Digital Commons Network^™

Not So Freakish After All: Foreseeability And The Limits Of Statutory Compliance, Logan A. Blaylock

Missouri Law Review

When substitute school bus driver Tomika Richardson began her route one October afternoon, the only map she had was a scribbled list of intersections—a rough substitute for the detailed, software-generated route plan with turn-by-turn directions that First Student, Inc. (“First Student”) normally provided to its drivers. The handwritten sheet, reproduced below, was the sole document Richardson received to guide her through a complex urban bus run:

The Disability Discrimination Dilemma: Resolving The Circuit Split Regarding Culpability Standards In Education, Brooklyn N. Cross

Missouri Law Review

“Our anger was a fury sparked by profound injustices. Wrongs that deserved ire. And with that rage we ripped a hole in the status quo.” In 1949, eighteen-month-old Judith Heumann contracted polio, losing her ability to walk. Heumann’s parents, German Jewish immigrants to New York, were unaware of the consequences using a wheelchair would have on their daughter’s ability to participate in certain activities. When it became time for Heumann to begin kindergarten, the principal refused to allow the family into the school, stating that Heumann was a “fire hazard.” But Heumann’s mother was tenacious, and the principal eventually admitted …

Mythbusting The Moment Of Threat: Barnes V. Felix In The Context Of Unreasonable Police Seizures, Coleson Manade

Missouri Law Review

A traffic stop for unpaid toll violations should not end in death. Yet on April 28, 2016, Officer Roberto Felix shot and killed Ashtian Barnes during a routine traffic stop for a non-arrestable offense. The legal battle that followed exposed a fundamental tension in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence: how should courts balance officers’ safety concerns with citizens’ rights when analyzing excessive force claims?

Association Of Infection Frequency And Incident Clonal Hematopoiesis Of Indeterminant Potential, Ajibike Lapite, Vernon A Burk, James Decuir, Junichi Ishigami, Seyedmohammad Saadatagah, Pradeep Natarajan, Christie M Ballantyne, Elizabeth A Platz, Katherine Y King

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminant potential (CHIP) is an age-related phenomenon associated with increased risk of hematologic malignancy. Preclinical studies have shown that infection is a driver of CHIP; clinical studies in people living with HIV suggest a relationship between chronic infection and CHIP, but the association between infection frequency and incident CHIP in the general population remains unknown. We leveraged the atherosclerosis risk in communities study to design a closed prospective cohort study. CHIP was determined based on whole-exome sequencing at 2 time points 20 years apart. Included were 3,367 individuals without cancer or CHIP at time 1 and without …

Paid Employment And Ability To Work Among People Receiving Dialysis: A Systematic Review Of Qualitative Studies, Ao Zhang, Adam Martin, Karine Manera, Chandana Guha, Martin Howell, Patrizia Natale, Nicole Scholes-Robertson, Dharshana Sabanayagam, Adeera Levin, Wolfgang Winkelmayer, Kevin F Erickson, Germaine Wong, Allison Jaure, Anita Van Zwieten

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Rationale & objective: People receiving dialysis have reduced workforce participation, which can affect mental well-being and exacerbate the financial burden of dialysis. This study describes the experiences and perspectives of people receiving dialysis on employment and their ability to work.

Study design: Systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.

Setting & study populations: Adults aged 16 years and over receiving dialysis.

Search strategy & sources: MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched to May 2025 for qualitative and mixed-methods studies that reported the perspectives of people receiving dialysis on employment or ability to work.

Data extraction: Text from results and …

Corneal Innervation Research At A Crossroads: A Tool-Driven Roadmap For The Future, Anna Matynia, Ian D Meng, Brian M Davis, Stephen C Pflugfelder, Anat Galor, Victor L Perez, Elizabeth R Felix, Pedram Hamrah, Pantelimon Rompolas, Raul E Ruiz-Lozano, Shamsuddin A Bhuiyan, Kaveh Moghbeli, Evangelia Semizoglou, William Renthal, Harinder Singh, Jishnu Das, Marcin Golczak, Mary Ann Stepp, Catherine W Morgans, Cintia S De Paiva, Carl Y Saab, Igor Spigelman, Rony R Sayegh, Tally M Largent-Milnes, Hao Wu, Wenqin Luo, Sreya Mitra, Heesuk Yoo, Sina Farsiu, Sejiro Littleton, Eden Jacob, Matthew T Mcpheeters, Maryse Lapierre-Landry, Jordan J Smith, Xi Wang, Roxana Florea, Made Airanthi K Widjaja-Adhi, Scott Holmes, Zane Zemborain, Kate E T Laise, Nicholas J Pondelis, Ki-Soo Jeong, Rui Chen, Michael W Jenkins, Vivian Lee, Eric A Moulton, Deborah S Jacobs, Sue A Aicher, Anthony J St Leger, Daniel R Saban

