"Hope is that fiery feeling": Using Poetry as Data to Explore the Meanings of Hope for Young People

Poetic inquiry is a contentious area of qualitative research. In this article, we discuss some of the issues plaguing this field of inquiry. We then analyse a collection of poems about hope written by a sample of young people from Tasmania, Australia. The poems were written as part of the 2011 Tree of Hope project, which utilised multiple, arts-based methods to provide insights into what young people hope for in the future and the role of hope in their lives. Participants utilised one of three poetic structures. While each structure produced distinct themes, a connection between "hope and happiness" overlapped the two structured types of poetry—the acrostic and sense poetry. However, when writing free verse poetry, the expression of additional dimensions of hope, including the flipside of both having hope and losing hope was evident. We conclude that hope is particularly important to young people and that inviting participant-voiced poetry is an effective technique for investigating conceptual topics such as young people and hope

Student Wellness and Mental Wellbeing

This presentation will focus on centering the mental wellbeing of students for the 2020-21 academic year. The incoming cohort has unique stressors that are compounded by challenging current events - as educators, we are also challenged to engage and connect with these students in a virtual environment. This presentation will give practical strategies to engage with students that facilitate and foster mental health, with an eye to anchoring our tactics within a legal research and writing curriculum. The presentation aims to encourage healthy dialogue on how to de-stigmatize mental wellbeing and best support our students. This goal, more so now than ever, is crucial to our collective success

Herbivore Impacts on the Invasive Marine Alga Grateloupia turuturu

Invasive species have the ability to outcompete natives, and can create a monoculture if not mitigated by herbivores or some other mechanism. Limited information exists on the ecology of the invasive macroalga Grateloupia turuturu and how it is impacted by herbivores. Using laboratory mesocosm experiments, we investigated the ability of two invasive herbivore species common in Rhode Island, the snail Littorina littorea and Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus, to control Grateloupia populations. In the first trial, Grateloupia was provided to a single herbivore (either Littorina or Hemigrapsus) or both herbivores together. Grateloupia controls were in the same mesocosms as each treatment, but were separated by a mesh partition to allow water flow and account for possible facilitation by herbivore presence. Mesocosms were kept at 13°C and at 0, 2, 4, and 6 days, the algae was weighed and water samples were taken. Preliminary results indicate that Littorina do indeed graze on Grateloupia, with an average decrease in mass of 44.6% after 6 days. There was no significant change in mass of Grateloupia in the presence of Hemigrapsus only or with Littorina and Hemigrapsus together. Future trials will include two common species of marine macroalgae along with the Grateloupia, to investigate herbivore feeding preference when exposed to multiple food choices. The ultimate results of these trials are intended to indicate the success of the continued invasion of Grateloupia in Rhode Island waters, and predict the role of invasive herbivores in controlling Grateloupia populations

When Moms Say Bad Words: Family and Peer Influence on the Frequency of Swearing

Swearing is taboo in modern culture. Even though this habit is deemed negative, many people continue to swear frequently every day. The purpose of this study is to determine who exerts the most influence on one\u27s swearing habits: one\u27s family or one\u27s peers? Seven hundred and sixty-three university students were asked via survey who (mother, father, siblings, friends, or peers) swore most frequently during their upbringing. These questions were compared through linear regression to measure participants\u27 level of swearing. We anticipated that peers would have a more significant impact on one\u27s swearing frequency. However, we found that an individual\u27s mother had the highest correlational influence on swearing, although peers also had a significant relationship

The Vampire Tapes

This podcast series features interviews with five individuals who identify with the term \u27vampire.\u27 The interviews focus on how being \u27vampiric\u27 affects their day-to-day lives, interpersonal relationships, and view of self. Episodes range in run time from around 20 minutes to just under an hour. Each tape in the series focuses on a different individual

The Hood Canal Bridge Impedes Migration of Juvenile Salmonids

Between 2006 and 2010, Moore et al. (2013) conducted an acoustic tagging study to evaluate early marine survival of outmigrating steelhead. Results of that study showed high mortality near the Hood Canal Bridge, ranging between 0 and 36%, which led to the formation of the Hood Canal Bridge Assessment Team. The Assessment Team set out to examine water quality, predator presence, and physical aspects of the bridge structure as they related to steelhead outmigration in 2017 and 2018. As part of the Team, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe used a variety of sampling techniques to characterize biota assemblage, abundance, and distribution to provide context between tagged steelhead and other biota associated with the bridge. Observations made as a result of video and visual surveys demonstrated that juvenile Chum and Chinook Salmon were abundant for extended periods of time along the length of the bridge. The increased residence time we observed appeared to increase susceptibility to predation. The Hood Canal Bridge, a significant man-made structure, has serious potential implications for migrating salmonids in the Hood Canal ecosystem