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On September 21, 2012, two astronomers using a telescope in the International Scientific Observing Network (ISON) near Kislovodsk, Russia, discovered a comet that came to be formally known as C/2012 S1 and was popularly called Comet ISON. Just a year later, two honors instructors in Wichita, Kansas, found themselves teaching a course on Comet ISON that came to be formally known as Fire in the Sky and was popularly referred to as "the comet course." In this article, the authors discuss preliminary considerations for the course, sample topics and approach, and major assignments for the course.

A study designed to evaluate the influence of songbird's breeding habitat on the evolution of their song structure is presented. An investigation of how song degradation affects the ability of territorial paruline males to estimate distance shows that songs of three of the four wood warbler species studied are not structured to minimize degradation, which contradicts the previously-supported acoustic adaptation hypothesis.

The article offers information on the risks and rewards of teaching an interdisciplinary honors course on a scientific event involving ISON comet. Topics discussed include success in studying an ongoing event in astronomy; success of new interdisciplinary courses; and teaching theory of universal gravitation.

Small companies face an increasingly turbulent business environment. They are traditionally ‘power’ cultures, with informal, chaotic, communication flows. This has enabled them to maintain flexibility. However, informal information is no longer enough in the face of complexity. These companies need to concentrate on formal information for traceability. Effective management of both formal and informal information enables these small companies to adapt to change. This paper explores information in a small company, using an in-depth case study. The work is of particular interest and value to the knowledge-intensive small company, one of the emerging types of company in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]