IDA Mount Holyoke College Institutional Digital Archive
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Investigating Research: Corporate and Social Responsibility in Action
No full textI was a Housing Analyst this summer at an International Research Company called AIR INC. I called realtors and other rental market experts across the United States and Canada to help assign budget grids for potentially relocating clients’ executives. Including executives of Fortune 100 companies. In addition to assigning budgets for each respective location, I wrote market reports based off of research that I collected. I expanded my research skills, maximized my time management, and worked on my communication skills. I worked in both collaborative and independent settings to tackle some of the larger rental markets. I trained new interns. I wrote economic reports on 35 different locations. Including high profile locations such as Dallas, Boston, Quebec City, and Manhattan. Additionally, I worked on other sensitive locations such as Fort McMurray in Alberta Canada, which lost a fifth of its town during a widespread forest fire.We found a common connection in one area of all of our work this summer: research as a productive capacity for information building, marketing, policy directives, and more. Through our work and research with the organizations, firms, and companies we worked for this summer, we developed breadth and depth of information that shaped how we worked and what we were able to do. By investigating such things, we share the common experience of developing our academic faculties in the context of meaningful action
The Role of Morphology and Sentence Context in Word Processing for Adults with Low Literacy
No full textBoth vocabulary skill and morphological complexity, or whether words can be broken down into root words and affixes, have a significant impact on word reading for adults with low literacy. In this project, I investigated the influence of morphological complexity, root word frequency, and context strength on vocabulary acquisition and word processing of adults with low literacy and higher and lower vocabulary depth skills. Overall, participants spent less time reading morphologically complex words with high-frequency root words than with low-frequency base words or inaccessible words. Marginally significant results showed readers spent less time on target words in supportive context sentences than neutral sentences. Vocabulary depth correlated with less time spent reading high-frequency base morphologically complex words, and with higher scores on the vocabulary acquisition task for all word types. This suggests both morphological awareness and vocabulary depth are important for word processing and reading comprehension in adults with low literacy.Neuroscience and Behavio
Individualization and Its Effects: A Case Study of Chinese Students in the United States
No full textThis thesis employs the theory of reflexive individualization to analyze the educational and personal experiences of Chinese students who came to America for higher education. It draws on interviews of sixteen Chinese students who were juniors and seniors at the time the study was conducted. I found that study abroad in America often presented an imaginary utopia of choice and individuality for Chinese students, but the reality of study abroad was more complex than this portrait. My study shows that child-parent relationships are being renegotiated in China, and that these new family dynamics have an effect on the study abroad experiences of Chinese students. Students often praised American higher education for its freedom of choice and opportunities to develop a sense of self, but this newfound freedom sometimes complicated relationships with parents, a situation made even more confusing by the high tuition being financed with parental funds. I also found that study abroad promotes stresses due to a higher level of individualization in American society, such as lack of direction, regret about past decisions, and uncertainty about the future. In addition, this transnational approach to individualization is still largely constrained by nation-state boundaries and policies in the long-term.Sociology & Anthropolog
Legal Services to Stop Injustice
No full textWhat comes to mind when one wants to eliminate poverty in the United States? Education? Healthcare? Job Training? There are many possible solutions, but one that is often overlooked is access to legal services. When one stands up and recites the pledge of allegiance, the final words we say are, “Liberty and Justice for all.” We strive to uphold the words we say, but reality says otherwise. Not everyone is granted equal protection under the law because the United States has one of the worst civil justice systems in the world, thus, poverty is still a rampant issue. This summer I interned at Bayview Hunter’s Point Community Legal (BHPCL) a legal aid in San Francisco. BHPCL, co-founded by Virginia Taylor ’08, is the country’s first system of universal access to civil representation. Every day, I worked with attorneys and volunteers to ensure that everyone living in the local community can get representation on every viable legal claim or defense. My work consisted of translating Cantonese for our monolingual clients, paralegal tasks - client support, document review, fact gathering, and demand letter writing. I also was involved with creating the Social Return on Investment (SROI) report. SROI is an analysis created to help understand the impact a nonprofit by measuring its inputs (money spent on services and overhead) against the short and long-term financial benefits it provides its clients, students, or patients, as well as the long-term impact of each type of intervention is estimated using the help of social science research.The law is a vast, complex entity; it is difficult to navigate, and—unfortunately—often easy to abuse. This summer, each panelist worked with an organization that provides access to justice to marginalized groups. These internships allowed us to learn about and fight injustice within the legal system, and provided us with opportunities to work with the law in this capacity first-hand. We gained valuable experience supporting those denied access to the justice system in their fight to safeguard their legal rights, and observed how our colleagues and organizations fought back against legal abuses, navigated challenging legal and office dynamics, and continued tirelessly to work towards improving access to the law for everyone
