Rapid Assessment of Sulfate Resistance in Mortar and Concrete.

Extensive research has been conducted on the sulfate attack of concrete structures; however, the need to adopt the use of more sustainable materials is driving a need for a quicker test method to assess sulfate resistance. This work presents accelerated methods that can reduce the time required for assessing the sulfate resistance of mixtures by 70%. Class F fly ash has historically been used in concrete mixtures to improve sulfate resistance.

A Comprehensive Study on Non-Proprietary Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Containing Supplementary Cementitious Materials.

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is a novel cement-based material with exceptional mechanical and durability properties. Silica fume, the primary supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in UHPC, is expensive in North America, so it is often substituted with inexpensive class F fly ash. However, future availability of fly ash is uncertain as the energy industry moves toward renewable energy, which creates an urgent need to find cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to fly ash.

From Pre-Service to Professional Teaching: A Longitudinal Study of Two LGBTQ+-identifying First-Year Elementary Teachers' Experiences.

Researchers have documented that being an LGBTQ+-identifying teacher can present particular challenges and marginalizing experiences. This longitudinal, qualitative study is a follow-up to a year-long endeavor documenting the experiences of one gay and one lesbian-identifying preservice teachers as they navigated school and a professional job search. In this study, we followed these same two teachers as they entered their first year of professional teaching in academic year 2015-2016, and we present the experiences, difficulties, challenges, and navigation of these two LGTBQ+-identifying elementary teachers.

On Becoming an LGBTQ+-Identifying Teacher: A Year-Long Study of Two Gay and Lesbian Preservice Elementary Teachers.

LGBTQ+-identifying preservice teachers must navigate several different contexts, including the university and public schools, wherein they must make decisions about being open ("out") regarding their LGBTQ+ identities. However, the small amount of research to date has typically focused on the experiences of LGBTQ+ educators already actively working in public schools. In this year-long, qualitative case study, we present the experiences, perspectives, and challenges of two elementary preservice teachers who identify as gay and lesbian through their year-long student teaching placement.