Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Determinants Of Rural Food Security: Findings From Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Hongmei Lu, Angie Carter

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Rural food insecurity is understudied, although many rural-specific characteristics influence rural food security. We used a mixed-mode survey to investigate how economic conditions, food support measures, and geospatial patterns impact rural residents' food insecurity in the six-county region of Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula. Three nested ordinal logistic regressions identify that household income and costs significantly influence rural food insecurity probability. Lack of time is also a key factor in increasing food insecurity probability. The ability to drive oneself to access food offsets the negative impacts of living a far distance from retail food locations; yet, transportation remains a barrier to …

Changes To Rural Migration In The Covid-19 Pandemic☆, Julia K. Petersen, Richelle Winkler, Miranda H. Mockrin

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Media stories highlighted accounts of migration away from city centers towards more rural destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but systematic research about how the pandemic changed migration in more rural destinations is only starting to emerge. This paper relies on U.S. Postal Service change-of-address data to describe whether and how established domestic migration systems changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on differences across the rural–urban gradient and by outdoor recreation resources. We find little evidence of massive urban exodus. We do find that out-migration from rural counties declined post-pandemic onset and has stayed low in the 3 years since, stemming …

Engagement For Life's Sake: Reflections On Partnering And Partnership With Rural Tribal Nations☆, Chelsea Schelly, Valoree Gagnon, Kathleen Brosemer, Kristin Arola

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

In this paper, we reflect on our collective experiences engaging with Anishinaabe Tribal Nations in the Great Lakes region to support Tribal sovereignty in decision-making for food, energy, and water (FEW) systems. In these diverse experiences, we find common lessons. The first set of lessons contributes new empirical knowledge regarding the challenges and opportunities that rural Great Lakes Tribal Nations navigate for enacting sovereignty in decision-making. Our experiences illustrate that while Tribal Nations benefit from a broad and deep commitment to sovereignty and many cultural strengths, they are often challenged by shortages in administrative capacity; technical support; and embeddedness in …

“Not Much Of A Job”: Everyday Life And Labor At Camp Au Train, Josef T. Iwanicki

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In this thesis, I use data from Camp Au Train, a Civilian Conservation Corp camp in Michigan’s Hiawatha National Forest, as a case study to connect the everyday life of enrollees with dominant government narratives while including a focus on labor and the capitalist crisis of the Great Depression. Using the vantage point of work, play, study, and health, I integrate archaeological, historic, and photographic evidence to show contradictions between the enrollees’ real lived experience and the dominant perspectives of the CCC ‘authorities’ who organized their lives. I argue that to interpret these contradictions, the CCC needs to be connected …

An Examination Of Scientific And Technical Communication For Forensic Engineering And Forensic Pathology., Tori C. Reeder

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Police communication sits at the unique intersection of risk communication, scientific and technical communication, and medical communication, as we see in forensic reports. In this dissertation, I examine the communicative underpinnings of forensic pathology and forensic engineering reports. I argue that there is not only an inherent link between the unpredictability of a written text and the reception of said text by both its intended and unintended audience, but also a link to the broader socio-cultural contexts. I will examine an atypical forensic pathology report (autopsy report) of George Floyd, a more standard forensic pathology report of an inmate who …

The Implications Of Waste Streams At Camp Au Train, Timothy J. Maze

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Archaeological remains from Camp Au Train provide an opportunity to understand sanitation methods during its use as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp and later used to house German Prisoners of War during World War II. Seven refuse features from this camp were excavated and their contents linked to functional locations within the camp in order to reconstruct waste streams across the site and to observe how military aspects of sanitation were implemented by an organization infamous for its emphasis on cleanliness, order, and hygiene. While the importance of sanitation is often mentioned by historians and archaeologists in research of these …

What's Going On In There? Canadian Government Policy Labs And Public Value Management, Adam Wellstead, Nora Ottenhof, Bryan Evans, Anat Gofen

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Government-based policy labs have established themselves across the Canadian policy landscape. This article argues these labs contribute to public value management. We begin by reviewing the public value management literature, followed by Canadian contributions to the policy lab literature. Then, our inventory of 35 current Canadian government-based policy labs is descriptively analyzed, including trends in spatial concentration, the tools and methods employed, their focus areas, the number of years in existence, and their primary role in the policy process. We randomly selected nine of these labs, provide more details of their activities, and present a preliminary public value management typology …