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Corneal innervation research has faced long-standing clinical challenges that only recent technological breakthroughs now make tractable. Advances in single-cell analysis, viral vectors, clinical imaging, and artificial intelligence provide integrated approaches for uncovering molecular mechanisms underlying functional outcomes and facilitating clinical applications. The National Eye Institute's U01-funded consortium on ocular surface innervation addresses major knowledge gaps in characterizing corneal-projecting neurons, understanding neuroimmune and epithelial interactions in the cornea, and translating animal model findings to human pathology. The unique properties of the cornea (transparent, avascular, and densely innervated) make it ideal for neurobiology research on peripheral and central sensory processing. Through a …

Systematic Identification Of Cell-Cell Interactions Associated With The Severity Of Patients With Alzheimer’S Disease, Zijian Zhang, Naail Chowdhury, Jing Dong, Lang Wu, Chao Cheng

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex, multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder involving dysfunction across multiple brain regions. While accumulating evidence has implicated the roles of diverse cell types, including neurons, glia, and vascular cells in AD pathogenesis, it is still poorly understood how cell type interactions drive or respond to the disease progression and severity.

Objective

This study aimed to systematically characterize cell-type–specific alterations and intercellular communication changes associated with AD progression.

Methods

We leveraged the transcriptome profiling and a previously established statistical framework to present a comprehensive mapping of the cellular interaction landscape in the human brain of AD.

Results …

Malaria In Children At 9 Us Hospitals: 2016-2023, Sesh Alexander Sundararaman, Brianne Roper, Amy K F Davis, Karen L Hanze Villavicencio, Jonathan A Mayhew, Michelle L Wang, Nina L Tang, Vijaya L Soma, Ziyi Wang, Margaret E Feeney, Indi Trehan, Jill E Weatherhead, Chandy C John, Jeffrey S Gerber, Audrey R Odom John

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: This study set out to describe imported pediatric malaria in the United States over an 8-year period, including patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and risk factors for severe disease.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive study of pediatric patients treated for malaria at 9 hospitals in the United States from 2016 to 2023 was conducted to analyze patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and risk factors for severe malaria.

Results: A total of 171 children were treated across the 9 US hospitals included in this study from 2016 to 2023. Most patients had traveled to West Africa to visit friends and relatives. Fever was …

Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis Of Over 3500 Individuals Dementia-Free Over 85 Years Old, Gina M Peloso, Dongyu Wang, Sabrina M Abbruzzese, Joshua C Bis, Seung Hoan Choi, Alexa Beiser, Jan Bressler, Josée Dupuis, Alison E Fohner, Mohsen Ghanbari, Richard A Gibbs, Nancy Heard-Costa, M Arfan Ikram, Paul Lacaze, Quentin Le Grand, Oscar L Lopez, Thomas H Mosley, Moeen Riaz, Aïcha Soumaré, Amber Yaqub, Eric Boerwinkle, Bruce M Psaty, Myriam Fornage, Sudha Seshadri, Anita L Destefano

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND:

Identifying genetic variants conferring resilience to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) may hold promise for developing therapeutics.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine genetic associations with being dementia-free at age 85 (DF85).

METHODS:

We examined genetic associations, using whole genome sequencing data, with DF85 in three Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine cohorts and the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project Phenotype Harmonization Consortium. We tested common variants individually and aggregation of rare (MAF≤1%) coding and non-coding variants in DF85 participants (n=3,657) against individuals who were not DF85 (n=20,010). We verified associations using a stricter control set who developed dementia before age 85 (n=5,552).

