ACET, Inc. Blog

This week, we checked in with ACET staff again to find out what we’ve been reading.

Joseph: Why Does the World Exist by Jim Holt: This book is a series of interviews with physicists and philosophers on the old philosophical question of “why is there something rather than nothing?” Put another way, “why is there existence rather than nothing?” Positions vary on this from the question being irrelevant (the state of nothing being impossible) to the principals of quantum mechanics requiring there be something to something being ethically better than nothing. It was a fascinating read (I just finished!) and would appeal to anyone who has ever pondered this or is awe struck by the state of existence.

Kirsten: I recently finished reading Hunting Eichmann by Neal Bascomb. The first half of the book describes Adoph Eichmann’s life during the final days of the war, surviving under false identities immediately after the war, and his escape to and life in Argentina. For example, did you know that Eichmann was arrested and imprisoned in allied POW camps twice, and managed to escape both times? The second half of the book explains how the Israeli government found Eichmann and planned for his capture and transport to Israel, the trial, and final judgment. If you are interested in World War II history, you might want to check it out!

Dan: Lately I’ve been reading up on my professional development resources in preparation to present at the ADARA (formerly known as the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association) 2013 conference. I’ve become engrossed with articles on survey design and development best practices.

Elizabeth: I am currently reading Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Estes discusses the instinctual nature of women, which is illustrated through the book with bits of folklore, myths, and fairy tales. Estes believes that women’s instinctual nature has been repressed, and in order for women to become whole, they must embark on a path of self-discovery to examine their preferences and shortcomings, especially as these traits relate to societal norms and expectations. I haven’t gotten far enough into the narrative to really issue an opinion yet, but I enjoy the storytelling of the author and the examination of feminine myths.

Mary: Once again, I’m reading a graphic novel – this time it’s Volume 2 of Genshiken Second Season by Kio Shimoku. Short for Gendai Shikaku Bunka Kenkyuukai (or, the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture), Genshiken is a fictional collegiate student club that overlaps other, more respectable clubs for video games, animation, and comics by focusing on the fan culture for those mediums, especially the production of fan works. The new characters introduced at the beginning of this new series remain true to the depth, humor, and humanity of the first series, but I think it’s still taking off. The new central character seems to be an underclassman named Hato, a boy using media and fan works to navigate personal issues of gender, identity, and presentation.

Stella: I just started reading Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, PhD. It was recommended by a colleague of mine.

What have you been reading lately? Join the discussion in the comments.

ACET Staff

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, ACET’s evaluators were asked to share what they love about being evaluator, or what makes them passionate about evaluation. Here’s what they had to say:

Stella: What I like about evaluation is that I always get opportunities to be creative. You work with the client and customize the evaluation in a new way every time – it’s never a mundane process. There’s always something new to problem solve and to explore.

Joseph: I am passionate about presenting usable results to clients. One piece in the cycle of evaluation is to report to clients, but I enjoy thinking about how to best derive results that are most useful to clients and maximize usability. This thinking begins when I first learn about the client, and doesn’t end until I think we have squeezed all the useful information we can out of the available data.

Dan: One thing I love about being an evaluator is when I see the evaluation results being used. They could be used for program improvement, organization reporting requirements, or just to increase someone’s knowledge in a certain area. When I see the results being used, it makes me feel that I have effectively performed my job as an evaluator.

Elizabeth: What I love most about being an evaluator is working with clients to improve their operations or programming. Many people are unfamiliar with evaluation, and some people are nervous about the whole process. I love getting to know our clients and working with them to tailor our evaluation services to ensure the results will be useful for all involved. I think the close relationship that we at ACET forge with our clients can help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety associated with evaluation, and there’s nothing I like better than when clients get really excited about upcoming evaluation activities, and get really into planning the evaluation.

Kirsten: One of the things I love most about being an evaluator is problem solving. I love being faced with new and interesting challenges and finding creative solutions. It might be finding cost-efficient options for a client’s data collection, or the best way to present evaluation findings in reports, but each day is a new, wonderful opportunity to solve problems.

What do you love about being an evaluator, or about evaluation? Let us know in the comments.

ACET Staff

We are very excited to announce that Elizabeth Pihlaja has successfully defended her final project to obtain a Master’s degree in Public Health. To complete her final project, Elizabeth designed and implemented a process evaluation of a community-based doula program operating in four northern Wisconsin Native American tribal communities. Elizabeth says, “I’m so grateful for the support of my project committee, ACET coworkers, and family during this very long process, and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to learn all I did in working with this wonderful program.”

