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Vaccines And Publics: A Variety Of Engagement Experiences, David H. Lee

Publications and Research

This chapter is about some of the sites and scenes where members of the public are exposed to (and engage in) vaccination discourse. To preview, after a brief introduction, we begin with messaging models of communication, followed by the move from messaging to engagement. Next, case examples of public engagement with vaccines are introduced, from pandemic influenza preparedness in the U.S., to polio eradication initiatives in India, and then to COVID-19 public engagement events in England. Settings of public engagement are noted, including online, in churches and museums. Then, there’s a section about communication and public participation, seen as either …

Minds, Made Up Or Malleable? Covert Commands At The Eclipse Of Vaccine Communications, David H. Lee

Publications and Research

Abstract: Although millions have died from SARS-CoV-2 illness, COVID vaccines are credited with stemming the tide. Vaccinations and boosters significantly decrease the incidence of severe illness and death (even if they don’t usually prevent COVID-19 infection). Despite the success of global vaccination efforts, frequent reports of vaccine hesitance and refusal suggest that public health communications need improvement.

The chapter begins by acknowledging adverse events associated with COVID vaccination, including rare cases of anaphylaxis, GBS, and myocarditis. An inoculation-theoretic rationale is offered for this admission of vaccine risks: just as immune defenses mount when organisms are exposed to pathogens, so too …

Building Boundary-Crossers In Clinical-Translational Research: An Exploratory Study Of A Novel Communication Intervention, Carrie Cameron, Irene Rull-Garcia, Laura G Meyer, Jose-Armando Fernandez-Guerrero, Erin K Dahlstrom, Christine Bell, Christine Pribbenow

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Integrating scientific research across multiple disciplines to advance breakthroughs is at the heart of clinical-translational science (CTS); among competencies that have been identified as essential for progress, skillful communication is critical. Few tools are available to address the social dynamics of the multidimensional diversity characteristics of CTS. We created the "Building a Diverse Biomedical Workforce Through Communication Across Difference (CAD)" workshop intervention. Based on principles of intercultural communication, CAD taught novel situationally-based communication skills to dyads of near-peer mentors and their undergraduate mentees. This study reports on the effectiveness of the operative mechanisms employed in CAD workshops for helping …

Evolving Perceptions Of Self And Others: The Effects Of Communing With Nature While Thru Hiking The Florida National Scenic Trail, Stella P. Arbeláez Tascón

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This body of artwork comprises a thesis that documents and exposes the artist’s inner workings as she regained balance after experiencing deep emotional trauma. This individual’s healing transformation was prompted by her immersion in nature while walking the Florida National Scenic Trail in its entirety, 1,130 miles (or 1,818 km), from the Everglades to the panhandle, in three and a half months. The artistic research conducted, and autobiographical body of work created from it, aims to help others reconnect with their own strengths and to seek wellness in the restorative properties of Nature, while advocating for an empathetic approach to …

Survivors Speak: Social Media's Influence On The Troubled Teen Industry, Jessica Hoffman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study focused on a three-year span of Twitter/X public tweets and discussions shared on the topic, The Troubled Teen Industry (TTI). Using the social listening tool Sprinklr, 7,743 public tweets were gathered on the matter and dissected to understand the influence the online conversation had on real-world changes in the industry. Narrowing down the initial 7,743 tweets to 2,447 applicable messages, this research analyzed the conversation surrounding the Troubled Teen Industry from the point of view of industry survivors and the role Paris Hilton and other influencers had on bringing the conversation to the digital space. The tweets meeting …

Analysis Of Queerness And Race In Black Lightning And Dctv Femslash, Rachel Marks

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In this dissertation, I research issues of queer representation and race in the CW network’s DC television (DCTV) shows’ fandom by investigating femslash ships, or the fan pairing of female characters. To do this, I compare the femslash ship of the characters Anissa Pierce and Grace Choi (ThunderGrace), a canon multiracial couple from the CW television show Black Lightning, to three other DCTV femslash pairings: the characters Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe (Avalance), a canon white couple from the television show DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the characters Alex Danvers and Kelly Olsen (Dansen), a canon multiracial couple from …

Precedents For The Experiential Turn In American Art Museums: A Case Study Of Paul Gardner, Chick Austin, Leslie Cheek, And The Museums They Directed, 1932-1968, David Matteson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation examines the historical precedents for the experiential turn in American art museums by analyzing the directorships of Paul Gardner, Chick Austin, and Leslie Cheek Jr. between 1932 and 1968. Drawing on archival research and museum studies scholarship, this study reevaluates how these directors innovated museum practice through theatricality, mass media, and audience engagement—long before contemporary museological discourse framed such strategies as revolutionary. Gardner’s use of radio broadcasts at the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Austin’s integration of circus spectacle at the Ringling Museum, and Cheek’s scenographic exhibition designs at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts illustrate how mid-century museum leaders actively …

The Sociological Engagement In John Coltrane's A Love Supreme: Examining The Impacts Of Race, Music, And Culture In Video-Based Learning Amongst College Students, Kinyel K. Ragland Sr.

