Digital Commons Network^™

Wildfire Smoke Exposure In California: Public Health Impacts And Mitigation Strategies, Jiaxi Hou

Master's Projects and Capstones

Climate change projections show that wildfires are becoming more severe and frequent over the next few decades. In California, as a leader in environmental protection and resilience planning, there are still concerns about the impacts of wildfire. Several places such as Napa Valley, Los Angeles forests, and Yosemite National Park have been exposed to long-lasting wildfire damage. Wildfire smoke contains toxic pollutants such as particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5) that can cause negative health impacts on the public. It has been proved that these public health impacts are cumulative, and wildfire PM_2.5 can exacerbate pre-existing conditions. Therefore, there …

Finding Employment For Individuals With Disabilities Utilizing Interprofessional Collaboration, George G. Gaertner

Social Work Masters Capstone Projects

This capstone is going to demonstrate my abilities to practice and apply all nine social work competencies. I will be conducting a case study on one of my clients that I have been able to assist during my time at my practicum placement. This capstone will begin by discussing my practicum placement and the agency's goals. The capstone will then thoroughly examine each competency as I describe how I have been able to utilize interprofessional social work practice and skills while working with my client. Lastly, this capstone will discuss the case outcome and how the outcomes were evaluated by …

Servant-Leaders As Co-Laborers: A Field Philosophy Model, Jae Webb

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

In 2013, Professor R. Edward Freeman joked about his father’s sarcastic witticism in response to his choice of career. The joke is not that philosophy is a feckless art, but rather that its modern practice has been relegated to the realm of theory, with incredibly salient subject matter but a practice that is seemingly ineffectual in the everyday world. Justice is one such area of interest for philosophers; however, abstract theoretical or philosophical justice, especially in relation to environmental resources and in consideration of environmental relationships, is increasingly meaningless for contemporary society. Environmental injustice is lived and experienced, it is …

If You Live In New York City, You’Re (Probably) At Risk Of Flooding. Here’S What To Do About It. Digging Into The Information Needed To Live In Nyc As The Climate Changes, Christine A. Zirneklis

Capstones

New York City is a city of water — over 520 miles of rivers, ocean, canals and harbor. Historically, much of what is now New York city was wetlands and marshes. 1.3 Million New Yorkers, or about 15% of residents currently live in a coastal floodplain. More than half of those identify as non-white, and more than half live in areas with low median income.

As severe storms and rainfall become more common with the changing climate, many more neighborhoods further inland, away from the coast, are being impacted by inland flooding which is caused by sewer overflow. New York’s …

Evaluating Equitable Access To Nutrition In Utah, Emma Stucki

Theses and Dissertations

One of the more recent topics in transportation policy making and project prioritization in DOT's across the United States is how to improve quality of life. This quality of life focus is an intersection of public health and transportation and has many different branches including traffic safety, pollution, active transportation, equity, and accessibility to resources. The topic among these that seems to receive the least attention is equitable access to resources. However, with the proven impact that equitable access to resources has on physical and emotional well-being, as well as economic opportunity it is important to ensure that all populations, …

Scientists And Activists Work To Save The Planet, Myriam G. Vidal Valero

Capstones

Climate change and human intervention in nature are affecting people, ecosystems and ways of living all over the world. This portfolio of environmental pieces showcases the dire consequences of not addressing these issues, how solutions can be reached and the challenges facing those who try to change things.

