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Participatory Democracy: The Potential for Civic Transformation Understanding Participants\u27 Learning in the Milwaukie Citizens Jury
Get PDFFaced with unresponsive government institutions and the limitations of representative democracy, participatory and deliberative democrats have created alternative models for robust democratic participation such as civic juries, civic assemblies and participatory budgeting. Advocates claim that these methods create better citizens and better outcomes and they claim these forums act as a school of democracy. The schools of democracy theory describes participation as a virtuous circle--that doing democracy will make people more democratic. While these processes often produce enthusiastic supporters and encouraging results, there has been very little research to date that attempts to explain how and why people learn and change because of their participation. This points to the need to develop an evidence-based pedagogy of public participation that allows practitioners to intentionally design processes that will lead to better learning outcomes for participants.
My research questions test the schools of democracy theory by examining the educative impact for participants in the 2019 Milwaukie Citizens Jury and explores which components of the process design most impacted their learning. Through a holistic, single case study design, I use in-depth surveys, participant observation and qualitative interviews, and a research instrument developed by Lerner and Schugurensky to evaluate participants’ informal learning by measuring changes in their knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices (KASP). My key findings are that the Milwaukie CJ acted as a school of democracy and that participants\u27 KASP indicators increased. These changes occurred largely in the category of knowledge and participants most often linked dialogue with other jurors as the explanation for their learning. Conversely, this study illuminates negative impacts on participants\u27 learning associated with neutral facilitation methods and lack of involvement by City staff may have negative impacts on participants\u27 learning. These findings inform the shortcomings of the schools of democracy theory and recommend an improved iteration that specifies how and why participants learn. This has a broader relevance for those interested in establishing a pedagogy of public participation that integrates understanding of how to design processes that maximize participants\u27 learning outcomes
2024 Commencement College of the Arts Ceremony Video
No full textVideo presentation of Portland State University\u27s College of the Arts Commencement Ceremony. This ceremony honored graduating students in the Schnitzer School of Art +School Art History + Design, the School of Architecture, the School of Film and the School of Music & Theater.
The ceremony was held on June 15, 2024, at the Viking Pavilion at Portland State University.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/commencement_2020s/1009/thumbnail.jp
Liquefaction Ground Deformations and Cascading Coastal Flood Hazard in the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence
No full textThe 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence produced extensive liquefaction-induced ground deformations and ongoing flooding along the shoreline of the Mediterranean port city of İskenderun, Türkiye. This study compiles field observations and analyses from cross-disciplinary perspectives to investigate whether earthquake-induced liquefaction was a significant factor for increasing the flood hazard in İskenderun. Geotechnical reconnaissance observations following the earthquakes included seaward lateral spreading, settlement beneath buildings, and failures of coastal infrastructure. Three presented lateral spreading case histories indicate consistent ground deformation patterns with areas of reclaimed land. Persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) measurements from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery identify a noticeably greater rate of pre- and post-earthquake subsidence within the İskenderun coastal and urban areas relative to the surrounding regions. The PSI measurements also indicate subsidence rates accelerated following the earthquakes and were typically highest near the observed liquefaction manifestations. These evaluations suggest that while the liquefaction of coastal reclaimed fill caused significant ground deformations in the shoreline area, ongoing subsidence of İskenderun and other factors likely also exacerbated the flood hazard. Insights from this work suggest the importance of evaluating multi-hazard liquefaction and flood consequences for enhancing the resilience of coastal cities
Invited Review: Collecting Data Through Dyadic Interviews: A Systematic Review
No full textThis article reports on a systematic review of journal articles that used dyadic interviews, also known as paired or joint interviews. The two basic formats for these interviews involve either interviewing participants separately or together, plus the additional possibility of using both formats in the same study. A search using the Social Science Citations Index yielded 471 articles that reported on such interviews. Of these articles, 38% reported interviewing the dyad members separately, 55% reported interviewing them together, and 7% used both formats. Over 40% reported on interviews of married couples or equivalents, and an additional 30% of the interviews involved other pairs of family members. Less common pairings involved coworkers, patients and providers, or friends. These results indicate an almost unanimous use of dyadic interviews based on pre-existing relationships and family members in particular, with only limited use as a broader interviewing method
Single-Stage Three-Phase Buck-Boost DC/AC Converter Design, Analysis, and Validation
Get PDFThree-phase DC/AC power converters enable several applications including photovoltaic systems, electric traction inverters, uninterruptible power supplies, and utility systems. The classical three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI) topology only operates in voltage step-down or buck mode of operation. Increasing number of applications including transformer-less photovoltaic systems, battery cells, fuel cells, and traction motors require a wide range of input and output voltage range. Therefore, a DC/AC power converter topology capable of voltage buck and boost operation will enable wider operating range resulting in efficient and higher performance system designs. This thesis presents a single-stage bidirectional power flow DC/AC inverter topology capable of buck and boost mode of operation with a minimum switch count and a carrier-based sine-pulse-width modulation approach. Furthermore, due to the presence of intermediate but small reactive elements sized to filter switching frequency, the output voltages and currents are non-switched non-pulsating waveforms thus improving output harmonic performance and reducing over-voltages due to long motor cables. The proposed topology is examined through analytical, simulated, and experimental results
