The Boston Girls Sports & Physical Activity Project: Final Report to the Barr Foundation

The main goal of the three-year Boston Girls' Sports & Physical Activity Project (BGSPAP) was to create an integrated and sustainable network of community-based programs that use sports and physical activity to favorably influence the physical, psychological, and social development of urban girls. The BGSPAP aimed to provide economically disadvantaged urban girls with opportunities to participate in sports and physical activity. The BGSPAP also aspired to upgrade sports and physical activity programming for girls in order to overcome gender biases built into the Boston schools and community programs. The number and quality of sports and exercise programs for Boston girls were not at par with those of Boston boys

Faculty recital series: "A South America Trek", January 30, 2007

This is the concert program of the Faculty recital series: "A South America Trek" performance on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 8:00 p.m., at the Boston University Concert Hall, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Works performed were Canción de Cuna by Flavio Gaete, Cinco Danzas de Chambi for viola and piano by Gabriela Lena Frank, Le Grand Tango for viola and piano by Astor Piazzolla, and String Trio by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Center for the Humanities Library Endowed Fund

The factors that influence the adoption or non-adoption of information and communications technologies (ICTs) by recently-arrived immigrants in the Wellington Region : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Information at Massey University

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand recent immigrants' perceptions of ICTs, what causes them to adopt or not adopt ICTs, and the factors that influence such action. A self-selected, volunteer sample of 32 recent immigrants living in 15 households, between the ages of 12 - 65 and who came from developing countries that include Africa (5), the Middle East (4), Central Asia (3) and South East Asia (2) participated in the research. The Refugee and Migrants' Service (RMS), Wellington branch, and ethnic community leaders supported the study and introduced the researcher to potential participants. Two rounds of semi-structured, in-depth audio-taped interviews were held in the immigrants' own homes. The aim of the first round of interviews was to establish trust with the volunteers. The second round of interviews occurred six weeks later. The follow-up interviews provided an opportunity for both the researcher and the participants to validate the transcribed interviews as well as allowing further discussion on their ICT adoption. The majority of participants interviewed had a positive attitude towards ICTs. They viewed the technology as a useful tool because they saw relative- advantage benefits such as accomplishing tasks more easily, saving money on communication and finding employment. A priority on home access was evident for nearly half the interviewees who owned their computers (despite participants being low-waged and some unemployed). The major method of adoption for the immigrants who were new to computing was via friends and family. The personal one-to-one teaching, in a safe, relaxed environment was important to many migrants, as was the timeliness of the teaching. Overall, the results show that young, male participants with a relatively higher educational background were more likely to be adopters. In contrast, older female participants with little or no education were less likely to participate in ICTs. The results also show that the majority of the participants lacked computing experience. This study was exploratory in nature, therefore there is opportunity for researchers interested in understanding ICTs adoption to build on these research findings and explore in greater detail a range of factors that influence recent immigrants' adoption or non adoption of ICTs. The findings have important implication for policy makers and practitioners who wish to create an inclusive society where all members, including recent immigrants, are able to access and use ICTs and hence be able to fully participate in the information society. Recommendations, based on the study's findings, include suggestions to promote ICTs among recently-arrived immigrants community

Cases of science professors' use of nature of science

Study provides qualitative analysis of data that answers the following research question: how college science faculty teach science and NOS and incorporate aspects of NOS and the history of science into their undergraduate courses? Study concentrates on four cases and more specifically on three introductory science classes and on four instructors who taught those courses. These instructors were chosen as case studies to explore in greater detail what occurs inside introductory science courses in one particular higher institution in the Northeastern United States. Participants' teaching styles are presented through a combined and detailed presentation of interview data and classroom observations supported with examples from their classroom activities. Constant comparative approach was used in the process of organizing and analyzing data. Findings revealed that participants preferred to use the traditional teacher-centered lecturing as their teaching style and whose main concern was to cover more content, develop the problem solving skills of their students, and who wanted to teach the fundamental principles of their subjects without paying special importance to the NOS aspects. The study also revealed that other variables of teaching science, such as large class size, lack of management and organizational skills, teaching experience, and instructors' concerns for students' abilities and motivation are more important for these scientists then teaching for understanding of NOS

