1925 research outputs found
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Catastrophe and displacement: an evaluation of socioeconomic conditions in Paradise, California after the Camp Fire
Full text linkThe purpose of my research is to evaluate the effectiveness of disaster recovery efforts in small communities, particularly in relation to the micro-communities that form after displacement. In some cases, government aid has been insufficient, exacerbating existing socioeconomic inequalities and causing further harm to affected communities. This thesis examines Paradise as an example of community resiliency after catastrophe through the lenses of social vulnerability, resource access, and place-making. My work in Paradise also contributes to broad discussions of migration and displacement caused by environmental catastrophes as well as more specific issues of gentrification and community building. The key questions being asked include:
1.What are the social components of wildfire recovery?
2.What happens to small communities in the aftermath of catastrophe?
3.What kind of micro-communities are forming in the wake of destruction?
4.Are communities’ needs being addressed?
To conduct this research, I used a mixed-methods approach that included qualitative and quantitative methods. I collected qualitative data through personal narrative interviews with current and former Paradise residents who experienced the Camp Fire. I then sourced quantitative data from the U.S. Census and real estate data. Through my analysis of these data, I highlight the importance of considering factors of resiliency and social vulnerability when
evaluating the effectiveness of disaster recovery programs. Four years have passed since the Camp Fire, allowing me to observe the community during more advanced stages of rebuilding and to interview both new and long-time residents. The insights gained from this research could inform policies and programs aimed at supporting communities like Paradise who are affected by frequent, intense natural disasters.
In the Discussion portion of this thesis I examine the broader implications of disasters like the one that occurred in Paradise. Rebuilding disaster sites and restructuring communities after catastrophes can have long-lasting effects on small communities, potentially leading to prolonged homelessness for environmental migrants and deepening existing socioeconomic inequalities. There are communication flaws within intergovernmental organizations that, if addressed, could save lives and help stabilize at-risk areas as natural disasters become more frequent worldwide. The insights gained from my research could be used by other state and national government programs to mitigate the physical, structural, and psychological harm experienced by affected populations. To reduce post-catastrophe harm, it is essential to identify key similarities and difficulties experienced by affected populations. The information and analysis presented in my thesis is relevant not only to the tragedies faced by Paradise but also to the broader systems of government and civil society that have the resources to mitigate community suffering
Experiencing the past: experiential mediums in digital public archaeology
No full textThis thesis is a focused approach to the application of virtual reality and multimedia digital archaeology in support of cultural resource managers, to promote increased public engagement and interest in cultural heritage sites. Recent advancements in and increased accessibility to virtual reality equipment provide new opportunities for cultural heritage managers to create experiential media. Public archaeology, phenomenology, and Indigenous futurism are at the core of the design of this program. In a working partnership between Flagstaff Area National Monuments and Northern Arizona University, I produced a virtual reality application of the Walnut Canyon Nine-Room cliff dwelling located at Walnut Canyon National Monument (WACA). The research design consisted of constructing a virtual reality application demo of the Nine-Room Cliff Dwelling. The following phase of research consisted of publicly demonstrating the Nine-Room cliff dwelling VR application. The final aspect of the research consisted of conducting an anonymous electronic survey of the users that participated in the VR application. The intended goal of this survey was to determine the level of engagement each participant had with the application and use these data to inform future research and development in virtual reality archaeological applications. The results of this project produced a virtual reality application demo of the Walnut Canyon National Monument Nine-room cliff dwelling and an evaluation of it. The development and evaluation of the Walnut Canyon Nine-room cliff dwelling virtual reality application serves as a case study of the possibilities of digital archaeology in serving the public
Off the hook: climate and community vulnerability of U.S. inland subsistence fisheries