RESULTS: …

Retrospective Analysis Of A Washu-Based Knowledge-Based Planning (Kbp) Model For Breast And Chest Wall Planning In Guatemala: Compliance With American Society For Radiation Oncology (Astro) 2026 Guidelines, Milton E Ixquiac Cabrera, Erick O Montenegro, Matthew Schmidt, Baozhou Sun, James A Kavanaugh, Taoran Li, Angel Velarde, Vicky De Falla, Francisco Reynoso

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background/purpose

Breast cancer is among the most prevalent malignancies treated at the Liga Nacional Contra el Cáncer (LNCC) in Guatemala, representing a significant proportion of annual radiotherapy cases. Access to high-quality, standardized treatment planning in resource-constrained settings remains a critical challenge. This study evaluates the dosimetric performance of knowledge-based planning (KBP) models adapted from Washington University (WashU) in St. Louis for breast and chest wall radiotherapy at LNCC, validated against a retrospective 2025 clinical cohort, and benchmarked against the ASTRO 2026 Practical Radiation Oncology guidelines.

Materials and methods

A retrospective analysis of 84 treatment plans (40 left, 44 right) for …

Treatment Of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Via Mental Health Technology, Erika S Trent, Nisha Jagannathan, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder that remains chronic unless intervened with evidence-based intervention. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention is the gold-standard psychological intervention for OCD, but many individuals do not receive this intervention due to barriers to accessing treatment. Mental health technology tools such as telehealth, computerized programs, internet-delivered CBT, and mobile applications have been adopted to expand the accessibility of CBT. An up-to-date summary of the evidence base of technology-mediated formats of CBT for OCD treatment is provided. Clinical benefits offered by such approaches, current limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

Evaluation Of The Effect Of Vibration On Signal Reflection In Coaxial Cable Connectors For Vibration Sensing In Aircraft Structures And Systems, Saidanvar Esanjonovich Valiev, Anthony C. Okafor, Jeremiah J. Rittenhouse, Daniel S. Stutts, Jie Huang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper investigates the effects of vibration on signal reflection (S11) in aerospace data transmission line (ADTL) and commercial data transmission line (DTL) connectors for their alternative use as vibration sensors. The impact of vibration on the S11 signal was investigated on five ADTL and four DTL connectors at six vibration frequencies (20 Hz, 40 Hz, 80 Hz, 160 Hz, 320 Hz, and 640 Hz) and four vibration accelerations (0.5G, 1 G, 2 G, and 4G). The experiment was conducted using a split-plot design with a cable type assigned as the main-plot factor, with vibration frequency and acceleration as subplot …

Decentralizing Dementia Research To The Us–Mexico Border: The Rio Grande Valley Ad-Rcmar As A Model For Translational Equity, Gladys E. Maestre, John Blangero, Eron Manusov, Gabriel A. De Erausquin, Francisco Fernandez, Silvia Mejia-Arango, Vincent P. Diego, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Claudia Alaniz, Neyra García, Rosa V. Pirela, Andrew Tsin, Michael Mahaney

School of Medicine Publications

Translational equity means ensuring that diagnostics, treatments, care models, and prevention strategies are developed and implemented so they work for populations with the greatest burden and least access to care. In Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), where most evidence derives from highly educated, non-Hispanic White participants at large academic centers, translational equity is critical to prevent misclassification, limited access, and widening disparities and to ensure that underrepresented communities shape how new knowledge moves into practice. Hispanic and other populations in the United States are disproportionately affected by ADRD yet remain underrepresented in research, with gaps especially pronounced in high-poverty …

Initial Injury Type And Violent Reinjury, Nicholas Szoko, Daphne Lew, Taylor Kaser, Zoe M Miller, Matt Vogel, Michael A Mancini, Lindsay M Kranker, Christopher Behr, Vicki Moran, Rachel Ancona, Kristen Mueller

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Violent injuries are the leading cause of death among children and young adults in the United States. Violent injury may increase the risk of subsequent injury (ie, violent reinjury), but it is unclear how this risk varies across different injury types (eg, blunt assault, stabbing, firearm).

Objective: To describe patterns of violent reinjury across different injury types to inform tailored prevention strategies.