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This project consists primarily of the interest in Video Based Learning (VBL) and understanding the impacts of a video based on the connections between John Coltrane’s song Acknowledgement on the Jazz suite A Love Supreme to the Civil Rights movement and systemic racism. Research confirms that VBL has an impact on student learning, yet this project finds that because of the content of the video, it fits into scholarship where there are gaps. The methodological approach, which was qualitative, found that students were overall enlightened, entertained, and were interested in learning more. Other findings include suggestions and recommendations for future …

Barriers And Facilitators Of A Sense Of Belonging Among Occupational Therapy Students And Faculty: A Qualitative Study Using The Ecology Of Human Performance Framework, Sabina Khan, Elizabeth Deluca-Berg, Kersten Laughlin, Jacqueline Achon, Khalil Mrabe, Christianah Edema

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

A sense of belonging significantly influences both student engagement and faculty motivation. The objective of this study was to identify the barriers and facilitators of a sense of belonging among students and faculty of an occupational therapy department. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with fifty-one students and ten faculty recruited via non-random purposeful sampling. Data were collected through focus group discussions with students and semi-structured interviews with faculty. Both the focus group discussions and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed by a professional transcription service. Inductive coding was used to identify initial themes, which were then deductively mapped to the …

Disparities Between Reported And Actual Study Habits And Perceptions Among First Year Occupational Therapy Graduate Students, Melisa P. Kaye, Marcella Mccollum, Sydney Hanzalik

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Studying for exams forms a significant part of the occupational therapy graduate school experience. While successful completion of exams is a central focus for students, little time is devoted to explicitly teaching new graduate students how to most effectively study. Instead, when they enter their occupational therapy programs, students experience a steep learning curve, and often rely on previous habits or trial and error to discover the most efficacious study strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine the study behaviors, habits, and beliefs of new graduate students to gain insight into the prevalence of use of various study …

Applying The 5d Model Of Country Image For International Public Relations: Analyzing Cultural Perceptions Of Qatar’S International Events "Expo 2023", Taleb Al-Adbah

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Studying country image in public relations has become essential to developing practices for countries engaging with international audiences. Hosting international events highlights the need for international public relations, where the country must adapt its culture and create culturally sensitive strategies to communicate effectively with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds (Edwards, 2018). In this dissertation, Expo 2023 was employed as an international event to analyze Qatar’s country image among foreign and Qatari audiences. The dissertation aimed to understand the differences between their perspectives on Qatar and determine whether cultural tendencies impacted the country’s image. Additionally, the relationship between intercultural competency and …

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Singing Hunger In Protest Music: Nasboi’S “Hunger Games” And Post-Election Realities In Nigeria’S “Emilokan” Era, Omotayo Jemiluyi, Abubakar Tajudeen

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This article examines “Hunger Games” (2024), a protest song by Nigerian artiste and skit maker Nasboi, as an indictment of the economic hardship, political repression, and widespread disillusionment that have characterized Nigeria’s 2023 post-election landscape under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Emilokan” administration. Situating the song within Nigeria’s long-standing tradition of politically conscious music, from the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti to the contemporary commentaries of Falz and Burna Boy, the study critically dissects how “Hunger Games” reflects collective frustration and subversively positions popular music as resistance. The analysis of the study demonstrates that Nasboi’s aesthetic strategy—combining satire with repetition—renders individual hardship …

Small Molecule Screening Identifies Hsp90 As A Modifier Of Rna Foci In Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1, Sara J Johnson, Hannah L Johnson, Reid T Powell, Clifford Stephan, Fabio Stossi, Thomas A Cooper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystemic disorder caused by a CTG triplet repeat expansion within the 3' untranslated region of the DMPK gene. Expression of the expanded allele generates RNA containing long tracts of CUG repeats (CUGexp RNA) that form hairpin structures and accumulate in nuclear RNA foci; however, the factors that control DMPK expression and the formation of CUGexp RNA foci remain largely unknown. We performed an unbiased small molecule screen in an immortalized human DM1 skeletal muscle myoblast cell line and identified HSP90 as a modifier of endogenous RNA foci. Small molecule inhibition of HSP90 leads …

