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SERVING IT UP IN THE CAPITAL CITY : RESTAURANT LABOR AND CULTURE IN LANSING, MICHIGAN, 1960S TO 1990S
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. History - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Serving it Up in the Capital City: Restaurants, Labor, and Culture in Lansing, Michigan, 1960s to 1990s is the first study of its kind to blend historiographies of United States labor, immigration, migration, race, and gender in order to weave a story of socio-cultural and economic change in a mid-sized Rust Belt city during the decades in which the economy was shifting from a Manufacturing base to one of Service. This dissertation examines this shift in Lansing via an analysis of the restaurant industry, which has received shamefully inadequate attention in the Labor History literature. Lansing has a unique history consisting of its own trends and cultural shifts while sharing many regional identities as part of the Rust Belt, the Great Lakes Region, and the Midwest. Lansing is the capital of Michigan\u2013a state where local pride is entrenched within the automotive industry and adjacent industrial manufacturing. General Motors never left Lansing and continued to be a major employer in mid-Michigan, providing middle-class wages for blue-collar work. The resulting tastes are steeped in blue-collar aesthetics that favor pizza, burgers, and beer over cosmopolitan and \u201cexotic\u201d tastes of large U.S. cities like New York or Los Angeles. The service industry in Lansing developed in relation to these tastes and expectations that have become indicative of Middle American tastes, preferences, social beliefs, economics, and work. Crucially, the service industry of Lansing has been intertwined with the tumult of both the national and regional economy and therefore, the dissertation dives into a multitude of these dynamics.Each of the five chapters in Serving it Up in the Capital City present a different theme showcasing how a historical analysis of restaurants and bars in particular a place can reveal local, regional, national, and global changes. Chapter One tells the story of Greek-immigrant Jim Vlahakis and how he became a successful entrepreneur in Lansing through the restaurant industry. Through the development of his restaurant business we see an example of how cultural, social, and religious institutions helped Vlahakis advance economically and blend into the predominantly white population of mid-Michigan. Chapter Two uses a trove of historic restaurant menus and travel guides to discuss my original ideas of Midwestern tastes and preferences. I demonstrate the ways in which hyperproduction in the food industry led to the possibility of defining one\u2019s individuality via their diet and taste preferences. Chapter Three argues that bars and restaurants were vibrant socio-cultural centers. Of course, restaurant owners made choices of who was allowed within the restaurant, but the customers also played a role in fighting for their right to use these spaces. In fact, this type of gate-keeping could turn violent, as was the case when the local chapter of the Gay Liberation Movement staged actions in the early 1970s. This chapter explores these types of dynamics. Chapter Four describes \u201cthe other NRA\u201d as a political interest group that fought to maintain the subminimum wage and limit worker protections. The chapter forces scholars to grapple with the ways in which the NRA and its subsidiaries have worked to maintain the subminimum wage and championed legislation that minimized and/or dissolved worker protections. Chapter Five analyzes industry responses to national legislation regarding drinking and driving, underage drinking, limiting exposure to second-hand smoke, and protections for workers with disabilities and acute health challenges like HIV/AIDS. Together, these stories use restaurants and bars to examine significant social, cultural, legal, political, and economic changes in the late twentieth century.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Evaluating Box Compression Strength (BCS) using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN)
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Packaging - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Though box compression strength (BCS) is commonly used as a performance criterion for shipping containers, the state-of-the-art BCS estimation produces results within a broad range of values. In this study we implemented a new approach, artificial neural networks (ANN), to explore how much data may be needed for an ANN to reasonably predict compression strength, and how the ANN approach performs while facing variation that adversely impacts other modeling methodologies. An ANN model can be built by comprehensively adjusting four modeling factors that interact with each other to influence model accuracy and can be optimized by minimizing model MSE. Using both data available from the literature and a \u201csynthetic\u201d data set using idealized data based on the McKee equation, we find that model estimation accuracy remains limited by the uncertainty or error in the input parameters combined with uncertainty from the ANN process itself, and we produce an estimate for this impact. The population size to build an ANN model that can reasonably estimate BCS has been identified based on different data sets in this study.Packaging design plays a crucial role in ensuring the protective performance of packages. Various factors must be considered to ensure package strength during the packaging