Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Oceans Of Space, Stephanie Steinbrecher '16

EnviroLab Asia

"Oceans of Space" relates my observations of the 2016 EnviroLab Asia Clinic Trip to Singapore and Sarawak, Malaysia. In this meditation, the concept of space serves as a lens to examine assumptions of geopolitical, historical, and philosophical positioning—regionally and globally. At the center of my inquiry is EnviroLab's connection to the Dayak communities in Baram, Sarawak. This region is experiencing dramatic social and ecological change as a result of industrial development. By triangulating my subjective impressions of this space, various knowledge systems, and the qualitative data EnviroLab gathered in Southeast Asia, I aim to untangle some paradoxes that complicate the …

The Wonder Of A Child, Shraddha Chaplot

The STEAM Journal

A personal piece on the wonder of childhood and the continuation of curiosity into adulthood.

Fire – The Enigma That Continues To Blaze, Sara Kapadia

The STEAM Journal

How did humans first discover fire? What stories do we pass down to explain the discovery of fire?

Hands 2 Paws – A Canine Artist Story, London Labrador, Leza Labrador

The STEAM Journal

Artwork made by London, a canine artist.

Acting Is Repetition, Job Barnett

The STEAM Journal

A short discussion of repetition in acting.

Animals In The Wild, Brittany Samson

The STEAM Journal

As a photographer, I am extremely interested in the concept of perception and I let this concept drive most of my artistic work. I present four images from my photographic series “Animals in the Wild,” which explore this idea of perception. These four images: Giraffe, Dinosaur, Buffalo, and Bunny—are drastically varied photos that include no real animals, but instead beg the mind to perceive shapes, colors, figure, and coincidence as an animal.

Social Media And Learning At The Ferguson Municipal Public Library, Madelynn Dickerson

Library Staff Publications and Research

This brief article highlights the way in which the Ferguson Municipal Public Library harnessed social media, specifically Twitter, to provide opportunities for learning in the community during the August 2014 protests after the death of Michael Brown, a black teenager shot and killed by a white police officer. The article presents data from the Ferguson Library’s Twitter account and looks at community reception of the library’s educational efforts.

Drawing Comparisons: Analyzing Art & Architecture Print And E-Book Usage, Madelynn Dickerson, Jamie Hazlitt, Caroline Muglia, Jeremy Whitt

Library Staff Publications and Research

Recent studies have shown that despite possible preconceptions, e-books in art and architecture subject areas are actually quite well used. By collaborating across four SCELC-affiliated Southern California institutions (Claremont Colleges Library, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University, and the University of Southern California), we engaged in extensive usage analyses to understand more about what might motivate art and architecture researchers to seek out e-books, and compare that usage to print books.

Critical Collection Analysis: Using Dh Tools To Contextualize Historical Collecting Patterns Within A Political Framework, Lydia Bello, Nina Clements, Madelynn Dickerson, Margaret Hogarth

Library Staff Publications and Research

With the growth of digital humanities and a wide range of free and open source analysis tools at our fingertips, librarians have a unique opportunity to use these new tools to critically analyze library collections. Moving beyond usage and budgets, strategies such as text analysis, temporal pattern finding and data visualization offer insights into the structure and content of our collections, which in turn supports evidenced-based decision-making for future acquisitions. At the Claremont Colleges Library, librarians across divisions have been encouraged to learn tools and approaches to Digital Humanities, and apply these principles to our own work and relationships with …

Why Has “Development” Become A Political Issue In Indian Politics?, Aseema Sinha

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

Most observers of India have an implicit model of how Indians vote. They assume that voters in India act on their primary identities, such as caste or community, and that parties seek votes based on group identities—called vote banks—that can be collated into majorities and coalitions. K.C. Suri articulates the logic of this dominant model:

People of this country vote more on the basis of emotional issues or primordial loyalties, such as caste, religion, language or region and less on the basis of policies. The victory or defeat of a party depends on how a party or leaders marshal support …

Table Of Contents

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

No abstract provided.

Foreword, David Andrews

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

No abstract provided.

