Why Labor Unions Have Grown Reluctant To Use the “S” Word. Global, High-Tech Economy Makes Striking Riskier As Membership Declines. A Sense of Shared Purpose, 1999

Newspaper article about strikes and the role of unions in strikes, The Wall Street Journal. Vol. 104, No. 118, December 16, 1999

Strands of Power, Tools of Resistance: Black Hair as Consciousness and Medium

This thesis explores the efficacy of hair as a tool in art to address assertions of femininity, citizenship, consciousness, and identity within the black experience in the United States and in South Africa. I interpret depictions of hair in the art of four contemporary female artists of color: Sonya Clark and Mequitta Ahuja, from the United States, and Tracey Rose and Zanele Muholi, from South Africa. Centering my analysis on shared histories of racism and resistance through self-fashioning, I draw from exhibition catalogues, texts on hair and hair in art, and writings on identity politics to further explore the relationships that have existed between women of color in both nations. Inspired by the development of the natural hair movement among women of color, I argue that Clark, Ahuja, Rose, and Muholi demonstrate how references to black hair in art can represent complex visual narratives of the self and the community.Master of Art

The Northeastern States Research Cooperative: Providing Scientific Information to Address the Social, Economic and Environmental Challenges of Northern Forest Lands and Communities

The Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) is a competitive research grants program specifically created for studies of the 26-million acre Northern Forest - a working landscape of largely rural communities spanning the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. Authorized as an official entity by Congress in 1998, the NSRC supports cross-disciplinary, integrative, and collaborative research of ecosystems, economic development, community development, forest products, and conservation efforts to benefit the Northern Forest. Since 2001, the NSRC has distributed more than $63 million in competitive research grants to 77 projects and 24 institutions throughout the northeast, including funds to universities, non-profit organizations, USFS researchers, state agencies, and small businesses. Management of the cooperative is through the US Forest Service Northeastern Research Station in coordination with forestry research institutions in each of the four Northern Forest states

Cations extraction of sandy-clay soils from Cavado valley, Portugal, using sodium salts solutions

Cases of contamination by metals in the water wells of the Cavado Valley in north-west Portugal can be attributed to the heavy leaching of clay soils due to an excess of nitrogen resulting from the intensive use of fertilisers in agricultural areas. This work focuses on the natural weathering characteristics of soils, particularly the clay material, through the study of samples collected near the River Cavado. Samples taken from various sites, after physico-chemical characterisation, were subjected to clay dissolution tests, using sodium salts of different ionic forces, to detect the relationship between certain physico-chemical parameters of water, such as pH, nitrate, chloride and sulphate content, in the dissolution of clay and the subsequent extraction of such cations as Al, Fe and K. In acidic sandy clay soils, the mineralogical composition of which was characterised by a predominance of quartz, micas, kaolinite and K-feldspars, decreases of the clay material/water pH ratio increases dissolution of the micaceous and K-feldspars phases. The presence of nitrates in the aqueous solution apparently advanced the extraction of all three cations Al, Fe and K. The specific surface area of the clay material showed a significant correlation with the main kinetic parameters of cation extraction.Têm ocorrido casos de contaminações de águas de poços, por metais, no vale do Rio Cávado, região noroeste de Portugal. A princípio, poderiam ser explicáveis pela elevada lixiviação dos solos arenoargilosos da região, quando da prática de adubações intensivas de nitrogênio em áreas agrícolas. Assim, estudaram-se as características do intemperismo natural dos solos, particularmente da fração argila, característica da margem norte do rio Cávado. Coletaram-se amostras de vários locais, que foram submetidas, após caracterização físico-química, a ensaios de dissolução a partir de soluções de sais de sódio com diferentes forças iônicas. O objetivo foi observar as relações de determinados parâmetros físico-químicos da água, tais como: pH, nitratos, cloretos e sulfatos na dissolução das argilas e a conseqüente extração de espécies químicas tais como Al, K e Fe. Para solos areno-argilosos, ácidos, cuja composição mineralógica se caracteriza por um predomínio de quartzo, micas, caulinita e feldspato-K, o abaixamento do pH da suspensão solo/água promove a solubilização das fases micáceas e feldspáticas. A presença do nitrato nas soluções aquosas promoveu aparentemente a extração de todos os três cátions: Al, K e Fe. O efeito da área superfícial específica das partículas dos solos condicionou fortemente vários dos parâmetros cinéticos estudados relativos à extração dos cátions.(undefined

