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1 – 10 of over 4000
Article
Publication date: 3 April 2019

Michelle A. Maher, Annie M. Wofford, Josipa Roksa and David F. Feldon

The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of selecting and engaging in biological sciences laboratory rotations from the perspective of doctoral students.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of selecting and engaging in biological sciences laboratory rotations from the perspective of doctoral students.

Design/methodology/approach

Within the socialization framework, this study uses a qualitative approach whereby 42 biological sciences students enrolled at highly selective US universities were interviewed in the first and second year of doctoral training about laboratory rotation experiences.

Findings

The study revealed how doctoral students used formal and informal information networks, explored research topics, struggled with funding concerns and learned about the social aspect of the laboratories in which they rotated.

Originality/value

While rotations are considered a signature pedagogy in the laboratory sciences, students’ experiences within them are understudied. This study offers new knowledge about what doctoral students experience while rotating that can be used to inform and improve rotation processes for both students and universities.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2021

Tu Hongsheng, Huang Changwen and Guo Chenye

Currently, the existing similar simulation is still limited in the following aspects: un-rotatable laboratory devices, the difficulty in the pavement on steep seams and great…

Abstract

Purpose

Currently, the existing similar simulation is still limited in the following aspects: un-rotatable laboratory devices, the difficulty in the pavement on steep seams and great error of the experimental data.

Design/methodology/approach

To address above-mentioned problems, this study combined theoretical analysis and numerical simulation and developed a rotatable experimental system for similar simulation on steep coal seam mining on the premise of ensuring experimental safety.

Findings

The present experimental system mainly consists of the model support, the rotation system and the bearing system. By taking into account the experimental requirements and actual laboratory space, the sizes of the model support and the bearing system were determined. Considering the requirements in space limit and rotation stability, the rotation mode of vertical sliding on the left side and the horizontal sliding on the lower side was designed.

Originality/value

Using programmable logic controller automatic angle control technology, the rotation angle, velocity and displacement of the model can be automatically adjusted and controlled so as to achieve safe rotation and precise control. Finally, the calculation method of the mass of the required similar materials for paving the coal strata at different inclination angles and in different horizons was analyzed, and the related mass proportion calculation software was developed.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 19 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 July 2018

Gregory Thomas and Al Meldrum

The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions to changes to the learning environment of their undergraduate physics laboratories, in which their scientific…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions to changes to the learning environment of their undergraduate physics laboratories, in which their scientific inquiry processes were stimulated.

Design/methodology/approach

The activities students engaged in were redesigned to reflect a guided inquiry approach and to acknowledge modern-day advances in science and technology. Further, enhanced guidance was provided for laboratory instructors regarding the nature of scientific inquiry and how to structure students’ inquiry experiences during laboratory sessions. Students’ views were sought regarding their perceptions of the impact of the reforms on the laboratory learning environments, their thinking processes in those environments and their views regarding the reform’s value and appropriateness.

Findings

Analyses of quantitative and qualitative data suggested that students responded positively to the reforms implemented. Large effect sizes of between 0.70 and 1.20 suggested significant positive shifts in students’ perceptions of dimensions of their laboratory learning environments. In interviews, students expressed that they had engaged in the cognitive processes of scientific inquiry and suggested that the reforms had stimulated such “inquiry” thinking. However, their perceptions of the value and appropriateness of such inquiry-oriented laboratory learning environments were mixed.

Originality/value

Concerns persist in higher education in relation to the extent of students’ inquiry processes in undergraduate physics laboratories. Reforms to both the activities that students engage in and to instructional strategies are necessary. Raising awareness of the views expressed by students might help inform future reforms that accommodate those views to further enhance similar reforms.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 January 2010

Pia A.K. Heilmann

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview concerning employer brand image in a Finnish hospital organization. What is done for recruitment marketing? This study offers…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview concerning employer brand image in a Finnish hospital organization. What is done for recruitment marketing? This study offers some proposals for improving the recruitment process.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is a qualitative case study and the research method used is a group interview. The research questions are approached from an organizational perspective. Background information about the current labour shortage in health care is gathered from the focus hospital organization, from the public media and from the health care trade organizations.

