Since 2011, Oregon State University has conducted integrated pest management (IPM) training specific to public schools. School personnel receive onsite training on key IPM practices as well as associated materials. To determine which practices and materials school employees are using as a result of the program, we administered a survey to 2016…

Trait anxiety is considered to be a risk factor for anxiety disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate how trait anxiety affects associative learning during and after an aversive event in laboratory rats. For this, rats were first submitted to a light-dark box test, followed by relief, safety, and fear learning. Our data…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition impacting individuals' social communication and interactions. Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have been identified as practice modalities for children with ASD. A systematic review of the literature was completed identifying 13 articles addressing the impact AAI has on the social…

This study examined one Midwestern university's emotional support animal (ESA) population and asked the question, "Are ESAs effective in the context of higher education given the academic and social demands of a student?" The number of ESA requests has increased in recent years as more students considered an ESA to help regulate…

We present a drawing discovery lab that crosscuts multiple disciplines in biology and links concepts in genetics and evolutionary thinking to enhance understanding of the genotype-to-phenotype transformation. These combined concepts are also linked to ecological frameworks in nature through the model of biological plasticity. Students and teachers…

In today's dynamic global economy, integrated units of study are particularly important. Students who are fluent in several disciplines and comfortable moving among them can make meaningful connections and maintain enhanced understandings (Sias et al. 2016). This article shares an integrated STEAM unit that is grounded in the science disciplinary…

Purpose: The larynx plays a role in swallowing, respiration, and voice production. All three functions change during ontogeny. We investigated ontogenetic shape changes using a mouse model to inform our understanding of how laryngeal form and function are integrated. We understand the characterization of developmental changes to larynx anatomy as…

Animal love holds an important role in the emotional and social development of children. The ability of children to form an attachment to and to take responsibility for an animal, and the development of sensitive behaviors towards animals emphasize the importance of animal love in the personal development of children. This study was conducted to…

Using a mixed model, we evaluated effects of national 4-H hippology and livestock skillathon contests on youths' content knowledge, 21st century skills, and postsecondary plans. Hippology participants gained significant knowledge in all topics except breeds, and livestock skillathon contestants gained significant knowledge in all topics. The…

Marcus William Hunt argues that when co-parents disagree over whether to raise their child (or children) as a vegan, they should reach a compromise as a gift given by one parent to the other out of respect for his or her authority. Josh Millburn contends that Hunt's proposal of parental compromise over veganism is unacceptable on the ground that…

I teach an animal behavior course where students conduct independent research projects; however, using live animals for research is challenging at a small university. Often, students choose to conduct a laboratory project over a field project believing that it will be easier to observe animals and control variables, but it can be difficult and…

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer a unique platform through which Extension can provide valuable education. We explored The Meat We Eat, a MOOC designed to create a more informed meat consumer and increase perceptions of transparency surrounding meat production. Compared to pretest respondents (n = 490), students who completed the posttest…

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized extracellular matrix structures that surround subsets of neurons throughout the central nervous system (CNS). They are made up of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), hyaluronan, tenascin-R, and many other link proteins that together make up their rigid and lattice-like structure. Modulation of PNNs…

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is a cellular pathway by which individual cells self-destruct for the benefit of the organism. In this practical paper, we describe laboratory exercises with an inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach in which undergraduate students compared apoptosis among different types of cultured cells. Ultraviolet (UV)…

The aim of the present assay is to provide a simple algorithm as well as a didactic theoretical framework that may serve as an introduction to understanding modern habitat suitability (HS) modelling techniques in Ecology and Biogeography. The proposal is built on classical descriptive statistics and classical ecological theories. Shelford's theory…