design process. Understanding the relative importance of each influencing factor or design feature provides valuable insights for optimizing packaging material utilization. However, current methods such as testing and finite element analysis have limitations in evaluating the relative significance of these parameters. In response to these challenges, in this research, we applied different methods to comprehensively evaluate the relative importance of different packaging design features on a given packaging property. Using BCS as a representative packaging property, the relative importance of up to six BCS features (Edge Crush Test (ECT), Perimeter, Thickness, Depth, and Flexural Stiffness in both the machine and cross-machine directions) were evaluated. Four distinct ANN methods were employed - Connection weights method, Gradient-based method, Permutation method, and SHAP values. These techniques were applied to two datasets: one comprising "synthetic" data based on the McKee formula and the other representing real-world scenarios. The reliability of these methods was assessed. Different input feature importance (FI) scores obtained from the four methods have been calculated and compared with theoretical BCS FI derived from the McKee formula. The BCS feature ranking result given by the synthetic data is verified by the theoretical feature importance ranking indicated by the McKee formula. Although box depth is considered to have zero importance in the McKee formula, the BCS feature importance ranking from the real dataset highlights its significance, aligning with buckling theory. The study gives an insight into the BCS feature importance evaluation using ANN approach and guides packaging design material and cost saving. The ultimate objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive ANN model for predicting Box Compression Strength (BCS). To achieve this, we utilized a dataset encompassing a wide range of box dimensions commonly encountered in industrial applications. After applying multiple optimization methods to determine the optimal number of hidden neurons and further identifying the key factor values influencing the model, a generalized ANN model was trained. The trained ANN model can predict the BCS commonly used in the industrial applicable level with an error of 9.51%. The primary factor contributing to the high BCS error is the presence of boundary data points and the small sample size of the current data set. One possible strategy to improve ANN prediction accuracy is to continually expand the current dataset sample size using available resources. In essence, this study serves as a roadmap for forthcoming research endeavors seeking to leverage ANN techniques to tackle challenges and provide solutions within the corrugated industry.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVATION OF THE RXR AND NRF2 PATHWAYS REPROGRAMS THE IMMUNE MICROENVIRONMENT AND DECREASES TUMOR BURDEN IN KRAS-DRIVEN LUNG CANCER
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Pharmacology and Toxicology-Environmental Toxicology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. While recent advances including immunotherapies and KRAS inhibitors have expanded therapeutic options and improved clinical management of lung cancer, significant challenges remain including limited patient response rates and the development of drug resistance. These obstacles necessitate the development of new treatments for lung cancer with increased efficacy and a broader target patient population. One strategy to achieve these goals is to develop drugs with wide-ranging effects on a variety of cellular processes. Such promiscuous mechanisms of action are particularly advantageous in conditions involving complex biological mechanisms such as cancer where targeting single pathways may be insufficient, as they can address multiple facets of the disease simultaneously. One such strategy is pharmacological activation of transcriptional systems, as the resulting widespread modulation of target gene expression can induce significant overhaul of major relevant cellular processes. This dissertation elucidates the anti-cancer effects of pharmacological activation of two different transcriptional programs: the Retinoid X Receptor (RXR), and the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)-nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway. RXR is a ligand-dependent nuclear receptor which transcriptionally regulates many cancer-related cellular processes including development, differentiation, metabolism, and homeostasis. The novel RXR agonist MSU-42011 reduced tumor number, size, and burden in the A/J model of vinyl-carbamate induced lung cancer. Additionally, MSU-42011 in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel (C/P) decreased pro-tumor macrophage CD206 expression and increased infiltration of activated anti-tumor CD8+ T cells. In comparison, the FDA-approved RXR agonist bexarotene did not reduce tumor burden in this model and no immunomodulatory effects were observed. The Nrf2 pathway is a master regulator of oxidative and electrophilic stressors resulting from accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), hypoxia, pH changes, and other conditions common within the lung tumor microenvironment. While increased Nrf2 activity in tumor cells due to environmental conditions or mutations (e.g. Keap1 inactivation) promotes survival, the data presented in this dissertation show that pharmacological Nrf2 activation in the immune microenvironment promotes an anti-tumor phenotype which results in decreased lung tumor burden. The