Digital Commons @ Colby
Not a member yet
16478 research outputs found
Sort by
Ever More Difficult: For Migrants reaching the Greek Island of Lesvos, conditions grow more dire by the day
Get PDFChloé Powers ’19 is the coordinator of Moms2Moms, a grassroots project providing housing to single mothers seeking asylum, and she’s involved in several other migrant solidarity initiatives, including search and rescue efforts, LGBTIQ+ migrant solidarity, and local mutual-aid projects. With the images she has taken, Powers shares her experiences from the Greek island of Lesvos
The Colby Echo (March 10, 2022)
No full textPublished by the students of Colby College since 1877, The Colby Echo is the weekly, editorially independent student-run newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Published monthly, 1877-1886; semi-monthly; 1886-1897; and weekly during the academic year, 1898-present
Cultivating Family Empowerment in Schools: The Experiences of Marginalized Families in Special Education
No full textThe provision of special education services to special needs students is largely upheld by federal and state policies and regulations, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) which ensures that children with disabilities have the opportunity to access a free appropriate public education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004). However, marginalized families of low-income and linguistically diverse backgrounds continue to face barriers and challenges to effectively participate in their child’s education and secure the necessary and appropriate services for their child. Family Empowerment Centers on Disability (FECs) in California provide a policy solution to assist families navigate the special education system (SPED) and ensure that their child receives the appropriate and necessary resources and services through family empowerment. Family empowerment is a continual and iterative process through which families ultimately take effective action on behalf of their child. Within a social ecological model families, institutions (i.e., FECs), and policy reciprocally influence each other and either create or hinder opportunities for the cultivation of family empowerment. Through online surveys and interviews with an FEC and the families they serve, the current study reveals that FECs create opportunities for families to engage in the family empowerment process and thus, provide an effective policy solution to assist families in navigating the special education and services system and advocating for their children. California Assembly Bill 126 should be passed as it aims to expand and improve upon the work of FECs throughout California
Cellular Automata and Multi-scale Simulation of Infection in D. discoideum
No full textInfectious bacteria Burkholderia and social amoebas D. discoideum have been used as a case study to study the underlying evolutionary mechanisms of symbiotic relationships, chemotaxis, and collective social behaviors. The project has primarily focused on implementing a computational simulation model in order to decrease the amount of time and effort for systematic biological analysis. The model is designed to capture the essential features of symbiotic interaction for both D. discoideum and Burkholderia. The simulation model is capable of handling a wide range of simulation procedures and compatible with generalized comparative analysis. We primarily relied on a rule-based Cellular Automata model that includes essential topics, such as infection transmission and inheritance, chemotaxis, food consumption, and social behaviors of competition and altruism. Our primary research question is to explore the relationships between morbidity and mortality rates to community infection proportions. We performed a comparative analysis with varying mortality rates and observed a non-monotonic relationship. We are also interested in comparative analysis of homogeneous and heterogeneous simulations, looking for differences in collective social behaviors. All three heterogeneous trials should similar population trajectory over time. Varying infection death rates in the heterogeneous environment have shown significant differences in mound formation and community mortality rates. The results show significantly effective early community prevention from local infections. We have also designed a multi-scale simulation that is essential if we intend to expand the simulation modeling to a much larger scale in the future
Whose Nation is This? Conceptualizing Burmese National Identity Through Case Studies of Inter-Ethnic Conflict
No full textThe ongoing Rohingya Genocide is the most extreme expression of Burmese identity and has catapulted the nation of Myanmar onto the world stage. This thesis examines the development of a Burmese national identity during British colonial rule through the lens of inter-ethnic conflict between the Bamar ethnolinguistic majority and ethnic minorities living in colonial Myanmar. Through analyzing three different case studies, each representing a watershed expression of Burmese identity, this thesis illustrates how inter-ethnic conflict shaped what it means to be Burmese. Using archival material from the British Library such as political cartoons, government reports, and vernacular newspaper clippings, this thesis demonstrates that Burmese identity became increasingly defined as being part of the Bamar Buddhist majority. Furthermore, this project builds on existing scholarship to illustrate that Burmese nationalists used British conceptions of race to construct a more exclusive Burmese identity. An understanding of how Burmese identity developed during Myanmar\u27s colonial past provides new insights as to why anti-Rohingya sentiment is virtually unchallenged within contemporary Myanmar
The Power of One: Majority Leadership Power in the United States Senate
No full textThe United States Senate has long been heralded as an institution known for its strong reliance upon procedural rules and the leadership that is able to use those rules to their advantage. Recent leaders including Senators Reid, McConnell, and Schumer have attempted to reform the rules of the Senate to its advantage. But why are we seeing this influx in reform now? This thesis utilizes the theory of Conditional Party Government (CPG) to explain the prevalence and lack of reform between 1900 and today. Using roll-call vote data and primary sources such as historical newspapers and the Congressional Record, this study is able to determine just exactly how powerful Senate leadership is in influencing reform and legislation more broadly. In line with predictions of CPG, procedural reform in the Senate has historically occurred during times of partisan divide and slim chamber majorities. Majority Leaders have amassed significant institutional power over time which has led in turn to more partisan legislative outcomes as supermajority barriers such as the filibuster are dismantled
It\u27s Not About the Polar Bears : Evangelical Christian Arguments for Environmentalism
No full textIn recent history, white conservative evangelical Christians have formed an influential voting bloc of the Republican party in United States politics. Historically, conservatives have often denied the reality of human-induced climate change and have opposed climate change action and many environmental regulations. However, a number of conservative evangelical Christians have split from their traditionally conservative political views and have accepted the reality of climate change, becoming strong advocates for climate change action. This paper examines the arguments often presented by such advocates. I argue that evangelical environmental advocates craft specific arguments to convince fellow evangelicals to care for the environment and/or support climate change action by framing climate change as a logical extension of evangelicals’ faith and values. The first part of the paper examines the biblical interpretations that evangelicals use to develop their idea of creation care, and the second part of the paper examines further arguments and techniques used by advocates to help strengthen their arguments to their evangelical audience. This paper explores the diversity and nuances of evangelical leaders’ arguments for environmentalism while finding common themes rooted in evangelicals’ faith