Spoils politics and environmental struggle in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

The protracted conflict in the Niger Delta communities is currently being diagnosed with a view to understanding the nature of the resource struggle. From the 1980s, the region’s cry of marginalization and exclusion from oil revenue allocation was couched in a wave of environmentalism. Environmental activism had assumed the shape of peaceful community protests against the transnational oil companies and was largely directed at ecological remediation and environmental justice. Environmentalism has now assumed new dimensions both in demands and strategy. The struggle has advanced to a low intensity conflict ostensibly against the state which has resulted in the militarization of the region. Although amnesty has been granted the militants by the federal government since October 2009 as a first step to resolving the conflict, there has been criticism trailing its framing and implementation that did not take into account some historical and socio-political antecedents of conflicts in the region. This paper revisits these and applies the greed and grievance framework to investigate the nature of the conflicts. It examines the pattern of environmentalism and discusses the complex nature of the conflicts against the curtailment of primordial motivations if environmental justice is to be achieved. Contrary to the literature, it demonstrates how grievance may manifest in greed in a mutually reinforcing pattern.Keywords: Greed, grievance, militancy, environmentalism, Niger Delta, Nigeri

MICROBIAL DIVERSITY IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: CONCERN FOR ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

We are almost oblivious to the presence of microorganisms in our daily lives, but they exist and come into contact with us all the time. While some bacteria are harmless, and even beneficial, other bacteria can cause infections. A common treatment to bacterial infections is antibiotics and the success of an antibiotic depends on the resistance of the bacteria to the antibiotic. We conducted experiments to identify the types of bacteria that can be found on surfaces or within soil environments that come into contact with a vast number of people on a daily basis and how this can affect the antibiotic resistance/susceptibility of these bacteria. By using common laboratory procedures to extract, amplify and identify DNA, we identified samples of bacteria. We also used the Biolog/Kirby-Bauer assay to test for their antibiotic resistance /susceptibility. The results obtained showed that surfaces with presumably greater contact with people had a greater diversity of bacteria and at the overall level, the bacteria of the sample population were mostly susceptible to the commonly used antibiotics which is a good news! In terms of soil texture, samples mostly represented sandy soil with significant admixtures of silt and clay and these were collected from wooded areas, parks, urban and farmlands located in Queens, Bronx and Long Island. Considering sandy soil, it was directly correlated with higher presence of bacterial growth and presumably due to the exposure of abundant oxygen level (greater aeration), its pore volume, and surface area. Preliminary geochemical investigations (trace elements and major oxide) of representative soil samples also demonstrated a geochemical anomaly with respect to enrichment and depletion of bacterial growth

SURFICIAL GEOLOGY OF YORK COLLEGE CAMPUS (QUEENS) AND MONTAUK POINT (LONG ISLAND): AN OPEN ACCESS TO GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION

To evaluate compositional and textural differences among the samples collected from York College (YC) campus (Queens), Montauk Point (MP) and Hither Hills (HH), Long Island, emphasis is given to the general geologic setting, overall grain size distribution, and relative abundances of light and heavy mineral assemblages. Geologic setting encompasses outwash plains (York College), fluvioglacial and glacial (Montauk Point) and beach and dune complex (Hither Hills). YC samples were collected from depth ranging 40 cm to 250 cm and are mostly an assortment of medium to coarse sand, granule to cobble sized, minor silt, and clay. Presence of low angle cross bedding was noted within the sandy unit located around 150 cm from the surface and melt-water dominated transport can also be associated with this feature. MP sand samples largely collected from the beach were mostly free of finer fraction and preponderance of coarse-sand sized grains is highly noticeable. Scattered presence of purple sand often containing garnet, magnetite, rutile, monazite, and tourmaline is suggestive of hydraulic sorting due to wave action and provenance of purple sand is presumed to be intermediate to mafic clasts associated with coastal bluff. Magnetite abundances within the purple sand range from 5% to 20%. HH sands are representative of both beach and dune complex and showing prominent cross bedding with foresets accentuated by heavy minerals. Dominant grain size is medium to fine-grained and well sorted sand. Subtle differences in terms of mineral assemblages including quartz, feldspar, muscovite, biotite, garnet, zircon, monazite, rutile, and tourmaline within the YC, MP, and HH samples suggest slight variation of the source rock composition and overall grain size trends also point to a particular sedimentary environment of deposition. These locations are easily accessible and form a great field geology sites for understanding surficial geology of Queens and Long Island and recent glacial activity that sculptured the landscapes. K9-16 earth science students can greatly benefit by having this opportunity located close to the urban setting of New York. Department of Education Grant titled Enhancing Talents of African American Students funded this research project