Spartan Daily, October 17, 2002

Volume 119, Issue 35https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/10679/thumbnail.jp

REACHing a Compromise. A Study on Inter- and Intra- Institutional Negotiations in the EU on the Chemical Regulation REACH

In the autumn of 2003 newspaper headlines declared that Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström had poison in her blood. After a blood test 28 hazardous chemicals were found, among these DDT that had been abandoned from the market since 1983. In this thesis the reader will find a case study on the EU's chemical Regulation REACH (Regulation, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals). REACH has been one of the most controversial and ambitious proposals that the Commission has ever put forward replacing 40 Directives and Regulations into one. REACH has been surrounded by conflicting interests which are divided into two camps; environmentalists versus industry-friendly. Lobbyism from both camp has been intense, which can be explained by the interests that are at stake, for instance the chemical industry in the EU employs about three million people. Despite these conflicting interests a compromise that was acceptable for most actors involved were reached; this puzzles me. The purpose of this thesis is to explain why they reached an acceptable outcome. In order to conduct my study three perspectives have been used. Two-level game theory helps too recognise that the inter- and intra- institutional negotiations are interdependent and affect one another. However, two-level game is not sufficient since negotiations take place between several actors at all levels, therefore policy network analysis are functioning as a complementary theory. To explain the interactions between the inter- and intra- institutional negotiations I have used the concept of communicative action where I claim that both arguing and bargaining are present, but in order to reach the final compromise arguing function as the problem-solver. The conclusion of the study is that the outcome can be explained by the institutional structure i.e. the co-decision procedure which gives rise to coalitions and policy networks. Since REACH is a technically and complex Regulation the policy networks together with arguing helped the actors the reach an acceptable outcome

Interrogating the technical, economic and cultural challenges of delivering the PassivHaus standard in the UK.

A peer-reviewed eBook, which is based on a collaborative research project coordinated by Dr. Henrik Schoenefeldt at the Centre for Architecture and Sustainable Environment at the University of Kent between May 2013 and June 2014. This project investigated how architectural practice and the building industry are adapting in order to successfully deliver Passivhaus standard buildings in the UK. Through detailed case studies the project explored the learning process underlying the delivery of fourteen buildings, certified between 2009 and 2013. Largely founded on the study of the original project correspondence and semi-structured interviews with clients, architects, town planners, contractors and manufacturers, these case studies have illuminated the more immediate technical as well as the broader cultural challenges. The peer-reviewers of this book stressed that the findings included in the book are valuable to students, practitioners and academic researchers in the field of low-energy design. It was launched during the PassivHaus Project Conference, held at the Bulb Innovation Centre on the 27th June 2014

Swivelling the spotlight: stardom, celebrity and ‘me’

Celebrity studies critiques the ways in which celebrity culture constructs discourses of authenticity and disclosure, offering the cultural and economic circulation of the ‘private’ self. Rarely, however, do we turn the spotlight on ourselves as not only scholars of stardom and celebrity, but also part of the audience. Autoethnography has become increasingly important across different disciplines, although its status within media and cultural studies is less visible and secure, not least because the emphasis on personal attachments to media forms may threaten the discipline’s still contested claim to cultural legitimacy. The study of stars and celebrities has often found itself at the ‘lower’ end of this already debased continuum, perhaps making such tensions particularly acute. Based on three personal narratives of engagements with stars and celebrities, this co-authored article explores the potential relationships between autoethnography and celebrity studies, and considers the personal, intellectual, and political implications of bringing the scholar into the celebrity frame

The Cowl - v.79 - n.16 - Feb 5, 2015

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol 79 - No. 16 - February 5, 2015. 20 pages