Digital Commons Network^™

From State To Nation: A Federal Framework For Breast Cancer Primary Prevention Informed By California's Paths To Prevention, Serena Padda

Master's Projects and Capstones

The United States’ federal government should adopt a primary prevention framework for breast cancer modeled after Breast Cancer Prevention Partners’ (BCPP) Paths to Prevention: the California Breast Cancer Primary Prevention Plan. The plan focuses on systemic actions to reduce breast cancer risk through a social and racial justice lens. Breast cancer is the leading diagnosed cancer among women in the United States, with incidence rates increasing annually by 1% since 2012. Disparities persist in communities disproportionately burdened by chemical and environmental exposures, contributing to unequal and preventable risk. Current federal policy focuses primarily on secondary prevention through screenings, which does …

From The Hood To The Pwi: A Self-Reflective Journey As Learner And Educator, Tatiana C. Height

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

This track explores the concept of organic sustainability within the context of Black educational experiences, drawing from my personal journey as student, scholar, mother, and educator. Using action research and autoethnography, I examine how anti-Black schooling shaped my academic trajectory across K–12 schools, predominantly white institutions, graduate studies, and faculty life. The narrative highlights tensions between education as a promise of liberation and its simultaneous perpetuation of systemic oppression. Strategies of resilience and resistance—such as ungrading, culturally relevant pedagogy, Apocalyptic Education, and unschooling—are positioned as tools to reimagine liberatory education. The work underscores the necessity of rejecting white supremacist norms …

The Feather Of The Quill: How Folklore Shapes Human Relationships With Wildlife, Taylor Breeanne Nelson

Master's Theses

This thesis examines how folklore and cultural phenomena shape human relationships with wildlife, arguing that the stories a society tells about animals are not merely reflective of its values but are constitutive of them. Drawing on narrative research methods sourced from literature and academic journals and interviews with academics, conservationists, and community members, this project examines the role of animal folklore.

I discuss how narratives around wildlife evolved alongside the development of the United States, arguing that the beginnings of mainstream American conservation not only displaced existing communities but also erased the sophisticated human-animal relationships their traditions had long sustained. …

‘Sprung From The Land Itself’: Rooted Human Rights Education As Critical Global Citizenship Praxis, Monisha Bajaj, David A. Tow

International Journal of Human Rights Education

This article discusses the field of Human Rights Education (HRE) and its intersections with the field of Global Citizenship Education (GCE), both now more than 60 years into their existence as discourse and practice communities. We trace the emergence of transformative, critical, and decolonial forms of HRE and offer a new conceptual framework for Rooted HRE. Rooted HRE offers a transformative approach to fostering critical global citizenship (CGC) by embedding global frameworks within the immediacy of local struggles. It draws on critical perspectives of global citizenship (Andreotti, 2011; Gaudelli, 2016), Transformative Human Rights Education (THRED) (Bajaj et al., 2016), and …

Volume 10, Monisha Bajaj, Jazzmin C. Gota, David A. Tow

International Journal of Human Rights Education

No abstract provided.

The Politics Of Being Heard: Communication And Power Struggles In Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, Caroline Trejo

Master's Projects and Capstones

The environmental and public health challenges in Bayview-Hunters Point have catalyzed widespread community activism, as residents and advocates respond to the ongoing fallout from radiological contamination at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Communication plays a vital role in bridging the gap between affected communities and government entities throughout the cleanup process. This research asks: how have the communication strategies of advocacy groups influenced government actions and policies during the Bayview-Hunters Point Shipyard cleanup? To explore this question, I conducted semi-structured interviews with three community advocates, two former members of a non-partisan civil jury, one independent researcher, and one government official. …