Full text linkInland fisheries serve as important sources of food security and nutrition in vulnerable communities globally. However, research has focused largely on low-income countries and very little information specific to subsistence inland fisheries and the communities that depend on them is available for the United States, especially in non-Indigenous populations. These hidden contributions of inland fish harvest to food security and community resilience often go unreported, masked by a fuzzy boundary between recreational and subsistence fishing activities. Complicating the understanding of these fisheries are numerous threats and the compound implications of climate change. This study addresses the relatively unexplored socio-ecological dimensions of fishing for food in the context of climate change in the U.S. Spatial analysis of demographic and ecological data informs a high-level overview of potential hotspots where inland fisheries may be more likely to serve as an under-reported contributor to food security. Surveys of fishery managers, fishers, and other relevant actors then provide a more in-depth perspective on the current perception of subsistence fishing activities and their role in climate vulnerability across scales. This study suggests recommendations and a call for further research on the interface of survival, climate change, and culture tied to inland subsistence fisheries (ISF) and the “invisible” communities whose livelihoods depend on them. Fishery managers, policymakers, and other decision-makers in fishing communities can play an important role in increasing awareness and supporting the sustainability of these undervalued socio-ecological systems
CRUSTAL STRUCTURE OF THE ALASKA SUBDUCTION ZONE ACROSS THE 2021 M8.2 CHIGNIK EARTHQUAKE RUPTURE AREA FROM WIDE-ANGLE SEISMIC DATA
No full textUnderstanding the influence of large-scale crustal structure on megathrust slip behavior is essential for evaluating seismic and tsunami hazards at convergent plate margins. The subduction zone offshore of the Alaskan Peninsula is an excellent area to examine controls on subduction zone behavior because it has experienced a sequence of recent large earthquakes and it exhibits dramatic along-strike variability in seismicity and geodetic locking. The incoming sediments and oceanic plate in this region have been cited as factors controlling variability in megathrust slip behavior, but the influence of the overriding continental plate is less well studied. Here we focus on the Semidi segment of the Alaska subduction zone, which is strongly locked and regularly ruptures in great (M>8) megathrust earthquakes, including the July 2021 M8.2 Chignik earthquake. We present a two-dimensional P-wave seismic velocity model along a ~365-km-long profile obtained by joint reflection-refraction tomographic inversion of wide-angle seismic (WAS) data collected in 2011 aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth. Model uncertainty was estimated using a Monte Carlo approach. The resulting P-wave velocity model displays large-scale velocity variations in the overriding plate that constrain the extent of the accretionary prism and accreted crustal terranes that form the overriding plate: the Prince William and Chugach terranes. Shallow slow slip and afterslip are focused beneath the accretionary prism and younger, lower velocity Prince William Terrane while rupture in the 2021 earthquake is concentrated below the higher velocity Chugach terrane, suggesting that the upper plate influences slip behavior here
Stray kids and skinship: an interactionist perspective on queerbaiting as fan service in K-pop
Full text linkThe K-pop industry has standardized the establishment of parasocial relationships among fans and K-pop idols and has seen increasingly global success with this marketing strategy. Despite language and cultural barriers, fans all over the world feel a connection to K-pop idols and will interpret their actions in ways that are subjective to the fan’s own perspective. As of 2023, there are little to no successful K-pop idols that are openly queer. Fans engage in resistant readings of idols’ behavior as a way to project their own meaning onto the idol’s intentions, but this projection is constructed and encouraged by K-pop companies themselves through subtle tactics such as queerbaiting. With the successful K-pop boy group Stray Kids and their variety series 2 Kids’ Room, the methods in which these readings are encouraged by producers are analyzed through the lens of symbolic interactionism. In this thesis, the dialogue between the members is analyzed for sociological themes as well as the frequencies of visible touch occurrences (VTOs) where the members are shown engaging in touching or skinship on camera. The discussions of the members in the series reveal sociological themes such as body image and weight, masculinity, and expressions of emotions and hardships. These themes as well as the presence of queerbaiting are used to inform this case study of fan service as a marketing tactic and establish why queer references in K-pop are delivered almost exclusively as implicit and indirect rather than direct representation
Designing a precipitation collection network for the analysis of stable isotopes in precipitation in Flagstaff, Arizona
