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Ecosystem response to increasing hurricane disturbance: Comparing nutrient cycling dynamics associated with early- and late-successional tree species in a wet tropical forest
Full text linkPuerto Rico has seen changes in the frequency and severity of disturbances in recent years as hurricanes become more frequent and more intense under climate change. In ecosystems experiencing increasing disturbances, we expect that species composition will shift as early successional trees become more common. These changes to species composition and community ecology are likely to affect terrestrial nutrient cycling both directly and indirectly, and it is still not well understood how shifting community composition may alter ecosystem functioning. To address this gap, I measured carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) variables in soils, microbial biomass, roots, leaves, and soil greenhouse gas fluxes within 1 m of individuals from three tree species (5 replicates per species) across a topographic gradient in El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. The three species of interest are likely to be differently affected by changing hurricane regimes: an early successional tree species (Cecropia schreberiana), a secondary successional species (Prestoea montana), and a late successional species (Guarea guidonia). I hypothesized that the soil area surrounding early successional and late successional tree species would exhibit differences in carbon and nitrogen cycling and the resulting soil greenhouse gas emissions. I found that there were significant species-related differences in leaf composition, soil nutrients, and soil gas fluxes. G. guidonia had the highest %C and %N in senesced leaves compared to the other two species, having on average 6.39% and 8.38% higher %C compared to C. schreberiana and P. montana respectively. Senesced G. guidonia leaves had on average more than 50% higher %N compared to P. montana, and nearly double the %N of C. schreberiana at 90.55% more on average. All three species had statistically distinct C:N ratios, with G. guidonia having the lowest at 28.859 ± 2.435 (compared to 39.988 ± 2.274 for P. montana and 51.522 ± 3.751 for C. schreberiana), and thus likely decomposing the fastest. C. schreberiana and G. guidonia had statistically distinct amounts of extractable C and N associated with the soil at the base of each tree (p \u3c 0.01). While the soil CO2 flux associated with each tree did not differ significantly between species, the CH4 flux was significantly higher in the soil near P. montana compared to the other two species, averaging around -0.052 ± 0.155 compared to -0.608 ± 0.123 and -0.685 ± 0.041 for C. schreberiana and G. guidonia respectively, suggesting that P. montana is associated with lower soil CH4 uptake. In combination, my results suggest that, as the successional state of the forest shifts to be dominated by early successional species for longer stretches of time due to increasing incidence of large-scale hurricane disturbance, the nutrient cycling of this forest may also be altered drastically
Logical Heresy and Revisability
No full textWhen we see something which arouses shock, we sometimes say it “defies logic.” But we don’t mean that we should change the way that mathematics is done. However, a recent view in the contemporary literature, called anti-exceptionalism, claims that some evidence would lead us to such a drastic conclusion. Defined broadly, the anti-exceptionalist says that logic is continuous with the sciences. My thesis considers a specific version of anti-exceptionalism: The view that logic is revisable due to abductive criteria, such as simplicity, explanatory power, and fitness with data. Some go so far as to argue that logic is even revisable due to empirical evidence, as opposed to a priori evidence. This thesis begins by assessing an anti-exceptionalist argument that geometry is analogous to logic. Since applied geometry has been revised due to empirical evidence in the past, so too is this possible with logic. I suggest gaps in the analogy. The second chapter develops these gaps into two further arguments: The first is that logical revision cannot be made a priori. The other suggests it is impossible to decide deductively that a particular logic is better than our current one. Finally, I examine what kinds of evidence we could have against a logical theory and the extent to which different kinds of evidence demand revision
Geriatric Psychology: Using Program and Curriculum Development as a Method of Synthesizing and Assessing Best Practices in Improving Psychological Outcomes for Senior Populations
Full text linkThis project on geriatric psychology and improving psychological outcomes in elderly populations uses curriculum/program development to synthesize best practices. Chapter One reviews literature concerning and informing intergenerational friendships, concluding that intergenerational friendships present a novel opportunity to ease some social/cognitive concerns around aging. A program facilitating intergenerational relationships within communities is proposed. Chapter Two conducts a broader study of geriatric psychology in order to develop a 14 week course curriculum that provides an introduction to the field and asks students to apply literature-informed methods to more fully understand and connect with this growing population and their unique needs
Theater as an Experiential Destination: Exploration of Themed Entertainment Design Techniques for Theatrical Productions
Full text linkThe paper investigates the integration of methods used in theme parks into theater productions to create experiences that foster returning patrons. Through examining their existing presence and other possible applications in theatrical performances, the research demonstrates how themed pre- and post-show environments, dynamic audience mobility, and techniques such as detailing and focusing can enhance narrative immersion in ways that traditional theater may not, potentially increasing reoccurring attendance. Additionally, the creative component of the project illustrates the implementation of these methods in staging the classic short story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman as an immersive theatrical production
Now I See You, Now I Know You: How Constructions of Space and the Self Navigate the Tension Between Reenchantment of the World and Intimate Communion in Autobiographical Performance
Full text linkThe transformative power of live performances lies in their reenchantment of the world: how they allow us to see special qualities of everyday objects and phenomena. Autobiographical theatre, rather than trying to find new ways of seeing, aims to transform the audience to “[make] the stranger less strange”. How do these qualities co-exist in autobiographical performance, and how does such a style of performance navigate them? By centralizing a comparative analysis of stagecraft in Aya Ogawa’s The Nosebleed and my honors project, Anti-Cartesian Variety Show, I demonstrate how constructions of space and the self help collapse the boundary between reenchantment of the world and intimate communion of the self
