Digital Commons Network^™

Battery Electric Vehicles: Travel Characteristics Of Early Adopters, Yunwen Feng, Jean-Daniel Saphores, Hilary Nixon, Monica Ramirez Ibarra

Mineta Transportation Institute

Do U.S. households with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) drive less or more than U.S. households with internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs)? Answering this question is important to policymakers and transportation planners concerned with reducing vehicle miles traveled and the emissions of greenhouse gases from transportation. So far, this question has not been answered satisfactorily, possibly because of the relatively low number of EVs in the U.S. until recently, but also because of methodological issues. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap by analyzing data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). We apply propensity score matching (PSM), …

Governing Structures For Successful Regional Transit Coordination And Their Formation, Charles Rivasplata, Richard Lee, Michelle Derobertis, Christopher Ferrell

Mineta Transportation Institute

The expansion of metropolitan areas in California has further prompted the need to improve transportation options for all, more effectively linking origins and destinations through key enhancements to the existing network of transit services. This study provides planners and policymakers examples of effective regional transit coordination agencies. To improve multimodal connections and enhance transit services at the local and regional levels, this study explores regional coordination, focusing on entities charged with coordinating multiple transit agencies in a single metropolitan area. The study identified 16 regional transit coordinators (RTCs), identifying the structure, scope, and management of each. The results revealed that …

Shaping Career Pathways: From Learner To Leader, Sustainability Institute

Sustainability Institute Blog

No abstract provided.

Championing Belonging: A Community Where Students Can Flourish, Carol D. Grant-Watt

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In a K-12 independent school educational setting, belonging is crucial for fostering a positive learning environment where students, faculty, and staff feel valued, supported, and motivated to engage actively in their academic pursuits contributing to increased academic achievement, higher levels of motivation, and improved mental health outcomes. Moreover, belonging plays a key role in promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. When individuals feel they belong, regardless of their background, identity, or abilities, it leads to a more inclusive and supportive environment where everyone can flourish and contribute positively to the community. By integrating transformative and authentic leadership and critical and …

The Exhibit And Beyond: Attendees, Collaborating Organizations, And Decision Makers Responding To A Photovoice Project, Cara Dienno, Corey Martz, Lauren Collins, Mimiko Watanabe

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Photovoice aims to impact those who view photographs and stories in culminating exhibits. This multi-phase research project, completed in partnership with city government and community partners, explored photovoice impacts on exhibit attendees, collaborating organizations, and decision-makers. Results show increased levels of awareness, concern, and willingness to take action among exhibit attendees. Additionally, collaborating organizations and decision-makers saw the power of “thicker” public engagement processes, like photovoice, to provide useful data to aid decision-making.

The High Cotton Project: A Community-Based Method For Serving The Urban Homeless, Timothy J. Elliott, David A. Driskill

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article details the ways a series of architecture graduate classes partnered with a nonprofit youth sports organization and other community groups to design a shelter to accommodate those experiencing homelessness in Lubbock, Texas. The researchers use a case study approach to discuss how graduate students repeatedly engaged with the public for feedback on their designs and eventually created a design for a community-specific homeless shelter and treatment center. This article shares the project’s engagement methods, which included precedent studies, design charrettes, regular presentations to the public, meetings with stakeholders, and professional collaborations.

Examining Service-Learning Pedagogical Practice Through Centering Bipoc Student Voices, Nelson Omar Valencia-Garcia, Marilee Coles-Ritchie

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study centers BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students’ experiences in servicelearning courses at a predominantly White college. Researchers conducted eight semi-structured interviews using qualitative case study methods and analyzed the data through a critical consciousness framework. Data illuminated tensions in predominantly White spaces, perils and promises of preparation, and relationality with community partners demonstrating how Whiteness is often centered unintentionally. Based on the data collected, the authors suggest recommendations for implementing pedagogy that addresses the lived experiences of BIPOC students in service-learning courses.

Cultivating A Civic Mindset: Assessing Public Relations Student Perceptions Of Service Learning And Community Involvement Beyond The Course, Christopher J. Mccollough

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Literature in service learning offers examples of professional, social, and civic value to students, faculty, and community. The literature has not fully examined the impact of student participation on their levels of civic involvement among graduates several years removed from the coursework. This study is a case analysis of seven years of graduates with public relations course experience to examine graduates’ perceptions of the value of service-learning projects, and how this translates to community engagement.

