3103 research outputs found
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SOCIAL BUTTERFLY THE JOURNEY TO FINDING A FRIENDSHIP POTION
Full text linkThroughout history, there has been a constant search for a method of developing interment relationships between people. Different cultures have had various methods to develop a so-called love potion by using animals, plants, and modern witchcraft to create elixirs to manipulate an individual\u27s feelings. The goal of the love potion is to create genuine positive feelings of affection. Despite the different methods used in creating a love potion, there is a method that has been shown to create meaningful relationships just through talk. Psychological researcher, Arthur Aron, focused on the Fast Friends Protocol to create deep and meaningful relationships between people. Instead of just having small talk between two people, he asked people a series of 35 personal questions about their lives. The questions were seen to help people create a love relationship at a fast pace. Using the same 35 questions he helped develop, I created a card game called Social Butterfly. Unlike Aron who used the research to create a love potion, the goal of Social Butterfly is to create a friendship potion to help develop meaningful relationships among Regis University students who have felt lonely and secluded from the community. The game has been tested and played around the Regis Community and allowed students to form friendships and get to know someone on a personal level at a fast pace. It has been seen to be effective in creating friendships among students only if they are comfortable sharing personal information from the question asked
Mentoring the Mentor: A Mentor Training Program
Full text linkMentorship has played an important role in nursing and nursing education for decades. However, there have yet to be any standard qualifications or training programs for those who mentor others. Poor mentorship increases faculty turnover, stress, and poor student outcomes. A quality improvement initiative was implemented in the Associate Degree Nursing Program using an evidence-based approach. Using a pre-post survey design with convenience sampling, five (N=5) nursing faculty met the qualifications to participate in the mentor training program. The Mentor Efficacy (MES) survey, which consisted of 30 questions, was administered to measure the participants\u27 feelings of self-efficacy in the mentoring process. A paired t-test was done to compare and identify differences between the pre and post-test scores for the MES. The analysis did not indicate a statistical difference in the mean pre and post-test scores. However, statistical differences were noted when objectives for individual mentoring modules were compared. Objectives included overall self-efficacy, evaluation of mentees\u27 performances, promotion of professional growth, and responsibilities of new educators. Limitations of the study included sample size, limited project duration, and the survey structure used. The findings of this project support future focus on mentor qualifications and needs for training and improving outcomes for faculty and students, ultimately creating a positive impact on nursing education
Capstone Project
Full text linkHuman-wildlife conflict is increasing globally as landscapes become more urban, reducing and fragmenting habitat for wildlife and bringing them closer to people. In the Western United States, elk and human populations are both growing, leading to increased rates of human-elk conflict. This study took place in Evergreen, CO, where Dedisse Park experiences high levels of human activity and elk presence. We aimed to determine where conflict is most prevalent and to determine which environmental and behavioral factors contribute to human-elk conflict. We found that conflict occurs primarily along the north side of the lake and that people and elk are likely to be present when temperatures increase and wind and precipitation are not present. Finally, we found that walking and driving a car had significant effects on elk feeding behavior. The results of this study provide management implications for Dedisse Park, and contribute to our understanding of human-elk conflict in western North America
Creating a Community-Centric Framework for Nonprofit Organizations in Hampton Roads, Virginia
Full text linkThis Capstone project investigates the contrasting approaches of donor-centric and community-centric fundraising models. The literature review traces the evolution of modern philanthropic practices, highlighting how the donor-centric model became the standard in the nonprofit sector and examining its limitations, which can hinder a nonprofit\u27s ability to support its clients effectively. In contrast, community-centric philanthropy prioritizes collective community needs, aspirations, and strengths over individual donor preferences. This model engages communities to identify pressing challenges and co-create solutions to address systemic issues, emphasizing the diversity and complexity of communities while fostering empowerment, collaboration, and partnerships among stakeholders for sustainable change.
Drawing on insights from the literature review, interviews were conducted with development professionals and nonprofit executives from ten community-based organizations in the Hampton Roads area. These interviews revealed intense competition among nonprofits in the region but also a strong desire for increased collaboration. Additionally, while these organizations recognize the importance of diversity, they face challenges in integrating it meaningfully into their leadership. Despite limited familiarity with the formal community-centric framework, many organizations are beginning to adopt community-centered approaches in their philanthropic efforts.