Biogeochemical Stoichiometry of Antarctic Dry Valley Ecosystems

Among aquatic and terrestrial landscapes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, ecosystem stoichiometry ranges from values near the Redfield ratios for C:N:P to nutrient concentrations in proportions far above or below ratios necessary to support balanced microbial growth. This polar desert provides an opportunity to evaluate stoichiometric approaches to understand nutrient cycling in an ecosystem where biological diversity and activity are low, and controls over the movement and mass balances of nutrients operate over 10–10⁶ years. The simple organisms (microbial and metazoan) comprising dry valley foodwebs adhere to strict biochemical requirements in the composition of their biomass, and when activated by availability of liquid water, they influence the chemical composition of their environment according to these ratios. Nitrogen and phosphorus varied significantly in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems occurring on landscape surfaces across a wide range of exposure ages, indicating strong influences of landscape development and geochemistry on nutrient availability. Biota control the elemental ratio of stream waters, while geochemical stoichiometry (e.g., weathering, atmospheric deposition) evidently limits the distribution of soil invertebrates. We present a conceptual model describing transformations across dry valley landscapes facilitated by exchanges of liquid water and biotic processing of dissolved nutrients. We conclude that contemporary ecosystem stoichiometry of Antarctic Dry Valley soils, glaciers, streams, and lakes results from a combination of extant biological processes superimposed on a legacy of landscape processes and previous climates

Too Big to Ignore : Global Risk Perception Gaps Between Scientists and Business Leaders

Two major reports assessing global systemic risks have been published recently, presenting large-scale panel data on the risk perceptions of different key communities, most notably business leaders and global change scientists. While both of these global communities agree on ranking environmental risks the highest, followed by societal, geopolitical, technological, and economic risks, business leaders perceive the likelihood of most risks as lower than scientists. This gap implies vexing questions in relation to building a shared sense of urgency and facilitating collective action. These questions need to be addressed through new ways of co-creating risk assessments and strategic futures analysis

Knowledge-driven actions: Transforming higher education for global sustainability

Universities and, more broadly, higher education institutions (HEIs), need to use the knowledge they produce and their education of new professionals, to help solve some of the world´s greatest problems, as addressed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the United Nations (UN). Humanity is facing unprecedented challenges, most strikingly so in relation to climate change and loss of nature and biodiversity, as well as inequality, health, the economy, and a suite of issues related to the 2030 Agenda. Given this new reality in which the future of humans, along with other species, is at stake, it is time for HEIs and their stakeholders to systematically rethink their role in society and their key missions, and reflect on how they can serve as catalysts for a rapid, urgently needed and fair transition towards sustainability. The complexity of the issues at stake means that solutions should be part of a radical agenda that calls for new alliances and new incentives. It is also time for HEIs to make sustainability and SDG literacy core requisites for all faculty members and students. Sustainability education should bring students into contact with real-world problems an immersive experiences. Appreciating the greater good of both people and planet, and contributing to values beyond mere monetary gain will further enthuse and inspire students and faculty mentors alike. Ultimately, the educational culture at universities and HEIs needs to encourage students to learn via experimentation and critical thinking from multiple perspectives. This report is undoubtedly about the SDGs; however, it is important to realize that these will expire in 2030. We thus strongly recommend that HEIs, while being a part of that agenda, should also look ahead – not only to implementing the SDGs, but also to being intensively involved in crafting the next steps and goals beyond 2030. A long-term perspective needs to be adopted for both HEI activities and policies. The call this report makes is for universities and HEIs to play an active part in an agenda that has the consensus of 193 countries and aims to resolve some of the world’s most pressing problems, as stated in the 17 SDGs. The challenge is for HEIs to embrace the 2030 Agenda, because if they do not it will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the SDGs. The SDGs represent a unifying challenge for all universities and HEIs, and this must be reflected in plans and actions for research, education and outreach. HEIs have played a crucial role as bringers of societal enlightenment and change over the centuries, maintaining their role as free and critical institutions while also – to varying degrees – aiming to perform a service within societies. It is essential to maintain and encourage these important roles and enable HEIs to combine their traditions of critical thinking with problem-solving activities, while also adjusting their role in the light of societal changes. The future of humanity and our planet is under threat, and the need for critical thinking and societal change is therefore more pressing than ever. HEIs should inspire societal change when necessary, taking a leading role in the transitions necessary for humankind and emphasizing that the need for change is immediate. This also implies that HEIs should think critically about their own practices, curricula and research, and about how to motivate their employees, students and society at large to do the same

University teachers’ self-reflection on their academic growth

This study followed the academic growth of four university teachers, over a two-year period, with the intention of enhancing inquiry-based learning in practice. Data were generated within the natural settings of classrooms, laboratories and lecture halls, through the analysis of teaching materials, low-participation observation, informal discussions and semi-formal interviews. The research approach was based on a critical social paradigm, assuming principles of action-research methodology privileging a transitional ‘instructional coaching approach’. Outcomes show a marked interest in the design and development of innovative approaches to teaching, learning, feedback and assessment. They demonstrated strong collaborative practices, insightful reflections on their teaching activities, and willingness to share evaluations both within and without of university contexts and successfully contributing thoughts and ideas to a wider audience.This research was financed by European Founds ‘FEDER através do Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade – COMPETE’ and by National Funds through ‘FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia’ project PTDC/CPE-CED/117516/2010