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Objective/Research Question: This paper reports on data collected in a multi-year National Science Foundation grant project involving a professional development (PD) model built to support community college faculty as change agents (CAs). The research question was: How do disciplinary communities of practice (CoP) emerge among community college faculty working in teams? Methods: This research employed a mixed-method design. Data collection included interviews, focus-group sessions, reflective journals, observations, end-of-workshop evaluations, survey data with the 23 geoscience faculty CA, and data from a national survey. Data analysis used the principles of CoP. Results: When compared to other community college geoscience faculty nationally, the participants in our study reported greater levels of behaviors characteristic of CoP. The CoP emerged due to network building and resource sharing within the PD. The findings highlight the significance of structured PD on the development of robust disciplinary CoP. The initial orientation of CAs, existing institutional structures, and cultures of community colleges influenced the CoP. Putting lessons learned into practice, sharing outcomes, and leading regional PD for others contributed to strengthening of the CoP. Conclusions/Contributions: Intentional PD catalyzed the emergence of strong CoP among the community college geoscience faculty participants. The opportunities to connect with disciplinary colleagues teaching in community colleges who shared an interest in supporting student success and improving teaching practices and the opportunity to share lessons learned contributed to the CoP. Structured interactions, critical reflection, and leading colleagues in PD supported developing, maintaining, and growing the CoP.

Background and Purpose- Determinants for molecular and structural instability, that is, impending growth or rupture, of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) remain uncertain. To elucidate this, we endeavored to estimate the actual turnover rates of the main molecular constituent in human IA (collagen) on the basis of radiocarbon (14C) birth dating in relation to IA hemodynamics. Methods- Collagen turnover rates in excised human IA samples were calculated using mathematical modeling of 14C birth dating data of collagen in relation to risk factors and histological markers for collagen maturity/turnover in selected IA. Hemodynamics were simulated using image-based computational fluid dynamics. Correlation, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed. Results- Collagen turnover rates were estimated in 46 IA (43 patients); computational fluid dynamics could be performed in 20 IA (20 patients). The mean collagen turnover rate (γ) constituted 126% (±1% error) per year. For patients with arterial hypertension, γ was greater than 2600% annually, whereas γ was distinctly lower with 32% (±1% error) per year for patients without risk factors, such as smoking and hypertension. There was a distinct association between histological presence of rather immature collagen in human IA and the presence of modifiable risk factors. Spatial-temporal averaged wall shear stress predicted rapid collagen turnover (odds ratio, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.0-2.7]). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated a good test accuracy (area under the curve, 0.798 [95% CI, 0.598-0.998]) for average wall shear stress with a threshold ≥4.9 Pa for rapid collagen turnover. Conclusions- Our data indicate that turnover rates and stability of collagen in human IA are strongly associated with the presence of modifiable risk factors and aneurysmal hemodynamics. These findings underline the importance of strict risk factor modification in patients with unruptured IA. Future should include more detailed risk factor data to establish a more causal understanding of hemodynamics and the rupture risk of individual IA.

Faculty professional development (PD) remains a powerful tool in activating inclusive teaching practices that increase success for a broader diversity of students. The "Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education at Two-Year Colleges: Two-Year Faculty as Agents of Change" program demonstrates a PD model that increases use of evidence-based teaching practices and cultivates faculty as change agents. Classroom observations coupled with interviews and surveys of participants across three cohorts and student course outcomes data attest to the influence of the program in changes in practice at the classroom and program level and increased agency of faculty as leaders at their institution. Development of faculty leaders on campus supports classroom changes and provides a lever to scale institutional and regional change.

The geosciences have a pervasive, persistent, and deeply troubling lack of diversity, despite the availability of a suite of well-documented, research-based strategies for broadening participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The pervasiveness, persistence, and depth of the problem indicate that the lack of diversity is systemic, and is embedded in the culture of our discipline, including in the academic departments where future geoscientists are educated. Shifting the demographics of our community will therefore require changing the culture of geoscience, including within our departments. Departmental change is possible and can be accelerated intentionally. Levers for cultural change include using data to illuminate the need; incentivizing the work that closes equity gaps and builds inclusive environments; and developing a departmental community of practice committed to just, equitable outcomes. Departmental discussion groups can facilitate and support both the development of a community of practice and the ongoing work of the community, including identifying context-appropriate solutions from the research literature. The SAGE 2YC project (Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education at Two-Year Colleges) has used discussion groups to raise awareness and understanding of the factors leading to homogeneity in the geoscience community and of the strategies for achieving equity and inclusion. SAGE 2YC participants have successfully closed or narrowed equity gaps. As scientists, we have the skills necessary to gather, analyze, and interpret relevant data and to evaluate the efficacy of strategies we implement. As humans, we have the moral and ethical responsibility to do this work to improve equity and inclusion in STEM.

