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Brownfield Remediation and Redevelopment: An Analysis of Barriers, Methods, Processes, and the Future of Brownfields
Get PDFThis thesis explores the many processes and steps that are necessary to successfully and justly remediate and redevelop brownfields in communities in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Remediation and redevelopment of brownfields is a complex multi-step process. The primary objective of this thesis is to identify and articulate a comprehensive accounting of the processes and steps required for successful and just remediation and redevelopment projects in order to improve conditions in blighted communities and enhance the welfare of the people who live in them. The thesis covers what brownfields are and why they are important; identifies and examines in detail the process involved in brownfield remediation and redevelopment which includes identification, removal of barriers (lack of funding, stakeholder engagement, lack of policy and support, etc.), and technical remediation which is a four-step process that covers types of contaminants, remediation techniques, and site histories; the redevelopment process that covers an analysis of community engagement and participation, the issue of environmental gentrification, policy, and the benefits of remediation and redevelopment of brownfields. The thesis concludes with recommendations for policy and incentives to stimulate just, and successful brownfield remediation and redevelopment projects
Exploring Sex Differences in Collegiate Sports Injuries in Divisions I, II, and III
Get PDFThe goal of this honors thesis was to explore sex differences in the occurrence of collegiate sports injuries in basketball, lacrosse and soccer across three NCAA Division levels. I compared the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) for Division I, the East Coast Conference (ECC) for Division II and the Skyline Conference for Division III. I analyzed sports injury data from six schools: Manhattan College and Quinnipiac University (Division I), Long Island University Post and New York Institute of Technology (Division II), and Farmingdale State College and SUNY Purchase (Division III). I predicted Division I to have a higher number of sports injuries in individual injury categories compared to Division II and Division III and that Division III would have the least number of sport injuries. I also predicted that there would be more sports injuries in males compared to females. I anticipated evidence of sex differences in relation to injury because males display more competitiveness, risk taking, and aggression compared to their female counterparts. There was a total of 928 sports injuries (Basketball: 218, Lacrosse: 439 and Soccer: 271) reported for all six schools (Division I: 530, Division II: 307 and Division III: 91). I organized the sports injuries into eight categories: all injuries, concussions, face to neck, trunk region, spine, arm to fingers, hip to knee and leg to toes. I used the NCAA Division level, sport, sex and total number of man hours for practice and play as factors to conduct several ANOVA tests. I discovered evidence of a statistically significant difference in sports injuries based on NCAA Division level (P-Value \u3c 0.05) but no evidence of a statistically significant difference for sport or sex (P-Value \u3e 0.05). However, I noticed a statistically significant difference in concussion injuries amongst women compared to their male counterparts. This data is important because the results can ultimately improve the overall health and well-being of collegiate athletes
The Way It Should Be: Towards Healthy Masculinity
Get PDFMy thesis paper explains how my research on the pervasiveness of gendered violence provided the material we used to devise a show. I analyze what causes the issue of specifically gendered violence, instead of just “violence”. I focus on the gender binary and how it creates an unhealthy practice of masculinity, which is a major contributing factor to gendered violence. My ensemble used that research to create devised pieces during the process, which we molded into an original show we titled Beyond Us. To start, we identified why the topic mattered to us and why we were all in a room together to make a theatre piece. We identified our big questions regarding the topic and followed them. This guided our devising process. We were all so passionate about the topic that we ended up making pieces that went in several different directions. Within the last week of rehearsals, we had to pare down our show and focus on what we really wanted to say with the time allotted. We stuck with the pieces that were more personal for us rather than those based in the initial research. Beyond Us served as a platform for us to speak on why gendered violence matters to us and how we want to make change
Gendered Violence: An Epidemic
Get PDFThis thesis examines the roots of gendered violence as the focus for creating a 15-minute devised performance along with Jenna Gadille and Julia Vaughn. My specific research is broken up into three categories: Toxic Masculinity, Domestic Violence, and Violence in Pop-Culture and Media. The performance featured three women, and was developed over a four-week rehearsal process. We used physical theatre to explore our research on gendered violence with a theme of female empowerment, in a physical way to be translated into theatre. In March of 2019, our thesis entitled “Beyond Us” ran for three performances in The Little Theatre Rifle Range at LIU Post
