Digital Commons Network^™

The Affective Landscapes Of Herbalism In New Mexico, Samantha Angelou Stroud

Geography ETDs

Herbalism, or practices which use plants for medicinal purposes, is tied to traditions in several cultures of the American Southwest, including Indigenous herbal medicine, Mexican-American curanderismo, and Western herbal traditions. Herbalism has been steadily gaining mainstream popularity since the late 1960s, alongside counterculture, holistic health, and back-to-nature movements, introducing many newcomers to the practice. This study asks: How does herbalism create and attach meaning to plants, cultures, and place in New Mexico? What are the affective landscapes produced by herbalism in New Mexico? And, to what extent do meaningful attachments manifest in ethics and actions of care? I argue that …

The Role Of Social Media Activism In Achieving Good Water And Sanitation In Ghana, Inusah Mohammed

Communication ETDs

This thesis examined the role of social media activism in ensuring good water and sanitation in Ghana. The study conducted a thematic analysis of Facebook posts (403) from March 2020 to December 2022 and found seven themes on how social activists are presenting issues concerning water and sanitation in Ghana. The study also found outcomes of the activism and also found theoretical implications of activism on social media usage in Ghana.

Eco-Interoception: What Plants, Fungi And Protista Have Taught My Body, Sara Riley Dotterer

Art Theses and Dissertations

To me, ecology is the relational, full-body awareness that I am made up of and deeply connected to everything around me; and for better or worse, this is reciprocal. I form ecotones, an ecological transitional zone between two ecosystems, with the world around me. I use this ecotonal lens to blur binaries and dissolve boundaries between me and the world “outside my body.” During my Masters of Fine Arts at Southern Methodist University, I have continuously explored and represented the lives of various more-than-human species outside of my body, including plants, fungi and protista through an ecotonal lens. Although these …

2023 Ursinus College Commencement Progam, Ursinus College

Ursinus College Commencement Programs

This Ursinus College Commencement program from 2023 contains the list of speakers and order of events for the day.

Connecting Social And Ecological Systems In Small-Scale Fisheries In The Philippines, Sara Eisler Marriott

Dissertations

Nearly 50% of all marine fish capture in the Philippines is from artisanal fisheries, most of which is un- or under-reported. As in many emerging nations around the world, the Philippines cannot fully address overfishing by managing only half of the catch that comes from commercial fisheries. Marine reserves are a popular governance strategy for conservation and of growing interest for fisheries management. Many marine reserves in the Philippines, however, are not considered effective. In 2014, Rare, an international NGO, implemented a community-based management program to increase the effectiveness of the marine reserves, and while it found biomass increased, there …

Approaches And Tools To Solving Complex Problems In Private Land Conservation, John T. Curnyn

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

The central theme throughout my four portfolio pieces is: approaches and tools that can be used to address complex problems involving private land conservation. I consider the broader human and environmental community health to be factors in successful private land conservation. The first portfolio piece examines a number of studies of conservation easements implemented to improve water quality, as well as their utility in avoiding land use conflict. My second portfolio piece is a reflective paper on my experience conducting a stakeholder assessment for the organization OneMontana. The assessment focused on creating a shared understanding of the issues related to …

A Potential Cure For Rheumatoid Arthritis: Traditional And Regenerative Medicine, Mia Calegari

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Poster displayed at REDay (Research and Engagement Day).

The Importance Of Wealth Management In High School Curriculums, Angela Baack

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Poster displayed at REDay (Research and Engagement Day).

Collage, Maggie Fodera

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage, Jackie Prestininzi

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage #2, Hazel Wilson

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage #1, Megan Polun

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage #1, Hazel Wilson

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Collage #2, Megan Polun

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Collage created for LCS 325 - Studies of the Book, taught by Valerie Carrigan. The assignment was to make a collage or series of collages that were at least 8" by 10". Students could make them abstract or realistic, and Professor Carrigan encouraged students to be creative in where students found pieces for the collages and what they did with them.

Ethics In U.S. Immigration, Christy Mak

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

No abstract provided.

A Historical Examination Of Native American And European Agroforestry, Reed Bryant

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits. It has been practiced in the United States and around the world for centuries.” However, for many practitioners in the past, agroforestry was not simply an “integration of trees and shrubs into animal farming systems,” nor was it simply a means to produce foodstuffs. For them, agroforestry defined a way of life where trees were fixtures in the landscape which bore many life-giving gifts: fruits and nuts to eat, …

The Carriage House, Emma Kane

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Poem created for LCS 220 - Creativity and the Arts taught by Joan Zaretti. For the assignment, students chose a piece of campus artwork (either in the AIC or in the Unistructure) and wrote a poem describing the painting.

A Lonely Waterfall, Sarah Lostowski

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Poem created for LCS 220 - Creativity and the Arts taught by Joan Zaretti. For the assignment, students chose a piece of campus artwork (either in the AIC or in the Unistructure) and wrote a poem describing the painting.

Famous?, Jaeden Patterson

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Poem created for LCS 220 - Creativity and the Arts taught by Joan Zaretti. For the assignment, students chose a piece of campus artwork (either in the AIC or in the Unistructure) and wrote a poem describing the painting.