Findings

Very few marketing actions concerning employer image have been done in the focus hospital. There also existed a lack of appropriate recruitment tools and competence. Data systems and the internet have not been fully exploited in the recruitment process. Vacancies are not announced in educational institutes. Career development possibilities are not presented in job advertisements and job‐rotation has not been used in recruitment.

Originality/value

This paper provides useful information for health care managers and researchers concerning the role of employer image in recruiting and the importance of a well‐organized recruitment process.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2016

Caroline Nore, Houda Zaidi, Frederic Bouillault, Alain Bossavit and Jean-Luc Guermond

The purpose of this paper is to present a new formulation for taking into account the convective term due to an imposed velocity field in the induction equation in a code based on…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a new formulation for taking into account the convective term due to an imposed velocity field in the induction equation in a code based on Whitney elements called DOLMEN. Different Whitney forms are used to approximate the dependent variables. The authors study the kinematic dynamo action in a von Kármán configuration and obtain results in good agreement with those provided by another well validated code called SFEMaNS. DOLMEN is developed to investigate the dynamo action in non-axisymmetric domains like the impeller driven flow of the von Kármán Sodium (VKS) experiment. The authors show that a 3D magnetic field dominated by an axisymmetric vertical dipole can grow in a kinematic dynamo configuration using an analytical velocity field.

Design/methodology/approach

Different Whitney forms are used to approximate the dependent variables. The vector potential is discretized using first-order edge elements of the first family. The velocity is approximated by using the first-order Raviart-Thomas elements. The time stepping is done by using the Crank-Nicolson scheme.

Findings

The authors study the kinematic dynamo action in a von Kármán configuration and obtain results in good agreement with those provided by another well validated code called SFEMaNS. The authors show that a 3D magnetic field dominated by an axisymmetric vertical dipole can grow in a kinematic dynamo configuration using an analytical velocity field.

Originality/value

The findings offer a basis to a scenario for the VKS dynamo.

Details

COMPEL: The International Journal for Computation and Mathematics in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2002

Iain A. Frame and ILiz Allen

The Wellcome Trust has reviewed the provision of PhD training from the viewpoint of the students and supervisors it funds; this paper presents evidence from these reviews. A…

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Abstract

The Wellcome Trust has reviewed the provision of PhD training from the viewpoint of the students and supervisors it funds; this paper presents evidence from these reviews. A number of factors affect the “success” of the PhD training experience; what is considered good (i.e. fit for purpose) PhD research training may be different for the student and the supervisor. Compares and contrasts the views of PhD students and PhD supervisors on a number of issues including reasons for doing a PhD, the purpose of PhD training and perceptions of the quality of PhD research training. Suggests that to support the different needs of students, supervisors and the science base, a flexible yet quality assured approach to PhD research training is required.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1955

THE 1954 specialist conference of the Stress Analysis Group of the Institute of Physics was held at Reading University on December 16 and 17, the subject being Stresses due to…

Abstract

THE 1954 specialist conference of the Stress Analysis Group of the Institute of Physics was held at Reading University on December 16 and 17, the subject being Stresses due to Vibration. The majority of the papers were of aeronautical interest, and for completeness summaries of all the papers delivered are given below. The meetings were under the chairmanship of Mr E. K. Frankl, chairman of the Stress Analysis Group, and the conference secretary, who under‐took the organization, was Mr V. M. Hickson, of the R.A.E.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-2667

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2020

Jennifer M. Blaney, Jina Kang, Annie M. Wofford and David F. Feldon

This study aims to examine how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics doctoral students interact with postdocs within the research laboratory, identifying the nature…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics doctoral students interact with postdocs within the research laboratory, identifying the nature and potential impacts of student–postdoc mentoring relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of 53 doctoral students in the biological sciences, this study uses a sequential mixed-methods design. More specifically, a phenomenological approach enabled the authors to identify how doctoral students make meaning of their interactions with postdocs and other research staff. Descriptive statistics are used to examine how emergent themes might differ as a product of gender and race/ethnicity and the extent to which emergent themes may relate to key doctoral student socialization outcomes.

