Episode 1 : Jon Bomar

The GSBSE is the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering and is centered at the University of Maine. It is a unique collaboration between six research sites across the state of Maine connecting 150+ affiliated faculty and over 50 graduates students. In an effort to capture the breadth and depth of the work done by those in the GSBSE, I sat down with Jon Bomar, 5th year Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. student. We talked about his project, the serendipitous nature of research, and the importance of the process and creativity

High School Curriculum Outline and Unit Plan for Unit 3: Researching and Referencing for the Comparative Study

Before beginning the International Baccalaureate Art program, most high school students will have already spent a significant amount of time studying a variety of art genres and will have a solid understanding of art terminology and methods. This is because the program is designed to build upon prior knowledge and experience. This is true for the majority of schools that participate in the IB program. It is common practice for educational institutions that provide tough programs to insist that students complete prerequisite coursework before they are allowed to enroll in the challenging programs that the institution provides. This is done with the intention of better-preparing students for the challenges that they would confront in the rigorous curriculum that is being followed. This curriculum is designed for schools and students who don\u27t fit that mold and who are given the opportunity to participate in a rigorous college preparatory program at a low-income, inner-city high school, with the goal that it will help more students become the first in their families to complete high school and go on to college. For this type of course, there are no prerequisites for IB art and because of this, most of the students who enroll in it have very little to no prior experience and only a very basic understanding of even the most fundamental aspects of art. The purpose of this semester-long course is to prepare these students to pass the comparative study section of the IB Art exam. Students will be asked to do things like conduct research, rate artworks, and make intellectual connections as each criterion of the study is presented in stages, with a focus on information literacy and research skills. In addition, students will be given both formative and summative assignments to gauge their progress and understanding throughout the course. The research report they produce is an informative and visually pleasing digital essay. Over the course of the semester, students of all skill levels can benefit from the comparative study by honing their investigative and analytical skills and developing a deeper appreciation for the arts

Understanding Zika Virus in Rural Costa Rica: Integrating Medical Anthropology and Public Health

Framed by critical medical anthropology, this applied study utilizes political economic theory and ethnographic methods to contextualize and evaluate the implementation of a global health initiative at the local level, as well as critically evaluates the response of state and international health agencies to the Zika epidemic in Costa Rica. The prevalence of arboviruses including Zika and the potential for epidemics and future population-level health consequences are examined by a multiaxial approach that incorporates themes of culture, socioeconomic context, issues of power and control, and human impact on the natural environment. By combining an interdisciplinary approach that considers the economic, political, and anthropogenic causes of Zika virus incidence with epidemiological data from the rural Pacific-coastal cantons of Garabito and Orotina, this study provides a holistic view, rooted in both critical medical anthropology analysis and public health research, of the shortcomings in Costa Rica’s public health prevention efforts to combat Zika infection in vulnerable rural coastal communities

Keep Austin Safe: Studying Mutual Aid Organizing Following the 2021 Texas Energy Crisis

This thesis investigates mutual aid organizing in the Austin Texas area by examining an extensive literature review on the history and methodology of mutual aid as well as the dilemmas that might arise with it. The literature review discusses mutual aid strategy throughout the coronavirus pandemic and in response to various natural disasters as an alternative to formal disaster responders like charities or other non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Mutual aid is applied to Austin Texas and its history of gentrification, addressing how gentrified neighborhoods and communities disproportionately suffered during the February 2021 electric outage in Texas. The analysis of this thesis suggests that an emergency preparedness strategy can be an effective method for mutual aid organizations to strategize according to Austin’s history of gentrification and environmental racism. A guiding philosophy of transformative justice can guide how the community strategizes and targets their action toward protecting every community member, including and most especially the ones most likely to be impacted by structural violence and discrimination

Dish stirling solar receiver design report

Issued as Preliminary design report, and Final report, Project no. A-2348Final report has title: Dish stirling solar receiver design repor

Corn price differentials in Tennessee, 1961 to 1968

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were particular patterns of geographical price differentials for com in Tennessee over time and to identify casual factors for price spreads. The period covered by the study was from 1961 to 1968, and secondary data were used in the analysis. A price mapping technique was employed whereby average annual and semi-annual county prices were mapped using seven price ranges— a four-cent price differential for each range. In addition, iso-price lines were fitted for four time periods—1961-62, 1963-65, 1966-68, and 1961-68. Iso-price lines for the chosen periods generally revealed the following geographical price patterns: Prices were lowest in Extreme West Tennessee and highest in the Central Basin (Midstate) and Extreme East Tennessee. Prices advanced from west to east reaching a high in the Central Basin; prices then declined slightly reaching a low in the Cumberland Plateau area; and thereafter prices advanced reaching a high in Extreme Northeast Tennessee. Price maps for the four time periods generally followed the same price patterns and iso-price lines encompassed approximately the same general geographical area. Important factors contributing to geographical price variations in Tennessee were found to be areas of surplus or deficit production, intrastate and interstate transportation costs, and the presence of grain elevators in the state. Lower prices in Extreme West Tennessee could be accounted for chiefly by the joint effects of surplus production and low transportation costSc Corn prices in the area between Memphis and Nashville were regulated by lower prices in Extreme West Tennessee and higher prices in Nashville. Corn prices in Middle Tennessee were attributed to transportation costs and the added expense of services from grain elevators in the area. Lower prices in the Cumberland Plateau area relative to adjacent areas were attributed to savings in elevator fees. The uniform advancement in prices from the Cumberland Plateau area to Extreme East Tennessee was the result of higher transfer costs, deficit com production and a rather uniform distribution of grain handling facilities