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Crash Course: Student Team Uses Statistical Modeling and Bigelow Partnership to Map Moose-Car Hot Zones
Get PDFThe project began in 2004 when Alex Jospe ’06, a Nordic skier who traveled Maine roads to meets, decided to use skills learned in a GIS class taught by Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Philip Nyhus. Jospe used data supplied by state transportation officials to map moose-collision hot zones. On a trip to Vermont, the map came in handy. “She came back all excited and said, ‘I saw a moose right where my map said I would,’” Nyhus recalled
Moving North and Finding Answers: Questbridge Student Regina Martinez Considers Her Identity on Mayflower Hill
Get PDFMartinez was one of 29 students in Colby’s first group enrolled through QuestBridge, an organization that matches academically talented low-income students with undergraduate institutions in the United States
For Children’s Sake
Get PDFFor three decades, Steve Nicholas has worked to create more sustainable cities. He tells videographer Reggie Huang why we must make progress on this urgent problem before it’s turned over to the next generation
Blessings and Burdens: Family Planning in the Rural South
No full textIn this thesis, I analyze data from 30 in-depth interviews to examine what factors impact pregnancy among young women in rural communities. Building upon previous research on rural areas, I investigate three factors that contribute to a high likelihood of childbearing in this population. Taking a multidimensional approach, I explore what the family planning desires of the young women are, how those desires are formulated, and how their sexual behavior aligns, or misaligns, with their family planning desires. I find that 1) young women who pursue pregnancy believe that it will positively impact their future, 2) those who desired young motherhood felt the most social pressure to achieve this goal and 3) incorrect sexual knowledge led to risky sexual behavior. I argue that these factors, described by the rural women themselves, highlight that public policy is overlooking a significant narrative within adolescent pregnancy, where young women are actively seeking to reach motherhood but are aware of the risks associated with their decision. By examining the desires of young women alongside their practices, we will have a better understanding of how to better support young women making family planning decisions
After School Programs and Their Effect on Children\u27s Well-Being
No full textAs female labor force participation has gone up, families have turned more and more towards after school programs to provide adult supervision for their children, especially in low income areas. This paper utilizes longitudinal household data to examine the effect of these after school programs on noncognitive outcomes in children, and, in particular, follows the early education literature in using within-family comparisons for identification. I find that children who participate in after school programs are less likely to be depressed, and are more likely to have a high degree of emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Generally, participation is associated in the short-term with 3-10% improvements on scales measuring depression, well-being, and children\u27s self concept. In a limited sample, I also find that these improvements are maintained in the long-term. As these noncognitive measures are shown to affect later-life outcomes such as educational attainment and earnings (Heckman 2006), they are important to study when considering the efficacy of after school programs, but the literature on after school programs so far has focused on cognitive and behavioral outcomes
How Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Gender Shape Feelings of Competition within the Pre-Med Department at a Small Liberal Arts College
Get PDFThis study aims to understand how students of color navigate feelings of competition in the pre-medical (“pre-med”) track at a small liberal arts college. I argue that there are differences in navigational strategies by race, socioeconomic status (SES), and gender. Respondents in my sample (9 women and 6 men) were interviewed for 30 to 60 minutes about their relationships with fellow pre-med students, mentors, alumni, advisors, and professors. The primary findings of this project were that students who are more competitive dominate the culture among pre-med students; less competitive individuals persist through the pre-med track by forming study groups with more collaborative students, cultivating relationships with older students and professors, and gaining hands-on experience through lab work. The extent to which a pre-med student uses these strategies is influenced by their race, SES, and gender. I argue that despite barriers such as marginalization and lack of representation on campus at large, students of color are agents of their pursuits in completing pre-med requirements and develop strategies to succeed against the odds
A qualitative assessment of attitudes toward environmental-health concerns in Vietnamese -owned and -operated salons in the Greater Seattle Area
Get PDFEnvironmental-health disparities in nail salons lies at a unique intersection of environmental, health, and social justice. Although the nail industry is booming in the United States, business often occurs at the expense of the well-being of nail salon workers. The workforce, many of whom are immigrant Vietnamese women, routinely handles products containing known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Furthermore, workers disproportionately experience negative health impacts from working in salons, including respiratory or musculoskeletal disorders. This behavioral study assesses potential variables (demographic background, health, personal behavior, salon management, and external influence) that impact the attitudes of Vietnamese nail salon workers toward environmental-health concerns within their salons. This study gathered primary data through semi-structured interviews of fifteen nail technicians and salon owners in the Snohomish and King County regions of Seattle, Washington. Results indicate that personal experiences and behaviors, including a prioritization of personal health, greatly influence attitudes toward environmental-health concerns. Additionally, Vietnamese nail salon workers and owners exhibit varying levels of concern about the health effects from working in salons; however, high rates of PPE usage were not correlated to concern over occupational health hazards. This study intends to highlight how Vietnamese nail salon workers understand and articulate their unique experiences and concerns toward health and safety in nail salons and thereby inform community or policy-based interventions to ensure healthy and safe nail salons. In uplifting this unique immigrant narrative and understudied environmental-health issue, this study seeks to expand environmental justice and equity work to incorporate immigrant narratives and experiences