Digital Commons Network^™

Social Capital: Lessons From A Service-Learning Program, Maria J. D'Agostino

Publications and Research

In an increasingly complex society, public administrators continue to pursue their ultimate goal of maintaining a democratic society. Confronted with decreasing civic engagement and social capital, universities are being sought as partners in the movement to address our faltering democracy. University based service-learning programs provide an opportunity to address our faltering democracy, while addressing the University mission of service to the community. Empirical research, using CASE, the Rutgers University service-learning program, was conducted to further explore the possibility (D’Agostino 2006).

Social Network Dynamics For Open Source Software Projects, Y. Long, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Drawing on social network theories and previous studies, this research is an initial effort to explore the dynamics of the social network structure in Open Source Software (OSS) teams. Three projects were selected from SourceForge.net in term of their similarities as well as their differences. Monthly data were extracted from the bug tracking system in order to achieve a longitudinal view of the interaction pattern of each project. Social network analysis was used to generate the indices of network structure. The finding suggests that the interaction pattern of OSS projects evolves from a single hub at the beginning to a …

Sustainable Development Or Just Plain Development? An Analysis Of Sustainability Indicators For Chattanooga, Tennessee, Cheryl Horn

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the surrounding area has undergone a notable transformation in recent decades. Many of these changes have been used to promote the city as an environmentally friendly place to live, and the phrase sustainable development is frequently used to describe local growth and planning. However, no comprehensive analysis has been undertaken to determine whether Chattanooga is truly headed toward becoming a sustainable community in terms of environmental, social, and economic considerations. Based on the concept of sustainable development, as defined by the United Nations and others, and on sustainability studies conducted in four other cities, …

Opening Access To Environmental Software Systems, Daryl H. Hepting, Timothy Maciag

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

As individuals are increasingly being called to act in environmentally-conscious ways, they will seek out any and all resources which might help to inform their actions. Unfortunately, a 2002 OECD report indicated that there seemed to be declining trust of environmental information sources and increasing confusion about which actions could be most beneficial. Environmental Software Systems can provide relief in this context, if the software design is user-centered. The very specialized nature of much environmental software may discourage these design practices, but this is a false economy. Instead of software that is based on technical models developed by environmental scientists, …

Changing Maine, 1960-2010: Teaching Guide, Richard Barringer, New England Environmental Finance Center

Maine History & Policy Development

Unlike forty years ago, none of us is now certain what the future holds for Maine – except that it will be different. Maine has been transformed by the events of the recent decades. We have come into a new world, a new time – a new historical era, if you will. This new era, like previous eras in Maine history, will require of us new ways of thinking, new ways of understanding, new ways of organizing ourselves as a community of people, if the values and culture we share and cherish are to endure and flourish.

Journeys: Monograph Prepared For The Maine Mathematics And Science Teaching Excellence Collaborative (Mmstec) Project, Richard Stebbins Phd, Amy Johnson

Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Books

A collection of papers describing the impact of the Maine Mathematics and Science Teaching Excellence Collaborative on the improvement of student learning and teaching practices.

Opening Access To Environmental Software Systems, Daryl H. Hepting, Timothy Maciag

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

As individuals are increasingly being called to act in environmentally-conscious ways, they will seek out any and all resources which might help to inform their actions. Unfortunately, a 2002 OECD report indicated that there seemed to be declining trust of environmental information sources and increasing confusion about which actions could be most beneficial. Environmental Software Systems can provide relief in this context, if the software design is user-centered. The very specialized nature of much environmental software may discourage these design practices, but this is a false economy. Instead of software that is based on technical models developed by environmental scientists, …

State-Level Individual Development Account (Ida) Policy: Opportunities And Challenges For Rural Areas, Karen Edwards, Jon Bailey

Center for Social Development Research

State-Level Individual Development Account (IDA) Policy: Opportunities and Challenges for Rural Areas

Challenges For Private Sector Conservation: Sanderson's The Future Of Conservation In Tierra Del Fuego, Julia Amrock

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

To date, global protection of biodiversity has been largely dominated by governmental actors. Ecosystems transcending state boundaries find themselves at the mercy of international agreements, for better or for worse. Steven Sanderson of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) suggested for worse in The Future of Conservation, but he gave hope for more effective environmental conservation, if the private sector could gain more standing globally. The plan that Sanderson created for self-assertion of nongovernmental environmental groups describes approaches typically endorsed not by NGOs but by governments: global alliances, political strategy, human-centered conservation, and economic development. This Note isolates the current use …