We are very proud of Elizabeth’s hard work and are glad to have her as a member of our team.

ACET Staff

(with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)

‘Twas the day before the meeting

And all through the office

Not a voice was stirring;

Not even the boss’.

Reports were being crafted

By evaluators with care

In hopes that key stakeholders

Would be made aware.

When up from the phone there rose such a clatter

Stella picked it right up to see what was the matter

And her eyes lit up at what she did hear:

“The clients are in town! And they’re coming straight here!”

More rapid than eagles we flew into action

Each with their instructions, dedication, and passion:

“On Joseph, on Kirsten, Elizabeth, and Dan!

All’s nearly ready – we’ll stick to the plan!

We worked with great fury to complete every task

Memos, agendas, and questions to ask

Surveys to take and focus group scripts

Mary was lighthearted: “’Tis the season,” she quipped.

Thus all became ready at the foreordained hour

Mixed-method displays of evaluation power

Then the clients arrived, and were pleased and astonished

But Stella arose and was moved to admonish:

“We are client-focused! It’s our cause and our mission!

We are flexible and sensitive to each condition!

We are nimble and responsive, so never you fear!

If you need to call on us, we’ll always be here!”

So our story’s been told,

With one thing to say yet –

Happy holidays to all

From all at ACET.

Mary

September is starting off busy for ACET as staff travel all over the country.

Stella Zimmerman just returned from a Labor Day weekend trip to Alaska with her husband, where she engaged in halibut fishing and visited the Alaska State Fair, where she saw the world’s largest cabbage, weighing more than 138 pounds. She reports that it was an educational and adventurous experience.

Kirsten Anderson departs this weekend for a wedding in Washington, D.C. She looks forward to catching up with old friends who are gathering from all over the country and the world for the event.

Next week, Stella and Kirsten Rewey will be in Salt Lake City, Utah for the annual conference of the Regional Resource Centers Program (RRCP). The conference is expected to be well attended and will last for the entire week.

Last, but not least, Dan Regnier will be in Iowa surrounded by friends and family as he gets married this weekend, followed by a week’s honeymoon in San Diego, California. This will be Dan’s first time in San Diego. He and his fiancée look forward to relaxing with each other on the beach. Congratulations and best wishes to Dan and his fiancée as they start their new lives together.

ACET Staff

Stella and her husband at the Alaska State Fair with the record-setting cabbage.

This week, ACET staff were invited to talk about what they’re currently reading, off or online, for work or for pleasure. Feel free to add to our discussion with your own readings in the comments below!

“I began reading Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy with the hope it would lend a new perspective to my master’s project. Hrdy examines topics like gender roles, maternal ambition, reproductive rights, child care, and parenting, citing her own experiences as a primatologist and mother as well as others’ research in the fields of psychology, anthropology, sociology, and biology. Mother Nature takes a long, hard look at society’s view of motherhood and maternal instincts, as well as how primate mothers juggle their own needs, desires, health, and ambition with the demands of successfully raising offspring; despite its long list of references, it is an enlightening, engaging, easy to follow text.”

Elizabeth

“Kurt Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan. My first KV book (surprisingly, given my tastes) and it is very strange and equally interesting so far. Vonnegut is known for his science fiction with a twist on human social commentary and Sirens of Titan has not disappointed in either category.”

Joseph

“I’m currently reading Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind by Henry Hobhouse. His position is that people didn’t change the world, plants did. So he’s talking about this history, and importance, of what he sees as the five most important plants to world history – quinine, sugar, tea, cotton, and potatoes.”

Kirsten Rewey

“Lately I’ve been reading up on information from ADARA (formerly known as the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association). ADARA is a professional organization that works to improve the lives of deaf and hard of hearing people in the United States. In preparation for their Minneapolis conference in May 2013, I’ve recently become engrossed with their newsletters discussing what’s new and innovative in the field.”

Dan

“Right now I’m in the middle of Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston. I just finished Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, which was especially awesome.”

Kirsten Anderson

“I am currently working on Volume 4 of The Drops of God by Tadashi Agi (actually the pen name of a brother-and-sister writing team). The Drops of God is a manga (Japanese comics) series about the prodigal son of a famous wine critic who must enter into a wine-tasting contest in order to secure his father’s estate from his adopted brother, a wine critic eager to avail himself of the estate’s massive, expensive wine collection. This volume continues in the educational and sentimental tones of the first three, which have had an interesting impact on the actual world of wine.”