triterpenoid CDDO-Methyl Ester (CDDO-Me), a potent activator of Nrf2, reduces tumor number, size, and burden in a Nrf2-dependent manner. In WT mice, CDDO-Me decreased expression of the pro-tumor macrophage marker CD206 and the tumor-promoting Treg marker FoxP3 on CD4+ T cells while simultaneously increasing degranulation of activated CD8+ T cells. Strikingly, the anti-tumor effect of CDDO-Me + C/P was more effective than either agent alone in WT mice and CDDO-Me protected these mice from C/P-induced toxicity. Overall, pharmacological activation of the RXR and Nrf2 transcriptional systems reduce lung tumor burden and induce changes to the lung tumor microenvironment which shift this cell compartment from a tumor-promoting to a tumor-reducing phenotype. While transcriptional programs are incredibly complex pharmacological targets, this dissertation illustrates how powerful these systems can be in the treatment of complex diseases such as lung cancer.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Land, Labour & Karakul in Namibia, 1910s-1960s
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. History - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This dissertation explores the history of land, labour, and livestock in southern Namibia, revealing how this arid, peripheral area became drawn into global networks of meat production (the protein frontier) and fur farming (the skin frontier), as well as regional networks relating to the expansion of the South African Empire. Drawing from a vast assemblage of underutilised archival records from Namibia, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Angola, this study reconstructs the political economy of rural southern Namibia from the outbreak of the First World War up through the end of the 1960s, when the implementation of new apartheid legislation would change fundamental aspects of land tenure and agricultural production. Through close attention to long-term statistical trends and short-term local contingency, the study examines (1) transformations in land tenure amidst the most rapid settler colonial experiment in world history, noting the political, economic, ecological, and ideological foundations upon which the system was built, as well as the effects experienced by indigenous Namibians. In addition to questions of land tenure, a distinct focus is placed upon (2) examining labour relations in rural southern Namibia, considering how the system of farm labour fundamentally changed during these years, eventually pulling in migrant workers from more than a thousand kilometres away in Angola. The dissertation also closely reconstructs (3) the history of the very livestock kept on these farms, reminding the reader of the contentious political, economic, and ecological debates over which breeds of sheep and cattle were most useful for the colonial project to capture, transform, and profit from grass. This study shows the importance of karakul sheep in shaping the trajectory of colonial agriculture, labour relations, and race relations, distinguishing Namibia from other colonised arid lands globally. Ultimately this dissertation shows that the history of karakul sheep, of the workers who shepherded them, and of the arid lands upon which they walked all illuminate broader regional and global trends regarding settler colonialism and rural capitalism.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Computational Approaches to Molecular Simulations : Classical Geometry Optimization and Quantum-Centric Electronic Structure Methods
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Chemistry - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Molecular simulations are essential in computational chemistry, with classical and quantum methods offering complementary approaches to studying molecular structures and interactions. This thesis explores two distinct projects: classical geometry optimization (Chapter 2) and quantum computing for electronic structure simulations (Chapters 3 and 4). Chapter 2 investigates geometry optimization using various open-source optimizers interfaced with the QUICK program. By analyzing structures from the Baker test set, we compare internal and Cartesian coordinates, evaluate quasi-Newton strategies, and assess a machine learning-based Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) optimizer. Among the tested methods, ASE/Berny and ASE/Sella achieve the fastest convergence, making them suitable for large-scale applications. Chapter 3 presents quantum-centric simulations of noncovalent interactions using sample-based quantum diagonalization (SQD). We compute the potential energy surfaces of water and methane dimers on quantum hardware, achieving deviations within 1 kcal/mol from high-accuracy classical methods. A 54-qubit simulation explores the current limitations of quantum methods in modeling hydrophobic interactions. Chapter 4 extends quantum-centric simulations to larger systems by integrating SQD with density matrix embedding theory (DMET). This hybrid approach efficiently reduces quantum resource requirements while maintaining accuracy. Simulations of an 18-atom hydrogen ring and cyclohexane conformers on the ibm\_cleveland quantum device demonstrate the feasibility of quantum embedding techniques for extended molecular systems. By advancing classical optimization strategies and demonstrating scalable quantum simulations, this thesis contributes to the development of computational tools for accurate and efficient molecular modeling.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Towards Graph Foundation Model : From Network Science Theory to Practice Application