This chapter presents the experiences of adjunct faculty in the "SAGE 2YC: Faculty as Change Agents" project through the stories of five participants who share the influence of the project on them and their work. We describe the professional development that occurred in the project, which included learning with colleagues from across the country, implementing changes in their classroom teaching and beyond, and leading follow-on workshops in teams on campus and/or in the region. The participant stories illustrate how the project gave them agency and validated their work. Adjunct faculty make important contributions to student and faculty success, and there is power in engaging adjunct faculty as leaders and change agents and fully realizing their potential.

Drawing from examples of career development initiatives implemented by SAGE 2YC Faculty Change Agents, this chapter illustrates the role of career development in supporting the success of all community college students and guides faculty, administrators, and professional societies on how to advance student career development on a variety of scales. Career development as an integral component of community college science courses has major implications for increasing the diversity of science professionals, conveying the importance of science and scientific literacy in career sectors within and outside of the sciences, reducing equity gaps in students' career development as undergraduates, and facilitating skill-building necessary for the workforce. We urge community college science faculty and administrators to consider the powerful impact that career skill-building and career exploration have on students and encourage the adoption of career development activities at the classroom, program, and institutional levels.

This chapter presents the leadership journeys of five faculty who participated in the SAGE 2YC: Faculty as Change Agents project. These faculty stories illustrate the influence of the project on their leadership and work as mid-level administrative or grassroots leaders. Key to the project was the explicit inclusion of leadership development in the professional development (PD). Learning about organizational frames and leadership approaches, the experience of faculty participants designing and leading their own workshops, and the resulting community of practice contributed to the leadership development of faculty participants. Implications and recommendations for leadership development of faculty members, critically important for colleges, concludes the chapter.

This article reviews a virtual professional development program for STEM faculty conducted in 2020 in which, due to COVID, faculty participants had to adjust their teaching practices. The study found that the program's structure, focus, and ability to foster community helped sustain faculty members. Participants shared lessons learned through virtual workshops they led for others on their campuses.

This chapter addresses the engagement of geoscience societies with community college faculty, traces the emergence of the Geo2YC Division as a model for others, and provides examples that focus on ways to build a professional community.

This chapter summarizes the varied disciplinary society structures and synthesizes the ways to enhance the relationship between the disciplinary societies and their community college partners.

Community colleges are a major entry point for many students to post-secondary education, particularly for minority, first-generation, low-income, and older students. A range of factors including transfer-readiness, curricular alignment, financial barriers, and transfer guidance, influence successful transfer between two-year colleges (2YCs) and four-year colleges and universities (4YCs). One critical factor related to transfer-readiness may be the degree to which students have similar experiences in the development of key skills in their introductory courses. This study uses the 2016 National Geoscience Faculty Survey to compare self-reported teaching practices used by instructors in introductory geoscience courses that support the development of students' quantitative, data analysis, problem-based, communication, and metacognitive skills in 2YCs and 4YCs. Based on responses of 1,027 instructors (238 in 2YCs and 789 in 4YCs), a majority of the teaching practices in skills development in 2YCs are similar to those in 4YCs. Of the 24 teaching practices analyzed, seven displayed statistically significant differences after accounting for class size and active class time, however, the logistic models do not predict major differences between 2YCs and 4YCs. The findings of this study may serve to initiate discussions and collaborations between 2YCs and 4YCs, which could strengthen the transfer process and reduce challenges for transfer students.

The geoscience education research (GER) community has produced a collaborative research framework that summarizes guiding questions for future research to inform and improve undergraduate geoscience teaching and learning. The GER Framework (St. John [Ed.], 2018a) was developed through an iterative process involving multiple stages of community input. In total, approximately 200 geoscience educators and researchers contributed to this project in one or more of the following capacities: as authors, reviewers, survey respondents, workshop participants, webinar participants, town hall participants, and/or focus group participants. Review of survey data, reports, publications, and discussions resulted in a set of guiding questions and research strategies for ten research areas where individual researchers can make important contributions. While presented as distinct research areas, the ten themes have numerous cross-theme opportunities that integrate content areas, skills, and types of students. Cross-theme recommendations regarding strategies for future research are described here, along with suggested synergies with other national efforts in geoscience and STEM education.

