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Social Engagement and Minority Stress in LGBT+ Elders
No full textSocial engagement is crucial to elders\u27 well-being. Prior research suggests that social interaction, community engagement, and support networks improve quality of life for older LGBTQ adults (Reyes et al., 2024). Additionally, social connectedness, particularly diverse networks and strong support systems, has been linked to better health outcomes in this population (Kim et al., 2024). However, gaps remain in understanding how minority stress relates to social engagement in older LGBTQ adults. This study examines these connections through a secondary analysis of data from a parent study on support networks and mental health in elders. Participants (N = 153, aged 55+) completed measures of social engagement, distal minority stress, and proximal minority stress.
Contrary to our hypothesis, LGBTQ elders did not differ from cisgender, heterosexual elders in social engagement, t(143) = .16, p = .85. However, social engagement (M = 78.27, SD = 19.68) negatively correlated with distal (M = 39.15, SD = 25.65), r(58) = -.45, p \u3c .001, and proximal minority stress (M = 3.60, SD = 5.10), r(68) = -.30, p = .014. These findings suggest that greater social engagement is linked to lower minority stress, though causality remains unclear. Future research should explore whether social engagement helps reduce minority stress or if experiencing less minority stress makes social engagement easier. Regardless of direction, this study reinforces the importance of social connection for older LGBTQ adults’ well-being (Kim et al., 2024) and highlights the need for interventions that create inclusive, affirming social spaces
Balanced On My Tiptoes: Why Do People Toe-walk and How Can Professionals Learn From Them?
Get PDFThis journalistic and personal essay is about idiopathic toe-walking (ITW) and makes a case for more thoughtful communication between the scientific world and individual toe-walkers. ITW is the medical term describing when a person lands on the ball of the foot instead of the heel, usually occurring when learning to walk. While there have been many studies on effective ways to treat ITW, they tend to emphasize observational methods and behavioral and structural changes, neglecting to focus on the individual’s personal experiences and understandings of why they toe-walk. In fact, after treatment for tendon structure or foot gait, many toe-walkers resort back to toe-walking because the underlying reasons for toe-walking have not been addressed. This essay explores the personal perspectives of toe-walkers themselves, sharing how societal views and treatments affect their day-to-day lives. I reference my own experience with ITW and draw from 12 conversations I shared with people in and supporting the toe-walking community to highlight this gap in the current conversation. Without input from toe-walkers, the scientific community currently operates by treating muscular and structural symptoms of toe-walking, while I found in conversations that for many toe-walkers, sensory processing, overstimulation or balance are important factors for their toe-walking. It’s important for the voices of toe-walkers to reach those shaping decisions for adequate treatment and research and to focus on eliminating negative experiences for toe-walkers, especially in a group whose ability to reach out during the process of treatment is constrained by age and communication level
Field Notes from the Crumbling Ivory Tower
No full textGone is the era of academic neutrality as American culture continues to grow and ride the turbulent waters of its political societal pillars. The saying “leave your baggage at the door” is not only incredibly outdated, but for anthropology students at UM it is impossible. The worries and curiosities of our students do not inexplicably stop when they open the doors to the social science building. Their concerns follow them not only into the classroom, but into their career prospects as well. Anthropology classes do not have the luxury of neutrality that other disciplines like mathematics, chemistry, and physics are allowed. Through the method of participant observation, I discovered that the lack of acknowledgement for academic reliance on politics, creates distinct rifts within the classroom regardless of whoever sits in the Oval Office. As the different aspects of the political world become darker and more restrictive, anthropology students are becoming increasingly disengaged with their lectures. Instead of the usual frantic completing of homework for other classes, many students are searching the web for answers to current events. Can anthropology truly claim “academic neutrality” when its very foundations of study can be on the chopping block every four years
Perennial Wildflowers: Cultivating the Seeds of an Advanced Integrated Social Work Practitioner
No full texthttps://scholarworks.umt.edu/grad_portfolios/1465/thumbnail.jp
How Forest Stand Conditions Influence Whitebark Pine and Clark’s Nutcracker: A Systematic Review
Get PDFWhitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), a keystone species of high-elevation ecosystems of western North America, is threatened with extinction due to disease (Blister rust), pests (Mountain pine beetle), and climate change. Regeneration of the species depends nearly exclusively on the seed-caching behavior of Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana, Family Corvidae). Because of this, conservation of whitebark ecosystems requires restoring stand structures that favor nutcrackers. Although there are increasing numbers of studies on the relationship between nutcrackers and whitebark pine, findings have not yet been synthesized, limiting knowledge for application to management. I did a systematic literature review to answer the following questions: 1) How do stand conditions affect nutcracker visitation; 2) over what distances do nutcrackers disperse seed; 3) in what types of microsites do nutcrackers most frequently cache seeds. I also assessed 4) whether responses to these questions varied by geographic region. For each of the 96 articles I found in a Web of Science search, I collected information on the geographic location of the study, what kind of forest stands were studied, how often nutcrackers visited, how far they dispersed seeds, and what types of stands they used for caching. There were a total of 18 articles that addressed the relationship between stand structure and nutcracker visitation. Visitation was over 12 times higher in southern, low-rust forests compared to northern latitude sites, where cone production and seedling density were also much lower. I expect to find that nutcrackers prefer more open stands with healthy cone-producing trees, and that they cache seeds across a mix of open areas, burned forests, and mixed conifer stands. Understanding drivers of nutcracker visitation and seed dispersal can help land managers restore whitebark pine forests in ways that support both the trees and nutcrackers. This work matters because whitebark pine is critical for wildlife and water systems, and its survival depends on this unique bird-tree partnership