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Computer Science - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Graphs, which abstract complex systems of relations and interactions, can model transportation networks, trading networks, epidemic networks, the World Wide Web, and more. Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), aiming to adaptively integrate both feature and structure knowledge on networks, have emerged as a popular graph representation learning technique. The key component in GNNs is the non-parameterized message-passing operator, which updates node representation via aggregating neighbor node messages. Message-passing operators generally follow the algorithm alignment design principle, where the operator should align with the task principle or the corresponding graph algorithms, e.g., Common Neighbor for friend recommendation, PageRank for web Search, and Dijkstra algorithm for finding the shortest path. Despite the initial success achieved by GNNs, most of them are end-to-end trained and evaluated on one single dataset. Consequently, an architectural overfitting phenomenon can be found where GNNs generally cannot perform well across graphs with various properties, as they are specifically designed to beat existing methods on the limited benchmark dataset. Such obstacle makes it difficult for practitioners to determine which models will generalize effectively to unseen datasets. Thereby, a new but necessary requirement for graph representation learning is to be expressive enough to capture diverse properties and adapt across different graphs. To achieve this ultimate goal, I first endeavor to elucidate all the underlying network patterns across diverse graphs with a properly designed random network model. Theoretical analysis is further conducted to principally characterize the relationship between different network patterns. Secondly, I conduct analysis on GNN's inner mechanism about which network patterns GNNs can capture and which not. With the help of the random network model, I can identify the inevitable but largely ignored limitation of GNNs. Finally, I develop Graph Foundation Models~(GFMs) to address the incapability of GNNs. GFMs comprehensively consider the training data diversity, expressive architecture design, and suitable training objective, which moderates the over-reliance on the algorithm alignment and captures diverse network patterns on different graphs.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
CULTIVATING HEALTHY ETHNIC-RACIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AMONG INFANTS AND TODDLERS THROUGH JUSTICE-BASED ETHNIC-RACIAL SOCIALIZATION
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Human Development and Family Studies - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025ABSTRACTThis dissertation examines the critical role of ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) in the early development of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) among infants and toddlers, with a focus on the transformative potential of justice-based ethnic-racial socialization (JBERS). While systems must be held responsible for the systemic racism that is deeply embedded in the social structures of the United States and perpetuated through both historical and contemporary practices, there is a role for accountability and intervention at the individual level as well. The early childhood period, particularly infancy and toddlerhood, presents a unique opportunity to engage caregivers and children in meaningful practices that can disrupt the development of harmful ethnic-racial biases and promote racial justice. A key contribution of this work is the exploration of the literature on ethnic-racial awareness in the earliest stages of life. The existing literature primarily focuses on older children and often overlooks infants and toddlers, with limited attention given to the role of caregivers in fostering healthy ERI during the formative years of birth to age 3. This gap is addressed in a scoping review (Study 1) which synthesizes the current state of research on ethnic-racial awareness among children from birth to age 3. Study 1 identifies the need for more diverse, inclusive research that incorporates Multiracial populations and highlights the underrepresentation of toddlers in studies of ethnic-racial identity development, especially given the significance of this period in the emergence of self-awareness. Further, Study 1 demonstrates the need for more research on the ethnic-racial socialization practices among caregivers of infants and toddlers using validated measures.Building on these findings, Study 2 introduces two new measures designed to assess caregivers' capacity to engage in JBERS with infants and toddlers. These measures focus on the ERI beliefs that caregivers of infants and toddlers hold and ERS practices in which caregivers of infants and toddlers engage. These new measures offer a means of evaluating the potential for JBERS interventions. Study 2 contributes to the field by providing tools to assess how caregivers can be better equipped to support healthy ERI development in young children.Taken together, the two studies inform the development of the Reciprocal Healthy Ethnic-Racial Identity Development (RHERID) model. Future research should build upon the findings of this dissertation to examine associations between JBERS delivery and infant/toddler outcomes among diverse ethnic-racial groups and within varying cultural contexts. Ultimately, this work underscores the importance of intentionally engaging in JBERS early as one aspect of the multimodal approach required to dismantle systemic racism and contribute to the broader pursuit of racial equity and social justice in the United States.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
