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Rhetorics of Community Mothering: How Appalachian Women Resist Extractivism
No full textThis dissertation resulted from a partnership with New Opportunity School for Women, a nonprofit based in central Kentucky which seeks to serve working-class Appalachian women who are “under resourced but resourceful” by providing residential programming around self-confidence, job and education access, and financial literacy (“Residential Program”). Drawing together ethnographic, archival, and interview data, I show how Appalachian women simultaneously repeat and resist the harmful rhetorical legacies of individual responsibility and opportunity that extractive industries, such as mining, have created in the region historically. In so doing, they provide activists, working-class feminists, and rhetorical scholars a model for engaging in resistance within similar contexts in the far-reaching sites of extractive industries.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.
Understanding the Technological Relatedness Between ICEs and EVs and Its Policy Implications
No full textIn this report, we applied our established method (Wang et al., 2024) to explore the connections between ICEs and EVs. While ICEs and EVs are often regarded as alternatives for transportation needs and show observational relatedness, the extent of their underlying technological relatedness remains unclear. We provide a conceptual framework that breaks down the two technologies into components based on functions and allow for easier comparison. We also identify corresponding patent classification codes for each component. We summarize which components of EVs demonstrate strong continuity with ICEs and which represent innovations that depart from automotive heritage. The report highlights the methodological challenges in analyzing technological relatedness between these domains, particularly due to the complex taxonomies and the difficulty of identifying matching technological components
INVESTIGATING GENETIC CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY OF GRASS ARCHITECTURE WITH A COMPUTER VISION APPROACH
No full textPlants modify their growth to fit their location. In low light, plants suppress branches (called tillers in grasses) in favor of growing tall to reach the light. Some of this branching flexibility originated in the Early Devonian (∼400 MYA) with the evolution of axillary branching. In axillary branching buds in leaf axils either remain dormant or grow out as branches. Similarly, growth suppression is important in the evolution of floral diversity. For example, unisexual flowers often form through suppression of specific organs during development. In maize, some genes that suppress branching also suppress floral organ development. However, whether these gene functions are conserved outside of maize, and how their regulation differs in different developmental contexts (branches vs. flowers) is unknown. In this work, I investigated three maize genes - RAMOSA3 (RA3), GRASSY TILLERS1 (GT1), and TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 (TB1) - which coordinate growth suppression across branches and flowers while integrating environmental cues. Notably, ra3 in a gt1 background leads to derepression of both tillers and pistils in flowers. To determine whether RA3’s growth suppression function is conserved across panicoid grasses, I analyzed the Setaria viridis svra3 mutant. While many described ra3 functions were conserved, I discovered new ra3 phenotypes in both maize and setaria. These findings underscore how examining a gene in species with distinct morphologies can illuminate aspects of its function. Next, I examined if the factors controlling tillering also affect pistil suppression. Shade signals activate expression of TB1, and TB1 turns on GT1 to suppress branch buds. To precisely measure pistil size and shape in maize, I developed a novel phenotyping method combining x-ray imaging with machine learning segmentation. Using this approach, I explored genetic interactions between tb1, gt1, and ra3 in pistil suppression. Mutant analyses suggest that TB1 does not act upstream of GT1 and RA3 in pistils. These results suggest that, although GT1 and RA3 act in both branch and pistil suppression, genetic regulation differs between these contexts. Overall, these findings show how careful phenotyping across species reveals gene functional complexity. My work also establishes a powerful phenotyping tool for future dissection of plant developmental genetics.NSF, UMass BTP Biotechnology Training ProgramDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)2030-05-1
THE BLACK CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA SINCE THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT: FOUR STORIES OF BELOVED COMMUNITY BUILDING IN THE CITY OF SISTERLY LOVE
No full textThis is a study on how the Black church in Philadelphia has evolved since the Civil Rights Movement, and to what extent it still serves as a hub for political, economic, and social progress
The research is guided by three key sub-questions: How has the political influence of the Black church changed in the post-Civil Rights era? In what ways does the Black church continue to impact economic development in Black communities? Has the Black church maintained its role as a center for social life, and how has this role evolved? This study is important because it investigates whether the Black church remains a powerful force in Philadelphia’s Black community today, or if its influence is waning in the face of generational shifts and new social movements.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)2026-05-1
UNPLEASANT FEELINGS: ORDINARY AFFECTS AND EVERYDAY VIOLENCE IN POSTCOLONIAL ANGLOPHONE FICTION
No full textUnpleasant Feelings undertakes a broad analysis of literary responses to the ethical, materialist, and sociopolitical contradictions of colonial pasts and neocolonial presents by considering how unpleasant feelings, moods, and states of being reveal the complex spatialities and temporalities of violence in the context of postcolonial South Asia. The field of postcolonial South Asian studies thus far has upheld a problematic division between feelings generated by spectacular historical and political events and ordinary everyday occurrences. In contrast, I show that “unpleasant feelings” is a valuable concept to grasp the porous relationship between ordinary and extraordinary violence. By “unpleasant feelings,” I refer to a constellation of cerebral, physiological, and emotional responses of a range of gendered, casteized, and subaltern subjects who experience, bear witness to, and at times take part in complex cycles of violence. These cycles of violence complicate the commonplace understanding of agency and passivity and hope and hopelessness.
