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In an increasingly complex interconnected world, STEAM practices have gained attention in Higher Education (HE). The integration of Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics pedagogies with those from the Arts takes many forms with myriad intentions, processes and outcomes. Common aspirations pertain to equipping students with interdisciplinary skills required for the jobs market, increasing intellectual curiosity and collaboratively developing creative, socially equitable responses to complex global challenges. The Erasmus+ project "STEAM Innovation and Curriculum" involves seven European partners who have been pioneering STEAM approaches and methods. Using workshops, discussions, hacking processes and reflective practice, this collaborative work is the first comprehensive attempt to systematically analyse and showcase European approaches to STEAM in HE. Project outputs relate to the three project phases and include defining STEAM and a Handbook on STEAM approaches (Phase 1), the development of new STEAM methods (Phase 2) and developing evaluation frameworks (Phase 3). The Handbook collects and codifies HE STEAM approaches and provides a working definition highlighting key elements of STEAM projects and processes as well as guidance and inspiration for those looking to develop and introduce STEAM approaches in their institution. This paper focuses on Phase 1 outcomes and insights to help foster STEAM thinking and to tackle issues around joint STEM/Arts standards, and concerns in the HE arena such as modes of intellectual investigation, curriculum planning and the case for inter- and transdisciplinarity.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major global commodity and the primary source for baked products in agri-food supply chains. Consumers are increasingly demanding more nutritious food products with less environmental degradation, particularly related to water and fertilizer nitrogen (N) inputs. While triticale (× Triticosecale) is often referenced as having superior abiotic stress tolerance compared to wheat, few studies have compared crop productivity and resource use efficiencies under a range of N-and water-limited conditions. Because previous work has shown that blending wheat with triticale in a 40:60 ratio can yield acceptable and more nutritious baked products, we tested the hypothesis that increasing the use of triticale grain in the baking supply chain would reduce the environmental footprint for water and N fertilizer use. Using a dataset comprised of 37 site-years encompassing normal and stress-induced environments in California, we assessed yield, yield stability, and the efficiency of water and fertilizer N use for 67 and 17 commercial varieties of wheat and triticale, respectively. By identifying environments that favor one crop type over the other, we then quantified the sustainability implications of producing a mixed triticale-wheat flour at the regional scale. Results indicate that triticale outyielded wheat by 11% (p

Durum wheat is an important food crop used primarily for pasta production. High-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) encoded by the closely linked genes Glu-B1x and Glu-B1y are known for their combined effects on pasta quality, but their individual contributions and interactions remain poorly understood. In this study, we show that individual loss-of-function mutants of Glu-B1x (ΔBx6) and Glu-B1y (ΔBy8) were associated with significant reductions in gluten strength compared to the wildtype, with stronger effects in the ΔBxy double mutant. Reductions in gluten strength were reflected in reduced mixograph and alveograph parameters, gluten index, faster extrusion flow rates and increased cooking loss. Interestingly, the Glu-B1x mutation was also associated with significant increases in grain and semolina protein content, increased pasta firmness, reduced starch viscosity and increased amylose in ΔBx6 and ΔBxy. In general, the ΔBx6 mutation had stronger effects than the ΔBy8 mutation, and significant interactions between the two genes were frequent. In addition to the basic knowledge gained on the individual effects of the Bx6 and By8 subunits and their interactions, the genetic stocks developed in this study provide useful tools to study the effects of natural or synthetic HMW-GS on pasta quality parameters in a background lacking endogenous HMW-GS.

This paper explores the potential for using approaches and methods from anthropology to address inequalities and work with marginalised, voiceless groups to engage actively in decisions that affect them. We test and illustrate participatory action research (PAR) methods from anthropology that seek to understand tacit/implicit knowledge and values that may only be revealed through the study of day-to-day practices, behaviours and discourse over longer timescales. This is done through a case study of a planned development in Malta that included 170 interviews supported by situated listening and observation, observational visits over a period of time to the site and surrounding areas and public/stakeholder formal/informal meetings and workshops. Ethnographic methods helped build trust during the planning process, creating a communicative bridge for knowledge sharing. This qualitative research provided new insights based on tacit and implicit knowledge and values, highlighting specific subtleties, critical awareness, empathy and observational capacity, which are essential ingredients in socially just PAR. This included new insights into the way participation was shaped by broader socio-political contexts. By eliciting, analysing and integrating 'knowledges' in this way, action researchers can contribute to more socially equitable opportunities to participate and share power in knowledge creation.

This article critically reflects on the research portfolio by the ecological economist Clive Spash who has helped pinpoint specific and systemic blindspots in a political-economic system that prioritises myopic development trajectories divorced from ecological reality. Drawing on his published work and collaborations it seeks to make sense of the slow, or absent, progress in averting global warming and ecological destruction. Three strands of key concern and influence are identified and discussed with reference to their orientation and explicit expression regarding Ontology, Epistemology and Axiology. Some complementary points about indeterminacy and holism are presented to further strengthen the arguments for a transition towards a social-ecological economic system that puts values and principles back into focus. While Clive Spash's work has made a strong case within the economic community and appealing to ecology professionals, the value-myopia or value-vacuum has to be tackled across all disciplines, politics and society for a meaningful and urgently required transformation in decision making. Hence, the article finishes with some suggestions for the (higher) education system, and highlights the importance of simplicity and sufficiency, as well as strong sustainability-driven citizen and community action as necessary catalysts of change in this social-ecological transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes Test Analysis, an alternative assessment method which shifts the responsibility for learning and grading to the student. Students perform a written analysis of their corrected tests, especially errors, prior to receiving a final grade. Improvements in student attitudes toward tests and performance on them are reported from using Test Analysis with gifted high school students in a calculus class. (DB)

An algebra class activity of creating computer graphics by connecting a series of ordered number pairs with subsequent investigations involving the transformations of the functional relationship between the elements of those ordered pairs is presented. (JJK)

Environmental justice, the right of individuals to be protected from environmental degradation, is a strong moral and political argument. This chapter illustrates how the environmental justice frame has been used in local discourses about environmental pollution, using a case study of coal ash pollution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Qualitative research was carried out in the communities closest to several coal ash disposal sites in Tuzla, compiling diverse local perspectives on the environment. The interviews revealed that local residents bear an inequitably high amount of environmental burden for the benefit of the national and international energy market. Interviewed individuals related the state of the environment with their right to live. Using the environmental justice frame allows local communities to claim their right to formulate an opinion grounded in their everyday experience. For instance, interviewees highlight the awkwardness and dirtiness that pollution causes around their homes. They present themselves as an isolated group within their society, facing alone the environmental and social costs of the pollution. Local demands include sanitising the disposal sites; installing effective filtering systems in the energy plant's chimneys and establishing mechanisms to integrate the industry within the communities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes a mathematics activity for finding the volume of the solid appropriate for students in Advanced Placement calculus class. Benefits of creating a physical model; Useful by-product of the exercise; Information on teacher preparation and materials needed; Solutions.

Presents an activity of stitching quilts into coordinate geometry. Need for familiarity with coordinates, slope and equations for lines; Material needed for the activity.