3103 research outputs found
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Spider-Man: The Character with Many Faces
Full text linkAs the way we intake media has increased to span multiple genres and media types, the call for an increase in representation has skyrocketed. Looking at one of the biggest media money makers, superhero films come from a predominantly white, male, heterosexual origin that feels inadequate as the times and general audience have changed. Though there has been some improvement over the past few years, I argue that the Spider-Man universe continues to raise the bar for representation in the superhero genre, as well as media overall, as it has become a highly marketed enterprise that is continuously consumed by many. As people have continued to push for larger representation in media, the Spider-Verse has been a part of the snowball effect to grow the amount of diversity present in consumable media (such as a variety of races in leading roles, expanded gender expression on screen and age-based representation). Since the Spider- Verse creates this palatable universe in which many can see themselves, regardless of age, race, or gender, the audience that creators are able to pander to grows. When a larger audience starts to catch on to the need for more diversity and consumes media that caters to that need, the push on large creators to continue making similar content normalizes the diversified media. I argue that from its comic book origin to the latest animated film, the Spider-Man franchise has always remained a part of this progression, whether in regard to age, race, or gender, and has always been a reminder to other corporations and creators that adding diversity to their media is merely reflecting the times and is an incredibly necessary step in the continuation of media as a way of storytelling
How Climate Change is Altering Energy Finance and Governance in China and the United Arab Emirates
Full text linkClimate change is an environmental problem with catastrophic ecological, economic, social, and political impacts. The dramatic scale of the problem has appropriately earned it the name of “climate crisis.” As a protracted crisis, climate change will dominate national and international agendas while transforming institutional politics. Conflicts within policy communities, new interest alignments, social pressure on governments, and ecological collapse could conceivably transform the norms and institutions through which economics, policy, and politics are conducted. Nowhere is this clearer than the energy sector, which is responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions and wherein massive institutional shifts are just beginning to occur. This research project begins and concludes with the notion that the climate crisis is one of the primary transformations of our time. As countries central to global energy politics, China and the United Arab Emirates offer insight into how various regimes may respond to the energy-climate imperatives of the twenty-first century
MS Environmental Biology Capstone Project
Full text linkThe extraction and changes to management of natural resources can have profound negative effects on local fauna, potentially causing local extirpation of many species. Fauna requiring specific habitats to thrive can be especially susceptible to disruption, such as Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), requiring advanced consideration in management practices. In this study, I studied Bald eagle preferences in roosting sites between trees and ice, and how life stage may affect roosting height within three vertical sections of the canopy at Barr Lake State Park, in Brighton, CO. I conducted stationary counts of Bald Eagles roosting on ice and in the adjacent riparian area, specifically parsing out counts between ages and height in trees. Bald Eagles were found to significantly prefer trees over ice for roosting areas, despite more physical area on the ice being available for resting. Once in the trees, adult Bald Eagles preferred the upper two-thirds of the canopy, whereas juveniles preferred the lower two-thirds. The preference of trees over ice for roosting areas implies the critical nature of suitable habitat, with implications from age stratification within the canopy needing to be taken into account. The outcomes of this study highlight a conflict in management projects within Barr Lake, though recommendations can be generalized to any riparian management plan
Maternal Health Crisis: Implicit Bias/Cultural Humility Education for Perinatal Nurses
Full text linkAbstract
Today, perinatal nurses are challenged to provide equitable care for a very diverse and
high-risk pregnant/postpartum patient population. Pregnant women of color are mistrustful of
the health care system and concerned about their care and risks when admitted to the hospital for
fear that they are not listened to or treated with the same respect and intent as their white patient
counterparts. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., in a 1966 speech, made in connection with the
Medical Committee for Human rights stated, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is
the most shocking and inhumane.” Nurses play a significant role in active listening and effective
communication with their patients that promotes trust and security. This quality improvement
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education project for inpatient perinatal registered nurses
staff and management in Maternal-Child Services focuses on increasing awareness and
understanding of how implicit bias impacts quality care for pregnant/postpartum women of
color. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data a pre/post education Implicit Association
Test (IAT) was taken, demographic data collected on the RNs, and a 5-point Likert scale was
