The Present Empyrean: Reconciling Existentialism and Fashion Through Considerations of Heaven

Transposing Heaven, goodness, and love into a clothing collection circumnavigates belief in the establishment of goodness that I investigate visually and existentially. To describe a point of heavenly perfection, I evaluated personal preference, outside opinion, and cultural beliefs as applied to life and clothing as extensions of self. I aimed to convey Heavenly influence through my senior fashion collection, from mood boards, fabric selection, and description, inspired by my questions about our perceptions of goodness and Heaven. Driven by existentialist need for meaning, I perceived morality and clothing as given context through deeper knowledge of a person. I know that reactions to actions and outfits are immediate and thus hoped to create clothing that reflected the depth of character within the person wearing it. I aimed to create ensembles that would be conducive to desire for greater knowledge of someone’s character for my 9-look collection shown at Cornell Fashion Collective’s runway, Human Centered Design’s NYC Expo, and as part of FSAD seniors’ exhibit in the Human Ecology’s Jill Stuart Gallery. In this essay, I analyze the role of the fashion designer based upon their intentions, the technical quality of their garment, or effect on the wearer and general opinion. I found value in clothing through faith in the existence of goodness and worthiness of human relationships. As part of this thesis, I searched for evidence for this existence: why we seek to look beautiful and the role our appearance plays in our lives. In my designs, I aim to reveal my philosophy considering Heaven as knowing and celebrating the particularities of a person and their stories. Empyrean Echos elaborates upon the compelling reason for dressing one’s friends as beautifully as possible

On the Frequency and Detail of Feedback

Instant feedback is the hallmark of our connected society. Customers are frequently requested to give stars to the rideshare that just took them home, the restaurant where they just ate, or the phone app they just used. Likes, emoticons, and reforwarding rates immediately measure the success of both public personalities and private individuals. Further, the seemingly infinite storage capacity of the cloud and the unrelenting progress of computing power have given firms the means to process and synthesize huge information flows that can support decision-making and control processes. In this context, it is natural to think that providing detailed feedback as frequently as possible would improve decision-making. However, that may not always be the case, as we explain in this article

The State of Gender Equality in the Travel and Hospitality Industry

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an area of intense focus and scrutiny across the travel and hospital industry. Gender diversity, especially, is capturing attention because women represent a significant share of industry employees. A key industry theme is the challenges women face in obtaining promotions, earning the same salaries as men, and ascending into corporate leadership positions. Additional research capturing a broader base of the industry’s voice on gender equality and diversity in the workplace is needed to advance future progress. This report offers said research as well as potential solutions to the travel and hospitality industry’s gender equality and diversity challenges. Women Leading Travel & Hospitality4, NAPCO Research5, and the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration’s Center for Hospitality Research6 teamed up to conduct a workplace gender diversity study based on a wide sample of industry participants, across job levels. The survey-based study focused on the status of DEI efforts in the travel and hospitality industry to uncover the ways organizations are addressing gender equality, while providing a reference point to measure for future progress

OVERPARKED AND UNDERSERVED: ANALYZING THE CONTRADICTION IN PARKING POLICIES IN PHILADELPHIA’S UNIVERSITY CITY DISTRICT

Despite the extensive attention given to broader transportation planning issues, parking studies have received insufficient focus. While many existing parking studies rely on quantitative data and modeling methods, there is a notable gap in research that incorporates interviews with key stakeholders at the grassroots level to truly understand the nuances of parking management and policies. Parking significantly influences the built environment, travel behaviors, housing patterns, and the overall community well-being. This study reveals the oversupplied parking spaces fail to meet residents’ needs by integrating data from the 2023 Parking Inventory in the University City District and insights from interviews with a city planner, a real estate developer, and a parking lot owner. This paper aims to shed light on this critical aspect of parking policies and propose actionable strategies to address the challenges and opportunities associated with parking

From AI Workshops to Off-Campus Partnerships: A Library’s Journey of Engaging with Extension Agents

