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Accessibility or environmental conservation? Evaluating the relationship between environmental protection and hiking trail accessibility via photogrammetry, lidar & remote sensing
No full textBinghamton University Nature Preserve spans 190 acres of land, with a notable 20-acre wetland serving a multifaceted purpose. It is dedicated to preserving the ecological integrity of this landscape, fostering biodiversity, and facilitating research and environmental education. Improving the accessibility of nature preserves can maximize its advantages, particularly in fostering environmental consciousness and responsible management. However, it may also lead to a simultaneous rise in the potential for soil erosion, unethical utilization, and disruptions to the habitat. This research focuses on Binghamton University\u27s nature preserve as a case study to explore the intricate balance between two vital objectives: ensuring equal access for all user demographics while safeguarding its ecosystem services. To achieve these objectives, the study employs diverse public engagement methods, encompassing surveys and community mapping, to gather valuable insights from various stakeholders, including the likelihood and frequent footprint of the nature preserve. Additionally, the research integrates cutting-edge technology, such as drone flights (UAV), remote-controlled vehicles equipped with iPhone LiDAR sensors, and pole photogrammetry, to acquire comprehensive data on trail conditions and the surrounding environment. The innovative fusion of community input and high-tech data collection empowers a data-driven approach to environmental management, offering the potential to advance accessibility and sustainability simultaneously. By bridging the gap between these two fundamental considerations, this study not only enhances the Binghamton University nature preserve but also paves the way for formulating novel, inclusive, and environmentally responsible public policies and potentially transforming the management of natural preserves nationwide
The Difference in Sustainability Measures Across Fortune 500 Companies
Get PDFHow do sustainability measures differ amongst the top 30 Fortune 500 companies? Business performance depends on sustainability practices, which differ from company to company and are prioritized differently across industries. To explore this question, I compiled a list of the top 30 companies and thoroughly investigated their sustainability reports. I then noted the company goals within these reports, assembling an inventory of nearly 100 diverse goals. By breaking down my findings into industrial groupings and averaging the frequency of the goals within the list of companies, I found valuable insights on the predominant focuses across industries. I expect to continue to find distinctions across industry lines, discovering patterns that classify specific goals for specific industries. The study explores the values of the top companies in the world and how they plan on sustaining the environment and their individual success.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1006/thumbnail.jp
State Policy and Gun Control Across America
Get PDFWhy is there a lack of response to gun violence in America? Is there room for change in federal policy regarding gun control while respecting the individual\u27s second amendment rights? Gun violence has become a public health crisis in the United States, and America is a country, unlike others, that fails to make change in response to violence. To explore these questions, I examine federal policy in place and the history of its development. I also examine local policy across two states, Florida and New York. The comparison of the two states\u27 policies and rates of gun violence offers insight into these questions. I expect to find evidence supporting the notion that stricter local policy results in lower gun violence rates. I will also discover that in states with more entrenched conservative politics, responses to gun violence will be more muted than in states with more entrenched liberal politics.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1013/thumbnail.jp
The Significance of Toys and Games on Ancient Mediterranean and Modern Gender, Societal Values and Human Development
Get PDFPlay is an essential component of physical, cognitive, and social development, and the toys and games children use have a developmental influence. In order to adequately foster children’s growth, it is vital that they engage with toys encouraging the highest quality play. This research analyzes texts about play activities and objects in Ancient Greece and Rome, where play was considered instrumental in educating the young about their future roles. In addition, this research examines modern studies about children’s play, involving the lenses of gender and psychological play theories. It also compares the differences in developmental benefits of toys between genders and across time, determining if there is a gender gap aided by a difference in quality between “girl’s” and “boy’s” toys and activities. These findings relate to the historical gender disparity in our society, and emphasize the importance of utilizing toys that are equally capable of supporting the successful growth of every child.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1038/thumbnail.jp
AI as a Replacement for Human Social Interaction: The Case of Character.ai
Get PDFAs artificial intelligence (AI) advances, platforms where people interact with character-based AI chatbots have proliferated. With little research on popular platforms such as character.ai, many questions remain about the social implications of people fostering relationships and fulfilling their social needs with AI. What does it mean to converse with AI chatbots, and how does this interaction impact a person’s desire to socialize with other humans? To address these questions, this research analyzes the character.ai community using the tools of netnography and interviews with character.ai users. It explores why character-based chatbot use has become so popular and discusses the effects of using AI chatbots to replace social interactions. Based on preliminary findings, it is suggested that a combination of loneliness, shame, ideal chatbot responses, and the fulfillment of romantic fantasies contribute to the continued engagement with AI chatbots.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1071/thumbnail.jp
