiments science fiction can warn against dangerous solutions, urge toward better solutions. Science fiction joyously tackles the real and pressing problems of our race, wrestles with them, never ignores them—problems which other forms of fiction cannot challenge. For this reason I assert that science fiction is the most realistic, the most serious, the most significant, the most sane and healthy and human fiction being published today" (Davenport, 1959). Preservice teachers enrolled in the education program at a large metropolitan university were surveyed to determine if they had preconceived notions about science fiction, if they would use science fiction within their classrooms and if science fiction would be available to the students in their classrooms. Also explored was if these future educators believed science fiction was too complex for English language learners and students with exceptionalities. Analysis of this survey revealed that although most preservice teachers believe science fiction literature has value within the classroom and they planned to use it at least part of the time, about one in five believed the concepts and themes were too complex for English language learners and students with exceptionalities. The researcher of this study hopes the information contained in this study can help educators encourage students to read science fiction as well as provide the educators with a resource of science fiction literature book titles which are grade level and ability level appropriate for their students.
Show less
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFH0004633, ucf:45313
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004633

Title: THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGYINTO AN 8TH GRADE SCIENCE CURRICULUM.
Creator: Brunton, Gregory, Jeanpierre, Bobby, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The growing need for technological literacy has increased its presence in public classrooms more than ever before. The purpose of this research study was to study the effects of technology integration on student achievement and attitudes toward science and technology. The participants in this 18-week study involved the 86 8th grade students at Winding Hills School in Orlando, Florida. Data were collected using a pre and post vocabulary assessment, weekly vocabulary quizzes, student attitude...
Show moreThe growing need for technological literacy has increased its presence in public classrooms more than ever before. The purpose of this research study was to study the effects of technology integration on student achievement and attitudes toward science and technology. The participants in this 18-week study involved the 86 8th grade students at Winding Hills School in Orlando, Florida. Data were collected using a pre and post vocabulary assessment, weekly vocabulary quizzes, student attitude surveys, student and parent correspondence as it relates to the study such as parent notes and e-mails, and classroom observation notes. Several conclusions were made. The effects of technology on student performance as originally planned was inconclusive in this study. It was found that there was no correlation between typing assignments and student performance. Students felt that technology increased their academic performance. Students had positive attitude towards science class though the percentage decreased during the study. Students enjoyed using technology, saw it as a benefit, felt it helped them with publishing and improved their attitudes towards technology.
Show less
Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000375, ucf:46338
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000375

Title: INTEGRATING JOURNAL WRITING WITH INQUIRY BASED SCIENCE INSTRUCTION IN A SECOND GRADE CLASSROOM.
Creator: Zissman, Lauren, Lewis, Nancy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This action research study investigated the effects of using science journals to promote science writing and to investigate changes in student attitudes in a second grade inquiry-based science class. This was an action research study in which qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The data was collected using science journals, pre and post inventories, field notes, teacher observations, videotaped science inquiry lessons, and surveys. The students demonstrated a true fondness for...
Show moreThis action research study investigated the effects of using science journals to promote science writing and to investigate changes in student attitudes in a second grade inquiry-based science class. This was an action research study in which qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The data was collected using science journals, pre and post inventories, field notes, teacher observations, videotaped science inquiry lessons, and surveys. The students demonstrated a true fondness for journal writing and expressed interest in continued use. After concluding this action research study, I better understand the benefits of utilizing journal writing to enhance my teaching of the science curriculum as well as the other disciplines I facilitate.
Show less
Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000437, ucf:46383
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000437

Title: THE EFFECT OF AN INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE CURRICULUM ON STUDENT ATTITUDES AND PARTICIPATION.
Creator: Perlmutter, James, Jeanpierre, Bobby, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study was designed as a collaborative action research study and focused on the use of an inquiry-based unit in an eighth grade honors science class at a middle school with a diverse population in the southeastern portion of the United States in the Spring of 2005. The inquiry-based unit was taught through the use of the electronics unit in Full Option Science System (FOSS). The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of an inquiry based curriculum on the level of...
Show moreThis study was designed as a collaborative action research study and focused on the use of an inquiry-based unit in an eighth grade honors science class at a middle school with a diverse population in the southeastern portion of the United States in the Spring of 2005. The inquiry-based unit was taught through the use of the electronics unit in Full Option Science System (FOSS). The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of an inquiry based curriculum on the level of participation in, attitudes of, and academic performance of students towards science. This collaborative action research study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative forms consisted of written notes taken by the classroom teacher and I that included observations of the whole class as well as observations of students in smaller inquiry groups and conversation and interview notations of student comments while they were doing inquiry work, both individual and group, as well as my notations of interviews and conversations with the classroom teacher. Although used to a lesser degree, quantitative data was collected from pre and post attitude surveys as well as from students' scores on inquiry-based investigations, paper activities and formal assessments. All data was triangulated across a variety of data sources so that any resulting patterns or themes would be supported. My access to this middle school was based on my role as the science coach assigned to the school. As the science coach, I worked with teachers and students to integrate the FOSS middle school curriculum unit into the school's science curriculum. The FOSS kits, workbooks and related reading books were designed to increase the use of inquiry and hands-on activities within middle and elementary school science classrooms.
Show less
Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001699, ucf:47193
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001699

