28647 research outputs found
Sort by
Barrio de las Lechuzas: A Design Study for a Sustainable New Neighborhood in the Galapagos
No full text77 pagesThe population growth and continuing urbanization of the Galapagos archipelago is creating significant sustainability challenges. The Ecuadorian government has responded with a strategic plan that lays out a series of policy goals for 2030, several of which address the urban built environment and the population's relationship with nature. This project is a design study for a neighborhood master plan that incorporates the government's policy goals, the existing local urban form, and the context of a specific site adjacent to the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the island of San Cristobal. It provides government officials, residents, and other stakeholders an opportunity to engage a visual representation of one possible future urban form. The project concludes with recommendations on how to navigate from the current built environment to one that is more sustainable and better integrated into the Galapagos' unique landscape
Pimasapsikw’ałáma Patx̱ánax̱a Sapsikw’ałáma: Átmaakshaatash Shúkwaat Naknuwiłámaman The Learners are Becoming the Teachers: Honoring the Knowledge Keepers
Full text linkThis dissertation explores the question: How can the lived experiences of second language (L2) teachers of Ichishkíin inform language revitalization and documentation? Grounded in Indigenous research paradigms, the Nine Virtues of the Yakama Nation, and relational accountability, the study centers L2 teachers as cultural and pedagogical leaders whose lived experiences serve as valuable sources of knowledge for community-based language reclamation. Three guiding principles frame the inquiry: (1) It is important in the context of highly endangered languages to re-center language revitalization efforts around second language (L2) speakers as cultural and pedagogical leaders, (2) The sociocultural experiences of L2 learners provide a vital link to traditional knowledge systems and can inform language teaching that reflects the values, histories, and protocols of the community, and (3) Framing L2 learners’ experiences as valid data sources aligns with Indigenous research paradigms that prioritize relationality, community expertise, and culturally grounded knowledge systems.
Data were gathered during a professional development workshop with L2 Ichishkíin teachers using surveys, dialogue worksheets, group discussions, and field notes. An inductive, constructivist grounded theory analysis, enriched by narrative inquiry and layered with the Nine Virtues, revealed themes of relationality, humility, patience, emotional learning, and community responsibility. Teachers described language as inherently relational, shaped by kinship roles, nonverbal norms, and the teachings of Elders. Conversational practices emerged as central to both linguistic development and cultural fluency.
Rather than treating L2 knowledge as secondary, this study affirms its richness, complexity, and cultural authority. The research culminates in a set of instructional materials and workshop outlines that were co-created in response to teacher input and offered as an act of reciprocity consistent with Indigenous methodologies. A key contribution of this dissertation is showing how values articulated by the community can be translated into a workshop series and teaching materials that are consistent with recognized best practices in second language teaching (SLT). By linking cultural values directly to interactive and pragmatic teaching strategies, this work provides a powerful alternative to grammar- and vocabulary-centered instruction and offers a model for sustainable, community-driven professional development. Ultimately, this dissertation demonstrates how honoring the lived experiences of L2 teachers advances culturally grounded, relationally accountable approaches to revitalization and transforms language documentation into a process of community care and the nurturing of Indigenous self-determination
Si Yo Vivo A Mi Manera (If I Live My Own Way): Narrative, Persona, and Challenges to Machismo in the Songs of Mélida Rodríguez
Full text linkBachata is a popular Dominican musical genre that emerged as an international phenomenon during the early 1990s. In the preceding decades as far back as the ’60s, bachata grew out of the margins of Dominican society where it could express the social means of the low-class inhabitants of impoverished urban neighborhoods and communities. With only a few exceptions in the early decades, bachata was performed and written by men. One such exception was Mélida Rodríguez, whose brief career posed challenges to the patriarchal norms of Dominican society writ large and the dominance of men within the genre. This thesis explores the different ways that Rodríguez subverted gender norms through bachata and its unique position as a music in flux at the border of tradition and modernity. I argue that Rodríguez’s voice as a composer and singer was a nimble vehicle to oppose machismo. Markers of her singing style, such as her ability to shift rapidly between delivery methods, are also expressive and meaningful within her cultural context. Through analysis of Rodríguez’s treatment of narrative and performance persona, I point to a clearer understanding of bachata’s expression of immediate social needs of the time
Student experiences with the Instructional Skills-building Learning Approach: An alternative to exclusion
Full text linkExclusionary discipline harms students, schools, and society at large. Students' perceptions of
prevention and countermeasures to this harm are imperative to improving equity in school discipline.
