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Looking back and looking forward at Janelia
Starting a new research campus is a leap of faith. Only later, in the full measure of time, is it possible to take stock of what has worked and what could have been done better or differently. The Janelia Research Campus opened its doors 12 years ago. What has it achieved? What has it taught us? And where does Janelia go from here?
Journal Article
A Bird's-Eye View: Novel Use of Drone Images to Quantify Differences in Altitudinal Reflections in Bird-window Collision Studies
Bird-window collisions (BWCs) constitute a significant source of mortality for both resident and migratory birds. Because windows reflect surrounding landscape components, such as vegetation or sky, birds do not always perceive glass as a barrier. Here we demonstrate a novel technique to classify and quantify reflections in windows on the Radford University campus in southwest Virginia, U.S.A. We deployed a consumer-grade Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, i.e., drone, to photograph 14 contiguous or near-contiguous window columns across five campus buildings in August 2020. For each study aspect, the drone (equipped with an RGB camera) captured images at ca. 5 m altitudinal increments from the ground floor to the roof of each building (three to six images/vertical column). We then manually classified each image in ImageJ to calculate approximate proportions of reflected: (1) vegetation, (2) sky, (3) and artificial structures or impervious surfaces, plus (4) nonreflective glass. We used a generalized linear model to determine how proportional reflections of vegetation, sky, buildings, and nonreflective glass varied across vertical increments. We found the proportion of sky significantly decreased with increasing photo heights, whereas proportion of nonreflective glass significantly increased with increasing heights. This supports previous findings that because birds are drawn to sky reflections, they may collide at relatively lower positions on buildings. Inconsistency in landscape design and building positioning on the campus precluded trends in vegetative or building reflections by height. Our pilot study demonstrates the applicability of a consumer-grade drone for investigating visual characteristics of reflections that influence BWCs from variable observation angles. We suggest the expanded use of drone images as a straightforward technique to measure changes in reflection characteristics from varying degrees of observation. They are a novel method in developing a BWC risk assessment as well as potential mitigation strategies in a suburban or campus environment with buildings of intermediate heights.
Journal Article
My Cat Woody, Slavery, and How We Deal with The Past We Now Abjure: Part I
How do we relate to our ancestors who did things that we would and do not do, for example hold slaves or express views about racial differences we find abhorrent? The impulse nowadays is to react to our ancestors who lived in the past and who produced us as unacceptable versions of ourselves —and to show this we frequently feel we must take down their statues and re-name buildings and institutions. This is a form of colonialism of time rather than place. The past is always different than the present, which is why we see it as the past, whether better or worse. Yet it is part of us and made us who we are.
Journal Article
Building community capacity and social infrastructure through landcare
In the struggle to remain true to their technical assistance and civic engagement missions in an era of shrinking budgets and increasingly complex accountability claims, land grant universities have developed different engagement strategies to contribute to the development of surrounding communities. Drawing on Flora and Flora's (in Ann Am Acad Polit Soc Sci, 48, 1993) assertion that a strong and \"entrepreneurial\" social infrastructure is critical for facilitating lasting change and development in communities (particularly rural communities), this article presents a case study of a land grant university's engagement with a community landcare group from the perspective of building social capacity in surrounding communities. This case explores Virginia Tech's involvement in facilitating and supporting Catawba Landcare using three theoretical frames-Ronald Heifetz's concept of \"holding environments\" as a safe and facilitated space where social learning can occur; ecological and social entrepreneurship and the roles and functions required to support these forms of entrepreneurship; and the concept of learning action networks in which otherwise disparate partners are linked under common goals and collectively learn how to manage the situation at hand. Using these three theoretical frames, this paper posits landcare as a model of engagement for land grant universities thus contributing to the construction of social infrastructure.(HRK / Abstract übernommen).
Journal Article
Deans for Impact: Who we are and what we stand for
A vision statement and call to action from Deans for Impact — a group of deans committing themselves to a set of principles intended to elevate the performance of educator preparation programs and the status of teachers. Their objectives include: Develop a consensus around a professional knowledge base for teachers; create a tighter connection between K-12 systems and schools of education; require states to make data available to programs and the public about teachers prepared by each institution; aim the research lens inward to evaluate and identify the most effective elements teacher education; rethink structures and incentives in higher education institutions to create entities that are more nimble and receptive to change; and develop a strong professional network for schools of education leaders that connects them to peers and helps them lead change within their institutions.
Journal Article
History Made for Tomorrow: Hakka Tulou
The documentary film, History Made for Tomorrow: Hakka Tulou was an October 2010 release by History Channel International. This film is an in-depth study on the green building techniques and sustainable lifestyle of the Hakka people of Southern China with a focus on the ancient Tulou rammed earth structures. The television program follows West Virginia University research professor, Ruifeng Liang, as he initiates scientific studies to back claims that the rammed earth Tulou structures are “the greenest buildings in the world”, and Canadian architect, Jorg Ostrowski, of Autonomous Sustainable Housing Inc., who has been researching the ecological footprint of Hakka communities since August 2007, to promote them as “eco-villages” of best practices for planet Earth’s sustainability. The author is credited as Director, Writer, and Producer of this film. This paper is based on the script of the production.
Journal Article
Strategy Precedes Operational Effectiveness: Aligning High Graduation Rankings With Competitive Graduation Grade Point Averages
Two pivotal and interconnected claims are addressed in this article. First, strategy precedes program effectiveness. Second, graduation rates and rankings are insufficient in any account of academic progress for African American students. In this article, graduation is regarded as the floor and not the ceiling, as it were. The ideal situation in the promotion of strategy is the alignment of high graduation rates or rankings with high graduation cumulative grade point averages. This strategic alignment is precisely what needs to be formulated in the first instance before making judgments about program development and/or operational effectiveness. The work of the Office of African American Affairs of the University of Virginia provides the context for observing trends in academic performance that illustrate the optimal alignment between high graduation rankings and correspondingly high grade point averages.
Journal Article
Research Partnerships at the State Level: Bridging the Academic–Practitioner Divide
This article examines the factors that influence academic–practitioner research partnerships at the state level. The state longitudinal data system (SLDS) offers the capacity to link client-level data across multiple state agencies, providing an unparalleled opportunity to facilitate data informed decision making across PreK–20 educational and workforce agencies. Analysis of sixty-nine qualitative interviews with agency administrators and university researchers in four SLDS states (Maryland, Texas, Virginia, and Washington) suggests that understanding organizational culture, combined with formal and informal factors, influences the quality and likely long-term sustainability of these efforts. Fostering effective partnerships is fundamental to advancing public-sector, data-driven decision making.
Journal Article
Does the U.S. have a Middle East Strategy?
The Middle East Policy Council held a January 16 forum at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill to address the question: \"US Grand Strategy in the Middle East: Is There One?\" Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas Freeman began by highlighting the contradictory nature of Washington's Middle East policy. When it comes to Israel, he pointed out, the US acts almost entirely on religious and emotional bonds. However, he went on to say, when dealing with Arab nations the US is practical, strategic and unsentimental. Blindly supporting Israel is hurting America's standing in the world and exacerbating the Arab-Israeli conflict, the ambassador continued. In the opinion of University of Virginia professor William B. Quandt, US regional policy should be centered on Iran, Turkey and Egypt. He suggested that Secretary of State John Kerry attempt to forge a new relationship with Iran's leadership.
Journal Article