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Complete Issue: Volume 3 Issue 3, Alan Lebaron, Adriana Cruz-Manjarrez

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

The full Issue 3, Volume 3 of Maya America, published November 2021

A History Of Land Tenure In The Ixil Region, Elaine Elliott

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

After the Spanish conquest, the IxilMayainitially remained less affected than more centrally located groups. However, dramatic changes occurred due to Guatemalan national government laws in the late 1800s which allowed claims on “vacant land”. Maya on those lands quickly adapted, claiming the areas where they had lived for over a millennium. The government favored large landowners who contributed to the national economy with export crops, particularly coffee. In the 1950s era of land reform, small farmers briefly obtained land, something quicklyreversed with the overthrow of the national government, accused of communism for these reforms. Conflict escalated when a leftist guerrilla …

Demographic Change In The North Atlanta Metro Area, Zachary Lloyd

Symposium of Student Scholars

The northern Atlanta suburbs are perhaps the premiere destination for migrants, both domestic and international, into the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Filled with activities, good schools, and endless dining options, these communities are not only relatively safe to raise a family in, but also offer plenty to do for married couples and retirees. The counties of Gwinnett and Cobb, along with the northern portion of Fulton County (known as North Fulton) are the traditional northside suburban destinations, but growth there has slowed because much of the land is now densely developed. Predictably, the suburbs have extended northward through the counties of …

Atlanta Region Food Access: A Study Of Food Access As It Relates To Population Growth, Derek Romanek

Symposium of Student Scholars

Atlanta region food access: A study of food access as it relates to population growth

Derek Romanek (Uli Ingram), Department of Geography and Anthropology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, 30144

The Atlanta region is one of the fastest growing regions in the United States of America. With a growing population there is an increase in the demand for resources including food. Food security is a global issue and does not only effect developing nations. To improve sustainability the United Nations came up with 17 Sustainable Development goals. To better understand what we can do to improve sustainability and meet the …

Finding Structure & Composition Of Southeastern Peri-Urban Forests, Aj Williams, Nancy Hoalst Pullen

Symposium of Student Scholars

Having accurate and up-to-date urban and peri-urban forest inventory data are crucial to understanding and/or predicting the impacts of environmental change. Threats to forest health, including pest infestations, fungal diseases, insects, and invasive species, can be detected, managed and even prevented with consistent inventory and analysis of forests. This is particularly true for urban and peri-urban forests, where human-created disturbances (or lack thereof) influence the composition and structure of the trees. For this study, an inventory of trees within an established forest inventory research plot (50mX50m) at the KSU Field Station was taken from August-October 2021. For each stem, the …

Population And Income Differences Of Metro Atlanta, Andrew Anderson

Symposium of Student Scholars

POPULATION AND INCOME DIFFERENCES OF METRO ATLANTA

Abstract

This study examined the population and median income among Asian, Black, and White residents within the immediate Metropolitan Atlanta area. The objective of this project was to determine differences in population and income within these counties, determining if there were any notable disparities. The information studies population and income numbers from 2019 of the U.S. Census via the American Community Survey. The areas of focus are Clayton, Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. The population data is represented on a Dot Density map which plots a dot for every 3,000 individuals of …

Georgia Power Plants, Grayson Nardone

Symposium of Student Scholars

With the growing population in the United States, the need for public knowledge of Georgia’s energy generation is going to be important in future planning of energy infrastructure. The purpose of this study is to show the location of energy-generating plants and show which fuel source each power plant utilizes. Georgia has over 60 power plants scattered around the state. The different fuel sources that Georgia utilizes are natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, and biomass. This study will examine the difference in energy output between the different fuel sources of the power plants. The United States Energy Information Administration provides …

Flooding In Charleston, Ella Hilliard

Symposium of Student Scholars

Flooding continues to be a problem in many coastal towns. This project is meant to serve as a guide for citizens in the Charleston area who are interested in buying a house and determining whether they are prepared to live in flood-prone areas. For this purpose, two maps were created based on data collected by the City of Charleston. The first map identifies the Flood Factor Score for areas with above-average housing costs in the Charleston area. Using FEMA flood zones, the Flood Factor Score identifies areas prone to flooding in the near future. The second map focuses on evacuation …