GLI Weekly, April 8, 2025
No full textAttention Freshman: 1st-year advising -- Capstone Workshop: Repurposing Materials -- Become a Franke GLI Ambassador -- Attention GLI Seniors -- Attention GLI Capstone Groups -- Franke GLI Sponsored Event: Jewish Women and Girls \u27Passing\u27 as Polish Laborers in Nazi German with Lauren Fedewa -- Black History 101 Mobile Museum -- Campus Event: University Education and Contemporary Global Challenges -- Join Wilderness and Civilization -- International Study Abroad -- Volunteer Opportunities -- Internship and Job Opportunities -- Fall 2025 Course
Slaying the Windigo: Fear and Faith in the Anthropocene
Get PDFThis thesis examines the changing affect of fear in the environment and how it is influencing writing in the Anthropocene. Chapter one lays the groundwork for the present moment of ecocriticism, examining how the relationship with the environment has changed throughout the history of ecocritical writing. The second chapter examines how fear has been an intrinsic element of environmental storytelling, starting with the romantic ideas of the sublime. With the recognition of the impact that humanity has had on Earth over the past several centuries, and the accelerating acceptance of the idea of the Anthropocene since the turn of the century, the role of fear in our relationship with the environment has changed. Instead of just an agent to reveal the beauty of the sublime in nature, it has begun to manifest as grief and horror at the realization of the extent of humanity’s destruction of the natural world and despair at how powerless an individual is to slow or stop it. While this horror and despair can be debilitating, it can also be a catalyst to provoke action and unify individuals together into groups capable of effective activism and creating change. The third chapter discusses how storytelling can be an antidote for the horror and despair evoked by the Anthropocene. Using Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants as an example, the chapter evaluates how a blend of both a scientific and spiritual ecology can soothe the negative affects of the Anthropocene. It also evaluates how Kimmerer uses the legend and metaphor of the Windigo as a storytelling tool to demonstrate to her readers both the sickness that has infected our culture as well as how to craft an effective antidote for it
Eros and the Sublime: Tools for Reaching Toward an Altered Ecological Consciousness
Get PDFThis thesis explores connections between the Kantian sublime and Anne Carson’s ideas regarding “eros.” Since Kant’s Critique of Judgement was published in 1790, the Kantian sublime has grown in popularity and been utilized by theorists and creative writers alike. While the Kantian sublime is often associated with nature in popular culture, there are certain egocentric and phallocentric elements of this mode of thinking that might inhibit a biocentric mindset. Through a character study of Oryx from Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake, this thesis draws relations between the subjugation of women, nature, and the ways in which the popularized Kantian sublime contributes to and supports dysfunctional hierarchical binaries. Considering the sublime through the lens of Carson’s eros offers intellectual opportunities to alter anthropocentric mindsets in order to reach a more productive ecological consciousness
COMPARATIVE BIOINFORMATIC METHODOLOGIES IN PALEOGENETIC PATHOGEN IDENTIFICATION IN THE CASAS GRANDES
Get PDFThe application of metagenomic tools to further elucidate ancient DNA (aDNA) holds promise in paleopathology, particularly for inferring disease patterns in ancient populations, especially in those that are understudied. This study conducts a comparative analysis of the efficacy of taxonomic pipelines--Kraken 2, HOPS/MALT, and HAYSTAC--in detecting pathogens within highly degraded aDNA samples extracted from 22 Medio Period Paquimé individuals from the Casas Grandes archaeological site in Northwest Mexico. The taxonomic results from the pipelines are compared with contamination detection program mapDamage, although concerns arose about the latter program’s ability to work with prokaryotes. Additionally, the findings are compared against prior literature regarding health and ecology. This study tests three hypotheses: (1) that employing multiple taxonomic pipelines provides a cross-validation mechanism for identifying authentic reads in pathogen identification without predefined targets (i.e., a blind sweep); (2) that newer pipelines, specifically those that address the unique issues that arise with aDNA samples, will outperform older models in taxa identification; (3) that using these pipelines collectively will provide a foundation for future studies on the health and disease patterns of Casas Grandes. This study aims to better understand the implications of cross-validating taxonomic pipelines in paleogenomics and paleoepidemiology. It also seeks to address persistent limitations in these fields and improve methods for investigating disease in ancient populations. The project’s broader implications for improving pathogen detection and health history reconstruction in paleogenomics, especially for underrepresented populations in the literature. Initially, the authenticated aDNA reads generated in this analysis hoped to serve as preliminary data for future studies related to the genetic histories of the Casas Grandes peoples. However, in testing the three aforementioned taxonomic pipelines, it was found that only Kraken2 was successfully able to produce authentic reads from the aDNA samples. HOPS/ MALT was no longer available and HAYSTAC’s current system is not compatible with identification without predefined targets. What was found does provide some very minor avenues for futures investigations into agriculture-human interactions and the health of the Casas Grandes peoples; however, these avenues are only weakly supported. The study highlights the need for further research into methodologies in health studies and continued advancements in bioinformatics for aDNA