Classroom Teachers\u27 Views of Student Discipline and Justice: An Expert Judgment Study Using Q Technique
Get PDFThe perceptions that individual teachers have on issues of student discipline and justice are critical factors in the relationships that exist within the classroom. However, policy decisions on student discipline are often left to administrators and school boards without the consideration of teachers’ insights on issues of behavior management. As a result, a disconnection exists between policy and practice, which affects the learning and culture of classrooms for both teachers and students. This study gives a voice to teachers as the frontline experts on student discipline and justice. Q Methodology, a research technique designed for the systematic study of subjectivity, was applied to reveal a set of distinct models of shared viewpoints held by classroom teachers. Data were collected using an anonymous, voluntary, online survey from 71 current, public school teachers in Grades 9-12 across New York State. The study found 3 shared viewpoints: (a) Q Model 1: Student Discipline and Justice as a Humanistic, Individualized Experience Centered on the Teacher-Student Relationship and Separate From Academic Progress, (b) Q Model 2: Student Discipline and Justice as a Rules-Based System, Separate From Academic Progress, That Must be Consistent and Administered Without Regard to Individual Students or Relationships and (c) Q Model 3: Student Discipline and Justice as Connected to Academics and Humanistic, and Needing Change From the Traditional Model. The study concludes that greater attention should be given to the views and role of teachers in student discipline. It recommends that more training be provided to address the internal and external conflicts teachers face in student discipline and justice. The study also concludes that a linguistic distinction should be made between “restorative justice” and “restorative practices” in the school setting
Beliefs of General Education Teachers Toward Effective Methods of Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners: Attitudes Toward Integrated English as a New Language
Get PDFThis study examined the shared models of belief and attitude held by general education teachers toward the integrated period of English Language Arts instruction with English Language Learners. It also examined best practices for reading instruction. The researcher surveyed 32 general education elementary school teachers who had various levels of educational experience. All teachers have co-taught with an English as a New Language teacher in an integrated period of English Language Arts. The researcher utilized group interviews and Q-methodology. She employed a mixed methodological approach that examined the behavior and attitude of subjects both qualitatively and quantitatively. The researcher analyzed four major shared models of beliefs held by general education elementary school teachers who have participated in integrated ENL ELA instruction. The study also explored the way in which models of belief reflected disagreement, agreement, and absence of salience for specific statements in the Q set. Policy makers, school boards, administrators, and teachers may use these findings to strengthen English as a New Language programs and to develop new plans that address teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about the integrated period of English Language Arts instruction
Exploring the Scott Peterson Case
Get PDFThis thesis provides extensive knowledge of the infamous Scott Peterson murder case, which made national headlines in 2002 and 2003. The thesis focuses mainly on Scott Peterson, who was convicted in 2004 of murdering his pregnant wife Laci. A synopsis of the case is provided at the beginning of this work, and also begins by discussing the early lives of Laci and Scott, and their marriage before her disappearance on Christmas Eve 2002. This thesis details the progression of the case extensively, and discusses how Scott Peterson became incriminated in Laci’s disappearance, especially after the revelation of an extramarital affair he had been having at the time of Laci’s disappearance. The thesis also covers the widespread media attention that the case received, noting why the case received the coverage that it did and how this coverage influenced the case against Peterson. It dissects the infamous interview Peterson gave on national television, and why this interview was unsuccessful in showing Peterson’s innocence. This thesis also details the conditions in which Laci and her unborn son, who the couple planned to name Conner, had been found, near where Peterson placed himself on the day of Laci’s disappearance. It also proposes that Peterson’s arrest was not during an attempt to flee to Mexico, as the media has perpetrated. This thesis takes a close look at the Scott Peterson jury, including jury selection, dismissal of jurors during the trial, and how the jury interpreted evidence presented at the trial. This thesis also notes the prosecution and defense attorneys who were appointed to the Scott Peterson case, and how their performances evolved throughout the trial. It discusses why the jurors decided to convict Peterson of the murders of his wife and unborn son, and sentence him to death by lethal injection. This thesis also notes the media attention the case has received after Peterson’s sentence, and how the case led to the passing of