“Minimum Necessary Rigor” In Empirically Evaluating Human–Ai Work Systems, Gary Klein, Robert R. Hoffman, William J. Clancey, Shane Mueller, Florian Jentsch, Mohammadreza Jalaeian

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

The development of AI systems represents a significant investment of funds and time. Assessment is necessary in order to determine whether that investment has paid off. Empirical evaluation of systems in which humans and AI systems act interdependently to accomplish tasks must provide convincing empirical evidence that the work system is learnable and that the technology is usable and useful. We argue that the assessment of human–AI (HAI) systems must be effective but must also be efficient. Bench testing of a prototype of an HAI system cannot require extensive series of large-scale experiments with complex designs. Some of the constraints …

Allograft Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Fails At A Greater Rate In Patients Younger Than 34 Years, Camryn B. Petit, Jed A. Diekfuss, Shayla M. Warren, Kim D. Barber Foss, Melanie Valencia, Staci M. Thomas, Erich Petushek, Spero G. Karas, Kyle E. Hammond, Mathew W. Pombo, Sameh A. Labib, Timothy S. Maughon, Bryan J. Whitfield, Gregory D. Myer, John W. Xerogeanes, Joseph D. Lamplot

Michigan Tech Publications

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to characterize the secondary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rates after primary allograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and to identify the age cut-score at which the risk of allograft failure decreases. Methods: All patients who underwent primary ACLR within a single orthopaedic department between January 2005 and April 2020 were contacted at a minimum of 2 years post-ACLR to complete a survey regarding complications experienced post-surgery, activity level, and perceptions of knee health. Patients were excluded for incidence of previous ACLR (ipsilateral or contralateral) and/or age younger than 14 years. Relative proportions …

Feminizing Decentralized Renewable Energy Programs: A Study Of A Community Renewable Energy Project From India, Aritra Chakrabarty

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

The increasing impact of global forces on local communities in the 21st century has necessitated a shift in focus from macro narratives to the micro-politics of planning. One of the critical areas of such micro-politics is energy policy-making in the Global South. It is argued that a bottom-up approach to energy intervention would increase the control and access of the end consumer to the sites of production, shift away from colonial energy production systems, and create more avenues for equitable community development. Within this context, this study critically evaluates a community-based renewable energy project from a feminist perspective. The study …

Increasing The Value Of Xai For Users: A Psychological Perspective, Robert R. Hoffman, Timothy Miller, Gary Klein, Shane T. Mueller, William J. Clancey

Michigan Tech Publications

This paper summarizes the psychological insights and related design challenges that have emerged in the field of Explainable AI (XAI). This summary is organized as a set of principles, some of which have recently been instantiated in XAI research. The primary aspects of implementation to which the principles refer are the design and evaluation stages of XAI system development, that is, principles concerning the design of explanations and the design of experiments for evaluating the performance of XAI systems. The principles can serve as guidance, to ensure that AI systems are human-centered and effectively assist people in solving difficult problems.

Transoptic Landscape Analysis: Multidimensional Landscapes Of A Multinational Wales, Mark Rhodes

Michigan Tech Publications

In this article I propose a novel extension to landscape analysis through multidimensional understandings, including—yet reaching beyond—tangible and into more-than-representational understandings of landscape. This "transoptic" approach to landscape, breaking away from strictly searching for visual representations of culture, allows for sonic, experiential, and emotional layers of meaning embedded in landscapes to emerge from their plural cultural and historical contexts. Memory, and the production and experience of that memory in the landscape, benefit from this transoptic understanding. Utilizing memory work, which includes both memory production and consumption, in Wales as a case study, I employ a transoptic landscape analysis to approach …

Dumping Military Waste Into Lake Superior: The Historic Legacies Of Secrecy, Censorship, And Uncertainty, Elodie Charrière, Nancy Langston