Title: ADDRESSING THE IMPACT THAT WORKSHOP SITE COORDINATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS HAVE ON THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM.
Creator: McKenna, Valerie, Boote, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation studied the beliefs and practices of principals, workshop site coordinators, and science support personnel in two Central Florida school districts and compared those beliefs and practices to the literature on effective science in-service education. It is important to understand these beliefs and practices because they directly affect the content and pedagogical knowledge of classroom teachers, yet this aspect of instructional practices has been ignored in the science...
Show moreThis dissertation studied the beliefs and practices of principals, workshop site coordinators, and science support personnel in two Central Florida school districts and compared those beliefs and practices to the literature on effective science in-service education. It is important to understand these beliefs and practices because they directly affect the content and pedagogical knowledge of classroom teachers, yet this aspect of instructional practices has been ignored in the science education literature. This study used a grounded theory methodology using open-ended individual interviews, participants observation, and documented analysis. Constant comparisons were built through analyzing the data. The research shows that in-service providers' and administrators' beliefs are aligned with the effective science education in-service literature. The conditions and context are ripe for changes because principals and workshop site coordinators' beliefs are aligned with the literature and changes are already beginning to take place. The intervening conditions may lead to improved teacher knowledge, teaching, and learning because standardized testing is expanding to incoporate the content area of science. Also workshop site coordinators are trying to set up a variety of opportunities to attend workshops on the same topic throughout the school year. Budgets are being restructured at the school level and district level to incorporate more science content professional development. However, it is too early to show how much improvement there will be in standardized test scores or whether teachers' have a deeper understanding of science content knowledge or effective science instruction.
Show less
Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000715, ucf:46620
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000715

Title: SENSEMAKING IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS: TOWARD A SENSEMAKING INQUIRING SYSTEM.
Creator: Parrish, James, Courtney, James, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Complexity and uncertainty have long been problems for organizations of all types. Organizational members do not do a very good job of dealing with the complexity and uncertainty as research shows that when faced with complex situations humans often turn to the same sources of information repeatedly (a practice that will eventually betray them), and/or reduce the amount of scanning that they do (Weick 1995; Boyd and Fulk 1996). Organizations often turn to information systems to help them deal...
Show moreComplexity and uncertainty have long been problems for organizations of all types. Organizational members do not do a very good job of dealing with the complexity and uncertainty as research shows that when faced with complex situations humans often turn to the same sources of information repeatedly (a practice that will eventually betray them), and/or reduce the amount of scanning that they do (Weick 1995; Boyd and Fulk 1996). Organizations often turn to information systems to help them deal with the complexity, but they often take a techno-centric view of knowledge that does not incorporate the human qualities needed for unstructured decisions (Malhotra 1997; Courtney 2001; Malhotra 2001). Additionally, there are times when the information systems that we are using may hinder the processes of dealing with the complexity (Weick and Meader 1993). Weick's (1995) concept of sensemaking is believed to help us to deal with this complexity. In his work with Meader (1993) he wonders what the effects of a sensemaking support system would have, but he does not have the answer because they state that it has not been asked. This dissertation answers the call of Weick and Meader as well as other scholars that have called for sensemaking and human intuition to be included in our information systems. This is accomplished by viewing sensemaking from an inquiring systems perspective (Churchman 1971) to develop a kernel theory that will be used in the context of design science to develop design requirements and principles for a sensemaking system. These design principles are then used to build an instantiation of the system in the form of SenseMan, a system designed to help a local government agency deal with complexity in the context of software updates. Finally the design is evaluated for its effectiveness in dealing with the complexity of in this context using both quantitative and qualitative methods.
Show less
Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002253, ucf:47834
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002253

