University at Albany, State University of New York
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School Contexts and the Construction of Literacy Practices and Identities among Middle School Students of Color
Full text linkThis dissertation investigates how middle school students of color construct and negotiate their literacy identities within an urban public school\u27s institutional, classroom, and online contexts. The study is situated at Oakville Middle School, a culturally and linguistically diverse setting that reflects the complexities of adolescent literacy education in contemporary urban environments. The research explores how students\u27 literacy practices are shaped by their interactions with school structures, pedagogical approaches, peer dynamics, and digital platforms and how these experiences influence their development as literate individuals.
The study responds to the persistent challenge of educational inequity, particularly the disconnect between students\u27 cultural identities and the dominant norms of school-based literacy instruction. Many students of color encounter instructional models that fail to affirm their home languages, digital literacies, and lived experiences, resulting in disengagement, reduced confidence, and fragmented literacy development. The research problem centers on how such disconnections constrain literacy identity formation and how specific school contexts foster more inclusive, empowering engagements with literacy.
The study employed a qualitative, multi-perspective design. Data collection included classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, structured interviews, artifact analysis, and reflective research memos over a nine-month period. Participants included three focal students, five teachers, two teacher leaders, three parents or guardians, and one school administrator. Grounded in sociocultural and multimodal frameworks, the study examined how students interact with texts, technologies, and learning environments in physical classrooms and online spaces.
Findings revealed that students are active agents in co-constructing literacy environments that are meaningful and reflective of their identities. In institutional and classroom contexts, enabling conditions such as culturally responsive teaching, restorative practices, flexible scheduling, and student choice supported deeper engagement and literacy growth. In contrast, restrictive structures, punitive discipline, and culturally disconnected curricula limited participation and suppressed student voice. Online contexts emerged as a critical yet complex space in students\u27 literacy journeys.
Digital tools such as Raz-Kids, Epic, and Google Docs allowed students to personalize their learning, collaborate with peers, and express their ideas in multimodal ways. These platforms enabled students to revise work at their own pace, experiment with voice and tone, and integrate personal interests like music, art, and social media into their academic work. However, disparities in digital access and inconsistent instructional support also revealed the fragility of these online spaces as equitable learning environments.
The findings demonstrate that fostering strong literacy identities among students of color requires intentionally designing learning environments that affirm who students are, what they bring, and how they communicate. Online and in-person contexts must be structured to support student agency, cultural relevance, and relational trust. The implications of this study extend to curriculum development, school leadership, and teacher education, urging a rethinking of literacy instruction as a dialogic, inclusive, and student-centered endeavor. By foregrounding youth voice and context, this research offers a pathway toward more equitable and humanizing models of literacy education
Modulation of Glutamate Receptor Expression in Health and Disease
Full text linkGlutamate is a neuronal excitatory transmitter found abundantly within the hippocampus that has vital functions rooted in learning, memory, and cognition. Overabundance or improper regulation of glutamate can have detrimental effects on neuronal function, with previous research indicating its implications in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, a portion of Alzheimer’s disease pathology is connected directly to increased levels of the amyloid plaque buildup in the postsynaptic space, leading to impairment in glutamate clearance by astrocytic glutamate transporters GLT-1 and GLAST. Amyloid plaques are just one of many contributors to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, with circadian rhythm disruption being another. Circadian rhythm refers to the body’s internal “biological clock” and regulates environmental, hormonal, and behavioral changes within a 24-h period. These circadian rhythms are controlled by clock genes located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus as well as in other portions of the brain, such as the hippocampus. The activation of NMDA glutamate receptors found in CA1 pyramidal cells in the hippocampus may have circadian oscillations, with subunits GluN1, GluN2A, and GluN2B contributing to the regulation of synaptic transmissions and events. The expression of these subunits at differing light cycles: light/dark vs. dark/dark may provide insight into the circadian modulation of these glutamate receptors. The modulation of glutamate by differing mechanisms, such as increased amyloid plaques and disrupted circadian cycles, can provide insight into the onset of AD and the implication of glutamate-related neurotoxicity in its pathology
Chess Not Checkers: A Contemporary Analysis on Judicial Retirement and Lingering Justices in the Modern U.S. Supreme Court
Full text linkIn an era where the Court is particularly partisan, Justices choosing to stay on longer due to these motivators is lowering the legitimacy the Court has with the general public. First, partisan effects and interests are explored in regard to how the Court has gotten partisan and the effect that has on judicial retirement. Then, interest groups and their effect on judicial retirement is looked into. Next, it is shown why judicial retirement is significant, and the factor that these external forces play into it is explained. Finally, some recommendations for change regarding the High Court, since there is reform needed in order to preserve the legitimacy of the Court during a time where it is becoming lower and lower
