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The researchers conducted a qualitative case study to describe the experiences (over the course of a semester) of an inter-disciplinary team of three special education and three psychology undergraduates who participated in a relational learning community and a graduate student who designed and facilitated this learning community. An associate professor and special education researcher oversaw and co-facilitated the project. The design of the learning community promoted the building of rapport and trust among the group members and the progress of the group toward a common goal of incorporating principles from psychology to develop teaching strategies for students who are struggling in math and experiencing severe math anxiety. Gathering more frequent and individualized feedback would have helped the learning community facilitator make some key adjustments earlier in the project, but the incorporation of rapport building activities that supported trust and collaboration among the group was supportive of group progress toward a common goal. We learned key lessons about how to design and implement a learning community that can be applied to the field of education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and other contexts. 

The electricE1 and magneticM1 dipole responses of the$$N=Z$$$N=Z$nucleus$$^{24}$$${}^{24}$Mg were investigated in an inelastic photon scattering experiment. The 13.0 MeV electrons, which were used to produce the unpolarised bremsstrahlung in the entrance channel of the$$^{24}$$${}^{24}$Mg($$\gamma ,\gamma ^{\prime }$$$\gamma ,{\gamma }^{\prime }$) reaction, were delivered by the ELBE accelerator of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. The collimated bremsstrahlung photons excited one$$J^{\pi }=1^-$$$J^{\pi }=1^{-}$, four$$J^{\pi }=1^+$$$J^{\pi }=1^{+}$, and six$$J^{\pi }=2^+$$$J^{\pi }=2^{+}$states in$$^{24}$$${}^{24}$Mg. De-excitation$$\gamma $$$\gamma$rays were detected using the four high-purity germanium detectors of the$$\gamma $$$\gamma$ELBE setup, which is dedicated to nuclear resonance fluorescence experiments. In the energy region up to 13.0 MeV a total$$B(M1)\uparrow = 2.7(3)~\mu _N^2$$$B\left(M1\right)\uparrow =2.7\left(3\right){\mu }_N^2$is observed, but this$$N=Z$$$N=Z$nucleus exhibits only marginalE1 strength of less than$$\sum B(E1)\uparrow \le 0.61 \times 10^{-3}$$$\sum B\left(E1\right)\uparrow \le 0.61\times {10}^{-3}$ e$$^2 \, $$${}^2$fm$$^2$$${}^2$. The$$B(\varPi 1, 1^{\pi }_i \rightarrow 2^+_1)/B(\varPi 1, 1^{\pi }_i \rightarrow 0^+_{gs})$$$B(\Pi 1,1_i^{\pi }\to 2_1^{+})/B(\Pi 1,1_i^{\pi }\to 0_{\mathrm{gs}}^{+})$branching ratios in combination with the expected results from the Alaga rules demonstrate thatKis a good approximative quantum number for$$^{24}$$${}^{24}$Mg. The use of the known$$\rho ^2(E0, 0^+_2 \rightarrow 0^+_{gs})$$${\rho }^2(E0,0_2^{+}\to 0_{\mathrm{gs}}^{+})$strength and the measured$$B(M1, 1^+ \rightarrow 0^+_2)/B(M1, 1^+ \rightarrow 0^+_{gs})$$$B(M1,1^{+}\to 0_2^{+})/B(M1,1^{+}\to 0_{\mathrm{gs}}^{+})$branching ratio of the 10.712 MeV$$1^+$$$1^{+}$level allows, in a two-state mixing model, an extraction of the difference$$\varDelta \beta _2^2$$$\Delta {\beta }_2^2$between the prolate ground-state structure and shape-coexisting superdeformed structure built upon the 6432-keV$$0^+_2$$$0_2^{+}$level.

 

Gamma-ray detection following the inelastic neutron scattering reaction on isotopically enriched material was used to study the nuclear structure of 74 Ge. From these measurements, low-lying, low-spin excited states were characterized, new states and their decays were identified, level lifetimes were measured with the Doppler-shift attenuation method (DSAM), multipole mixing ratios were established, and transition probabilities were determined. New structural features in 74 Ge were identified, and the reanalysis of older 76 Ge data led to the placement of the 2 + member of the intruder band. In addition, a number of previously placed states in 74 Ge were shown not to exist. A procedure for future work, which will lead to meaningful data for constraining calculations of the neutrinoless double-beta decay matrix element, is suggested.