Title: ROOM TEMPERATURE FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY AS A TOOL FOR THE FORENSIC TRACE ANALYSIS OF TEXTILE FIBERS.
Creator: Rex, Matthew, Campiglia, Andres, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: ABSTRACT Trace textile fiber evidence is found at numerous crime scenes and plays an important role in linking a suspect to the respective scene. Several methods currently exist for the analysis of trace fiber evidence. Microscopy provides information regarding the fibers material, color and weave. For more detailed chemical analysis chromatographic methods are employed and for discrimination between dyes, liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is currently the method...
Show moreABSTRACT Trace textile fiber evidence is found at numerous crime scenes and plays an important role in linking a suspect to the respective scene. Several methods currently exist for the analysis of trace fiber evidence. Microscopy provides information regarding the fibers material, color and weave. For more detailed chemical analysis chromatographic methods are employed and for discrimination between dyes, liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is currently the method providing the most discrimination. These methods have primarily focused on the dyes used to color the fibers and have not investigated other components that can potentially discriminate among fibers. This dissertation deals with investigations into the fluorescence of the fiber dyes, (contaminants?) and the fibers themselves, as well as methodology for discriminating between fibers using fluorescence. Initial systematic analysis was conducted on dye standards and extracts taken from fibers colored with the respective dyes of interest. Absorbance, excitation and fluorescence spectra were compared between standards and extracts to determine the optimal area of the fiber to investigate: dyes, fluorescent impurities or the whole fiber. High performance liquid chromatography investigations were performed to give detailed information on the number of dye and fluorescent components present in extracts. Our investigations then focused on the best room-temperature fluorescence (RTF) data format for analysis and discrimination of fiber samples. An excitation emission matrix (EEM) was found to give the greatest amount of spectral information and provide the highest level of discrimination. Successful discrimination between non similar and similar fibers was achieved with the aid of Chemometric analysis. The level of discrimination obtained via RTF-EEM spectroscopy was sufficient to differentiate among fibers obtained from two separate cloths of the same material and colored with the same dye reagent. Final studies deal with examining exposure of the fiber to various environmental contaminants. Clothing fibers are typically exposed to myriad numbers of contaminants, from food stains to cigarette smoke. The challenge then becomes detecting fluorescence signals from trace amounts of these environmental contaminants. We demonstrate the detection and classification of polycyclic aromatic hyrdrocarbons (PAH) present on fibers after exposure to cigarette smoke. This dissertation also investigates the change in fluorescence emission after laundering fibers numerous times. The main drawback of chemical analysis of fibers is the destructive nature of the methods. To extract a dye or contaminant from a fiber essentially destroys the evidence. This leaves the investigator without their original sample in the courtroom. This also provides a finite amount of sample for testing and analysis. This is true of chromatographic methods and for the method detailed in this dissertation which makes use of extracts taken from fiber samples. Lastly, we propose an instrumental setup coupling a microscope to a spectrofluorimeter for the purpose of taking EEM directly from a fiber sample. This setup makes use of the superior optics of the microscope for focusing excitation light onto the fiber sample. Initial studies have been performed on extracts from a single textile fiber and EEM collected from said fiber.
Show less
Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002833, ucf:48084
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002833

Title: QUANTITATIVE THICKNESS MAPPING IN HIGH-ANGLE ANNULAR DARK-FIELD (HAADF) SCANNING TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (STEM).
Creator: Nukala, Haritha, Heinrich, Helge, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Only a few methods are currently available for the measurement of sample thicknesses in Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). These methods, Convergent-Beam Electron Diffraction (CBED) and thickness mapping in Energy-Filtered TEM (EFTEM), are either elaborate or complex. In this present work, I have investigated and come up with a simple straight-forward method to measure the local thickness of a TEM sample with the atomic number (Z-contrast) imaging using High-Angle Annular Dark Field ...
Show moreOnly a few methods are currently available for the measurement of sample thicknesses in Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). These methods, Convergent-Beam Electron Diffraction (CBED) and thickness mapping in Energy-Filtered TEM (EFTEM), are either elaborate or complex. In this present work, I have investigated and come up with a simple straight-forward method to measure the local thickness of a TEM sample with the atomic number (Z-contrast) imaging using High-Angle Annular Dark Field (HAADF) Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM). HAADF STEM shows atomic number contrast for high scattering angles of the electrons, owing to predominant electron scattering at the potential of the nucleus similar to Rutherford scattering. The characterization of materials by STEM helps to identify microstructures and nanostructures within a sample and to analyze defects in samples. HAADF STEM imaging is capable of resolving atomic structures with better than 2 Å lateral resolution. However, HAADF STEM has so far not been systematically used to measure sample thicknesses. In Z-contrast imaging, it was known that the intensity of the electrons scattered to high angles increases with increase in the atomic number (Z) of the element/compound with increasing thickness of the sample based on the equation, I ~ t.Zα Where t, is the thickness and α, is a parameter between 1 and 2. This project was started with this simple approach, but the experimental results within the thesis show that the relation between the intensity and the atomic number is not well described by this equation. A more reliable parameter, σZ, the interaction coefficient of the material was calculated. Samples containing Ag2Al platelets in Al matrix were used for calibration purposes. Additional samples containing layers of known elements/compounds were obtained from TriQuint Semiconductors and from the Physics department of UCF to calculate σ for various elements/compounds. These experimental values were used to measure the local thicknesses in nanoparticles and also the total volume of the nanoparticles. This quantitative HAADF STEM analysis represents a new method, which can be added to the list of methods used for the purpose of measurement of the local thickness of a sample in the TEM. This method is especially useful for the thickness measurement of nanoparticles. The other two methods, CBED and thickness maps in EFTEM are strongly affected by the sample orientation and therefore not appropriate for the study of nanoparticle thicknesses, whereas orientation effects are negligible for the conditions used in this HAADF STEM analysis.
Show less
Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002309, ucf:47859
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002309