Full text linkA precipitation collection network was established in the Flagstaff area for the analysis of stable isotope delta values (d18O and d2H). Isotopic data from event-scale sampling during the monsoon and autumn seasons of 2022 are presented. Significant seasonal trends in isotopic composition were observed that correspond to ambient temperatures and atmospheric circulation features. Furthermore, weather radar was used to assist in interpretation of the event-based data by revealing differences in storm pathways and precipitation intensity, thus enabling analysis of spatial and temporal variations in the isotopic composition of samples from multiple individual events. As such, the high-frequency sampling conducted in this study was proven to be a valuable tool for investigating short-term isotopic variability that is commonly masked by seasonal averages. Beginning in the spring of 2023, this network will not only include stations maintained by project personnel but will incorporate additional collection stations supported by citizen-science. By engaging the public in precipitation sampling, the project aims at cultivating a growing record of isotopic data that can be used to provide enhanced insight into local hydrological processes. Furthermore, data quality among precipitation samples is preserved through the deployment of precipitation collectors that have been designed to limit evaporation from samples. Most importantly, the research presented here has established a baseline dataset for the continued collection of stable isotope data in Flagstaff and will facilitate future isotope studies that may be meaningful to local water resource planning and management
Sustainable movements need sustained mentoring: how feminist mentoring relationships maintain social justice movements through an ethics of care
Full text linkActivists in social justice movements experience many challenges in their work--from extremist opposition to internal conflicts with other activists--that can lead to burnout. In this thesis, I argue that social justice movements need to make care ethics foundational to their culture and
adopt practices that could help reproduce activists. I advocate for feminist mentorship as a strategic practice of care and reproduction that could sustain activists’ participation in social justice movements. Through interviews with nine activists in Arizona, I discern what specific
practices of care and reproductive labor are most helpful to activists in need of support and guidance in today’s world. I illuminate how these practices constitute the feminist mentorship model, arguing for more care-oriented relationships among activists
Cook Until Tender: A Memoir
Full text linkWhat are the foods of your childhood? Who do you remember cooking for you, and how did those dishes influence who you became as you grew up? These are some of the central questions of Cook Until Tender, a collection of eight creative nonfiction essays plus an introduction, each of which focuses on a particular family member and my relationship to them via the medium of food. Across all of the essays in Cook Until Tender, food is a way into much larger, thornier topics, such as love, grief, death, culture, masculinity, and socio-economic class.
As the child of a restaurateur and chef, I have always had a deep connection to food. In my lifetime alone, my father has owned and operated a restaurant, a grocery store, and a commercial fishing and crabbing business. I am also of Greek and Appalachian heritage, two cultures that take cooking and eating very seriously, from feta cheese to fried bread dough. These lineages appear in the collection in “How to Love Yiayia[’s Meatballs]” and “The Provider” respectively.
On a craft level, most of the essays in Cook Until Tender are written in narrative nonfiction style. Most essays are longform (10-15 pages) and written in first person from an “I” of the present day. The narrator recalls past childhood and adolescent events from the perspective of an adult several years removed. She considers family relationships and how they’ve changed from then to now. In “Like Mom Used to Make,” I explore matrilineage: what did my mom inherit from her mom, and what have I inherited from both of them? In “The Dishwasher,” I meditate on my young childhood, and how the dynamic I built with my brother has carried into our present adulthoods.
Some essays—such as “Homegrown” and “The Prospect of Never”—incorporate research. “Homegrown” assesses agricultural industry practices related to tomato farming, putting my family’s backyard gardening in a broader context. “The Prospect of Never” cites medical research and science communications about Alpha-gal syndrome, a set of food allergies I was recently diagnosed with that serves as the focal point of this essay.
Additionally, there are some essays where I experiment with form, tense, and point-of-view. “Papou’s Palate Cleansers” is written in list format, prefaced by a few narrative paragraphs exploring my grandfather as a character. “With Extra Chocolate Chips” alternates between the second-person pronoun “you” and the narrative voice I described previously, that of an adult looking back on past events. In contrast to the rest of the collection, which is mostly written in past tense, “The Prospect of Never” is written entirely in present tense. This decision serves two purposes: one, to more deeply engage the reader in the events that take place, and two, to give the impression that these events and their consequences are still ongoing.