A Discussion on Estimation of the Best Constant for Spherical Restriction Inequalities
Full text linkThe restriction conjecture asks for a meaningful restriction of the Fourier transform of a function to a sufficiently curved lower dimensional manifold. It then conjectures certain size estimates for this restriction in terms of the size of the original function. It has been proven in 2 dimensions, but it is open in dimensions 3 and larger, and is an area of much recent active effort. In our study, instead of aiming to prove the restriction conjecture, we target understanding its worst-case scenarios within known estimates. Specifically, we investigate the extension operator applied to antipodally concentrating profiles, examining the ratio of the norms of these extensions. This involves understanding how the mass near the north pole compares to the mass near the south pole in terms of magnitude. Initial computational studies confirmed the established dichotomy between p\u3e2 and 1≤p≤2. Based on these findings, we propose two conjectures: the first one is that there are 3 cases of the behavior of this constant, and the second one is that there exists a cutoff. We will also present some facts and conjectures related to special values such as the endpoint of t=1
Designed for Life: Unearthing Just and Sustainable Urban Design Through the Daylighting of Phalen Creek
Full text linkThis thesis conceptualizes a relational approach to urban design. Often separated from justice, I argue urban design can shape spaces to enable respectful and reciprocal human and more-than- human relationships. Focusing on Phalen Creek in Saint Paul, Minnesota, I illuminate just and sustainable possibilities between ecologically sustainable and socially inclusive design. Phalen Creek was a natural waterway buried in a pipe during 20th century urbanization to be partially reconstructed through daylighting. The Indigenous and Immigrant stories driving restoration expand urban design’s liberatory potential. Combining just sustainabilities with infrastructure theory and Indigenous Knowledges, I contend urban design offers a relational approach to implementing Just Sustainabilities
Macalester College Commemorative Landscape Critical Audit
Full text linkThis critical audit examines the commemorative landscape at Macalester College, focusing on how its commemorative landscape features – with a special focus on campus building names – (do not) reflect the institution’s stated values and commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and global citizenship. Rather than a traditional audit which is focused on examining financial records and transactions to ensure accuracy, compliance, and accountability for financial management purposes, this critical audit evaluates Macalester’s compliance with its institutional mission and vision through its commemorative landscape. Starting from the position that commemorative place naming always involves selective decisions about whose legacy and contributions to the college are deemed important and that they communicate a specific message about who is (and is not) valued on campus, it accounts for the commemorative landscape’s impact on the emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging of marginalized faculty, staff, students, and alumni. As part of the audit, we developed a dataset of commemorative landscape features, coded them according to relevant categories and characteristics, examined the historical legacies and reputations of commemorated individuals, analyzed the broad patterns amongst commemorated figures, and made specific recommendations for consideration by college administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, the college’s newly formed Naming Committee, Mac-Groveland neighbors, and others with a vested interest in Macalester’s commemorative landscape
Weaving Resistance: Indigenous and Mestizé Women in Peru’s Political Uprisings
No full textThis qualitative research paper investigates how race, gender, and political agency intersect in the lived experiences of Peruvian Indigenous and Mestizé women as they engage in political organizing and protest. This paper focuses on their roles, perspectives, and experiences during the 2022–2023 popular uprisings in Peru, highlighting the unique challenges and contributions of these women in a period of intense social and political upheaval. This paper first uncovers what catalyzed these movements into action, particularly after the impeachment of Peru’s former President, Pedro Castillo. Then this paper will explore race and gender construction in Peru, through pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial contexts. This paper also engages with literature that expose the importance of everyday resistance for Indigenous women, the power of grief, important frameworks like Mestiza Consciousness and Communitarian feminism that situate a dialogue between Chicana and Indigenous feminist scholarships. Additionally, this paper explores my postitionality as a researcher and positions the testimonies of the women interviewed as interlocutors, as active agents of their own lived experience. The findings conclude that Indigenous and Mestizé women are actively engaging in reclaiming their indigenous identities, alongside with rematriating political spaces of resistance. Their struggle is tied to their indigenous cultural values as they center land within their struggle. Additionally, these women feel empowered as they build political consciousness within these spaces and become agents of change for their communities
On the Backs of Slaves: A Comparative Study on the Glamorization of Colonialism at the University of Amsterdam, Harvard University and Georgetown University
Full text linkThis capstone project explores the intricate relationship between colonialism, the slave trade, and higher education, focusing on the University of Amsterdam, Harvard University and Georgetown University. It argues that these institutions are deeply intertwined with slavery and colonialism, shaping their foundations and contributing to present-day structural inequalities in higher education. This essay highlights the perpetuation of elitism and exclusion by critiquing the University of Amsterdam for celebrating the Dutch East India Company (VOC) without acknowledging its connection to the slave trade. It also discusses Harvard University\u27s historical ties to slavery and the slave trade, including the institutions use of slave labor and their scientific research that reinforced racial hierarchies. Georgetown University’s connection to the Jesuit religion and their involvement in the sale and use of slaves is explored while also emphasizing the institution\u27s recent efforts for acknowledgment and reparations. This capstone concludes by calling for a more inclusive and critical approach to higher education, recognizing the need for ongoing examination and acknowledgment to address the lasting impact of colonialism on academic institutions and advocating for increased accessibility and racial equity in higher education