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- Creators: School of Sustainability
- Creators: Harrington Bioengineering Program
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Description
Food provides nutrients and sustenance that are essential to life. Humans rely on food to fuel our thoughts and actions. However, food isn’t just a source of energy; it’s a fundamental part of culture and connection. Simply sharing a meal with someone can build teamwork and create a bond. Throughout this short memoir, I explored the ways in which food creates a connection across language and cultural barriers through reflection on specific experiences that I had in India, Uganda, and South Africa. While my experiences in each of these three countries were vastly different, there was one defining theme that brought them together: food. This memoir uses mixed media (personal reflection, research, recipes, and photos) to connect the three different international experiences. Reflection on my own family traditions and history bridges the gap between my upbringing and my interactions with people while spending time abroad. Popular recipes from each of the three countries are mixed into the personal reflection, showing how preparing food in a different geographic location can change the experience of preparation and eating. In addition to personal experience, included is a synthesis of research done on the effects of sharing a plate or a meal on negotiations tactics, how eating the same food increases trust, the ways in which food sharing is an act of social intimacy, and how it can build community. Food is an important part of family connection, a tool in many rituals such as Sunday dinners or breaking bread, a critical aspect of many religions, and is tied to the celebration of both birth and death in cultures around the globe. We all need to eat; food is the great commonality among people.
ContributorsRivard-Lentz, Haley Marie Anne (Co-author) / Rivard-Lentz, Haley (Co-author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / Jacobs, Mark (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The purpose of this study was to determine current feelings of veterinary staff on their relation to the topics of burnout and compassion fatigue in their field. Additionally, this study was used to determine possible solutions to these mental health issues facing veterinary staff, with solutions coming straight from staff members themselves. Burnout, often experienced by healthcare workers, is a “state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity” (Mayo Clinic 2018). Compassion fatigue is a loss of empathy to stressful or emotionally draining situations mostly due to frequent encounter with these situations. Using a survey conducted on veterinary professionals, opinions on attitudes toward work environments as well as thoughts on potential solutions to issues with burnout and compassion fatigue were analyzed. Survey respondents ranged from technicians and support staff to doctors and DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) students. Results of the survey showed that DVM students were under increased pressure, many respondents often felt tired before arriving to work, and doctors felt they did not perform their jobs with the same enthusiasm as when they first started in the field. However, many respondents indicated they were happy and invigorated by accomplishments in the workplace. The respondent comments also displayed a wide range of possible solutions to these mental health issues. Understanding the root causes of these issues as well as possible solutions to help alleviate them could help prevent harsh consequences such as suicide from occurring.
ContributorsOrcutt, Julia Clare (Author) / DeNardo, Dr. Dale (Thesis director) / Thatcher, Dr. Craig (Committee member) / Usiak-Mcbeth, Dr. Megan (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This project draws sustainability material out of the textbook and into the body using a
role play simulation modeled around Michigan wolf management. In this case, role play simulation is a game fabricated to reflect the complexity of real-world conflict. The goal of the exercise is to engage players in mock negotiation and expand their knowledge of wicked environmental problems. By encouraging participants to question their own thought process, the activity aims to foster a transformational experience.
role play simulation modeled around Michigan wolf management. In this case, role play simulation is a game fabricated to reflect the complexity of real-world conflict. The goal of the exercise is to engage players in mock negotiation and expand their knowledge of wicked environmental problems. By encouraging participants to question their own thought process, the activity aims to foster a transformational experience.