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

In recent years, the issue of military waste disposal in oceans and seas has gained significant attention; however, the impact of such waste in freshwater deposits has been understudied. The Laurentian Great Lakes of North America contain 20% of the world’s fresh surface water and are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors such as climate change, invasive species, and toxic chemicals, making the examination of military waste management in these waters crucial. This interdisciplinary study aims to investigate the legacy of two military waste disposal sites in Lake Superior, referred to as Site A (containing barrels) and Site B (containing bullets). …

The Plausibility Transition Model For Sensemaking, Gary Klein, Mohammadreza Jalaeian, Robert R. Hoffman, Shane Mueller

Michigan Tech Publications

When people make plausibility judgments about an assertion, an event, or a piece of evidence, they are gauging whether it makes sense that the event could transpire as it did. Therefore, we can treat plausibility judgments as a part of sensemaking. In this paper, we review the research literature, presenting the different ways that plausibility has been defined and measured. Then we describe the naturalistic research that allowed us to model how plausibility judgments are engaged during the sensemaking process. The model is based on an analysis of 23 cases in which people tried to make sense of complex situations. …

The Plausibility Transition Model For Sensemaking, Gary Klein, Mohammadreza Jalaeian, Robert R. Hoffman, Shane T. Mueller

Michigan Tech Publications

When people make plausibility judgments about an assertion, an event, or a piece of evidence, they are gauging whether it makes sense that the event could transpire as it did. Therefore, we can treat plausibility judgments as a part of sensemaking. In this paper, we review the research literature, presenting the different ways that plausibility has been defined and measured. Then we describe the naturalistic research that allowed us to model how plausibility judgments are engaged during the sensemaking process. The model is based on an analysis of 23 cases in which people tried to make sense of complex situations. …

Evaluating Machine-Generated Explanations: A “Scorecard” Method For Xai Measurement Science, Robert R. Hoffman, Mohammadreza Jalaeian, Connor Tate, Gary Klein, Shane T. Mueller

Michigan Tech Publications

Introduction: Many Explainable AI (XAI) systems provide explanations that are just clues or hints about the computational models-Such things as feature lists, decision trees, or saliency images. However, a user might want answers to deeper questions such as How does it work?, Why did it do that instead of something else? What things can it get wrong? How might XAI system developers evaluate existing XAI systems with regard to the depth of support they provide for the user's sensemaking? How might XAI system developers shape new XAI systems so as to support the user's sensemaking? What might be a useful …

‘Being Able To Work Has Kept Our Life Fairly Constant:’ Reconciling Social Practice Models To Assess The Impact Of (Infra)Structural Inequities On Household Wellbeing During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sonya Ahamed, Chelsea Schelly, Kristin Floress, William Lytle, Holly Caggiano, Cara L. Cuite, Charles Wallace, Ryan Cook, Rebekah Jarvis, Rachael Shwom, David Watkins

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

Social practice theory offers a multidisciplinary perspective on the relationship between infrastructure and wellbeing. One prominent model in practice theory frames systems of provision as the rules, resources, and structures that enable the organization of social practices, encompassing both material and immaterial aspects of infrastructures. A second well-known model frames social practices in terms of their constituent elements: meanings, materials, and competences. Reconciling these two models, we argue that household capacity to respond to shifting systems of provision to maintain wellbeing is profoundly tied to the dynamics of privilege and inequity. To examine these dynamics, we propose a new analytical …

Executive Functions And Psychopathology Dimensions In Deficit And Non-Deficit Schizophrenia, Maksymilian Bielecki, Ernest Tyburski, Piotr Plichta, Monika Mak, Jolanta Kucharska-Mazur, Piotr Podwalski, Katarzyna Rek-Owodziń, Katarzyna Waszczuk, Leszek Sagan, Shane Mueller, Anna Michalczyk, Błażej Misiak, Jerzy Samochowiec

Michigan Tech Publications

This study: (a) compared executive functions between deficit (DS) and non-deficit schizophrenia (NDS) patients and healthy controls (HC), controlling premorbid IQ and level of education; (b) compared executive functions in DS and NDS patients, controlling premorbid IQ and psychopathological symptoms; and (c) estimated relationships between clinical factors, psychopathological symptoms, and executive functions using structural equation modelling. Participants were 29 DS patients, 44 NDS patients, and 39 HC. Executive functions were measured with the Mazes Subtest, Spatial Span Subtest, Letter Number Span Test, Color Trail Test, and Berg Card Sorting Test. Psychopathological symptoms were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome …

Measures For Explainable Ai: Explanation Goodness, User Satisfaction, Mental Models, Curiosity, Trust, And Human-Ai Performance, Robert R. Hoffman, Shane Mueller, Gary Klein, Jordan Litman

Michigan Tech Publications

If a user is presented an AI system that portends to explain how it works, how do we know whether the explanation works and the user has achieved a pragmatic understanding of the AI? This question entails some key concepts of measurement such as explanation goodness and trust. We present methods for enabling developers and researchers to: (1) Assess the a priori goodness of explanations, (2) Assess users' satisfaction with explanations, (3) Reveal user's mental model of an AI system, (4) Assess user's curiosity or need for explanations, (5) Assess whether the user's trust and reliance on the AI are …

The Impact Of Pre-Experiment Walking On Distance Perception In Vr, Soheil Sepahyar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

While individuals can accurately estimate distances in the real world, this ability is often diminished in virtual reality (VR) simulations, hampering performance across training, entertainment, prototyping, and education domains. To assess distance judgments, the direct blind walking method—having participants walk blindfolded to targets—is frequently used. Typically, direct blind walking measurements are performed after an initial practice phase, where people become comfortable with walking while blindfolded. Surprisingly, little research has explored how such pre-experiment walking impacts subsequent VR distance judgments. Our initial investigation revealed increased pre-experiment blind walking reduced distance underestimations, underscoring the importance of detailing these preparatory procedures in research—details …

Supporting Team Innovation With Design Thinking Cognitive Strategies, Lisa M. Casper

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Innovation is a 21st-century skill needed to design new systems, solve challenging problems, and develop novel solutions. Design Thinking (DT) is a tool used to support team innovation. In this experiment, 145 students (47 teams) used one of two DT methods during a semester-long project to come up with an innovative solution to one of the UNESCO 17 sustainable development goals. The key experimental manipulation was during the DT Ideate phase where teams brainstormed potential solutions. Teams either used a baseline DT Ideate strategy or an expanded one with additional prompts during a 10-minute period. Results indicated that teams using …

Making Scientific Information Usable: Development And Assessment Of A Novel Intervention To Boost Healthy Lifestyle Decision-Making, Brittany Nelson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Context—Improving diet can reduce the risk of chronic health conditions such as cancer and heart disease. However, people continue to make poor dietary health decisions. A novel intervention based on the science of behavior change and incorporating Human-Centered Design (HCD) methodology is needed to boost informed dietary decision-making.

Objective—This research presents a Behavior Change Wheel (BCW), Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach to develop a novel high-usability video intervention that will increase informed decision-making for whole-grain dietary decisions. The intervention will target college students, improving habits that can carry on throughout later adulthood.

Design—Study 1 consisted of preliminary data …

The Hidden Role Of The “Co-” Paradigm In The Conceptualization And Application Of Living Labs, Madelina E. Dilisi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In the past two decades, the living lab has emerged as an innovative approach for addressing a wide range of issues. Living labs challenge traditional top-down research and development approaches in an array of subjects including climate change and sustainability, healthcare, information communication technology, and urban planning. Despite their growth, the current conceptualization of living labs is incomplete. The conceptual ambiguity surrounding living labs prevents researchers and practitioners from appreciating their true value, limitations, and appropriate applications. My thesis builds on Dekker et al.’s (2020) living lab research by including key concepts from the “co” paradigm literature that includes the …

A Case Study On The Practice Of Carbon Offset Projects In Michigan: Forest Practitioners’ Perspectives, Zachary B. Hough Solomon

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This report examines the practice of carbon offset programs on private nonindustrial forestlands in the state of Michigan ass. Previously, the state of Michigan provided technical assistance for enrollment in carbon offsets through the Michigan Working Forest Carbon Offset Program, but this program has now been discontinued. Currently, private companies and nongovernmental organizations are developing projects throughout the state with nonindustrial private landowners. This descriptive analysis in this case study examines the roles of different forest practitioners who are working on carbon offsets, including private consulting foresters and foresters within Michigan public agencies. I review the academic and grey literature …