The Nexus of Resistance and Neoliberalism in Social Work and Social Welfare: A Scoping Review
Get PDFThis study intervenes in a growing scholarly dialogue about neoliberalism in social work and social welfare by addressing the undertheorized concept of resistance. We conduct a scoping review of 54 articles published from 2008–2023 to answer two questions: how is resistance discussed in relation to neoliberalism, and what are the practice elements of resistance? Findings highlight resistance as a diverse phenomenon enacted in relation to context-specific manifestations of neoliberalism. A range of actors engage in resistance, including individual practitioners, social service organizations and collective action entities, among others. Resistance occurs across all scales of practice and takes many forms, from subtle, individual acts to publicly organized, confrontational acts. The findings also reveal a paradox: in resisting neoliberal norms, practitioners may inadvertently reinforce them through self-exploitative practices or resilience strategies that function more as adaptation than opposition. Overall, we find the concept of resistance to be complex and broad when discussed in relation to neoliberalism; this is further muddied by its frequent interchangeable use with terms like social justice, anti-oppressive practice, advocacy, subversion, and so forth. Additional inquiry is warranted to clarify the conceptual and practical boundaries of resistance for critical social work
The Role of Multidisciplinary Collaborations in Publishing Innovation
Get PDFProduct innovation is crucial for the future of the publishing industry, and the objective of this study was to understand the role of multi-disciplinarity in publishing innovation teams, typical patterns of interaction between team members, and similarities and differences in multidisciplinary innovation teams across national boundaries (US, Canada, and Germany). This is an exploratory study from Portland State University, Stuttgart Media University and Toronto Metropolitan University based on twenty-one qualitative in-depth interviews with publishing employees involved in the innovation process. The study reveals that multidisciplinary innovation teams are common in all three countries. Using an input-process-output (IPO) model, researchers found three main things: 1) input from outside the company is helpful; 2) corporate culture, familiarity and psychological safety foster creativity during the innovation process; and 3) innovation output is often evaluated by low-cost prototypes presented to the target audience
Dynamic Interactions Between Groundwater Level and Discharge by Phreatophytes
Get PDFMany traditional models that predict plant–groundwater use based on groundwater level variations, such as the White method, make various simplifying assumptions. For example, these models often neglect the role of plant hydraulic redistribution, a process that can contribute up to 80% of transpiration. Thus, this work aims to avoid such assumptions and subsequently explore the dynamic interactions between groundwater levels and phreatophytic vegetation, including plant nocturnal transpiration, hydraulic redistribution, and response to atmospheric conditions, in shallow-groundwater ecosystems using Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) as a model species. The model scenarios are formulated using a stomatal-optimization model coupled to the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum. Flow through soil and groundwater are described using the Richards equation and a linear reservoir approximation, respectively, with groundwater in contact with an external water body of fixed elevation. Results show that nocturnal transpiration, mediated by plant residual conductance, and hydraulic redistribution, are able to reduce groundwater levels at night and alter the groundwater recharge rate. Projected atmospheric conditions of increased carbon dioxide and elevated temperature have opposing effects on groundwater levels, which tend to roughly cancel each other under a projected scenario of 500 ppm carbon dioxide and 1.5 oC warming. Such detailed modeling can be used to provide further insights into coupled interactions between vegetation, climate and groundwater levels in phreatophyte-dominated ecosystems
Synoptic Drivers of Extreme Precipitation in the Upper Yuba Watershed of California
Get PDFThe United States state of California is vulnerable to both droughts and extreme precipitation events due to the timing and processes of precipitation in the region. California\u27s annual precipitation is dependent on a few strong storms and in addition to its Mediterranean climate, leads to great variability in precipitation both within and across years. While efforts to reduce the impacts of extreme precipitation events have been implemented, forecasting for these events remains a challenge in regions with complex terrain and dynamic meteorological drivers. In order to improve forecasting and preparedness for such events, it is important to understand the range of atmospheric drivers that lead to extreme precipitation, particularly on a small scale. Here we aim to better understand the variety of meteorological mechanisms resulting in wet season (October–March) extreme precipitation in the Upper Yuba watershed of California from 1980 to 2021. We implement an Extended self-organizing maps (SOM) approach to cluster and evaluate integrated water vapor transport (IVT) patterns during and preceding extreme precipitation days as 12 distinct 5-day patterns. Patterns show a range of storm types, largely characterized by southerly to southwesterly moisture transport driven by anomalously low sea level pressure and 300 hPa geopotential heights. Pattern orientation and intensities vary, with greater IVT magnitudes generally associated with higher watershed precipitation. Some patterns also show relatively low moisture transport, indicating the presence of additional drivers of regional precipitation. The methodology and evaluation of this study can aid in improving hydrometeorological forecasting in the Upper Yuba and other societally important watersheds
Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2024
Get PDFThe June 3, 2024 monthly packet includes the June agenda, appendices, and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held June 3, 2024