Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Considering The Non-Programming Geographer's Perspective When Designing Extracurricular Introductory Computer Programming Workshops, Thomas R Etherington

Journal of Spatial Information Science

Computer programming is becoming an increasingly important scientific skill, but geographers are not necessarily receiving this training as part of their formal education. While there are efforts to promote and support extracurricular introductory computer programming workshops, there remain questions about how best to deliver these workshops. Therefore, as part of a recent introductory programming extracurricular workshop I organized for non-programing geographers, I tried to understand more about their perceptions of computer programming. I identify that one of the most important aspects for geographers to learn to computer program is to have training that is domain specific to ensure that the …

Towards Harmonizing Property Measurement Standards, Abdullah Kara, Volkan Çağdaş, Ümit Işıkdağ, Bülent Onur Turan

Journal of Spatial Information Science

Area and volume values of buildings and building parts have been used in many applications including taxation, valuation and land use planning. Many countries maintain a national standard for representing the measurements of floor areas in buildings. The national standards generally use similar basis for measuring building floor areas, in fact, areas specified in national standards often have semantic differences. Therefore, a number of international standards have been developed for harmonizing floor area measurements; however, they also have differences. This study aims at harmonizing the floor areas defined in the international property measurement standards by revealing the semantic relations between …

Bridging Space, Time, And Semantics In Giscience, Margarita Kokla, Eric Guilbert, Mir Abolfazl Mostafavi

Journal of Spatial Information Science

No abstract provided.

Hyper-Local Geographically Weighted Regression: Extending Gwr Through Local Model Selection And Local Bandwidth Optimization, Alexis Comber, Yunqiang Wang, Yihe Lü, Xingchang Zhang, Paul Harris

Journal of Spatial Information Science

Geographically weighted regression (GWR) is an inherently exploratory technique for examining process non-stationarity in data relationships. This paper develops and applies a hyper-local GWR which extends such investigations further. The hyper-local GWR simultaneously optimizes both local model selection (which covariates to include in each local regression) and local kernel bandwidth specification (how much data should be included locally). These are evaluated using a measure of model fit. The hyper-local GWR approach evaluates different kernel bandwidths at each location and selects the most parsimonious local regression model. By allowing models and bandwidths to vary locally, this approach extends and refines the …

Georeferencing Places From Collective Human Descriptions Using Place Graphs, Hao Chen, Stephan Winter, Maria Vasardani

Journal of Spatial Information Science

Place descriptions in everyday communication or in online text provide a rich source of spatial knowledge about places. Such descriptions typically consist of references to places and spatial relationships between them. An important step to utilize such knowledge in information systems is georeferencing the referred places. Beside place name disambiguation, another challenge is that a significant proportion of place references in such descriptions are not official place names indexed by gazetteers, thus cannot be resolved easily. This paper presents a novel approach for georeferencing places from collective descriptions using place graphs, regardless of whether they are referred to by gazetteered …

Towards Place-Based Exploration Of Instagram: Using Co-Design To Develop An Interdisciplinary Geovisualization Prototype, Catherine Emma Jones, Daniele Guido, Marta Severo

Journal of Spatial Information Science

An abundance of geographic information is hidden within texts and multimedia objects that has the potential to enrich our knowledge about the relationship between people and places. One such example is the geographic information embedded within user-generated content collected and curated by the social media giants. Such geographic data can be encoded either explicitly as geotags or implicitly as geographical references expressed as texts that comprise part of a title or image caption. To use such data for knowledge building there is a need for new mapping interfaces. These interfaces should support both data integration and visualization, and geographical exploration …

Multi-Tactic Ecological Weed Management In A Changing Climate, Sonja K. Birthisel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is expected to impact weed communities in Maine, and the efficacy of tools and tactics farmers use to manage them. Through seedbank sampling and surveys of Maine organic farms, we identified currently rare weeds that are known to be especially abundant or problematic in warmer areas of the USA and might therefore represent an emerging agronomic risk. Many ecological weed management strategies that focus on depleting the weed seedbank are expected to remain effective in a changing climate, and become increasingly important as efficacy of cultivation and some herbicide applications diminish or become more variable. Through field experiments, …

Gender Differences In Co-Rumination Processes In The Friendships Of Late Adolescents: Relations To Depression Vulnerability, Helen J. Day

