Summit Institutional Repository @ PSU (Plymouth State University)
Not a member yet
411 research outputs found
Sort by
Methods for investigating and advancing active transportation in New Hampshire
Get PDFAccess to and use of active transportation opportunities are central to the creation of sustainable communities in the state of New Hampshire (NH). To further active transportation participation in the state, Plymouth State University partnered with NH's Department of Transportation and regional planning commissions to better understand barriers to bicycling throughout NH. Participatory GIS mapping (PPGIS) surveys in two case study regions of NH captured perceived barriers to bicycling, which validated Level of Traffic Stress (LTS) roads models. Additional community and regional accessibility assessments utilized a Level of Traffic Stress model to identify gaps in the state's bicycling network and prioritize roadways for improvement. The results of the PPGIS survey revealed few distinctions between regional perceptions of barriers to bikeability, supporting the application of bicycle prescriptions statewide. The survey also suggested that LTS-measured variables are among the most prominent barriers to bicycling engagement in NH. Planners can thus justify funding and prioritizing pro-bicycle roadway improvements informed by LTS model results, and, by extension, the accessibility analysis. This research provides planners, government officials, citizens, and advocacy groups with recommendations regarding the most effective processes for developing and implementing active transportation improvements throughout their communities.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Promoting health across the lifespan
No full textThis document contains health lesson plans on a variety of topics. The content is intended for use by health educators, and the target audience of the materials varies from elementary aged children to older adults.
Each lesson plan has a topic overview, time and format information, Healthy People 2020 Objectives, National Health Education Standards information, learning objectives, key concepts and terms, materials needed, and teaching steps.
This material was developed by Plymouth State University students as a part of their coursework for Promoting Health Across the Lifespan, in fall 2017 with Dr. Barbara McCahan.
Materials are Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license except where otherwise indicated.Contents
Chapter 1 Getting and Staying Active for Sedentary Young Adults p. 1
This lesson plan is designed to increase physical activity and healthy behaviors in sedentary young adults. The content is intended for college students.
Goals Setting and Time Management for Increasing Physical Activity by Thomas Oliveira p. 3
Heart Rate and RPE by Trevor Scappatura p. 10
Running for a Better Mood by Lauren Walsh p. 16
Social Connections and Physical Activity by Kendra Danby p. 25
Chapter 2 Physical Activity in Older Adults p. 32
This lesson plan is designed to increase physical activity and healthy behaviors to older and aging adults. The content is intended for older adults.
Importance of Strength Training for Older Adults by Justin Jannini p. 33
Let’s Flex by Lillian O’Connor p. 38
Reduce Your Fear of Falling by Kelsey Wang p. 46
Up Your Heart Rate, Up Your Life by Louisa Noble p. 62
Chapter 3 Plant Based Diet p. 71
This lesson plan is designed to introduce the benefits of a vegetarian or plant based diet in the context of disease prevention. The content is intended for college students.
Body Builder’s Guide to Building Body with Body Building Plants by Danielle Oswald p. 72
Lean Mean Veggie Machines Protecting the Environment by Danielle Cummings p. 104
Portion Sizes by Rayanne Lepisto p. 116
Valuable Veggies by Andrea Gilbert p. 138
Chapter 4 Preventing Communicable Disease p. 146
This lesson plan is designed to introduce the importance of communicable disease prevention and to increase understanding of common cold and allergy signs and symptoms. The content is intended for college students.
Another Cold? by Ali Garofano p. 147
Foodborne Illnesses by Sarah Knowles p. 154
Hand-washing, Sneezing and Coughing Techniques by Skyla Gorman p. 163
Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Among Young Adults by Ayla Sheets p. 176
Chapter 5 Positive Pals p. 185
This lesson plan is designed to introduce body positivity, self-confidence, and healthy behaviors to school aged children. The content is intended for elementary aged children.
Every Unique Body is Okay by Kayla Gould p. 186
You Are Perfect Just the Way You Are by Marissa Merrill p. 192
Finding Confidence Through Physical Activity by Simone Murray p. 201
Mindful Meditation by Natalie Lydon p. 207
Chapter 6 Stress Management for College Students p. 211
This lesson plan is designed to introduce strategies for stress management. The content is intended for college students.
Control Your Stress by Sydney Wacht p. 212
Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Your Average Stressed-Out College Student by Danielle Ahern p. 218
Stopping Stress in Its Tracks by Jennifer Marcus p. 224
Chapter 7 Stress Management for Working Adults p. 231
This lesson plan is designed to introduce mindfulness and meditation strategies for stress management in the workplace. The content is intended for working adults.