completed on their experience post implicit bias education. A qualitative Implicit Bias and
Cultural Humility Perinatal Questionnaire was completed online, and additional field study notes
were gathered through impromptu one-on-one and small group discussions. Cultural Humility
education was infused with techniques to decrease implicit bias and promote understanding of
racism and the social determinants of health as contributing factors. Due to lack of participation
and inadequate sample size of the post-test IAT as compared to the pre-test IAT it was
impossible to statistically analyze the IAT data. However, the qualitative data was very
informative identifying seven themes and three subthemes
Mental Gainz: Resistance Training for Anxiety and Depression
Full text linkAnxiety and depression are the most common mood disorders globally. Inaccessibility to clinical mental health interventions may lead individuals to seek alternative methods of symptom management. Exercise is one commonly recommended and well-researched symptom reduction method. However, resistance training, a specific type of exercise, is considerably less researched. This thesis aims to: 1) meta-analyze data on the effectiveness of resistance training on anxiety and depression symptom reduction in young people, 2) survey students in health and psychology-focused fields about their knowledge and perceptions of exercise as a symptom management tool for anxiety and depression, and 3) propose future research on the topic of exercise adherence in anxious individuals. The meta-analysis indicated resistance training had a positive effect on anxiety and depression symptom reduction in young people. Survey respondents demonstrated high levels of knowledge but reported low confidence in the recommendation of resistance training to anxious or depressed individuals, with strong concerns about exercise adherence. Social connectedness may act as a buffer for the effects of anxiety on exercise adherence. Thus, future research should examine and target feelings of social connectedness in anxious individuals to improve exercise adherence and make resistance training for symptom reduction more feasible. Ultimately, resistance training is one of many modalities that can positively impact mental health, and future research should continue to explore such topics to ensure that mental well-being is a possibility for everyone
The Art of Healing from the Inside Out: A Memoir
Full text linkABSTRACT
Name: Lauren Thelen Major: Health Care Administration The Art of Healing from the Inside-Out: A Memoir
Advisor’s Name: Anandita Mukherji, Ph.D. Reader’s Name: Melissa Bosworth, MS
The health care system is no stranger to many of us. From before we are born to our last days, we interact with health care settings and providers. This is a good thing--we receive care and feel better--or at least that is the case most of the time. What this statement does not acknowledge is that the health care system fails us, through inadequate communication, dialect barriers and inability to diagnose. The purpose of this thesis is to expose how harmful these issues can truly be. Having experienced the effects of poor communication and medical jargon, I can attest to how difficult the health care system can make communication and understanding. But I do not expect the reader to just take my word for this. I utilize research to expose the issues in the health care system that I experienced firsthand. I dug through my memory to relive and share my health struggles and then honed in on the issues in the health care system that set me further back and researched what is leading to these issues. The purpose of this thesis is not to fix the health care system overnight; it is deeply broken, and it will take time to do this. The intent is for this to be a step towards making it better by opening the eyes of people and patients so they can advocate for themselves and maximize on the face-to-face time they are granted with health care providers. For me, the purpose of this thesis is to heal from my past and to remind myself of my passion for improving the health care system as I enter into a career in health care administration
Never Heard: The Need for Widespread ASL Education
Full text linkABSTRACT
Name: Lauren Roberts Major: Elementary Education
Never Heard: The Need for Widespread ASL Education-Increasing Inclusivity in the Classroom
Advisor’s Name: Dr. Vicki Hennard
Reader’s Name: Dr. Kelli Woodrow
All students deserve an equitable, and high-quality education. The best education should show students how to use their strengths and skills to their benefit, and help them grow in the areas they are weaker in. In terms of education for deaf and hard of hearing students, there are gaps that need to be addressed. Students who are deaf can experience isolation, poor academic outcomes, and decreased self-esteem. However, with access to a common language in a general education setting, where deaf and hard of hearing students can co-exist, these educational and social gaps can be closed. I argue that implementing a bilingual program in elementary schools that teaches both DHH (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) and hearing students American Sign Language will dramatically increase the quality of education for all students. The many academic, cognitive, and social benefits of learning sign language are abundant in the literature surrounding this research. Learning sign language is beneficial for one’s reading comprehension and STEM skills and for one’s social and emotional health in the classroom. If students’ academic and social lives can be improved using sign language, inclusivity and acceptance in the classroom will undoubtedly increase. When this inclusivity is prioritized, students will leave their classrooms with a deeper understanding of what it means to be an understanding, empathetic, and kind human being.