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers' "Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty: Teaching, Research, and Managing One's Career" has been offered annually since 1999. The five-day workshop with accompanying web resources employs a "whole faculty" approach to support geoscience faculty members during their transition into academic careers. More than 1,000 faculty members (53% female, 47% male) have attended the national workshop; 52% from doctoral-granting institutions, 15% master's, 28% bachelor's, and 5% associates. Evidence-based instructional practices are shared and modeled during workshop sessions. Situated learning theory grounds the workshop design and promotes the development of a community of practice. Examination of the 2016 National Geoscience Faculty Survey data using univariate analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) showed that workshop alumni report spending more class time on student activities, questions, and discussion than faculty members who did not participate in the workshop, particularly on small group discussions or think-pair-share and in-class exercises (for introductory courses p < 0.05; for majors courses p < 0.001). Workshop alumni also were more likely than faculty who did not participate to report feeling part of a geoscience community that shares their goals, philosophy, and values for geoscience education (p < 0.01), more likely to report that interactions with this community help them to become better educators (p < 0.001), and more likely to attend talks on teaching methods or science education (p < 0.001). Although causality cannot be established without random assignment, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that this discipline-based workshop with its holistic approach is effective at promoting evidence-based teaching strategies and a community of practice.

Background: Novel on‐board CBCT allows for improved image quality and Hounsfield unit accuracy. When coupled with online adaptive tools, this may have potential to allow for simulation and treatment to be completed in a single on‐table session. Purpose: To study the feasibility of a high‐efficiency radiotherapy treatment workflow without the use of a separate session for simulation imaging. The dosimetric accuracy, overall efficiency, and technical feasibility were used to evaluate the clinical potential of CT simulation‐free adaptive radiotherapy. Methods: Varian's Ethos adaptive radiotherapy treatment platform was upgraded with a novel CBCT system, HyperSight which reports image quality and Hounsfield unit accuracy specifications comparable to standard fan‐beam CT. Using in‐house developed MATLAB software, CBCT images were imported into the system and used for planning. Two test cases were completed on anthropomorphic phantoms equipped with small volume ion chambers (cross‐calibrated to an ADCL traceable dose standard) to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of the workflows. A simulated palliative spine treatment was planned with 8 Gy in one fraction, and an intact prostate treatment was planned with 60 Gy in 20 fractions. The CBCTs were acquired using HyperSight with default thorax and pelvis imaging protocols and reconstructed using an iterative algorithm with scatter removal, iCBCT Acuros. CBCTs were used for contouring and planning, and treatment was delivered via an online adaptive workflow. In addition, an external dosimetry audit was completed using only on‐board CBCT imaging in an end‐to‐end head and neck phantom irradiation. Results: An extended‐field CBCT acquisition can be acquired in 12 s, in addition to the time for longitudinal table shifts, and reconstructed in approximately 1 min. The superior‐inferior extent for the CBCT planning images was 38.2 cm, which captured the full extent of relevant anatomy. The contouring and treatment planning for the spine and prostate were completed in 30 and 18 min, respectively. The dosimetric agreement between ion chamber measurements and the treatment plan was within a range of −1.4 to 1.6%, and a mean and standard deviation of 0.41 ± 1.16%. All metrics used in the external audit met the passing criteria, and the dosimetric comparison between fan‐beam and CBCT techniques had a gamma passing rate of 99.0% with a criteria of 2%/2 mm. Conclusion: Using an in‐house workflow, CT simulation‐free radiation therapy was shown to be feasible with acceptable workflow efficiency and dosimetric accuracy. This approach may be particularly applicable for urgent palliative treatments. With the availability of software to enable this workflow, and the continued advancement of on‐treatment adaptation, single‐visit radiation therapy may replace current practice for some clinical indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the extent to which college and university geoscience faculty report using education practices that contribute to more inclusive learning environments and engage a diverse population of students? In the 2016 National Geoscience Faculty Survey, faculty answered questions about their practices in a specific introductory or major course they had taught in the previous two years, and about how they share and learn about the content and methods used in their teaching. Based on factor analysis, 22 of the survey questions divided into four categories associated with inclusive teaching practices: geoscientist representations, curricular choices, learning strategies, and career pathways. The self-reported use of practices across these four categories varies greatly, with some used by as many as 71% of faculty respondents whereas others by only 8%. These data provide new information on the current state of teaching practices in the geosciences with regard to inclusive practices, and establish a baseline to which responses from future surveys may be compared. Univariate general modeling combined with ANOVA tests on the responses to the questions shows that education practices differ based on variables such as teaching style, communication with colleagues, years of teaching experience, faculty type, institution type, class size, and course type (introductory or major). These differences suggest opportunities for focused geoscience faculty development around education practices that support the success of a diverse population of undergraduate students and the enhancement of inclusive learning environments in the geosciences.