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- Creators: School of Sustainability
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Status: Published
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
Solutions to mitigating the negative externalities of climate change are deemed necessary for a sustainable future. Residential community composting, such as the Community Compost Program at Vista del Sol, could potentially play an important role within Arizona State University’s (ASU) solution to develop a sustainable institution as programs aspire to develop sustainable behaviors and integrate environmentally positive practices within students’ lives. The research and review of how universities can utilize a residential community compost program to ignite sustainable action within on-campus communities could present helpful information for additional universities to implement on their own. This review will aim to tackle the research question: how can the operational functions of existing university residential composting programs and behavioral science research be implemented within the Community Compost Program at Arizona State University? The review from existing university residential composting programs and behavioral sciences will be completed to provide an explanation of how residential community composting can overall be effectively prompted.
ContributorsKovacs, Amelia (Author) / Wharton, Christopher (Thesis director) / Daniel, Fischer (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic eutrophication (Kolzau et al., 2014) and require mitigation efforts to prevent oxygen depletion and subsequent biodiversity loss. Tres Rios Constructed Treatment Wetland (CTW) relies on wetland ecosystem functioning to reduce nutrient concentrations in order to meet regulatory guidelines. I investigated the impact of solar irradiance, temperature, and nutrient availability on aquatic net primary productivity, ecosystem respiration, and nutrient cycling using statistical analysis and quantitative modeling informed by field data generated by ASU’s Wetland Ecosystem Ecology Lab (WEEL) in partnership with the City of Phoenix Water Services Department. I found that the extent of daily solar insolation controls Aquatic Net Primary Productivity (ANPP) rates and the seasonal aquatic nutrient processing capacity of Tres Rios, resulting in the following approximate relationship: ANPP = 0.001344(W/m²) - 0.32634 (r² = 0.259; p = 0.005).
This formula was used to estimate the nutrient uptake performance of aquatic primary producers from sampling observations; ANPP accounted for 16.26 metric tons of system wide N uptake, while aquatic ER contributed 6.07 metric tons N of nighttime remineralization and 5.7 metric tons of N throughout the water column during the day. The estimated yearly net aquatic N flux is 4.49 metric tons uptake, compared to about 12 metric tons yearly N uptake by the vegetated marsh (Treese, 2019). However, not accounting for animal respiration results in an underestimation of system-wide N remineralization, and not accounting for soil processes results in an underestimation of N uptake.
This formula was used to estimate the nutrient uptake performance of aquatic primary producers from sampling observations; ANPP accounted for 16.26 metric tons of system wide N uptake, while aquatic ER contributed 6.07 metric tons N of nighttime remineralization and 5.7 metric tons of N throughout the water column during the day. The estimated yearly net aquatic N flux is 4.49 metric tons uptake, compared to about 12 metric tons yearly N uptake by the vegetated marsh (Treese, 2019). However, not accounting for animal respiration results in an underestimation of system-wide N remineralization, and not accounting for soil processes results in an underestimation of N uptake.
ContributorsEvans, Joseph Barrett (Author) / Childers, Daniel (Thesis director) / Hartnett, Hilairy (Committee member) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
“In the Dark Room” consists of a body of poetry with accompanying visual art exploring themes of tenderness, violence, memory, and distortion. The poems revolve around the self, the beloved, and the body. The speaker reflects on notions of harm and love towards themselves and others as relationships begin to decay, fogging the mind of the speaker, leaving them feeling as if they are trapped in a haze, their sense of time, warped. The title of the project reflects this, as a dark room is commonly used to develop film photographs. The idea of developing images leads to ideas of perception and performance. The poems encapsulate the gauze the speaker lives in by balancing precise, physical details with emotionally charged moments of urgency prompted by the speaker’s uncertainty and desperation. Questions and commands are utilized to draw out the inner action in the speaker’s mind as well as to illuminate different layers present in the work. The corresponding photography and collage serve to highlight the emotional depth of the pieces, as well as add accessibility and interest for the public. The photographs function as stills from a film, adding an element of movement, inspiring visceral emotions that elevate the written work, while the collage ties the mediums together by reflecting central imagery through the inherent fusion of the form. The body of work aims to translate vulnerability into a relatable human experience by exploring the confusion caused by emotional wounds.
ContributorsSamons, Karson (Author) / Ball, Sally (Thesis director) / Diaz, Natalie (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This study explores the relationship between three physics-based predictive models defined by Castruccio et al. (2013), and four different distinct experimental morphologies of lava flows produced in a series of laboratory simulations where polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG) was pumped into an inclined chilled bath of water. The length of the experimental flow was recorded over time to create an experimental model to later be compared to the physics-based predictive models. The experimental morphologies are pillowed, rifted, folded, and leveed flows which can be characterized by a dimensionless parameter 𝛹, which scales natural lava flows to experimental lava flows and is a ratio of timescales, the characteristic timescale of thermal flux from the vent and the characteristic timescale of crust formation caused by surface cooling (Fink and Griffiths 1990). The three physics-based models are presented such that the downslope gravitational acceleration drives the flow, while either the Newtonian viscosity of the flow, the Yield Strength of the core (YS), or the Yield Strength of the growing crust (YSC) is the primary retarding factor in flow propagation. This study concluded that low 𝛹-value flows (low flux, low temperature, extensive crust formation) are better captured by the YSC model. And although the Newtonian model did not perfectly capture the behavior of any experimental flows in this study, high 𝛹-value flows (high flux, high temperature, little crust formation) that formed levees exhibited the most Newtonian behavior.
