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A central goal of nonmajors chemistry courses is to instill within students the sense that chemistry does not occur in a vacuum but rather permeates everyday life. To encourage students to consider chemistry within the broader context of society and public policy, a week-long module in a survey course for nonmajors was designed to connect scientific principles and energy policy. This module featured a deliberative discussion to facilitate students' evaluation and consideration of multiple viewpoints, rigorously examining different perspectives, trade-offs, benefits, and values represented in multiple alternatives. Our results demonstrate that this approach was highly impactful, resulting in several significant positive outcomes, including a deeper awareness of the connection between chemistry and other disciplines, an increased level of understanding and confidence in their knowledge, and a greater sense of urgency regarding energy policy.

Calls for reform in science education stress the need for inquiry-based, integrative methods that provide students with opportunities to solve authentic problems. Project INSITE, a four-year professional development effort in Indiana, was designed to help teachers integrate problem-centered science methods in their classrooms. This approach was characterized by use of a meaningful driving question anchored in a real-world context; student-conducted investigations that resulted in the creation of products; collaboration among students, teachers, and the community; and use of technology as a tool for gathering and sharing information. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the project suggest that it was generally successful in promoting positive teacher perceptions, fostering learner-centered classroom approaches, and leading to implementation of inquiry-based science in many classrooms.

Describes Project INSITE (Institute for Science and Technology), a partnership of Indiana school districts, scientists, Purdue University, and other organizations that collaborate to improve K-12 science education using emerging technologies. INSITE includes a summer institute, internships/mentorships, master science teacher in residence, and preservice education. Evaluations indicate that participants are positive about project activities. (SM)

The article offers information about Justice Steven H. David, member of the Indiana Supreme Court and who has a distinguished career in the military, private practice, corporate world, and trial bench. It mentions that Justice David defines the law as a system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver justice, and emphasizes the importance of upholding the rule of law despite criticism.

The article discusess the vibrancy and independence of Indiana constitutional law. It informs that Indiana Constitution is a wellspring of civil-liberty guarantees which offers a host of protections independent of the U.S. Constitution. It also informs that ways the legal community can cultivate independent state constitutional jurisprudence, along with leading cases interpreting and applying constitutional provisions.

In this article, the author reflects on the life and contributions of Justice Robert D. Rucker, who retired as 105th Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. Topics include his education at Indiana University Northwest; his participation in the Vietnam War as part of the U.S. Army 1st Air Cavalry division; his cases as Indiana Supreme Court Justice including Peterson v. Borst, related to a claim of racial discrimination; and his opinion on Indiana sentencing law in the case, Anglemyer v. State.

Background: Several studies have compared the 16-item self-report version of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16) with other depression scales, but none has used a sample of patients from a single, large, private psychiatric practice. This study compared ratings from 175 outpatients on the QIDS-SR16, the 17-item Carroll Depression Rating Scale (CDRS-SR17, a self-report modification of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression), and the thirteen depression items from the Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-D13). The Mini version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (MiniSCID) served as a "gold standard" for assessing depression., Methods: Basic item and scale statistics were obtained using classical test theory. Dimensionalities were obtained using factor analysis. Test information functions obtained from the Samejima item response theory model provided additional reliability-like results. This model was also used to compare patients classified as depressed versus nondepressed on the basis of the MiniSCID. Additional validity information was assessed comparing: (a) ANOVA effect sizes, (b) receiver operating characteristic curves, (c) univariate logistic regression, (d) the MANOVA, and (e) multivariate logistic regression., Results: The QIDS-SR16 was found to be related most strongly to the MiniSCID diagnoses. The SCL-D13, however, was the most reliable of the three scales (alpha=0.91). It was the most sensitive to differences in depression for all but the most depressed patients, for whom the CDRS-SR17 was the most sensitive. The QIDS-SR16 was the most valid based on four different analyses (effect size/ANOVA, univariate logistic regression/ROC analysis, MANOVA, and multivariate logistic regression), although only slightly more so. The QIDS-SR16 was found to be unidimensional; its items cover only the nine diagnostic symptom domains used to characterize a DSM-IV-TR major depressive episode., Conclusions: All three measures performed satisfactorily, but there are clearly defined advantages to using the QIDS-SR16, as, by its very design, it assesses the core symptoms of depression and does not require a clinician.