Findings

This study reveals six emergent themes, which primarily focus on how doctoral students receive instrumental and psychosocial support from postdocs in their labs. The most frequent emergent theme captures the unique ways in which postdocs provide ongoing, hands-on support and troubleshooting at the lab bench. When examining how this theme plays a role in socialization outcomes, the results suggest that doctoral students who described this type of support from postdocs had more positive mental health outcomes than those who did not describe this type of hands-on support.

Originality/value

Literature on graduate student mentorship has focused primarily on the impact of advisors, despite recent empirical evidence of a “cascading mentorship” model, in which senior students and staff also play a key mentoring role. This study provides new insights into the unique mentoring role of postdocs, focusing on the nature and potential impacts of student–postdoc interactions.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 April 2023

Jesse McCain and Josipa Roksa

The purpose of this study is to examine how doctoral students in the biological sciences understand their research skill development and explore potential racial/ethnic and gender…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how doctoral students in the biological sciences understand their research skill development and explore potential racial/ethnic and gender inequalities in the scientific learning process.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on interviews with 87 doctoral students in the biological sciences, this study explores how doctoral students describe development of their research skills. More specifically, a constructivist grounded theory approach is employed to understand how doctoral students make meaning of their research skill development process and how that may vary by gender and race/ethnicity.

Findings

The findings reveal two emergent groups, “technicians” who focus on discrete tasks and data collection, and “interpreters” who combine technical expertise with attention to the larger scientific field. Although both groups are developing important skills, “interpreters” have a broader range of skills that support successful scholarly careers in science. Notably, white men are overrepresented among the “interpreters,” whereas white women and students from minoritized racial/ethnic groups are concentrated among the “technicians.”

Originality/value

While prior literature provides valuable insights into the inequalities across various aspects of doctoral socialization, scholars have rarely attended to examining inequalities in research skill development. This study provides new insights into the process of scientific learning in graduate school. Findings reveal that research skill development is not a uniform experience, and that doctoral education fosters different kinds of learning that vary by gender and race/ethnicity.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2017

Jingsong Li, Lixiang Wang, Qingxin Yang, Shanming Wang, Yongjian Li, Changgeng Zhang and Baojun Qu

Due to existence of skin effect under rotational excitation, especially to high-frequency motors and power transformers run at the frequency of hundreds or even thousands of…

Abstract

Purpose

Due to existence of skin effect under rotational excitation, especially to high-frequency motors and power transformers run at the frequency of hundreds or even thousands of hertz, core losses will increase significantly, which may cause local overheating damage, and the efficiency and longevity will be decreased. The purpose of this paper is to accurately calculate the rotational anomalous loss in electrical steel sheets.

Design/methodology/approach

The influence of skin effect to rotational anomalous loss coefficient is described in detail. Based on the rotational core losses calculation approach, the transformed coefficient and parameters of rotational anomalous loss are determined in accordance with experimental data obtained by using 3D magnetic properties testing system. Then, a variable loss coefficient calculation model of rotational anomalous loss is built. Meanwhile, a separation of the total 2D elliptical rotation experimental core losses is worked out.

Findings

The two methods are analysed and compared qualitatively. It should be noted that the novel calculation model can be more effectively presented anomalous loss features. Moreover, quantitative comparisons between 2D elliptical rotation and alternating core losses have achieved beneficial conclusions.

Originality/value

Transformed rotational anomalous loss coefficient and parameters of electrical steel sheets considering skin effect are determined. Based on that, a novel calculation model evaluating 2D elliptical rotation anomalous loss is presented and verified based on the experimental measurement and the separation of the total 2D elliptical rotation core losses. The 2D elliptical rotation core losses separation method and quantitative comparison with alternating excitation are helpful to engineering application.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, vol. 36 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 4000