DECODING MICROGLIAL RESPONSE TO EARLY ALPHA-SYNUCLEIN INCLUSION FORMATION
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Neuroscience - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Parkinson\u2019s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and is poised to increase in prevalence as the population ages. Hallmark pathologies of the disease include aggregation of alpha-synuclein (\u3b1-Syn) into Lewy bodies accompanied by the loss of dopamine neurons in the nigrostriatal system. A potential third pathological hallmark of PD is the presence of reactive microglia within the substantia nigra (SN), surrounding inclusion-bearing neurons. The contribution of early inclusion-associated microglial activation to nigrostriatal degeneration is not well understood. The rat \u3b1-Syn preformed fibril (PFF) model of synucleinopathy demonstrates two distinct phases of pathology progression in the SN. The first phase is the aggregation phase, characterized by the accumulation of \u3b1-Syn into phosphorylated alpha-synuclein (pSyn) inclusions, followed by the degeneration phase, characterized by the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) phenotype and overt degeneration of nigral neurons. By leveraging the distinct aggregation phase of the PFF model, we are able to specifically investigate the transcriptomic response within the SN to pSyn inclusion formation prior to neurodegeneration. In the present dissertation we used a laser capture microdissection (LCM) technique and RNA sequencing to investigate differential gene expression within the inclusion-bearing nigra at one- and two-months post PFF injection, prior to phenotype loss and subsequent neurodegeneration. Our results suggest that genes and pathways associated with inflammation and the immune response are increased at both timepoints, and that genes and pathways associated with synaptic transmission and synaptic signaling are decreased at both timepoints. In addition, we found that upregulation of genes and pathways implicating defense responses to virus are uniquely upregulated at the two-month time point. Furthermore, we identified a family of proteases, called cathepsins, that are upregulated in the inclusion-bearing SN at both timepoints. Subsequent follow up analysis using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and immunofluorescence (IF) revealed increases in multiple cathepsins within the inclusion-bearing SN. Specifically, cathepsin H (Ctsh), S (Ctss), and X (Ctsx) were all found to be enriched within microglia in the inclusion-bearing SN at either one, two, or both timepoints following PFF injection. Collectively, these results suggest that the impact of microglia to pSyn inclusions in the SNpc is temporally dynamic. These results suggest a role for reactive microglia in early alpha-synuclein pathology and may provide therapeutic targets for disease intervention.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Cold War Cameroonian Diplomats on the World Stage : Forging Alliances with China and Taiwan
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. History - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025This dissertation is a diplomatic history from below of Cameroon\u2019s relationship with China and Taiwan during the Cold War. At the center are the diverse array of Cameroonians who forged and mediated Cameroon\u2019s shifting alliances in the Cold War: nationalists, guerrilla fighters, healthcare workers, and politicians \u2013 women and men alike. By taking seriously the diplomacy of Cameroonian citizens not normally considered to be diplomats, I challenge understandings of African international relations as perpetually dominated by foreign powers and their rivalries. Instead, I demonstrate that such narratives understate the experiences and agency of Africans in shaping their own foreign relations. Employing a transregional methodology, my arguments draw on sources from Cameroon, China, Taiwan, France, and the UK, including state archives, oral histories, and \u201cgrassroots\u201d sources that I found and purchased in China. First, I argue that Cameroonian nationalists practiced gendered forms of diplomacy with China, and that women were particularly effective in this work, despite remaining largely invisible to historians relying on official colonial archives. Second, by recognizing Cameroonian healthcare workers as diplomats in their work alongside Chinese colleagues at two hospitals in Cameroon, I demonstrate that China did not merely influence African knowledge production in a one-directional display of power \u2013 as has generally been assumed \u2013 but that knowledge flowed in both directions. Lastly, examining how Cameroonians navigated three separate alliances with Taiwan and China also illuminates crucial dynamics of African decolonization and the Cold War. These alliances formed and shifted in ways that cannot be explained by the traditional emphasis on ideology, foreign aid, and great power competition, as they demonstrate that Africans exercised far more diplomatic power than appears in histories of African decolonization focused on the West. Bringing Cameroonian, Chinese, and Taiwanese sources into conversation also complicates the narrative in Chinese and Taiwanese historiography on relations with Africa during the Cold War. Scholars tend either to critique China and Taiwan by asserting that all their dealings with Africans were disingenuous, or to claim a harmonious and enduring relationship with Africa. In both cases, the result is to make China or Taiwan the actor, and to cast Africans as credulous participants. By studying how governments in China and Taiwan responded to African diplomacy, my research brings new insight to scholarship on the international relations history of China and Taiwan.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references