Evaluating San Francisco Urban Green Spaces And Policy To Inform Future Decision-Making: How Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Can Be Prioritized And Incorporated In Urban Park Design And Planning Through A Decision-Making Tool, Holley Anne Maassen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Amid the current climate crisis, enhancing urban green spaces (UGS), parks, and open spaces with climate change adaptation (CCA) as a strategic pillar in San Francisco’s urban planning is an essential strategic pillar to develop more resilient cities. However, in complex bureaucratic landscapes, integrating CCA strategies that meet project goals while ensuring inclusive stakeholder engagement presents a challenge. This project presents the identification, development, and application of a holistic decision-making tool (DMT) in the form of a Pugh matrix/decision matrix and with a focus on urban planning in San Francisco, California. Key decision-making criteria are identified and weighted through a …

Gis And The 1944 U.S.–Mexico Treaty: Rethinking Transboundary Governance Under Climate And Demographic Stress, Pedro L. Sarabia

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the structural limitations of the 1944 U.S.–Mexico Water Treaty in the context of intensifying climate stress and growing population demand. Using GIS-based raster analysis of precipitation from 1981 to 2024, it maps hydrological trends in treaty-bound basins—particularly the Rio Grande and Lower Colorado—which exhibit persistently low and variable precipitation. These conditions, coupled with institutional rigidity, threaten the sustainability of binational water management. In addition to quantitative analysis, the study includes a qualitative assessment of transboundary governance dynamics, highlighting how institutional fragmentation and policy contention impede adaptive responses. The Treaty’s current surface-water-only framework excludes groundwater management, real-time data …

Passive Envelope Retrofits As Climate Justice Infrastructure Against Extreme Heat: A Gis-Guided Approach For Outdated Single-Family Homes In Urban California, Mert Oztekin Mr.

Master's Projects and Capstones

I examined the opportunities to enhance equity in energy performance, climate resilience, and environmental adaptation through climate-resilient envelope retrofitting and spatially guided implementation strategies (via mappings of the Urban Heat Island -UHI- and socio-economic vulnerability indicators). Passive envelope retrofits of attic insulation; high-performance windows; cool roofs; and green roofs / walls, are examined across multiple climate zones of California' aged single-family housing stock, focusing on the Disadvantaged Communities (DACs). Through spatial analysis, strong overlap between Urban Heat Island(UHI) exposure; pre-1980 housing; socioeconomic disadvantage, and thus the need for spatially-directed action is underlined. The policy landscape analysis provides confirmation of the …

Methods In Environmental Studies, Erika Dunagan, Maya Mendoza, Posey Graber, Alex Cullins, Emma Mcginnis, Ally Nepomuceno, Isabella Buchan

Featured Student Work

This publication is a collection of undergraduate research conducted in the Methods in Environmental Studies course at the University of San Francisco in Fall 2024. The student-led projects explore the intersections of place, policy, ecology, and cultural identity through applied environmental research methodologies. Topics include a decolonial examination of the Forest Park Mound Group and Indigenous resilience in St. Louis; a comparative study of Navajo cosmology and ecological justice; a social and environmental impact assessment of Costa Rica’s National Decarbonization Plan; a psychogeographical analysis of Golden Gate Park and its impact on the psyche, emotions, behaviour, and health of urban …

The Socioeconomic Costs Of Water Pollution In Genesee County As Reflected In Unemployment Rates, Adeline (Haining) Yuan

Master's Projects and Capstones

This study explores how water pollution and unemployment are connected in Genesee County, Michigan, after a major water crisis. On April 25, 2014, Flint switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, causing widespread pollution as old pipes released lead and other harmful substances into the water. The water source was changed back to Lake Huron in 2016, and laws like the Families of Flint Act (H.R.4479) were put in place, yet long-term worries about public health and the economy still linger.

