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PFAS: the tipping point in Maine
No full textPFAS contamination has become a public health threat; affecting farmers, communities, and ecosystems across America. Maine is the nations leader on PFAS regulation and eventual elimination. Grassroots advocacy and individual stories, such as those from Maine farmers Adam Nordell and Fred Stone, have played a crucial role in raising awareness and driving legislative action. Despite resistance from powerful chemical corporations and industries with a stake in PFAS-laden products, Maine has banned products with intentionally added PFAS by 2030 and is implementing programs to support affected farmers. Education and public perception are key to combating PFAS. Large efforts have been organized by groups such as Defend Our Health and MOFGA, who are leaders in this fight. While the harm caused by PFAS is irreversible, increasing public perception and education on the issue can mitigate damage and inspire broader national change
Implementation of Solar Panels at the Lewiston-Auburn Municipal Airport in Auburn, Maine
No full textThis project explores the potential for implementing solar panels at Lewiston-Auburn Municipal Airport to enhance airport operations\u27 energy efficiency, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and offer long-term cost savings. Given that the airport receives funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it must pursue sustainability goals, making solar energy a viable solution. In collaboration with the Airport Director, Jonathon LaBonté, this senior thesis was developed as a comprehensive source of initial research and recommendations for potential solar panel implementation. This includes an analysis of zoning laws, regulations, financial incentives, and best practices from other airports that have adopted solar technology. This information is intended to serve as an informational synthesis for the Airport’s executive board to better understand the pros and cons of a potential project. The goal of presenting this project is to give the Lewiston Auburn Airport the information needed to be an informed consumer, and we acknowledge that to move forward with a solar project on their property successfully, consultations with experts will be needed to supplement our materials
Maine State Seminary Students of Color
Full text linkIn the year following the close of the Civil War, three Black men in Virginia were recruited by either Alonzo Garcelon or Oren Cheney to come to Maine and attend the Maine State Seminary (the precursor to Bates College). These men -- John Dunjee (or Dungy), Hamilton Keyes (or Keys), and Alexander Sanders (Saunders), attended for the 1866-1867. Unfortunately, because this time predates the student newspaper and the annual President\u27s Report, there is almost no documentary evidence of their time at the school. The information contained in these short biographies has been gathered from internet sources, both contemporary and later
The Benefits of a Multi-Framework Approach to Social Movement Scholarship
Full text linkThere are many different social movement frameworks and approaches used to not only analyze social movements\u27 outcomes but also to account for why they begin and what accounts for them. But in the development of social movement scholarship over the past decades, there has been a tendency in social movement scholarship to advance by rejecting or invalidating previous frameworks. This has left scholars of social movements with unnecessarily myopic approaches over the years. More recent approaches, often in conversation with Global South scholars, have produced more holistic and integrated studies. My thesis joins this field of scholarship. I ask What benefits does a multi-framework approach to social movement theories offer to scholars? I answer this question by applying Collective Behavior, Resource Mobilization, and Social Performance Theories to the 2023 Panamanian Anti-Mining Protests
The New Era of Work: A Study of Employers\u27 Perceptions of Employee Performance in Remote and In-Person Environments
No full textThis study investigates the effect of work mode (i.e., remote or in-person) on employers\u27 perceptions of employee performance. While previous research has examined workplace productivity and collaboration across work modes, this study specifically focuses on potential biases in employer evaluation of work quality while controlling for the quality of work. Using a multi-stage experimental design and combining a real effort task and a structured evaluation framework, we recruited students from Bates College (N=34), participants from Connect (N=40), and commercial real estate industry professionals (N=4). Stage 1 was a pilot study, followed by Stages 2-5, examining how work mode affects performance evaluation by employers and expert raters across remote and in-person conditions. Participants completed a simulated site-selection consulting task. Performance was assessed using standardized metrics including idea quantity, variability, consistency, specificity, feasibility, and novelty, with additional industry-specific measures of market demand and business value. We hypothesize that employers would perceive work quality as higher when performed in person, even when controlling for the actual work quality. The results confirmed our hypothesis, suggesting that employers perceived in-person work to be better than remote work, and the in-person advantage was less pronounced when the work quality was high. This research contributes to understanding employers’ perceptions and workforce management by identifying evaluation biases and informing evidence-based policy design for flexible work practices. The findings of this study can inform the design of equitable workplace policies in flexible work environments.
Keywords: flexible work practices, performance evaluation, employer perception, behavioral economics, real effort task, workforce managemen
The Hidden Curriculum in Dance: Investigating the Relationship Between Perceived Social Psychological Climate and Dancers’ Body Image
No full textMany young dancers train hours on end to achieve an elusive career in dance, often making sacrifices along the way. Aspiring professional dancers are vulnerable to negative body image and eating disorders perhaps due to narrow body standards prevalent in dance communities (Arcelus et al., 2014; Dantas et al., 2018). Dance teachers can influence students’ perceptions of themselves and their overall training experiences (Doria & Numer, 2022). This study examined the relationship among students’ perceptions of the social psychological climates of dance departments, dancer identity, and body image. Eighty-one students and six teachers were surveyed. Students\u27 presence versus absence of professional goals in dance was assessed and analyzed in relation to their perceptions of their dance training climate and body image. Further qualitative interviews with eight students and one teacher investigated the specific ways in which students and teachers positively and negatively contribute to the climate. Quantitative results revealed that individual factors such as one’s dancer identity, professional attitudes, or the belief that one’s body is right for dancing played a larger role in students’ body perceptions than one’s learning climate. Although students identified the importance of a task-involving and caring climate for their body image, students’ individual level of body surveillance was found to be the strongest predictor of body image satisfaction. Results highlight the influence of both objective (focused on dance technique) and subjective (focused on physical appearance) personal body surveillance in dance, suggesting avenues for further investigation, and support the judicious use of mirrors in dance class
Why Democracy Hasn’t “Ghanaway”: On the Persistence of Ghanaian Democracy
No full textIn this paper, I will be arguing that the unusual development and persistence of democracy in Ghana, while unambiguously influenced by a number of variables, is predominantly the result of Ghanaian contributions to UN peacekeeping missions since the 1970s. After establishing that the persistence of democracy in Ghana is in fact puzzling by contrast to regional trends, I provide definitions and conduct a brief statistical analysis to assert and visualize Ghana’s status as a regional democratic outlier. I then weigh alternative scholarly explanations for Ghanaian democratization, and finally provide a comprehensive empirical analysis of Ghanaian military depoliticization due to UN contributions and close civil control, asserting the causal effect this has had on the persistence of Ghana’s democracy. Finally, I provide counter-arguments to the idea of combined civil-military negotiation and UN contributions corresponding with democratization, concluding that Ghana’s case is generalizable and indicates that authoritarian states can transform into lasting democracies through institutionalized civil-military relations and UN peacekeeping