I argue that contemporary South Asian Anglophone novels mobilize the ambiguities and contingencies of unpleasantness and locate it in the domain of the ordinary to reveal the continuum between everyday and extraordinary violence. Chapter 1 works with the idea of the spatiality of unpleasant feelings to chart Manu Joseph’s depictions of neoliberal spaces and the ordinary violence of casteism and heteropatriarchy in Serious Men (2010). Chapter 2 pairs Mirza Waheed’s The Collaborator (2011) and Anuk Arudpragasam’s The Story of a Brief Marriage (2016) to capture the dialectic of melancholia and mourning in the context of civil wars and military occupations. Chapter 3 compares Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People (2007) and Mohammed Hanif’s Red Birds (2018) to stage a critique of US neoimperialism and humanitarianism by highlighting the slow perishing of the vulnerable populations of the global South due to long-drawn-out wars and environmental violence. Chapter 4 turns to Arundhati Roy’s depiction of a range of gendered and sexual affects such as shame, humiliation, disappointment, fatigue, withdrawal, and burnout in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017) and foregrounds her mining of the intermediary zone between hope and hopelessness. Unpleasant Feelings concludes with a meditation on the binary between nationalist optimism/pessimism and
diasporic optimism/pessimism and the contribution of postcolonial Anglophone fiction in problematizing it.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)2030-05-1
THREE ESSAYS ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY ECONOMICS
No full textThis dissertation investigates the health effects of air pollution and evaluates pollution control policy in South Korea through three empirical studies.
In Chapter 1, I estimate the impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on mortality and morbidity across age groups in South Korea, with a focus on the elderly (i.e., 65 years and older). Local air pollution in South Korea is instrumented for using a wind-direction indicator with air pollution levels measured at upwind Chinese monitors to address potential endogeneity issues. My findings show that a 1 μg/m3 increase in local PM2.5 levels drives a 0.17% rise in the over-65 mortality rate and a 5.1% increase in respiratory hospitalizations. Significant rises in mortality and morbidity are observed for disease categories directly related to PM2.5 pollution. Considering only avoided life years lost, my estimates suggest that the 5.58 μg/m3 reduction in PM2.5 levels achieved in South Korea from 2015 to 2022 resulted in 7.24 billion USD) annually from NOx and TSP reductions from coal-fired power plants alone.
In Chapter 3, air pollution deteriorates both physical and mental health, causing a risk of suicide. This study estimates the causal relationship between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution and suicide mortality in South Korea from 2015 to 2019, employing thermal inversion events as an instrumental variable (IV) by inducing exogenous variation in PM2.5 levels. The findings suggest that a 1 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 pollution leads to an increase of 0.421 suicide deaths per one million population. Additionally, this study shows the differentiated effect of PM2.5 exposure on the suicide mortality rate. An increase in PM2.5 concentration causes increased suicide mortality for males (1.88%), the elderly (4.14%), individuals with lower education levels (1.81%), and those living in non-metropolitan areas (1.84%). These results provide empirical evidence for the heterogeneous effect of PM2.5 pollution on suicide mortality across demographic groups.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)2030-05-1
The ecological and evolutionary processes shaping population structure in freshwater fishes
No full textThe Neotropical region harbors exceptional freshwater fish diversity, yet many are increasingly at risk. These fishes exhibit diverse history traits, including a wide range reproductive strategies, feeding behaviors, growth patterns, and migration patterns. Their riverine habitats have been shaped by geological and paleoclimatic processes and are currently being impacted by various anthropogenic pressures. Conservation measures are challenging to implement for wide-ranging species that span multiple large river basins, thus requiring management strategies that consider both regional and transboundary conservation needs. Understanding population status is essential for effective conservation assessments, as life history traits, connectivity, and genetic structure can all shift in response to environmental change. My dissertation combines empirical and synthesis approaches to investigate the historical and contemporary drivers of populations change in freshwater fishes, using Salminus species as a case study due to their broad ranges, migratory behavior, and exposure to anthropogenic barriers and historical events. In Chapter 2, I assessed whether key life history traits in freshwater fishes can serve as predictors for response to damming globally. I found that none of the key life history traits utilized in this study were significant predictors of fish population responses to damming. In Chapter 3, I evaluated the population connectivity of Golden Dorado (S. brasiliensis) throughout its native range and measured genetic diversity to understand the status of their populations. I identified three genetically distinct stocks of Golden Dorado and detected evidence of recent population bottlenecks in two of them. In Chapter 4, I investigated the historic population changes and divergence timing of three Salminus species across multiple large river basins in the Neotropics to examine how historic events may have shaped the population structuring we observe today within and across species. I found unique demographic trajectories both within and across Salminus species, and evidence that S.hilarii diverged earlier than Golden Dorado and Picuda (S. affinis). Overall, my dissertation demonstrates how multifaceted approaches reveal the biological and evolutionary processes shaping population structure in freshwater fishes and inform conservation of Salminus species. As freshwater biodiversity faces increasing threats, understanding disrupted connectivity and unpredictable anthropogenic impacts remains crucial for effective management.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)2025-11-1
