David Arredondo

Meet David Arredondo.

David is a graduate student at the University of Missouri-Columbia studying Information Science and Learning Technologies.  He is doing his practicum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln University Libraries and has been planning iPad training sessions with me.

1. How did you first become interested in librarianship?
   1. As a kid, my mom always took me, my brother, and my sister to the library, and we would take our time roaming the shelves finding whatever we found interesting. I remember reading a series on Native American tribes. By the time I entered college, I still had this habit. As I was finishing my English Literature major and my Sociology minor, the idea to become a librarian just kind of hit me in the face. I love my time spent in libraries, why not share that with others?
   2. How would you describe yourself in 5 words or less?
      1. Enthusiastic, goofy, curious, introspective, extroverted.
      2. What do you see as some of the major challenges facing librarians in the coming years?
         1. I think identity is a huge challenge for librarians. With the frantically changing information environment, and the huge changes in the ways people seek information, librarians are being challenged to prove their value. This means looking to the very definition of what it means to be a librarian and deciding what aspects can be kept, what needs to be discarded, and what roles need to be added.
         2. What would you like to accomplish or work towards as a librarian?
            1. I want to be involved in creating libraries that are hub points in people interacting with information, collaborating with one another, and spreading their own original creations to the world.
            2. When you aren’t on the clock how do you like to relax?
               1. I love hanging out with my son and my wife, listening to records, playing pool, bartending, and playing shows with my band.

Exciting sessions…

This is a different conference than any you’ve ever been to before. ScienceOnlineTeen is built around Conversations, not presentations.

Look Who’s Coming…

1) The team behind the American Museum of Natural History’s Science Bulletins

2) Henry Reich, the man behind Minute Physics. His videos have received over 39 million hits on Youtube! Check out his Open Letter to the Universe.

3) Bora Zivkovic, Blogger and Blog Editor at Scientific American (also co-founder of ScienceOnline)

4) Beatrice the Biologist, creator of Amoeboid app and science comic extraordinaire!

And many more!!!

Participant safety…

Community policies have been drafted by the planning committee to ensure the safety and well-being of all those involved with ScioTeen. We want to ensure teachers, school administrators, and parents that safety comes first. All attendees will be required to sign a waiver indicating they agree to follow these policies.

A private, secure online forum for participants to meet and get the conversations rolling is now open. Only registered participants will be able to view and post to the forum. This forum will allow participants to share ideas and talk about ScioTeen sessions before the conference even takes place!

Register NOW! Spaces are limited.

Thank you for your support!

Please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in ScienceOnlineTeen.

If you have any questions or thoughts about ScienceOnlineTeen, please send an email to scioteen@scienceonline.com

Sincerely,
Stacy Baker
Organizer of ScienceOnlineTeen

Research Mode

Dear Colleagues,

Please help me further examine work place health issues of those working in Academic Libraries. Results of this study will be made available as a contributed paper at ACRL 2013.

This is an open study, please feel free to pass this invitation on to those you feel might be interested in participating.

This research is being conducted by Kiyomi Deards of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, IRB # 20111112254EX.

There are three ways you can participate:

1.    Online
2.    By Phone
3.    In-Person Baltimore, MD  October 27-30

Interviews will take thirty minutes to one hour to complete.

In person interviews will be conducted in the following cities on the days indicated, those who are unable to meet in person, or who prefer to be interviewed over the phone may schedule a phone interview instead.

You are receiving this message because you are 19 years of age or older and working in an academic library.  If you work for twenty (20) or more hours per week and  if you are interested in participating please email me at kdeards2@unl.edu with the subject Health Study Interviews and indicate how you would like to participate (Online, By Phone, In-Person).

Please click the link below to view and download a copy of the informed consent form.

Exploring Health Equity in Academic Libraries Study (Interviews) Informed Consent Form

http://libraryadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Deards_Health_Equity_Online_Informed_Consent.pdf

This study will accept participants until December 31, 2012. (Please note the revised end date).

Thank you for your consideration,
Kiyomi D. Deards

Advancing Equity Through Action

I spent the end of last week switching back and forth between my regular job duties as a librarian and our Conference for Undergraduate Women in the Physical Sciences. This is one of my favorite conferences because students always do the most investing research, and it’s nice to attend a conference where I’m just there to learn and build relationships. In many ways I wear a bit more of my scientist hat at this conference than my library one, although, as always they overlap quite a bit.

Although all have been welcome in the past, previous years have focused on Physics not the Physical Sciences in general. Last year theme focused on graphene, but this year the focus of the conference was on nanomaterials. This was especially appropriate with the opening of the new nanoscience center on campus.

Another difference this year was the higher attendance and presentation (at least from my point of view as an attendee) of undergraduate and graduate men in the physical sciences. Attendees came from all over including Ohio, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Peurto Rico, and Virginia to name a few.

Students presented posters on a variety of topics from the atmospheric science, to breast cancer research, lasers, optics, seismology, to how mice communicate and more. My favorite part of the conference is talking with students about their research and career goals, letting them know about opportunities available to them, and encouraging them to forge their own unique career path that will enrich their lives and society. I think presenting students with options and opportunities is especially important because it empowers them to make thoughtful choices instead of pushing them into linear career paths with “no chance of deviation if you want to succeed”.

Sadly I wasn’t able to attend as many sessions as I would have liked but here are a few highlights from a talk titled Not Just for Jewels Only: The Incredible Story of Gold Nanoparticles given by Talat S. Rahman, Department of Physics, University of Central Florida.

*These notes are primarily paraphrases of her talk, any errors or misunderstanding should be attributed to me and not the speaker.
In regards to women in science:

Over time you can drive the change, sometimes you might be the only woman or one of two or three, keep participating and encouraging other women and you will see it shift over time.
Nanoscience and gold:

Nanoscience is about starting to look at building blocks, you study the interesting properties of these building blocks in order to lead to new technologies.  Quantum effects are often revealed at the nano-scale, and melting points vary rapidly as a function of size of nanoparticles. Properties at this scale a expected to control characteristics at a larger scale.
Using the bottom up approach is important.  We should start with atoms followed by: clusters, nano particles, powder, and bulk materials.

Gold clusters are very attractive for drug delivery because they are:

Tunable functionality with different enzymes

Water soluble

Bio compatible

Resistant to oxidation

Extremely stable under physiological conditions i.e. high salt concentrations etc.

Potential treatment of cancer

Indicator for the presence of specific bio molecules

How you prepare the samples will determine whether you get a metallic or nonmetallic particle. The spacing between gold atoms determines the plasmon mode (plasmons are electron density waves), and whether the sample acts as a metal or semiconductor in the case of gold.
Does nanoscience live up to the hype?

Reflects hope particularly in developing countries

New paradigm, novel approach

Demands diversity in thinking

Opportunities for broader participation

Novel avenues for developing human resources

Bottom up vs top down approaches

Engages creativity

It’s hard to distill the essence of someone’s talk in a few hastily typed notes but if you ever have the chance to hear Dr. Rahman speak I highly encourage you to do so.

*This conference was sponsored by the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRESC Nebraska), the Center for Nanohybrid Functional Materials (CNFM), Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, Nebraska EPSCoR, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Research and Economic Development.