Environmental Education Commons^™

The Surface Chemistry And Binding Interactions Of Lignin With Polymer-Encapsulated Gold Nanoparticles Acting As Model Microplastics, Oluwaseun Ayodeji Akinsola

All Master's Theses

This study investigates the surface chemistry and molecular-level interactions between lignin, a special type of natural organic matter, and polymer-capped gold nanoparticles, shedding light on the strength of adsorption between lignin and nanoscale polymer surfaces. Specifically, the study presents a variety of nanoscale polymer surfaces displaying different charged functional groups, using layer-by-layer assembly of three polyelectrolytes (polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH)), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC)) on 90 nm citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). This approach provides a library of polymer-encapsulated AuNPs for investigating the binding interactions of lignin to nanoscale polymers via spectroscopic techniques. ζ-potential, dynamic light scattering (DLS), …

Does Earth Feel? (2021) By Marc Majewski, Alaina Gostomski

Picture Books

With spare prose and evocative paintings, author-illustrator Marc Majewski asks fourteen critical questions -- including Does Earth feel calm? Does Earth feel curious? Does Earth feel hurt? Does Earth feel heard? -- to encourage active thinking and discussion about our planet.

Hurricane (2021) By John Rocco, Peter Shea

Picture Books

This book pictures the devastation of today's powerful storms. The hurricane wrecks things and drives people from their homes. The boy in the story finds his beloved dock broken up, where he used to swim and fish. The story centers on cooperation and neighborhood resilience: people can get through disasters if they work together.

Something, Someday (2023) By Amanda Gorman, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Picture Books

When children think philosophically they inevitably will, and unquestionably should engage in social criticism. In this picture book by the first U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, a Black child in an urban apartment complex surrounded by garbage cleans it up and plants a vegetable and flower garden, enlisting the help of others and overcoming some setbacks. Gorman's text warns children that some adults may say they're too small, or that it’s none of their business, or that what they're trying won’t work, but she reassures them that sometimes it’s OK to ignore those people.

We Are Water Protectors (2020) By Carole Lindstrom, Peter Shea

Picture Books

We Are Water Protectors is a beautiful and partisan book, and the teacher or parent who wants to help children to think better could not find a better place to start, giving the child of whatever age the opportunity to feel the force of this plea, and then to recognize the need to understand the political context within which this issue arises, and the honest differences of opinion about policy that arise in an already disrupted world.

Coalescence: A Carnivore Coexistence Curriculum That Braids Indigenous & Western Ecological Knowledge Into A Relevant And Experiential Learning Opportunity For Youth, Stephanie Anne Barron

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horriblis) begin to reoccupy more of their historic range, and as humans and large carnivore populations continue to increase, incidences of human carnivore conflict are on the rise. A decolonial curriculum designed in collaboration with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s wildlife biologists stands to increase awareness of Indigenous ecological knowledge and teach youth about the importance of coexistence with carnivores. Additionally, this project could greatly influence youth perceptions of grizzly bears and other large carnivores. This research project examines the development and implementation of a carnivore coexistence curriculum for youth that is guided by …

Becoming A Good Creature (2020) By Sy Montgomery, Samantha Piede

Picture Books

Becoming a Good Creature outlines moral lessons Sy Montgomery has learned from interactions with animals, both domestic and wild, such as “Love Little Lives,” “Don’t Be Afraid,” and “Make Your Own Family.” Our willingness to be attentive to other creatures – not just the ones like us with “two legs,” but also “four or even eight” – opens up the possibility of finding something ethically significant in these encounters. She tells us that “all have taught me something important about how to be a good creature in the world.”

On The Ground And From Above: A Multi-Factor Analysis Of The Direct And Indirect Drivers Of Tallgrass Prairie Small Mammal Communities, Erin Rowland-Schaefer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Tallgrass prairies are among the most globally threatened ecosystems, with only one percent of the historical extent remaining in Illinois. Prairie restoration is an essential strategy to preserve biodiversity and reestablish threatened species. Practitioners use management tools to shift the landscape context of prairie restoration sites, such as prescribed fire and land cover change. Managers can also impact the landscape connectivity and edge proximity of certain areas through the use of mowed driving lanes. The effects of these factors on small mammals, which are central in tallgrass prairie food webs and relevant to human health and restoration success, are not …

Identifying Accessibility Improvement Opportunities For Global Environmental Communication Websites, Alicia Mason, Josh Compton, Sakshi Bhati

Faculty Submissions

Digital environmental information presented with low web accessibility reduces parti-cipation in environmental advocacy and information seeking behaviors for many people with disabilities, creating a consequential digital divide. We use WEB AIM computer automated analysis of web accessibility to assess the general accessibility of online environmental communication messages. Results show 95.3% of the popular websites in our sample had indicators of potentially critical accessibility errors. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing digital environmental information accessibility shortcomings so that educational, informational and persuasive environ-mental messages can increase environmental literacy of vulnerable populations and help to bridge the digital divide.

