FTT350

Focus on fashion analytics and its application in fashion retailing; types of fashion-related data and data management principles; experience with spreadsheet packages and databases; data visualization to form data insights; and data-driven decision-making process through effective story telling in written report and presentation

MUS619

Seminar course in theoretical and applied concepts of vocal pedagogy for music educators. Vocal anatomy, process, and practical teaching practice will be examined, discussed, analyzed and researched

Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) (1741-1821) An Annotated Bibliography of her Published Works together with Biography, Criticism, and Appearances in Fiction

There is no such field as “Piozzi Studies”—at least, not yet. For 250 years, scholarship on Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) has been desultory at best and at worst non-existent. Scholars who first undertook to analyze her life or edit her works were generally interested only in her relations with Samuel Johnson and James Boswell. Once feminist scholars began to champion the Bluestocking Circle, of which Mrs. Thrale was a peripheral member, Piozzi’s life and writings came to be taken more seriously. A significant milestone was reached in 2021 with the conference Celebrating Hester Thrale Piozzi (1741–1821). Still, while Piozzi has been the subject of three excellent biographies since 1940, there is no book-length analysis of her diverse and remarkable writing. Such scholarship as exists is broadly scattered among academic journals and collections. This bibliography offers a comprehensive listing of published works by and about Piozzi, supplying a brief description of the argument of each essay or book and often a comment on its value to scholars. It is a work in progress that will be updated each January. Addresses of works available online will be added. Apart from dissertations and translations of HLP’s works into Italian and German, this bibliography includes only books and articles that I have read. Advice and corrections are welcome, as is information about works on Piozzi not yet included

The State of the Field on Popular Culture Themed (PCT) Courses: Introducing the Journal of Thematic Instruction

As universities adapt to meet evolving student needs, popular culture themed (PCT) courses have emerged as an innovative approach that integrates media with academic theory to foster engagement, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary connections. PCTs use popular culture themes that are not directly related to the course content to teach the course content. Despite their growing use across diverse disciplines, from STEM to the humanities, there is a lack of cohesive understanding, consistent terminology, and empirical research on the impacts of PCT courses in higher education. This paper reviews existing literature on PCT courses organized by discipline, highlighting representative pedagogical strategies, benefits, and challenges. It identifies gaps in empirical research and calls for rigorous studies to examine student and instructor outcomes. To support this emerging field, the Journal of Thematic Instruction is introduced as a dedicated venue for high-quality research and best practices on themed instruction in higher education. By bridging academic content with students’ lived experiences, PCT courses exemplify the potential to enrich learning, encourage inclusivity, and inspire meaningful intellectual exploration

DES114

Hands-on creative studio experience in either ceramics, fibers, metals/jewelry, wood/furniture design, or sculpture. Non-art and design majors only

Centering BLACK Girl Love: Unearthing Black Girls’ Truths in a Predominantly White, Loveless Elementary School

This study examines the transformative power of literacy as a tool for healing, resistance, and revolutionary love in the lives of BLACK girls navigating predominantly white elementary school spaces. Revolutionary love is conceptualized as practices of care, affirmation, and joy that challenge systemic oppression while fostering belonging and possibility. Conducted in an elementary school in upstate New York, this research follows eleven participants from kindergarten through fourth grade, exploring their lived experiences and literacy practices during English Language Arts (ELA) instruction. Drawing on Brian Street’s (1984) assertion that literacy is a social practice shaped by cultural and power dynamics, this study interrogates the power of BLACK girl literacy practices. Anchored in the frameworks of Cultural Intuition (Delgado Bernal, 1998), Critical Race Theory (Bell, 1992), and Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989), literacy is framed as an emancipatory practice—a sanctuary, a site of resistance, and a generator of BLACK girl love. Through storytelling, play, and multimodal literacies, participants reimagined themselves, critiqued oppressive systems, and envisioned pathways toward healing and justice within a school they described as “loveless”—a space that failed to affirm their identities and brilliance. The findings illuminate the intricate relationship between the structural violence these girls endured and their literacy-based meaning-making. Literacy emerged as a tool of emotional and political liberation, empowering participants to critique anti-Blackness and to imagine justice-centered futures. This research underscores the urgent need for transformative educational practices that honor Black girlhood, positioning literacy as a means to cultivate spaces where the petals of their identities and genius can bloom freely, unthreatened by the cutting hands of systemic oppression

