Multi-dimensional, multi-national, multi-faceted hydrographic training: the Nippon Foundation GEBCO training program at the University of New Hampshire

Hydrographic training entered a new era when students arrived at the University of New Hampshire in August of 2004 to form the first class of the Nippon Foundation GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans) training program. Born out of the need to replenish GEBCO’s aging human material, and of the desire to spread deep ocean mapping capabilities more widely throughout the world, the program attracted applications from 57 students in over thirty countries. The seven selected each had post graduate training and several years experience, but differed in that three were hydrographers, two geologists and two oceanographers. Classes planned for the next two years will bring in a further fourteen students. The UNH program had been selected as the closest match to the general course requirements GEBCO considered that ocean bathymetrists should have. Subjects include all types of depth measurements, oceanography, acoustics, tides, plate tectonics, sea floor morphology, ocean basins, sedimentary processes, hydrothermal-thermal processes, gravity-magnetic relationships to seafloor fabrics, positioning and geodesy, maps and charts, IHO standards, GIS, data bases, gridding, contouring, spatial statistics, and the history of GEBCO and ocean mapping. These are taught at the graduate level as part of the graduate degree program at UNH. In this paper, the experiences that participants from the different backgrounds underwent are recounted with the overall goal of improving the general education required to map the floors of the deep ocean. Recommendations are made regarding the prior preparation of students entering the program, the content and intensity of courses comprising the program, and follow-up actions to solidify the learning experience. Intangibles such as the networking of professional contacts are also evaluated. Extrapolations to training in other areas of hydrography are made

Large-scale educational telecommunications systems for the US: An analysis of educational needs and technological opportunities

The needs to be served, the subsectors in which the system might be used, the technology employed, and the prospects for future utilization of an educational telecommunications delivery system are described and analyzed. Educational subsectors are analyzed with emphasis on the current status and trends within each subsector. Issues which affect future development, and prospects for future use of media, technology, and large-scale electronic delivery within each subsector are included. Information on technology utilization is presented. Educational telecommunications services are identified and grouped into categories: public television and radio, instructional television, computer aided instruction, computer resource sharing, and information resource sharing. Technology based services, their current utilization, and factors which affect future development are stressed. The role of communications satellites in providing these services is discussed. Efforts to analyze and estimate future utilization of large-scale educational telecommunications are summarized. Factors which affect future utilization are identified. Conclusions are presented

“through My Eyes”, A New Narrative Model Using Memories As Self And Intergenerational Discovery

What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? According to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, a good life isn’t about wealth or fame. Instead, effective social interactions keep us, especially older adults, happier and healthier. Narrative projects like the oral history and collective memory are widely employed to invite older adults to share their memories about historical significant events. Although there were modest benefits in reducing participants’ social isolation (Bornat 16), the approaches of these projects are limited to narrative analysis, rather than narrative itself. The tension between older adults’ knowledge of historical events and their untold life stories, remained largely unexplored. Based on the systematic literature review and three research probes, this study explores the difference between task-oriented talking and meaningful communication; and reveals older adults’ real needs in the process of aging: sharing life stories with loved ones. In considering the appropriate role for narrative in reshaping older adults’ self- image and rebuilding their family relationship, the purpose of this paper is to develop a new narrative model, which includes both verbal and visual narrative, to provide a better interactive experience to older participants. As the final design, the project “through my eyes”, which includes three chapters as recollection, revelation, and reflection, will be presented, and elaborated by an illustrative case study

“through My Eyes”, A New Narrative Model Using Memories As Self And Intergenerational Discovery

What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? According to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, a good life isn’t about wealth or fame. Instead, effective social interactions keep us, especially older adults, happier and healthier. Narrative projects like the oral history and collective memory are widely employed to invite older adults to share their memories about historical significant events. Although there were modest benefits in reducing participants’ social isolation (Bornat 16), the approaches of these projects are limited to narrative analysis, rather than narrative itself. The tension between older adults’ knowledge of historical events and their untold life stories, remained largely unexplored. Based on the systematic literature review and three research probes, this study explores the difference between task-oriented talking and meaningful communication; and reveals older adults’ real needs in the process of aging: sharing life stories with loved ones. In considering the appropriate role for narrative in reshaping older adults’ self- image and rebuilding their family relationship, the purpose of this paper is to develop a new narrative model, which includes both verbal and visual narrative, to provide a better interactive experience to older participants. As the final design, the project “through my eyes”, which includes three chapters as recollection, revelation, and reflection, will be presented, and elaborated by an illustrative case study

Urban Renewal: Opportunity for Green Innovation in the Face of Climate Change, A Case Study of Toronto Community Housing

Cities around the world have established ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit the global average temperature increase to within 1.5°C of pre-industrial levels by 2050. The effects of climate change are felt globally but urban environments are enormous contributors to emissions. With the majority of the globe’s population residing in cities, they are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which can be catastrophic. Urban renewal, the natural replacement and restoration of buildings, presents an opportunity to interject and guide development to a more sustainable trajectory, in a way that considers the benefits of ecological processes in cities. This major paper argues for the adoption of stronger green building standards in Toronto, beginning from the City’s own building stock of Toronto Community Housing (TCHC), in order to demonstrate leadership and protect the people who are most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. The paper does this by exploring the current green building best practices used in North America and how they demonstrate, or are limited in, supporting sustainable development. Consideration is given to whether building high-efficiency buildings is the best option for sustainable development by weighing different factors. Despite best practice weaknesses, ultimately, it is the benefits that are extracted from these practices that are important, rather than any form of certification. Green building development is explored by looking at a case study of TCHC, to understand how the City, as a public entity, can lead the way in green development. This research finds that TCHC is tenaciously using sustainability as a motivator for resident wellbeing, financial sustainability, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. However, the case study also reveals limitations to further development of TCHC’s green buildings and emission reductions. This paper identifies those limitations and formulates recommendations to facilitate further reducing emissions. The city’s overall greenhouse gas emission reductions have come to a halt, and this is a sign that additional measures need to be taken to continue to reduce emissions. Improving green building standards for renovations, investing in data collection, and addressing user behaviour through education are the recommendations given in this paper to take the next steps to further reducing building-related emissions. These recommendations will allow TCHC and its tenants to lead efforts to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. The recommendations focus on maximizing the benefits from green technologies. As a city, Toronto must consider the majority of the current building stock, which will continue to exist into 2050, as well as new buildings which will exist for much longer, in its efforts to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions

2021 Student Symposium Research and Creative Activity Book of Abstracts

The UMaine Student Symposium (UMSS) is an annual event that celebrates undergraduate and graduate student research and creative work. Students from a variety of disciplines present their achievements with video presentations. It’s the ideal occasion for the community to see how UMaine students’ work impacts locally – and beyond. The 2021 Student Symposium Research and Creative Activity Book of Abstracts includes a complete list of student presenters as well as abstracts related to their works

2019, UMaine News Press Releases

This is a catalog of press releases put out by the University of Maine Division of Marketing and Communications between January 23, 2019 and December 31, 2019