Digital Commons Network^™

A Tale Of Two Settings: Rethinking Methods And Approaches For Diversity Research, Michelle Samura

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

In order to better understand the range of experiences of diverse college students, scholars engaging in diversity research must be mindful of our methodological assumptions. Existing research on environment and space suggests that the concept of a “setting” is not neutral or static. In this article, I emphasize the need to consider campus spaces as dynamic and fluid. I also suggest that depictions and reports of studies’ settings should capture diverse perspectives because different populations can view a single setting very differently. A singular version of a research setting may be inadequate. I offer an example of how one setting …

Can A Green University Serve Underrepresented Students?: Reconciling Sustainability And Diversity At Hsu, Sarah Jaquette Ray

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

No abstract provided.

A Multifactorial Obesity Model Developed From Nationwide Public Health Exposome Data And Modern Computational Analyses, Lisaann S. Gittner, Barbara J. Kilbourne, Ravi Vadapalli, Hafiz M.K. Khan, Michael A. Langston

Sociology Faculty Research

Summary

Statement of the problem

Obesity is both multifactorial and multimodal, making it difficult to identify, unravel and distinguish causative and contributing factors. The lack of a clear model of aetiology hampers the design and evaluation of interventions to prevent and reduce obesity.

Methods

Using modern graph-theoretical algorithms, we are able to coalesce and analyse thousands of inter-dependent variables and interpret their putative relationships to obesity. Our modelling is different from traditional approaches; we make no a priori assumptions about the population, and model instead based on the actual characteristics of a population. Paracliques, noise-resistant collections of highly-correlated variables, are …

Reimagining Ability, Reimagining America: Teaching Disability In United States History Classes, Maya L. Steinborn

Master's Projects and Capstones

In service to the FAIR Education Act (2012) and the awareness-raising mission of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008), this project reviews historical and educational literature about disability in the United States and provides a curriculum guide for teaching Human Rights Education (HRE) and disability studies (DS) at the high school level in California. This project traces the historical development of deficit attitudes toward disability back to the colonial era, uncovering the dichotomy between the vast resources in DS and the ableist omission of disability from K-12 curricula. Survey data and interviews further show how teachers …

The Minutes Of The Marshall University Staff Council Meeting, May 2017, Marshall University Staff Council

Staff Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Landowner And Practitioner Perspectives On Private Land Conservation Programs, Michelle L. Lute, Caitlyn R. Gillespie, Dustin R. Martin, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Efforts to reverse declines in native grasslands benefit from agricultural policies that encourage private land conservation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) improved conservation across landscapes but enrollment has declined. We used sequential exploratory mixed methods to compare landowner and conservation practitioners’ perceptions, evaluate perceived benefits, and identify potential improvements to CRP. Focus groups of practitioners informed a quantitative survey of landowners who had properties >160 total acres in Nebraska. Results suggest potential misalignment in perceptions between practitioners and landowners. Practitioners were concerned that conservation, especially of wildlife, was secondary to profit. But the majority of landowners …

The Colby Echo (2017-05-18), Colby College

The Colby Echo

Published by the students of Colby College since 1877, The Colby Echo is the weekly, editorially independent student-run newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Published monthly, 1877-1886; semi-monthly, 1886-1897; and weekly, during the academic year, 1898-present.

Creatures Of Play, Melissa Shelton

Graduate School of Art Theses

This thesis explores my practice as an artist and my work’s cultural, theoretical and social contexts, such carnival theory, feminist studies and film studies, as well as references to mythology and my own biography. I discuss forms of representation of gendered identities through my work in drawing, performance, animation, video and installation.

The masks we wear become as real as our bare face. Through the act of doubling the representation, my thesis work BECOMING/a fine line situates the mask as the mediator between reflections, mirroring the identity and the notion of performativity. Embracing a certain incompleteness and embodying the theoretical …

Open To The Public: The Political Zoo, Mary Brown

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

Open to the Public: The Political Zoo is a two-part project that began as an experiment, a creative curiosity into the intersections of co-authorship, political censorship, and mail art. Spurred in a moment when the news media is being challenged by those in the highest offices, the analog nature of this project explores the potential of a world in which online self-expression is hindered. Mail art projects, while out of the box in this digital era, are situated in a history of 20th century artistic practices. Used as a tool for creative exploration and community in Western countries, in Eastern …

Evaluating High Cost Credit Targeted At The Poor, Jason Lux

Lexia: Undergraduate Journal in Writing, Rhetoric & Technical Communication

This compelling essay, written for WRTC 103: Critical Reading and Writing, argues for financial education for the poor and stronger governmental oversight of the fringe banking industry. Offering nuanced analysis of these banking practices, Lux reveals the predatory nature of payday load centers and demonstrates how they perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

An Interview With Fanny Howe, Lucas J. Giese, William Harren

Studio One

Fanny Howe, author of the The Needle’s Eye: Passing through Youth, visited the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University on January 22, 2017. Fanny Howe was a finalist for the National Book Award for her book of poetry Second Childhood and her fiction has been considered as a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize. We were fortunate enough to spend a sunny afternoon in our dining room with Fanny and hear her discuss her thoughts on literature, religion, life, and politics.

