Discusses the natural phenomena of lightning. States that the exact microphysical processes responsible for the charging of storm clouds remain in dispute although for centuries it has been known that lightning is a form of electricity. Uses diagrams to explain the structures of thunderclouds and charge transfer. (RT)

Describes perceptual mapping, a newly developed method for assessing perceptions of campus environments. Describes evaluation of a student union by students using this method. Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this perceptual mapping method for assessing college environments. (Author/ABL)

Examined effects of closed versus open physical office environment on worker attitude, perception, and interpersonal relations. Results from 24 university office employees revealed that closed environment offered privacy but isolated employees. Findings suggest use of modular furniture systems may provide privacy and still maintain interactive…

Discusses the studio as a therapeutic community of images where the therapist functions as keeper of the space. It is not the physical suitability that determines the suitability of the space; rather, distractions and imperfections in the space may more accurately mirror the state of psyche and so induce the passionate engagement that calls forth…

Describes the historical development of the spatial order of human settlement in Geary County, Kansas. Geary County's sense of place derives from the integration of physical and human environments--patterns of association between daily human activities and natural environment that have produced a particular cultural landscape. (SV)

Describes scientific research on an Earthwatch expedition to study Arenal, one of the world's most active volcanoes, in north central Costa Rica. The purpose of the two-week project was to monitor and understand the past and ongoing development of a small, geologically young, highly active stratovolcano in a tropical, high-rainfall environment.…

Examined the relationship between 147 4- to 8-year-olds' performance on physical and affective appearance-reality (AR) tasks. As expected, older children performed better than younger children on both tasks, and the children's physical and affective AR performance differed significantly only when the affective task required greater use of…

Interviews with 12 older (ages 60 to 78) and 12 younger (ages 38 to 53) administrators showed that they had similar perceptions of the physical features and privacy issues in the workplace that facilitate or impede work. Structural accommodations may not be necessary for older workers, but attention to design and privacy issues is necessary for…

The Solo often is regarded as one of the most influential components of a wilderness experience program. This paper is the culmination of three researchers' work related to the wilderness Solo experience and intentional solitude. The Solo experiences studied were Montreat College's Discovery Wilderness Program and Wheaton College's High Road…

This article presents specific teaching material for the primary school level that introduces basic concepts of environmental comfort. The authors developed 2 booklets to make children aware of the built environment. Following a postoccupancy evaluation of state schools in the city of Campinas, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, the research team…

Discussion about the nexus between research and teaching in higher education has so far tended to take place at a generic level, with comparatively little attention paid to the significance of subject-based variations. Drawing on an educational development project involving four UK universities, the article considers the research-teaching nexus…

This working paper explores the methodology and initial issues raised in seeking to involve young children in the design process. It reports a study concerned with how young children can play an active role in the designing and developing of children's spaces. The focus is on children under 6 years old in early childhood provision. (Contains 2…

Urban universities present an inherent conflict for administrators who oversee campus planning and development. Some see the need to withdraw and create an academic refuge. Others believe a campus must integrate physically with the city in order to stay relevant. The two approaches cannot be more dramatically different, and they have profound…

Universities often lack a detailed understanding of the environmental backgrounds of their students. One way to improve understanding is through segmentation, which breaks down a population into groups of people with similar characteristics. This study aims to use segmentation to determine groups within the student population, based on…

In recent years researchers have paid substantial attention to the issue of college students' alcohol use. One limitation to the current literature is an over reliance on retrospective, self-report survey data. This article presents field methodologies for measuring college students' alcohol consumption in natural drinking environments.…