Below to Beyond Human: Social Death to Ego Birth During The Black Psychedelic Experience
Full text linkPrior to the modern day green light to research psychedelics, it has been consumed for its offered experience for centuries in indigenous traditions. Research today insists that psychedelics assist greatly with self healing and self discovery. The “self-healing” in its extreme form is often labeled as “ego death”, which is defined as “surrendering to our self-subjected identity”. I will argue that the present definition for ego death is inaccurate without the integration of sociological concepts and race theory. Social death, a term coined by Orlando Patterson, suggests that black individuals aren’t accepted as fully human in our social institutions and other authors such as Frank Wilderson agrees on that sentiment and even extends it further by stating that we shouldn’t desire to become human either. Using this theoretical context, I believe that black psychedelic experience is vastly unique and offers an extension to ego death by introducing an “ego birth”. Given that black individuals were never considered human, how could the modern definition of ego death apply to their experience? There is no such thing as “self-subjected identity” when social institutions are the reason for that subjection in the first place. It then certainly doesn’t apply to black individuals who don\u27t possess an identity at all according to Wilderson and Patterson. My extension will seek to explore and connect ego death in context with social death as well as explaining ego birth as the prominent difference between white and black psychedelic experience. Relationship with suffering also differs between the two experiences that will be closely analyzed with the understanding of social death and Abdul R. JanMohamed ’s The Death Bound Subject
The Senior International Officer: A Sociological Perspective on the Development of a Higher Education Profession
Full text linkInternationalization of higher education institutions in the United States has progressed rapidly since World War II. The pace and specifics of this internationalization vary by institution. However, there are some shared characteristics including, but not limited to, increase in student mobility, both inward and outward, exchange of scholars, cross-border research, and internationalization of the curriculum. This increased the institutional administrative burden and necessitated the centralization of internationalization activities under a single administrative unit and led by an individual capable of providing leadership at their institution in the area of higher education internationalization. This individual is recognized as the Senior International Officer, or SIO, at their institution. Scholarly literature in higher education internationalization has recognized the growth of the SIO profession but an in-depth review of the development of the profession has hitherto been missing from academic literature. This study aims to bridge that gap.
This dissertation uses a phenomenological research design and a qualitative approach to study the sociological development of the SIO profession in US higher education. Primary data collection was conducted through 18 semi-structured interviews of current and past SIOs. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring themes in the interview data.
Analysis indicated that the SIOs have taken significant steps to grow and elevate their profession. They have engaged in formal knowledge generation through the development of academic credentials, formalization of professional standards, advocacy and development of professional associations. Findings indicate that SIOs are forced to adopt a reactive posture in response to the institutional leadership priorities and forces external to higher education such as the compliance with the federal regulations. Such influences have significant impact on SIOs ability to lead internationalization at their institution
JEDI Mind: Student and Teacher Perceptions of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Full text linkThis study uses the Panorama Equity and Inclusion Survey as a measurement tool to examine the perceptions of equity and inclusion among teachers and students in a K-12 educational setting. Grounded in critical race theory, this research employs a QUANT-CRIT mixed methods approach to illuminate systemic inequities and amplify the voices of historically marginalized groups. A review of the existing literature reveals persistent disparities in educational experiences and outcomes for students and teachers of color, underscoring the need for a dual focus on both quantitative patterns and qualitative narratives. The study addressed two primary research questions: (1) What are teachers’ perceptions of equity in their school, and how do these perceptions differ between teachers of color and white teachers? (2) How do students of color perceive equity and inclusion compared to white students? Quantitative analysis, including t-tests and factor analysis, identified patterns in equity perceptions, while qualitative content analysis of open-ended responses explored nuanced experiences related to race, ethnicity, and culture. Findings revealed differences in perceptions of equity and inclusion between demographic groups, with themes such as systemic inequities, tokenism in discussions about race, and the marginalization of student voices emerging from qualitative data. These findings have critical implications for policy and practice, offering guidance for school leaders and educators striving to create more inclusive and equitable environments. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse of equity in education, centering the experiences of marginalized communities while challenging dominant narratives
Raw data for A Mild Alkaline Hydrothermal Etchant for MBene Exfoliation
No full textAbstract for data:
Raw data for the journal publication, A Mild Alkaline Hydrothermal Ethant for MBene Exfoliation. ReadMe file provided.
