Social Sciences – Page 34 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Social Sciences

The Effect of Parent Education Level on Children’s Knowledge of COVID-19

Children are often told in school to wash their hands or to cover their sneezes to prevent viral transmission. Although children are more compliant with these suggestions when they understand the causal reasoning behind them, these reminders don’t include an explanation of why that action will prevent them from getting sick. Given children’s role in transmitting illness, it is important to identify effective means of educating them on how to prevent viral transmission, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Previous research on children’s understanding of germs have indicated that their knowledge is influenced by a number of factors. Given the amount of time children have spent at home over this past year, this study examines how parent education level affects the accuracy of children’s biological knowledge of COVID-19 transmission. We interviewed 180 children between the ages of 5 and 12 on their understanding of COVID-19 transmission. In particular, children were asked to identify whether a series of behaviors (e.g., singing together) could transmit COVID-19. Parents of these participants also completed a survey about their household and their experiences with COVID-19. Data analyses are ongoing. However, it is predicted that with higher levels of parental education, children will be more likely to identify behaviors that transmit COVID-19 accurately, as parents with higher levels of education may have greater understanding of the causal mechanisms behind transmission and may communicate them to their children more frequently. The results from this study will provide us insight into the extent of parental influence on children’s biological knowledge, which may, in turn, allow us to identify potential sites of intervention in schools and public health campaigns.

The relationship between body shape and air-breathing organ morphology in Anabantarian fishes as revealed by morphometrics

The Anabantarians are a diverse group of tropical, freshwater fishes which use air-breathing organs (ABO) within their skulls to live in harsh environments (e.g., warm, hypoxic pools). Space is limited within the skull however, suggesting that evolutionary changes to ABO size and shape can influence neighboring skeletal structures, a concept called morphological integration. We conducted this study to determine if there is a correlation between the modularity of fishes and the presence of an Air-Breathing Organ (ABO). The discovery of how the introduction of a new structure within a limited space, such as the skull, affects the relationship between neighboring structures, can help the science community better understand what affects integration between structures. While conducting this study we examined all Anabantarian families (e.g., Anabantidae, Osphronemidae, Badidae). We hypothesized that the presence of an ABO would create a more integrated cranial skeleton, and as a result decrease the modularity of the fish overall. To test this, fish skeletons were visualized through x-ray imaging, and aspects of fish phenotype were measured using linear morphometrics. We compared body shape metrics that correspond to aspect ratio, cranial elongation, and post-cranial elongation among fishes with and without ABOs. Our findings demonstrated that air-breathing organs have evolved 2-3 times, independently across anabantarians, and although fishes with ABOs are more diverse than fishes without, these findings were not statistically significant. Relatedly, there were no significant differences in body shape metrics among air-breathing and non- air-breathing fishes; however, the body shapes of fishes with ABOs evolve as much as 3.5 times faster than those fishes without.

Testing requirements for cannabis products vary by US state

As an increasing number of states in the USA legalize medical and recreational cannabis (i.e., marijuana) use, testing of cannabis products (for potency, contaminants, etc.) should be a priority to ensure safe cannabis use by consumers. The present study compiled the testing requirements for cannabis products from the 29 states that currently have legalized medical or recreational cannabis. Results found that the testing requirements for cannabis products varied considerably by state. In order to maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of retail cannabis, policy makers should develop a universal and comprehensive framework for testing requirements. The standardization of cannabis testing requirements would promote safer use for medical and recreational cannabis consumers.