ContributorsCourtney, Cara Alexandra (Author) / Clarke, Amanda B. (Thesis director) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Williams, David A. (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The goal of this study is to provide an integrative analysis of Sumerian magico-religious practices with special attention paid to demonology and to the Mesopotamian concept of evil. A synthetic approach will help to assess the state of Mesopotamian demonological research, to demonstrate why the so-called “magical” ideas of an ancient civilization are essential to understanding humanity, and to suggest a path forward with “evil” as a lens for historical and cultural understanding. This will be attempted in five phases: first, the terms “magic” and “demons” must be reclaimed as historically useful and contextually appropriate to the Sumerian worldview. Next, we briefly survey how the Sumerians and ancient Mesopotamians understood and participated in magic. Then, we examine the role of demons in the Mesopotamian magical worldview. With this understanding, we write a biography of one demon, Lamaštu, as a case study. Lamaštu played a dominant role in Sumerian magico-religious and magico-medical practices and there is sufficient research to compile a biography for her. Then, Lamaštu is reintegrated into the Sumerian pantheon of demons as an exemplum for further studies.
ContributorsStrackbein-Bussey, Max (Author) / Sullivan, Benjamin (Thesis director) / Ostling, Michael (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Once planted firmly in America, murder ballads old and new sparked the Southern imagination, and familiar motifs and formulas were sung with a distinct American twist. The moral standards and beliefs of Christianity, specifically those of Baptist and Methodist denominations, are weaved through a majority of Southern murder ballads, which reflects the impact of the Second Great Awakening, a religious revival founded in the South during the 1790s and early 1800s. Murder ballads found in the American South from 1800 to 1950 follow a structure that reinforces southern expectations for men and women, emphasizing moral and immoral traits in a way that encourages the listener to adhere to strict gender roles. The question of who the villain is and who the victim is must be confronted while examining American murder ballads, because the answer is not as clear cut as one would assume. Virginal women and sinful women, hapless men and cold-blooded men, each play a role in these ballads and the way in which they are perceived shifts the moral weight of the song. Heterosexuality and gender norms are heavily enforced in murder ballads from the South, and any deviations from these norms leads to murder, execution, or eternal damnation.
ContributorsDonalson, Rachel (Author) / Soares, Rebecca (Thesis director) / Ellis, Larry (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Ethnic, Familial, and Cultural Barriers Impacting non-White Representation in Environmental Programs
Description
Non-White minorities represent nearly half of the US population and strongly support environmental protection but are severely underrepresented in environmental careers and natural resource-related degree programs. What factors contribute to this disparity in environment career choice? Previous research has indicated that students career decisions are influenced by family and culture as they related to self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations towards different occupation choices. In this paper, I explored the importance of familial and cultural factors in career choice decisions to understand the motivations of non-White minority students to enter and remain in college degree programs within environmental disciplines. I surveyed 122 students enrolled in both environmental and non-environmental degree programs at Arizona State University. I measured family and cultural influence using the “Family Influence Scale” and “Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale” respectively. I hypothesized that non-White students in environmental degree programs are influenced less by their families and are more acculturated to the dominant Anglo culture compared to non-White students in non-environmental degree programs. I found no significant relationship between ethnicity, family influence, or acculturation on the degree choices of students. Interestingly, family influence on students’ career decisions was most influenced by home language, household income, and acculturation to the dominant culture. Students more acculturated to Anglo culture reported higher familial influence. Higher income and non-English speaking households also reported higher levels of family influence. Acculturation and language in particular are interesting factors related to family influence and warrant further analysis especially in relation to non-White student participation in environmental careers.
ContributorsGutierrez, Luis (Co-author, Co-author) / Hall, Sharon (Thesis director) / Budruk, Megha (Thesis director) / Salgado, Casandra (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Sustainability (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
Regional governments provide access to safety, health, and welfare through consistently good services. This analysis examines the underlying motives and mechanisms for achieving these goals. A current trend in governance is to outsource technology software and development to private sector efficiency. To achieve this claim and in attempt to save money the physical employee workforce is being replaced by technology. The government interaction in this philosophy is not being met with the same diversity and flexibility of the private-sector. This missed opportunity is the result of not accompanying software or governance practices with the principles of entrepreneurship including performance measures, marketing, and collaborative process design. The linkage of these three key principles provides the potential to reinvent government communication and interaction leading to successful endeavors for the public it serves and employees it aims to recruit and retain. This is an applied research thesis with foundation in a working body of regional government. The Maricopa County Planning and Development Department (MCPPD) provided the resources and project objective to discover the root causes of e-Governance challenges. The framing was constructed under recent theoretical trends of New Public Management Theory and Joined-Up Governance approaches to government administration. Extensive data collection was then performed to inform a remedy to these contemporary e-Governance issues. The premise of this thesis is to understand theory and practice of
e-Governance and apply methods to measure and propel that perspective to an operationally adaptable framework applicable to regional government.
e-Governance and apply methods to measure and propel that perspective to an operationally adaptable framework applicable to regional government.
ContributorsSchwartz, Michael (Author) / King, David (Thesis director) / Maynard, Andrew (Committee member) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05