Title: Dynamically Tunable Plasmonic Structural Color.
Creator: Franklin, Daniel, Chanda, Debashis, Peale, Robert, Leuenberger, Michael, Wu, Shintson, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Functional surfaces which can control light across the electromagnetic spectrum are highly desirable. With the aid of advanced modeling and fabrication techniques, researchers have demonstrated surfaces with near arbitrary tailoring of reflected/transmitted amplitude, phase and polarization - the applications for which are diverse as light itself. These systems often comprise of structured metals and dielectrics that, when combined, manifest resonances dependent on structural dimensions. This...
Show moreFunctional surfaces which can control light across the electromagnetic spectrum are highly desirable. With the aid of advanced modeling and fabrication techniques, researchers have demonstrated surfaces with near arbitrary tailoring of reflected/transmitted amplitude, phase and polarization - the applications for which are diverse as light itself. These systems often comprise of structured metals and dielectrics that, when combined, manifest resonances dependent on structural dimensions. This attribute provides a convenient and direct path to arbitrarily engineer the surface's optical characteristics across many electromagnetic regimes. But while many of these plasmonic systems struggle to compete with the efficiency of pre-existing technologies, the ability to tune plamsonic structures post-fabrication is a distinct advantage which may lead to novel devices. In this work, I will summarize fundamental and applied aspects of tunable plasmonic systems as applied to the visible and infrared regimes. I will demonstrate how liquid crystal may be used to dynamically and reversibly tune the plasmonic resonances of metallic surfaces on a millisecond time scale. For the visible, this results in dynamic color-changing surfaces capable of covering the entire RGB color space and which is compatible with active addressing schemes. I will then show the application of these concepts to infrared absorbers through the use of liquid crystal and phase change materials. The later of these devices can find use in infrared data/image encoding, thermal management and camouflage. Together, these works explore the limits of tunable plasmonic systems and the novel devices they might lead to.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007001, ucf:52052
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007001

Title: ELL AND NON-ELL STUDENTSÃ‚Â' MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HEAT AND TEMPERATURE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
Creator: Weiss, Leah, Jeanpierre, Bobby, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: ABSTRACT All students come to the classroom with their own ideas about a number of science phenomena. In the classroom setting, English language learners may have ideas about heat and temperature that present additional challenges for teachers. In fact, their ideas can stem from many different influences and English language learners (ELL), in particular, may have misconceptions about topics and language barriers, or misconceptions, that are culturally or language-based (Lee, 2001). This...
Show moreABSTRACT All students come to the classroom with their own ideas about a number of science phenomena. In the classroom setting, English language learners may have ideas about heat and temperature that present additional challenges for teachers. In fact, their ideas can stem from many different influences and English language learners (ELL), in particular, may have misconceptions about topics and language barriers, or misconceptions, that are culturally or language-based (Lee, 2001). This action research thesis was performed to explore the research questions: How did my use of formative assessment affect ELL studentsÃ‚Â' misconceptions about heat?, How did my use of formative assessment uncover studentsÃ‚Â' misconceptions about heat? Formative assessments were used in the classroom to uncover studentsÃ‚Â' misconceptions about heat and temperature. The students performed labs based on the formative assessment activity sheets. The students answer before and after questions related to the labs. Data were collected and analyzed to examine changes in ELL studentsÃ‚Â' conceptions of heat and temperature. Data showed that some ELL students changed their ideas about heat and temperature but other misconceptions remained. Time allotted to instruction and alignment of laboratory activities with formative assessments need to be further explored to address changing studentsÃ‚Â' ideas about heat and temperature.
Show less
Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003238, ucf:48534
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003238

Title: An Investigation of the Impacts of Face-to-Face and Virtual Laboratories in an Introductory Biology Course on Students' Motivation to Learn Biology.
Creator: Reece, Amber, Butler, Malcolm, Boote, David, Chini, Jacquelyn, Fedorka, Kenneth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of face-to-face and virtual laboratories in a large-enrollment introductory biology course on students' motivation to learn biology. The laboratory component of post-secondary science courses is where students have opportunities for frequent interactions with instructors and their peers (Seymour (&) Hewitt, 1997; Seymour, Melton, Wiese, (&) Pederson-Gallegos, 2005) and is often relied upon for promoting interest and...
Show moreThe objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of face-to-face and virtual laboratories in a large-enrollment introductory biology course on students' motivation to learn biology. The laboratory component of post-secondary science courses is where students have opportunities for frequent interactions with instructors and their peers (Seymour (&) Hewitt, 1997; Seymour, Melton, Wiese, (&) Pederson-Gallegos, 2005) and is often relied upon for promoting interest and motivation in science learning (Hofstein (&) Lunetta, 2003; Lunetta, Hofstein, (&) Clough, 2007). However, laboratory courses can be resource intensive (Jenkins, 2007), leading post-secondary science educators to seek alternative means of laboratory education such as virtual laboratories. Scholars have provided evidence that student achievement in virtual laboratories can be equal to, if not higher than, that of students in face-to-face laboratories (Akpan (&) Strayer, 2010; Finkelstein et al., 2005; Huppert, Lomask, (&) Lazarowitz, 2002). Yet, little research on virtual laboratories has been conducted on affective variables such as motivation to learn science.Motivation to learn biology was measured at the beginning and end of the semester using the Biology Motivation Questionnaire (&)copy; (Glynn, Brickman, Armstrong, (&) Taasoobshirazi, 2011) and compared between the face-to-face and virtual laboratory groups. Characteristics of the two laboratory environments were measured at the end of the semester by the Distance Education Learning Environment Survey (Walker (&) Fraser, 2005). Interviews with 12 participants were conducted three times throughout the semester in the phenomenological style of qualitative data collection. The quantitative survey data and qualitative interview and observation data were combined to provide a thorough image of the face-to-face and virtual laboratory environments and their impacts on students' motivation to learn biology.Statistical analyses provided quantifiable evidence that the novel virtual laboratory environment did not have a differential effect on students' motivation to learn biology, with this finding being supported by the qualitative results. Comparison of the laboratory environments showed that students in the face-to-face labs reported greater instructional support, student interaction and collaboration, relevance of the lab activities, and authentic learning experiences than the students in the virtual labs. Qualitative results indicated the teaching assistants in the face-to-face labs were an influential factor in sustaining students' motivation by providing immediate feedback and instructional support in and out of the laboratory environment. In comparison, the virtual laboratory students often had to redo their lab exercises multiple times because of unclear directions and system glitches, potential barriers to persistence of motivation. The face-to-face students also described the importance of collaborative experiences and hands-on activities while the virtual laboratory students appreciated the convenience of working at their own pace, location, and time. According to social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986, 2001), the differences in the learning environments reported by the students should have had ramifications for their motivation to learn biology, yet this did not hold true for the students in this study. Therefore, while these laboratory environments are demonstrably different, the virtual laboratories did not negatively impact students' motivation to learn biology and could be an acceptable replacement for face-to-face laboratories in an introductory biology course.
Show less
Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005872, ucf:50876
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005872