This research looks at unemployment data from after the crisis to understand the economic costs …

Impacts Of Atmospheric Rivers On Communities In Northern California: Comparative Analysis Of Sonoma County Hazard Mitigation Plans, Cristina Vance

Master's Projects and Capstones

Climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events and affects California’s hydroclimate, thereby increasing flood vulnerability of all communities in Sonoma County. An example of extreme weather phenomena is atmospheric rivers (ARs), which are long narrow water vapor transported by winds across the Pacific Ocean. ARs have a history of causing major flood events that have swept through Sonoma County and negatively impacted cities along the lower Russian River, such as the unincorporated town of Guerneville, California. Major floods cause detrimental impacts to the economy. Social inequalities become evident when unincorporated communities located along floodplains are more vulnerable to …

Exploring And Assessing Sustainable Flood Mitigation Strategies In Response To Rising Sea Levels In Boston, Elizavyeta Dmitrieva

Master's Projects and Capstones

With projections indicating up to a 30 cm rise in sea level along the US coastline by 2050, flooding emerges as a critical hazard for coastal communities. Boston, a pivotal urban center, anticipates experiencing 50-70 flood days per year by 2050. Addressing the inevitability of these events necessitates the implementation of robust and equitable flood mitigation strategies to alleviate stress on the city and its residents. This paper delves into the causes of sea level rise, flooding projections for Boston, and the City’s plans to mitigate these risks. Concentrating on the two neighborhoods most vulnerable to flooding—East Boston and South …

The Potential Of Southeast Florida’S Coral Reef Tract To Enhance Climate Resilience Of Ecosystems And Communities, Michaella C. Sena

Master's Projects and Capstones

Increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have led to more heat being trapped in the atmosphere, raising our overall global temperature. The hottest recorded sea surface temperatures in Southeast Florida occurred in 2023 causing extreme coral bleaching and high mortality in part of the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). Coral reefs play a vital role in protecting coastal communities from storm surge and sea level rise, reducing wave energy by up to 97% across whole reefs. However, with increasing ocean acidity and thermal stress from climate change, coral ecosystems are struggling to maintain their structural complexity and overall health, much less provide …

U.S. International Climate Finance: An Analysis Of Historical Shortfalls And A Proposal For More Equitable Distribution, Maria-Cristina Kealey

Master's Projects and Capstones

Least-developed countries experienced 69% of deaths from climate disasters over the past 50 years despite comprising only 13% of the world’s population. Low-income and climate vulnerable nations around the world are suffering disproportionately as wealthy, high-emitting countries, such as the U.S., profit from the climate crisis. This research provides a comprehensive overview of past U.S. contributions to international climate finance efforts, assesses the climate finance deficit globally and specifically for developing countries, and proposes a more equitable share of U.S. funding from a quantitative and restorative climate justice approach. The primary analyses included quantifying the U.S. share of global greenhouse …

Crafting Community Solar Programs To Alleviate Energy Burdens And Empower Communities In Virginia, Elizabeth Anne Sekelsky

Master's Projects and Capstones

Low to moderate-income (LMI) groups usually suffer from high energy burdens and community solar is a renewable energy strategy that can save LMI groups on their monthly electricity bills. This research explores the intersection of renewable energy and energy justice, specifically the potential for community solar, energy efficiency, and home weatherization to alleviate Virginia's energy burdens. Included is an analysis of incentives, programs, and Greenhouse gas emission goals for the state, investigations on how low-income groups are receiving aid and what is available to them from programs and utilities, suitable sites for solar based on groups in need, and comparisons …

Assesing Electronic Waste Management Strategies In Ghana, Valere Daphne Ossie

Master's Theses

In an era of rapid technological innovation, managing electronic waste (E-waste) is an increasing challenge globally. African countries are increasingly becoming the key destination of electronic waste due to two primaries factors which are the emergence of unregulated private markets from international and domestic recycling loopholes and stricter regulations on E-waste import and recycling methods in Asian countries like China and India. This study focuses on the complexities surrounding electronic waste (E-waste) in Ghana and provides management recommendations to mitigate the environmental health consequences. Using a qualitative method and peer-reviewed journals, this study investigates the current state of E-waste management …

Evaluating Climate Migration Through Discourse Analysis Of International Policy Framework And “El Progreso” Community Blog, Olusola Akanni

