Engaging large numbers of undergraduates in authentic scientific discovery is desirable but difficult to achieve. We
have developed a general model in which faculty and teaching assistants from diverse academic institutions are trained to teach a
research course for first-year undergraduate students focused on bacteriophage discovery and genomics. The course...
Summer streamflows in the Pacific Northwest are
largely derived from melting snow and groundwater discharge.
As the climate warms, diminishing snowpack and
earlier snowmelt will cause reductions in summer streamflow.
Most regional-scale assessments of climate change impacts
on streamflow use downscaled temperature and precipitation
projections from general circulation models (GCMs)...
The potential for electric energy generation from ocean waves is substantial and much research is being conducted on the conversion process as a renewable, grid-connected, power source. Some of the same attributes that make wave energy harvesting attractive as a grid-connected source also make it attractive as a remote, or...
Transgenic down-regulation of the Pt4CL1 gene family encoding 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase (4CL) has been reported as a
means for reducing lignin content in cell walls and increasing overall growth rates, thereby improving feedstock quality for
paper and bioethanol production. Using hybrid poplar (Populus tremula 3 Populus alba), we applied this...
The Mars Science Laboratory mission aims to land a car-sized rover on Mars’ surface and operate it for at least one Mars year in order to assess whether its field area was ever capable of supporting microbial life. Here we describe the approach used to identify, characterize, and assess environmental...
The ChemCam campaign at the fluvial sedimentary outcrop ‘‘Shaler’’ resulted in observations of 28
non-soil targets, 26 of which included active laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and all of
which included Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) images. The Shaler outcrop can be divided into seven facies
based on grain size, texture, color,...
Early child care and education programs have the potential to play a supportive role in the lives of vulnerable children and families involved in the child welfare system. Child care subsidies can help low-income families to access these programs. The current study examines the use and stability of child care...
The Rocknest aeolian deposit is similar to aeolian features analyzed by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) Spirit and Opportunity. The fraction of sand <150 micrometers in size contains ~55% crystalline material consistent with a basaltic heritage and ~45% x-ray amorphous material. The amorphous component of Rocknest is iron-rich and silicon-poor...
Land-use change around protected areas can reduce their effective size and limit their ability to conserve biodiversity
because land-use change alters ecological processes and the ability of organisms to move freely among protected areas.
The goal of our analysis was to inform conservation planning efforts for a nationwide network of...