Title: Dynamical Formation of Protoplanetesimals.
Creator: Whizin, Akbar, Colwell, Joshua, Fernandez, Yan, Klemm, Richard, Lewis, Mark, Moore, Brian, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The seeds of planetesimals that formed in the gaseous protoplanetary disk (PPD) have many barriers to overcome in their growth from millimeter to meter-sized and larger bodies. Centimeter-sized aggregates are weakly bound and self-gravity is almost non-existent so surface forces play a critical role in holding small loosely-bound rubble-piles together. Their orbital motions and effects form disk processes impart relative velocities leading to collisions so understanding the macroscopic disk...
Show moreThe seeds of planetesimals that formed in the gaseous protoplanetary disk (PPD) have many barriers to overcome in their growth from millimeter to meter-sized and larger bodies. Centimeter-sized aggregates are weakly bound and self-gravity is almost non-existent so surface forces play a critical role in holding small loosely-bound rubble-piles together. Their orbital motions and effects form disk processes impart relative velocities leading to collisions so understanding the macroscopic disk environment is also necessary. To this end we analyze the dynamics of particles in Saturn's F ring as an analogue to understanding the orbital evolution of proto-planetesimals embedded in a PPD. We also study how the mechanical, material, and collisional properties affect the dynamical accretion of cm-sized bodies. The collisional outcomes can be determined by a set of definable collision parameters, and experimental constraints on these parameters will improve formation models for planetesimals. We have carried out a series of microgravity laboratory collision experiments of small aggregates to determine under what conditions collisional growth can occur for protoplanetary aggregates. We measure coefficients of restitution, sticking and fragmentation thresholds, compressive strengths, and sticking probabilities for collision velocities of 1 - 200 cm/s, then compare the results of our experiments with results from a collisional N-body code that includes adhesion between particles. We find that cm-sized aggregates are very weakly bound and require high internal cohesion to avoid fragmentation in agreement with simulations. The threshold for sticking is found to be under 10 cm/s and the fragmentation threshold near 1 m/s. Quiescent regions in the mid-plane of the disk may cultivate abnormally low relative velocities permitting sticking to occur (~1 cm/s), however, without a well-defined path to formation it is difficult to determine whether collisional accretion as a mechanism can overcome low thresholds for sticking and fragmentation. We discuss this research's implications to both the meter-barrier and planetesimal formation.
Show less
Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006196, ucf:51103
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006196

Title: Improving Instructional Strategies in Higher Education for Students with a Learning Disability in a General Education Science Course.
Creator: Ogle, Brian, Cox, Dr. Thomas, Vitale, Thomas, Campbell, Laurie, Chandler, Shelly, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This Dissertation in Practice employed a mixed-methods design to identify preferred instructional methods in a college level science course as well as the self-reported challenges to learning science in college by students with a learning disability. In addition, the relationships between preferred instructional strategies and learner characteristics such as declared major, and learning disability were examined. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from a sample of 48 participants...
Show moreThis Dissertation in Practice employed a mixed-methods design to identify preferred instructional methods in a college level science course as well as the self-reported challenges to learning science in college by students with a learning disability. In addition, the relationships between preferred instructional strategies and learner characteristics such as declared major, and learning disability were examined. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from a sample of 48 participants using an electronic survey. Additionally, eight participants participated in focus groups to collect in-depth qualitative data. All participants are current students enrolled full-time at Beacon College. Each participant completed a science college course and has a diagnosed learning disability. Analysis of the data demonstrated hands-on instruction guided by the instructor is the preferred method of learning and the use of traditional lecture and cooperative learning are self-reported as being least helpful to this student population to learn science. Findings from this study were provided to Beacon College to shape instruction in science courses as well as to shape recommendations for future research activities. Intentional design of instruction following the recommendations found in this study should assist in increasing student performance in college science courses as well as increase engagement to science as a process and field of study.
Show less
Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006772, ucf:51836
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006772