COMPARING GEOSCIENCES-RELATED ENGAGEMENT GENERATED DURING AND AFTER THE USE OF MULTIPLE PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES: ANIMATED VIDEOS, YOUTUBE, INTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL GAMES, GROUP DISCUSSION AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased educators’ reliance on online learning tools such as Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and Zoom meetings to deliver geoscience-related lessons in real-time. Assessments were conducted using introduction to geology, environmental geology, and oceanography - part of the City University of New York\u27s (CUNY) newly implemented pathways curriculum. These general education courses belong to scientific world and life and physical sciences category and are intended for seamless transfer between CUNY campuses. Students, however, have the option to disengage from participation. Students are able to disable microphones and cameras, as well as rely entirely on text-chat if they choose. Students also have the option to simply log-on and not be physically present at all. If a practitioner does not advocate for forced participation via assigning a heavy weight of the course grade to participation, then the burden of bolstering engagement is almost entirely on the practitioner. This study attempts to review different pedagogical approaches and create a rubric to measure engagement during and after the delivery of the course contents. These approaches include short animated videos, long, medium, and short YouTube videos, interactive educational games, group discussions and debates, PowerPoint presentations, etc. The goal is to find approaches that deliver an effective learning, but still encourage organic class participation. Initial findings are as follows: short animated videos had the most total engagement with highly positively correlated with engagement during and after; long YouTube videos generated the most engagement during and after; single-player interactive educational games tied for highest total engagement and encouraged discussion during the game as well as after; short PowerPoint presentations with salient information did much better than longer presentations; and group discussions (when engaged upon) generated a moderate amount of total engagement. Trends included: length correlated positively with discussion during delivery, but negatively with discussion after delivery; intensity played no part in discussion during an activity, but correlated positively with discussion afterwards. In general, high intensity material of any kind, has been deemed the best

Influence of neighborhood environment and social support on physical activity among patients with diabetes mellitus

This study was aimed to determine the relationship of physical activity (PA) with the neighborhood environment and social support for PA among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). A total of 193 consenting individuals with DM attending endocrinology clinic in a Nigerian tertiary hospital participated in this cross-sectional study. The international physical activity questionnaire short form, physical activity neighborhood environment scale (PANES), and physical activity and social support scale (PASSS) were used to assess the PA level (low, moderate, and high), neighborhood environment and social support for PA, respectively. The results of bivariate analyses showed that all elements of built environment and social support were significantly associated with PA. Regression model analyses indicate that PANES score was associated with moderate (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 10.76; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.82-30.32) to high (aOR: 45.73; 95% CI: 12.14-172.27) PA. In addition, easy access to quality walking facilities (aOR: 46.53; 95% CI: 3.89-557.32; aOR: 46.13; 95% CI: 2.65-802.40) and easy access to recreation infrastructure (aOR: 46.89; 95% CI: 3.95-487.83; aOR: 17.99; 95% CI: 1.28-252.98) were associated with moderate to high PA, respectively, while safety from crime (aOR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.07-0.64) and easy access to services and shops (aOR: 21.90; 95% CI: 1.83-262.59) were associated with moderate and high PA. Informational social support was associated with moderate PA (aOR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.04-2.00). In conclusion, the neighborhood environmental and social support factors were associated with the PA activity level among Nigerian patients with DM

RECRUITING AND RETAINING K9–16 STUDENTS THROUGH FIELD- AND LABORATORY - BASED GEOSCIENCE EXPERIENCES

Since 2004, we have been directly involved with the GSA to provide access and opportunities for K9-16 students, particularly those interested in the broader aspects of geoscience-related topics, to present their field-and- laboratory based research outcomes at professional conferences and to learn from each other. So far, well-over 400 students from the U. S. and abroad have taken advantage of this opportunity and participated our topical sessions. It is quite gratifying to report that many of these students, as a result of their attendance at the GSA conference, felt a continuing need for exposure to high-level professional venues with effective knowledge-sharing and improving the level of understanding of the presented material. In addition, several presenters enthusiastically acknowledged their satisfaction with the significance of attendance at such high level meetings and potential to improve their chances of professional employment. Potential employers valued their experiential learning skills from both the educational and communications point of view and appreciated their endeavors and the preparation needed to attend and present at GSA conferences. Present-day extreme weather phenomena, environmental degradation, increased mega-flooding event, landslides, access to fresh drinking water, build-up or upgrading of aging infrastructures, etc. are closely tied to geological processes and anthropogenic practices. Students need to observe and connect geoscience concepts and understanding of the various phenomena, including representative case studies, to validate geoscience as a transformative discipline and its interdependence with other STEM disciplines such as physics, chemistry, and biology. We strongly believe that the future geoscience workforce needs to be trained from as early as the K9-12 grades via an integrated earth science curriculum that allows an open access to field-and research based content, creates inquiry-based knowledge, promotes group dynamics, and instills a sense of belonging. Given that over 70,000 K9-12 students took the Earth Science Regents examination last year in New York City alone, it will be worthwhile to work with the new cohort and provide them with a variety of learning tools to engage, inspire and attract them to the future geoscience-related workforce build-up