Why Ireland: How Bank Failure Was Their Key To Success, Nia R. Gillenwater

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Despite Ireland’s status as the first EU country to receive a bailout, Ireland appears to be bouncing back extremely well from the ongoing financial crisis in Europe and the EU. Looking at recent Irish economic statistics it begs the question whether the government’s complete guarantee of all Irish debts was the best response. Ireland’s financial crisis seemed quite similar to America’s: for both the root causes are freely lending for real estate and property. The responses however, were very different. While America let Lehman Brothers fail and only provided a partial guarantee to its banks, Ireland provided a complete guarantee …

Finland's Economic Freeze, Shivang Mehta

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Abstract

The Eurozone sovereign debt crisis has been well documented and so has Germany’s booming manufacturing economy but these events are relatively easy to explain. Greece’s troubles can easily be traced to its social security structure and lack of land registry while Germany’s success is a result of labour reforms, an undervalued currency and an emphasis on small scale businesses which form the backbone of the economy. A relatively paradoxical case has been that of Finland; ranked second for global innovation by the World Economic Forum and with over $1.8 billion being invested by the government in the country’s tech …

Community-Based Counterterrorism: What French Security Forces Can Learn From The British Contest Model, Brian T. Preece

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

France has been the victim of twelve high-profile terrorist attacks since 2012, despite its heavy-handed, legalistic approach to counterterrorism. The United Kingdom, in comparison, has undergone only one major attack since 2007. Is the British counterterrorism model, which focuses on engagement with community organizations and NGOs, proving more successful than the French approach? This paper proposes that France’s security forces should consider adopting aspects of the British community-based counter-radicalization model.

Galileo: European Collaboration For Space, Pedro Maddens Toscano

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

This paper examines the Galileo satellite navigation system as an example of European collaboration, and illustrates how the project has put Europe and European industry at the forefront of the space industry. It discusses the history of the program as well as its technical and financial aspects. The collaboration efforts are discussed highlighting the nature of the political, economic and technological forms of both intergovernmental and supranational cooperation. In addition to the Galileo system, the paper also includes a brief discussion on the Global System for Mobile Communications, one of the greatest successes of European technical collaboration.

Shifting Immigration Policies In Response To The Syrian Refugee Crisis Across The European Union: A Case Analysis Of Germany, Hungary, And Lithuania, Anna M. Winslow

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Over one million refugees have entered the borders of the European Union (EU) in 2015, forcing a discordant shift in the immigration policies of individual member states and upsetting the political stability of the region. This analysis answers the question of how immigration policies regarding asylum seekers in Germany, Hungary, and Lithuania specifically have changed recently and what these changes could indicate for the future of the European Union’s own immigration legislation. This research primarily paper analyzes asylum policy before the onset of the refugee crisis and evaluates how policy interests in the three different governments have developed in responses …

After The Avalanche: The Post-Snowden Intelligence Politics Between The United States, The United Kingdom, And Germany, Jobel Kyle P. Vecino

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

The revelations of PRISM and XKeyscore by ex-National Security Agency (NSA) analyst Edward Snowden resulted in arguably the largest intelligence leak so far in the 21^st century. The leak revealed that the NSA was working with the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) on surveillance and data collection of individuals throughout Europe. Similarly, the NSA also colluded with the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) on similar data collection and surveillance activities. Whereas the British government reacted relatively benignly to the revelations despite cries of government abuse, the German government reacted negatively to the revelations, eventually opening a rift between Washington …

'Trumpian' Attitudes In Central Europe: Causes For Hungary’S, Germany’S And Poland’S Attitudes Towards Transatlantic Trade, Alexis Cooper, Gabriel Davis

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

This paper explores the various causes for anti-trade sentiment and its relation to far-right populist politics among Germany, Hungary, and Poland as case studies.

Nation And History In The Mobilization Of Collective Identity Among Lgbt Czechs, Cleo M. Spencer

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Social movement theories are often built on Western and US-centric understandings of civic life and the values that underpin it. Studying participation in the LGBT movement in Prague, Czech Republic provides one context for complicating such underlying assumptions. Within theory on mobilization, collective identity is said to act as a conduit for developing personal investment through individuals’ identities. Interviews with LGBT people in Prague, however, show that there is little sense of or desire for collective identity among these potential participants. Czech national history contextualizes respondents’ distinct descriptions of the role of civic life and activism, value of private life, …

Simple Tools With Nontrivial Implications For Assessment Of Hypothesis-Evidence Relationships: The Interrogator’S Fallacy, Justus R. Riek

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper takes a mathematical analysis technique derived from the Interrogator’s Fallacy (in a legal context), expands upon it to identify a set of three interrelated probabilistic tools with wide applicability, and demonstrates their ability to assess hypothesis-evidence relationships associated with important problems

Fuzzy Logic In Health Care Settings: Moral Math For Value-Laden Choices, Sarah Voss

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This essay is intended as an example of “moral math”, i.e., ideas culled from mathematics which can positively impact social behavior. Specifically, it combines fuzzy logic with the ethical decisions which hospital staff and others are sometimes forced to make about health care (e.g., euthanasia issues following Hurricane Katrina). The assumption is that such decisions involve value-laden choices which lend themselves to “fuzzy” or “smart” protocols. The article discusses the history of fuzzy logic – what it is, how it is used, and how it might be even better-used as a support basis for making difficult choices …

How Global Rules And Markets Are Shaping India’S Rise On The International Stage, Aseema Sinha

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

Over the last quarter century, India has shifted from a hesitant economic power to a confident player on the international stage. In her new book, Aseema Sinha draws on extensive research to ask where this global activism has come from, and considers the international dimensions of domestic change. Here she discusses how her findings challenge standard narratives on globalisation and the supposedly homegrown character of India’s reform trajectory.

