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A Look into How Green Binghamton Really Is
Get PDFIn 1987, the UN defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” College campuses often appear filled with a desire for social change, including climate action and sustainability initiatives. But how much do students know—or care—about the initiatives on their own campus? If people view environmentalism and sustainability as imperative solutions to pressing issues that most people should care about, they are more likely to take action to encourage them. By surveying members of the Binghamton University community, this study gauges public perception of on-campus sustainability and pro-environmental initiatives and programming and what factors impact this perception. This research investigates how on-campus sustainability can be improved and how campus culture can be shifted to better encourage sustainability based on what generally motivates students to care about environmental action.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2025/1191/thumbnail.jp
Beyond Victimhood: Sentimentalism in Contemporary Immigrations Novels
Get PDFImmigrants have gone from being underrepresented to misrepresented within literature, with many contemporary US novels perpetuating narratives that either victimize or vilify immigrants. Taking inspiration from James Baldwin’s critique of “the wet eyes of the sentimentalist” author, this research turns to the contemporary immigration novels American Dirt and Esperanza Rising to assess the ways in which immigrant stories are depicted and to analyze the ways that this reductive representation can result in many harmful, real world, implications. Counterintuitively, one of the largest consequences of such sentimental literature is a lack of empathy for American immigrants. Painting immigrants in a manner that reduces them to their struggle and strips them of their human complexity significantly hinders an audience’s ability to relate to and empathize with their circumstances. Such narratives may result in temporary pity and the reinforcement of harmful, inferiorizing stereotypes rather than invoking sincere, productive empathy.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2025/1196/thumbnail.jp
Emergent Collective Reproduction via Evolving Neuronal Flocks
Get PDFThis study advances the understanding of evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETIs) through a novel artificial life framework, VitaNova, which integrates self-organization and natural selection to simulate the emergence of complex, reproductive groups. By dynamically modeling individual agents within an environment shaped by predators and spatial constraints, VitaNova reveals mechanisms by which simple agents evolve into cohesive units exhibiting collective reproduction. The findings highlight the synergy between self-organized behaviors and adaptive evolutionary strategies as fundamental drivers of ETIs. This approach deepens our understanding of higher-order biological individuality and offers a new empirical pathway for investigating ETIs, extending current theoretical frameworks
Female Acceptance of Mates Is Consistent Across Different Sex Ratios and Male Proximities in Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) Breeding Aggregations
Get PDFSexual selection plays a crucial role in shaping reproductive strategies. We investigated the influence of sex ratio and male proximity on female acceptance of mates in wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). We hypothesized that females at a more even sex ratio would exhibit higher acceptance of males due to reduced male competition when compared to females at a more male-skewed sex ratio. Using digital video analysis of mating trials (n = 39), we quantified male proximity to females and female acceptance of males at two sex ratios – 1:4 (F:M) and 1:7. Males at a 1:4 sex ratio maintained greater distances from females during amplexus attempts than those at a 1:7 sex ratio. However, no significant effect of male proximity or sex ratio on female acceptance during amplexus attempts was observed. This suggests that factors beyond sex ratio and male proximity, such as female preferences for specific male traits, may drive mating patterns, if female choice exists at all in these “scramble” R. sylvatica mating aggregations. These findings increase our understanding of sexual selection in scramble breeding amphibians and suggest further research into the possible factors influencing female mate choice
Unearthing Silence: Deaf Archaeology as a Pathway to Social Justice and Accessibility
Get PDFDeaf archaeology is an emerging field exploring the material culture, spaces, and histories of Deaf communities to understand their social lives and identities. This paper examines Deaf archaeology as a framework for uncovering the historical presence of Deaf individuals and promoting social justice. It begins by defining deafness, contrasting medical and cultural perspectives, then traces the field’s roots in sign language evolution, marginalization, and Deaf education. Through a timeline of findings, the study reveals how Deaf individuals have been recognized or overlooked historically. Engaging with the Southern Tier Deaf community, I explore accessible archaeology and the role of Deaf archaeology in fostering inclusivity and bridging Deaf history with mainstream archaeology for a better understanding of heritage
Comparisons of Extinction, Counterconditioning, and Novelty-facilitated Extinction within ABA vs. ABC Renewal Designs
Get PDFThe main file is the ReadMe file, with a dataset and supplementary file Effect sizes for ABA and ABC renewal scores for expectancy learning added in the additional file section
Sustainability Hub Newsletter - February 2025
Get PDFHello Bearcats! I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to their semesters! Check out this month’s newsletter to hear about sustainability news on campus, our black history month reading list, and other sustainability tips and tricks
Influence of Oil Density on Self-Propelled Motion of Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction Droplet
Get PDFBelousov-Zhabotinsky reaction serves as an example of the nonlinear chemical oscillator in which the reacting substance undergoes sequential oxidation and reduction. A droplet containing the BZ reaction, when placed within the oily environment, can self-propel. In this experimental work, we explore the effect of oil medium density on the BZ reaction droplet dynamics. In an oil medium with lower density, the BZ droplet exhibits higher speed and effective diffusivity but a shorter lifetime. Both the distance and speed of the droplet initially increase with droplet volume. However, beyond a critical volume, the distance decreases while the speed stays constant. Interestingly, the critical volumes for distance and speed are not the same. This experimental work might help researchers understand the self-propelled motion of active matter in different media
Greening the Workplace: Can Sustainable Practices Reduce Anxiety and Enhance Meaningful Work Engagement?
Get PDFThis academic research examines the relationship between job engagement, green work climate, job-related anxiety, meaningfulness at work within the organization. It draws attention to identify the significant relations among all these factors and highlights the role of a green work climate in promoting meaningful work and alleviating job-related anxiety. The research emphasizes a diverse sample of employees from various organisations using structural modelling to find the mediating roles of job engagement and work meaningfulness in the correlation between organizational practices, environmental sustainability, and employee satisfaction. The study finds that a green work climate significantly enhances meaningful work experiences and reduces job-related anxiety. It emphasises the mediating role of job engagement and work meaningfulness in linking organizational practices focused on environmental sustainability with employee satisfaction. The results of the study give practical understanding for organizations aiming to create resilient and committed workforces. Aligning green initiatives with strategies to boost individual fulfilment and reducing anxiety which can strengthen employee engagement and improve overall organizational outcomes. This study underscores the importance for an integrated approach to workplace management that blends environmental sustainability with employee well-being. It offers valuable contributions to understand how organizational practices can promote sustainability and promote a motivated and satisfied workforce
Reassessing the Role of Polynesian Rats (Rattus exulans) in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Deforestation: Faunal Evidence and Ecological Modeling
Get PDFThe role of introduced Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) in the deforestation of Rapa Nui remains a contentious issue. Several critics, including Mieth and Bork (2010), argue that rats played a negligible role compared to human impacts. We address the role of rats through three lines of evidence: (1) a response to rats-are-neglible arguments, including problematic continental analogies and misunderstandings of seed predation impacts; (2) analysis of rat remains from Anakena excavations (1986-2005) showing that rats decreased by 93% over time, contradicting claims they served as a “fallback food” following resource depletion; and (3) ecological modeling demonstrating that introduced rats could reach populations of 11.2 million within 47 years, with 95% seed predation sufficient to prevent palm regeneration. Our integrated evidence supports rats as a keystone invasive species that, through synergistic interactions with human forest clearing, drove one of the most complete ecological transformations documented in human history. These findings challenge narratives of simple anthropogenic “ecocide” and highlight the critical role of invasive species in island environmental change