Environmental Attitudes Of Local Government Scholars In Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines, Justine A. Marasigan, Ma. Larissa Lelu P. Gata

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

This study aimed to analyze the environmental attitudes of local government scholars in Tiaong, Quezon, Philippines. The quantitative research design was used to determine the level of environmental attitudes using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale. It was also utilized to examine the relationship between environmental attitudes and independent variables which include demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and economic status, academic background such as student classification, scholastic standing, scholarship privileges, and membership in student and/or youth organizations, and experience with ecological extremes. A total of 301 respondents participated in an online survey administered through Google Forms ®. The respondents …

Critically Interrogating Wolf Eradication And Management Policy Through A Settler Colonial Lens: Toward A Compassionate Future, Karen M. Winter

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This largely conceptual multi-article dissertation centers settler colonial theory in a critical interrogation of Wolf eradication and management policy (WEMP) toward the ultimate goal of dismantling injurious structures and systems that brutalize Wolf and other Indigenous animals. Wildlife policy and practice are contemporary manifestations of the long-standing historical project of settler colonialism and its quest for acquisition and ultimate control of Land. Thus, the ongoing hegemonic control of systems of wildlife management and the propensity toward lethal control are also inextricably linked to the oppression of Indigenous worldview about human relationship with the natural world. Settler colonialism, as the nexus …

Beyond The Cage: A Story Book For Children, Seemi Batool, Fozia Parveen

Institute for Educational Development Pakistan (IED-PK) Archives

This is an open and free resources created for parents and teachers to use in homes and classrooms.

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Addressing Water Hyacinth (Pontederia Crassipes) Impacts On Aquatic Biota In Lake Okeechobee, Joseph Salerno

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The incursion of water hyacinth, Pontederia crassipes in Lake Okeechobee has resulted in management systems to be implemented to reduce the coverage of the invasive macrophyte. Its residence in the Lake Okeechobee ecosystem and the effects it has on organisms in the lake, whether it be positive or harmful is unknown. This study attempted to assess the potential effects that water hyacinth has on aquatic biota in Lake Okeechobee. Biotic data were collected on open water, water hyacinth covered, and native vegetation covered habitats via hook-and-line fishing, electrofishing, baited minnow traps, and the sampling of plant roots over a thirteen-month …

Environmental, Ecological, And Epidemiological Applications: Introduction To Mathematical Modeling, Suzanne Sumner

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Are We There Yet?, Marion S. Freistadt

LSU Master's Theses

To solve the Climate Crisis, a global Energy Transition is required. The primary contemporary tool for tackling these two massive problems is modeling, both biophysical climate models and IAMS (Integrated Assessment Models) which combine socioeconomic and technological progress with Climate Change. However, the proliferation and complexity of modeling systems make it difficult for most people to contribute substantively to solutions. In particular, stakeholders, policymakers, nonspecialists and activists require sufficient understanding of modeling to impact outcomes.

In this thesis, after summarizing the Climate Crisis and potential Energy Transition solutions, I review current modeling approaches. Models can be considered in terms of …

Land Education And Young People Working Toward Salamander: Collective Well-Being In Response To Bioindicators Of Socioenvironmental Justice, Rachael Arens, Ricardo Martinez

Democracy & Education

Our planet is facing many environmental challenges, including climate change, loss of biodiversity and habitat, and pollution, while many of our populations are also experiencing marginalization due to poverty, race, gender, language, ability, and environmental injustices. Environmental hazards and policies often impact those in society who are most at-risk, creating a need for an environmental education (EE) movement that encourages students to challenge and regain control of a system that impacts them. Teachers can implement a reflection tool known as the SALAMANDER Collective Well-Being in Response to Bioindicators of Socioenvironmental Justice Framework to prompt students and other educators to place …

Les Pollinator Habitat, Chloe Herbert, Dillon Richert, Melissa Landis

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2023

A poster titled LES Pollinator Habitat for client Lincoln Electric System (C. Herbert and D. Richert with M. Landis).

Local Energy For Local Water: Developing Off-Grid Backup Power For Rural Communities In Nebraska, Brian Mock, Michael Ryan, Clement Konmegne Magaptche, James Persson

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2023

A poster titled Local Energy for Local Water: Developing Off-grid Backup Power for Rural Communities in Nebraska for clients Nebraska local water operators (prepared by B. Mock, M. Ryan, and C. Konmegne Magaptche with J. Persson).

Nine Mile Prairie Environs 2020 Master Plan Implementation Assessment, Tessa Fiore, Cole Brady, Miles Godfrey

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2023

A poster titled Nine Mile Prairie Environs 2020 Master Plan Implementation Assessment for client Nine Mile Prairie Working Group (prepared by T. Fiore, C. Brady, and M. Godfrey).