We report on the nanopatterning of double-bond-terminated silane (5-hexenyltrichlorosilane, HTCS) molecules on titania (TiO2) using conductive atomic force microscopy (AFM). The influences of tip electrostatic potential and scanning velocity, relative humidity and of the repeated application of voltage on the topographic height, width, and hydrophilic and hydrophobic contrast of the resultant patterns were investigated. Tip voltage and tip velocity ( v) were applied between -10 V

Career-planning courses are known to be effective career interventions for undergraduates, but their effect on developing alternate career plans was previously unknown. Forming alternate career plans increases the likelihood that students have viable career options available to them upon graduation because it encourages students to realistically consider multiple possibilities. Here we describe a one-term career-planning course developed in the context of an undergraduate biology curriculum. We assessed whether this course promoted development of primary and alternate career plans using a pre/post survey. We saw a significant increase in the percentage of students indicating they had plans aimed at achieving primary (increase of 37%) and alternate (increase of 48%) career goals from the beginning to the end of the course. Preliminary outcomes suggest that implementation of this course correlates with an increase in the percentage of students who indicate they have a job after graduation (increase of 16%). This type of course could be implemented in many other contexts to support career development in diverse fields.

Though citizen science programs have been broadly successful in diverse scientific fields, their adoption has lagged in some disciplines, including soil science and ecosystem ecology. Collaborations with citizen scientists may be viewed as a conundrum in these disciplines, which often require substantial labor and technical experience; citizen scientists could improve sampling capacity but may reduce sample quality or require training and oversight prior to and while performing specialized tasks. To demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating citizen scientists into soil biogeochemistry research, we conducted a proof-of-concept study in high-elevation meadows of the Sierra Nevada in California. A collaboration between university researchers and citizen scientists allowed us to assess spatial and diel patterns of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes with an intensity and frequency that would otherwise be beyond the capacity of a typical research laboratory. This collaboration with citizen scientists increased our sampling intensity by over 700% while only doubling the sampling error relative to that of full-time researchers. With training and support from project scientists, citizen scientists collected data that demonstrate spatial independence of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide at scales between 1 m and 175 m. Additionally, we found a lack of temporal variation over a 24-h period for all three GHGs. Citizen scientists participating in this one-day event reported levels of satisfaction commensurate with longer-term, immersive campaigns. The place-based event also proved an effective tool for teaching intangible concepts of soil biogeochemistry and promoting local conservation. Despite perceived barriers to entry, this study demonstrates the mutual benefits of citizen science collaborations in soil science and ecosystem ecology, encouraging adoption by disciplines that have been slow to take advantage of such collaborations. Short-term, local citizen science events can provide meaningful experiences for area residents and teach global biogeochemical cycles in a place-based context.

Human development can impede wildlife moving between complementary habitats, particularly in highly disturbed coastal ecosystems. Coastal barriers may affect the behavior of diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin), a salt-tolerant estuarine turtle that requires access to complementary upland habitat for annual nesting. We used telemetry to quantify terrestrial and aquatic movements of 78 nesting female terrapins in response to coastal barriers at 2 sites in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, a heavily developed estuary. Nesting female terrapins traveled significantly greater distances with more tortuous paths or spent significantly more time in the water when their movements were obstructed than females nesting at beaches with no obstructions. We hypothesize that the additional effort and displacement associated with reproduction where obstructions exist will reduce terrapin fitness and potentially contribute to population declines. Our study demonstrates a unique approach to quantifying effects of barriers on organisms requiring complementary habitats, and improves our understanding of the impacts of shoreline hardening on estuarine wildlife threatened by encroaching coastal development. Ó 2015 The Wildlife Society.