Digital Commons Network^™

Arts-Based Sustainability: From New York To Malawi, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Recognizing that libraries serve multiple constituencies and subject areas, this chapter documents and advocates for development of transdisciplinary arts-based research (ABR) and culture-related projects linked to environmental challenges. Libraries contribute collections and spaces, as well as the research of library and information scientists. Libraries are currently among invisible contributors to sustainability planning and services. The chapter will link this invisibility to the value of what visual arts refer to as negative space elements in subjects ranging from traditional ecological knowledge to environmental science. Library collections, projects, and research contribute to education for sustainable development (ESD) as required to achieve the …

Is Ride-Hailing A Potential Solution For Older Adults After Driving Cessation? The Role Of Objective And Perceived Accessibility, Minju Kim Song

Dissertations and Theses

Due to age-related physical and cognitive changes, older drivers have a greater risk of crashes and are restricted by age-dependent regulation. Nonetheless, many older adults in the United States maintain a car-dependent lifestyle and still prefer driving. When driving cessation or reduction becomes necessary, a primary concern is finding suitable alternative transportation modes. However, the availability of alternative transportation modes does not guarantee their actual use of these options.

As a relatively new transportation mode, ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, offer on-demand, door-to-door transportation and may be a feasible transportation solution for older adults who stop driving. While …

Covid-19 Pandemic And Recovery Experiences: A Case Study With Montana Family And Consumer Science Cooperative Extension Agents, Hayley M. Somerfeld, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Nicole C. Wanago, Brianna Routh, Alison Brennan

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The present study examined the impact of COVID-19 and recovery experiences among Family Consumer Science (FCS) Extension Agents in Montana. All participants (n = 10) completed a survey with fixed-item and open-ended responses, and six also participated in in-depth interviews. A deductive qualitative case study approach was used. Agent experiences were analyzed using The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) four action priorities: (1) understanding risk, (2) strengthening disaster risk governance, (3) investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience, and (4) enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “build back better” in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. Pandemic risks …

The State Of Asian American Studies In Massachusetts High Schools, Christine Montecillo Leider, Christopher C. Martell

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

This study included a statewide survey of over 150 high school humanities teachers in Massachusetts to gather data on how Asian American studies is being included in the curricula and to learn how prepared the educators feel to teach Asian American studies content. Expanding on the survey are case studies of five Massachusetts Asian American studies teachers and their approaches to teaching Asian American studies.

The study was conducted to provide evidence-based findings to inform teacher education, education policy, and research about best practices for Asian American Studies in humanities classrooms. Three recommendations revolve around increased opportunities for teacher preparation …

Withdrawal Management In Maine: Capacity Challenges And Opportunities For Improvement, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd, Katie Rosingana Ba, Tyler Egeland Ba, Sarah Mclaughlin Mph

Substance Use Research & Evaluation

This summary report presents findings from healthcare provider interviews conducted in 2024 to assess the current landscape of withdrawal management (WM) services in Maine. Sixteen providers, across eight counties and representing a range of substance use disorder (SUD) service types, were interviewed to evaluate capacity, challenges, and opportunities for improvement across the continuum of care. Thematic analysis identified widespread gaps in withdrawal management capacity, especially in ASAM Levels 1.7 to 4.0, with critical shortages in ambulatory and low-intensity residential services. Key barriers included geographic inequities, insufficient infrastructure, long waitlists, inadequate reimbursement, and workforce shortages exacerbated by stigma and provider discomfort. …

Feedback On Withdrawal Management Services In Maine From Persons With Lived Experience, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd, Katie Rosingana Ba

Substance Use Research & Evaluation

This summary report presents findings from interviews with twelve persons with lived experience of substance use disorder (PWLE). The interviews asked persons in recovery about their experiences accessing withdrawal management and broader substance use treatment services across Maine. Participants identified key barriers to treatment including high costs, limited bed availability, long wait times, geographic inaccessibility, and lack of centralized information. Gaps in service infrastructure, particularly for opioid withdrawal management, long-term treatment, and transition supports post-detox, were widely reported. Participants emphasized the critical need for more localized and individualized services, particularly for parents, rural residents, and low-income individuals. Recommendations include expanding …