Charted Waters? Tracking the Production of Conservation Territories on the High Seas
No full textFrom bleached reefs to declining fish stocks and plastic garbage patches, recent research and news headlines suggest that the oceans are in a state of crisis. The crisis is often explained using the “overuse narrative” of the oceans (Steinberg 2008), which highlights how historic human interactions with the oceans have followed a “frontiermentality”. Specifically, the oceans have often been treated as a resource frontier that is paradoxically characterised by both abundance and emptiness; marine resources are seen as abundant, available to be exploited as efficiently and maximally as possible, while marine space is vast and empty, available to absorb waste and pollutants. The recent, rapid decline in marine biodiversity, and its consequences for ecosystem function and services, is a result of this frontier mentality and a key feature of the oceans crisis (Sala and Knowlton 2006). While responses to the various elements of the “oceans crisis” are many and diverse, scientists and conservationists overwhelmingly advocate for marine protected areas (MPAs), especially notake areas, as the preferred tool for marine biodiversity conservation (Gray 2010). The IUCN defines protected areas, including marine protected areas, as any “clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated andmanaged, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values” (Dudley 2008, p.8). The number and spatial extent of MPAs worldwide has increased dramatically in recent years (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN 2016). This increase is emblematic of a broader proliferation of conservation territories, defined by Zimmerer (2006, p.65) as “human-designed spaces of nature protection and resource management”. Conservation territories are spatial interventions premised on legal and/or other institutional systems that rework humanenvironment relations and resource access and control in particular ways. An MPA is thus both a form of territory (Chmara-Huff 2014) and an object of governance (Jentoft et al. 2007). In this paper, I examine the long-term, international effort to enable establishment of MPAs in areas beyond national jurisdiction (“the high seas”), a process that is significant both for its potential to rework the high seas frontier mentality to include conservation and for its implications for the concept of territory
We Learn not for Lynk-UAF, but for Life
No full textRoberta Duarte’s summer internship was with the National Malaria Eradication Center (SENEPA), a technical agency of the Paraguayan Ministry of Health. As an assistant Public Health Project Coordinator, Roberta analyzed, implemented, and promoted new and creative solutions to address dengue fever and nutrition challenges around the country. This experience promoted a better sense of personal clarity and confidence in Roberta’s abilities, but the most important thing she learned was an understanding of how things can get delayed and pushed to the side, when working with organizations that have such a wide reach. Although public health personnel within the region focus on promotional and preventative measures, politics plays a critical role, and it is critical to get the buy-in of the government when addressing various public health challenges. For additional insight, reference Roberta’s LEAP symposium.What does it take to carry out a project from start to finish? This summer, two seniors and two juniors learned the answer to this question while conducting research in different disciplines. From the Pioneer Valley to Boston, to below the equator in Paraguay, we will discuss our experiences, challenges, and end results executing independent projects. While our work was different, we are united by our demonstration of determination, commitment, and resourcefulness while pursuing our projects. We invite you to attend our panel in which we will emphasize the necessity of being self-sufficient in order to be successful in your future endeavors
Working Towards a Common Goal: Long Term Applications of Scientific Research
No full textThis past summer, I interned at the Lab of Neuroanatomy and Behavior at Northeastern University under the mentorship of Dr. Rebecca Shansky. I was excited to work in Boston at a large university, but felt apprehensive about starting my first internship. Dr. Shansky’s research focuses on the behavioral responses of rats to fear and stress, sex differences between these responses, and how hormones such as estrogen can influence this neuronal pathway in rat models. Her lab combines data from behavioral assays with analysis of neuronal dendrites to bridge the connection between behavior and neurobiology. Though some of my expectations were met, I encountered more surprises than I anticipated. I spent most of my time designing and running experiments as well as analyzing video data using special computer software, a skill I had learned during my time in Professor Schwartzer’s lab at