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Rikke and the Frost-Star Cat
No full textRikke and the Frost-Star Cat is a young adult polar fantasy novel. Rikke, the heroine, sets out through the icy landscape, which is both unforgiving and (secretly) magical, in search of life-saving medicine for her grandfather Mikkel and answers to questions about her family history. Rikke’s childhood has been filled with love and friendship, but dangers loom all around. The villagers have struggled for the past generation, since the ruling matriarchy was overthrown by a vicious group called The Blades. Rikke has only known life under the strict rule of the Blades, and her days are marked by the contrast between the cozy hygge inside her family home and the oppressive governing of these armed men. Unbeknownst to Rikke, a rebel group has been quietly plotting to return the matriarchy to power. As she traverses the frozen forests, Rikke will encounter friends and potential foes as she uncovers the mystery of her heritage, including the unknown legacy and hidden gifts of the women of her family.Extension Studie
Adorning The Spirit: Clothing as sacred technology for the Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
No full textThis paper explores the intersection of queer embodiment, ritualized dress, and sacred space-making through in-depth qualitative research and a cross-theological study of the Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This qualitative research paper also includes the beginnings of ethnographic work in this community of Sisters. What was concluded during this time, is that the depth of the community and its individuals deserve much longer and more integrated periods of ethnographic engagement for this single methodology to be the main source of data in a formal study. Therefore, drawing from the fields of anthropology, queer theology, ritual studies, psychology, and mystical philosophy, this research proposes the framework of clothing as sacred technology; a consciously deployed tool for spiritual healing, identity affirmation, and community space-holding.
Throughout religious history, garments have functioned as symbols of spiritual authority, ritual initiation, and divine embodiment. Yet for many queer individuals, access to these sacred roles has historically been denied or rendered conditional by religious institutions rooted in binary gender constructs and exclusionary doctrines. This paper argues that queer communities, exemplified by the Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, have not abandoned the sacred, but instead created new forms of spiritual practice outside of institutional religion. Through their embodied ministry of radical visibility, performance, and compassionate service, the Sisters seem to engage in a living theology that offers healing for themselves and sanctuary for others who have experienced spiritual and communal exile.
Anchored in Carl Jung’s theories of individuation, Victor Turner’s concept of liminality, James Hillman’s depth psychology, and the mystical understandings of sacred androgyny present across multiple traditions, this paper repositions queer dress as both a site of personal integration and an instrument of communal healing. This is done by addressing and re-addressing these cross-disciplinary viewpoints within the Sisterhood’s unique function as a sacred secular spiritual community. Rather than viewing drag, gender nonconformity, and queer aesthetics as merely performative or political, this research examines these expressions as spiritual acts that align with ancient sacred technologies and anthropological views of transformation.Extension Studie
Grants in Wyoming: Constraints and Solutions
No full textGrowth Lab Working Paper Series No. 225Wyoming communities are reliant on grants to fund local priorities, yet the grants system is not effectively meeting the needs of many communities across the state. This problem is central to the growth challenges of many rural economies across the state. Although this problem pre-dates the recent expansion of federal grant programs, the importance of this problem has grown in the last several years as the scale and complexity of federal grant opportunities — particularly discretionary grants — has increased. Wyoming communities are struggling to navigate and benefit from these federal funding opportunities. As of late 2023, the state is significantly underperforming many comparator states in the number of federal grants received and the distribution of federal grants across the state. Grant writers and administrators face a sometimes impossible task in navigating an ever-shifting grants landscape. This is a challenge for local governments across the country but may be especially important in Wyoming due to narrow local tax bases and the rural nature of the state.
Through an eight-month effort combining research and action, we have explored the causes of this problem to inform potential solutions. We have identified four principal constraints that are most to blame for Wyoming’s underperformance: (1) Lack of relationships between communities and funders; (2) Inability to follow changing grant opportunities (esp. federal); (3) Shortage of prioritized community needs and “grant ready” project plans; and (4) Overreliance on “local heroes” – especially for smaller communities. We argue that these challenges are “principal constraints” because they are binding for the largest number of communities, especially smaller communities. However, there are additional constraints that are critical for other communities, especially those that have more experience with accessing state and federal grants. This note summarizes key evidence we have found on each of these principal constraints. These constraints occur early in the grants process, meaning many potentially promising grant opportunities are never pursued. We find that many federal grant programs and discretionary award processes are inconsistent with the realities of scarce staff, resources, and bandwidth of local governments, especially in small communities. However, we find widespread examples and evidence that these constraints can be overcome through actions to enable a strong state-wide network that supports local leaders and grant administrators. Examples of success within the state and in other states show that building the capabilities of the network and enabling all communities to access the knowhow of the network can lead to much better grant outcomes.