The following study examined 8th grade students' experiences in their middle school environments
during implementation of the Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach (ISLA). As part of ISLA
implementation, school staff are supported in implementing preventative strategies and instructional
responses in the face of behavior challenges. To inform future implementation efforts in these contexts,
this paper examined how 8th grade students experienced different aspects of the learning environment
during the intervention year. A total of 22 students participated in focus groups and provided feedback
on various elements of ISLA. Students' experiences were analyzed using a theoretical thematic analysis
and revealed strong connections between teachers’ implementation of inclusive practices and
relationship building strategies and students’ sense of belonging and support in schools. Results are
discussed in terms of the impact of student-teacher interactions, strategies to improve student outcomes,
and considerations to improve ISLA implementation
Daniela is me, too
Full text link45 pagesThis terminal project explores the emotional and visual complexity of transracial adoption through photography, installation, and narrative. Drawing from personal experiences as a Colombian adoptee raised in a white Midwestern family, the work navigates themes of identity, memory, and cultural disconnection. Using analog and digital techniques, such as projection, family photos, and material layering, the project visually reflects the fragmented nature of selfhood formed between two names, two homes, and two histories. Inspired by artists like LaToya Ruby Frazier, Joel Sternfeld, and Tarrah Krajnak, the project becomes a visual language for articulating what words cannot always express: the unresolved, evolving journey of belonging
Context Change Shapes the Organization of Memory Recall
Full text linkOur memories of past experiences are strongly linked to rich contextual details—that is, memory for where or when an event took place. This contextual information not only supports memory retrieval but also shapes how memories are organized. Free recall tasks provide a unique window into these organizational processes, revealing that memory organization is often guided by the similarity of contextual features during learning. Contexts can be similar along a number of dimensions, including temporal, source, and motivational context. However, the context in which we form memories is constantly changing, and while context is known to support memory, it remains unclear how such changes influence what is remembered and how memories are organized.Across three studies, this dissertation explores how features of context change influence the organization of free recall memory, using both behavioral measures and brain activity measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Chapter II presents two behavioral studies using a context switching paradigm to examine how the frequency and relative novelty of context changes interact to influence free recall. I found that recall performance is worse only when rapidly switching to novel contexts. This suggests not only a benefit for switching to a familiar context, but that impairments of switching to novel environments only emerged in the context of rapid versus slower switches. This difference may have been due, in part, to differences in memory organization. Chapter III is an fMRI study in which the rate of external context change was manipulated during encoding. I tested whether this affected memory organization, measured using temporal clustering—the tendency to recall items in the order they were studied. I also examined whether these behavioral patterns were mirrored in the brain by looking at gradually changing activity in the hippocampus. A higher rate of context change was associated with both less temporal clustering and lower hippocampal autocorrelation, a measure of the stability of hippocampal activity patterns over time. Moreover, participants who exhibited greater hippocampal autocorrelation during encoding also exhibited stronger temporal clustering during recall, establishing a link between hippocampal autocorrelation and temporal organization of memory. Chapter IV used a between-subjects free recall paradigm to test whether agency—having control over one’s choices—can act as a context to organize memories. I found that participants with agency showed reduced temporal clustering compared to yoked participants who had no choice. Instead, participants with agency organized their memories more around the meaningful connections they constructed through their choices. Collectively, these findings provide novel insight into how contextual factors shape the organization of memory
19th Century French Orientalism and the Algerian Burnous
No full text58 pagesIn 1830, France invaded Algeria and began the first major European settler-colony in Africa. Not long afterwards, Algerian-influenced clothing items began to appear in Paris. The most popular was the burnous, a white, woolen cloak which was worn frequently by the majority of people in Algeria. The burnous was adapted to meet French tastes, and quickly became a popular fashion item. This fit into a longer French tradition of sartorial orientalism, which was particularly prominent in the 18th century. For them, Algeria fit into the ‘Orient’ and they understood Algerian culture primarily through this lens. Since the height of turquerie (Turkish/ ottoman focused orientalism) in the preceding century, the relationship between France and the nation they borrowed from had changed from allies to colonizer and colony. However, the constructions of Algerian culture seen in descriptions and representations of the burnous are largely consistent with this older tradition of orientalism. This consistency shows that French understandings of the Orient were not significantly impacted by the realities of colonialism until later in the empire’s history
Modeling Earth Systems Across Scales: Emergent Dynamics in Granular Materials and Inference-Driven Scales in Volcanic Records
Full text linkThis dissertation explores emergent dynamics in granular materials and inference-driven scales in volcanic records, addressing the crucial role of scale in Earth sciences. It employs minimal models to reveal overlooked behaviors and assess the limits of data-driven inference.
Chapters 2 and 4 investigate granular materials, focusing on how particle deformation (softness) dictates system behavior. Contrary to traditional assumptions of infinite stiffness, this work shows that even minimal softness significantly alters force transmission via "compression chains" where particles deform in series. A deformable collision model was developed to quantify how these chains modify effective stiffness and reduce the impulse felt by a mobile grain. This directly explains thin layer stability in frictionless granular flows, proving compression chains as a necessary and sufficient mechanism. The model was generalized to heterogeneous systems, uniquely resolving multi-particle elastic collisions and revealing "contact ideals" in homogeneous systems. It also demonstrated that particle ordering and property variance profoundly impact momentum propagation in heterogeneous systems.