9 Days in Deutschland
Get PDF9 Days in Deutschland is a documentary style memoir based on my trip to Germany where I drifted my way through 9 different cities, towns and villages. During this trip I took photos with no goal in mind and ended up with over 5,000 digital photos and 12 rolls of film. What started as a photo book quickly matured into a memoir where the writing became as important as the visuals, creating a symbiotic structure. Through this format I reflected on history, war, photography, film, sexual violence against women during war, the Holocaust, propaganda, truth, trauma, time, loss, loneliness, and modernity. These topics arose organically through my research this summer and my photos served as the backbone that held these ideas together. This project was my attempt at communicating with the past. A past that never talks back — and so these conversations felt more like a Rorschach test at times.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1075/thumbnail.jp
On Grooming: Fostering Selective Empathy Through Language in American Conservative Media
Get PDFThe contemporary landscape of American conservative politics is one largely marred by visceral appeals to emotion. Phrases such as “grooming” have become a staple of modern conservative media, capable of evoking strong negative emotions and falsely portraying groups such as non-LGBT individuals, white individuals, Christians, and especially children as under threat. This research seeks to explore the evolution of how this language has been utilized to create a sense of “selective empathy” in American conservatives, with particular emphasis on the cultural shift surrounding the 2016 presidential election. Through analysis of the works of multiple conservative figures, think tanks, and media outlets, this paper will provide an explorative deep-dive into the manipulative nature of how language is used to foster selective empathy in contemporary American conservative politics.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1087/thumbnail.jp
Engagement and Outreach at the Binghamton University Art Museum
Get PDFCommunity outreach is an incredibly vital part of an art museum. The event planning and facilitation that we engage in allows for the public to engage with the arts and expand our reach. The Engagement Interns specialize in different tasks, from on-campus outreach to educational development and community engagement. To facilitate increased on-campus engagement, one intern has developed a survey for Binghamton students to generate feedback about potential policy changes and programming ideas that would generate greater engagement from the study body. In addition to tabling for the museum to get survey responses from students, the interns have planned events and coordinated programming with many different organizations, both on-campus and off, to create interesting programming that drives engagement. The education interns have led tours for multiple different community groups, engaging people with the artworks and art history of our exhibitions. The graphic design intern has been creating advertisements for events for organizations that associate or collaborate with the museum.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1097/thumbnail.jp
Sensitivity of Fever and Ethanol-Induced Hypothermia to Dexamethasone in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats
Get PDFThermoregulation is highly sensitive to pathogens and can also be influenced by drugs of abuse, such as alcohol. This study determined the pharmacological sensitivity of fever and sickness behaviors to dexamethasone, a common anti-inflammatory drug, in male rats that underwent an acute immune challenge using the viral mimetic Poly I:C. Additionally, this study sought to determine the extent to which dexamethasone would also influence ethanol-induced hypothermia. Results indicated that dexamethasone attenuated Poly I:C-induced fever. However, these effects did not significantly differ based on the dose of dexamethasone administered. Sickness behaviors, on the other hand, showed a dose-dependent effect of dexamethasone. In contrast, dexamethasone had no significant effect on ethanol-induced hypothermia. As thermoregulation is regulated primarily by neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus, these findings suggest that natural fever and ethanol-induced hypothermia are differentially sensitive to glucocorticoid treatment and likely controlled by distinct neural mechanisms.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1114/thumbnail.jp
Barriers to SNAP Participation: A Case Study of Broome County
Get PDFDespite its immense wealth, the United States has failed to end food insecurity. Data from the Census Bureau demonstrates that a staggering 10.2 percent of households were food insecure in 2021–including 12.1 percent in Broome County. The largest federal program that tackles food insecurity is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides vouchers for non-prepared food to eligible households. Despite the arguable success of the program, certain groups—particularly immigrants, the elderly, and college students—experience unique barriers to enrollment and thus have low participation rates. Drawing on government statistics and interviews with local welfare advocates, this research examines barriers to SNAP enrollment in Broome County to understand how these obstacles might be eliminated. It is also considered whether government assistance to reduce food insecurity should take the form of cash or vouchers, and whether a universal basic income could effectively address SNAP’s targeting problems and its so-called “welfare trap” effect.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2024/1128/thumbnail.jp