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Environmental changes are driven by global warming, such as rising temperatures, melting ice, and increased natural disasters which directly affect the living conditions of huma thereby driving migration. This study highlights the inadequacies of current migration management policies as the United States is seeing a significant influx of migrants from Central America. The focus of this discourse analysis is on the role of inadequate policies and the failure of international efforts like the Paris Climate Agreement in addressing the issue of climate-induced migration effectively. Despite the goals set by such international agreements to mitigate the effects of climate change …

Using Virtual Power Plants To Advance Decarbonization And Energy Equity In California, Cheri Tsoi Yu Tse

Master's Theses

To achieve 60% renewable electricity generation by 2030 and 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2045, California must rapidly electrify and decarbonize all sectors while ensuring grid stability to avoid power outages. Virtual power plants (VPPs) are an emerging solution that can help increase the percentage of renewable energy on California’s electrical grid. This research examined how VPPs can advance decarbonization, grid stability, and energy equity in California. The report begins by clarifying the definitions and components of a VPP, finding the crucial interactions among distributed energy resources (DERs), management systems, and prosumers (energy consumers who both produce and consume electricity). Next, …

“We Have To Fight For Change”: Intersecting And Ongoing Crises Amongst Farmworker Families Along The Monterey Bay Central Coast, Mikayla S. Feliciano

Master's Projects and Capstones

This study examines the crises farmworkers are experiencing along the Monterey Bay Central Coast. It analyzes and reviews housing insecurity, deficit to basic needs, and the environmental impact of storms and pesticides exposure. In January of 2023, the central coast experienced an immense amount of rain, atmospheric rivers, and a levee break that the Salinas and Pajaro Valley communities' infrastructure could not handle. These storms caused even more financial and economic peril for the already struggling farmworkers and their children. This research aims to highlight the importance of farmworking families in the community and what social barriers they face. Information …

Critical Language Education For Peace: On The Significance Of Communicative Agency For Education For Human Rights, Peace, And Sustainable Development, Frauke Matz, Ricardo Römhild

International Journal of Human Rights Education

This conceptual paper explores the intersection of human rights, children's rights, and peace education, and language education. Languages, communication, and dialogue play a crucial role in international understanding and cooperation towards human rights, children's rights, and peace.

This contribution recognizes communicative competence as inclusive of ideology-critical abilities (Delanoy, 2017) and begins by arguing that for students to become “agents of change and protagonists of their future” (UNESCO, 2024, p. 5), their communicative agen-cy must be considered an essential aspect of transformative education. The discussion will focus on the field of English (as a “foreign,” second or additional) language education, as …

Solar-Powered Microgrids In Northern California: An Opportunity For Resilience, Marina Riddle

Master's Projects and Capstones

Planned and unplanned power outages have been increasing in frequency and duration, negatively impacting all public sectors, and threatening public safety. These outages are deadly to those who rely on medical devices. As climate change-fueled extreme weather events (wildfires, earthquakes, storms, etc.) also increase in frequency, our electrical grid must be prepared to bounce back. Microgrids provide necessary redundancy and reliability. Through a novel GIS suitability analysis, based on solar radiation, land use type, local energy demand, distance to transmission lines, distance to roads, and slope, optimal locations for solar-powered microgrids throughout Northern California were determined. The counties of Fresno, …

‘Safe Couch, Safe House’ Program (Scshp): Reducing Exposure To Toxic Flame Retardants For Children In A Low-Income Public Housing At Hunters View, Bayview-Hunters Point, San Francisco., Aliza Khan

Master's Projects and Capstones

Since the 1970s, flame retardants have been used extensively in consumer goods, including furniture, textile, and electronics, to meet California’s flammability standards. (Gibson et al.,2019) Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), once the most widely used flame retardants being used in consumer products, were phased out from use in manufacturing as evidence emerged about PBDEs persistence and toxicity. (Hoffman et al.,2017) PBDEs were replaced by Organophosphate Flame Retardants (OPFRs), which has proven to be a case of ‘regrettable substitution’ as exposure to OPFRs is ubiquitous and pervasive in humans due to their volatility and propensity to leach from products into the environment. …

