Digital Commons Network^™

Changes In Regional Snowfall In Central North America (1961-2017): Mountain Versus Plains, Jiyang Zhang, Haochi Zheng, Xiaodong Zhang, Jeffrey Vanlooy

Faculty Publications

Long-term snowfall change offers insight for understanding climate change, managing water resources, and assessing climate model performance, especially at regional scales where topography plays an important role in shaping regional climate and water availability. In this study, we examined the changes of annual snowfall using observations from 1961 to 2017 in central North America, a region with high contrast in topographic complexities. There is a general, yet distinct difference in the snowfall trends demarcated approximately along the 105° W meridian. To its east, which is dominated by plains, snowfall had increased overall, except in a limited area south of 42° …

Approved Courses, April 28, 2020, Individual Course Committee

Individual Course Committee (ICC)

No abstract provided.

Evaluating First-Generation Students’ Career Readiness, Mariana N. Robledo De La Torre

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Research shows that first-generation students have historically had less guidance and resources to support their educational attainment and career development (Tate et al., 2015). This has resulted in considerable growth in the amount of support systems, programs, and services implemented by educational institutions across the United States to help first-generation college students thrive in higher education and their future careers. This study sought to improve my understanding of the career readiness of first-generation students at USD. By engaging with and gathering data from first-generation students, I have greater insight about ways of supporting first-generation students’ career readiness and vocational confidence …

Community And Conservation In Wallacea: Making The Case For The Region, A Methodological Framework, And Research Trends, Micah R. Fisher, Bart Verheijen, Muhammad Alif K. Sahide

Forest and Society

This introduction provides a review of articles published in the special section on community conservation in the Wallacea region. As editors to the special section, we worked with contributors over a series of workshops to reflexively identify challenges to conducting research on community and conservation in this important and often overlooked region. The challenges are attributable to the dynamism and remoteness of the region, as well as its peripheral position relative to the center of government in Indonesia. We begin this article by making the case for a concerted field of study for the Wallacea region. Next, we draw on …

Dark Ride: Disneyland. Using Educational Games For Critical Media Literacy Education, Benjamin Thevenin

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article describes Dark Ride: Disneyland - a mobile game that encourages Disneyland guests to critically consider Disney’s representations of history, culture, and technology. The game was the creation of a group of faculty, students and professionals associated with Brigham Young University. The article contextualizes the game and its development in relation to concepts including media as public pedagogy, critical inquiries of place, critical and creative media literacy, creative production as research, and educational videogames. It reviews the project’s objective to foster critical reflection and creativity among those involved in developing the game and hopefully to extend media literacy education …

Rangelands Management: A Foresight In Afghanistan, Yashpal Singh Saharawat, Abdul Rahman Manan, Hyatullah Esmati

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Afghanistan, a land locked country with arid and semi-arid climatic conditions and the average amount of rainfall is 250 mm per year, heavily depends on the rangelands for livestock feed. Permanent pasture cover around 46% of the total land area i.e. 30 million ha rangeland exist in the country (Thomson et al. 2003), whereas forestry covers around 3% of total area i.e. around 1.9 million ha. Based on seasons, the rangelands of Afghanistan divided into three categories; the winter (16 million ha); the spring and autumn (16 million ha) and summer (22.5 million) pastures. Rangeland degradation is quite severe …

6th Graders In Stem: Development Of An International Climate Team And Weather Station At Washington Elementary, Rachel Anne Lindsey, Pamella A. Cedillo, Jen Pierce, Cheryl Finley, Hannah Courtright, Chris Taylor

2020 Undergraduate Research Showcase

While opportunities to become involved in climate and STEM-related clubs exist at the middle and high school levels in Idaho, few are available at elementary schools. This project establishes Boise’s first International Climate Team (ICT) at Washington Elementary to address this need. Within the program, 6^th graders maintain their own school weather station, interpret local weather and climate, establish a new STEM Club, and develop team leadership skills. In conjunction with service learning partners at Washington Elementary, the Boise School District, and Boise State University we mentor the ICT and STEM club and provide support for the installation and …

Stampede April 24, 2020, Western Michigan University

Stampede: E-newsletter for students

• Caps off to the grads!
• Kordell Smith (Business)
• Alaa Sleymann (Biological Sciences)
• Kobe Brown (Theatre)
• WMU nursing program students, faculty are pandemic prepared
• Student social media campaign helps WMU community #staypositive
• Campus community pitching in to provide WMU students with essentials
• Aviation alum delivers critical supplies, personnel for pandemic response
• WMU senior engineering students solve problems facing business, industry and people
• Future Broncos use talents to help frontline health care workers
• Broncos at home
• Music challenge aims to build harmony, community from a distance
• For the birds: Avian adventures bring comfort while social distancing

