Food waste is a significant problem in many developed nations, especially the United States. Each year millions of pounds of uneaten or partially eaten food scraps are thrown into landfill, where it degrades anaerobically, producing methane gas emissions, contributing to foul odors, and contributing to an unsustainable food system. This thesis project set out to conduct a small-scale composting system that diverted would-be food waste from a local food bank to a community garden, where food scraps would decompose into compost to then be turned into a valuable, nutrient-rich amendment in that local garden. Engaging with this food bank and community garden allowed us to leverage the existing relationship between the two, and experiment and develop a framework that would demonstrate the feasibility of a long-term composting system in this community. By conducting this project throughout 2021, we saw where strategies worked well, what challenges remained, and where future opportunities could be expanded on. In the end, we diverted over 2000 lbs of uneaten food away from the food bank and into our composting system. We concluded our project report by providing a set of actionable recommendations and future framework guidelines that could be used by the local community garden in the future or be referenced to by other interested parties.

Food waste is a significant problem in many developed nations, especially the United States. Each year millions of pounds of uneaten or partially eaten food scraps are thrown into landfill, where it degrades anaerobically, producing methane gas emissions, contributing to foul odors, and contributing to an unsustainable food system. This thesis project set out to conduct a small-scale composting system that diverted would-be food waste from a local food bank to a community garden, where food scraps would decompose into compost to then be turned into a valuable, nutrient-rich amendment in that local garden. Engaging with this food bank and community garden allowed us to leverage the existing relationship between the two, and experiment and develop a framework that would demonstrate the feasibility of a long-term composting system in this community. By conducting this project throughout 2021, we saw where strategies worked well, what challenges remained, and where future opportunities could be expanded on. In the end, we diverted over 2000 lbs of uneaten food away from the food bank and into our composting system. We concluded our project report by providing a set of actionable recommendations and future framework guidelines that could be used by the local community garden in the future or be referenced to by other interested parties.

Teaching is a challenging career that carries various challenges, some of which go beyond the educator’s control and influence their ability to teach. Through the Arizona State University (ASU) Barrett's Honors College, seminars and discussions centered in collaboration and learning, resulted in student's introduction to ideas of what it means to “truly” teach from both a student and educator perspective. Teaching is more than an exchange of information as it requires a human connection. While most educators agree that connection is vital, there are still challenges in the classroom that generationally impact families. Daoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy, discusses concepts such as mindfulness, leadership, and introspection. Educators can use Daoist philosophy as a tool to reflect on and develop their ability to teach with vulnerability, openness, and interconnectedness. From a philosophical standpoint, Lao Tzu (Daoist leader) explains the importance of shifting perspectives to what the individual can control: themselves. Teachers must create a classroom dynamic that is not only engaging but also provides students a sense of autonomy over their education. Shifting the dynamic from teacher centered to student centered places the education in the students’ hands and alleviates some pressure from the teacher. Embedding Daoist philosophy into the classroom can be seamless as it can already be seen through Social Emotional Learning, Culturally Relevant Curriculum, and Deep Learning.

A notable dilemma in the educational systems of current year is the lack of diversity in the faculty, administration, and curriculums. Diversity in education is colloquially understood to instill benefits in students that include development of sophisticated communication skills and heightened motivation, which may in turn have measurable benefits on health. In an effort to articulate the impact of introducing greater variegation into these systems and vocalize recommendations toward incorporating diversity into existing educational systems, the history of minority groups in schooling systems was analyzed, as were common health concerns for these communities. To this end, local students from Arizona State University were surveyed about their perceptions on diverse populations within their educational system. Moreover, these groups were also polled about how the messaging they receive about health and diversity may impact self-perceptions about their own health, as well as how applicable that messaging is with their own experiences.

A growing body of research suggests that there is more to course assessment than homework scores and test performance. This paper contributes to the empirical literature in economics and education by evaluating the impact of racial and gender congruency on the performance of ASU students. Expanding on previous research which only covered elementary and high school, we are able to draw conclusions and policy recommendations to solve the racial achievement gap in the USA.

A case study using Bate Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking to look at gender and racial biases in medical school textbooks. 5 chapters were looked at specific based on their racial and gender themes present in the images in the chapters. Data from these chapters demonstrate the medical field as beneficial for white and male patients, while women and patients of racial minorities are underrepresented. This underrepresentation impacts future medical care, where these patients are dying as a result of this underdeveloped material.

I created a flash unit on American Ethnic Literature and delivered it in a high school classroom. The purpose was to introduce students to ethnic literature and to highlight the value of ethnic literature as a form of cultural agency and an authentic record of cultural history. I did research on the importance of ethnic literature, why it has been absent from the standard curriculum, and why it should be a part of the standard curriculum. Because of ethnic literature's importance and absence, I constructed the unit for secondary education and created a micro-unit on ethnic fiction and a micro-unit on ethnic poetry. I delivered the micro-unit on ethnic fiction at Metro Tech High School, gathered data, and reflected on the outcomes. Based on the outcomes, I revised the unit for future teaching and application.

I created a flash unit on American Ethnic Literature and delivered it in a high school classroom. The purpose was to introduce students to ethnic literature and to highlight the value of ethnic literature as a form of cultural agency and an authentic record of cultural history. I did research on the importance of ethnic literature, why it has been absent from the standard curriculum, and why it should be a part of the standard curriculum. Because of ethnic literature's importance and absence, I constructed the unit for secondary education and created a micro-unit on ethnic fiction and a micro-unit on ethnic poetry. I delivered the micro-unit on ethnic fiction at Metro Tech High School, gathered data, and reflected on the outcomes. Based on the outcomes, I revised the unit for future teaching and application.

I created a flash unit on American Ethnic Literature and delivered it in a high school classroom. The purpose was to introduce students to ethnic literature and to highlight the value of ethnic literature as a form of cultural agency and an authentic record of cultural history. I did research on the importance of ethnic literature, why it has been absent from the standard curriculum, and why it should be a part of the standard curriculum. Because of ethnic literature's importance and absence, I constructed the unit for secondary education and created a micro-unit on ethnic fiction and a micro-unit on ethnic poetry. I delivered the micro-unit on ethnic fiction at Metro Tech High School, gathered data, and reflected on the outcomes. Based on the outcomes, I revised the unit for future teaching and application.

I created a flash unit on American Ethnic Literature and delivered it in a high school classroom. The purpose was to introduce students to ethnic literature and to highlight the value of ethnic literature as a form of cultural agency and an authentic record of cultural history. I did research on the importance of ethnic literature, why it has been absent from the standard curriculum, and why it should be a part of the standard curriculum. Because of ethnic literature's importance and absence, I constructed the unit for secondary education and created a micro-unit on ethnic fiction and a micro-unit on ethnic poetry. I delivered the micro-unit on ethnic fiction at Metro Tech High School, gathered data, and reflected on the outcomes. Based on the outcomes, I revised the unit for future teaching and application.