Indigenous Water Rights: Navigating Sovereign Waters, Cynthia N. Pina

Master's Projects and Capstones

The issue of Native American water rights and the sovereignty of their land on reservations is gaining increasing prominence, making it the focal point of this thesis as an environmental justice concern. Native Americans face disproportionate public health challenges related to water accessibility, contamination, sanitation, outdated infrastructure, and other social determinants of health. The legal framework that governs the coexistence of Native Americans in the United States is rooted in a settler colonial perspective. Consequently, this has created a dependent relationship between Native Americans and the United States federal government. Despite the long-standing advocacy of Tribes for sovereignty since the …

Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …

Improving The Land Trust Model’S Impact On Environmental Conservation In Northern California, Peter Talbot

Master's Projects and Capstones

For years, the land trust sector of California and much of the United States has operated with a dollars and acres mentality that has prioritized fundraising as a result of acreage protected. Within California, nearly 5.8 million acres of land have been protected by 132 land trusts throughout the state. To accommodate for the diverse cross-section of land and the many needs of the population, land trusts take on numerous shapes and sizes. A unique aspect of this diversity is the rich agricultural and natural spaces found throughout the state. This mix of land and variety of land uses has …

Evaluating The Environmental Sustainability Of Florida’S Primary Brownfield Remediation Technique, Stephanie Bekampis

Master's Projects and Capstones

Florida has been designated as a hotspot for sea level rise by NASA (Hamlington et al., 2022) and is likely to experience more frequent and severe storm events (EPA, 2020), increasing pollutant mobility in contaminated developed land, such as Brownfield sites (Crawford et al., 2022). Disadvantaged communities and minorities are more vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise and storms surges, and they are more likely to live in proximity to Brownfields (Marcantonio et al., 2020; U.S. EPA, Office of Land and Emergency Management, 2021). To mitigate this impact, Brownfield remediation is necessary; however, traditional methods to remediate Brownfield …

Resitance Art And Urban Space: A Strategic Comparison Of Artistic Urban Space Usage In Buenos Aires And San Francisco, Adeline Rose Schmitz

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the early Twentieth century the Mexican Muralism movement reached two important port cities: San Francisco and Buenos Aires. The artists in these cities quickly adopted the usage of public art as means to insert political dialogue into the everyday life of their citizens. Throughout the years the resistance art in these cities has evolved in parallel, shaped by their dynamic histories of social and political change. This paper critically compares the evolutions of resistance art in Buenos Aires and San Francisco over the past twenty years. It does so by analyzing the public art archives of local collectives in …

Composite Climate Risk Exposure In High-Emitting California Industries, Nicholas M. Graves

Master's Projects and Capstones

The correlation of anthropogenic carbon emissions and changes in the global climate system is unequivocal. Governments are enacting policy from the local, state, federal, and international levels that present major transition risks for businesses. In parallel, legacy emissions are already causing discernible changes in the climate system via increased frequencies of drought, wildfire, flooding, and extreme heat; these changes present material physical risks to existing business infrastructure. Taken together, these risks form the foundation of proposed regulations for climate risk disclosure by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Existing literature has not provided an at-scale screening methodology for climate …

Community Microgrids As An Equitable Climate Resilience And Adaptation Strategy In California, Savanna Olivia Smith

Master's Projects and Capstones

Climate change summons more extreme and frequent weather events that threaten communities’ access to power. Without power, businesses lose revenue, essential services are limited, people are exposed to extreme temperatures, and lives are lost. California has adopted microgrids as a solution to costly power outages, electrification needs, and renewable energy goals. This work evaluates the adoption of microgrids as an equitable climate resilience and adaptation strategy through a geospatial analysis of California’s resilience investment needs, a case study analysis of 9 existing tribal and rural microgrids, and a gap analysis of California and federal policies and incentive programs. Programs like …