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1. Construction Worker-Drone Safety Training in a 360 Virtual Reality Environment: A Pilot Study

   https://doi.org/10.29007/8cjv  

   Cheng, Jiun-Yao; Lunardini Silva Mendes, Eduardo; Gheisari, Masoud; Jeelani, Idris (January 2022, EPiC Series in Built Environment)

   Integrating drones into construction sites can introduce new risks to workers who already work in hazardous environments. Consequently, several recent studies have investigated the safety challenges and solutions associated with this technology integration in construction. However, there is a knowledge gap about effectively communicating such safety challenges to construction professionals and students who may work alongside drones on job sites. In this study, a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) environment was created as a training platform to communicate the safety challenges of worker-drone interactions on construction jobsites. This pilot study assesses the learning effectiveness and user experience of the developed 360 VR worker-drone safety training, which provides an immersive device-agnostic learning experience. The result indicates that such 360 VR learning material could significantly increase the safety knowledge of users while delivering an acceptable user experience in most of its assessment criteria. The outcomes of this study will serve as a valuable resource for improving future worker-drone safety training materials. 

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2. Attitudes and Perceptions of Wood Energy Technologies in the Great Lakes Region, USA

   Huff, E; Mittlefehldt, S; Bunting, E; Welsh, J; Goodwin, R (July 2023, Biomass & Bioenergy)

   This paper explores social acceptance of different wood-based energy applications in the Great Lakes region in the Upper Midwest, USA. Specifically, the paper examines attitudes and perceptions towards residential wood burning, commercial-scale wood boilers for heat, combined heat and power (CHP) facilities, and industrial power generation in Michigan. In 2021, we conducted a state-wide survey (n = 207) and 30 semi-structured interviews with individuals representing different stakeholder perspectives, including regulatory agencies, biomass industry leaders, non-governmental organizations and scientists who have shaped biomass debates, forest products workers, and Michigan residents. Results suggest that the depth of an individual's knowledge about different types of wood energy applications generally led to more positive attitudes, particularly for smaller-scale uses of wood for heat. Despite perceived environmental, economic, and human health risks of using wood for different energy applications, across all stakeholder groups, 70% of respondents perceived environmental benefits, 61% perceived economic benefits, and 57% perceived health benefits. Changing economic and environmental conditions in different parts of the state contributed to people's attitudes toward different forms of wood energy and their perceptions of associated risks and benefits. A key recommendation of this study is that policy-makers and energy developers seek to understand the complex factors that influence social acceptance when planning for the adoption of new types of wood-based bioenergy technologies. 

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3. Attitudes and perceptions of wood energy technologies in the Great Lakes region, USA

   Huff, E; Mittlefehldt, S; Bunting, E; Welsh, J; Goodwin, R (July 2023, Biomass and Bioenergy)

   This paper explores social acceptance of different wood-based energy applications in the Great Lakes region in the Upper Midwest, USA. Specifically, the paper examines attitudes and perceptions towards residential wood burning, commercial-scale wood boilers for heat, combined heat and power (CHP) facilities, and industrial power generation in Michigan. In 2021, we conducted a state-wide survey (n = 207) and 30 semi-structured interviews with individuals representing different stakeholder perspectives, including regulatory agencies, biomass industry leaders, non-governmental organizations and scientists who have shaped biomass debates, forest products workers, and Michigan residents. Results suggest that the depth of an individual's knowledge about different types of wood energy applications generally led to more positive attitudes, particularly for smaller-scale uses of wood for heat. Despite perceived environmental, economic, and human health risks of using wood for different energy applications, across all stakeholder groups, 70% of respondents perceived environmental benefits, 61% perceived economic benefits, and 57% perceived health benefits. Changing economic and environmental conditions in different parts of the state contributed to people's attitudes toward different forms of wood energy and their perceptions of associated risks and benefits. A key recommendation of this study is that policy-makers and energy developers seek to understand the complex factors that influence social acceptance when planning for the adoption of new types of wood-based bioenergy technologies. 

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4. Investigating mental health distress and help-seeking perceptions in first-year engineering students

   Armstrong, I.; Dailey, D.; Wilder, K.; Blackburn-Lynch, W.; Hammer, J.H.; Wilson, S.A. (January 2022, ASEE annual conference exposition)

   Distressed engineering students are significantly less likely to seek professional help for a mental health concern when compared to their non-engineering peers. This represents a treatment gap, making engineering students at risk for escalation of symptoms to more significant and potentially chronic mental illness. To better understand the causes of this treatment gap, this study was designed to look at first-year engineering students’ perceptions of seeking help for a mental health concern. Self-report survey data was collected from 440 first-year engineering students during the first month of the Fall 2021 semester, including psychometrically sound measures of mental health help-seeking attitudes, perceived norms, personal agency, and intention developed in accordance with the Integrated Behavioral Model. Results show 12% of students self-report symptoms of moderate or higher depression and 14% moderate or higher anxiety. While these statistics are lower than the national averages for college students, breakdowns by gender showed that female students showed a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression compared to the corresponding national average. In general, students had positive attitudes, control, and self-efficacy related to seeking help for a mental health concern. Mean scores for help-seeking intention and perceived norms were lower, with 50% of distressed students indicating low intention to seek professional help if in distress. Results from this study provide insight into the key mental health help-seeking perceptions that could influence help-seeking intention in first-year engineering students. This could aid in identifying targets for interventions aimed at improving help-seeking within this student population. 

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5. The role of communication professionals in fostering a culture of public engagement

   https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2021.1943763  

   Besley, John C.; Garlick, Sarah; Fallon Lambert, Kathy; Tiffany, Leigh Anne (July 2021, International Journal of Science Education, Part B)

   null (Ed.)

   This study initially reports on qualitative interviews (n = 17) with scientists at two Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites in the northeastern United States. These interviews suggest the need for greater attention to the role of communication professionals and institutional leadership in fostering high-quality public engagement. The study also reports on a follow-up quantitative survey (n = 68) conducted to better understand the degree to which LTER scientists’ views about communication professionals were meaningfully associated with perceptions about the need for robust engagement funding. The project was initially designed based on the Integrated Behavioral Model to assess how individual LTER scientists’ engagement-related attitudes, normative beliefs, and efficacy beliefs affected their communication activities. However, the combined results highlight the potential value of additional research and theorization aimed at better understanding the factors that might lead to greater cooperation between scientists and organizational communicators. 

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