I limited my scope for this project to members of my immediate family (parents and brother) plus grandparents. In addition to the previously mentioned portrait style essays, there are also two pieces that look inward: “Homegrown” and “The Prospect of Never.” “Homegrown” examines how I see myself as a member of my family unit through the lens of gardening and tomatoes. “The Prospect of Never” is a re-evaluation of myself and my worldviews after I’m diagnosed with Alpha-gal syndrome.
In addition to personal lived experience, a number of books I’ve read over the last several years have influenced my creation of this project. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner is a contemporary counterpart, especially given that book’s investigations of ethnicity and culture, complicated relationships with one’s parents, and how to cope with grief from the loss of a loved one to major illness. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley is a graphic memoir that also examines relationships with one’s parents as well as larger social forces like feminism and sexuality, which have long been major themes in my writing. And even though it’s a novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg was a landmark book for me in learning how to use food to tell family and queer stories.
Throughout my time in the MFA, I’ve taken a number of courses that prepared me for this project. Most obvious would be Creative Nonfiction Workshop with KT Thompson and The History of Life Writing with Laura Gray-Rosendale. These courses were invaluable in shaping my knowledge of creative nonfiction as a craft and as a genre. But looking back, the most central course for this project was Climate Science Writing with Nicole Walker. During this class, I had a revelation that would eventually lead me to write Cook Until Tender. I realized that creative nonfiction can be about anything, even the mundane. I used to think that writing about my family or my life would be boring to read. Everyone has a grandma; what makes my grandma unique, really? But as Charles Baxter wrote in an article for Biographile, “You don’t have to set a Chevrolet on fire or have someone murdered on the first page to get the reader’s attention…The truth about a situation is always big enough to sustain someone’s attention.” In memoir, the small, everyday moments are what matter, because they can lead into larger truths and bigger questions. This has been my approach with Cook Until Tender: begin with something relatable and ordinary—what’s more ordinary than something you do roughly three times a day?—and use this as a springboard into something deeper
How veganism influences relationship with food, in the context of eating disorder recovery
Full text linkIt is a systemic norm for eating disorder treatment centers to prohibit patients from remaining vegan while in treatment. However, literature examining the relationship between vegan diets and disordered eating is very limited. This study examined the influence of veganism on a person’s relationship with food, particularly within the context of recovery from disordered eating. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate the lived experience of people who had a history of disordered eating and were vegan during their illness and/or recovery process. An interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach was used to guide the research and analysis due to the complex, nuanced, and emotional nature of the topic. The findings revealed that veganism is not inherently tied to, or promoting of, disordered eating; although it can lead to the development of disordered behaviors in those who already carry a predisposition. Those who are in the process of eating disorder recovery may be hindered by a requirement to abandon their veganism, and supported by maintaining that value system while recovering. The primary factor influencing how veganism influences a person’s relationship with food is developing a belief system and lifestyle that reflects one’s personal values rather than following rules set by an external individual or group, even if they are derived from honorable motivations of nutrition or sources of expertise. Treatment centers and healthcare professionals should develop resources and models of care that support patients in maintaining veganism while facilitating treatment and recovery
Climate change mitigation action: is story-based communication effective for the government of the city of Flagstaff, Arizona to increase residents' participation?
Full text linkThe City of Flagstaff has developed the Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan which aims to make the city carbon neutral by 2030. In the plan it is mentioned that “action by residents across the community is needed” for this goal to be achieved. However, there is no mention of how this will be achieved. Using the story-based strategy framework to design my research and analyze the results, I developed an experiment to find out if story-based communication is effective to communicate climate change mitigation action and promote public action to the residents of Flagstaff, Arizona. There were two study groups: one where participants were exposed to communication based on facts, and another where participants were exposed to story-based communication. Participants were surveyed on the same questions before, immediately after, and one week after exposure; so that I could compare any differences in their responses. The results of my experiment align with existing literature which indicate that story-based communication seems to be more effective than other forms of communication. However, my experiment found a polarizing pattern on respondents, as fewer to no participants seemed to be neutral one week after exposure to story-based communication. I hope that my research will function as a guide to the city of Flagstaff on where to focus to achieve their goals pertaining to the Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan, and that it will inspire other researchers to research whether the polarization effect that was observed in my experiment would be observed in future studies as well