Based on the research findings, this project proposes establishing a network to serve as a central hub and educational resource for organizations in the Hampton Roads area interested in implementing community-centric practices. This network aims to facilitate collaboration, resource-sharing, and the adoption of community-centric philanthropy to drive sustainable, community-led development
MS ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY CAPSTONE PROJECT
Full text linkHabitat loss due to deforestation is a primary threat to global biodiversity. Clearing tropical rainforests for agriculture leads to forest fragmentation. Forest fragments contain fewer large trees and provide lower food availability for primates compared to continuous forests. Mantled howler monkeys inhabit the increasingly fragmented rainforests of Central and South America and may need to alter their activity and spatial cohesion to mitigate competition and preserve energy in fragments where there is lower quality food. We compared howler monkey activity and spatial cohesion across a small forest fragment (La Suerte Biological Research Station, LSBRS) and a large, continuous forest (La Selva Research Station) in northeastern Costa Rica. We predicted that monkeys at LSBRS would rest more, feed more, travel less, and be less spatially cohesive compared to La Selva to contend with fewer resources and higher competition in the small fragment. Using instantaneous scan sampling at two-minute intervals during 30-minute focal samples, we recorded activity and counted the number of individuals within 5 meters of the focal animal. The probabilities of observing each behavior differed significantly across sites. As predicted, monkeys at LSBRS fed more than those at La Selva, but contrary to our predictions, they rested less and traveled more. The mean number of individuals within 5 m was significantly lower at LSBRS compared to La Selva. The ability to modify their activity and spatial cohesion in response to fragmented forests provides insight into how primates can contend with fewer resources and higher competition in changing ecosystems worldwide
Power Centres: A Collaborative Development Proposal for Addressing Poverty and Related Challenges in Rural Communities in Kenya
Full text linkIn Homa Bay County, Kenya, a community-led development initiative called the Power Centre is transforming the fight against poverty and powerlessness. Grounded in principles of decolonization and participatory action, this project addresses the root causes of marginalization by empowering residents of Kokal Village to become active agents of change. Through a robust mixed-methods research approach, the project identifies systemic challenges and leverages existing social networks to build a sustainable, locally-owned model for development. The Power Centre implements a three-pronged strategy, focusing on increasing community participation, strengthening existing groups, and fostering collaborative networks to weave a robust support system. By addressing immediate needs, investing in capacity building, and promoting social enterprise, this project aims to create a thriving local economy and resilient community that can overcome historical inequalities and shape its own future. This case study provides valuable insights into the potential of community-led, decolonized development approaches to achieve lasting social and economic transformation in rural Kenya and beyond
MS ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY CAPSTONE PROJECT
Full text linkRecreational trails and the presence of invasive species such as Bromus inermis can both disturb grassland community composition. Trails can act as dispersal corridors for plant material, but can also be a source of trampling and compaction. Invasive grasses like Bromus inermis can easily establish in grasslands and decrease species richness by increasing competition. Understanding these effects, this study aims to understand how both the presence of recreational trails as well as the presence of Bromus inermis affect species richness and overall community composition at Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge. Belt transect sampling took place in fall 2019 and again in 2021. I used generalized linear modelling and mixed effect modelling to understand how distance from trails affected species richness and percent cover of Bromus inermis. I used non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) to assess overall species community composition. I found that species richness was negatively impacted by distance from trail while percent cover of Bromus inermis was positively impacted. Additionally, species composition varied according to distance from trail, with differing effects for individual species. This study concludes that walking trails may act as a dispersal corridor for species as indicated by higher species richness while trails may hinder the growth of Bromus inermis due to trampling and soil compaction. Furthermore, the variation in community composition may result from individual species being able to disperse and propagate more easily along the trails. My findings contribute to ongoing research into management and ecology of urban grasslands in the face of several anthropogenic disturbances
NEUROANATOMICAL BASES OF SEMANTICS AND DETERMINANTS OF MEANING
Full text linkBoth neuroscience and linguistics study semantics, yet often in separation. Their independent pursuits may be experimentally productive, but prescribe their inability to fully predict or explain how language triggers meaning. Advances in neuroscience identify instances of lateralized language and frequently attribute word meaning retrieval to the temporal lobe, yet these findings are inevitably accompanied by the understanding that this type of cognitive ability is a result of neural interconnectivity. Meaning itself is associative, dependent on multiple neural bases to conceptualize, integrate, and coordinate information. That said, meaning is not a sole result of mental operation: external features such as the context, precedence, and conceptual frame in which a word is situated predispose the type of neural response and structural progression used to understand it. For instance, metaphors and implicatures require an alternate method of association compared to that of literal language. Establishments of the neural mechanisms that underlie semantic ability should account for these linguistic factors; reflectively, linguistic constraints that model semantic patterns should account for the neural bases of word association
DARK DEALS: THE INSTITUTIONALLY MEDIATED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLITICAL CONSERVATISM AND SEXISM
Full text linkContemporary populist-right leaders around the globe have generated a reputation for sexism, either through their more formal political rhetoric or through more casual communications. This work verifies this reputation by establishing that many populist-right leaders around the world do indeed engage in rhetorical misogyny. This rhetorical misogyny plays on a set of negative social characteristics described in the literature on precarious masculinity and offensive humor. The path by which these negative social instincts are slipped into political rhetoric is bounded and mediated by the influence of popular public social institutions, primarily government, the workplace, and more recently the Internet. These interactions are modulated by the demographics of any particular social institution and by the current nature of conservative politics, particularly in the United States. An examination of these public social institutions, particularly the Internet, reveals that the relationship between the populist-right and sexism parallels the relationship between the populist-right and conspiratorial thinking. It is this second relationship that is idiosyncratically progressive and offers populist-right leaders an unprecedented opportunity to conserve their current base while recapturing the audiences spurred away by rhetorical misogyny
Increasing participation of rural youth in Agriculture in Iganga district, Eastern Uganda
Full text linkAccording to the 2024 population census, Uganda’s population is comprised of a high and increasing cohort of young people, over 70 percent of the population is below the age of thirty. Evidence reveals that youth engagement in agriculture is declining amidst rising youth unemployment. This may have implications on food security, unemployment, and underemployment and may undermine the government efforts to drive economic growth through agriculture. This capstone provides insights into the determinants of youth participation in agriculture, challenges and constraints inherent to the youth in agricultural production, in Iganga district, Eastern Uganda.
The findings reveal that young farmers are concentrated more in agricultural production. a relatively lower percentage of youth involve in input supply and marketing and trade. Main constraints to youth involvement in agricultural value chain were inadequate capital, bad weather, lack of land, poor access to extension services and poor access to quality inputs, poor access to markets and pests and disease. Such constraints occur at the production/farming and marketing & trading nodes of the agricultural value chains in which majority of youth are involved. With such challenges, productivity is likely to remain low and constrain the youth to subsistence farming. Youth are disenfranchised in the ownership and management of critical assets in agricultural production, especially land which continue to impede many youths from engaging in agriculture. In addition, the results point to the fact that the youth are less likely to access credit, extension services and social capital all key factors in agricultural transformation