Beat Stress! by Emily Longolucco p. 232
Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Yoga by Kate Demeritt p. 239
Journaling Through Stress Management by Kailee Joncas p. 245
Workplace Mindfulness by Tyler Wilkinson p. 25
Social media analysis of the Minnesota Wild
No full textThis original report analyzes the social media presence of hockey brand the Minnesota Wild. It critiques the brand's use of social media by looking at their presence on different social media platforms, including, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. By examining current platform use, I identify what makes the Minnesota Wild different, how they gain followers, and specific strategies they use to engage their audience. The goal is to identify characteristics that differentiate this particular brand from its competitors. Along with that, I also analyze whether or not the current social media strategy they are using is working, or not, and how they can make it better in the future. Some strengths include the use of voice on platforms, engaging with their fans, a "behind the scene" look of the players, and making the players appear more authentic. Weaknesses for the Wild include, they are a younger brand, have a lot of competition in the NHL, they also do not have the same "voice" on every platform, and they are not using their Pinterest to its full potential. The Wild must find a balance between being genuine with their followers, and still being able to grow their brand following.Student Showcase of Excellence 201
The role of wetlands as habitat for the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) in the White Mountain National Forest
Get PDFIn May 2015, the northern long-eared bat, Myotis septentrionalis, became the first bat species to be listed as Threatened via the Endangered Species Act due to the wildlife disease known as White Nose Syndrome. The species, which had been in decline for a number of years, then became an elevated concern for every wildlife manager in the Eastern United States and was of particular concern to the timber industry. The goal of my research project was to better understand this species' distribution in the White Mountain National Forest by statistically testing for associations between detections of the northern long-eared bat and habitat variables. Three years of presence/absence echolocation surveys starting in 2014 and ending in 2016 were conducted in Northern New Hampshire and Western Maine, with northern long-eared bats detected in 27 out of 333 survey sites. Stand-level habitat characteristics were examined using logistic regression to determine which characteristics could be used as predictors for northern long-eared bat presence on the landscape. The average diameter at breast height of a forest stand and the number of hectares of wetlands within 2 km appear to be landscape-level characteristics that influence the presence of northern long-eared bats on the landscape. Prey abundance was also assessed as a way to explain why the northern long-eared bat was being found near wetlands, but no significant patterns were found. The results from this study suggest careful management of timber stands within 2 km of wetlands.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Summer institute anthology 2017
No full textThis is the 2017 edition in a series of Summer Anthologies collecting writing by participants in the National Writing Project in New Hampshire invitational and advanced leadership institutes. These works are typically written during the institute itself and are as diverse in form, content, and theme as our participants. Some are inspired by exercises completed in writing groups. Most are shared in writing groups or at open mic sessions and are revised during the length of the institute. Fellows, returning fellows, project faculty and staff are all invited to contribute.
For more information, visit us online at
https://www.plymouth.edu/outreach/nwpnh/Writing by participants in the National Writing Project in New Hampshire invitational and advanced leadership institutes.You Can Read it, But You Ain't Gonna to Like It by Randy Brooker 1
Anymore* by Nelly Mejia Martí 4
Children of Stone* by Mary Magnusson 5
Good Days, Bad Days by Alexis Sebilian 8
Dante by Fanny Fernandez 10
Letter to a Colleague by Jaison Jimenez 12
The Socratic Method by Christopher D'agostino 14
Josear by Anthony P. Vasko 17
Teacher Lore by Ashley Nicol 23
Our Legacy* by Patricia Ossers 27
Teaching is Like Spreading the Seeds of a Dandelion by Christina Lamson 28
The Day I Died by James Smith 30
Self-Analysis* by Eridania Rodriguez 34
A Father's Love by Jorge Luis Palmero Mota 36
A Diamond in the Rough by Gavin Kearns 37
Coming to Santiago, Dominican Republic, 1987: A Personal Narrative in Three Moments by Meg Petersen 39
A Pot of Gold by Molly Campbell 42
Serving Newark's Inner City by Hugo Ventura 47
Redemption and Second Chances by Elizabeth Renaud 50
Last Wave by Héctor Santana 54
*Access to these works has been restricted at the request of the authors
Understanding how stakeholders value scenic views: lessons from the Lakes Region and White Mountains of New Hampshire on incorporating viewshed management into environmental decision making
Get PDFThe Lakes and White Mountain Regions of New Hampshire is a unique setting that is overwhelmingly influenced by strong scenic landscapes containing picturesque valleys and rugged mountain peaks. Aesthetics, especially the scenic beauty of a landscape, is often cited as an important cultural ecosystem service of certain landscapes, especially when a development or alteration is proposed and communities and visitors are afraid of what they might lose. Alterations to these viewsheds are sometimes unavoidable, with human growth comes need for new industry, land development, and new sources of energy. While there is plenty of evidence that people express concern for scenic views, there is very little policy relevant data in 1) how stakeholders value scenic views and 2) how they feel about different types of energy project alterations to landscapes in their communities. Our study aimed to do just that. Through a mixed methods approach we spoke with 26 stakeholders in the Lakes and White Mountain Region of New Hampshire to better understand how stakeholders felt about their viewsheds and potential alterations to them, with a focus on large-scale energy generation and transmission projects. Our findings show that stakeholders place a value on scenic views in multifarious ways including environmentally, economically, and socially. Given the extensive value placed on views by these stakeholders, both state and local policies should include this valuation when examining potential alterations.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Seasonal temperature changes with elevation on Mount Washington
