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Holding It All Together: Listening to the Women Who Keep Fisheries Afloat - and the Need for Support in Small-Scale Fisheries
No full textThis white paper presents key findings and actionable recommendations based on qualitative analysis of narratives from support partners (i.e., fishermen’s wives, girlfriends, etc.) engaged in small-scale U.S. commercial fisheries. These voices, often underrepresented in formal data or policy forums, highlight the critical contributions, complex challenges and everyday adaptations that sustain local fishing economies and communities. Despite the recognition of fishing communities under National Standard 8 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA; United States, 1976), participant experiences suggest that current fisheries policies do not fully capture or integrate the contributions of support partners or the broader social needs of fishing communities. In addition, while National Standard 2 of the MSA emphasizes the use of best available scientific information, the data gathered here helps fill important social science gaps that can be missing from fisheries management decision-making. This study reveals how support partners contribute vital but largely invisible labor – bookkeeping, caregiving, financial planning, emotional support – that underpins the success and resilience of small-scale fisheries. Yet, these same households face increasing economic strain, governance exclusion, and wellbeing challenges that current systems are not designed to address.Virginia Institute of Marine ScienceMaster of Arts (M.A.
Climate differentially impacts ticks infected and uninfected with Borrelia burgdorferi
No full textClimate change continues to alter the behavior and distribution of species worldwide, with major ramifications for the transmission and risk of infectious diseases, including those caused by zoonotic vector-borne pathogens. This study explores the potential implications of climate change for one such pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of human Lyme disease), in Ixodes pacificus ticks of the far-western United States. Nymphal tick infection prevalence and density are compared against several metrics for climate, while also accounting for habitat fragmentation, mammalian species richness, and rodent tick burden to eliminate confounding variables. Findings show that climate extremes, such as those forecast with climate change, correlate with a reduction in B. burgdorferi prevalence in nymphal ticks despite nominal impacts on uninfected tick density, contrasting traditional hypotheses that these changes will increase vector-borne pathogens
Dismantling Barriers: Addressing Systemic Exclusion of Marginalized Students in Environmental Science Education
No full textThis study investigates the systemic barriers limiting the participation of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other marginalized students in environmental science. Through literature review, interviews, and case study analysis, it finds that despite diversity rhetoric, the field remains shaped by colonialism, white supremacy, and exclusion. Key solutions identified include expanding early opportunities, inclusive curricula, sustained mentorship, financial support, and community building. Recommendations for William & Mary specifically include anti-oppression training, paid research opportunities, and curriculum reform. True equity in environmental science requires dismantling exclusionary structures, centering marginalized voices, and building an inclusive, justice-oriented future for environmental education and practice.Environmental Science and PolicyBachelors of Science (BS
Policy Guidance for Surface Water Withdrawals with Respect to American Shad Recovery in the James River, Virginia
No full textAmerican Shad – Alosa sapidissima – is known by many names but the two most notable of them emphasize why this species is so valuable. The translation of its Latin name means “the most savory shad” while historians further highlight its significance by calling it the “founding fish” (McPhee 2002). This species has played an important role for centuries in both precolonial and post-colonial societies. Before English settlers ever stepped foot in Virginia, Native Americans heavily relied on the spring American Shad run to feed themselves after the winter food supply had dwindled (Walburg and Nichols, 1967). When colonists settled on the James River in the early 17th century, they also realized the importance of American Shad. The species became a staple food source before quickly turning into a profitable commercial fishery that served the entire Atlantic coast by the mid-1700s (Atran et al., 1982, Loesch and Atran 1994). Since then, American Shad coastwide have declined precipitously due to multiple reasons that include overfishing, inadequate fish passage at dams, predation, pollution, channelization of rivers, changing ocean conditions, climate change, and water withdrawals. In the James River, American Shad are at their lowest recorded levels ever with the 2023 abundance index being zero (Atran et al., 1982, Loesch and Atran 1994, Hilton et al., 2025). Not only did American Shad feed an untold number of people for centuries but it also played a crucial role in the food web by serving as intermediate trophic level between primary producers and larger predators (Kimmel et al., 2009, Hinrichsen et al., 2013). This paper will highlight surface water withdrawals, how they may limit American Shad recovery, and what related policy gaps can be filled to assist this species. American Shad is one of the most important fish in the James River and its restoration is a crucial element for a healthy ecosystem.Virginia Institute of Marine ScienceMaster of Arts (M.A.