Discerning (Dis)Information: Teacher Perceptions Of Critical Media Literacy, Jennifer K. Allen, Robert A. Griffin, Diana Mindrila

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Critical media literacy (CML) is vital for students to navigate the current proliferation of misinformation and disinformation. Despite what is known about the influence of teacher beliefs on classroom practice, little research to date has looked at what teachers perceive about the importance of CML. The researchers administered a survey to teachers throughout the U.S. (N = 362) on their perceptions of the importance of teaching CML as part of their instruction. Using quantitative methods, the researchers found CML as the primary factor underlying the survey data and a strong awareness of the importance of teaching CML to students. While …

Designing For Best Use Of The Downtown I-345 Corridor In Dallas, Tx: Stakeholder Perspectives, Matthew Thornton

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

What is a city? It’s more than a location where many people live and work. It is a conglomeration of shared experience over generations. One generation informs the next, which informs how each subsequent generation adds to the development of their shared home. This is what gives each city its own unique form, character, and identity. But what happens if a city repeatedly outgrows itself, disconnects its communities, and demolishes the physical memory of its own cultural history? Dallas, Texas is one such city confronting these issues and is perceived as one without significant place memory or culture (if not …

Spatial Validation Of Agent-Based Models, Kristoffer Wikstrom, Hal T. Nelson

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper adapts an existing techno–social agent-based model (ABM) in order to develop a new framework for spatially validating ABMs. The ABM simulates citizen opposition to locally unwanted land uses, using historical data from an energy infrastructure siting process in Southern California. Spatial theory, as well as the model’s design, suggest that adequate validation requires multiple tests rather than relying solely on a single test-statistic. A pattern-oriented modeling approach was employed that first mapped real and simulated citizen comments across the US Census tract. The suite of spatial tests included Global Moran’s I, complemented with bivariate correlations, as well as …

Resiliency Of Levee-Protected Power Networks To Flooding In A Changing Climate Integrating Environmental Justice, Seyed Saeed Miraee-Ashtiani

Theses and Dissertations

Electric power system (EPS) is an integral part of infrastructure systems. Ensuring its resiliency to extreme weather events and natural hazards is crucial to protect the safety, economy and public health. Recorded and projected data show an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and natural hazards attributed to a changing climate. It is critical to ensure the integrity of the aging infrastructure systems and to promote environmental justice by shrinking the energy-equity gap to lower power outages in disadvantaged communities.

An important aspect is the resiliency interdependency of EPS to other critical infrastructure systems, an aspect …

First Year Seminar Symposium 2022 - Poster Program, Rachel Nuñez, Ashleigh Breske, Brian Gentry, Darla Schumm, Courtney Chenette, Teri Wagner

Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Reversing The Gaze: Using Indigenous And Western Media Frames To Compare Coverage Of Climate Change And Indigenous Peoples In The News Media, Eric Wilkes

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

The news media acts as an important conduit for shaping societal views of the socio-politics of climate change. While climate change will indeed affect everyone, it will not affect everyone equally. Indigenous peoples are among the populations whose well-being is threatened the most by climate change. International scholarship finds it is not uncommon for Indigenous cultures, communities, and perspectives to be underrepresented and misrepresented in Western climate change media. Research also indicates that fair Indigenous representation occurs when Indigenous peoples are the authors of news articles themselves. We performed a comparative content analysis of media coverage of climate change, environmental …

“It’S Getting Hot In Here”: Climate Change And Tensions Surrounding Environmental Injustice For Minority And Low-Income Communities, Symone Gaskin

Symposium of Student Scholars

Our current climate crisis presents the perfect opportunity to address other social ills that reflect environmental injustice. The purpose of this research was to explore if, when, and how climate change disproportionately impacts minority communities. A thematic analysis was developed through the creation of a literature review matrix comprised of twenty academic and practitioner articles. This thematic analysis uncovered four key themes: implications in the workplace, the housing market, the economy, and the standard of health. Consequently, confirming the disenfranchisement of marginalized groups in relation to the environment, this research uncovered the long-lasting effects of systemic racism as an important …

Nutrition Education As A Tool Of Empowerment, Claire Devries

Masters Projects

This study investigates the nutrition education programs implemented by organizations that operate Fresh Markets in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with the goal of connecting empowered nutrition education to a food justice context. A review of scholarly literature reveals that there has been limited published work within the last three decades that integrates empowered nutrition to a food justice context. Analysis of interviews conducted with the four organizations indicates that nutrition education is used as a tool of empowerment in a food justice framework. However, this study reveals that nutrition education cannot be used alone as a tool of empowerment, rather it …

