This project involved modifying a course, PHL 217 Critical Reasoning, and developing a new course, PHL XXX Philosophy of Art.
PHL 217 Critical Reasoning
The PHL 217 course was modified with a new textbook, and is being offered in the Spring 2022 term. The course was originally designed as an “informal logic” course as a companion course to PHL 218 Formal Logic. However, because most of the students were taking the course to meet requirements in other majors, the course needed to be redesigned. It would have to be for students who were not taking Formal Logic as a sequel to the course, and who were not intending to major in philosophy. Hence, it has been offered as a stand-alone course for nonmajors, mapping out skill areas where students learn concepts, distinction, principles, and techniques to be applied in a wealth of examples.
Currently, this course is being offered.
Modern instructional methods have been shifting from traditional classroom based instructional method to digital and remote delivery methods. My previous Faculty Development proposal illustrated that moving to a remote digital model has the potential to be successful for online education.
However it was noted that students felt unprepared to complete the experiments as if they were done in a face to face setting. This disparity indicates that while the material and knowledge delivered in a laboratory setting are sufficient utilizing simulation laboratories, the students themselves recognized that they lacked the skills to complete the tasks themselves. The Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing, and students are likely going to be online for classes for the foreseeable future. Therefore, it is prudent to try to give students the best experience possible, which includes hands on experience for laboratories. If we do not go this route, it is possible that students might be able to graduate from College without participating in a hands on laboratory for 2 years or more. Thus, more needs to be done to ensure a proper education and to give students the skill set they need to succeed in internships and research.
Bladder cancer (B1Ca) is the sixth most common cancer in men worldwide and the tenth when considering both the genders together [1]. Bladder cancer is estimated to be 83,730 new cases and 4.4% of all new cancer cases in the US in 2021. In terms of costs of cancer care, it is one of the most expensive cancers prevalent in the United States, resulting in 17,200 deaths [2]. The standard treatment is transurethral resection of bladder tumors, followed by intravesical treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) or cisplatin based chemotherapy [3]. Despite advances in treatment, over the past decades treatment procedures for B1Ca remained relatively unchanged until the emergence of programmed cell death protein (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint therapies [4-6]. The USA FDA approvals of immunotherapy agents Atezolizumab, Nivolumab, Pembrolizumab, Avelumab, and Durvalumab represent a major paradigm shift in treating B1Ca. Immunotherapy has now emerged as an important treatment modality for B1Ca but progress towards developing novel biomarkers is a need of the hour. Standardized, reproducible biomarkers are needed to accurately guide treatment decisions to predict responders to immunotherapy. Next generation of predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy should involve targeted gene expression profile with particular attention to immune gene signatures [7].
The objective of this project is to perform a “market basket” study of the trace element content of commercially available cannabidiol (CBD) oils to determine:
To answer these questions, CBD oils from 18 different manufacturers were purchased over the internet. Three discreet purchases of each manufacturer were made approximately 6 months apart so that batch to batch reproducibility across three (3) separate product lots could be assessed. This resulted in a total sample population of ~ 50 samples. A method for microwave acid digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis was developed and validated for over 20 elements of toxicological interest as defined by the National Institute of Health. The acquired samples were analyzed using the validated method with subsequent report out of the results.
On June 16, 2021 the Lincoln Memorial Arch will mark its 100th Anniversary. Due to Covid, celebrating this momentous occasion in the manner it should, cannot take place. Instead planning needs to be done to celebrate the Arch at the beginning of the 2021 Fall Semester in conjunction with freshmen New Student Orientation and Rites of Passage.
Although research is still ongoing for the curriculum and my FYE section in the fall and for publication, planning must also take place over the summer for the events and activities that will occur during the celebration. These events would not only include attendance of those at Lincoln, but that of the surrounding community as well. (Planning will be done with adherence to Covid restrictions).
Initially the research was focused on providing the students with a historical research project looking at why the Arch was built, however the scope of the research has now shifted to finding our more on the Lincoln Men who served.
Many recent studies abound, describing and explaining the wealth gap between Blacks and Whites in America. Many social, historical, political and institutional forces have contributed to this gap, and closing it has seemed a nearly insurmountable task. In 2016, the Federal Reserve reported that the net worth of Whites was ten times the net worth of Blacks ($171,000 vs. $17,600- April 1, 2021)retrieved from https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/recent-trends-in-wealth-holding-by-race-and-ethnicity-evidence-from-the-survey-of-consumer-finances-20170927.html An August 2019 study by McKinsey & Co. reports that Black Americans can expect to earn $1 million less than White Americans over their lifetime. (March 30, 2021) retrieved at (https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/the-economic-impact-of-closing-the-racial-wealth-gap). And, according to the Federal Reserve’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances, the median family wealth of Whites is more than five times that of Blacks. (April 2, 2021) Retrieved at https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/disparities-in-wealth-by-race-and-ethnicity-in-the-2019-survey-of-consumer-finances-20200928.html
This faculty development project is a feasibility study for a new computational physics method, including analysis of assumptions, complexity, numerical algorithms, and their parallel implementation. Computer codes will be produced when time permits. In engineering terms, this is a ‘conceptual design’. The budget for this project was $3,000.
Varicella-zoster virus causes chickenpox, a very contagious disease manifested by rash, itching, tiredness, and fever.
The affected individual gets stomach, back and face covered with blister-like rash that often spreads over the entire body resulting in 250 or even 500 itchy blisters.
Babies, adults and people with weakened immune systems can be seriously affected by chickenpox.
In the United States, about 11,000 people were hospitalized for chickenpox each year and about 100 people died each year as a result of chickenpox before the varicella vaccine started to be applied in 1995.
The Faculty Development Grant allowed for the creation of four podcast episodes that illuminated the relational, wellness, and sexual experiences of persons of African descent. Because of the pandemic, subsequent quarantine, and amount of funding, I was only able to complete four podcasts. The guests to each podcast episode were able to share candidly about their professional experiences and empowering communities that are challenged by mental and sexual health issues.