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in problem content and dyadic problem talk duration as potential contributors to previously documented depressogenic effects of co-rumination in late adolescence. Participants (N = 176 undergraduate students) included pairs of same-gender female (n = 37), same-gender male (n = 15), and cross-gender (n = 36) friends who completed self-report measures assessing individual depressive symptom severity, as well as within-dyad co-rumination habits and friendship quality. Dyads also participated in an observational problem talk task, which asked each dyad member to identify a current personal problem and discuss it with …

Survey Of Food Insecurity Among Enrolled Students At The University Of Maine At Machias, Jesse Gray, Jessalyn Gove

Psychology and Community Studies | Student Scholarship

Students at the University of Maine at Machias (UMM) in the Psychology and Community Studies program conducted a survey to research on food insecurity at UMM. The survey was based off of 3 past surveys. The past research showed that food insecurity is a problem in Washington County and with UMM students. It was shown how often those who struggle with food insecurity struggle with the problem per week. It also showed how aware individuals are of the struggle of others. The current survey was sent out via email to an estimated 600-650 students and 80 responded. Receivers of the …

Umm Pcs Program: How It Prepares Students For Life After College, Alicen C. Brooks, Kalyn J. Otto

Psychology and Community Studies | Student Scholarship

Since 2012 there have been two alumni studies done at the University of Maine at Machias, one in 2012 and one in 2014. These studies were done to get feedback about the Psychology and Community Studies program. The previous studies focused on minors and certificates that the program could add that students might be interested in and overall satisfaction with the program. The 2014 study found that alumni are overall satisfied with the program and the skills that they developed to use in the workforce. This study is also an alumni survey that looked to get feedback from alumni about …

Survey Of Washington County Residents For Purposes Of Increasing Local Festival Attendance, Sharon Hernandez, Crysta Bourque

Psychology and Community Studies | Student Scholarship

Two students enrolled in the Psychology and Community Studies program at the University of Maine at Machias conducted research to determine the successions, concerns, and overall impact of local festivals in the Washington County area. More specifically, the research performed focused in closely on the Bold Coast Sea and Sky Festival which has been held three consecutive years in Machias beginning in 2016. Mr. Bob McCollum, the community partner in this research study, is an active member of the planning committee for this festival. Mccollum emphasized the problematic shortcomings with the committee in not being able to attract young adults. …

What College Students Learn From Teaching Others, Larkin N. Hood

Journal of Archaeology and Education

This article describes what undergraduate students learned from participating in a museum docent program at a large, public university on the West Coast of the United States. The majority (93%) of students report an increase in their ability to effectively communicate specialized knowledge to museum visitors in one or more of the following ways: 1) identifying what visitors know and adjusting their explanations accordingly; 2) translating technical information to visitors; 3); communicating information in an active, hands-on manner; 4) confidently communicating their knowledge to others. Students reported personal and professional benefits as well. In addition to this focused observation approach, …

Minerva 2018, The Honors College

Minerva

This issue of Minerva includes an article on the Honors Endeavor by recently retired faculty member, David Gross; an adaptation of Isaac Record's 2018 Distinguished Honors Graduate lecture; an article on 2018 Honors Read Just Mercy; and a wonderful farewell to beloved Honors College Administrative Specialist, Deb Small. Other highlights include a reflection by CLAS-Honors preceptor of philosophy, Hao Hong; and a look into 2018-2019 student thesis research.

Landings, Vol. 26, No. 12, Maine Lobstermen’S Community Alliance

Landings: News & Views from Maine's Lobstering Community

Landings content emphasizes science, history, resource sustainability, economic development, and human interest stories related to

Maine’s lobster industry. The newsletter emphasizes lobstering as a traditional, majority-European American lifeway with an economic and social heritage unique to the coast of Maine. The publication focuses how ongoing research to engage in sustainable, non-harmful, and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices benefit both the fishery and Maine's coastal legacy.

Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance (MLCA) started publication of Landings, a 24-page newsletter in January 2013 as the successor of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) Newsletter. As of 2022, the MLCA published over 6,500 copies of …

Lead Poisoning In Maine's Common Loons: Examining Biological And Social Dimensions, Brooke S. Macdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lead poisoning from ingested fishing tackle is a well-documented conservation concern for adult common loons in the Northeastern United States. To mitigate this issue, the state of Maine began implementing restrictions on lead tackle use in 2002, with new legislation added in 2016 and 2017. In addition to legislative action there have been various non-regulatory strategies employed in Maine to help raise awareness, such as the Fish Lead Free campaign. Human behavior is the root cause of lead fishing tackle in aquatic environments, and also can determine the success of legislative and educational efforts. Measuring underlying factors that influence behaviors, …

Three-Dimensional Bedrock Channel Evolution With Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, Nick Richmond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bedrock channels are responsible for balancing and communicating tectonic and climatic signals across landscapes, but it is difficult and dangerous to observe and measure the flows responsible for removing weakly-attached blocks of bedrock from the channel boundary. Consequently, quantitative descriptions of the dynamics of bedrock removal are scarce. Detailed numerical simulation of violent flows in three dimensions has been historically challenging due to technological limitations, but advances in computational fluid dynamics aided by high-performance computing have made it practical to generate approximate solutions to the governing equations of fluid dynamics. From these numerical solutions we gain detailed knowledge of the …

Key To The Past: Community Perceptions Of Yup’Ik Youth Interaction With Culturally Relevant Education Inspired By The Nunalleq Archaeology Project, Sean R. O'Rourke, Justin J. Turner, Krista Ritchie

Journal of Archaeology and Education

This study qualitatively describes a) the implementation of culturally relevant education (CRE) programs for Yup’ik youth in Quinhagak, Alaska that developed from the Nunalleq Project—a nearby archaeological excavation—and b) community members’ and program facilitators’ perceptions of associated youth social and psychological outcomes. Ten semi-structured interviews (seven community members, three program facilitators) were undertaken and analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Community members and program facilitators attributed numerous outcomes to the Nunalleq-related CRE, such as imparting practical skills (e.g., wilderness survival, artistic and technological skills), teaching young people to value their heritage (e.g., educating them about the struggles their ancestors overcame), and …

Social Media Activism The Subject Of Recent Discussion, Emily Turner

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On Nov. 6 the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Colloquium Series held its second discussion of the fall semester. Dr. Judith Rosenbaum gave the talk titled “#TakingAKnee: Exploring justice, respect, and patriotism on Instagram and Twitter.” Rosenbaum is an assistant professor of communication and journalism at the University of Maine whose research includes social and health effects of media. The theme of this talk surrounded creating meaning on social media platforms. It featured discussion on the hashtag #TakingAKnee and how this social movement has opened a new dialogue nationwide. Rosenbaum recognized that Colin Kaepernick played a large role in initiating …

Editorial : Desensitization To Tragedy, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Amidst the midterm elections, the never-ending battle between the president and the press, and the raging wildfires in California, the tragedy that repeatedly strikes our nation has found its way back into our headlines once again. Mass shootings at the Pittsburg synagogue, Florida yoga studio and Thousand Oaks all happened in the span of 11 days. Despite the horrific levels of these tragedies, the cycle remains the same: they occur, we talk about them for a week and then we move on.

Tragedy In Pittsburgh Brings Community Together, Emily Turner

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Many members of the local community came together throughout the week to show support for members of the Jewish community in light of the shooting that took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Oct. 27, 2018. On Oct. 29 there was a candlelight vigil held on the steps of the Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine in remembrance of the 11 victims who lost their lives. Professor Amy Fried spoke of her family’s experience of anti-Semitism in Europe and how historically America has been welcoming to the Jewish community. Because of this …

Leigh Gilmore Talks At Umaine About The #Metoo Movement, Kendra Caruso

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Leigh Gilmore, a distinguished visiting professor of women’s and gender studies at Wellesley College, was the first speaker of this year’s Stephen E. King Lecture Series. Gilmore spoke about topics related to the #MeToo movement and its origins.

Pine Tree Notes (November-December 2018), General Federation Of Women's Clubs - Maine Chapter Staff

Maine Women's Publications - All

No abstract provided.

Aging Farmers With Disabilities: From Ommission To Belonging, Elizabeth Depoy, Stephen Gilson

Poster Presentations

This poster presents research investigating assets and unmet needs of aging farmers with disabilities, a diversity population that is often omitted from research, analysis, policy, and services. The session will detail the research and then, based on the findings, attendees will be guided through analysis and discussion of how AUCD can respond.