Political Sociology, Talha C. Issevenler

Open Educational Resources

This open-access textbook on political sociology introduces and problematizes the classical categories and parameters of the field. It explores the main approaches to the state and governance, while conceptualizing a turn toward network power. Specific chapters address political spacetime, violence, secrecy, social movements, politicization, interdisciplinarity, media, biopolitics, and event-analysis. Multimedia pedagogical exercises accompany the conceptual exposition.

The Road To Montana: Exploring The Decision Paths To Visiting Montana, Kika Bradford, Glenna Hartman, Matthew Pettigrew, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Montana’s big skies, outdoor recreation, and cultural heritage attract millions of visitors each year. However, a segment of potential travelers remains unaware and/or disengaged from the state’s tourism market. This study identifies barriers and opportunities in engaging travelers who have never been to Montana.

Criminal Organizations And Nuclear Threats In Southeast Asia, Gary Ackerman, Thomas Guarrieri, Justin V. Hastings, Steven Hoodjer

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Increasing global interest in nuclear energy and peaceful uses of nuclear technology has led to facilities in emerging countries with nuclear materials and radioactive sources that could be stolen, sabotaged, or otherwise accessed by criminals. In this paper, we created a framework to assess the motivations and capabilities of criminal networks and measure the threats they may pose to different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle in emerging nuclear states. We applied the framework to a unique dataset, capturing characteristics of criminal organizations active in Southeast Asia, which allowed us to assess which criminal organizations are most likely to pose …

Reciprocal Legibility: How School Social Workers Broker Equity For Legally Precarious Immigrant Students, Benjamin Roth, Leticia Villarreal Sosa

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

In this article, we explore how school social workers recognize and respond to the precarity of immigrant students in their schools, with particular attention to how they broker resources to improve educational equity for those who are undocumented. We introduce the concept of “reciprocal legibility,” which we define as the ability of school social workers to recognize the multidimensional needs of immigrant students while concurrently elevating their own visibility and trustworthiness among students who may otherwise avoid seeking help from mainstream institutions. Drawing on qualitative responses from a survey of school social workers (𝑛=324), we aim to answer the following …

Just Places And Paths: Equitable Transit-Oriented Development In Vancouver, Washington, Hannah Althea, Jesse Tapia, Ken Yoneda, Blessie Saoit, Hayley Still

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

The Southwest Washington Equity Coalition (SWEC) has been actively engaged in multiple efforts to uplift BIPOC communities in the City of Vancouver and Clark County. SWEC has partnered with Rhododendron Planning for a project to develop a toolkit to guide future Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) that considers the specific needs and desires of BIPOC communities, which can be used for current and future policy initiatives. This work comes at a time of escalating development, inward migration, and diversification, putting pressure on present and burgeoning BIPOC communities. Between 2010 and 2020, the population of BIPOC communities living in Vancouver, Washington, has …

75 | Cana Of Galilee: Excavations At Karm Er-Ras 1999–2011, Yardenna Alexandre

IAA Reports—Monograph Series of the Israel Antiquities Authority

This volume describes the results of multiple small-scale salvage excavations that took place at the site of Karm er-Ras in the Lower Galilee between 1999 and 2011. Archaeological remains of ten strata were revealed, dating from Iron Age II to the Byzantine period, including architecture, pottery, glass, coins and special finds. The archaeological data reveals the history of settlement of this site, and its changing ethnic and religious affinities over some 1500 years. Following detailed analysis of the archaeological data and the literary sources, the author argues for the identification of the Roman-period village at Karm er-Ras with ‘Cana of …

Exploring Early Childhood Development Programming In Kenya’S Arid And Semi-Arid Lands, Phyllis Magoma, Amina Abubakar, Martha Kaniala, Barack Aoko, Moses Wesala, Joyce Marangu, Susan Nyamanya, Margaret Kabue, Anil Khamis, Esther Chongwo

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: Promoting high-quality early childhood development (ECD) is vital for individuals’ physical and social well-being and yields significant societal returns. However, children in marginalised regions like Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) face significant barriers to accessing quality ECD services.