ContributorsVermeer, Danielle Nicole (Author) / Cloutier, Scott (Thesis director) / Movahed, Neda (Committee member) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Spasticity is a neurological disorder in which a target group of muscles remain in a contracted state. In addition to interfering with the function of these muscles, spasticity causes chronic pain and discomfort. Often found in patients with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or stroke history, spasticity affects an estimated twelve million people worldwide. Not only does spasticity cause discomfort and loss of function, but the condition can lead to contractures, or permanent shortenings of the muscle and connective tissue, if left untreated. Current treatments for spasticity are primarily different forms of muscle relaxant pharmaceuticals. Almost all of these drugs, however, carry unwanted side effects, including total muscle weakness, liver toxicity, and possible dependence. Additionally, kinesiotherapy, conducted by physical therapists at rehabilitation clinics, is often prescribed to people suffering from spasticity. Since kinesiotherapy requires frequent practice to be effective, proper treatment requires constant professional care and clinic appointments, discouraging patient compliance. Consequently, a medical device that could automate relief for spasticity outside of a clinic is desired in the market. While a number of different dynamic splints for hand spasticity are currently on the market, research has shown that these devices, which simply brace the hand in an extended position, do not work through any mechanism to decrease spastic tension over time. Two methods of temporarily reducing spasticity that have been observed in clinical studies are cryotherapy, or the decrease of temperature on a target area, and electrotherapy, which is the delivery of regulated electrical pulses to a target area. It is possible that either of these mechanisms could be incorporated into a medical device aimed toward spastic relief. In fact, electrotherapy is used in a current market device called the SaeboStim, which is advertised to help stroke recovery and spastic reduction. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the viability of a potential spastic relief device that utilizes cryotherapy to a current and closest competitor, the SaeboStim. The effectiveness of each device in relieving spasticity is reviewed. The two devices are also compared on their ability to address primary customer needs, such as convenience, ease of use, durability, and price. Overall, it is concluded that the cryotherapy device more effectively relieves hand spasticity in users, although the SaeboStim's smaller size and better convenience gives it market appeal, and reveals some of the shortcomings in the preliminary design of the cryotherapy device.
ContributorsWiedeman, Christopher Blaise (Author) / Kleim, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Buneo, Christopher (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Cocaine is a powerful psychomotor stimulant that can affect serotonin (5HT), dopamine, and norepinephrine systems in the brain. Previous studies with 5HT1B receptor agonist, CP94253, have shown dose-dependent decreases in cocaine-self administration in male rats during maintenance. However, these studies do not take into consideration sex differences between male rats and female rats. Female rats introduce a new complexity because they constantly undergo an estrous cycle that consists of four phases, metestrus, diestrus, proestrus, and estrus. It was hypothesized that cocaine infusions and active lever response rates would greatly decrease during proestrus and estrus in comparison to metestrus and diestrus due to hormonal level differences of LH, FSH, progesterone, and estradiol. In this study, female rats were trained to self-administer a training dose of 0.75 mg/kg/infusion on a fixed progressive ratio (FR5). Rats were then pretreated with CP94253 to test the effects of this 5HT1B agonist on female rat cocaine self-administration during the estrous cycle. Results showed there was no three-way interaction between cycle phase, pretreatment, and cocaine dose on infusions or active lever responses. However, pretreatment with CP94253 decreased cocaine intake and active lever responses at high cocaine doses, regardless of cycle phase. Lastly, there was a two-way interaction between pretreatment and cycle phase in which active lever responses decreased during diestrus and proestrus. These results imply that CP94253 enhances cocaine's effect regardless of cycle phase. Future work can work with ovariectomized (OVX) female rats to observe cocaine self-administration during controlled cycle phases.
ContributorsNguyen, Toan Thai Tran (Author) / Neisewander, Janet (Thesis director) / Gipson-Reichardt, Cassandra (Committee member) / Scott, Samantha (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The meanings and values that people assign to music and the material culture that music creation offers make excellent data sources for uncovering new and transformative aspects of culture. Gospel music is a subculture that emphasizes a unique performance style, and is based upon culturally specific religious, social, musical, and historical contexts. Students in the ensemble who musically developed through a Western classical-based connective strand may experience some adjustment from what they know and develop new skills to navigate across cultural difference. The purpose of this study was to document how participants in a specific university gospel choir setting navigated across cultural differences for gospel choir study and performance. Participants were recruited and interviewed a total of three times about their experience in the ensemble. Questions that guided the study focused on three areas: religious difference, social difference, and musical difference. An in-case analysis of each participant showed that overall, experiences in the choir were positive. Participants from a variety of diverse backgrounds approached new cultural learning differences such as physical movement, aural music learning, religious text, and performance context with an open mind and an individualized way of navigating through difference. In order for participants to reach a point where they felt that they had cultural competency in a new musical area, in this case, the establishment of a strong community was especially essential because of the assumptions attached to this ensemble and because of many of the participants' initial limited understanding of cultural markers for learning music that draw on improvisatory and aural means. This study implies that there are connections between each cultural difference that are related. For the educator intending to introduce new cultural competencies in their classrooms, considering the dynamics in which cultural differences might interact with each other is essential.