The note closes with a discussion of how to target a network-enabling response to the grants problem. We outline a first-best option that centers on establishing regional officers who would be responsible for a set of tasks that would respond directly to the principal constraints identified. This approach would require annual funding, but preliminary analysis shows the return on investment overall would be very high and the approach would have the greatest benefits for smaller communities across the state. Very initial designs have been explored for how to establish such a system building on existing assets. Finally, we compare this first-best approach to alternative approaches that are closer to the current support actions underway in the state.Version of Recor
Dead Center: Nishkama kama in the Bhagavad Gita and elite athletic performance
No full textThis thesis aims to uniquely contribute to our understanding of how the central
idea of the Bhagavad Gita, nishkama kama, may be most beneficially integrated into
global sports performance psychology to help unlock the mindset and mental framework
behind some of the most successful performers on the global stage.
Concepts of desirelessness, non-attachment and duty can play a fundamental role
for athletes but remain understudied. This study of the rich dimensions of nishkama kama
aims to travel to corners rarely visited by scholars in the field to date who have mostly
focused on influencing thoughts rather than detaching from them entirely and articulating
values rather than defining a greater sense of personal purpose, duty or sacrifice towards
a greater cosmic being, God or otherwise. Dimensions of desirelessness, non-attachment
and sacrifice in service of duty can be found present among some of the highest athletic
achievers of the last century, but scholarship incorporating them in a framework for peak
performance has yet to be significantly developed. The thesis hypothesizes that
employing these dimensions to athletic endeavors can be linked to achieving
extraordinary results.
Contemporary meta-studies and systematic studies of the sports psychology
landscape were surveyed to understand the state of the art. From this, two dominant
models were extracted to act as base line comparators for the hypothesis, Positive
Psychology and the Mindfulness Acceptance and Commitment models. Various
interpretations by leading scholars of nishkama kama were then surveyed before applying
the most appropriate interpretation for our purposes. A Nishkama Kama Model for Peak
Performance is then presented, supported by evidence from leading practitioners, both
athletes and coaches, in the field. The notion of staying 'dead center' (as Kobe Bryant puts
it) as well as underscoring the power of a larger purpose behind an athlete’s ‘why’ are
potentially powerful techniques to enhance the elite sports psychology landscape that
warrant more research and understanding to continue to advance the field.Extension Studie
James Edward Deeds, Jr.: A Plea for the Appreciation of Normalcy in Psychiatric Practice
No full textAuthor's Origina
Design Tool Used for the Selection of Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems in the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases
No full textThis goal of this study was to identify nanoparticle (NP)-related drug delivery systems that could be used for the treatment of respiratory diseases; and to develop a design tool that could be used to create new NP drug delivery systems for the treatment of a variety of respiratory diseases. As a large number of moderate to severe respiratory diseases remain incurable, with available therapeutic options only offering a temporary relief of symptoms; this design tool could potentially assist in the development of new pharmacotherapeutics that could curb and cure even the most severe and life-threatening of respiratory diseases. In order to create this design tool, a large sample of research publications were screened for references to respiratory diseases and medical treatment using nanoparticles. A few scenarios and assumptions were created, based on information from the sample of research publications and other publicly available information. As this was the initial development stage of the design tool, only a few scenarios and assumptions were tested. Theoretically, a software design tool would enable the faster and easier testing of various combinations of NPs, and facilitate the rapid development of efficacious treatment for moderate to severe respiratory diseases. The output from the design tool could also be further tested and validated using in-vitro and in-vivo systems. While the initial focus of the design tool was the identification of new NP treatment options for a selection of respiratory diseases; the tool could also potentially be modified to treat other respiratory diseases and other tissue and organ system diseases as well.Extension Studie
Music as a Medium: Resistance and Embodied Relationships in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
No full textIn On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong employs music as a narrative
device that mirrors trauma, memory, identity formation. The novel uses music as a
narrative device to reflect the fragmented process of working through trauma,
establishing intimate relationships with others, and forging personal identity. Music helps
explore trauma, memory, and identity specifically as an effect of The Vietnam War and
heteronormativity. Through ethnomusicology, literary studies within the historical
context of the Vietnam War, and an examination of the Vietnamese diasporic, this
research analyzes how music in the novel mirrors the characters’ lived experiences and
establishes their sense of self. Music challenges traditional national memory and serves as
an alternative medium to uplift marginalized voices. While music in On Earth We’re
Briefly Gorgeous depicts a personal account of trauma, the literature research highlights
pervasive gaps in recorded histories which supports a persistent need for artists to
continue their work creating various mediums that encapsulate a multifaceted narrative
account of events.Extension Studie
Borderland Architecture: Translating and Building Skills at the U.S.-Mexico Border
No full textThe Borderlands of the United States and Mexico are a unique area primed by two cultures on opposing sides of the Rio Grande River. This region of cultural exchange and ambiguity along the border is referred to as Mestizo and Chicano, varying wildly from static border fencing rooted in the defensive infrastructure of warfare that lines the western borderlands. Today, approximately twenty percent of the U.S. construction industry consists of unofficial migrant workers. Many laborers and their families face extensive barriers to gaining personal capital. In addition to labor exploitation, many of these laborers lack formal training.
