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Geology and its tangential studies, collectively known and referred to in this thesis as geosciences, have been paramount to the transformation and advancement of society, fundamentally changing the way we view, interact and live with the surrounding natural and built environment. It is important to recognize the value and importance of this interdisciplinary scientific field while reconciling its ties to imperial and colonizing extractive systems which have led to harmful and invasive endeavors. This intersection among geosciences, (environmental) justice studies, and decolonization is intended to promote inclusive pedagogical models through just and equitable methodologies and frameworks as to prevent further injustices and promote recognition and healing of old wounds. By utilizing decolonial frameworks and highlighting the voices of peoples from colonized and exploited landscapes, this annotated syllabus tackles the issues previously described while proposing solutions involving place-based education and the recentering of land within geoscience pedagogical models. (abstract)
This cross-sectional study sought to assess the eating and physical activity behaviors among in-state and out-of-state college freshmen attending Arizona State University and to determine if social connectedness mediated the relationship between residency status and eating and physical activity behaviors.
Methods
College freshmen from two dormitories were recruited for participation from Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. A 128-item survey assessing demographics, college life, eating and physical activity behaviors, and social connectedness was administered. In addition, participants completed up to three days of dietary recall. Multivariate linear regression models, adjusting for age, gender, race, ethnicity, highest parental education, dormitory, Pell grant status, number of dietary recalls, and availability of a weekend day of dietary recall were used to assess the relationships between residency status, social connectedness, and eating and physical activity behaviors.
Results
No associations were observed between residency status and calories, grams and percentage of calories from fat, and added sugar. There was a statistically significant association between residency status and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). In-state students reported 21 minutes less per day of MVPA than out-of-state students did (β=-20.85; 95% CI=-30.68, -11.02; p<0.001). There was no relationship between residency status and social connectedness. Social connectedness and eating and physical activity behaviors were not associated. Social connectedness did not mediate the relationship between residency status and eating and physical activity behaviors.
Conclusions
In-state and out-of-state students differed in their MVPA; however, this relationship was not mediated by social connectedness. Further studies are needed to confirm the relationship between MVPA and residency status. In addition, more studies are needed to assess the relationship between social connectedness and MVPA.
One Particular nutrient that is commonly lacking in the vegetarian diet is vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is found mainly in animal-derived food sources such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs. Although some vegetarians, called lacto-ovo vegetarians, consume dairy and eggs, vegans do not consume any animal products at all. Vitamin B12 deficiency can have devastating consequences on the human body due to its role as a methylation cofactor. Metabolism, DNA replication, and cancer formation all involve methylation processes.
This cross-sectional, differential study aimed to further understand the relationship between vegetarianism, vitamin B12 status, and methylation capacity in healthy adults. A group of 34 healthy adults (18 vegetarians and 16 omnivores) was recruited to analyze serum B12, homocysteine, methylmalonic acid, serum total folate, and transcobalamin II status. It was hypothesized that (1) vegetarians would have a lower vitamin B12 status, and thus, a lower methylation capacity than omnivores and that (2) low vitamin B12 status would be correlated with low methylation capacity.
The data show that vegetarians did not have significantly lower vitamin B12 methylation capacity status than omnivores. Nor was vitamin B12 status correlated with methylation capacity. However, the data revealed that diet quality had a positive influence on folate status. There was also a statistical trend (p=0.08) for homocysteine reduction in participants consuming high-quality diets. The data herein suggest that methylation capacity may be impacted by the quality of diet rather than the type of diet.
Many other studies have researched the benefits of digital manipulatives and digital environments through student completion of tasks and testing. This study intends to research students’ use of the digital tools and manipulatives, along with the students’ interactions with the digital environment. To this end, I conducted exploratory teaching experiments with two calculus I students.
In the exploratory teaching experiments, students were introduced to a GeoGebra application developed by Fischer (2019), which includes instructional videos and corresponding quizzes, as well as exercises and interactive notepads, where students could use digital tools to construct line segments and circles (corresponding to the physical straight-edge and compass). The application built up the students’ foundational knowledge, culminating in the construction and verbal proof of Euclid’s Elements, Proposition 1 (Euclid, 1733).
The central findings of this thesis are the students’ interactions with the digital environment, with observed changes in their conceptions of radii and circles, and in their use of tools. The students were observed to have conceptions of radii as a process, a geometric shape, and a geometric object. I observed the students’ conceptions of a circle change from a geometric shape to a geometric object, and with that change, observed the students’ use of tools change from a measuring focus to a property focus.
I report a summary of the students’ work and classify their reasoning and actions into the above categories, and an analysis of how the digital environment impacts the students’ conceptions. I also briefly discuss the impact of the findings on pedagogy and future research.