Aim: This study aimed to document existing ECD services in Kenya’s ASAL areas, including their availability, types and key characteristics; identify gaps in their provision and propose solutions to enhance access and quality. Setting: This qualitative study was conducted in 10 ASAL counties in Kenya.

Methods: Using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, 103 key informants, including pre-primary …

Subnational Diplomacy As 'Positive Fragmentation': Our Best Hope For A Peaceful Collapse Of The Nation-State?, Alison R. Holmes

New England Journal of Public Policy

The current phase of globalization is one of fundamental erosion in the efficacy of the territorial nation-state and slow implosion of traditional sovereignty-based models of the state system. Combined with the breakdown of the rationalist-universalist ‘consensus,’ sub-state entities up and down the “vertical axis” of diplomacy are increasingly asserting mutually exclusive concepts of power and self-determination that could lead to a potential fragmentation of the basic structures of governance. Linear theories of state development and traditional definitions of sovereignty, with its consequent forms of recognition, urgently need to be revised or the likelihood of a continued disruption of international collaboration, …

Ecological Grief Among Farmers And Pastoralists In Ethiopia And Kenya, Syed Shabab Wahid, Christine Musyimi, Benjamin Oestericher, Linda Khakali, Lauren Carruth, Emily Mendenhall, Edna Bosire

Brain and Mind Institute

Climate change is a major cause of mental distress worldwide. In many ways, climate change has become a chronic disaster, while in other ways each acute event can accumulate and present challenges within and between communities. A growing body of evidence indicates that a changing climate can precipitate a cluster of negative affective states scholars call “ecological grief.” Ecological grief reflects psychological responses to climate changes and destruction of nature, species, culturally significant or sacred spaces. Until now, ecological grief has been conceptualized as a psychological response connected primarily to the destruction of the natural environment, and has not fully …

Blood And Mettle: The Effects Of Civil Unrest On Economic Mobility, Nathan D. Parks

Honors Projects

Civil unrest is a global phenomenon that often emerges through a combination of grievances and opportunity sparking change. Civil unrest is often used as a tool by the populace to initiate political, societal, or economic transformation. Economic mobility or the belief in it is a key contributor to mitigating individuals’ level of grievances. This paper uses lagged panel analysis to investigate the question of how civil unrest affects economic mobility beyond the time of unrest. Civil unrest is associated with changes in economic mobility, varying between positive and negative associations based on the type of unrest. Analysis was conducted using …

Chains Of Knowledge: Slavery, Low-Wage Labor, And The Role Of Intellectual Property In Antebellum Georgia (1789 To 1865), Kris Kallies

Journal of the Patent and Trademark Resource Center Association

This article investigates Georgia’s engagement with intellectual property from 1789 to 1865, with an epilogue to 1920, arguing that the state’s economic reliance on unfree labor systems profoundly shaped its approach to technological innovation. Drawing from a newly constructed, state-specific patent database, the study reveals that Georgia’s low patenting rates—examining the areas of in mining and metallurgy, textiles, and the establishment of the Confederate Patent Office during the American Civil War—was not indicative of technological stagnation, but rather evidence of a region where innovation was informal, experiential, and embedded in labor hierarchies. The article advances the argument that the absence …

Synthesis Of Publications On The Anomalous June 2021 Heat Wave In The Pacific Northwest Of The United States And Canada, Erica Fleishman, David E. Rupp, Paul C. Loikith, Karin A. Bumbaco, Larry W. O'Neill