Building Strong Bonds: How Maine's Ucedd And Community Advisory Committee Support Each Other In Our Work, Kile Pelletier, Maryann Preble

Poster Presentations

In 1990, a Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) assembled and created a mission statement for what would become the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion, University Affiliated Program. Their vision of inclusion and interdependence and recognition of the inherent worth and talent of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities continues today. The CAC Co-Chairs will describe how strong bonds between the Maine UCEDD and CAC sustain our work together in this poster presentation.

Landings, Vol. 26, No. 11, Maine Lobstermen’S Community Alliance

Landings: News & Views from Maine's Lobstering Community

Landings content emphasizes science, history, resource sustainability, economic development, and human interest stories related to

Maine’s lobster industry. The newsletter emphasizes lobstering as a traditional, majority-European American lifeway with an economic and social heritage unique to the coast of Maine. The publication focuses how ongoing research to engage in sustainable, non-harmful, and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices benefit both the fishery and Maine's coastal legacy.

Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance (MLCA) started publication of Landings, a 24-page newsletter in January 2013 as the successor of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) Newsletter. As of 2022, the MLCA published over 6,500 copies of …

Emergent Sustainability In Open Property Regimes, Mark Moritz, Roy Behnke, Christine M. Beitl, Rebecca Bliege Bird, Rafael Chiaravalloti, Julia Clark, Stefani Crabtree, Sean S. Downy, Ian M. Hamilton, Sui Chian Phang, Paul Scholte, Jim Wilson

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Current theoretical models of the commons assert that common-pool resources can only be managed sustainably with clearly defined boundaries around both communities and the resources that they use. In these theoretical models, open access inevitably leads to a tragedy of the commons. However, in many open-access systems, use of common-pool resources seems to be sustainable over the long term (i.e., current resource use does not threaten use of common-pool resources for future generations). Here, we outline the conditions that support sustainable resource use in open property regimes. We use the conceptual framework of complex adaptive systems to explain how processes …

Mobilization In Response To Workplaceharassment: Lessons From One University Setting, Amy Blackstone, Susan K. Gardner

Rising Tide Faculty Scholarship

We examine experiences of and responses to harassment in one university setting. Data come from a 2011 survey of 338 faculty at a mid-sized land grant university (LGU). While rates of harassment at LGU do not vary considerably from those found elsewhere, rates of mobilization in response to harassment differ quite dramatically from those found in prior studies. Nearly all (97.8%) of those who experienced harassment reported having spoken with someone about their experience, be it human resources, a union representative, a family member, a friend, or some other source of support. Findings from the survey, based on analysis of …

Editorial: Cultures Are Not Costumes, Watch What You Wear On Halloween, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The timing is like clockwork. The calendar is creeping closer to Oct. 31 and the privileged cries of not understanding the impact of Halloween costumes incorporating blackface has hit the airwaves once more. This time, Megyn Kelly, former host of “Megyn Kelly Today” on NBC, sparked this discussion when she defended the use of blackface for costumes on national television.

Intergenerational Adult Day Services Needs Assessment Project Final Report, University Of Maine School Of Social Work, Eastern Area Agency On Aging, University Of Maine Center On Aging

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

Focus group research conducted in the Greater Bangor, Maine area in 2016 identified respite services and intergenerational programming as important factors for supporting a more livable community.

This report outlines findings from a 2018 needs assessment of adult day services (ADS), funded by Maine Health Access Foundation. The needs assessment utilized a survey of local caregivers (N=84) and key informant interviews (N=10) with staff at Maine adult day service programs or service providers that could utilize adult day services for their clients.

Key survey findings indicate that lack of financial resources (identified by 20% of the survey sample), and lack …

Landings, Vol. 26, No. 10, Maine Lobstermen’S Community Alliance

Landings: News & Views from Maine's Lobstering Community

Landings content emphasizes science, history, resource sustainability, economic development, and human interest stories related to

Maine’s lobster industry. The newsletter emphasizes lobstering as a traditional, majority-European American lifeway with an economic and social heritage unique to the coast of Maine. The publication focuses how ongoing research to engage in sustainable, non-harmful, and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices benefit both the fishery and Maine's coastal legacy.

Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance (MLCA) started publication of Landings, a 24-page newsletter in January 2013 as the successor of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) Newsletter. As of 2022, the MLCA published over 6,500 copies of …