Table Of Contents

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

No abstract provided.

Blue Vista #8, Tristan Beale

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

Poem created for LCS 220 - Creativity and the Arts taught by Joan Zaretti. For the assignment, students chose a piece of campus artwork (either in the AIC or in the Unistructure) and wrote a poem describing the painting.

Verso

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

No abstract provided.

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 13 Issue 17, Wofford College. Department Of Environmental Studies

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

Nature-Based Group Therapy For Women Living With Depression Through A Narrative Lens, Cora Anderson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The field of nature-based therapy treatment is rapidly expanding. With an emphasis on healing the disconnectedness of the modern world through experiencing interconnectedness with the natural world, this modality is particularly useful in treating symptoms of social isolation and hopelessness within populations living with major depressive disorder. The literature highlights emotional and biological benefits of mental health counseling in a natural setting with key therapeutic factors. Researchers highlighted these factors as the natural environment itself, the element of challenge, nature as a third-party influence on therapeutic relationship, and expansiveness and interconnectedness of the natural world (Naor & Mayseless, 2021). Within …

21st Century Political Agronomy: Between Collapse And Apocalypse In The Capitalist World System, Harrison Raskin

Honors Scholar Theses

Examinations of the causal chain between ecological impacts and food shortages reveal significant impending global disturbances. This paper draws a causal link between ecological impacts and low food productivity which will lead to food insecurity and economic crises in the near term. Further, this paper argues that food insecurity may lead to the collapse of the capitalist world system. This threat is contrasted with “business as usual” climate models which, rather than depicting the collapse of the capitalist world system, depict its persistence throughout the collapse of the world ecology.

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Preserving The Great Barrier Reef, Taylor Cox

Honors Theses

This paper investigates both the economic benefits and costs of protecting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The benefits associated with the Reef come from a 2016 Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited report and quantifies direct economic contributions, nonuse values, and a social, economic, and icon value. The costs of protecting the Reef come from a collection of sources, including the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan, “The Cost and Feasibility of Marine Coastal Restoration”, and a number of annual reports from governmental and non-governmental organizations. By analyzing these documents, the net benefits were calculated. The Great Barrier Reef contributes $6.4 billion to …

Synthesis Of Biomass-Based Graphene Nanomaterials For Aqueous Heavy Metal Removal And Cement-Based Composite Property Enhancement, Tharindu N. Karunaratne

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing biomass such as lignin, bamboo, soybean, corn stalk, rice husk, etc., as a carbon source to produce graphene-based nanomaterials has been reported recently. However, the potential of using such nanomaterials for engineering and environmental applications has not been realized. This dissertation investigates the use of graphene-based nanomaterials synthesized from using biomass as a carbon source for water remediation and cement-based composites’ (CBCs) property enhancement.

The first chapter introduces graphene and graphene-based nanomaterials, as well as the synthesis and application of graphene-based nanomaterials for removing heavy metals in an aqueous solution and for property enhancement in CBCs. The experimental investigation …

The Impact Of Environmental Education Delivery Methods And Outreach Messaging On Attitudes, Interests, And Intended-Behavior Changes Toward Nature, Vanessa Elizabeth Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental education (EE) is important for environmental awareness and stewardship. Involving youth and adults in EE ensures current and future generations will conserve natural resources. This thesis explores impacts of delivery methods on participants’ environmental attitudes and behaviors toward nature through middle school classroom- and camp-based EE instruction, focus group interviews with rural minority youth, and adult responses to aquatic conservation outreach messaging. I observed no difference in environmental attitudes between online versus in-person delivery of EE lessons for middle-schoolers. Outdoor-based learning may be more impactful for EE than experiential, classroom-based learning. Focus group outcomes suggested youth EE programs should …

Renovating America's Electrical Grid: Renewable Sources And Resilient Delivery, Justin O'Hare Giffee

Student Theses 2015-Present

Since the late 1800s, America’s electrical grid systems have relied primarily upon fossil fuels for sources of electricity. Due to the outdated structural foundations and glaring holes in distribution networks, the existing electrical grids struggle with electricity escaping, and modern issues such as cybersecurity, resilience, and weather-related events associated with climate change. This essay discusses ongoing problems with current electric grid systems and aims at explaining the importance of incorporating renewables as a solution for these problems into a new grid system. In the first chapter, a detailed explanation is provided regarding the current issues present in America's grid systems. …

A Path To Achieve European Energy Security, Nicholas Wolf

Student Theses 2015-Present

The apparatus of Europe’s energy security has collapsed. The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, hydrocarbon market turmoil, and the ever-growing threat of climate change has thrust the continent into crisis. As the risks of severe recession, acute energy shortages, and climatic disasters have begun to materialize, the member states of the European Union (EU) have been left scrambling to secure novel energy supplies. In the short-term, these developments pose severe risks to the EU and its member states. Yet, opportunity often presents itself in the midst of hardship, and the European Energy Crisis of 2022 is no different. This essay …