Design, setting, and participants: This multicenter cohort study included patients who presented with violent injuries to 2 adult and 2 pediatric level I trauma centers in St Louis, Missouri, from January 2016 to December 2023.

Exposures: Violent …

Hospice Enrollments From The Emergency Department Feature Short Admissions And High-Acuity Hospice Care, Helen P Knight, Kourosh Ravvaz, Alexander Fiksdal, Lin Shen, Isaac S Chua, Claire K Ankuda, Haiden A Huskamp, Hojjat Salmasian, Joan M Teno, David W Bates

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Medicare beneficiaries frequently visit the emergency department (ED) at the end of life, but little is known about the epidemiology of patients admitted to hospice from the ED. We used 100 percent Medicare fee-for-service claims from the period 2018-20 to describe the frequency of direct ED-to-hospice enrollments, associated patient and hospice agency characteristics, and patient outcomes. In this sample, 4.3 percent of initial enrollments in hospice originated from the ED. ED-to-hospice admissions featured short lengths-of-stay (21.7 percent were two days or less) and high rates of general inpatient level of care at the time of enrollment (23.6 percent). The 10 …

Classification Of Gck-Mody In A Child With Mild Hyperglycemia And Islet Autoantibody Positivity: A Diagnostic Challenge, Aman N Yarlagadda, Maria J Redondo, Toni I Pollin, Mustafa Tosur, Colleen O Jodarski, Jennifer J Bell

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We report a 9-year-old female who presented with mild, persistent hyperglycemia, with hemoglobin A1c and oral glucose tolerance test results in the prediabetes range, relatively preserved C-peptide, and mildly positive glutamate decarboxylase 65 autoantibody levels. A strong family history of lean, noninsulin-dependent diabetes suggested a possible monogenic cause. Genetic testing with a 28-gene maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) panel identified a heterozygous variant of uncertain significance in GCK (NM_000162.5:c.179C>T [p.Thr60Ile]). Following review by the ClinGen Monogenic Diabetes Variant Curation Expert Panel, the GCK variant was reclassified as pathogenic, confirming a diagnosis of glucokinase (GCK)-MODY/GCK-hyperglycemia, a stable …

Non-Isolated Dandy-Walker Malformation: Exome Sequencing Efficacy And Phenotypic Expansions, Sarah Araji, Xiaonan Zhao, Jill A Rosenfeld, Seema R Lalani, Daryl A Scott

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM) is a rare congenital abnormality of the posterior fossa and the cerebellum and has an incidence of 1 in 10 000 to 30 000 births. Although DWM can present in isolation, it is often associated with other central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities or extra-CNS anomalies (DWM+). A molecular cause is not identified in the majority of individuals with DWM+. This is due, in part, to uncertainty regarding optimal testing strategies and an incomplete understanding of the genetic causes of DWM+. In this study, we analyzed clinical exome sequencing (cES) data from 91 individuals with DWM+ to determine …

Owning Geothermal Energy, Gabriel Eckstein

Faculty Scholarship

Geothermal energy holds vast potential for decarbonizing the U.S. energy system, yet the sector remains significantly underdeveloped, supplying only 0.4% of the nation's electricity. A principal barrier to growth is the fragmented and ambiguous legal landscape currently governing ownership of geothermal resources: thirty-three states lack any clear statutory or common-law framework identifying who owns subsurface thermal energy. This Article examines the physical characteristics of geothermal energy, recent developments in the U.S. geothermal sector, and the principal doctrinal approaches that might govern ownership of subsurface heat, including the ad coelum doctrine, common-pool and open-access frameworks, the rule of capture, and public …

Pso-Style Social Influence In An Ant Colony Algorithm For Continuous-Domain Optimization, Ashraf M. Abdelbar, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

ACOR is a well-established Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm for continuous-domain optimization. In this paper, we propose an extension (which we call ACOR∗) in which several fundamental modifications are made to ACOR's solution construction process, including the incorporation of a social influence mechanism borrowed from Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Our modifications to the ACOR algorithm are intended to promote search diversity and combat premature convergence. We experimentally evaluate our proposal in the context of training feedforward neural networks for classification using 65 widely used datasets from the University of California Irvine (UCI) repository, as well as the optimization of several …