The Spatial Dynamics Of High School Dropout: The Case Of Rural Louisiana, Mark J. Shafer, Makiko Hori

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This study uses data from the Louisiana Department of Education to conduct a spatial analysis of high school dropout. The paper suggests school-level factors influence dropout rates not only within their schools, but also more widely across schools in close proximity. These claims are tested in two distinct ways: (1) by comparing spatial cluster maps of dropout to measures of school processes, effectiveness, and structure and (2) by conducting spatial regression analysis to test whether spatial influences remain after considering school-level predictors of dropout. The findings show school processes, effectiveness, and structure all influence dropout rates. Moreover, findings demonstrate spatial …

Global Warming And Transportation System Planning, Bob Yuhnke

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Presenter: Bob Yuhnke, Robert E. Yuhnke & Associates, Boulder, CO.

4 pages.

Digital Collection Management Through The Library Catalog, Michaela Brenner, Thomas W. Larsen, Claudia Weston

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Digitization has bestowed upon librarians and archivists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries the opportunity to reexamine how they access their collections. It draws these two traditional groups together with IT specialists in order to collaborate on this new great challenge. In this paper, the authors offer a strategy for adapting a library system to traditional archival practice.

Making Main Street Legal Again: The Smartcode Solution To Sprawl, Chad D. Emerson

Missouri Law Review

This article will analyze the format of the SmartCode, and, since the SmartCode is only a model code that must be legally customized for local jurisdictions, the article will further explain the legal steps that communities must take in order to implement the SmartCode as a zoning option. While doing so, the article will examine how the strict Euclidean structure of today's conventional zoning codes has necessitated the creation of the SmartCode in order to allow communities to legally utilize traditional town and neighborhood planning techniques

Can Resilience Be Reconciled With Globalization And The Increasingly Complex Conditions Of Resource Degradation In Asian Coastal Regions?, Derek Armitage, Derek Johnson

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

This paper explores the relationship between resilience and globalization. We are concerned, most importantly, with whether resilience is a suitable conceptual framework for natural resource management in the context of the rapid changes and disruptions that globalization causes in social-ecological systems. Although theoretical in scope, we ground this analysis using our experiences in two Asian coastal areas: Junagadh District in Gujarat State, India and Banawa Selatan, in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. We present the histories of resource exploitation in the two areas, and we attempt to combine a resilience perspective with close attention to the impact of globalization. Our efforts serve …

Clean-Water Land Use: Connecting Scale And Function, Craig Anthony Arnold

Pace Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Natural Resources News, Vol. 06, No. 1 (May 2006), N/A N/A

Natural Resource News

No abstract provided.

House Of The Setting Sun: New Orleans, Katrina, And The Role Of Historic Preservation Laws In Emergency Circumstances, Annie Christoff

Georgetown Law Historic Preservation Papers Series

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, while various government bodies scrambled to address the myriad tragedies and emergencies that arose from the disaster, one critical question went largely unanswered and ignored: What was to become of the historic homes damaged in the storm and ensuing flood?

Obviously this question was of secondary concern at the time—where human life and safety are imperiled, the primary focus of government officials should be on restoring order and ensuring their constituents are protected. Precisely because of the existence of more pressing issues in a time of emergency, therefore, it is important to have a …

Mustang Daily, May 2, 2006

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Repopulation As Revitalization? Condominiums In St.Paul And Minneapolis, Minnesota, Fay L. Cleaveland

Geography Honors Projects

Condominium development in downtown business districts has boomed in the last ten years, increasing the size and density of urban neighborhood populations. The design of condos and their immediate surroundings can affect how residents will use these spaces and the quality of life experienced by neighborhood inhabitants. This research applies the design principles of Jane Jacobs and the Congress for the New Urbanism to four condominium developments in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, to determine their impact on neighborhood livability in downtowns. I conclude with an analysis of their effectiveness as downtown revitalization tools and policy suggestions for future condominium …

A Re-Emerging History : History Of The Four Bears Bridge And The Lost Communities Of North Dakota, Tessa M. Sandstrom

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

The History Of The Sevilleta Land Grant And In The First Person: Oral Histories From La Joya De Sevilleta "The Jewel Of The Sevilleta", Ramona L. Rand-Caplan

History ETDs

The oral histories that are the centerpiece of this thesis present the history of La Joya in the 1930s, together with an overview of the history of the Sevilleta. Most significantly, they support the conviction that oral history is invaluable in acquiring a more informed historical record of the past than is offered in our official written archives alone.