Abstract for journal publication:
MoBene (the boride equivalent of MXenes) has been a synthetic challenge because borides degrade in common etching media. Inspired by the intercalation of lithium ions into AlOOH, we hypothesized that a hydrothermal route enables lithium ions to intercalate the aluminum layer of MoAlB and further separate the MoB sheet apart. Here, MoBene is first synthesized through a mild hydrothermal etching method with dilute lithium hydroxide. X-ray diffraction showed a peak at 8.9°, confirming an exfoliated layered structure, and the presence of MoBene sheets is further confirmed by SEM. Intriguingly, MoBene sheets, as the crystallographic subunit of the parent monoboride structure, can be readily restacked to crystalline MoB by heating in a mildly reducing atmosphere, which further confirmed the crystallinity of our product and demonstrated the ready synthesis of refractory materials at low temperature. The exfoliated MoBene product has chelating hydroxyl functional groups and can adsorb 318 mg/g of lead in water
Reflections on Cover Songs: Replies to Polite
Full text linkBrandon Polite poses a number of interesting criticisms of my account of cover versions. Some I am happy to acknowledge and take on board, but with others I feel he goes too far. I take this chance to clarify and extend my account
On Trusting Chatbots
Full text linkThis paper focuses on the epistemic situation one faces when using a Large Language Model based chatbot like ChatGPT: When reading the output of the chatbot, how should one decide whether or not to believe it? By surveying strategies we use with other, more familiar sources of information, I argue that chatbots present a novel challenge. This makes the question of how one could trust a chatbot especially vexing
Effects of Actualized Language Policy on Ukrainian Stability, 1989-2022
Full text linkThis dissertation seeks to generate a new perspective of the complicated relationship between actualized policy and stability through looking at Ukraine’s language policies and stability in a mixed manner approach that includes both primary and secondary sources. Russia justified its irridentist activities through claiming to protect Russian nationals within Ukraine’s borders: language policies within Ukraine appear to be a trigger for Russian antagonism. Neither Russian irridentism nor Ukrainian nationalism are being considered as right or wrong in this dissertation: the intent is to highlight trends, patterns, and perceptions in alignment with Ukrainian language policy. This dissertation does not present a definitive answer to questions of how policy affects stability; it aspires to open discussion for alternative means for both retroactively assessing policies while proposing approaches wherein a state can further improve implementing potentially contentious policies using basic change management techniques that are being broadly implemented in the rapidly changing modern corporate world.
Ukraine’s language policies are assessed in the framework of Ukrainian stability using a generic rubric. Information to provide the necessary framework is derived from mixed sourcing: databases with detailed numbers for casualties and incidents are considered next to interviews, news articles, and “watch dog” reports. The concept of stability is derived from Ake’s (1975) parameters and operationalized through quantifying scores of definitive factors that affect stability. Policy process is considered, but the actualized policy (assessed as a fused understanding of policy de facto and de jure) is being compared to stability with the hypothesis that moderate permissiveness in language policy provides the best opportunity for highest levels of stability within a multi-cultural state. This dissertation will present five of Ukraine’s language policies which were passed by parliament and signed into law. The first was implemented in 1989, prior to departing the USSR, and the final law considered was the 2019 law which triggered international concern and a perception of marginalizing minority language speakers.
The academic study of language policy has historically been under the purview of those studying linguistics or education; however, is of interest for those interested in politics and stability for multiple reasons. First, language is often our initial means of communicating with others: what we say and how we say it says a lot about us. Language is often tied with our identity, and theories of linguistic determinism assert that language shapes our perceptions. Second, language is a primary means of communicating, and policies about means for communication are of utmost importance. Effective communication is one of the most challenging skills for any leader to predictably possess. Third, while Russia did assert that they did not want Ukraine to join NATO, they also extensively used the argument that they needed to protect Russians in Ukraine. Russia had used a standard of language to identify national identity within the Soviet Union, and one area of continued consideration within the sector of Political Science is the evolving applicability and understand of the Nation State and how it should be interpreted, supported, and recognized.
Results of the dissertation indicate that there appears to be a correlation between actualized policy when it has been politicized and stability within the state. However, there is no authoritative confirmation of causation; further studies should be able to use this foundation to build a greater understanding of which variables may affect probable causation