Multiplexed Fabry-Pérot High-Temperature Sensing Based On Dispersive Microwave-Photonic Frequency-Time Domain Analysis, Ruimin Jie, Chen Zhu, Bohong Zhang, Koustav Dey, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a multiplexed high-temperature Fabry-Pérot (FP) fiber sensing system interrogated by dispersive microwave-photonic frequency-time domain analysis (DM-FTDA). In the proposed architecture, incoherent broadband probing light is modulated by radio-frequency (RF) signals and then reflected by a parallel network of hollow-core photonic crystal fiber FP (HCPCF-FP) sensors. A chirped fiber Bragg grating provides strong dispersion to map the composite FP spectral response into a well-defined microwave transfer function. Unlike conventional optical Fourier-domain multiplexing that requires deliberate cavity-length allocation, the proposed approach achieves multiplexing via delay-dominated discrimination. Distinct delay fibers are assigned to each sensor branch, and an …

A Near-Field Communication (Nfc) Multi-Sensor Node With Optimized Read Range And Adaptive Power Management For Remote Monitoring, Rishin Patra, Hilary Scott Nkimbeng Cho, Jin W. Choi

Michigan Tech Publications

This paper presents the design of a batteryless near-field communication (NFC) multi-sensor node with an integrated adaptive power-management system for sensing applications. The work focuses on harvesting energy from a 13.56 MHz NFC field to power an ultra-low power sensing platform. The design consists of the TI RF430FRL152H, an integrated NFC transponder with an embedded MSP430 microcontroller core and ferroelectric random-access memory (FRAM) non-volatile memory. The system combines an ISO/IEC 15693 NFC front end, a tuned loop antenna for optimized power harvesting, and multiple analog and digital sensor interfaces, and a firmware architecture for intermittent harvested energy operation. The aforementioned …

S-[2-(Hydroxyamino)-2-Oxoethyl]-O-Octyl-Dithiocarbonate Ester (Ehaox): Performance And Adsorption Mechanism, Yue Zhou, Jiaxiang Li, Hongli Fan, Zhilong Li, Yuesheng Gao, Tian Lin, Haiyan Tang, Tingting Wang, Wei Sun

Michigan Tech Publications

This study explores the interfacial interactions between a novel collector, S-[2-(hydroxyamino)-2-oxoethyl]-O-octyl-dithiocarbonate ester (EHAOX), and bastnaesite mineral surfaces during selective flotation. Compared to conventional octylhydroxamic acid (OHA), EHAOX demonstrated superior recovery, achieving an over 40% absolute increase in recovery compared to octylhydroxamic acid (OHA) at the same collector concentration (1 × 10⁻⁵ mol/L) and pH 8.0, and selectivity for bastnaesite, attributed to its optimized hydrophobicity (supported by CLogP calculations). Mechanistic studies via zeta potential, UV/vis spectroscopy, and FTIR revealed the formation of a complex composite via chemisorption between EHAOX and Ce³⁺ sites on the bastnaesite surface, with coordination occurring …

Reinforcement Learning-Enabled Resource Allocation For Distributed And Uncoordinated Cognitive Radio Networks, Ankita Vijay Tondwalkar

Theses

To keep up with the ever-increasing performance demand from wireless applications, wireless networks necessitate to operate following an efficient use of the available radio spectrum. Since the radio spectrum is a limited resource, the increasing demand for wireless services and applications to support a wide spectrum of users is a challenge in itself and therefore requires advanced techniques to manage and utilize radio resources efficiently. Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) and sharing play a crucial role in improving the utilization of the radio spectrum, as it departs from the traditional approach of static radio spectrum band allocation which usually leads to …

Golden Hour Open Conceptual Architecture For Citizen-Initiated Structured Urgency Signaling, Jaime Gerardo Figoni Him

Defensive Publications Series

Abstract Golden Hour proposes a minimalist, open, and low-bandwidth emergency signaling architecture that enables any citizen to transmit structured urgency information during the critical first hour (“Golden Hour”) of a disaster. The system combines a single-tap severity code (Red / Yellow / Green), a brief guided question sequence, and resilient transmission paths (including SMS/USSD fallback) to generate a live, color-coded situational heat map for emergency responders.