The Bridge, T.J. Peeler

Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Rock Hill is expanding. Long term projections for growth in and around the City of Charlotte mean that people will continue to move to the City of Rock Hill. Recently, the Carolina Panthers announced the purchase of 200 acres for development of a practice facility, restaurants, hotels, office space, and residential expansion. Rock Hill has hosted national competitions in numerous sports, and has recently hosted a world competition in biking. Infrastructure must be improved to help support a growing population and increased visitation. This project focuses on the location of a new bridge crossing over the Catawba River between the …

Boise State’S Path To Carbon Neutrality: A Climate Action Plan, Morgan Brummund, John Gardner, Jen Pierce

2020 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Despite budget constraints, carbon neutrality and clean energy transitions are tangible for Boise State University. When looking at what it would take to get Boise State to carbon neutrality by 2050, the most important factors are our current Greenhouse Gas emissions inventory and a climate action plan with tangible deadlines and milestones for our transition. Currently, the University lacks a strategic timeline to reduce emissions and adequate technology for measuring those emissions. At Boise State, it is of primary importance to focus on Scope 1 emissions (direct emissions from sources Boise State owns or controls) and Scope 3 emissions (any …

Four Geography Students Awarded Scholarships Honoring Bloemers, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Willingness To Reduce Meat Consumption At Csb/Sju By Gender, Kyaw Htwe

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

Developing New Elementary Climate Science Curriculum Strategies For K-12 Students At The Boise Watershed, Dustin Lukehart, Jen Pierce, Cindy Busche, Augusto Gabrielli, Tristan Harris

2020 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Increasing greenhouse gas emissions are warming global temperatures at an alarming rate; this will affect the human population, including Idahoans! This project focuses on developing and implementing a climate science curriculum program within the Boise WaterShed’s Education Program. This service-learning capstone project, in collaboration with Boise WaterShed, seeks to develop interactive learning and lesson plans for K-6 students. This project builds upon existing activities in the Education program like greenhouse gas tag and other interactive learning games. Objectives for this project include implementing and assessing the efficacy of the new climate material. Survey questions will assess the effectiveness of climate …

Impact Of Diaspora: A Study Of The Rohingya And Palestinians, Abigail M. Morgan, Alessa Skelton, Jordan Warren, Margaret Hofmann, Lisa Meierotto

2020 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Our research will examine the question: How do Palestinian and Rohingya refugees effect on their environment and the environmental impacts associated with displacement? We will qualify the environment in social, economic, and natural contexts. More specifically, we will focus on the Rohingya population in coastal Bangladesh and the Palestinian population in West Bank. Our motivation for this project is to better understand how refugee populations can exist through crises and how they impact the environment and cultures around them. We chose to do a comparative study of these two refugee crises because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has lasted generations and the …

Genetic Studies Of Wildlife, Brittaney L. Buchanan

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Genetic techniques are being more frequently used to understand the biology and management of wildlife species. The wild turkey is one species of genetic interest because the correct identification of individuals to the subspecies level is difficult using traditional methods. Currently phenotypic differences in plumage, especially the upper tail coverts, are used to assign individuals to subspecies. To hunters wanting to complete a “grand slam,” identification of birds’ subspecies is important. This study focuses on the five extant subspecies: Eastern (M. g. silvestris), Osceola (M. g. osceola), Rio Grande (M. g. intermedia), Merriam’s ( …

The Salmonidae Solution: An Analysis Of Catch And Release As A Sustainable Management Practice For Climate Threatened Trout And Related Species In Colorado, Nathan Stone

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

“Seeing Is Believing:” The Influence Of Outdoor Experiences On Climate Awareness And Action, Julia Abell

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

Minnesota Walleye: How The State’S Current Fishing Culture Is Detrimental To Minnesota’S Aquatic Ecosystems And How It Can Change, Jayson Valek

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study explores Minnesota’s current angling culture and how it may be detrimental to aquatic ecosystems. The state’s current angling culture is centered around catching walleye (Sander vitreus), the state fish. The species has rightfully earned its reputation amongst anglers, but the impacts associated with its popularity may be negative. This research looks primarily at which factors of the angling culture are detrimental and where anglers and fisheries managers need to make improvements. The current motivations and practices of anglers cannot continue, as walleye abundance is on the decline due to angling pressure and hydrological changes. Walleye are not the …

Efficient Energy: How The Integration Of Smart Grids Will Enhance The Current Us Energy System, Margeaux Pederson

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

"When Home Won't Let You Stay:" How Climate Change Is Driving Migration In Central America, Alejandra Gallardo

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

138— Clean Energy & Transportation In China, Ella Nielsen, Scott Hawley, Linda Lin

GREAT Day Posters

In our presentation, we are going to analyze China’s energy and transportation policies. We are interested in how China will develop its transit policy with the growth of the population and the addition of several new urban cities. The way these cities are planned will not only have an impact on China but on the rest of the world. We will focus on the emergence of green technology and how China is exporting its technology globally.