The Link December 6, 2022, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Power Of Counterstory With Martín Alberto Gonzalez, Martín Alberto Gonzalez

PDXPLORES Podcast

In this episode of PDXPLORES, Chicano & Latino Studies Professor Martín Alberto Gonzalez discusses the counterstory. As Gonzalez explains, counterstories are a narrative form of scholarly communication that uses stories to disrupt oppressive narratives established by empowered groups. Counterstory does so by pointing to the roles that systems of oppression, like white supremacy, racism, sexism, and capitalism, play in society, and higher education, in particular, by providing alternative narratives.

Click on the "Download" button to access the audio transcript.

Utilizing Interprofessional Collaboration To Support And Broaden Perspectives Of First-Generation, Low-Income Students, Taylor Stratman

Social Work Masters Capstone Projects

First-gen, low-income students face significant barriers when it comes to postsecondary education. In order to be successful, professionals working with this population has utilized value-led programming and provided expansions of their cultural perspectives.

Interprofessional Collaboration And The Use Of Social Work Competencies In Therapeutic Foster Care, Virginia Hall

Social Work Masters Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Unsettling Colonial Structures In Education Through Community-Centered Praxis, Kimberley Greeson, Steven Sassaman, Katherine Williams, Abby Yost

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

In the context of settler colonialism in the US, mainstream education practices function as ongoing enactors of colonial processes. Decolonizing pedagogy seeks to challenge these dominant practices by centering place, Indigenous epistemologies, and rehumanizing values. In this paper, we discuss how faculty and students used community-based experiential learning projects (CBEL) to challenge these dominant and normative educational structures. By integrating an anti-racist and anti-colonial lens, CBEL projects themselves can work to dismantle power structures, build community, and promote experiential learning in a variety of educational spaces. The student projects presented here seek to unsettle colonial educational frameworks of white supremacy …

Wrack Lines Volume 22, Number 2, Fall-Winter 2022-2023, Nancy C. Balcom, Juliana Barrett, Judy Benson, Ben Crnic, Sto Len

Wrack Lines

With the theme, "Looking Ahead: People and Projects Shaping the Future," the Fall-Winter 2022-2023 leads with the first in what will be a series of articles about offshore wind development impacting Connecticut. That is followed by the inspiring story of how a dying forest was replanted for climate resilience. Next, a profile of longtime marine educator Tim Visel tells about his lasting impact on Connecticut schools and students. Lastly, the complex challenge of dealing with Contaminants of Emerging Concern is examined, with descriptions of how Sea Grant is involved and the particularly troublesome group of substances called PFAS.

2021/2022 Robert E. Kennedy Library Annual Report, Robert E. Kennedy Library

Library Publications and Administrative Reports

This year’s stories highlight successes and transformations, which will remain woven into the fabric of our organization. Instituting contactless pick-up for library materials is an example of learning how to quickly bring together people to solve immediate problems. We also became more effective at engaging with our constituencies. We reached more users through virtual consultations and online reference assistance and helped them get access to the expertise and materials they needed. We opened access to special collections through on-demand digitization. We broke barriers in the adoption of digital resources for teaching. And we began the challenging work of developing a …

Msw Capstone, Angela Marple

Social Work Masters Capstone Projects

abstract not available

Office Of Equity And Inclusion Newsletter - December 2022, Office Of Equity And Inclusion, East Tennessee State University

Office of Equity and Inclusion Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Production And Destiny Of Public Space In An American City: Examining The Emergence And Disruption Of Brooklyn City Hall Square, Jason Montgomery

Publications and Research

Urban form should reflect collective value for place in communities. Urban squares in particular have the potential to serve as the nucleus of communities, urban artefacts that link place to memory and heritage while serving basic needs for everyday life in the city. Civic squares, those linked to governmental institutions, have further potential to facilitate community gatherings for memorialisation, commemoration, celebration and political action. Despite these important functions and potential, the incremental planning of Brooklyn in the early nineteenth century placed little emphasis on squares of any kind, despite the community’s expressed desires. Brooklyn’s first civic square, here referred to …

