Environmental Justice Case Study in St. Clair Township, Michigan

In St. Clair Township, Michigan, residents have filed a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies for negligence and unlawful contamination of their community. Our master's capstone team worked to support St. Clair Township residents in their fight for a healthier community in partnership with Freshwater Future and Families Reclaiming Our Environment. We sought to re-engage community members exhausted by a 40-year struggle and organize existing data detailing incidents from the 1980s to present day. These project objectives were met through hosting a community engagement event, conducting a survey to understand residents’ sentiments towards the facilities, and synthesizing records into a comprehensive timeline. The community engagement event acted as an opportunity to meet residents and learn about their concerns, shaping the survey. Survey results revealed that although almost all respondents are aware they live near these facilities, only slightly more than half had prior knowledge of the facilities before moving into their current residence. Results also showed that a majority of residents have been or are concerned about water and air quality near their homes. About 48% of respondents have or are experiencing health issues that might be correlated with the air quality near their home. Residents also described long-standing frustration with the companies and government agencies, who they feel have failed to address the pollution from these facilities. At the same time, our archival process has begun telling the four decades long story of St. Clair Township and its relationship with these local fossil fuel facilities. While still a work in progress, the timeline has begun to piece together evidence showing how residents have been and still are overlooked in the decision-making processes of these harmful facilities. The timeline has also begun teasing apart the complicated relationships between regulators and jurisdictional complexities that have perpetuated this problem for far too long. Through this report, we provide multifaceted evidence that the petrochemical facilities in St. Clair Township harm a rural frontline community’s health and quality of life and that government actors have failed to intervene. We make the case that environmental justice movements fighting petrochemical pollution must pay increased attention to previously overlooked sites within a massive geography of fossil fuel infrastructure.Master of Science (MS)School for Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/193035/1/Freshwater Future Rebecca Beilinson.pdfDescription of Freshwater Future Rebecca Beilinson.pdf : Master's Project Full Documen

Trans/formation of the Disciplines, February 13-14, 2004

Includes papers from the conference

High resolution computed tomography of the chest in infants with cystic fibrosis.

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/192034/2/Pediatric Pulmonology - 1999 - - Abstracts 390 to 439.pdfPublished versionDescription of Pediatric Pulmonology - 1999 - - Abstracts 390 to 439.pdf : Published versio

Improved Comorbidity Capture Using a Standardized 1-Step Quality Improvement Documentation Tool

Objective: To assess the impact of implementation of a “1-step” documentation query system on comorbidity capture and quality outcomes within the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Methods: Implementation of the 1-step documentation query system was instituted for all otolaryngology–head and neck surgery faculty at a single institution. Individual query responses and impact metrics were analyzed. Departmental case-mix index (CMI), risk of mortality (ROM), and severity of illness (SOI) were collated over a 14-month implementation period and compared to a 12-month preimplementation period. Results: A total of 226 documentation queries occurred during the program pilot period, with an 86.7% response rate. Of queries with a response, 91.0% resulted in a significant impact for the hospitalization diagnoses-related group, ROM, or SOI. Departmental CMI increased from 2.73 to 2.91 over the implementation period, and observed/expected mortality ratio decreased from 0.50 to 0.42 pre- to postimplementation. Discussion: With increasing emphasis on quality metrics outcomes within the United States health care system, there is a need for institutions to accurately capture the complexity and acuity of the patients they care for. There was a positive change in quality outcomes metrics, including ROM, SOI, and CMI over the first year of deployment of the 1-step documentation query process. Implications for Practice: Clinical severity metrics are becoming increasingly important to otolaryngologists, as insurers move to severity-adjusted profiles. The 1-step documentation query process provides a reproducible and effective way for clinical documentation specialists and physicians to collaborate on improving departmental clinical severity metrics.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/191975/2/2018_Oto-HNS_1-Step Documentation QI Tool.pdfPublished versionDescription of 2018_Oto-HNS_1-Step Documentation QI Tool.pdf : Published versio

WHO Smallpox Images, 1953-1988 (with gaps)

included is a spreadsheet of captions for the image

International Court of Justice. Ruling on South African Accusation Against Israel

This is the text of a podcast on StocktonAfterClassThis is a summary of the Ruling handed down by the International Court of Justice on January 26,2024 regarding the South African charge of Genocide against Israel.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/192153/1/RulingByICJ26January2024.docDescription of RulingByICJ26January2024.doc : Main articleSEL

Still Separate? Still Unequal? Brown V. Board of Education, Fifty Years Later..., January 19, 2004

Lecture by Lani Guinier, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, for the 17th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium

The Reenactment: A novel

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)MFA in Creative Writinghttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/193135/1/stewelde2024-SaraTewelde.pd

First Responses To Beech Leaf Disease in Michigan

This report is intended to provide information that will aid in the management of beech leaf disease (BLD), a novel forest disease affecting American beech trees (Fagus grandifolia). The first section provides background information about American beech and BLD, including identification and current distribution. In this section, we summarize what is currently known about BLD while emphasizing major existing knowledge gaps. We also discuss the ecosystem services and economic value that American beech provide, demonstrating the negative consequences of their potential widespread loss. Finally, the first section presents a risk assessment for BLD in Michigan, examining the distribution of American beech habitat and BLD-suitable climatic zones. The second section provides an overview of management strategies for BLD, including prevention, detection, reporting, monitoring, treatment, and educational outreach. Because BLD is a novel disease, much remains unknown about which management practices are most effective. Therefore, we have presented a combination of practices that are 1) generally applicable for forest pest or pathogen management, 2) the current best practice given what is known about BLD, or 3) currently under development. In the third section of the report, we summarize a pilot study conducted in the summer of 2023. This was included to demonstrate the implementation and use of long-term monitoring plots, and to provide an overview of the current status of BLD in Michigan. We conclude with a discussion of stakeholder needs, identifying areas where additional work and knowledge is needed.Master of Science (MS)School for Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/193038/1/Land Managers Guide to BLD.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/193038/2/BLD Risk Assessment.pdfd0a18e86-7d9e-4669-812b-ead353cc489