University of Massachusetts Boston
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Latinos in Massachusetts Selected Areas: Revere
No full textEstablished in 1989, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy in response to a need for an improved understanding of the Latino experience in the commonwealth. Now in its 34th year, the Gastón Institute continues its mission of informing the public and policymakers about issues vital to the state’s growing Latino community and providing information and analysis necessary for effective Latino participation in public policy development. To learn more about the Gastón Institute, visit: www.umb.edu/gastoninstitut
From Development Partners to Security Threats: Securitization of Civil Society and Its Implications for the Sector in Pakistan
No full textSince the early twenty-first century, civil society, particularly non-governmental organizations (NGOs), has faced growing pressures worldwide. Once viewed as partners in development and promoters of democracy and human rights, NGOs are increasingly framed as threats to state sovereignty, political stability, and societal cohesion, with these perceptions translating into institutional practices that constrain their activities. Drawing on securitization and framing theories and employing critical discourse analysis, document analysis, and interviews, this study examines how NGOs in Pakistan have been constructed as a security issue and explores the implications for the broader NGO sector. Print media frames are analyzed to reveal how NGOs are portrayed as threats, with the media functioning not merely as transmitters of elite discourses but also as actors, generating their own narratives, thereby shaping public perceptions. Key policy and regulatory documents, along with semi-structured interviews with NGO representatives, are used to examine how securitization takes place in practice and how it affects the NGO sector. The study identifies two dominant securitizing frames: NGOs as threats to political security, depicted as foreign agents and enemies of the state, and NGOs as threats to societal security, portrayed as eroding ideological, religious, and cultural norms. Securitization has significantly affected NGOs, particularly advocacy and rights-based organizations, causing reputational damage, reduced public and governmental acceptance, and structural and operational constraints. The study advances theory by integrating securitization and framing approaches and expanding their analytical and methodological scope. Policy-wise, it shows how state practices inadvertently restrict NGOs’ ability to sustain social and developmental services
The Homemaker\u27s Guide to Happiness: A Comparison of Methods Used by Dissatisfied Mid-Twentieth Century American Housewives in Their Pursuit of Fulfillment
No full textIn the mid-twentieth century, the United States of America had an unsung problem.The country had emerged from World War II as a superpower and the high of victory was still fresh, but under the surface the nation was desperately searching for stability to cope with the trauma of war. This search saw a cultural push back to traditional values and gender roles and a heavy focus on the nuclear family as the heart of society. As such, a great amount of pressure was placed on the shoulders of the American housewives who were at the center of the home and family. In her 1963 publication The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan introduced the concept of an epidemic of dissatisfaction in the lives of mid-twentieth century American housewives that she dubbed the “problem with no name” due to the widespread reluctance to discuss the issue. This paper serves to examine the society that aided in the creation of such a mental health crisis and to juxtapose two common and vastly different ways in which the women of this era sought fulfillment: prescription tranquilizer use and community involvement. At the time, women were prescribed minor tranquilizers as a way to manage their feelings of anxiety and depression, but this led to dependency issues that worsened the problem. Conversely, involvement with their community through volunteer organizations or general socialization did more to help with the isolation that was at the root of the issue, although it was by no means a perfect solution. Ultimately, it was connection with other women and feeling as though they were doing something meaningful that was imperative in battling the problem that Friedan presented
Swansea Waterways Plan
No full textUHI worked with the Town of Swansea to engage members of the public in waterways planning activities. The plan covered a wide range of topics including public access, water quality, natural resources, commercial and recreational uses, and climate change
Wilhelm Von Humboldt and the Idea of the Modern University: The Unity of Bildung and Wissenschaft
No full textWilhelm von Humboldt and the Idea of the Modern University examines Wilhelm von Humboldt’s contribution to shaping a philosophical ideal that has profoundly influenced the concept and identity of the modern research university for over two centuries. It highlights Humboldt’s position as a key figure in the Prussian reform movement and as the founder of the University of Berlin. Specifically, it addresses a question raised in the late twentieth century as part of the Mythos Humboldt revision: why has the Humboldtian Ideal maintained such lasting influence over the German university system, even as its practical realities have increasingly strayed from the normative principles that initially defined the Humboldtian University? Extending this inquiry, the current study offers a post–Mythos Humboldt analysis of the University of Berlin’s founding between 1808 and 1810. It focuses on Humboldt’s concrete administrative actions, as documented in the official papers he produced while serving as Geheimer Oberregierungsrat und Leiter der Sektion für Kultus und Unterricht im Ministerium des Innern, section head of ecclesiastical affairs and public education in the Prussian Ministry of the Interior (1809–1810), in conjunction with his foundational theoretical writings from the late 1780s through the mid-1790s. By analyzing these documents within their institutional, intellectual, and political contexts, this study aims to shed light on the roots of Humboldt’s lasting appeal and to explain the ongoing normative authority of the Humboldtian Ideal in modern higher education.
This thesis contends that the resilience of the ideals defining the Humboldtian University can be traced to Humboldt’s integration of his philosophical commitments into a broader reform framework. These commitments influenced not only his vision as the founder of the University of Berlin but also his involvement in a wide range of social, cultural, ecclesiastical, and educational reforms, thereby expanding the application of the Humboldtian Ideal beyond the university itself. Concepts such as Bildung (self-cultivation), Wissenschaft (pure science), Freiheit und Einsamkeit (intellectual freedom and solitude), and the critique of Einseitigkeit (one-sidedness) were systematically integrated into both university policy and the broader state reform efforts. These findings suggest an alternative to current interpretations of university reform, which are primarily based on socio-institutional history. Instead, this thesis advocates for a socio-philosophical analysis grounded in Humboldt’s own writings, which is a complementary extension to earlier approaches reflecting the profound intellectual and cultural transformation that reshaped German-speaking Europe at the turn of the nineteenth century
Implementation of a Health Care Transition Pathway for Children and Adults with Inborn Errors of Metabolism: A Pilot Project
Full text linkBackground: Children with medically complex diseases require highly specialized care by a highly specialized team. Those with rare disease, including inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs), are a medically complex population and face significant challenges undergoing the health care transition from a child/family-centered model to an adult/patient-centered model of care. The project site follows patients with IEMs in the Metabolism Program, but previously did not have a coordinated process and had insufficient resources for patients/families for the health care transition.