By treating emergency response as a problem of controlling informational entropy, Golden Hour enables a near-instantaneous reduction in chaos while fostering voluntary human solidarity. It is designed as a supplement to — not a …

Gci Diagnostics & Bioprocess Acceleration Architecture (Open‑Hardware, Conceptual Only), Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes an open‑hardware, physics‑based architecture for accelerating diagnostic workflows and bioprocess engineering using vortex‑acoustofluidic modules. The system integrates vortex‑induced lysis, acoustic particle isolation, micro‑lattice thermal control, and continuous‑flow kinetic refinement to reduce the time required for molecular analysis and biomolecule purification. No biological agents, reagents, or clinical claims are included. All components are conceptual and released under CERN‑OHL‑P to support global research, prototyping, and humanitarian engineering.

Electronic Device Placement Via Three-Dimensional Space Reconstruction, Ruofei Du, Mahdi Tayarani Najaran

Defensive Publications Series

Difficulties are encountered when determining placements for electronic devices to ensure coverage of a physical space. A framework for visualizing coverage and suggesting device quantities through three-dimensional space reconstruction is described. Live camera and depth data from portable electronic devices are utilized to generate a digital representation of an environment. A transformer-based neural network is employed to determine device poses and quantities based on the reconstructed space and semantic attributes. Coverage areas, areas without coverage, and unmonitored hazard zones are depicted in real-time, maintaining alignment as a device is physically reoriented. A data-driven approach for deploying equipment such as cameras, …

Set Lists For Conversations On Necropolitics, Antiblackness, And Colonialism, Noah Morton

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

In lieu of a traditional syllabus, the following setlist uses the form of an academic syllabus to unsettle ideas around knowledge production and includes six sets with multimodal resources (films, songs, articles) to engage conversations on necropolitics, antiblackness, and colonialism. The setlists come from engaging in genealogies of resistance and liberation and are attentive to recognizing (re – again | cogn – to know | ize – to make) and acknowledging various technologies of domination while witnessing anachoreographies, or spirits of refusal. Each setlist flows from a check-in song, continues to the main set of readings/videos/podcasts, and ends with an …

“Hip-Hop Permeates Everything I Do:” The Intersections Of Global Politics, Hip-Hop, And Education, Mecedes Lindsay

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

This qualitative study examines how the absence of Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy (CHHP) within academic institutions shapes students’ sense of belonging, motivation, and engagement by regulating which forms of cultural capital are deemed legitimate. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with students, educators, scholars, and members of the hip-hop generation, this research adopts an interpretivist framework to center participants’ lived experiences within educational spaces. Informed by Freirean critical pedagogy and Yosso’s theory of community cultural wealth, the study situates schooling as a site where America’s soft power operates through curriculum design, disciplinary norms, and definitions of deviance. Findings reveal that …

Purposefully Black Interactional Systems: Disrupting Punitive School Discipline Models Through Banter, The Funk, And The Black Aesthetic, S. M. Wilson

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

This empirical study seeks to understand the narratives of four Black men teachers and two Black women teachers about how they implement school discipline and classroom management in their K–12 contexts. This track draws on interdisciplinary perspectives from education, linguistic anthropology, and African American studies to understand how banter and ritual insults function as alternatives to traditional discipline. Phenomenology and thematic analysis of six semistructured interviews demonstrated Black teachers’ beliefs that outdated and punitive orientations should be challenged. These teachers enacted discipline through talk—particularly banter, ritual insults, and what I call “purposefully Black interactional systems,” which embed discipline within them, …

Remixing The Academy Through Backyard Spaces: The Making Of Black Educology, The Mixtape, Dre Carter, Eghosa Obaizamomwan-Hamilton

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

As Black academics, researchers, and educators, we navigate the twin topographies of the academy and the open territories of possibility. Connecting these realms, we construct “backyard project” spaces—semi-enclosed areas linking academic spaces and liberated spaces. We use our creation of the backyard as a locality wherein we challenge oppressive, antiquated academic systems and anti-Blackness without waiting for reform. For example, our collective project, the Black Educology Mixtape “Journal,” exemplifies this concept. This track discusses the “backyard” as an extension of both third and fugitive spaces and, through material culture and fugitivity as method, highlights the backyard as a site for …