Presented at the USAIN/CBHL 2024 Biennial Meeting.PDF of a Google Slides presentationThis presentation will explore the impact of using developments in AI as a library outreach tool. K-State Libraries AI team began conducting workshops on using generative AI which sparked the interest of many groups, including Extension agents, who wanted to learn more about AI and how to use it in their own contexts because they saw the library as a place to help them learn more. The team was invited to present a professional development workshop about the basics of AI to a group of family and consumer science extension agents. K-State is focusing more on external audiences and the team saw this engagement as a way to build off-campus relationships. A “get to know each other” session was included in the workshop for the extension agents to learn more about how the library can serve them and for the librarians to learn more about the work of Extension. This engaging, reciprocal outreach opportunity would not have arisen without people’s interest in generative AI

UNDERSTANDING SUSTAINABILITY IN CLONE TOWN BRITAIN

In 2003, the British government initiated the Sustainable Communities Act to regenerate town centers across the United Kingdom. To investigate this policy’s impact, the New Economics Foundation (NEF) conducted a survey in 2004, dividing towns into 'home towns' and 'clone towns'. These categories were based on their clone town score, the ratio of independent businesses to chain stores in town centers. Home towns were towns with a high ratio of traditional stores to chain stores, while clone towns had a high ratio of chain stores to traditional stores. The NEF hypothesized that home towns would be more sustainable than clone towns. This study investigated this hypothesis by analyzing economic, social, and environmental sustainability in six towns across London. The study’s findings indicated that a town’s clone town score has little impact on its social sustainability and environmental sustainability but was far more impactful on its economic sustainability

Reducing Dairy Milk Waste Through Dynamic Pricing Model Execution in a Retail Setting

Food waste is a significant challenge worldwide, with far-reaching implications for sustainability, food security, and economic efficiency. In the United States alone, an estimated 40% of total food produced goes uneaten, amounting to 218 billion dollars or 1.3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Perishable food waste, including dairy products, constitutes a substantial portion of this waste, with dairy waste alone estimated at approximately 25 billion pounds annually. This study focuses on dairy milk waste, which is a major contributor to overall food waste, and explores the use of dynamic pricing as a potential solution to reduce waste in the retail sector. We developed a dynamic pricing model based on pasteurized milk shelf life and we evaluated its performance by deploying it in a retail store setting. The study evaluated consumer choice and willingness to pay when presented with (i) product groups that have three different levels of remaining shelf life left (high, medium, and low), (ii) two different pricing models (static, dynamic), and (iii) three different types of dairy milk products (whole, reduced, and fat-free). The study also evaluated the potential food waste reduction at the retail level and the economics for the retailer when static vs. dynamic pricing model is used. The study hypothesized that the implementation of shelf-life-based dynamic pricing would not significantly affect overall consumer demand for fluid milk and the factors governing consumer preferences. Additionally, it was hypothesized that consumer purchasing behavior for milk with the highest shelf life would partially but uniformly shift towards milk with lower shelf life. Finally, the study hypothesized that the implementation of dynamic pricing would weakly improve retailer revenue from fluid milk sales. We conducted a two-week study using ½ Gal pasteurized milk from Cornell Dairy, categorized into High Shelf-Life (21-8 days left), Medium Shelf-Life (7-4 days left), and Low Shelf-Life (3- 0 days left). Each week a different pricing model was implemented and evaluated; static pricing model in week 1 where all products had a uniform price of $2.59, and dynamic pricing model in week 2 where product with high, medium, and low shelf-life had a price of$3.39, $2.59, and$1.39, respectively. The product was placed with other brands of pasteurized milk, but clearly separated and marked, including (i) displaying the shelf life left with color coded sticker on each container, (ii) displaying shelf life left, price, and milk type with stickers on the product shelves, and (iii) providing a large informational sign with information on the study, shelf life left, and prices. Results indicated a noticeable impact of dynamic pricing model on consumer purchasing patterns, with a shift towards purchasing milk with shorter shelf lives. This suggests that dynamic pricing can be an effective tool in reducing food waste while maintaining consumer engagement. Additionally, there was a weak increase in retailer revenue, indicating that dynamic pricing can be economically sustainable for the retailer. These findings underscore the potential of dynamic pricing strategies to balance economic viability with environmental sustainability in the retail sector. This study contributes to the limited body of research on impact of dynamic pricing strategies on food waste reduction, highlighting the importance of innovative approaches in addressing this complex food industry challenge. The findings of this study have implications for policymakers, retailers, and consumers, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts to reduce food waste and promote sustainability