Border towns in the Rio Grande Valley region rank low in U.S. educational attainment statistics, especially for those ages 18 to 64. Therefore, by speculating the potential for the border to be a place for educational access and exchange, the border expands its scope from primarily transferring people, culture, and capital to transferring knowledge. A learning hub in McAllen, TX, aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and community empowerment. By offers a non-traditional approach to U.S. immigration, the hub uses education to mediate the complexities of labor, migration, and building techniques in the Borderland. Through construction and architectural collaboration through pedagogy, the learning center creates a space for binational collaboration to prepare migrants for societal integration. To prompt this, one may question what the regions migrant workforce training development look like if the Secure Fence Act of 2006 was not passed?
The model speculates diverse spatial programming and outside resources to address the needs of a rapidly evolving community, particularly in border cities like McAllen and Reynosa, with high net migration. By using materials and building techniques of the region, the training center cultivates a culture of stewardship for building management and cultural retention. By designing a space for skill development, safety training, industrial research, and societal integration, the center aims to improve the quality of life for immigrant and local populations at the border. This proposal can transform industrialization’s impact on border towns in Mexico and the U.S. The proposal advocates for a new building configuration that bridges the gap between academia and labor, enhancing interdisciplinarity.Department of Architectur
From Flow To Frequency: Finding Rhythm in Healing-Centered Inquiry. The Transformative Power of Healing-Centered Research, Youth Development, & Leadership.
No full textThis capstone explores the transformative possibility of healing-centered engagement through a strategic project that aimed to scale Flourish Agenda’s Akili Youth Development Model and advance Emancipatory Inquiry as a healing-centered research practice. Flourish Agenda is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming schools, youth-serving organizations, and communities by fostering well-being for young people of color. Grounded in the principles of Healing-Centered Engagement, Flourish Agenda challenges deficit-based models by centering culture, agency, relationships, meaning, aspirations, joy, and community connection as essential elements of healing.
Rooted in the guiding question, What is required to scale healing?, this project integrates elements of design thinking, healing-centered frameworks, and DJ rhetoric to create conditions for sustainable, healing-centered change. Drawing inspiration from the art of DJing—remixing the art of social change—this capstone presents leadership as an adaptive practice that requires moving between flow and frenzy. Just as a DJ curates soundscapes by sampling, blending, and improvising, this project emphasizes emergent leadership as a creative process of remixing strategies, practices, and approaches to foster healing and transformation.
This strategic project unfolds across two primary outcomes: 1) Developing and scaling an Akili Youth Development Model and 2) Documenting culturally-based healing practices to develop and scale Healing-Centered Research.
This capstone explores the challenges of navigating a fast-growing organization, the tension between honoring legacy and innovation, and the complexity of measuring healing outcomes in meaningful ways. Drawing from DJ literacy, this project reframes leadership as a dynamic process of remixing—blending ancestral wisdom, community voice, and institutional knowledge to create transformative change.
Ultimately, this project invites healing-centered leadership as both a personal commitment and a collective practice. By embracing the principles of flow, rhythm, and emergent strategy, this work seeks to inspire educational leaders, youth-serving organizations, and community partners to remix learning environments as ecosystems of healing, joy, and liberation.Educatio
Seiberg–Witten theory and reality
No full textThis thesis develops monopole Floer-theoretic invariants for webs and foams using real Seiberg–Witten theory with orbifold singularities. The approach is based on Kronheimer and Mrowka's framework of monopole Floer homology; a special case of this construction is the real monopole Floer homology for links defined by the author.Mathematic