Leveraging Mathematical Justification Opportunities to Support Students' Agency in the Learning Process : A Case Study of One Teacher's Practice and Perspectives
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Mathematical reasoning is essential to knowing and doing mathematics, and mathematical reasoning practices can be leveraged by teachers to support student voice and choice in the learning process. This dissertation explored how one elementary teacher provided opportunities for students to engage in the mathematical reasoning practice of justification and how these opportunities supported her goals for equity in a classroom of diverse students. Given that agency emerged as a prominent theme in the teacher\u2019s equity goals, this dissertation focused analysis of findings on the relationship between mathematical justification and agency, with connections to interrelated equity constructs (such as mathematical identity) expressed by the teacher, as well. Mathematical justification can be defined as, \u201cthe process of supporting your mathematical claims and choices when solving problems or explaining why your claim or answer makes sense\u201d (Bieda & Staples, 2020, p. 103). Case study methodology was used to examine the teacher\u2019s curriculum materials, classroom enactment strategies, equity goals, and perceptions on the relationship between justification and equity. This study was situated in a self-contained, racially/ethnically diverse, fourth-grade classroom in an urban district in the Midwest, taught by a female Teacher of Color. Findings are reported in the form of three articles, each discussing connections between justification and equity (with a focus on agency). Each article was written for different primary audiences: the first for mathematics education researchers, the second for mathematics teacher educators, and the third for practitioners. The first article presents the broadest overview of how and why the teacher provided justification opportunities, with the second two articles focusing more in-depth on specific types of justification opportunities. This first article, which is Chapter 2 of the dissertation, was written for researchers as the primary audience and will be submitted for publication consideration to the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (JMTE). This article was guided by two research questions: (1) How does a teacher facilitate opportunities for students to engage in the mathematical practice of justification? (2) How does the teacher perceive mathematical justification as supporting her equity goals? Findings showed that the teacher was committed to regularly incorporating justification opportunities in her mathematics lessons. She facilitated justification opportunities through purposeful task design and enactment strategies, situated within a conducive classroom environment. These opportunities were driven by her equity goals, which included a focus on supporting student agency in the learning process and cultivating the development of positive mathematical identity in students. Given how infrequent justification is implemented in classrooms, and the limited research on the relationship between justification and equity in the literature, these findings help illuminate how justification can be leveraged by a teacher in ways relevant to their classroom context and equity goals. The second manuscript (Chapter 3) was written for mathematics teacher educators as the primary audience and is intended to be submitted for publication consideration to the Mathematics Teacher Educator (MTE). This article was guided by two research questions: (1) What are one teacher\u2019s goals for promoting equity in the classroom? (2) How does the teacher leverage the practice of mathematical justification to meet her equity goals? Findings showed that facilitating students\u2019 agency and supporting students in developing positive mathematical identity were the primary equity goals for the teacher. Advancing these goals involved engaging students in problem-based learning experiences that focused on discovering and justifying mathematical patterns and relationships in ways that centered the students\u2019 ideas and reasonings. The article elaborates how and why the nature of problem-based learning experiences opened up spaces for leveraging justification to meet these equity goals. The third manuscript (Chapter 4) is a practitioner-focused piece written for the journal, Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12 (MTLT). This article discusses how the beginning of curricular units can be conducive places to facilitate justification opportunities in ways that support students\u2019 engagement with new content and agency in the learning process. The article describes how and why the teacher in this study facilitated justification opportunities at the beginning of units and offers guidance for other teachers hoping to modify their practice to provide their students with more mathematical justification opportunities.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references