Get PDFThe summit of Mount Washington is warming more slowly than surrounding lower elevations of the Northeast, which is opposite to climate model projections and observations in other mountain ranges. A looming scientific question is: why? A hypothesis is that the exposure of the summit to the "free troposphere," an air mass that sits above the ground-based "boundary layer," for approximately half the year is imparting a slower warming at the summit. This research project takes a preliminary first step toward answering this question by finding methods to determine when Mount Washington is in the boundary layer. Temperature readings from the summit, and the bases of the Cog Railway (west side) and Auto Road (east side) from 2015-2016 were used to calculate lapse rates. Lapse rates were plotted for their monthly and seasonal variability. For daily variability, the lapse rates were low at night and increased during the day. Spring and summer were found to have to greatest lapse rates compared to fall and winter months. During the spring and summer the sun is higher in the sky, which leads to more warming of the ground and greater vertical motions that grow the boundary layer to the summit altitude frequently.Student Showcase of Excellence 201
A sensitivity analysis of WRF-simulated cold air damming using variable parameterization schema
No full textCold air damming (CAD) is a common phenomenon in Northern New England U.S.A. in which cold air persists to the south and east of the northern Appalachian Mountains during region-wide warm air advection. CAD often allows for wintry precipitation to persist for extended periods and can negatively impact transportation and local commerce in Northern New England, especially during the winter months. Numerical models are known to struggle with the evolution of CAD, particularly the erosion process and the portrayal of the vertical temperature profile and precipitation type. Numerical models often mix-out the cold air too soon, which can lead to the unanticipated continuation of hazardous wintry weather. This study assessed how the WRF-ARW simulated surface cold pool evolution associated with CAD, and the changes to this evolution associated with different planetary boundary layer (PBL) and microphysical parameterization schema. The project repeated this analysis for three different classes of CAD based on the classification scheme of Bailey et al. (2003) to generate respective eight-member ensembles of 2-meter xvi temperature forecasts, as well as time-height analyses of temperature and vertical temperature gradients from the surface to 800 hPa. Analysis of the ensembles showed that more definitive temperature biases existed between PBL schema, while no distinct temperature bias existed between microphysical parameterizations. The local Mellor-Yamada-Janjic (MYJ) scheme simulated an erosion of the surface cold pool more in line with observations than the non-local Yonsei University (YSU) scheme. However, both PBL schemes completed the erosion process quicker than observations and produced warmer temperatures than observed in the three analyzed cases. The sample size of cases is too small to definitively say whether the WRF accurately simulates a particular class of CAD better than another, or whether a clear temperature bias occurs during the entire CAD event rather than just the erosion process.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio
Sex trafficking: a part of Voices against Violence
Get PDFOur group would like to gain extensive knowledge on the topic of sex trafficking and how it relates to homelessness and drug abuse. Learning about the cycle of prostitution and how these individuals become trapped. Finding the main source this wicked problem, and brainstorming ideas on how we can stop it. Finding resources available to women who have broke the cycle and are trying to turn their lives around. Also, encouraging education programs that inform young adults to be aware of certain situations that could get them caught in this cycle. Expanding our knowledge on how and why individuals are trafficked and why traffickers target certain people. The group wants to come up with a project that will benefit the women affected by these issues.Poster created by students in First Year Seminar at Plymouth State University
One to one laptop program CIPP evaluation
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the 1:1 laptop programs in two New Hampshire K-8 schools and to develop a more manageable evaluation model for school administrators. Using Stufflebeam's (1971) Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) model, this evaluation posed and answered key questions that addressed professional development, technology integration, and student engagement as related to the 1:1 programs in both schools. Data were collected from interviews, surveys, observations, focus groups, and field notes. The evaluation revealed that the programs were instituted successfully. However, it became clear that teachers needed significant support and initiative to redesign tasks to infuse technology and transform learning into experiences that encompass creative thinking, collaboration, and problem solving. The process of using the full CIPP evaluation model revealed that this method is too time consuming and labor intensive for a school principal. Using the CIPP model as a base, a new model, the Essential Embedded Evaluation Model (EEEM), was developed.Electronic Thesis or Dissertatio