The Sincerest Form Of Flattery: Nationalist Emulation During The Covid-19 Pandemic, John Givens, Evan Mistur

Faculty Articles

As COVID-19 rapidly spread across the globe, every government in the world has been forced to enact policies to slow the spread of the virus. While leaders often claim responses are based on the best available advice from scientists and public health experts, recent policy diffusion research suggests that countries are emulating the COVID-19 policies of their neighbors instead of responding to domestic conditions. Political and geographic considerations play a role in determining which countries imitate one another, but even among countries that are politically or geographically distant, nationalist regimes seem to favor certain approaches towards the pandemic. We investigate …

Book Review - Greetings From New Nashville: How A Sleepy Southern Town Became "It" City, Asha Hagood

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Teaching And Engaging Students In A Public Sociology Program On Gentrification, Jennifer E. Melvin, Leonard A. Steverson

The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology

This paper describes a public sociology project in which students at Flagler College will be enlisted to conduct research on the gentrifying community of Lincolnville in St. Augustine, Florida. The theoretical and research perspectives that will be used to guide the project are supplied by the urban sociological methodology of the Chicago School of Sociology from the early twentieth century. The objectives of the Lincolnville project are to recruit and train interested students in producing new knowledge in the phenomena of gentrification on a local level, to enrich student knowledge of theory and research, to use service learning to explain …

A Dalliance With Open Data, Shannon Sheridan

OER & Beyond - Blog Archive

If you don’t work with data every day, you might be hesitant about using or incorporating open data as an Open Educational Resources (OER). You might not even be totally sure what open data really is. So in this post, I want to get up on my small soapbox and tell you, “You can do it! And it doesn’t have to mean becoming a data analytics expert!”

A Story About Chickens, Adrienne Pinkard

Symposium of Student Scholars

This project analyzed the last few decades of production and consumption of chicken eggs and broilers. The first documented chicken from 8000 years ago was the Red Junglefowl. Throughout history chickens were not consumed but used for fighting and religious symbology. It wasn’t until the 1990s when consuming chicken surpassed beef (80 pounds per capitia), thanks to favorable climate in the south for raising chickens and the fortification of chicken feed that allowed factory farms to raise chickens indoor. I consider raising chickens in your backyard as sustainable since they provide year-round fresh eggs, are low maintenance, provide free garden …

Education In Australia/ New Zealand Vs United States, Lauryn Calloway

Symposium of Student Scholars

The purpose of this research paper is to examine the possible differences between the education systems in Australia/ New Zealand versus the Education system in the United States. This paper will cover a variety of topics such as Early Childhood Education Goals and Outcomes, Birthing process, midwifery, and home births, Parenting for neonatal and early childhood, Intervention strategies with young children and their families, Minorities in the country and educational support for them, Teacher education, qualification, and benefits, EECE Policy Reviews and other useful information. The goals are to research and compare the results to one another.

Keywords: Goals, …

A Technological Analysis Of Ancient Maya Shell Beads From Pacbitun, Belize, Kimberly A. Kiddoo

Symposium of Student Scholars

Ancient Maya had one of the most complex societies in the New World. Their society was driven by the production of goods, including items made from stone, bone and shell. to shell objects were made into various shapes including pendants, bracelets and beads, possibly used for jewelry or as currency. At Pacbitun, located in west central Belize, 1,000’s of shell items in the form of beads have been found in and around homes that date to the Middle Preclassic period. Beads as well as marine detritus and chert drills have been found together indicating they were produced on site. This …

Immigration And Food Security: Assessing Levels Of Food Security Among Cabo Verdean Immigrant Households And Their Use Of Public Food Assistance Programs, Alexandria Seigler

Symposium of Student Scholars

On February 24, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security implemented the new public charge rule, which impacts new immigrants to the United States. An immigration officer must decide whether the person applying for a green card or visa will become a “public charge,” meaning that they will likely become dependent on government benefits. This project is part of a Diplomacy Lab team of KSU faculty and students sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. We are researching the experiences of new Cabo Verdean immigrants to the United States. My specific research focuses on food security and the use of public …