Black Feminist Approaches to Black Popular Culture Pedagogy – Background/Intro

Black popular culture and Black feminisms in social media have become generative pedagogical sites in previous years. With the rise of celebrities such as Beyoncé and Lizzo, and the explosion of social media as a primary means of creating cultural discourses, students are increasingly interested in how gender, race, sexuality, class, and other vectors of identity shape their entertainment experiences. Yet, few teachers feel comfortable effectively teaching Black popular culture using an intersectional lens. This project will construct a guidebook for teaching Black popular culture using Black feminist pedagogies and best practices from seasoned educators, to provide educators with a comprehensive framework and concrete strategies for teaching Black popular culture across disciplines. This project uses a variety of sources from interviews to books to educational studies in order to look at what it means to teach popular culture through the lens of Black feminism. Our research team has studied Black popular culture and Black feminism in an academic setting in order to better understand how to ask questions for our interviews we conducted for the project. The questions this guidebook will answer are: 1) What is Black feminism? 2) What methods can I use for teaching that fall under the framework of Black feminism? 3) How can I ensure these methods of teaching allow students to get the most out of their experience, academically and personally? The goal for this guidebook is to be used as a resource for educators across the country. Since Black feminism and Black popular culture have not been taught widely among classrooms, we hope this guidebook will start making these methods and ideas accessible.

Black Feminist Approaches to Black Popular Culture Pedagogy – Methods

Black popular culture and Black feminisms in social media have become generative pedagogical sites in previous years. With the rise of celebrities such as Beyoncé and Lizzo, and the explosion of social media as a primary means of creating cultural discourses, students are increasingly interested in how gender, race, sexuality, class, and other vectors of identity shape their entertainment experiences. Yet, few teachers feel comfortable effectively teaching Black popular culture using an intersectional lens. This project will construct a guidebook for teaching Black popular culture using Black feminist pedagogies and best practices from seasoned educators, to provide educators with a comprehensive framework and concrete strategies for teaching Black popular culture across disciplines. This project uses a variety of sources from interviews to books to educational studies in order to look at what it means to teach popular culture through the lens of Black feminism. Our research team has studied Black popular culture and Black feminism in an academic setting in order to better understand how to ask questions for our interviews we conducted for the project. The questions this guidebook will answer are: 1) What is Black feminism? 2) What methods can I use for teaching that fall under the framework of Black feminism? 3) How can I ensure these methods of teaching allow students to get the most out of their experience, academically and personally? The goal for this guidebook is to be used as a resource for educators across the country. Since Black feminism and Black popular culture have not been taught widely among classrooms, we hope this guidebook will start making these methods and ideas accessible.

Black Feminist Approaches to Black Popular Culture Pedagogy – Expected Results/Conclusions

Black popular culture and Black feminisms in social media have become generative pedagogical sites in previous years. With the rise of celebrities such as Beyoncé and Lizzo, and the explosion of social media as a primary means of creating cultural discourses, students are increasingly interested in how gender, race, sexuality, class, and other vectors of identity shape their entertainment experiences. Yet, few teachers feel comfortable effectively teaching Black popular culture using an intersectional lens. This project will construct a guidebook for teaching Black popular culture using Black feminist pedagogies and best practices from seasoned educators, to provide educators with a comprehensive framework and concrete strategies for teaching Black popular culture across disciplines. This project uses a variety of sources from interviews to books to educational studies in order to look at what it means to teach popular culture through the lens of Black feminism. Our research team has studied Black popular culture and Black feminism in an academic setting in order to better understand how to ask questions for our interviews we conducted for the project. The questions this guidebook will answer are: 1) What is Black feminism? 2) What methods can I use for teaching that fall under the framework of Black feminism? 3) How can I ensure these methods of teaching allow students to get the most out of their experience, academically and personally? The goal for this guidebook is to be used as a resource for educators across the country. Since Black feminism and Black popular culture have not been taught widely among classrooms, we hope this guidebook will start making these methods and ideas accessible.