the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, widely know as Laci and Conner’s law. It also compares the Peterson case to that of Casey Anthony, who received similar media attention for a similarly heinous crime, but was acquitted. Lastly, it debates whether Peterson will ever be executed, given the current death penalty moratorium in California. This thesis also includes an exclusive letter from Scott Peterson, providing insight on his case. Overall, this thesis encompasses knowledge of the Peterson case more broadly than the coverage it typically receives
The Behavioral Effects of Riluzole on Memory, Coordination, and Stereotypy in CD-1 Mice
Get PDFALS one of the most common fatal neurodegenerative diseases to date among the adult population. Symptoms of ALS lead to the atrophy neuromuscular junctions, deterioration of upper and lower motor neurons in the nervous system, neuronal death, and eventually respiratory failure. Main genes discussed that are known to lead to ALS when mutated or disrupted include SOD-1, TARDBP, FUS, C9orf72. Glutamate excitotoxicity has also been linked to overstimulation of neurotransmitters in the brain causing complications that result in ALS. There are only two FDA approved drugs in the U.S. to treat symptoms ALS, one of them being the drug Riluzole. Since Riluzole did not go through all phases of clinical testing, due to its imminent need, there are still many unknowns about what effects it may have. Our experiment is testing for any effects of fatigue on mice by assessing their coordination and endurance after being administered a low (1mg/kg), moderate (5mg/kg), or high (10mg/kg) dose of Riluzole. Spatial memory, directional memory, recollection, and stereotypy-like movements were evaluated between males and females at control, low, moderate, and high dosages of Riluzole after i.p. injection using the Rotorod, wooden maze, and activity box apparatuses. Our hypothesis predicted that a higher dose of riluzole will produce more problems with spatial memory and recollection. When evaluating for stereotypy we predicted that females would conduct more time conducting repetitive movements. On the Rotorod apparatus, after our initial pilot study, we hypothesized that the higher dosage of Riluzole would cause the mice to have less coordination and therefore not run as long on the Rotorod
The Unholy Trinity of Demagogic Politics: A Case Study on the Career of Matteo Salvini
Get PDFThis thesis aims to analyze demagogic politics and its reinforcing premises--Fear, Prejudice, Ignorance--through a case study involving the Italian politician, Matteo Salvini. This political practice that can be traced back to Ancient Athens, nevertheless, remains a potent force and an important explanation for contemporary political phenomena. By exploiting the emotions of the common people, rational analysis gives way to ill-considered passion, enabling the demagogue to secure popular support. At a time when right-wing populism has surged in Western Democracy, many have conflated the terms ‘demagogue’ and ‘populist’. However, in order to maintain the order and stability of democracy, it is imperative to maintain and comprehend the distinction between these terms. Specifically, the thesis will provide an extensive analysis of demagoguery, including its historical origins and its reliance upon the unholy trinity--Fear, Prejudice, Ignorance--. The political career of Matteo Salvini under Lega will be offered as a demonstrative paradigm of the modern demagogue
A Comparative Study of Critical Thinking Scores in Teacher Evaluations
Get PDFNew York State’s Education Law §3012-c (2010) calls for rigorous performance reviews of classroom teachers to assess how curriculum is disseminated in the classroom as part of the educational process. Teacher ratings in New York are derived from a combination of measures, including a state component based on student tests, and a heavily weighted district component that is often more subjective. The current debate about evaluation systems is that student test scores have been used as a measure of teaching abilities that can and has had a detrimental effect on a teacher’s career. Because of such a heavy focus on student test scores, parents and several educational groups believe this kind of pressure on teachers is damaging the learning experience for both teachers and students. This study compared quantitative to qualitative data to gauge discrepancies in scores in the category of critical thinking skills rated categorically by district administrators per the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) rubric and how they scored on a self-reporting critical thinking assessment called the Watson-Glaser II Critical Thinking Appraisal. The data verified that categorically rated “Effective” teachers had a higher mean score on the Watson- Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal than did the categorically rated “Highly Effective” teachers, which suggested a revamping of the kinds of data school districts should be using in the assessment of teacher skill