Scalar, Tensor, And Ethics In Digital Asset Management, Allegra Swift, Craig Dietrich

Library Staff Publications and Research

This working group will foreground Scalar, a Semantic Web-based scholarly publishing system, and its developing “spin-off” application, Tensor, the latter created specifically for the collection and management of media from a variety of digital archives. The group will explore issues in access and use of digital archives, particularly around ethics and global citizenship when scholars work with media assets to create online digital scholarship. There is a lack of awareness of risk and ethics to guide the creation of such software, especially amplifying issues related to marginalized groups, sensitive data, and the confusion around the use of content that is …

Beta Spaces As A Model For Recontextualizing Reference Services In Libraries, Madelynn Dickerson

Library Staff Publications and Research

Reference services are at a cross-roads. While many academic libraries continue to offer reference services from behind a desk, others are moving to roving and embedded reference models. Meanwhile, libraries are also engaged in the development of collaborative learning spaces—often rich with technology, such as makerspaces and learning labs—but these spaces are often removed from the reference services environment. Beta spaces are another type of collaborative environment used in both public and academic libraries with the potential to infuse energy into the reference space and emphasize research support through experimentation, collaboration, and user contribution. Beta spaces are user-oriented environments with …

Publishing Undergraduate Research: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, Allegra Swift

Library Staff Publications and Research

Scholarly communications are evolving rapidly; there are shifts in how research is communicated, what counts for scholarship, and who is doing the communicating. Undergraduates are contributing to the scholarly conversation but with little education in what it means to participate online as a scholar, much less as a global digital citizen. Many faculty members engage in scholarly communication as they always have and are often unaware of the rapid developments in publishing and sharing research. Librarians with responsibilities in publishing, scholarly communication, and instruction are especially challenged to meet these gaps in digital literacy. Publishing undergraduate scholarship can be perceived …

Bioswales For Stormwater Remediation And Infiltration: Assessing Regulatory Climate And Quantifying Filtration Capacity Of A Claremont Bioswale, Skyler Lewis, Boyu Liu, Paul Picciano, Liana Solis, Char Miller

Environmental Analysis Program Senior Projects

Watershed management is critical in ensuring a sustainable water supply. This project is designed to assess the impact of bioswales in the context of Southern California’s climate. The patterns of droughts and floods make these green infrastructure appealing as they offer potential to boost water quality and regenerate local aquifers, while reducing the area of impermeable surfaces in our urban landscape. As bioswales have not been commonly incorporated into infrastructure development, our project focuses on a relatively new bioswale, added in 2012 and located on Pomona College’s campus, to serve as our case study in determining the viability of bioswales …

Dismantle Your Electronic Resources Fund! Applying The Power Of Faceted Classification To Acquisitions Budget Management., Maria Savova, Jason S. Price

Library Staff Publications and Research

Effective collection management and funding advocacy require that academic library materials budgets reflect the complexity of their underlying acquisitions. We introduce a faceted budget structure that addresses acquisition mode, material type, material format, and discipline in each fund - thereby empowering budget transparency, reliable ongoing spending control, and accurate long-term planning.

Multi-Year Optimization Of Malaria Intervention: A Mathematical Model, Harry J. Dudley, Abhishek Goenka '15, Cesar J. Orellana '17, Susan E. Martonosi

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

Malaria is a mosquito-borne, lethal disease that affects millions and kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, mostly children. There is an increasing need for models of malaria control. In this paper, a model is developed for allocating malaria interventions across geographic regions and time, subject to budget constraints, with the aim of minimizing the number of person-days of malaria infection.

Daesh/Is Armored Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (Avbieds): Insurgent Use And Terrorism Potentials., Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This essay in the TRENDS terrorism futures series focuses on advanced threats related to vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs). It provides a threat typology of these devices with their evolution into the armored (AVBIED) variant that has now been fielded by Daesh/IS in both Iraq and Syria. A short overview of such insurgent use will be provided as well as a brief discussion of the terrorism potentials of such use if directed against the UAE, Europe, or the United States.