The Built Environment, Political Orientation & Personality: Preferences and Sense of Place Development
No full textOne of the most crucial ways in which an individual defines their physical environment is through forming a sense of place (SOP). Previous work has investigated the ways in which both new and old built environments have played a major role in defining “place”, separate from “space”. However, the suburb, a more modern conception of built environment heavily reliant on auto-centric design, has been conceived to remove place from community design, designating such areas as “placeless”. Therefore, because individuals prefer places that align with their personalities and political beliefs, we predict that individuals will demonstrate the least preference towards suburban built environments due to their high concentration of transportation-centric design. Results demonstrate that, while there exists little difference in preferences between urban, suburban, and rural environments, individuals have stronger and more positive preferences towards human-centric design as opposed to transportation-centric design, largely based upon their dominant personality domains and political preferences. Such results indicate that individuals do prefer built environments based upon the traits they possess, with human-centric environments emphasizing the underlying traits of urban, suburban, and rural built environments.PsychologyBachelors of Arts (BA
Myth of Hegemony: The Role of Buffer States in the Habsburg Empire's Decline as a Great Power
No full textWhy did the Habsburg Empire fall? Historians have attributed its collapse to a range of factors, including economic backwardness, ethnic tensions, poor military performance, and diplomatic blunders. This thesis argues that the Habsburg Empire’s decline as a Great Power was primarily due to the collapse of its buffer state strategy. The loss of key buffer states—once essential for securing the empire’s vulnerable borders and supporting its defensive wars—was decisive in its military defeats by France in 1859 and Prussia in 1866. Drawing on diplomatic correspondence and interactions with buffer states such as the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Papal States in Italy, as well as Bavaria and Württemberg in Germany, this study reveals a fundamental misalignment between the Habsburg Empire’s grand strategy and the means to achieve it. A rigid commitment to conservative ideology drove the empire to adopt aggressive diplomacy that alienated its buffer states, ultimately eroding their loyalty and contributing to Austria's defeats in 1859 and 1866.The Habsburg lesson illustrates not only the strategic importance of buffer states and effective diplomacy but also affirms a core principle of grand strategy: a Great Power should always align its ends with its means.HistoryBachelors of Arts (BA
1-km ROMS Model Output for Iceland Basin (May 2018)
No full textThere is one directory called NISKINESAB_1km_2018_135_mesoNoTides. The directory contains 70.4 GB of model output produced using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), separated into 2.0-4.2 GB files. There is also a single grid file called NISKINESAB_1km.nc that is 22.1 MB.
Data file type: NetCDF
Associated Publication: Ferris, L., Gong, D. (2024). Damping effects of viscous dissipation on growth of symmetric instability. arXiv e-Print. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2406.16818Model output with 1-km, 1-hr resolution and 50 sigma layers was produced using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS, https://www.myroms.org/), a free-surface, hydrostatic, primitive equation model (Shchepetkin and McWilliams, 2005). A run covering 15-May-2018 through 31-May-2018 was initialized using 1/12º resolution GLORYS12V1. Flux forcing was computed with turbulent fluxes from bulk formulae (Fairall et al., 1996; Large and Pond, 1981) using the atmospheric state obtained from MERRA (Gelaro et al., 2017). The model is described in Ferris & Gong (2024) and is provided courtesy of Harper Simmons.Data was produced by PI Harper Simmons under Office of Naval Research award N000141812386 for the Near Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy (NISKINe) Departmental Research Initiative. Computational resources were provided by Research Computing Systems at U. Alaska Fairbanks
Considerations for Antiracist Practices in Sorority and Fraternity Life: A Critical Race Theory Perspective
Get PDFThis conceptual piece uses Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a way to recognize systemic inequities within sorority and fraternity life (SFL) communities, and to advance meaningful change on college campuses. We engage histories, literature, and current events to aid practitioners and scholars in deeper considerations around antiracist education in action. Further, we provide an accompanying case study to offer practical considerations for SFL practitioners, campus administrators, and scholars seeking to engage antiracist work within these communities
Stretching the Hard-Boiled Detective: From Hammett and Chandler to Paretsky and Himes
No full textThis thesis investigates transformations of the hard-boiled crime fiction genre by analyzing the works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and how authors Sara Paretsky and Chester Himes adapt and manipulate the genre to suit their intentions and voices. By examining the construction of Hammett's Continental Op and Sam Spade, and Chandler's Philip Marlowe, the foundation is laid for understanding the defining characteristics of a hard-boiled detective in the 1930s and 40s. This thesis then explores how Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and Himes' Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones adapt these qualities to suit new demographics of detectives: a white woman and black men, respectively. Through this analysis, the thesis highlights which aspects of the genre remain consistent and what changes are necessary to accommodate the new race and gender of the private eye. Furthermore, it explains how these adaptations ground the new variations within the genre while emphasizing their unique approaches. Beyond the focus on the private investigator, the thesis explores each author's approach to gender and race issues and examines their motivations and the social context of their work, including how these themes intersect with the gender and race of the characters.EnglishBachelors of Arts (BA
Preventative Control Of The Invasive Japanese Stiltgrass In Stream Restoration
No full textJapanese Stiltgrass (Microsgtegium vimineum) is one of the most invasive species on the East Coast and poses a constant problem to restoration ecologists. Japanese Stiltgrass is constantly invading restored wetlands and streams, and the most common solution is to use non-selective herbicides, like glyphosate, to reduce invasion. However, herbicide often comes with its own negative consequences to the ecosystem and can even lead to reinvasion after it is applied. This paper looks to study the current available alternatives to herbicide for reducing invasion and then test them in the field. According to the stress-disturbance invasion model, high levels of stress can help reduce invasion and therefore promote native species, so we looked at cultural methods that acted as stress agents to our invader. We chose to implement four treatments, canopy shade, sawdust and wood mulch soil amendments, and double seeding rates, as well as a combination of these treatments. Over our two-year field study of a restored stream, we found that sawdust was the most effective at reducing M. vimineum, and that shade heavily promoted natives to compete with our invader. This suggests that for future stream restoration projects that managers should consider implementing sawdust into the topsoil layer and encourage large shade trees around the disturbed areas.BiologyMaster of Science (M.Sc.