Of, By & For Utahns, Not New Yorkers

If 2016 voters agree on anything, perhaps it’s a frustration with the influence of money on politics. President-Elect Trump reminded GOP voters that, because he’s self-funding (at least in the primary), he “doesn’t owe anybody anything” Senator Sanders surprised everyone in his primary because of his relentless criticism of the “donor control of politicians.” In our own state of Utah, Senator Hatch ran for re-election in 2012 and received a total of $5,360,274 in campaign contributions - 88.5$4.7 million) of that from out-of-state donors. His challengers didn’t stand a chance. This project’s research will provide more examples, but despite broad popular appeal for reform, efforts to reduce donor influence have stalled. However, what if only registered voters could donate to campaigns? Many will claim the Supreme Court would never sanction such a law and they’d be right. But what if an Article V amendment, ratified by 34 states, made this “constitutional”? This is the research project\u27s objective. If such an amendment restricts campaign contributions to registered voters, what is the effect on campaigns and governance? How much money would Speaker Ryan raise if limited to registered voters in his Wisconsin CD? How would a New Hampshire Senator vote if she could no longer raise funds from NY or CA? Working with my PSA faculty sponsor, Dr. Damon Cann, we will present analysis of the potential effects of such a proposal on our political institutions

Twittering about research : a case study of the world's first Twitter poster competition

The Royal Society of Chemistry held, to our knowledge, the world’s first Twitter conference at 9am on February 5th, 2015. This paper reports the details of the event and discusses the outcomes, such as the potential for the use of social media to enhance scientific communication at conferences. In particular, the present work argues that social media outlets such as Twitter broaden audiences, speed up communication, and force clearer and more concise descriptions of a researcher’s work. The benefits of poster presentations are also discussed in terms of potential knowledge exchange and networking. This paper serves as a proof-of-concept approach for improving both the public opinion of the poster, and the enhancement of the poster through an innovative online format that some may feel more comfortable with, compared to face-to-face communication

Twittering about research: A case study of the world’s first twitter poster competition [Version 3]

The Royal Society of Chemistry held, to our knowledge, the world’s first Twitter conference at 9am on February 5 th, 2015. The conference was a Twitter-only conference, allowing researchers to upload academic posters as tweets, replacing a physical meeting. This paper reports the details of the event and discusses the outcomes, such as the potential for the use of social media to enhance scientific communication at conferences. In particular, the present work argues that social media outlets such as Twitter broaden audiences, speed up communication, and force clearer and more concise descriptions of a researcher’s work. The benefits of poster presentations are also discussed in terms of potential knowledge exchange and networking. This paper serves as a proof-of-concept approach for improving both the public opinion of the poster, and the enhancement of the poster through an innovative online format that some may feel more comfortable with, compared to face-to-face communication

Of, By and For Utahns, Not New Yorkers; Analysis of an Amendment Proposal

If 2016 voters agree on anything, it’s a frustration with the influence of outside money on politics. Senator Bernie Sanders had surprising success in the Democratic primary because, in part, he appealed to voter cynicism with his relentless criticism of the “donor class” and “donor control of politicians.” President-Elect Donald Trump echoed this theme, telling GOP primary voters that he is “not controlled by…donors, special interests” unlike “politicians”. Whether you believe Trump or Sanders are “working for the people”, their success reflects a deep desire by voters to have their policy preferences placed ahead of campaign contributors. In recent election cycles, New Yorkers have contributed more to Utah Senators than Utahns. So did Californians. Some might ask why campaign donors from NY or CA should have any financial influence who represents Utah in the U.S. Senate? Is there an institutional change that will better align the interests of politicians with their voters? Obviously, the answer is not more billionaire self-funding candidates. Despite broad popular appeal for reform, efforts to reduce donor influence have stalled. However, what if only registered voters could donate to campaigns? What if an Article V Amendment, ratified by 34 states, made this “constitutional”? It won\u27t solve all our electoral problems, but exactly what effect will it have? This is our research project\u27s objective. If such an amendment restricts campaign contributions to registered voters, what is the effect on campaigns and governance? How much money would Speaker Ryan raise if limited to registered voters in his Wisconsin CD? Would Utah Senators vote differently on certain issues if he could only raise money from Utahns? Working with my faculty sponsor, Dr. Damon Cann, we will present analysis of the potential effects of such a proposal on our political institutions

Twittering About Research: A Case Study of the World’s First Twitter Poster Competition [version 2; referees: 3 approved]

The Royal Society of Chemistry held, to our knowledge, the world’s first Twitter conference at 9am on February 5 th, 2015. The conference was a Twitter-only conference, allowing researchers to upload academic posters as tweets, replacing a physical meeting. This paper reports the details of the event and discusses the outcomes, such as the potential for the use of social media to enhance scientific communication at conferences. In particular, the present work argues that social media outlets such as Twitter broaden audiences, speed up communication, and force clearer and more concise descriptions of a researcher’s work. The benefits of poster presentations are also discussed in terms of potential knowledge exchange and networking. This paper serves as a proof-of-concept approach for improving both the public opinion of the poster, and the enhancement of the poster through an innovative online format that some may feel more comfortable with, compared to face-to-face communication