Leadership Opportunities In Service-Learning: A Pilot Study In A Homeland Security Classroom, Jess Bonnan-White, Emily Lanaras

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Service-learning opportunities provide students with valuable professional experience beyond training and practical skills. In a pilot study of Criminal Justice students enrolled in an undergraduate Homeland Security class, student volunteers report opportunities for practicing leadership at an after-school program. Responses were also compared to a leadership curriculum prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Student volunteers collectively focus on providing mentorship, tutoring assistance, and behavioral regulation. Results add to literature documenting service-learning impact on professional development.

Civic-Mindedness Development Throughout A Physical Therapy Curriculum, Kerstin M. Palombaro, Jill D. Black, Robin L. Dole, Heather A. Burns, Sidney A. Jones, Alexander Stewart

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Graduate professional programs seek to foster professionalism and civic-mindedness in their students. This study measures the development of civic-mindedness throughout a graduate physical therapy (PT) program curriculum committed to community engagement. Three class cohorts completed the Civic-Minded Professional (CMP) Scale at four time points. Scores increased throughout the curriculum. Participants involved in community service leadership had the highest scores. A professional program that allows for community engagement throughout the curriculum will encourage student development of civic-mindedness.

Non-Profit And Civic Engagement Center (Npace): Service Learning That Enhances Civic And Community Health, Christopher J. Mccollough, Danna M. Gibson Columbus State University

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

American philosopher and educator John Dewey called for direct experience in the field to provide an education that cultivates well-rounded citizens. Service learning enhances community problem solving and builds stronger town-gown relationships. This paper is a report on one university’s application of the service-learning model in the development of a community outreach center, and a preliminary report on its contributions to the students’, university’s, and community’s civic health, respectively.

Pursuing Reciprocity In Engaged Scholarship Partnerships Using Community Sustainability Certification Programs, Elyzabeth W. Engle, Michele W. Halsell

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of sustainability certification programs at the local, state, and national level to highlight the use of policies, programs, and infrastructure to achieve sustainable development outcomes within communities. In this paper, we use examples from Penn State’s Sustainable Communities Collaborative to demonstrate how institutions with community-engaged scholarship programs can use these certification programs to enhance program operation and reciprocity by identifying projects, engaging new disciplines, and improving relevance.

A Needs Assessment And Program Evaluation Of A Physical Therapy Service-Learning Program In China, Kerstin M. Palombaro, Samuel R. Pierce, Robin L. Dole

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

International service-learning (ISL) programs in physical and occupational therapy programs are increasing in number. This paper describes a needs assessment and initial program evaluation conducted for a physical therapy ISL program at an orphanage in China. Chinese orphanage staff and Widener University physical therapy students were surveyed. Chinese staff expressed satisfaction with the training and provided suggestions for programming needs. Students identified areas for further education of orphanage staff and suggestions for future program design.

Exploring The Transformation Of Sustainable Collective Spaces: A Study From Mlalakuwa Informal Settlement, Jacob Lutta

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

A major challenge in collective space transformation is addressing the complexity of informal urbanisation in developing countries. Using a case study approach, this paper examines the concerns related to a particular informal settlement's sustainable collective space transformation. One of the key findings is that the absence of formal rules and regulations in the development of informal settlements in combination with land-grabbing leads to the absence of open spaces that could be used collectively. It is observed that sustainability in urban development is another body of critical thought that integrates several streams of current urban elements and embodies various conceptions of …

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Addressing Wellness In Underserved Communities, Kimberlyna Chheang, Amy Lyons-Brown, Anna Saavedra

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project addresses sociodemographic disparities in community wellness and health services in Kern County, CA, focusing on underserved communities facing trauma and systemic inequalities. In collaboration with the Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) and their East Kern Family Resource Center (EKFRC), it aims to lay the foundation for community-based, tailored interventions using occupational therapy (OT) to enhance community well-being and promote access to critical services to support wellbeing.