The ecological and evolutionary processes shaping population structure in freshwater fishes
No full textThe Neotropical region harbors exceptional freshwater fish diversity, yet many are increasingly at risk. These fishes exhibit diverse history traits, including a wide range reproductive strategies, feeding behaviors, growth patterns, and migration patterns. Their riverine habitats have been shaped by geological and paleoclimatic processes and are currently being impacted by various anthropogenic pressures. Conservation measures are challenging to implement for wide-ranging species that span multiple large river basins, thus requiring management strategies that consider both regional and transboundary conservation needs. Understanding population status is essential for effective conservation assessments, as life history traits, connectivity, and genetic structure can all shift in response to environmental change. My dissertation combines empirical and synthesis approaches to investigate the historical and contemporary drivers of populations change in freshwater fishes, using Salminus species as a case study due to their broad ranges, migratory behavior, and exposure to anthropogenic barriers and historical events. In Chapter 2, I assessed whether key life history traits in freshwater fishes can serve as predictors for response to damming globally. I found that none of the key life history traits utilized in this study were significant predictors of fish population responses to damming. In Chapter 3, I evaluated the population connectivity of Golden Dorado (S. brasiliensis) throughout its native range and measured genetic diversity to understand the status of their populations. I identified three genetically distinct stocks of Golden Dorado and detected evidence of recent population bottlenecks in two of them. In Chapter 4, I investigated the historic population changes and divergence timing of three Salminus species across multiple large river basins in the Neotropics to examine how historic events may have shaped the population structuring we observe today within and across species. I found unique demographic trajectories both within and across Salminus species, and evidence that S.hilarii diverged earlier than Golden Dorado and Picuda (S. affinis). Overall, my dissertation demonstrates how multifaceted approaches reveal the biological and evolutionary processes shaping population structure in freshwater fishes and inform conservation of Salminus species. As freshwater biodiversity faces increasing threats, understanding disrupted connectivity and unpredictable anthropogenic impacts remains crucial for effective management.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)2025-11-1
The Graduate Student Senate, The Graduate Linguistic Student Association, and The University of Massachusetts Occasional Papers in Linguistics
No full textEarly Modern Racial Form: Performances of Childhood and Whiteness
No full textThis dissertation considers children of the English early modern stage in terms of racial forms of whiteness. Working at the intersection of childhood studies and premodern critical race studies, my study of theatrical representations of the sacrificial child, racial innocence, the boy knight, and the commodified child situate these racial forms as politically and aesthetically relevant to the historical process of crafting racial whiteness and the English identity. As the seventeenth century marks a turning point for the changing legal political status of Anglo-American children, where the exclusion of children from the power of consent will extend to adults deemed incapable of reason and (therefore) political voice and freedoms, this project takes seriously how children’s political agency and utility were imagined in theater exploring racial ideas through imperial themes, the nation, class and even genre. Bringing together a patchwork of texts across genres, including Shakespeare’s history plays (Henry V and King John), George Chapman’s masques and tragedies (The Memorable Masque and Bussy D’Ambois), Ben Jonson’s London comedies (Epicoene and Bartholomew Fair), Francis Beaumont’s genre-bending The Knight of the Burning Pestle, and the story of the Powhatan “Black Boyes,” which circulated in numerous reports from “Virginia,” this dissertation demonstrates a varied and holistic approach to the politics of children as politically and aesthetically relevant to early modern drama. I argue that a white poetics of failure, inviting and demanding future iterations, and childhood innocence as racial innocence, are central to race thinking in these plays, and proliferate as racial forms of whiteness in ways meaningful to the present day. My main goal in this project is to bring early modern childhood studies (where little has been done on children and race) in line with the field more broadly and to invite more work on the basis that childhood is raced.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.