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Intimate Distances: A Singles Studies Approach to Literary Studies and Creative Practice
No full textRecent English Ph.D. graduate Elizabeth Foulke discussed her approach to literary texts through a Singles Studies lens and will share how her own creative writing is informed by this emerging interdisciplinary field. Specifically, Elizabeth’s scholarship and creative practice explore the ways in which singleness shapes narrative patterns both in literature and in life.
The number of single people in the Unites States continues to rise, yet there is scant scholarship on singleness. As a result, singleness is often misunderstood and conflated with loneliness and cast as one side of the false binary: partnered/alone. Elizabeth’s scholarship reframes and reimagines singleness as a mode of being that helps us to recognize the spectrum of emotional closeness and distance that people, regardless of their relationship status, participate in across a range of relationships
The Cultural and Social Weight of Holding a Helmet in Early Modern Portraiture
No full textSince antiquity, the helmets of illustrious military leaders are almost always omitted in art. From sculptural busts to grand representations of battle, the clear view of a likeness is often prioritized above the realities of protective head gear. An armor-bearer holding a helmet, gauntlets, or lance for someone before a battle or a procession is mentioned casually enough in literature to indicate that the practice was quite common. These helpful figures began to appear regularly in visual representations at the beginning of the sixteenth century, persisting well into the eighteenth century, though by this time, the assortment of young pages, dwarves, and squires are replaced almost entirely by exotically attired black youths. By examining how this figure evolved over time, an understanding emerges of the different layers of privilege associated with martial identity as they changed over the course of three centuries. Tom’s talk traces the motif from its origins rooted in chivalric and Classical associations to demonstrations of colonial imperialism.
This research is part of a larger project as an article that Tom is submitting to a journal and is one case study among many in her work on the topic of military identity and portraiture
Humor in ‘Jane the Virgin,’ the New Telenovela
No full textJane the Virgin is an American adaptation of Juana la virgen, a Latin American telenovela. The American version is a “dramedy” that takes place in Miami where the main characters are Latinx who speak or understand Spanish. The series brings social issues to the forefront with drama like telenovelas, but with a comic spin like sitcoms. In this presentation, de los Heros employs discourse analysis to examine the different mechanisms that produce humor in the show distinguishing two narrative levels: (a) a micro-level narrative (i.e. the dialog between the characters) and (b) a macro-level (i.e., a narrative manufactured for the audience). She will also categorize the different types of humor employed in the show and provide examples. Lastly, de los Heros demonstrates that despite humor contributing to negative representations of minorities in the media (including Latinx in JtV), Latinos’ accents and/or ethnicity are not sources of humor. Furthermore, the humor in the show helps to deconstruct some negative stereotypes. For instance, Rogelio the Latin Lover can be vain, but is unexpectedly tender and respectful of women and the over-sexualized Latina, Xiomara, puts her family first and is faithful to her husband.
For more than two decades, de los Heros has studied Spanish speakers’ use of humor to negotiate in-group and out-group identities in conversation and the effect of humor in the projection of different ethnic, gender or social groups in television series. Humor can make people laugh and diminish criticism, but it can also parody or mock “others” and create or solidify stereotypes. To study and classify different types of humor de los Heros combines The General Theory of Verbal Humor, and critical discourse analysis. The current study is in this line. Her objective is to analyze the mechanisms that trigger humor in the bilingual English-Spanish “dramedy” Jane the Virgin. De los Heros also wants to look at how humor affects the portrayal of Latinx in the US
Global Ocean Corps and Conveyor: A Capacity Development Program
Get PDFOceanography is by nature a global science, and thus requires a global trained workforce. Yet in many coastal nations, the number of trained professionals working in ocean science fields is lacking. Global Ocean Corps and Conveyor (GOCC), an endorsed capacity development programme of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, aims to increase the geographical and cultural diversity of the ocean science workforce through facilitating and building sustained long-term education and research collaborations between scientists around the globe. Based upon our collective experience with schools and workshops held in Ghana, Malaysia, University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center, and elsewhere, we are confident that a well-funded Ocean Corps would inspire large numbers of scientists, especially early-career scientists, into its ranks, thus molding many of them into champions for international capacity development for the remainder of their careers, and fostering truly global ocean science collaborations worldwide