ContributorsCrane, Janelle Elizabeth (Author) / Thompson, Jason (Thesis director) / Schmidt, Margaret (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) has been shown to be a promising therapeutic technique in treating many neurological diseases, including epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and migraine headache. The mechanisms by which VNS acts, however, are not fully understood but may involve changes in cerebral blood flow. The vagus nerve plays a significant role in the regulation of heart rate and cerebral blood flow that are altered during VNS. Here, we examined the effects of acute vagal nerve stimulation on both heart rate and cerebral blood flow. Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis (LASCA) was used to analyze the cerebral blood flow of male Long\u2014Evans rats. Results showed two distinct patterns of responses whereby animals either experienced a mild or severe decrease in heart rate during VNS. Further, animals that displayed mild heart rate decreases showed an increase in cerebral blood flow that persisted beyond VNS. Animals that displayed severe decreases showed a transient decrease in cerebral blood flow followed by an increase that was greater than that observed in mild animals but progressively decreased after VNS. The results suggest two distinct patterns of changes in both heart rate and cerebral blood flow that may be related to the intensity of VNS.
ContributorsHillebrand, Peter Timothy (Author) / Kleim, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Helms Tillery, Stephen (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Freshwater is an essential component of life for most organisms on earth. "Civilization itself is built on a foundation of water (Fagan, 2011)," as people often congregate near water sources, and find innovative solutions to exploit these resources for food production and domestic needs. Rising demand for water due to altered lifestyles and population increase pose further stress on water availability. Alterations and pollution of freshwater ecosystems can dramatically compromise ecological services that many species, among them humans, depend on. Arid places are specifically vulnerable in regards to water, characterized by very low levels of precipitation, as well as many dry months, which are often followed by a short time of severe storms. Considering the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems in regards to freshwater services is crucial in order to sustainably manage freshwater resources and avoid ecological crises that in turn are likely to lead to social crises around the globe (Berkes et. al., 2003).
ContributorsHenenson, Einav (Author) / Anderies, M. John (Thesis director) / Aggarwal, Rimjhim (Committee member) / Golub, Aaron (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2012-12
Description
As an incoming STEM student, it can be intimidating thinking about the long academic road ahead. That is why I have written a short book about my greatest success strategies and takeaways from my past four years as a STEM student. I dive into topics including communication, teamwork, time management, growth mindsets, and self-care.
ContributorsConway, Kayla (Author) / Reeves, Scott (Thesis director) / del Mar Navarro, María (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Historically, young people have spearheaded environmental movements, demanding equitable involvement in decision-making processes that impact their future. Despite their active participation, barriers such as inadequate knowledge, lack of empowerment, and diminished hope often hinder meaningful engagement and impact. This study addresses these challenges by implementing a series of educational workshops designed to equip youth with the necessary tools to effectively influence climate policy and urban planning so that they can feel more hopeful about the future in the face of climate change. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods, this research evaluates how different methods of arts-based educational engagement impact workshop participants' knowledge, empowerment, and optimism regarding their ability to inspire environmental change. The findings aim to contribute to the discourse on effective youth engagement in environmental justice, advocating for strategies that equip youth with the tools they need to foster sustainable community development and hope for the future.
ContributorsKarthikeyan, Amritha (Author) / Eakin, Hallie (Thesis director) / Pfeiffer, Deirdre (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)
Created2024-05