MHC. However, I also enjoyed learning about new techniques such as perfusions. This internship taught me as much about myself as it did about rat behavior and neurobiology. It was rewarding and reassuring to learn that I could handle a lot of independent work, learn quickly in a new environment, and work through problems or learn from mistakes along the way. This drove home the idea that you don’t have to be perfect - just prepared.What do rats, fruit flies, vaginal mucosa, and molecular simulations have in common? They are all important tools for unraveling the secrets of human biology. This panel brings together five scientists who spent their summers working in research laboratories in various areas of life sciences such as molecular biology, neurobiology, and biochemistry. Members worked in a variety of settings including academia and clinical laboratories, and on unique research projects. Some of the panel members work was directly related to health, while others’ were in the nascent stages of research and were more indirectly linked to future advances in human welfare. Knowledge acquired from coursework laid the foundation for learning practical skills including computer modeling, animal behavioral assays, tissue dissection, western blots, and fluorescent imaging. This panel aims to provide an overview of careers in the life sciences and how every aspect of research can contribute to the common goal of improving human health
Intersections Between Entreprenuership, Technology, and Education
No full textThis summer, I worked as a Business Development Intern at Shoptiques, a fashion tech startup based in New York City. Although my position implied certain regular responsibilities, I was exposed to a much wider array of duties. I had the opportunity to work closely with the senior management team on various projects within the marketing, sales, and web development departments. This diverse experience enabled me to compare different career opportunities within the business field and define my own interests. In my presentation, I will share my observations of the startup culture, challenges that I have faced in a fast growing environment, and experiences that have helped me to review my career outlook.What do internships at a Silicon Valley tech startup, a NYC ecommerce startup, a NYC academic publishing press, and an asset management firm in Hong Kong have in common? Through collaboration in small and high impact teams, we’ve been flexible and resourceful, and are proud to have developed remarkable leadership skills and increased autonomy in our chosen industries. Our experiences ranged from partnership building and educational app development, to training in product development, sales, and customer analysis. In our panel, we hope to address both the challenges we have faced, and how they prompted our growth, respectively proffering four unique perspectives from internships in progressively intersectional fields
The Intersection of Identity and Performing Arts of Black Physicists
No full textHow one negotiates their physics identity is crucial to gaining and maintaining membership in the physics community. However, there is an exclusive culture of physics that has marginalized Black people and leads them to feel that they do not fit the criteria of who a physicist is supposed to be. Therefore, to understand what keeps Black physicists in the field, we must analyze their physics experiences. Studies show that the arts can act as an identity mediator or coping mechanism for underrepresented groups in STEM. In this work, we collect and analyze interviews of thirteen Black physicists, building on previous studies. We find themes in the ways that Black physicists participate in the performing arts. We map those themes onto the previously-developed Critical Physics Identity (CPI) framework in order to understand how the arts have impacted their physics identities. In this thesis, we found that five of the CPI framework codes overlapped in our arts section. Secondly, four of the CPI framework codes used in the arts section had positive subcodes. Our last finding we found was a code connection relations among codes that appeared next to one another - sequential patterns.Physic
We Learn not for Lynk-UAF, but for Life
No full textIn today’s world of private event planning, bigger is always better. The more extravagant and lavish an event is, the more likely people are to denote it as memorable for years to come. As an intern at Rafanelli Events in Boston, I was responsible for the majority of sourcing and design presentation set-ups that occurred. I also assisted in setting up, running, and breaking down numerous events. An internship is meant to be a learning experience and during my time at Rafanelli, I realized that a future career in event planning was possible not the best path for me. Through the power of social media and networking I was able to discover a career that truly excites me. Combining my passion for problem solving, which I discovered through my internship, and continuous love for sports, in conjunction with my psychology major I truly believe that I have found my future calling.What does it take to carry out a project from start to finish? This summer, two seniors and two juniors learned the answer to this question while conducting research in different disciplines. From the Pioneer Valley to Boston, to below the equator in Paraguay, we will discuss our experiences, challenges, and end results executing independent projects. While our work was different, we are united by our demonstration of determination, commitment, and resourcefulness while pursuing our projects. We invite you to attend our panel in which we will emphasize the necessity of being self-sufficient in order to be successful in your future endeavors