Omnibus Edition, Studio One 2017, Studio1 Literary Club

Studio One

No abstract provided.

Race Relations: A Dialogue Between Science And Theology On The Basis Of Race, Shanice Latham

Dialogue & Nexus

When the topic of race is breached the emotions expressed can range from extreme feelings of guilt to extreme feelings of anger. Why is a word that is, today, commonly associated with a person’s skin color and other physical characteristics responsible for such strong emotional reactions? Much of the violence, poverty, injustice, and hurt in the world has been and is caused by racial division. With the continued use of such an arbitrary system as race these issues will continue to persist and deteriorate. This paper will explore the origin, as well as scientific and theological perspectives of race and …

Subjectivity Of Solar Power: Using Q Methodology To Evaluate Perceptions Of Solar Energy Projects In The San Luis Valley, Aaron D. Russell

Geography ETDs

Renewable energy is on the verge of becoming a significant source of power generation and for many Americans, that will mean thinking and talking about energy technologies in new ways. Land intensive energies such as solar and green will compete more and more with aspects of our social world. This project focuses on the perception, acceptance, and discourse of renewable energy projects by examining the solar energy conversation in the San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado. This vast high-desert valley holds the excellent geographic conditions needed for the siting of large solar energy installations, but such projects continue to run …

1880 - Report Of The California State Agricultural Society For 1880

Miscellaneous Documents and Reports

1880 report on various subjects pertaining to the California State Agricultural Society in 1880, copies of some of the bulletins issued by the Society during the year, and a review of the physical conditions and characteristics of most of the counties of the State, with statistics showing the farm acreage, the assessable wealth, and industrial resources for those counties.

Homeschooling In Alaska: Parent Perceptions And Homeschool Regulations, Lisa R. Cavan

Education

Homeschooling is a growing trend in the United States and Canada. States vary as to what regulations are required to homeschool a child. Current studies from the United States and Canada focus on the academic achievement of students who are homeschooled, the homeschooling styles that were used, along with education levels and income levels of those who teach at home. The studies only include students who are known to be homeschooled and do not account for the ones that are not required to participate in standardized testing. Research was conducted, first using online surveys completed by families that homeschool in …

Watching You Go: Exploring Subjective Documentary Methods In Contemporary Photography, Ellamarie Quimby

Art

This work examines the history and contemporary context of photojournalism and documentary photography through narrative imagery of the artist's mother and family. By adapting traditional documentary practices and exploring more subjective methodologies, Watching you go addresses the artist's physical and emotional limitations while experiencing her mother's terminal illness.

Willingness To Pay For Reindeer Meat Attributes: A Niche Market Study In Interior Alaska, Nathaniel C. Burke

Economics

The Alaskan market for reindeer meat is unique. This study's aim is to estimate the average consumer willingness to pay for a range of reindeer meat attributes. These attributes include those that have a direct impact on meat quality such as cut and fat percentage, as well as intangible qualities, such as where the meat is grown and by whom it was raised. The study focuses on the preferences of people in Interior Alaska, specifically the Fairbanks Northstar Borough. The Reindeer Act of 1937 and supply infrastructure limitations have both contributed to a low level of reindeer meat production in …

Management Of Large Interdisciplinary Team Science Projects: A Multi-Methods Approach To Examining Competencies, Alice Danielson Veazey

Education

Over the past fifty years, the world has experienced a significant increase in the scale and complexity of scientific research that is focused on society's most important issues. This type of research requires a team approach from people with diverse skill sets working together across multiple disciplines, and that trend is reflected in a significant rise in collaborative research. "Team science" is the focus of research efforts intent on better understanding the challenges and maximizing the effectiveness of collaborative research. Projects that involve large teams of scientists require a thoughtful and planned approach to leadership and management in order to …

Utilizing Pasture Resources For Sub-Arctic Agriculture: Sustainable Livestock Production In Alaska, Laura Marie Starr

Agriculture and Horticulture

It is estimated that the globe must produce 100% more food in the next 50 years to meet growing demand while addressing the compounding challenge of climate change. One potential solution to this challenge is to produce more on existing agricultural lands and put more land into production. The extremely cold and dry climate that characterizes much of Alaska has all but removed the state from the state and national discussions of agricultural production and development. Yet despite this apparent incompatibility with traditional agricultural models, some of the largest wild herds of grazing ungulates are indigenous to Alaska - and …

The Relationship Between The Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas And The Horse: Deconstructing A Eurocentric Myth, Yvette Running Collin