Methods: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method was utilized as the model for improvement. Due to the complexity of the population and time requirements, the project began with a pilot of the Health Care Transition Pathway, focused on the revision and evaluation of the Transition Toolkit for one IEM diagnosis, Phenylketonuria (PKU).
Intervention: The Health Care Transition Pathway consisted of an algorithm to guide the care of children and young adults with PKU transitioning from pediatric to adult care. One step in the algorithm utilized the Transition Toolkit, which includes a readiness assessment, disease education, clinical health summary, and transition plan.
Results: The PKU Transition Toolkit was revised, and a total of 10 patients utilized the PKU Transition Toolkit in a clinic visit. Survey results showed 75% of patients reported the toolkit would improve their experience with the transition to adulthood, 89% reported it would improve their readiness, and 89% reported it was easy to understand. For caregivers, 100% thought it would improve their child’s experience with the transition to adulthood, 75% felt it would improve their child’s readiness, and 100% thought it was easy to understand. For the providers, they agreed it would improve the patient experience (88%), readiness (100%), add value to patient care (100%), and be feasible to implement in clinic (75%). There was also a 100% increase in provider chart documentation of the health care transition discussion during a patient clinic visit.
Conclusion: The Health Care Transition Pathway and utilization of the revised PKU Transition Toolkit was successfully implemented in a pilot of children and young adults with PKU. Patients and caregivers felt that the PKU Transition Toolkit would benefit them and add value to their care. Providers reported that the PKU Transition Toolkit would add value to patient care and would be feasible to implement in clinic. The results also found the pilot led to a significant increase in provider documentation of health care transition discussion
ADVANCING MARINE ANIMAL MOVEMENT STUDIES USING AN OPEN INNOVATION FRAMEWORK
Full text linkThis dissertation investigates the application of open innovation to migratory marine animal movement studies, addressing critical challenges in understanding, managing and ultimately conserving highly mobile and migratory species (HMMS). The species examined herein, including manta rays, sea turtles, and marine mammals, face threats including habitat disruption and behavioral changes to adapt to anthropogenic stressors. Traditional monitoring techniques, while valuable, are often costly, limited in scale, and protected by proprietary intellectual property, all of which decrease accessibility. Ambitious conservation goals, such as protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, require more data that are indubitably sharable and thus will need to call on non-traditional approaches to collecting necessary information.
The research in this dissertation explores the integration of open science and open innovation principles to enhance data collection, reduce costs, and provide data to myriad users. Working within an open innovation 3-i framework, this project examines inspiration to create new tags, improvement to adopt an existing tag in a new modality, and insight to engage communities in science and global collaboration for large-scale biodiversity studies.
The findings emphasize the transformative potential of open innovation in marine science, offering practical solutions to improve species monitoring and conservation while promoting equitable participation in the scientific process. These contributions have broad implications for developing evidence-based policies and sustainable management of the marine systems upon which all life depends
Silk & Tendons
No full textSILK & TENDONS is a collection of short stories that examines graceless collisions with the natural world, the intricacies of shame, and the effects of grudges against family, nature, and the self. These six stories are, in many ways, an exploration of the primal. Who are we when no one is looking?
Set against the backdrop of the Southeast, many of these stories delve into the carnivorous qualities of Florida, as characters battle the unforgivable forces of sinkholes, snakes, and hurricane season
What Future for Peace in a World Characterized by Uncertainty and Fear?
Full text linkAfter World War II the leading victorious powers put in place a series of structures that became known as the ‘rules-based international order.’ Its purpose was to prevent another global conflict, and for Western countries the method was the promotion of liberal democracy. During succeeding decades, the commitment to building and securing a more peaceful world order saw the establishment of political, security, and economic institutions and civil society organizations that worked to implement it. However, the last decade has seen the increasing fragmentation and dissolution of this rules-based order and those who worked to develop it are having increasing difficulty in raising the resources and support necessary for their activities. Many of them are also questioning the assumptions on which it was based. Following the Conference on the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC 2024) with its focus on Ending Wars, the authors brought together twenty leading scholars and practitioners from around the world for a colloquium at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, March 20–22, 2025, to discuss the role of peace practice and research in a time of global disruption, fragmentation, and insecurity and to explore whether ‘complexity thinking’ provides a possible way forward. This article is based on the key insights they took away from these meetings
Molding Leominster\u27s Plastics Industry: The Impact of Italian Immigrant Labor
Full text linkThis thesis examines the centrality of Italian immigrant labor in launching Leominster, Massachusetts’ transformative plastics industry. The study traces the arc of the immigrants’ stories from their arrival at the turn of the twentieth century, when their unskilled labor helped Leominster transition from artisan comb production to industrial celluloid manufacturing, to their rise as new technical experts and company owners in the 1940s. They endured hazardous work conditions and social marginalization to create better lives for themselves and their families.
Ultimately, their efforts were critical to the expansion and global recognition of Leominster’s plastics industry. Yet the role of immigrant labor in this success story is underreported. Using oral histories, local newspaper articles, and corporate records, this thesis intertwines analysis of Leominster’s plastics history and the growth of the city’s Italian immigrant community to provide a unique, multigenerational case study of labor, innovation, and upward mobility in the era of American industrialization