The role of professional development in bridging high-quality social-emotional learning in laboratory and community preschools
Get PDFThe current study presents an exploratory model of comprehensive professional development that provides early childhood education and care teachers with opportunities to enhance their skills in social-emotional learning (SEL). Skills development strategies include a combination of workshops, observations of high-quality university laboratory preschool classrooms, consultation with master educators, on-site coaching, and communities of practice. The study found statistically significant improvements in content knowledge, knowledge of evidence-based strategies, and self-efficacy to implement new strategies in the classroom for participants of the Promoting Prosocial Behavior workshop. Teachers and administrators who participated in observations, coaching, and/or communities of practice reported value in each component of professional development. Results of this project suggest that a multipronged approach of supporting SEL in the classroom has a positive impact on teachers’ self-regulation and modeling skills
Recognizing the Legacy of Slavery in Rhode Island
No full textIn recent decades Rhode Islanders have come to terms with the history of slavery in Rhode Island, which was a center of the transatlantic slave trade. Newport, Providence, Bristol, and Warren were all destinations in the middle passage, and enslaved people worked in the plantations of Washington County where URI is located. This panel brings together representatives from three local organizations that are working to commemorate and raise awareness of this history: the Newport Middle Passage Ceremony and Port Marker Project; Rhode Island Slave History Medallions; and the Center for Reconciliation.
Victoria Johnson is a member of the founding committee and steering committee for the Newport Middle Passage Ceremony and Port Marker Project. She also co-chaired the committee to establish the group’s 501c3 status. A native of Newport, Mrs. Johnson had a distinguished career in teaching, coaching and educational administration that included becoming the first female African American principal of a secondary school in Rhode Island. She is active in the Newport Historical Society, Governor’s Board for the Bank of Newport, Newport Women’s League, National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, Newport Hospital Board of Directors, Newport “Rec” Reunion Committee and Newport County NAACP. She participates on many scholarship committees with the Rhode Island Foundation so that worthy and qualified students may have financial aid to attend college.
James DeWolf Perry serves on the board of directors of the Center for Reconciliation in Providence. He was nominated for an Emmy Award as the principal historical consultant for the PBS documentary “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North,” about the legacy of the slave trade in New England. He also appears throughout the film as a descendant of James DeWolf, the most prolific slave trader in U.S. history. Mr. Perry co-founded the Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery and, while its executive director, designed and led many of the Center’s public programs on racial healing and equity, as well as professional workshops in education and public history. He edited Interpreting Slavery at Museums and Historic Sites (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015), and his other published work addresses the teaching and interpretation of slavery and its legacy.
Charles Roberts is the Founder and Executive Director of Rhode Island Slave History Medallions, a nonprofit, placed-based statewide education program recognized by the Rhode Island General Assembly. Mr. Roberts is a native Rhode Islander whose family has lived in Newport since 1889. A visual artist, he studied graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design and has exhibited his work at the Spring Bull Gallery, Newport Art Museum, DeBlois Gallery and Hope Street Gallery, all in Rhode Island, as well as the New Jersey State House. He also worked in concert production/promotion with Warner Atlantic Electra Records in New York, in which capacity he worked with James Brown, Chaka Kahn, Gladys Knight, Run DMC and other artists. Mr. Roberts also has organized gospel concerts in Rhode Island at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall and Providence Performing Arts Center, while managing and producing the popular First Night Newport, a city-wide New Year’s Eve Celebration of the Arts, for nearly a decad
Sinking Trichodesmium fixes nitrogen in the dark ocean