Social Inequalities In Climate Change-Attributed Impacts Of Hurricane Harvey, Kevin T. Smiley, Ilan Noy, Michael F. Wehner, Dave Frame, Christopher C. Sampson, Oliver E.J. Wing

Faculty Publications

Climate change is already increasing the severity of extreme weather events such as with rainfall during hurricanes. But little research to date investigates if, and to what extent, there are social inequalities in climate change-attributed extreme weather event impacts. Here, we use climate change attribution science paired with hydrological flood models to estimate climate change-attributed flood depths and damages during Hurricane Harvey in Harris County, Texas. Using detailed land-parcel and census tract socio-economic data, we then describe the socio-spatial characteristics associated with these climate change-induced impacts. We show that 30 to 50% of the flooded properties would not have flooded …

Voices That Matter: Boston Area Residents Of Color Discuss Climate Change, Lorena M. Estrada-Martínez, Paul Watanabe, Katsyris Rivera-Kientz

Sustainable Solutions Lab

This report presents findings from a qualitative study conducted by the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston, centering on the climate change perspectives of 70 residents of color from the Greater Boston area. Through focus group discussions with Asian American, Black, Latino/a, and Native American participants, the study examines three core areas: the health impacts of climate change, levels of community preparedness, and individual and governmental responses. The findings reveal a shared concern over climate-related health vulnerabilities, structural barriers to climate preparedness, and a general mistrust of governmental leadership stemming from historical and ongoing racial inequities. Participants …

Chapter 7: Social Health: Beyond Absence Of Social Isolation And Loneliness, Lihua Huang, Lisa Peterson

Books and Contributions to Books

This chapter examines social health beyond absence of social isolation and loneliness in aging. It employs critical gerontology and social determinants of health in analyzing social exclusion through age segregation and digital exclusion. It draws attention to personal social connectedness and institutional social inclusion among older adults experiencing multiple exclusion.

Social Equity Is Key To Sustainable Ocean Governance, Katherine M. Crosman, Edward H. Allison, Yoshitaka Ota, Andrés M. Cisneros-Montemayor, Gerald G. Singh, Wilf Swartz, Megan Bailey, Kate M. Barclay, Grant Blume, Mathieu Colléter, Michael Fabinyi, Elaine M. Faustman, Russell Fielding, P. Joshua Griffin, Quentin Hanich, Harriet Harden-Davies, Ryan P. Kelly, Tiff Annie Kenny, Terrie Klinger

Honors College Faculty Publications

Calls to address social equity in ocean governance are expanding. Yet ‘equity’ is seldom clearly defined. Here we present a framework to support contextually-informed assessment of equity in ocean governance. Guiding questions include: (1) Where and (2) Why is equity being examined? (3) Equity for or amongst Whom? (4) What is being distributed? (5) When is equity considered? And (6) How do governance structures impact equity? The framework supports consistent operationalization of equity, challenges oversimplification, and allows evaluation of progress. It is a step toward securing the equitable ocean governance already reflected in national and international commitments.

December 2022 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Nexuscapes: A Landscape Approach For A Transdisciplinary Water-Energy-Food Nexus Decision-Making Process, Fortino Acosta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study develops a reliable transdisciplinary framework for complex ecological and social systems by characterizing, mapping, typifying, assessing, and testing enhanced water-energy-food nexus scenarios under critical time constraints, specialized skills, or sensitive data accessibility. Detached management of limited essential resources like fresh water, reliable energy from renewable sources, and nutritious food can jeopardize regional economies and governance. Using a novel landscape approach, this study recommends a decision-making the framework focused on the circular economy that induces collaboration among diverse sectors and brings strategic coordination, specificity, and magnitude to the proposed solutions. The study elaborates on a decision-making tool that integrates …