Sponsored Research at Penn State Abington, Penn State Great Valley and the University College
Jessica Petko
Associate Professor of Biology, Science
Penn State York
National Science Foundation
Collaborative Research: RUI: Extraordinary circadian clocks in Araneoid spiders: an integrative approach to understanding their evolutionary origins and underlying mechanisms
June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2026
Abstract: Araneoid spider circadian rhythms are unlike most others found on Earth. Contrary to selective pressure favoring circadian clocks with near 24-hour endogenous periods, we have discovered remarkably broad distributions of endogenous free-running periods (FRPs) within and among spider species in the superfamily Araneoidea, including species with mean FRPs that are exceptionally short or long (17.8 - 29.1 hours). Such extreme dissonance between endogenous clock period and the 24-hour solar day typically causes severe negative consequences, such as multiple disease states, reduced, continuous jetlag, etc. However, our survivorship experiments, as well as thriving non-resonant spider species in nature, suggest that spiders are somehow released from these selective constraints. We propose to exploit the apparent evolutionary shift in the functioning of circadian clock systems between araneoid and non-araneoid spider species to identify changes in the clock mechanisms enabling their existence.
Rachael Brown
Associate Professor, Mathematics Education
Program Chair, Elementary and Early Childhood Education
Penn State Abington
National Science Foundation
Collaborative Research: Rational Numbers Playground: Applying and Refining a Model for Dynamic, Discussion-Based PD for Fractions, Ratios, and Proportions
Aug. 1, 2022 to July 31, 2026
Abstract: The Rational Numbers Playground project is a Level II Early Stage, Design & Development Study focused on Teaching/Teacher Knowledge. The proposed outcomes of this work include: a pool of mathematical tasks for teachers that support playful engagement with important mathematical ideas; a guide outlining a coherent 30-hour experience for teachers that engages in developing both content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) related to fractions, ratios, and proportions; evidence of the PD program’s effectiveness that relies on topic modeling to measure change in teachers’ participation in the workshops; data on three different approaches to supporting teachers in linking content knowledge development to PCK development; and a coding framework that defines “robust” understanding of fraction referent units and invariance. All aspects of the professional development will be grounded in the use of dynamic, web-based “toys” (apps) that have been designed to support the development of robust understandings of proportion and fraction concepts.
Beth Lindsey
Associate Professor of Physics
Penn State Greater Allegheny
Megan Nagel
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Penn State Greater Allegheny
National Science Foundation
Collaborative Research: Establishing a new model for research-based curriculum development in physics aligned with dual-process theories of reasoning and decision-making
Nov. 1, 2022 to Oct. 31, 2027
Abstract: Despite decades of sustained efforts by discipline-based education researchers to improve student learning of physics and chemistry by developing and implementing research-based instructional materials, emerging evidence suggests that students who demonstrate correct conceptual understanding and reasoning on one task often fail to use the same knowledge and skills on related tasks. Drawing upon dual-process theories of reasoning, researchers have found that student performance on qualitative questions often stems from the interplay between the nature of human reasoning (including for example, cognitive reflection skills) and relevant discipline-specific conceptual understanding (or mindware). There is a need for assessment and instructional tools that can disentangle, to the extent possible, these factors in order to gain greater insight into the reasoning difficulties students encounter when learning physics and chemistry and to subsequently tailor instruction accordingly. This five-year Level 3 Engaged Student Learning collaborative, interdisciplinary research project focuses on introductory physics as well as general and organic chemistry, and aims to: (1) develop, refine, and disseminate an online suite of reasoning-chain construction tools; (2) develop, refine, and disseminate a suite of screening- target question pairs that provide measures of both mindware and the reasoning skills necessary to apply that mindware consistently; (3) generate new knowledge about student reasoning, particularly in regard to the role of domain-general reasoning phenomena; (4) develop instructor guides for the use of screening-target pairs and reasoning chain construction tools for both assessment and instruction.