Education – Athens Science Observer

Navigating an ADHD diagnosis in graduate school

Ale Villegas — Thu, 12 May 2022 14:34:35 +0000

About two months ago after approaching a mental health professional for what I thought was persistent depression, I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I had seen various mental health professionals in my life and ADHD never came up in our conversations. All I actually knew about ADHD is that ADHD stigma exists …

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Biting the forbidden fruit

Jen McFaline-Figueroa — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 20:53:41 +0000

Book banning. Those two words never fail to stir up controversy, and have been especially active in the last few months. From critical race theory to evolution to gender studies to fiction, the topics that have been suggested become entirely erased from school education are wide and varied. It's understandable, though. We, as a whole, …

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Our Water, Our Health in Rural Appalachia

Jessica Fabbricatore — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 19:08:01 +0000

West Virginia is home to the newest national park, New River Gorge, known for its world class white water rafting. It is also home to some of the worst drinking water in the United States. The juxtaposition of the two could not be more clear. Old habits die hard, and in a state where an …

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The Shortage of STEM Education in Rural America

Sammi Surber — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 13:27:46 +0000

Think back to the moments throughout your life when people asked, â€œWhat do you want to be when you grow up?â€ Did your vision and dream change as you experienced the world? For me, I started out wanting to be a vet because of my deep love for my animals on my small farm, then …

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Learning Disabled People Are (Metaphorically) Disappearing

Meghan Brady — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 15:27:47 +0000

Growing up in the special education system, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: learning-disabled students become invisible as they age. That isn't to say that they aren't in the building, but that they work hard to make it less and less apparent that they are learning-disabled. By the time learning-disabled students enter college, their learning disability …

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The Trap of Pseudo-Sustainability

Simone Lim-Hing — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 16:06:45 +0000

Last week, I received an email from Brandless, an online store that specializes in affordable, healthy, and environmentally-conscious products. Their email was advertising their new line of â€œtree-freeâ€ products â€“ paper products that are made from bamboo and sugarcane, rather than trees. I strive to be environmentally conscious, but I am also a person who …

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A CURE for the Growing Demand of STEM Undergraduate Research Opportunities

athenssciencecafe — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 20:30:47 +0000

Many scientists agree that their love for scientific research began with their undergraduate research experiences. To fulfill the need for 1 million more STEM majors by 2020, university STEM programs are faced with the task of providing the multitude of students entering their programs with unique undergraduate research experiences. The demand for these transformative research …

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Speciation & the Mimulus Story

athenssciencecafe — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 15:30:46 +0000

Ever wonder how new species begin? Join director and narrator Nick Batora and animator Rishi Masalia as they explore the evolutionary processes of speciation and how the genus Mimulus has been used to study it. This video was made for students at the University of Georgia in BIOL 1107, an introductory biology lab, but is …

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Don’t Believe Everything You Read

athenssciencecafe — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 17:25:39 +0000

Don't Believe Everything You Read: The Importance of Statistics Education Did you know that approximately 73.6% of statistics are made up on the spot? Now, I don't actually know the true percentage, but this common phrase conveys the idea that at least some statistics are made up. Often times, reported statistics are incorrect or not …

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