ABSTRACT
Name: Lauren Roberts Major: Elementary Education
Never Heard: The Need for Widespread ASL Education-Increasing Inclusivity in the Classroom
Advisor’s Name: Dr. Vicki Hennard
Reader’s Name: Dr. Kelli Woodrow
All students deserve an equitable, and high-quality education. The best education should show students how to use their strengths and skills to their benefit, and help them grow in the areas they are weaker in. In terms of education for deaf and hard of hearing students, there are gaps that need to be addressed. Students who are deaf can experience isolation, poor academic outcomes, and decreased self-esteem. However, with access to a common language in a general education setting, where deaf and hard of hearing students can co-exist, these educational and social gaps can be closed. I argue that implementing a bilingual program in elementary schools that teaches both DHH (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) and hearing students American Sign Language will dramatically increase the quality of education for all students. The many academic, cognitive, and social benefits of learning sign language are abundant in the literature surrounding this research. Learning sign language is beneficial for one’s reading comprehension and STEM skills and for one’s social and emotional health in the classroom. If students’ academic and social lives can be improved using sign language, inclusivity and acceptance in the classroom will undoubtedly increase. When this inclusivity is prioritized, students will leave their classrooms with a deeper understanding of what it means to be an understanding, empathetic, and kind human being
Household Water Conservation for the Upper Colorado River Basin
Full text linkFresh, clean, potable water is the most important natural resource to sustain human life. Concern over the continued, equitable and affordable access to such water is therefore top of mind. Calls for climate change mitigation practices, improved natural resource management, and enhanced attention to water conservation have therefore become increasingly prevalent. These water conservation practices require population-wide political, attitudinal and behavioral shifts and it will be especially impactful for wealthy nations and wealthy people to be mindful of instituting these changes in their own spaces.
In this project, I conduct a literature review to investigate current challenges surrounding water from a global to localized perspective focusing on the arid Upper Colorado River Basin. I draw from the knowledge and recommendations of academics and scholars in the water management field to understand the political and sociodemographic environment, and conservation mentality of the region and determine challenges and opportunities.
Building on this information, I conducted a needs assessment, holding semi-structured interviews with water system managers and educators in Colorado and identified Denver as the focus area for program implementation. Following this research, I completed a comprehensive analysis of the water conservation resources available to households in the Denver area. To conclude, I combined the main findings of the needs assessment with key takeaways from the literature review to develop an engagement tool for Denver Water customers that aims to ensure residents have an effective, stream-lined means of engaging with available water conservation materials in their communities
Substance Use in Jaltenango, Chiapas: Finding dignified approaches to treat addiction
Full text linkSubstance use disorders in Mexico have been prevalent for years, and increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. In rural areas of Chiapas, hardly reached by medical attention, let alone mental health services, treating addiction has become a challenge. In Mexico, substance use is strongly linked to gender norms, socioeconomic situations, education and psychoemotional factors.
This capstone explores current treatment methods in Mexico’s “anexos”, and proposes alternative and dignified approaches for recovery from a public health lens and a holistic approach. The literature review covers the determinants of substance use, social consequences, existing treatment options and access barriers.
Through qualitative interviews with stakeholders, the needs, pains, and gaps of the target population were listened and understood, as well as the best practices according to mental health experts, resulting in a project proposal to provide quality, dignified attention to substance use disorders in rural Chiapas. This project involves training for non-specialized staff, professional staffing, skill-building activities for patients, and support groups for families of patients, in order to address the problem as a system that does not only depend on the patient’s abstinence, but the social support around them, too
Utilizing a Checklist to Perform Safety Checks
No full textIn the inpatient pediatric acute care department safety checks are an element of handoff between clinical nurses. Clinical nurses were completing safety checks from memory and missing key elements of the checks. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to decrease patient harm related to emergency medical equipment, emergency medication sheets, and patient identification bracelets at all patients’ bedsides as outlined on the safety checklist. The goal of this project was to create intentional safety checks with the use of a safety checklist at each shift change to ensure necessary emergency equipment, emergency medication sheets, and patient identification are at the patient’s bedside in the event of an emergency. A total of 62 clinical nurses participated in the pre-implementation of the safety checklist observational safety check audits. A total of 58 clinical nurses participated in the post-implementation of the safety checklist observational safety check audits. Descriptive observational statistics were used to describe and summarize the data to create understanding. The frequency and percentages for the pre- and post-observational audits were completed. The pre- and post-observational data was compared using Wilcoxon signed ranks statistical test. Kendall’s tau test was completed to demonstrate correlations between components or elements of the safety checklist. The observational audit results demonstrated three variables which were statistically significant after the implementation of the safety checklist patient identification, emergency medication sheet, and respiratory equipment settings. The implementation of the safety checklist demonstrated improvement in all variables apart from equipment. Phase two of the project will be to implement the safety checklist throughout the inpatient acute and intensive care areas within the organization