ADDRESSING THE LEARNING LOSS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC THROUGH THE ADAPTATION OF VIRTUAL PLATFORMS

The York College-hosted NASA MAA (MUREP AEROSPACE ACADEMY) has always played a pivotal role in minimizing the learning loss during the summer months, which was heightened during the pandemic. Support from AT&T, Con Edison and NASA enabled the MAA program at York College to offer a virtual STEM education with an earth science concentration to 1000 plus underserved K1-12 students from the community last summer, including 160 high school students. Two factors made this endeavor fruitful: allowing additional time to engage in STEM lessons and increasing self-motivation to successfully accomplish assigned tasks. Students built partnerships and resolved technical issues with the smaller class size. MAA students normally receive more than three hours of uninterrupted STEM lessons, as opposed to less than 90 minutes of instruction time in math and science classes in their respective public schools. Based on the successful outcome from the 2020 operation, York’s NASA MAA will be continuing its peer mentoring initiative, with the goal to increase the scope and allow additional students to receive both academic and research training during summer 2021, fall 2021 and spring 2022. Applied mathematics including analytical geometry, trigonometry, number theories, and algebra, as well as science and python-based programming lessons will be offered to students. The other notable pedagogical focus will be to provide meaningful connections with scientific vocabulary and how to communicate effectively. Group or individual presentations will be used in classroom activities. Modified and newly structured math and science curricula will enable participating students to fully engage in an interactive learning environment through discussion, breakout sessions, and homework. Individual math and science lessons are built on the best practices tailored down to the students\u27 reach and are aimed at fostering teamwork and group learning. Consequently, it is very important for the MAA summer program to continue to offer evidenced-based STEM education to minority students and allow them to become knowledgeable, well informed, and ready to apply for internships and attend college

POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF INVOLVING UNDERGRADUATE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BROADER ASPECT OF EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE THROUGH PEER MENTORING AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

The importance of involving undergraduates and high school students in field-and-laboratory research investigations at an early stage through peer mentoring has been clearly demonstrated as a critical tool for essential training to fully comprehend academic content and a deeper understanding of the various STEM, geoscience-and- environmental science related topics. As far as we are concerned, student presenters/participants (over 1000) in our topical sessions since 2004 have always found face-to-face presentation through poster sessions to be an ideal scientific venue where exchange of knowledge and discussion are fruitful, constructive and encouraging. It is quite revealing to note that among the student participants, 60% were female and they also dominated both undergraduate and high school populations! Student- led presentations at the GSA annual meeting (s) opened a plethora of academic gains, including appreciating the relevance of the topics presented, networking opportunities, preparation for graduate studies, and increasing self-esteem. Several student presenters, who have now completed their college education and are currently employed, have responded to us and said that their current employment experience is enhanced by the fact that our topical sessions primarily focused on the acquisition of experiential learning skills and provided them with career-oriented knowledge. It clearly supported our belief that research experience is vital to a well-rounded education and readiness for professional employment. We find this to be very useful in attracting urban students, particularly low-income and academically challenged students to pursue the geosciences since traditional classroom teaching alone cannot effectively create a sound pedagogical environment suitable to promote geoscience as a college option or as a career choice. It is becoming a routine practice in many City University of New York (CUNY) institutions, particularly York College, Virginia Commonwealth University, and city high schools to involve underrepresented students at an early stage and bring research opportunities to them through STEM research initiatives supported by MUREP Aerospace Academy - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), State Education Department, AT&T, Con Edison, National Grid, and National Science Foundation (NSF). Such collaboration ensures that the STEM/geosciences pipeline is constantly enriched in order to meet the future needs and challenges faced by society

Displacement and Resettlement: Understanding the Role of Climate Change in Contemporary Migration

How do we understand displacement and resettlement in the context of climate change? This chapter outlines challenges and debates in the literature connecting climate change to the growing global flow of people. We begin with an outline of the literature on environmental migration, specifically the definitions, measurements, and forms of environmental migration. The discussion then moves to challenges in the reception of migrants, treating the current scholarship on migrant resettlement. We detail a selection of cases in which the environment plays a role in the displacement of a population, including sea level rise in Pacific Island States, cyclonic storms in Bangladesh, and desertification in West Africa, as well as the role of deforestation in South America’s Southern Cone as a driver of both climate change and migration. We outline examples of each, highlighting the complex set of losses and damages incurred by populations in each case