Examining The Impact Of A Professional Learning Community On Teachers' Awareness Of Neurodiversity In The Classroom, Taylor Diane Williams

Theses and Dissertations

In this action research study, the researcher sought to explore the influence of Professional Learning Community (PLC) participation on the recognition and awareness of general education teachers on neurodiversity in their classrooms. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the effects of the teachers’ awareness on their instructional approaches. The participants of this study hail from a variety of cultures and languages from around the world. Conducted over a six-week period in an international school in southern Germany, the participants demonstrated an enhanced understandings of neurodiversity through their engagement in the PLC sessions. The data collection tools used in the study …

Resolving Land Use Conflicts Without Zoning, Noah Austin

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

This Note presumes the rise of mixed-use development, upzoning, and other deregulatory zoning schemes. It sets aside the question of whether the costs of exclusionary zoning outweigh its benefits to society. And it characterizes the return-of-nuisance problem as something to be mitigated while pursuing land use deregulation, not as a cause for slowing that deregulation.

To this end, this Note offers three possible solutions towards mitigating conflicts between competing land uses in deregulated regimes. This Note contends that where today’s deregulated developments do generate conflicts between conflicting use types, society would reap net benefit by weakening judicial protection of nuisance …

Driving Green Investments To Address Climate Change, Baptiste Gibrat

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The climate crisis is no longer news, and society needs to accelerate the transition to net zero emissions. Otherwise, the consequences of climate change will become increasingly catastrophic.

This thesis develops a framework to drive green investments, which reduce society’s dependance on fossil fuels. Initially, the research provides a comprehensive examination of these investments, followed by an exploration of three strategies to enhance their adoption: leveraging financial instruments and capital markets, implementing regulatory frameworks, and harnessing the power of technologies. To integrate these elements within a comprehensive framework, the study employs market research, reviews relevant literature, and includes interviews with …

Our Bodies, Our Choices: Reproductive Justice And Social Embodiment, Charles Olney

Political Science Faculty Publications

Feminist scholars of reproductive justice argue for a broader model of politics organised around embodied experience. But to fully express the intersectional politics of reproductive justice, more attention must be given to the social function of embodiment—the ways that bodily markers create associative communities among strangers. This shared form of embodiment establishes connections that exceed the intimate relationship of a specific pregnancy. In particular, foetal embodiment manifests via communities with vested interest in the social meaning of life. These communities are affected, albeit indirectly, by reproductive choices and are therefore valid subjects of concern for reproductive justice. I develop the …

Comparing Shade And Impervious Surface Area With Extreme Heat And Environmental Equity: An Analysis Of The Urban Heat Island Effect In Santa Clara County, California, Jamsheed R. Mistry

Master's Theses

In the modern epoch of the Anthropocene, the rapid rise in urban sprawling has prompted a disproportionate exposure to extreme heat within underserved communities. As the global populace becomes increasingly urbanized, the inevitable formation of urban heat islands is becoming an imminent cause of concern for environmental and social justice. Due to an increase in urbanization, anthropogenic activities have not only increased the energy demand for cooling initiatives but also have increased the intensity of heat-related illnesses, such as heart attacks, dehydration, and respiratory diseases. Additionally, urbanization has yielded an unequal distribution of heat exposure and heat-related illnesses, particularly in …

Economic Contribution Of U.S. Aquaculture Farms, Ganesh Kumar, Shraddha Hegde, Jonathan Van Senten, Carole Engle, Noah Boldt, Matthew Parker, Kwamena Quagrainie, Benedict Posadas, Frank Asche, Madan Dey, Suja Aarattuthodi, Luke A. Roy, Russell Grice, Quentin Fong, Michael Schwarz

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources to meet human wants and needs and has a critical role to play in addressing challenges related to environmental sustainability, community resilience, and food security. In the context of aquaculture, the key to such a discussion is understanding the linkages of aquaculture farming businesses with other economic sectors and how policy decisions that affect aquaculture result in economic ripples throughout local, regional, and national economies. The only previous national estimates of the economic contributions of U.S. aquaculture are nearly 30 years old. The current study was based on comprehensive data …

Addressing Transportation Equity For Local Populations Using Emerging Technologies, Marcus Peoples