298— Rural Economic Growth And Disease Intervention In Ghana; The Edward Pettinella '73 Endowed Ambassadorship In Business, Lucas Sutton

GREAT Day Posters

Schistosomiasis is a leading parasitic infection that debilitates many individuals in sub Saharan Africa. Because this parasitic infection involves a snail as an intermediate host, we use a native prawn species as a natural predator to decrease the population of this snail community. This study focuses on Tomefa, a primarily fishing peri-urban community located oi the outskirts of Accra, the capital city of Ghana. A survey was also given to the local community measuring economic characteristics. In the laboratory, Macrobrachium spp prawn exhibit preference of Bulinus snails over Biomphalaria snails while non-parasitic snails were consumed in higher proportion to parasitized …

Spartan Daily, April 21, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 35

Evolutionary Bioethics Advanced By Ernest Everett Just: Implications For Biology, Ethics, And Theology, Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

Ernest Everett Just (1883-1941) is an acknowledged “pioneer” in biology, being honored with a Black Heritage postage stamp in 1996. Here we discover that Just also made pioneering contributions to general evolutionary bioethics (distinct from special medical bioethics) by advancing a cell-biology-rooted theory of the origin and continuing evolution of ethical behavior influenced by the “law of environmental dependence.”

See especially “The Origin of Man’s Ethical Behavior (1941, unpublished book manuscript) by Ernest Everett Just and Hedwig Schnetzler Just, discovered in 2018 among the collected papers of E.E. Just at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University.

Accordingly, evolution is …

Law-Related Student Organizations Elect New Officers, Look Forward To 2020-21, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

The Community Influence Of Sponge And Coral Aquaculture In Zanzibar, Hanna Gaertner, Asma Ahmada Hamad, J. Richard Walz

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Aquaculture has been presented as a means of income for coastal communities, particularly in the context of climate change and resource exploitation. The NGO Marine Cultures in Jambiani, Zanzibar has established a sponge cultivation program for women in response to declining feasibility of seaweed farming from warming ocean temperatures. In addition, the organization strives to restore a severely damaged reef while providing employment for coral farmers and tour boat operators. This study analyzed the influence of aquaculture on community stakeholders, primarily with respect to sponge cultivation and secondarily in regard to coral farms. Using Marine Cultures as a case study, …

Allocating Rangelands To The Optimum Land Use By Applying A Decision Support System, Seyed Alireza Mousavi, Hossein Arzani, Mehdi Farahpour

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rangelands in Iran are faced with a considerable level of degradation and human interventions due to pressures for increased food production and the need to generate more benefits for an increasing population. A first step in solving this problem is to develop methodology to efficiently analyse the current situation and effectively reallocate rangelands into optimum land uses. To achieve an agreed solution for land allocation, an interactive approach is required to recognize and comprehensively assess different alternatives.

This paper suggests an introductory framework for developing a decision support system for allocation of rangeland areas into the most optimum use.

Road Development In Asia: Assessing The Range-Wide Risks To Tigers, Neil Carter, Alexander Killion, Tara Easter, Jodi Brandt, Adam Ford

Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations

Roads are proliferating worldwide at an unprecedented rate, with potentially severe impacts on wildlife. We calculated the extent and potential impacts of road networks across the 1,160,000-km², 13-country range of the globally endangered tiger (Panthera tigris)—a conservation umbrella species. We found that roads were pervasive, totaling 134,000 km across tiger conservation landscapes (TCLs), even in tiger priority sites and protected areas. Approximately 43% of the area where tiger breeding occurs and 57% of the area in TCLs fell within the road-effect zone. Consequently, current road networks may be decreasing tiger and prey abundances by more than …

Analyzing The Effect Of Cmip5 Climate Projections On Streamflow Within The Pajaro River Basin, Ranjit Bhandari, Ajay Kalra, Sanjiv Kumar

Open Water Journal

The current study evaluated the effect of climate change on regional streamflow using General Circulation Models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) for the Pajaro River Watershed (PRW) in central California. The 1/8° latitude-longitude resolution bias-corrected and downscaled CMIP5 projections were utilized under four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5). Csiro-mk3-6 and canesm2 models projected an increase of 3.1°C in annual average daily maximum temperature and 3.4°C in annual average daily minimum temperature respectively in 2070-2099 period under RCP8.5 scenarios. The dry months would continue to receive diminished precipitation throughout the century. The streamflow was increasing …

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 10 Issue 19, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.