18253 research outputs found
Sort by
Nancy Pineda-Madrid oral history - April 8, 2024
No full textThis oral history of Nancy Pineda-Madrid (she/her/hers), recorded on April 8, 2024, discusses changing majors from Business to Theology and a transformative year abroad volunteering in Chihuahua, Mexico while a student at Loyola Marymount University, later becoming the T. Marie Chilton Chair of Catholic Theology, and her work to build bridges between Latinx women and the LGBTQ communities through coursework in theology and her research on violence against women. At the time of this interview, Nancy was 64 years old, identified as Roman Catholic, Chicano, Mexican-American, and Latinx theologian, and resided in Los Angeles, California. She attended Loyola Marymount University from 1977-1981 and became a faculty member in 2019. At the time of this interview, Nancy was a professor in the Theological Studies department at Loyola Marymount University and the T. Marie Chilton Chair of Catholic Theology. Nancy was originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/oral_histories/1015/thumbnail.jp
Comparing Task Graph Scheduling Algorithms: An Adversarial Approach
No full textScheduling a task graph representing an application over a heterogeneous network of computers is a fundamental problem in distributed computing. It is known to be not only NP-hard but also not polynomial-time approximable within a constant factor. As a result, many heuristic algorithms have been proposed over the past few decades. Yet it remains largely unclear how these algorithms compare to each other in terms of the quality of schedules they produce. We identify gaps in the traditional benchmarking approach to comparing task scheduling algorithms and propose a simulated annealing-based adversarial analysis approach called PISA to help address them. We also introduce SAGA, a new open-source library for comparing task scheduling algorithms. We use SAGA to benchmark 15 algorithms on 16 datasets and PISA to compare the algorithms in a pairwise manner. Algorithms that appear to perform similarly on benchmarking datasets are shown to perform very differently on adversarially chosen problem instances. Interestingly, the results indicate that this is true even when the adversarial search is constrained to selecting among well-structured, application-specific problem instances. This work represents an important step towards a more general understanding of the performance boundaries between task scheduling algorithms on different families of problem instances
Ethical dimensions of algorithmic literacy for college students: Case studies and cross-disciplinary connections
No full textThis article addresses three key questions related to the ethical facets of algorithmic literacy. First, it synthesizes existing literature to identify six core ethical components, including bias, privacy, transparency, accountability, accuracy, and non-maleficence. Second, a crosswalk maps the intersections of these principles across the Association of College and Research Libraries\u27 Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and the Association of Computing Machinery\u27s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and Joint Statement on Principles for Responsible Algorithmic Systems. This analysis reveals significant overlap on issues like unfairness and transparency, helping prioritize topics for instruction. Finally, case studies showcase pedagogical strategies for teaching ethical considerations, informed by the crosswalk. Workshops for diverse undergraduates and computer science students employed reallife instances of algorithmic bias to prompt reflection on unintended harm, contestability, and responsible development. Pre-post surveys indicated expanded critical perspectives after the interventions. By systematically examining shared values and testing instructional approaches, this study provides practical tools to shape ethical thinking on algorithms. It also demonstrates promising practices for responsibly advancing algorithmic literacy across disciplines. Ultimately, fostering interdisciplinary awareness and multipronged educational initiatives can empower students to question algorithmic authority and biases
A Call to Serve: Novice Urban Catholic School Teachers\u27 Sense of Purpose in Life, Compassion, Faith, and Justice
Get PDFEducators are instrumental in nurturing students’ sense of purpose, particularly in urban schools. Consequently, these educators must not only have a strong sense of purpose but also possess other key virtues. This mixed-methods study explores these virtues among a group of 30 urban Catholic school teachers. They responded to scales measuring purpose, compassion, faith, moral development and agency, and completed a modified Youth Purpose Interview online. Scores were compared to those of the original samples upon which these scales were validated as they were also emerging adults. Participants scored significantly higher on almost all scales than the original samples. These quantitative results and interview data revealed unique sources of purpose such as altruism and compassion towards high-need students. Overall, the participants are strongly disposed to fostering a sense of purpose among their students and respecting the dignity and worth of all persons
Bothsideism in Journalism and Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care
No full textA journalist’s goal is to convey the truth of a situation to their audience. Of course, true objectivity will never be possible due to personal biases, but journalists are responsible for striving to be as objective as possible. The historical understanding for what objectivity looks like in journalism takes the form in a practice now dubbed bothsideism. In efforts to not appear biased, journalists who partake in bothsideism provide both arguments of a debate, regardless of the validity and proportion of those who align with the viewpoint.