Feeding Our Local Communities-The Benefits Of Food Assistance Programs At Local Farmers Markets, Courtney A. Archambeau

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Living in a rural area can make finding food that is good and affordable difficult, especially for those who rely on assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Federal incentive programs assist those with SNAP benefits to purchase fresh produce. I studied three farmers markets in Houghton County in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula to identify how rural farmers markets are integrating these programs to increase access to fresh produce. Specifically, I asked: 1) How might farmers markets work to be more inviting and make their food more accessible to those of lower socioeconomic status?; 2) By studying these …

Types Of Questions Teachers Ask To Engage Students In Making Sense Of A Student Contribution, Nishat B. Alam

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In the student-centered classroom, a teacher’s interpretation and response to student mathematical contributions plays an important role to shape and direct students’ opportunities for sense-making. This research used a scenario-based survey questionnaire to examine what types of questions middle and high school mathematics teachers indicate they would ask to engage students in making sense of a high-leverage student mathematical contribution and their reasoning about why particular questions are or are not productive. From the results, it could be concluded that teachers asked more productive questions after seeing a set of possible questions. Their beliefs about the productivity of the questions …

Information Use And Decision-Making For Evacuation At Fuego Volcano, Guatemala, Beth A. Bartel

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

For populations living with risk to rapid-onset environmental hazards, an effective early warning system (EWS) may be the most viable short- to mid-term solution for risk reduction. At Fuego volcano, Guatemala, more than 60,000 people distributed between more than 30 small communities live within the identified hazard zones for pyroclastic density currents (PDCS), highly lethal hot avalanches and surges of volcanic gases, rock, and ash. Despite ongoing risk reduction efforts by scientific and civil protection authorities, more than 400 people died during a paroxysmal eruption on 3 June 2018 when PDCs reached populated areas. A high-end resort, La Reunión, evacuated …

Structural Analysis And Interpretation Of Deformation Along The Keweenaw Fault System From Lake Linden To Mohawk, Michigan, Nolan G. Gamet

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw fault is likely the most significant and most studied fault associated with the Midcontinent Rift System. The fault roughly bisects the Keweenaw Peninsula and places Portage Lake Volcanics (~1.1 Ga) over much younger Jacobsville Sandstone (~1.0 Ga). Published bedrock geology maps with cross sections from the 1950s show the fault as a single continuous trace that is locally associated with smaller cross faults and splays. The accompanying cross-sections show hanging-wall volcanic strata having a well-defined, listric geometry with dip decreasing away from the fault to the northwest.

This M.S. thesis presents a structural analysis and interpretation of the …

The Rhetorical Art Of Risk Assessment: Lessons From Risk Management In Rural And Tribal Communities, John L. Velat

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Risk assessment, mitigation, and communication rely on data from multiple sources to form a complete understanding of hazards and how to manage them. Experts can use these data to make informed decisions about the nature and extent of risks and inform the public to protect health, the environment, and economic welfare. However, in an effort to objectively make decisions, technical experts and policymakers increasingly rely on quantitative data as the most important determiner of risk, which can alienate the public, limit risk understanding, and delay or miss obvious signals of impending catastrophe. I examine several cases based on my experiences …

Structural Analysis And Slip Kinematics Of The Keweenaw Fault System Between Bête Grise Bay And Gratiot Lake, Keweenaw County, Michigan, Daniel J. Lizzadro-Mcpherson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw fault is perhaps the most significant geologic structure on the Keweenaw Peninsula, with an estimated 7-11 km of reverse slip juxtaposing volcanic strata of the ~1.1 Ga Portage Lake Volcanics above ~1.0 Ga Jacobsville Sandstone. The fault has been interpreted as a rift-bounding normal fault later inverted by compressional pulses of the Grenville Orogeny or, more recently, as part of a detached thrust fault system unrelated to an earlier normal fault. The fault is shown on published maps as a single continuous fault trace whose sinuosity implies multiple fault segments and complex slip dynamics. Mapping along Bête Grise …