Title: Learning Collective Behavior in Multi-relational Networks.
Creator: Wang, Xi, Sukthankar, Gita, Tappen, Marshall, Georgiopoulos, Michael, Hu, Haiyan, Anagnostopoulos, Georgios, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: With the rapid expansion of the Internet and WWW, the problem of analyzing social media data has received an increasing amount of attention in the past decade. The boom in social media platforms offers many possibilities to study human collective behavior and interactions on an unprecedented scale. In the past, much work has been done on the problem of learning from networked data with homogeneous topologies, where instances are explicitly or implicitly inter-connected by a single type of...
Show moreWith the rapid expansion of the Internet and WWW, the problem of analyzing social media data has received an increasing amount of attention in the past decade. The boom in social media platforms offers many possibilities to study human collective behavior and interactions on an unprecedented scale. In the past, much work has been done on the problem of learning from networked data with homogeneous topologies, where instances are explicitly or implicitly inter-connected by a single type of relationship. In contrast to traditional content-only classification methods, relational learning succeeds in improving classification performance by leveraging the correlation of the labels between linked instances. However, networked data extracted from social media, web pages, and bibliographic databases can contain entities of multiple classes and linked by various causal reasons, hence treating all links in a homogeneous way can limit the performance of relational classifiers. Learning the collective behavior and interactions in heterogeneous networks becomes much more complex.The contribution of this dissertation include 1) two classification frameworks for identifying human collective behavior in multi-relational social networks; 2) unsupervised and supervised learning models for relationship prediction in multi-relational collaborative networks. Our methods improve the performance of homogeneous predictive models by differentiating heterogeneous relations and capturing the prominent interaction patterns underlying the network structure. The work has been evaluated in various real-world social networks. We believe that this study will be useful for analyzing human collective behavior and interactions specifically in the scenario when the heterogeneous relationships in the network arise from various causal reasons.
Show less
Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005439, ucf:50376
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005439

Title: First Principles Studies of Pattern Formations and Reactions on Catalyst Surfaces.
Creator: Le, Duy, Rahman, Talat, Roldan Cuenya, Beatriz, Schelling, Patrick, Sohn, Yongho, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation undertakes theoretical research into the adsorption, pattern formation, and reactions of atoms, molecules, and layered materials on catalyst surfaces. These investigations are carried out from first-principles calculations of electronic and geometric structures using density functional theory (DFT) for predictions and simulations at the atomic scale. The results should be useful for further study of the catalytic activities of materials and for engineering functional...
Show moreThis dissertation undertakes theoretical research into the adsorption, pattern formation, and reactions of atoms, molecules, and layered materials on catalyst surfaces. These investigations are carried out from first-principles calculations of electronic and geometric structures using density functional theory (DFT) for predictions and simulations at the atomic scale. The results should be useful for further study of the catalytic activities of materials and for engineering functional nanostructures.The first part of the dissertation focuses on systematic first-principles simulations of the energetic pathways of CO oxidation on the Cu2O(100) surface. These simulations show CO to oxidize spontaneously on the O-terminated Cu2O(100) surface by consuming surface oxygen atoms. The O-vacancy on Cu2O(100) then is subsequently healed by dissociative adsorption of atmospheric O2 molecules.The second part discusses the pattern formation of hydrogen on two and three layers of Co film grown on the Cu(111) surface. It is found that increasing the pressure of H2 changes the hydrogen structure from 2H-(2 x 2) to H-p(1 x 1) through an intermediate structure of 6H-(3 x 3).The third part compares the results of different ways of introducing van der Waals (vdW) interactions into DFT simulations of the adsorption and pattern formation of various molecules on certain substrates. Examinations of the physisorption of five nucleobases on graphene and of n-alkane on Pt(111) demonstrate the importance of taking vdW interactions into account, and of doing so in a way that is best suited to the particular system in question. More importantly, as the adsorption of 1,4 diaminebenzene molecules on Au(111) shows inclusion of vdW interactions is crucial for accurate simulation of the pattern formation.The final part carries out first-principles calculations of the geometric and electronic structure of the Moire pattern of a single layer of Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) on Cu(111). The results reveal three possible stacking types. They also demonstrate that the MoS2 layer to be chemisorbed, albeit weakly, and that, while Cu surface atoms are vertically disordered, the layer itself is not strongly buckled.
Show less
Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004224, ucf:48991
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004224