Chapter 3 shifts to the volcanic record, examining how data incompleteness and variable resolution affect inference. A statistical framework is introduced, employing temporal aggregation to extract reliable insights from sparse eruption records. This framework uses Freedman-Diaconis bin widths to identify statistically viable record segments, defining an "information resolution" for each. An "equivalent Poisson process" standardizes eruption intensity comparisons across varying resolutions, ensuring robust analysis. The methodology quantifies inferential power to determine if sufficient information exists to reject randomness, enabling rigorous comparisons of temporal structure. Lastly, it facilitates cross-volcano comparisons, even with vastly different record qualities, by normalizing for bin density, allowing for a "rhythm" (dimensionless intensity) to characterize eruption ``burstiness" or dispersal irrespective of observational regimes.
In essence, this dissertation provides novel physical insights into granular dynamics through explicit deformation modeling and a robust statistical framework for navigating the inherent limitations of Earth system records, thereby advancing our understanding of scale-dependent phenomena in both domains
Navigating Culture and Emotion in Parenting: Exploring the Interplay of Values, Beliefs, and Caregivers’ Emotion Socialization Strategies
No full textThere are several key variables that play crucial roles in shaping parent-child interactions and emotional development. Caregivers' cultural values refer to the beliefs and priorities that individuals hold regarding their cultural identity, traditions, and heritage. These values can significantly influence parenting practices and the transmission of cultural norms to children. Emotion beliefs pertain to individuals' perceptions and attitudes towards emotions, including beliefs about the controllability and usefulness of emotions. Cultural socialization attitudes reflect caregivers' beliefs and practices regarding the importance of transmitting cultural values and traditions to their children. Finally, Emotion-Related Socialization Behaviors (ERSBs) encompass the strategies and behaviors that parents employ to socialize their children's emotions, including how they express, regulate, and respond to emotions within the family context. Understanding these variables is essential for comprehensively examining the complex dynamics of parent-child relationships and emotional development across different cultural contexts. This study aims to elucidate the associations between caregivers' cultural values and emotion beliefs, examine how these factors predict the use of ERSBs, and explore the moderating role of cultural socialization attitudes on these associations. A sample of caregivers (N = 198) participated in the study, providing data on their cultural values, emotion beliefs, cultural socialization attitudes, and everyday ERSBs. Measures included the Short Schwartz’ Value Survey, the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire, the Cultural Socialization Attitudes Measure, and daily emotion check-ins. Data were analyzed using multiple- and stepwise-regressions and moderation analyses. Findings revealed significant associations between caregivers' cultural values and beliefs about the usefulness of emotions, as well as their use of expressive ERSBs. However, cultural socialization attitudes did not significantly moderate these associations. This study contributes to understanding how caregivers' cultural values influence their emotion beliefs and subsequent parenting practices. By recognizing these relationships, interventions can be tailored to support diverse families effectively. Future research should continue to explore these interactions and their implications for parent-child interactions
The Robotization of Love: How AI Transforms Intimate Relationships
Full text linkThe robotization of humans is underway—from the deployment of industrial machines to automate human labor, to the integration of electronic-mechanical devices to enhance human body, to the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) software like ChatGPT or DeepSeek to streamline human thinking, reasoning, and expressing. Today, we are also seeing an increasing application of robotic and virtual partners, such as AI companion chatbots or ghostbots which simulate deceased loved ones, in an effort to supplant or supplement human emotional bonds and intimate relationships.In this dissertation, I proposed a term called robotization of love, highlighting the growing significance of robotic elements, such as AI algorithms, in shaping our understanding and experiences of love. Specifically, I view the robotization of love as a reflection of the rationalization of love, signifying a shift towards the preference of efficiency, predictability, and security than slowness, uncertainty, and risk in love experiences. Furthermore, as AI chatbots excel in qualities such as availability, patience, supportiveness, generosity, servitude, and adaptability, interactions with AI companions may start to influence our expectations in human-human relationships, leading us to even expect the same qualities of love and attitude from our human partners.
To explore specific ways in which interactions with AI chatbots might influence our love experiences, I conducted two case studies: one focusing on Replika, a widely used AI companion chatbot, and the other on ghostbots. In the Replika case, I identified all six core principles of McDonaldization theory, i.e., (1) efficiency, (2) calculability, (3) predictability, (4) control, (5) the replacement of humans with non-human technologies, and (6) the production of irrational consequences, in users’ relationships with this AI chatbot. I proposed a seventh dimension, personalization, to update the theory and account for the distinctive ability of AI algorithms to tailor users’ experiences.
In the ghostbots case, I identified three major features that frequently appear in users’ interactions with ghostbots simulating their deceased loved ones: (1) emotional, (2) functional, and (3) generative. I introduced the concept of artificial continuing communication, emphasizing the persistent emotional bonds between the living and the dead, as well as the asymmetry in the interpretation of meanings within interactions involving an artificial partner. This emerging form of communication reconfigures love for the deceased from a one-sided, unreciprocated experience into a form of thin, mediated reciprocity. It also offers an alternative perspective on the rational use of AI chatbots.
This dissertation includes previously published material