Illinois Wesleyan Hosts New Sustainable Living, Wellness Fair, Stew Salowitz

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Sustainability And Interdisciplinary Education: Planning And The Caed Sustainable Environments Program, Paul Wack

City and Regional Planning

For the past fifteen years, through an interdepartmental effort, the College of Architecture and Environmental Design has been offering an interdisciplinary minor on Sustainable Environments. CRP professor Paul Wack, a devoted co-founder and one of its most popular instructors, writes about this unique and popular initiative which recently received a national educational award from the American Institute of Architects.

Sustainability And Interdisciplinary Education: Planning And The Caed Sustainable Environments Program, Paul Wack

Focus

For the past fifteen years, through an interdepartmental effort, the College of Architecture and Environmental Design has been offering an interdisciplinary minor on Sustainable Environments. CRP professor Paul Wack, a devoted co-founder and one of its most popular instructors, writes about this unique and popular initiative which recently received a national educational award from the American Institute of Architects.

Leveraging The Skills Of The Corporate Special Librarian To Enhance The Perceived Value Of Information And Sustain Communities Of Practice, Patricia Margulies

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Abstract

An assessment is made of a fairly recent commitment by many business and governmental organizations to take a strategic look at ‘organizational knowledge,’ its origins and its management. Based on their activities and findings to identify, capture, and disseminate organizational knowledge, the paper describes how the Information Resource Center (IRC) and its special librarians can ensure the enterprise’s knowledge and information goals are met while heightening the IRC’s own intrinsic organizational value and profile.

This paper argues for major participation by the IRC and its special librarians in communities of practice (COPs). Such IRC participation is viewed as a …

Sex-Education And Preventative And Contraceptive Services: Educação-Sexual E Serviços Contraceptivos E Preventativos, Elizabeth M. Ortiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Maternal morbidity is one of the leading causes of death amongst women in Latina America. Lack of access to Reproductive Health services has incited a continental epidemic amongst adolescent women - and should be considered a public health crisis. Yet, there is little being done by the governing male bodies to secure access and the Right to Reproductive Health services. This is not only a means of re-enforcing gendered inequalities- but also class, and racial disparities. Reproductive Health in Brazil and Northeastern Brazil in particular, serves as an allegory for socio-economic, gender, ethnic, and racial inequality in the region. The …

Web-Based Communities As A Tool For Extension And Outreach, Sana M. Kallioranta, Richard P. Vlosky, Scott Leavengood

Journal of Extension

The Internet has become a common tool for facilitating business transactions, fostering communication, and aiding for-profit and non-profit companies and organizations to better compete. An additional benefit of the Internet is the ability to create sector-specific Web-based communities that can facilitate outreach and Extension efforts. Communities in general can be any group with a common interest or goal and can include a number of actions such as information sharing, real-time dialog, and transaction facilitation. In this article, we discuss a background of Web-based communities and forest-sector Web-based communities developed by Cooperative Extension faculty members at two U.S. universities.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 22, Number 1 (April 2006), Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Avian Influenza Update - May 2006: 207 human cases, 115 fatalities. HPAI H5N1 virus has been detected in wild birds in Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and other European countries.
SCWDS remains actively involved in several field and laboratory studies investigating the ecology of avian influenza virus (AIV), including both high pathogenicity viruses (HPAI) and low pathogenicity viruses (LPAI).
A plan to conduct a survey of avian influenza (AI) viruses in wild birds in Canada was developed late in 2004 by the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) in consultation with a wide range of federal and provincial …

Wind Energy And Its Impact On Future Environmental Policy Planning: Powering Renewable Energy In Canada And Abroad, Kamaal Zaidi

ExpressO

With the rising demand for energy from finite conventional sources such as coal and natural gas, the emphasis on modern environmental policy planning for renewable energy is rapidly gaining attention. In particular, wind energy projects that include wind turbine technology is helping drive this trend towards cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable forms of energy that provide electricity to consumers. This paper provides an introductory review of wind energy, outlining its history, technology, and current legislative frameworks adopted by various nations in harnessing renewable energy. This analysis includes a thorough discussion of Canada’s approach, but continues with renewable wind programs in …

Making Main Street Legal Again: The Smartcode Solution To Sprawl, Chad Emerson

ExpressO

No abstract provided.