Title: GORE'S SCIENCE: THE KAIROS OF AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SCIENCE WRITING.
Creator: Glasshoff, Carolyn, Applen, J.D., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Modern Americans are exposed to scientific and technical information on a daily basis that urges them to react as well as learn about new ideas. The popular science writing that circulates this information must be portrayed in a way that makes it easy for lay people to understand complicated ideas while at the same time remaining complex enough to convince readers that the information is reliable, accurate, and worth learning. In making decisions about how to accomplish this balancing act,...
Show moreModern Americans are exposed to scientific and technical information on a daily basis that urges them to react as well as learn about new ideas. The popular science writing that circulates this information must be portrayed in a way that makes it easy for lay people to understand complicated ideas while at the same time remaining complex enough to convince readers that the information is reliable, accurate, and worth learning. In making decisions about how to accomplish this balancing act, science writers make decisions that influence the audience's opinion about new scientific ideas, how easily the audience will accept or reject these ideas, and how the audience will react to the new information. In order to be as influential as possible on their audience, science writers must take full advantage of rhetorical kairos, or opportune timing. For this, they must keep in mind not only the chronological time and physical space, but issues including political maneuverings, society's morals, popular culture, and a myriad of other considerations. Any text must be influenced by the kairos that exists both before the text is created and during the presentation. In addition, each text helps create a new kairos for texts that come after. This is especially true in the field of popular science writing. Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth is a useful text for analysis of this process, as he portrays scientific information to a lay audience in order to promote acceptance of a controversial idea and to encourage action based on that acceptance. Because he is working on a delicate topic for the time, Gore had to rely heavily on the kairos of the moments before and during his presentations, and he created a fertile kairos for continuation of the environmental discussion.
Show less
Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003941, ucf:48699
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003941

Title: THE IMPACT OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING-REPRESENTATION PRACTICES ON CONCEPT MAPS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS.
Creator: Finnegan, Lisa, Dieker, Lisa, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: ABSTRACT The purpose of this action research project was to determine how my practice of implementing Universal Design for Learning-Representation (UDL-R) principles influenced my studentsÃ‚Â' understanding of content and enhanced their ability to organize their knowledge using concept maps. A secondary purpose of this action research project was to determine if student created concept maps served as a useful tool to enrich studentsÃ‚Â' written...
Show moreABSTRACT The purpose of this action research project was to determine how my practice of implementing Universal Design for Learning-Representation (UDL-R) principles influenced my studentsÃ‚Â' understanding of content and enhanced their ability to organize their knowledge using concept maps. A secondary purpose of this action research project was to determine if student created concept maps served as a useful tool to enrich studentsÃ‚Â' written scientific explanations. Students in this study completed concept maps and wrote explanations about adaptations before and after participating in lessons enriched with UDL-R principles that included the use of multi-media sources, website searches, and trade books. The processes used to collect data for this action research project were concept maps, written explanations, student notes, and videotaped accounts of learning from UDL-R principles. The themes that emerged were deeper content understanding for students and greater engagement in learning through UDL-R practices as evidenced through student notes, student discussions and videotaped accounts. The students in this study showed minimal change in the total average scores on concept maps with mixed results for males versus female studentsÃ‚Â' scores. Although studentsÃ‚Â' concept maps and written explanations indicated minimal improvement or change, their notes listing thirty to over one hundred facts and their comments indicated their interest and engagement in the learning process supported by UDL-R practices.
Show less
Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003045, ucf:48358
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003045

Title: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF USING DIGITAL FLASH CARDS TO INCREASE BIOLOGY VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES.
Creator: Grillo, Kelly, Dieker, Lisa, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The field of science education, specifically biology, is becoming more challenging due to richer and more rigorous content demands. Along with new demands is the emergence of National Common Core Standards and End of Course Exams. Despite these changes, one factor remains consistent: As content knowledge increases, language demands also increase. For students with learning disabilities (LD), specifically those with language-based disabilities, the increasing vocabulary demand can lead to...
Show moreThe field of science education, specifically biology, is becoming more challenging due to richer and more rigorous content demands. Along with new demands is the emergence of National Common Core Standards and End of Course Exams. Despite these changes, one factor remains consistent: As content knowledge increases, language demands also increase. For students with learning disabilities (LD), specifically those with language-based disabilities, the increasing vocabulary demand can lead to failure due not to a lack of understanding biology but the vocabulary associated with the content. In an attempt to impact high school students with learning disabilities'success in biology, a vocabulary intervention was investigated. Research suggests as more and more content is compressed into science courses, teachers are looking toward technology to assist with vocabulary mastery. The current research study examined the effects of a digital flash card intervention, Study Stack, versus a paper flash card intervention in biology for students with LD by measuring students'word knowledge and overall biology course achievement. Findings from repeated measures ANOVA showed a statistically significant increase on both the vocabulary assessment as well as the course grades in biology over time. However, the test of between effects considering card type yielded no differential change on vocabulary assessment and course grades in biology. Based on qualitative data, students interviewed liked the tool and found it to be helpful in learning biology terminology.
Show less
Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003972, ucf:48662
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003972