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

We synthesized more than 70 articles, most peer reviewed, that addressed the heat wave that occurred across the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada in late June 2021, breaking hundreds of daily and all-time daily maximum temperature records across the region. A persistent, extraordinarily strong ridge of high pressure was a primary driver of the heat wave. Contributing mechanisms were moisture originating in the tropical western Pacific Ocean, high solar radiation, low pressure offshore, large-scale subsidence over land, and unusually dry soils. Climate change contributed to the heat wave’s magnitude by increasing mean temperature, although it is unclear …

"I Just Kind Of Wish People Knew We Existed:" Rethinking Queer Visibility, Identity, And Belonging In Rural America, Alyson C. Hagen

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores how LGBTQ+ individuals in rural America navigate identity, visibility, and belonging amid the pressures of metronormativity--the dominant cultural narrative that equates queerness with urban life. Through qualitative interviews with five queer adults who lived in rural settings, the study shows that rural queer life is shaped by not only structural erasure and limited resources but also adaptive strategies, emotional labor, and creative community-building. Participants described environments where queerness was often unspoken or denied, yet they developed contingent forms of visibility, online belonging, and grassroots kinship to survive and thrive. Although all participants had migrated to urban areas, …

East Portland Grid: Supporting Clean Industry And Residents, Allison Kirkpatrick, Andrew Azar, Diego Joao Murphy-Mendez, Evan Howington, Kate Carroll, Maura Paxton

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

Supporting clean industry and residents in ways that are mutually beneficial requires a diversity of efforts. The Columbia Salmonry Group, working for the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, finds that designating the Sumner-Parkrose-Argay Terrace neighborhoods as a Green Resilient Industrial District (GRID) can, with the following recommendations, build on the work of community and city partners to sustain and grow clean industry in Portland. This area is well suited to be a GRID due to the close proximity of industry and residents, a history of over-planning and under-delivering of investment, and the engaged community. Focusing on the needs of …

Access To Healthcare For Rural Transgender Adults In The United States, Devon Smith

University Honors Theses

Urban and rural healthcare differ significantly in the amount of facilities, providers and kinds of specialty care that are offered in each environment. The United States is split into urban and rural counties in any given region, and based on those population sizes, are the allocation of healthcare resources for residents. In rural areas in the U.S., transgender adults lack access to gender-affirming care and encounter a lack of gender-affirming care providers due to workforce shortages, discrimination, and a lack of cultural competency. To determine if these residents lacked access to care compared with their urban counterparts, I performed a …

"Change Is All There Is": Exploring Journalistic Coverage Of Gentrification In The St. Johns Neighborhood Of Portland, Or, Eva Kovolitsky

University Honors Theses

Gentrification, as an increasingly significant characteristic of contemporary urban spaces, has been the subject of a vast body of literature. This has prompted further research into how gentrification is described and the implications of language used in both academic research and popular media accounts. This study explores discourse used in journalistic coverage of gentrification in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Guided by past work in discourse analysis and critical urban geography, this study attempts to understand how academic discourse on gentrification is both reflected in and divergent from neighborhood-level discourse. This study used data from the St. Johns …

"Some Level Of Skill For Life": Secondary Teacher Librarians Supporting Student Information Literacy Skill Transfer Beyond Secondary School, Kasey L. Garrison, Kay Oddone

Communications in Information Literacy

Students entering higher education are expected to transfer information literacy skills and knowledge developed through their primary schooling and sharpened in their secondary years. However, the constant evolution of the information landscape means the mastery of these skills presents challenges for students to develop and teachers to teach. Through interviews, this phenomenological study examines the perspectives and practices of 19 Australian secondary teacher librarians supporting student information literacy skill transfer in school and life contexts and considers important changes in the teaching of these skills. Findings suggest time and content overload are preventing integration across subjects and limiting students’ ability …

Cultural Ecologies And Local Policies: A Comparative Analysis, Alexis M. Gonzalez

University Honors Theses

In recent years, the role of arts and culture in economic development, community outreach, and local government has become focused on as a field of study. However, this is a new field of academic study, and there have not been many systematic comparative analyses of the role of arts and culture at the local level. Indeed, there is limited information at the state and federal level as well. Historically undervalued and underrepresented, yet with a streak of elitism involved, arts and culture is now being looked at as a major economic driver and social connector by policymakers at all levels …