The practice of bothsideism prompts journalists to cover those who cite detransitioners with equal weight as those who do not regret the surgery, which misconstrues the reality of the situation to the general public. Bothsideism in journalism is hurting transgender youth. Because of a commitment to cover both sides of the debate, news outlets disproportionately amplify the voices of an incredibly small minority. This has tangible impacts on the legislation that is being passed regarding youth access to gender-affirming care
“We Have the Potential”––Math as a Racialized Barrier: Counter-Narratives of Black and Latinx Working-Class California Community College STEM Students
Get PDFWithin the CCC system, mathematics has been identified as the most considerable barrier to persistence, transfer, and degree completion (Cooper et al., 2022). Recent research corroborated the notion that mathematics serves as a gatekeeper for Black and Latinx students; historically, this subject has impeded students of color from accessing educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM; Joseph et al., 2021). Consequently, mathematics has evolved into a racialized impediment for students and, by extension, STEM graduates. Recognizing mathematics’ critical role in shaping students’ future prospects, the state legislature introduced California Assembly Bill 705 (AB 705; California Assembly Bill 705 [AB 705], 2017) to provide an intervention implemented in the fall of 2019. The purpose of this study was to examine how Black and Latinx working-class STEM students interpret and derive meaning from their mathematics trajectories, as well as the strategies they develop to navigate transfer-level mathematics environments in post-AB 705 (2017) contexts. Utilizing critical race theory (CRT) as a framework, the research documented students’ counter-narratives with the aim of enhancing transfer rates and STEM transfer readiness for students of color in STEM fields. Additionally, the study established connections between the policy and existing research on STEM momentum and transfer success through the voices of students of color. Five self-identified Black and Latinx students who enrolled at a CCC in the fall of 2019 or later and transferred to either a UC or CSU in the fall of 2023 as a STEM major were interviewed. Additionally, all participating students received the California Promise Grant (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2017) at some point in their CCC careers, which served as a proxy for their socioeconomic status. To further provide context, one STEM counselor and one CCC math instructor with at least 5 years of experience supporting Black and Latinx working-class STEM students were interviewed. The counter-narratives reveal systemic flaws in the education system, from secondary education through community college. Their stories identified systemic barriers primarily in secondary education that hinder the recognition and development of working-class Black and Latinx students’ potential. Additionally, as the student participants transitioned to college, structural racism and classism continued to create barriers to success in transfer-level math courses in community colleges. Concurrently, student narratives highlighted the pivotal aspects at community colleges that contribute to their success, including supportive academic environments, culturally responsive teaching, and inclusive communities, thereby highlighting the barriers and challenges that arise when such aspects are absent in transfer-level math and the STEM pipeline
A Liberty Interest in Release: Recognizing the Unconstitutionality of Youth Offender Parole Regimes that Undermine Juvenile-Specific Eighth Amendment Protections
Get PDFThis Note proposes that procedural due process safeguards are necessary to vindicate the right to release for juvenile offenders who mature and rehabilitate. Miller v. Alabama and Montgomery v. Louisiana announced this right, but state actors have resisted the “central intuition” of those cases—“that children who commit even heinous crimes are capable of change.” Several overlapping analyses establish a liberty interest in release for transiently immature juvenile offenders based on the Eighth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, local law, or some combination of the three. Most of these analyses hinge on the premise that post-Miller juvenile offender parole processes are of constitutional magnitude. Youth offender parole hearings carry constitutional weight that mandates recognizing a liberty interest in release upon a showing of maturity and rehabilitation, so due process protections are required
Maritime Trade and Biological Invasions Management: A Seaport Platform of Environmental Surveillance in Cotonou, Benin, as a Pilot Multi-Stakeholder Initiative
Get PDFThe Seaport Platform of Environmental Surveillance (PPSE, or Plateforme Portuaire de Surveillance Environnementale in French) was officially inaugurated in Cotonou Seaport (CS), Benin, by the end of 2021. To our knowledge, this platform is the first laboratory dedicated to the monitoring and management of invasive species to be built inside the walls of an African seaport. Its creation has benefitted from a combination of favorable factors, and its existence has resulted from a long-term, multi-stakeholder and still ongoing process that we here describe and analyze. We believe that the PPSE is an innovative science-guided operational initiative that may be useful to replicate in other settings throughout the world
Building Social & Emotional Competence in Early Education Classrooms through Art Therapy
Get PDFThis research project qualitatively explores how teachers address social-emotional learning and how educators understand and implement SEL and art therapy in early education. This research aimed to explore how art therapy theories can support teachers in their efforts to create socially and emotionally competent early education classrooms. Data collected included anonymous surveys from current kindergarten through third-grade teachers. Through data analysis, several findings suggest that art therapists, mental health practitioners, and teachers can benefit from collaboration in increasing access and training with SEL practices. These findings open new doors for further inquiry into art therapy and SEL