RaˉMaˉNuja's Cosmopsychist-Panentheistic Solution To The Hard Problem Of Consciousness, Anand Jayprakash Vaidya, S. Siddharth

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Recent decades have seen a renewal of interest in panpsychism as a solution to the hard problem of consciousness. This has, in part, also driven an increase in interest in classical Indian philosophical traditions among analytic philosophers of mind. Many of these cross-cultural studies pertaining to panpsychism (and cosmopsychism) have focused on one particularly influential school of Indian philosophy, Advaita (non-dual) Veda nta, the most famous proponent of which is sankara. In this work, we would like to consider the view of another influential philosopher and the school that developed based on his view - Rama nuja (eleventh century CE) …

Young Audience And Vod Platforms Of Linear Television. Perceptions About Playz, Mtmad And Flooxer, Belén Moreno Albarracín, Tania Blanco Sánchez

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction: The new audiovisual paradigm, marked by flexible consumption, a wide catalog and a participatory audience, increases the interest of linear television in connecting with young people. To that end, the channels manage specialized content platforms. This research aims to analyze Mtmad, Playz and Flooxer, and the perceptions about them. The specific objectives are to examine the catalogs; evaluate identification with management chains; analyze youth-content identification and study their consumption habits. Methodology: A content analysis based on web structures and catalogs is proposed; and a survey of 160 young people about their knowledge, identification and consumption patterns. Results: Mtmad leads …

Mourning And Haunting In Irish Gothic Fiction From The Victorian Era To Modernism, Wenyu Kong

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores how three Irish modernist writers, Elizabeth Bowen, Dorothy Macardle, and James Joyce, incorporate and reimagine tropes from the Victorian Gothic Revival to address Ireland’s uneven modernity in the first half of the twentieth century. I argue that the Irish Gothic tradition is essential for these writers to express their reflection and reaction to ongoing cultural and social turmoil in Ireland’s process of modernization during the foundation of the postcolonial Irish state. Extending Sheridan Le Fanu’s Big House Gothic legacy, Elizabeth Bowen creates haunted spaces in The Last September (1929) to describe Anglo-Ireland’s precarious situation during the War …

Rifles And Riflemen: Material Culture, Violence, And Early American Identity, 1720 -- 1820, John Bradstreet Weaver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The rifle was one of many material objects which colonists of British North America brought with them from Europe. Starting in the early eighteenth century, German-speaking settlers in Pennsylvania began to manufacture rifles from locally made and imported parts. These rifles became associated with other material objects – namely a system of dress, which included wearing a whitetail deer’s tail in the hat, the hunting shirt, and forms of Native American dress – which became emblematic of some British colonists who used rifles in hunting and war. Rifles became militarily important in the Seven Years’ War, where Native American warriors, …

Reclaiming Revolutionary Relics: How Nineteenth-Century Americans Used George Washington’S Objects To Understand The Civil War, Abbi E. Smithmyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

By combining cultural, memory, and material culture studies, this dissertation examines the ways objects associated with George Washington became instruments within the proxy war over whether the United States or the Confederacy best represented the American Revolutionary era’s principal values of liberty and equality. Exploring monuments, statues, historic homes, relics, and mementoes, as well as antebellum speeches and schoolbooks, letters, diaries, military orders, newspapers, and memoirs, this work demonstrates how the relics linked to Washington and the nation’s founding shaped how the Civil War generation thought about America’s past.

The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States has …

Creative Energies: Unearthing The Role Of Romantic Ecocriticism, Nicole Marie Chambers-Stahl

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The literary field of ecocriticism has transcended the boundaries of Academia: excited to connect to their physical environments, many of these scholars are focusing on genres like place-based writing, rhetoric of energy policy, and representations of the Earth in film and media. Interdisciplinary by nature, ecocriticism has demonstrated clear potential in its ability to intersect with concentrations like the history of science, animal studies, and environmental justice.

However, as the language around global crises is heating up —“Today it is scientists, not prophets,” writes Tobias Menely in “‘The Present Obfuscation,’” “who speak the language of apocalypse” (478)—ecocritical scholarship is at …