Theses & Dissertations

ADDRESSING TRANSPORTATION EQUITY FOR LOCAL POPULATIONS

USING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

By

Marcus Peoples Jr

This qualitative study examines the persistent issue of transportation inequity in the United States, focusing on its impact on marginalized and underserved populations. The study employs a generic qualitative inquiry from Social Justice Theory to investigate how senior public transportation decision-makers perceive and address institutional barriers, technological opportunities, and strategic improvements in transportation equity. The study underscores the pressing need to address the intricate interplay of socioeconomic conditions, racial and ethnic diversity, and varying levels of urbanization that contribute to transportation inequity. Historical and contemporary factors, such …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, August 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Join Our Team
--- Fraud Alert: New phishing scam targeting businesses
--- ICAW 2025 Poster Contest
--- STAR4D returns to the Iowa State Fair

Summer 2024, Georgia Library Quarterly

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Impact And Mitigation Strategies For Community-Defined Historic Places At Immediate (Within Three Decades) Risk Of Sea Level Rise, Isaac Quaye

All Theses

The rising sea level casts formidable threats on community-based historic places within coastal communities. These community-defined historic places derive their meaning from local values and are more recognized within the local community. Unlike recognized iconic historic places, these resources are confronted with inadequate resources to address the impacts of punctuated climate events. This study investigates the imminent threats posed by sea level rise (SLR) to community-defined historic places within the next three decades (2025) and explores mitigation strategies proposed by stakeholders. The study used a GIS-based (enhanced bathtub model) to model the impact of coastal inundation on three historic places …

Pre-Service Teaching And Work-Integrated Learning (Wil) In A Diverse And Democratic South African School Setting: A Social Theoretical Perspective

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Archiving Living Historical Narratives With Youth Participatory Action Research, Leah Panther, Elizabeth Burbridge, Robbie Barber, Rosi Sanchez

Georgia Library Quarterly

As part of an interdisciplinary place-based summer program, the three adults and nine youth explored local communities as a co-researchers, seeking to preserve and sustain their community’s literacies, histories, and stories. Youth co-researchers led the data collection, analysis, and creation of archival resources to capture community literacies, histories, and stories that expanded beyond traditional print-centric resources and archival collections management systems. From our youth co-researchers we learned: (1) prioritizing people as archival sources, (2) living historical narratives lead to critical readings of historical artifacts, and (3) public digital composing practices with historical narratives and historical artifacts. The implications result in …

Bridging Silos: Environmental And Reproductive Justice In The Climate Crisis, Sara A. Colangelo

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The climate crisis is a perilous yet underexamined example of the intersection of environmental injustice and reproductive injustice. The physical manifestations of the climate crisis affect key elements of reproductive justice: women’s rights to have children, to not have children, and to parent children in healthy, sustainable communities. Reams of studies document climate disaster-driven gender violence, loss of access to healthcare and reproductive services, as well as direct and deadly health effects of climate change on maternal health, fetal development, infants, and children. Despite these profound impacts, the environmental and reproductive justice movements remain largely siloed, particularly in the legal …

Encompassing ‘Himdag’ (Indigenous Way Of Life) To Address Cardiometabolic Disease In American Indian And Alaska Native Communities Through Research, Policy And Action, Heather Medicine Bear

Theses and Dissertations

Cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), encompassing conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, present a significant health burden within American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. This dissertation, through the culmination of three products, including a scoping review, policy brief and strategic planning toolkit, seeks to understand and address CMD in tribal communities through an Indigenous lens. Product #1, Interventions for Cardiometabolic Health in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: A Scoping Review, entails a thorough review of implemented CMD interventions targeting AI/AN communities to understand programmatic, clinical, and community-based prevention strategies. By synthesizing available evidence, …

Voices From The Countryside: Unveiling The Stories Of Rural Teachers In Stem Education, Devan A. Jones

All Dissertations

This narrative study delves into the overlooked perspective of rural communities within the broader educational landscape, highlighting their unique and vital role in education. It primarily aims to gain insights from K-8 teachers working in multigrade, multi-curricular Sustained Deep Rurality (SDR) schools situated in the challenging terrain of the Northern Rocky Mountain area. Employing a methodology centered around episodic narrative interviews and small story analysis, the study uncovers the intricacies and challenges inherent in teaching under the extreme conditions of rural environments.

These SDR schools, situated in remote and isolated regions, serve as vital pillars in rural education, embodying qualities …