Title: An intelligent editor for natural language processing of unrestricted text.
Creator: Glinos, Demetrios George, Gomez, Fernando, Arts and Sciences
Abstract / Description: University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; The understanding of natural language by computational methods has been a continuing and elusive problem in artificial intelligence. In recent years there has been a resurgence in natural language processing research. Much of this work has been on empirical or corpus-based methods which use a data-driven approach to train systems on large amounts of real language data. Using corpus-based methods, the performance of part-of...
Show moreUniversity of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; The understanding of natural language by computational methods has been a continuing and elusive problem in artificial intelligence. In recent years there has been a resurgence in natural language processing research. Much of this work has been on empirical or corpus-based methods which use a data-driven approach to train systems on large amounts of real language data. Using corpus-based methods, the performance of part-of-speech (POS) taggers, which assign to the individual words of a sentence their appropriate part of speech category (e.g., noun, verb, preposition), now rivals human performance levels, achieving accuracies exceeding 95%. Such taggers have proved useful as preprocessors for such tasks as parsing, speech synthesis, and information retrieval. Parsing remains, however, a difficult problem, even with the benefit of POS tagging. Moveover, as sentence length increases, there is a corresponding combinatorial explosing of alternative possible parses. Consider the following sentence from a New York Times online article: After Salinas was arrested for murder in 1995 and lawyers for the bank had begun monitoring his accounts, his personal banker in New York quietly advised Salinas' wife to move the money elsewhere, apparently without the consent of the legal department. To facilitate the parsing and other tasks, we would like to decompose this sentence into the following three shorter sentences which, taken together, convey the same meaning as the original: 1. Salinas was arrested for murder in 1995. 2. Lawyers for the bank had begun monitoring his accounts. 3. His personal banker in New York quietly advised Salinas' wife to move the money elsewhere, apparently without the consent of the legal department. This study investigates the development of heuristics for decomposing such long sentences into sets of shorter sentences without affecting the meaning of the original sentences. Without parsing or semantic analysis, heuristic rules were developed based on: (1) the output of a POS tagger (Brill's tagger); (2) the punctuation contained in the input sentences; and (3) the words themselves. The heuristic algorithms were implemented in an intelligent editor program which first augmented the POS tags and assigned tags to punctuation, and then tested the rules against a corpus of 25 New York Times online articles containing approximately 1,200 sentences and over 32,000 words, with good results. Recommendations are made for improving the algorithms and for continuing this line of research.
Show less
Date Issued: 1999
Identifier: CFR0008181, ucf:53055
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0008181

Title: Enterface : a novella.
Creator: McLeod, Hubert Calip, Rushin, Pat, Arts and Sciences
Abstract / Description: University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; A computer screen places each of us in an interface and virtual reality provides a totally simulated environment, a virtual world that we can enter. Enterface is a novella that examines the question first posed by Michael Heim: How far can we enter cyberspace and still remain human? It also explores the power and the limitation of language and the role of stories to shape reality in human life. Its themes are death, technology...
Show moreUniversity of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; A computer screen places each of us in an interface and virtual reality provides a totally simulated environment, a virtual world that we can enter. Enterface is a novella that examines the question first posed by Michael Heim: How far can we enter cyberspace and still remain human? It also explores the power and the limitation of language and the role of stories to shape reality in human life. Its themes are death, technology, ethics, and love. It is informed by Wittgensteinian philosophy, Norse mythology, and the "metaphysics of virtual reality." The plot involves Moses Mackinow, a former Air Force officer and entrepreneur, who decides there should be a way to simply live forever. He hits upon the idea that life could be digitized, and a civilization, a world of complete, sentient humans could be created in cyberspace--a world he could enter upon his death and continue to live. A variety of technologies are available to digitize the physical human (x-rays, CTSCNS, Magnetic Resonance Images, graphic images, etc.), but the big problem is how to synthesize his human heart. Moses decides that the stories of his life are the keys to creating the "rag and bone shop" of his eternal heart. Getting the stories "right" is critical to the prospect of digitizing life and is a major focus of the novella action. The novella traces the reduction of Moses as a a human being as he pursues his obsession, compromising one principle after another. Everything in the environment of the novella, reflects this reduction. Everything becomes less than it was, a glimpse of humanity reduced to bits and bytes, floating 1's and 0's. Enterface is a work at war with itself.
Show less
Date Issued: 1999
Identifier: CFR0011964, ucf:53091
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0011964

science (27)	+ -
Academic (24)	+ -
Dissertations (23)	+ -
Academic -- Arts and Sciences (22)	+ -
Arts and Sciences -- Dissertations (22)	+ -

science education (19)	+ -
Forensic Science (8)	+ -
inquiry (7)	+ -
Science (5)	+ -
elementary education (5)	+ -
political science (5)	+ -
STEM (4)	+ -
education (4)	+ -
elementary science (4)	+ -
forensic science (4)	+ -
higher education (4)	+ -
science fiction (4)	+ -
technology (4)	+ -
Computer Science (3)	+ -
Materials Science (3)	+ -
Science Education (3)	+ -
cognitive science (3)	+ -
elementary (3)	+ -
media (3)	+ -
mentoring (3)	+ -
multivariate statistics (3)	+ -
problem solving (3)	+ -
professional development (3)	+ -
self-efficacy (3)	+ -
ESOL (2)	+ -

ETD Collection (145)	+ -
Honors Collection (23)	+ -
UCF Florida Heritage (2)	+ -
PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements (1)	+ -

text (2)	+ -
bibliography (1)	+ -
book (1)	+ -

English (171)	+ -
eng (2)	+ -

Search In

Pages

Pages

Sort Results By:

Narrow results by:

Topical Subject

Collection

Geographic Subject

Temporal Subject

Genre

Type of Resource

Language

Creator

Format

Owner

Document (PDF) (169)	+ -
E-book (2)	+ -