The Material Wealth Of Slaves In The South, India Daniel

Symposium of Student Scholars

Since its beginning, enslavement of African peoples in the New World has been a topic of great interest. There are many different routes to go, in terms of researching that era and what went along with it. However, because of its extent and variation in different places, there is a great amount of information and stories that have gone untold. This research will help to unpack some of those stories, particularly as it relates to the slaves of the Conner-Field house in Cartersville, Georgia, whose possessions were not typical “slave possessions”. Their possessions help to shed a light on their …

Geographic Study Of Latinx Immigrant-Owned Markets In Cobb County, Georgia, Brittney Brown

Symposium of Student Scholars

Immigrant-owned businesses allow for immigrants to establish themselves in a foreign country and can also provide a sense of community to other immigrants living in the same area. Immigrants tend to settle in areas where there are others of the same nationality and speak the same languages, because it provides immigrants with a social connection. Immigrant-owned businesses can be indicative of an ethnoburb, which is defined as a notable cluster of an ethnic minority population in a suburban context. With a focus on Latinx immigrant-owned markets in Cobb County, Georgia, this study aims to find the connection between Latinx immigrant-owned …

Cobb County: A Tapestry Of Diversity, Tim Willson

Symposium of Student Scholars

Named for former senator Thomas Cobb, Cobb County is a major Metro-Atlanta county. Situated north-west of Atlanta, and touched by 3 Interstates, it has become a place that many call home. With a population of 760K, it is the 3^rd most populous county in Georgia. While working on a direct applied research project about Hispanic communities in Marietta for the Marietta Museum of History, I wanted to show how Cobb County’s population has become distinct yet diverse. More than just standard demographics, ESRI has developed a tapestry to describe America’s neighborhoods and broken them down into LifeMode Groups. Each …

An Archival Study Of The Walnut Grove Plantation And The Young Family, Jennifer Billingsley

Symposium of Student Scholars

An Archival Study of the Walnut Grove Plantation and the Young Family

By Jennifer Billingsley

The Walnut Grove Plantation is situated near the confluence of the Etowah River and Pettit Creek in Cartersville, an area rich with history. The history of Walnut Grove is far-reaching into the past, beginning in the 1800s with the arrival of the family of Robert Maxwell Young from Spartanburg, South Carolina. As a location for the Kennesaw State University Archaeology Field School taught by Dr. Terry Powis, some basic knowledge about the property and family has previously been compiled with a focus on the Civil …

Hispanic Demographics In Cobb County, Ga, Cole Thompson

Symposium of Student Scholars

This research was part of the Direct Applied Research (DAR) GIS: 4100 course. This research was in partnership with the Marietta Museum of History. The objective was to display Hispanic Demographics in Cobb County. Areas focused include education, population, and community. The analysis concluded similar trends in all three topics. Hispanic enrollment has gradually increased in Cobb County public high schools since 2011. High schools with the highest percentage of Hispanic enrollment were located close to interstates or in the southern region of Cobb. The population analysis concluded that zip codes 30008 and 30060 had the highest percentage of Hispanics …

A Look Into The History Of Racial Diversity In The Congregation Of The Cathedral Of Christ The King, Devlin Mcelrone

Symposium of Student Scholars

This paper aims to assess the history of the Cathedral of Christ the King, a Catholic church in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, in terms of diversity. The main goal of this paper is to investigate the diversity of the church congregation in terms of race, while also focusing to a lesser extent on socioeconomic background and age. The area the church is in is primarily composed of upper-middle-class white families and it was through this observation that I came upon this topic. To investigate this issue, the first method used was spot sampling and constant monitoring of the congregation …

Haves Versus Have Nots: Analyzing Swift Creek Ceramic Distribution Within The Middle Woodland Etowah River Valley, Isabella Rosinko, Morgan Bendzinski

Symposium of Student Scholars

Swift Creek Culture refers to prehistoric Native American peoples of Florida and Georgia who produced a distinctive type of pottery, called Swift Creek Complicated Stamped, dating from 20 BC to AD 805. This Middle Woodland pottery type can be identified by curved geometric decorations stamped onto clay with a wooden paddle. Swift Creek Complicated Stamped pottery was widely traded across the Eastern Woodlands among high-status individuals and is therefore regarded as a prestige item. The preeminent Swift Creek site of the Etowah River Valley during the Middle Woodland is the Leake site. At the Leake site, there were three conical …

Understanding Map Reading With Eye Motion Tracking, Luke Freiler

Symposium of Student Scholars

Digital maps have become an integral part of people’s daily lives, helping to convey numerous kinds of vital information. As the popularity of digital maps has increased, the ways that they are both created and understood have evolved. This project’s goal is to analyze how people view and interpret digital maps and in turn gain a better understanding of how to create more impactful maps. Digital maps are used differently from physical maps, and therefore require different approaches to their creation.