Geographic Inequalities, And Social-Demographic Determinants Of Reproductive, Maternal And Child Health At Sub-National Levels In Kenya, Janette Karimi, Anitah Cherono, Victor Alegana, Martin Mutua, Hellen Kiarie, Rose Muthee, Marleen Temmerman, Peter Gichangi

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Background; Global initiatives have emphasized tracking indicators to monitor progress, particularly in countries with the highest maternal and child mortality. Routine data can be used to monitor indicators for improved target setting at national and subnational levels. Our objective was to assess the geographic inequalities in estimates of reproductive, maternal and child health indicators from routine data at the subnational level in Kenya.

Methods; Monthly data from 47 counties clustered in 8 regions, from January 2018 to December 2021 were assembled from the District Health Information Software version 2 (DHIS2) in Kenya. This included women of reproductive age receiving family …

Iberian Origins Of New Mexico's Community Acequias, Jose A. Rivera Ph.D., Thomas F. Glick Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

When Spanish officials first entered the northern region of New Spain in the late sixteenth century, they realized that irrigation would be a necessary development in the establishment of permanent communities. To sustain the early settlements, they built irrigation systems following the Iberian model, itself an extension of Arabo-Berber traditions from north Africa and the Middle East.

The Missed Connection: Why Some Travelers Choose Not To Visit Montana, Kika Bradford, Glenna Hartman, Matthew Pettigrew, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Montana attracts millions of visitors drawn by its natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and cultural heritage. A significant portion of these travelers are repeat visitors; however, some travelers visit only once and choose not to return. This study explores what drives that disengagement.

Analyzing The Dihedral Scattering Component Of P-Band Sar Signals For Trunk Permittivity Estimation – A Concept Study, Anke Fluhrer, Hamed Alemohammad, Thomas Jagdhuber

Geography

A new retrieval method, based on a hybrid decomposition technique and the extended (x-) Fresnel model, is proposed for estimating trunk permittivity from polarimetric P-band SAR observations. P-band SAR observations of NASA's Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) mission campaign are employed to test the proposed retrieval method at individual measuring stations across the U.S. between 2013 and 2015. In order to test the feasibility of the x-Fresnel model for such analyses and its sensitivity to required input parameters, a detailed sensitivity study revealed that at P-band frequencies there is a need to account for scattering losses, phase …

Familiarity Moderates Education Level Of Stigma For Professional Efficacy Of Treating Mental Illness, Jason J. Burrow-Sanchez, Shawnda Schroeder, Thomasine Heitkamp, Brian Urlacher, Sharon Cook, Paula Bennett, Carolina Corrales

Indigenous Health Faculty Publications

Background: About one in five adults in the United States experience any mental illness (AMI) whereas 14.2 million experience serious mental illness (SMI). The perception of stigma among these individuals can be associated with care seeking behavior and treatment adherence.

Purpose: Two factors that mitigate stigma are familiarity with someone experiencing AMI/SMI and general level of education. Heretofore, these factors have not been tested together to determine if familiarity moderates the relation between level of education and stigma of professional efficacy for treating mental illness.

Methods: In fall 2020, an online survey in the state of Utah measured 1,300 adults’ …

Infrastructure From Below: Mediasi Dan Politik Pembangunan Infrastruktur Air Di Kota Balikpapan, Muhammad Althaf Nandiati Yusfid

Antropologi Indonesia

The city of Balikpapan is experiencing a water crisis. The discrepancy between the city's water supply and Balikpapan's demography put pressure towards the city's capability of supporting its own citizens. This issue is exacerbated by the development of Indonesia's New Capital (IKN) which is located just outside Balikpapan. Therefore, the development of water infrastructure is imperative for the city. Yet, there's no recent visible development of water infrastructure in the city. However, I argue that water infrastructure development actually exists, though in a subtle form. The informal water suppliers that are prevalent in the city is tied with how the …