Indigenous Studies

This research project seeks to deconstruct the history of the horse in the Americas and its relationship with the Indigenous Peoples of these same lands. Although Western academia admits that the horse originated in the Americas, it claims that the horse became extinct in these continents during the Last Glacial Maximum (between roughly 13,000 and 11,000 years ago). This version of "history" credits Spanish conquistadors and other early European explorers with reintroducing the horse to the Americas and to her Indigenous Peoples. However, many Native Nations state that "they always had the horse" and that they had well established horse …

An Approach To Understanding Community Members' Perceptions Of Climate Change In Three Rural Indigenous Mexican Communities, Tricia Kent

Natural Resources

This case study describes an approach to understanding community members' perceptions of climate change in three rural indigenous communities in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Seven participatory tools were applied to assess community members' experience of current climate change conditions, the challenges posed by changing conditions, and their communities' efforts to adapt. Tools, such as the Stratified Timeline, that provided community members time to work in groups and reflect on the questions they were asked allowed them to better express their knowledge of climate change than tools that isolated community members or used technical language …

Humpback Whales And Humans: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach To Exploring The Whale-Watching Industry In Juneau, Alaska, Suzanne F. Teerlink

Marine Biology

A booming whale-watching industry in Juneau, Alaska is leading to complicated resource management challenges. Juneau's growing commercial whale-watching industry includes over 60 vessels and generates more than $25 million in annual revenue. As this industry has increased, so too have concerns for the welfare of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) exposed to this vessel traffic. However, we lack a fundamental understanding of long-term impacts, if any, that vessel disturbance has on humpback whales. Further, we have insufficient data on local abundance and seasonal attendance of humpback whales that are necessary to detect potential future changes. The aim of this project is …

The Midianite Connection: An Exploration Of Suggestive Hints, Albrecht Nyce Osb

Obsculta

No abstract provided.

Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaycush) Otoliths As Indicators Of Past Climate Patterns And Growth In Arctic Lakes, Eric S. Torvinen

Fisheries

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Study Of In-Situ Heat Generation For Oil Reservoirs Underlying The Permafrost, Mohammad Ali Kargarpour

Engineering

Development of a heavy oil reservoir is a challenging issue in the oil industry. One of the major issues in heavy oil recovery is its high viscosity; so, using heating methods for producing oil have been developed and employed from the early 1950s. The existing relatively thick permafrost layer which overlays the heavy oil reservoirs of the North Slope of Alaska creates additional complexities for development of these heavy oil reservoirs. Applying any heating oil recovery process in regular way to these heavy oil Alaskan reservoirs would potentially jeopardize the permafrost layer. A down-hole heat generation system has been developed …

Children And Young People’S Participation In The Community In Ireland: Experiences And Issues, Catherine Forde, Deirdre Horgan, Shirley Martin Dr, Aisling Parkes

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

This paper presents the findings of research into children and young people’s experiences of participating in their communities in Ireland. Using a social and relational understanding of participation, the research found that children and young people are engaged in a wide range of activities in their communities. They are however often misunderstood in the community and have limited opportunities for participation in decisions affecting them. Despite these problems, they report positive experiences of participating in youth clubs and organisations, where their participation is supported by adults. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for research, public policy and community.

Objects, Places And Stories Of Transformative Youth Work, Mark Taylor

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

If researchers are sympathetic to the view that young people take an active part in creating their histories, they have to be vigilant to not only what young people say, but also to the resources they employ in constructing their narratives. This paper considers the implications of former service users of a youth work organisation unexpectedly employing objects on display in the organisation’s meeting room to tell stories of transformative youth work encounters. These objects were pictures of young people receiving a civic award and candles co-created by young people and youth workers. The paper explores the practical and symbolic …

An Exploration Of Irish Teachers' Experiences Of Stress, Dearbhail Buckley, David Abbott, John Franey

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

Only limited research is available on teacher stress in Ireland. This study explores teachers’ individual experiences of stress, the supports they recommend in schools to help them cope with stress and any differences apparent in stress levels based on experience: a) working as a primary or secondary teacher and b) working as a recently qualified or experienced teacher. It utilises interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to do so. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted which suggested that teachers have different interpretations of stress and an influencing factor in teacher stress is the self. The teachers recommended a range of supports to help …

Crime Concentration In Ireland In 2012: A Location Quotient Approach, Stephen Brosnan

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

The aim of this paper is to investigate spatial patterns of crime in Ireland to develop a better theoretical understanding of the role of geography and opportunity, as well as enabling practical crime prevention solutions that are tailored to specific places. The analysis uses crime data sourced from the Central Statistics Office to analyse crime concentration for a range of crime categories using alternative measures of concentration. The findings of this paper indicate that crime concentrates in particular places in Ireland. The findings may be utilised by An Garda Síochana (Irish police force) to enable practical crime prevention solutions that …