Exploring Mimicry and Visual Communication in Woodpeckers: A Field Study Utilizing 3D-Printed Models

The evolution of similar phenotypes poses an interesting challenge in evolutionary biology. While divergent ecologies may drive differing morphology, physiology, or behavior, similar phenotypes are often due to similar ecology or selection for mimicry. One prominent case of mimetic phenotypes is found in hairy and downy woodpeckers. While several hypotheses might explain the hairy-downy mimicry complex, I aimed to assess the idea that downy woodpeckers benefit from resembling hairy woodpeckers. To test this hypothesis, I used 3D-printed models of various woodpecker species in the field. These models were painted with colors that resemble woodpecker species. The experimental conditions were 3D models of hairy and downy woodpeckers, while I also employed red-bellied and white-headed woodpeckers, both the size of a downy. My controls were unpainted models and trials with no physical 3D-printed model. For further support, I included taxidermied hairy and downy woodpecker specimens. In the experimental trials, I recorded several behaviors of wild birds to compare across experimental conditions. The experiments were conducted in diverse environments throughout Western New York across multiple seasons. My findings underscore the complex interaction between mimicry and visual communication in woodpeckers. Specifically, my results showed that the downy specimen induced more fleeing behavior than any other mount type, indicating a stronger aversive response. When birds did choose to land, they showed a significant preference for landing on the opposite side from both the hairy specimen and hairy mount at statistically comparable rates. The consistent avoidance patterns between hairy and downy mounts, particularly in landing position choices, suggest that birds may perceive and respond to these different models similarly, supporting the effectiveness of the mimetic relationship

Pollination synchrony along a Great Lakes thermal gradient

Pollination is an essential mutualistic interaction between plants and animals. Often agricultural crops rely on successful pollination to provide profitable and nutrient rich harvests. Successful pollination requires synchrony between flowers and pollinators. Western New York with its proximity to the Great Lakes has benefited as a Climate refugia; however, recent climate change and increased temperature variation have threatened regional fruit crops. In this thesis, I explored the synchrony between native pollinators, non-native pollinators, and apple flowering along a coastal to inland gradient for farms in Niagara County. I measured temperature, evaluated apple flower phenology, and harvested pollinators during the Spring of 2024. I found some guilds of native pollinators responded better than others. Additionally, I found seasonal timing was a primary driver for temperature change, pollinator activity, and apple flowering as compared to distance from Lake

FTT413

Transition 2D textile design to cutting-edge 3D textile design using industry-leading software; analyze traditional and contemporary weaving and knitting techniques and delve into 3D textile design basics; advanced techniques such as procedural texturing and mapping in 3D digital textile design to heightened fabric realism; advanced digital portfolio development

Innotivity

This Master’s project focuses on rewriting the text of the first half of the book Innotivity, outlining a framework that brings together adaptability, creativity, and innovation (ACI) into a unified process. The approach explores how identity shapes creative potential and problem-solving, an aspect often overlooked in traditional creativity models. The project entails two parts: first, the text analysis and rewrite, and second, a series of feedback sessions with creativity experts to vet the model. The project builds on the author\u27s extensive experience in creativity training and coaching, with the goal of making Innotivity more theoretically sound and academically defensible. It situates Innotivity within established mainstream creativity theories as well as more recent and esoteric ones, investigating particularly the gaps in understanding how identity influences creative blockages and breakthroughs. Ultimately, this project aims to bring the text of the theoretical portion of the book Innotivity to a level at which it is ready for a final edit round and then publication, as a foundation for also rewriting the second, more practical part of the book. By redefining creativity through the lens of identity, Innotivity offers an approach to unlocking human potential in an era of constant change based on both structure and flexibility