Eye tracking hardware and software from Pupil Labs was used to record students while viewing a series of maps. …

Kill Zones And Their Use During The American Civil War: An Archaeological Review Of The Battle Of Pickett’S Mill, Jeremy Wolfe

Symposium of Student Scholars

While not well known in the list of battles during the Atlanta Campaign late in the American Civil War, it is marked as an overwhelming Confederate victory in the face of looming defeat in the war itself. With the Union suffering nearly two thousand casualties, the tactics and strategies used by the Confederate army no doubt aided in their victory. During the battle, Union soldiers were drawn into a ravine where Confederate soldiers could easily fire down on them. The Union men followed the ravine up into a flat area where they were then fired on again with accurate rifle …

Student Loan Debt Impacts On Choosing A Field Of Study, Lance Mcgonigle

Symposium of Student Scholars

Student Loan Debt Impacts on Choosing a Field of Study

Abstract

Lance McGonigle – Email: [email protected]

Student loan debt has been steadily rising over the last handful of decades, and many students who take these loans have little to no knowledge about the financial challenges that these loans can bring. This research is aimed to understand how student loan debt impacts a students’ field of study choice during their time as a college student, or if this has any affect at all. In doing a qualitative, humanistic study; exploratory research was conducted using inductive reasoning along with the use of …

Urban Food Policy, Planning, And Security: A Location Analysis And Potential Impacts Of Creating Community Gardens In Dekalb County, Ga, Artis Trice

Symposium of Student Scholars

As food insecurity grows in complexity, the methods used to combat it must also evolve. In the Atlanta metropolitan area, direct community engagement and partnerships have led to the creation of small community garden and urban agriculture operations on public lands. However, food insecurity continues to be a problem, particularly in low-income areas where resources are fewer, such as areas within DeKalb County, Georgia. This project seeks to understand ways in which integrating food policy and planning into existing green infrastructure can mitigate issues related to food insecurity in DeKalb County and considers the following questions: How can food policy …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Health Disparities In The United States - A Preliminary Study, Alina Panjwani

Symposium of Student Scholars

Health disparities are the differences in health outcomes and health status among people belonging to different groups. This means that people with low socioeconomic status, old age, racial and ethnic minorities, who are often those with limited access to healthcare may often face a higher disease burden and experience worse health outcomes. The current pandemic of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, provides a painful reminder of why inequities harm all of us as the devastating impact of the pandemic is apparent. This paper examines the differences in and possible cause of the rates of COVID infections, …

Fintech Use, Digital Divide And Financial Inclusion, Solomon Odei-Appiah, Gamel Wiredu, Joseph Adjei

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

FinTech innovations enable the provision of financial services to many unbanked across the world by increasing access. The key role of FinTech to drive financial inclusion however suffers significant impediments including the digital divide. Nevertheless, there is paucity of elaborate theories on financial inclusion while extant literature on FinTech only identify factors that drive its acceptance and use with little attention to inhibitors such as the digital divide. Employing the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) and the model of digital inequality, this study investigates the impact of FinTech usage on financial inclusion amidst the digital divide. …

Academic Libraries And Athletics Programs: The Current State Of Select Marketing And Development Partnerships, A. Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

In 2019, this author published a literature review that identified and described 35 partnerships between academic libraries and athletics departments at higher education institutions in the United States, 20 of which were established for library marketing and development purposes. Most of these marketing and development arrangements were forged over a decade ago and the literature documenting them is pri-marily dated. Furthermore, multiple questions were raised about the nature of this type of partnership and the specific terms and conditions of many of these arrangements are not addressed in the known body of literature. In addition to published sources, the present …