Mary

As my one-year anniversary with ACET rapidly approaches, I have been reflecting on what I have learned through my work. The three most important things I have learned through my responsibilities as an Evaluation Specialist involved the importance of communicating through writing, being open to new challenges, and utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data.

• The importance of communicating through writing. One of my largest surprises here at ACET was the amount of time dedicated to communicating through writing. Whether it is a Request For Proposal (RFP) application, a client report, or email communication, ACET staff (including myself!) spend a great deal of time writing. I learned that that in order to write successfully, a great deal of time, hard-work, and editing is required. That hard work often results in ACET’s reports being succinct, clear, and thorough.
• Being open to new challenges. Evaluation is often not a repetitive field where staff perform the same task everyday. It takes a great deal of time for evaluators to learn a new program and tailor an evaluation that fits client’s needs. Evaluation processes often take a great deal of critical thinking and this may challenge staff. I’ve learned that to be successful in the field, I need to embrace these challenges to produce quality evaluations.
• Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data. Many of ACET’s evaluations utilize both quantitative (e.g., numerical survey items) and qualitative (e.g., open-ended survey items or interviews) data to measure outcomes. Using both types of data helps triangulate evaluation findings. I learned that when close-ended survey findings are intertwined with open-ended responses, a clearer picture of program effectiveness occurs. Using both types of data also helps to further explain the findings. For example, if 80% of group A “Strongly agreed” to question 1, their open-ended responses to question 2 may explain why they “Strongly agreed” to question 1.

If you learned any lessons while working at your organization, please share!

Dan

ACET is pleased to introduce our newest Graduate Research Assistant, Kirsten Anderson. Kirsten is a Master’s student in the Evaluation Studies Program at the University of Minnesota. She is a recent transplant to the Twin Cities by way of San Diego, California; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Cairo, Egypt; and Salt Lake City, Utah. In her free time Kirsten loves to hike, bike, read, write, explore new places, making things, and gardening.

Before moving to the Twin Cities, Kirsten worked on several evaluation projects for K-12 education and teacher education programs with an urban school district as well as working in the research department of a large health care organization. Since beginning her graduate studies, Kirsten has worked on evaluation and action research projects with community organizations in north Minneapolis as well as with departments within the University of Minnesota. Her research interests and evaluation style center on making evaluation accessible, inclusive, interesting, and empowering for the broader Twin Cities and global community. Her master’s thesis, along those lines, will focus on tracking evaluation capacity building at the Neighborhood House in St. Paul.

Kirsten A.

Here's a picture of me with my youngest sister. I'm the tough one in the bright pink!

Continuing on from last week, Elizabeth shared some facts about herself for this week’s blog.

1. I’ve never traveled outside the U.S. – except for Canada – so that’s high on my priority list. I’d love to visit India!
2. This is not so unusual, but I love animals. My family has a dog, a cat, and a rabbit.
3. Now that I’ve basically completed my Master’s degree, what I’m most looking forward to is reading for pleasure! I have a gigantic stack of books I’ve been collecting for the past 2 years that I can’t wait to start reading.
4. I’ve never been able to do a cartwheel.
5. I love really awful horror movies – the ones that are so incredibly bad they’re funny. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is one of my all-time favorites.

Elizabeth

Hello!

My name is Elizabeth Pihlaja and I recently started at ACET as a part-time Evaluation Specialist. In my spare time, I am writing a thesis to fulfill my Master of Public Health degree in Maternal and Child Health at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities School of Public Health. My master’s thesis involves an evaluation of a community-based doula program in Wisconsin, in which I am measuring satisfaction of program participants and staff, determining indicators of maternal-infant attachment, and measuring epidural use in labor amongst program participants. My goal is to defend late summer and then begin working full-time at ACET.

Prior to joining ACET, I assisted faculty members and program staff in planning and implementing a variety of evaluation and research projects, including data collection, survey design, and analysis for the March of Dimes Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. I have also designed surveys to measure parent satisfaction with preschool curricula in an urban child care center. My primary interests are perinatal health and early childhood special education. My passion for the field of special education stems from also serving as a special education assistant and preschool teacher at a large urban school district and child care center. When I’m not at ACET or working on my thesis, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, and taking my dog for walks.

I’m very excited to join the ACET team!

Elizabeth