No full textThe photosynthetic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is widely distributed in the surface low latitude ocean where it contributes significantly to N2 fixation and primary productivity. Previous studies found nifH genes and intact Trichodesmium colonies in the sunlight-deprived meso- and bathypelagic layers of the ocean (200–4000 m depth). Yet, the ability of Trichodesmium to fix N2 in the dark ocean has not been explored. We performed 15N2 incubations in sediment traps at 170, 270 and 1000 m at two locations in the South Pacific. Sinking Trichodesmium colonies fixed N2 at similar rates than previously observed in the surface ocean (36–214 fmol N cell−1 d−1). This activity accounted for 40 ± 28% of the bulk N2 fixation rates measured in the traps, indicating that other diazotrophs were also active in the mesopelagic zone. Accordingly, cDNA nifH amplicon sequencing revealed that while Trichodesmium accounted for most of the expressed nifH genes in the traps, other diazotrophs such as Chlorobium and Deltaproteobacteria were also active. Laboratory experiments simulating mesopelagic conditions confirmed that increasing hydrostatic pressure and decreasing temperature reduced but did not completely inhibit N2 fixation in Trichodesmium. Finally, using a cell metabolism model we predict that Trichodesmium uses photosynthesis-derived stored carbon to sustain N2 fixation while sinking into the mesopelagic. We conclude that sinking Trichodesmium provides ammonium, dissolved organic matter and biomass to mesopelagic prokaryotes
Post-Hurricane Sandy Benthic Habitat Mapping at Fire Island National Seashore, New York, USA, Utilizing the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS)
Get PDFIn 2012, Hurricane Sandy created a new tidal inlet at Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) in New York, USA, consequently altering environmental conditions within Great South Bay. This event presented a unique opportunity to establish new ecological baselines, assess resulting ecological change, and explore management implications. This study focuses on benthic mapping within the bayside of FIIS using acoustic, grab sample, and imagery data. Biotope (habitat) maps were developed describing relationships between macrofaunal communities and their environment. Additionally, biotopes were prioritized by “ecological value” based on user-defined criteria (presence of seagrass and potential for higher trophic level interactions) to guide management. While there are limited pre-Sandy data for comparison, findings from this study suggest the inlet has been a positive ecological influence on the nearby area. Dense concentrations of mature blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) documented near the inlet are considered ecologically beneficial and represent a post-Sandy distinction in ecosystem structure; M. edulis was last common when the inlet was previously open (early 1800s). The inlet is also likely responsible for seagrass expansion near the inlet but decline in other areas. This study advances the utility of the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) by including CMECS-defined data in analyses and expanding the definition of “dominance.” CMECS played a key role in developing map units, interpreting biotopes, and establishing statistically significant and ecologically meaningful biotic–abiotic relationships. This study also highlights the value and management applications of benthic mapping specific to FIIS and more broadly and advocates for similar studies elsewhere
Modeling the impact of sea level rise on maximum water elevation during storm surge events: a closer look at coastal embayments
No full textStorm-surge models are commonly used to assess the impacts of hurricanes and coastal storms in coastal areas. Including the impact of the projected future sea level rise (SLR) in these models is a necessary step for a realistic flood risk assessment. Commonly, SLR is superimposed linearly on the simulated water elevation. This approach, while efficient, may lead to inaccuracies. Furthermore, developing a new model with updated data (e.g., boundary conditions, bathymetry) that include the effects of SLR (i.e., nonlinear approach) is time consuming. We compare the linear and nonlinear approaches to include the effect of SLR in predicting maximum water/flood elevations (MWE) as a result of storm surge. After a simplified theoretical analysis, a number of idealized cases based on the typical coastal bodies of water are modeled to assess the impact of SLR on MWE using the linear superposition and nonlinear approaches. Additionally, two case studies are carried out: Narragansett Bay, RI, and Long Island Sound, CT (USA). Results show that for the idealized cases with variable depth, in general, the linear superposition of SLR to MWE is conservative (i.e., predicts a larger flood elevation) relative to the nonlinear approach. However, if a constant depth is considered, results are not consistent (i.e., linear superposition can overestimate or underestimate MWE, and the results depended on the geometry). The simulated MWE from the Narragansett Bay simulation confirms the outcome of idealized cases showing that linear assumption is conservative up to 10% relative to the nonlinear approach. For this study, Hurricane Sandy and a synthetic storm from the US Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Comprehensive Coastal Study (NACCS) dataset are simulated. Long Island Sound model results are also consistent with the idealized case. In general, based on the results of the idealized and real case studies, a discrepancy of up to 10% between the linear and nonlinear approaches is expected in estimation of MWE which can be under- or over-estimation of flood elevation, depending on the geometry