Human Rights and Indigenous Rights in Africa

Indigenous Africa began as a way to spread awareness of evictions and land grabbing against the Maasai people in Tanzania. The project serves to be a center of information for various groups of people. The project now encompasses many different countries and ethnic groups. Today, we cover all regions of Africa and have nearly 80 cases covering a diverse array of both peoples and issues happening across the continent. We break down cases into seven different categories: Conservation, Agribusiness, Infrastructure, Refugee Crises, Mining, Farmer Conflicts and Urban Expansion. Every case is listed under a file. It provides an overview of each case’s name, where it is occurring, who it is assigned to, when it was last updated, when it was last posted to our social media accounts, and the relevant bit.ly link we use when promoting it. Our shared Google Drive account contains a folder for every country we have researched. This is where we store all relevant articles, case drafts, blog posts, research papers, photos, etc. In the past two decades, indigenous peoples in Africa have experienced a sharp increase in violations of their human rights and intensified efforts to appropriate their land and water resources. Indigenous peoples include pastoralists (herders), agro-pastoralists (who mix herding with farming), and hunter-gatherers (who forage and hunt small game). These communities depend heavily on land and water resources that they have accessed for generations, hence the loss of these resources threatens their livelihoods and existence. Violations in indigenous communities do not receive enough media coverage of the injustices that impact them, and this lack of attention continues to hinder support for indigenous peoples to maintain their traditional lifestyle.

The Contribution of PM2.5 to Depressive Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD)

Background: Poor air quality can have negative consequences for multiple organ systems throughout the body with some of the most severe effects linked to PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter = 2.5 µm). Systemic inflammation and oxidative stress are key biological mechanisms by which PM2.5 exposure is believed to influence health, and also interact with the central nervous system and brain. However, the impact of PM2.5 on common neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions of depression and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) is not well established. Objectives: The goal of this project was to review existing literature in order to determine the potential for PM2.5 to contribute to depressive disorders and ADRD. Exposure of Interest: PM2.5

You’ve Got Mail: Assessing the Usefulness of Mail-Based Suicide Prevention and Wellness Tools within Alaskan Native Communities

Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people (10-14, 14-24, and 25-34-year olds) and disproportionately affects Indigenous communities. Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide (PC CARES) is a community-based participatory research project that is committed to developing relationships within Alaskan Native (AN) communities that supports using “upstream” prevention methods of suicide. This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of PC CARES At Home, which involves direct mailings and social media interactions to maintain a connection with community members who started with the first cohort (N=140) that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to establish new connections with school staff who were nominated as influential people in students’ lives. To continue building local capacity to support youth wellness and suicide prevention throughout a remote setting, we will send information and material resources that introduce and reinforce the PC CARES curriculum for AN families at home. This involves PC CARES Care Package mailings every couple of months, along with the option for a consistent exchanging of ideas and support through a private Facebook page. We estimate that 100 people will “opt-in” to receive more packages after receiving their first 1-2 packages. Our research will examine satisfaction, perceived benefits, and feasibility of this approach. Our analysis will assess recipient reactions to each package via feedback surveys, opt-in rates for future deliveries, and phone interview transcript summaries. In addition, we will track social media engagement in response to posts themed on the package contents and information. In conducting this study, we expect to gain a better understanding of the usefulness, appeal, and recipient satisfaction with mail and social media-based suicide prevention and wellness tools. These results will be especially beneficial for understanding socially-distanced suicide prevention and wellness education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will also act as a guide for practitioners to understand mail and social media-based suicide prevention programs.

Alaska Native Health Research

Compared to the lower 48 states, Alaska faces unproportional rates of suicide related death and injuries, especially among the Alaskan Native (AN) youth. From the effects of colonialism to social changes, there are numerous issues plaguing Native youth today, putting them at higher risk of suicide compared to their White counterparts. Another aspect of life that puts youth at higher risk is access to firearms, which are commonly found within rural Alaskan homes. Research is being done to learn about safe firearm storage practices within people’s homes in order to increase safety and reduce the risk of firearm related accidents and suicide. The short intervention we are developing uses motivational interviewing to increase adult family members’ safe firearm storage practices in their households. Building on information generated through local household surveys about home firearm storage practices, communications, responsibilities and preferences, we will develop motivational Interviewing guides. This project will identify key motivations and ways of engaging adults in a universal intervention to improve safety practices related to firearm storage. This project integrates previous motivational interviewing research and guides to be used to adapt our brief intervention–the family safety net–to the local priorities, motivations, values and local language use and norms.

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