The Florida Scrub-Jay

Artist Statement The Florida Scrub-Jay is a digital scientific illustration of Aphelocoma coerulescens, the only native bird species endemic to Florida. This piece celebrates the natural beauty of the Florida scrub-jay and its key features that allow it to thrive in scrub habitats. These habitats are threatened by anthropogenic activity and climate change, leading to the fragmentation, degradation, or eventual loss of these areas. Through this artwork, I hope to emphasize the importance of conservation and inspire viewers to appreciate and protect this bird species. Every stroke and color choice were carefully considered to accurately depict the bird’s physical attributes. The beak shape of the Florida scrub-jay allows it to consume various resources found within scrub habitats. Its feet, with four toes, help scrub-jays harvest and store acorns in large quantities, assisting in the planting of oak trees, a key plant species in scrub areas. The most captivating feature of the scrub- jay is its blue coloration, theorized to help scrub-jays blend in with the sky or act as an indicator of health. I aimed to capture the elegant details of its blue-gray plumage and showcase a strong gaze to convey its resilience and adaptability to the unique scrub habitat. I am a senior at the University of North Florida, majoring in biology with a concentration in coastal environmental science. I had the privilege to enroll and participate in the inaugural class of Scientific Illustrations, where I learned about art as a communicative medium for science. Scientific illustrations, such as The Florida Scrub Jay, allow viewers to observe, explore, and learn about the wonderful and expansive field of science. This artwork represents the culmination of my interest in art and science, and I am excited to apply what I have learned to my future career

“Inspiring Imps”: programme evaluation of a football intervention targeting mentally ill health services users through a professional football club

The Active People survey (2010) shows that only 6.5% of disabled individuals participate in sport and exercise 3 times per week, compared with 16.5% of able bodied adults in the UK. Individuals with recognised disabilities have long been excluded from mainstream society. Particularly in sport, disability athletes can be afforded minority status and are treated as such (Nixon, 2000: In Handbook of Sports Studies, edited by J. Coakley and E. Dunning. London: Sage). This stigmatisation can be particularly acute among participants with diagnosed mental or psychological disabilities. Previous research concluded that sport can have positive psychological and social benefits, including improved well-being, motivation and social confidence (Crone and Guy, 2008: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 17, 197-207.). The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of a 6 week exercise programme targeting mental ill health service users aged 16+. A weekly 2 hour session of football was introduced to promote health and wellbeing in the target group. Partners included county Football Association and a professional football club. The project enhanced local partnerships and partnerships with other professional football clubs. The key remaining aim is to ensure a sustainable “legacy” is achieved to ensure the continuation delivery of the project. The feasibility of the present study will be assessed using programme evaluation. Programme evaluation uses programme theory to produce a structured framework for assessment of the project (Rossi et al 2004; Evaluation: A systematic Approach. London, Sage). This allows a clear and logical progression from planning to implementation. Participant attrition rates and attendance records will be collected. These data will be supplemented with semi-structured interviews with participants and project stakeholders to assess programme development. The expected overall project outcome is to produce shared learning practice on similar interventions nationwide

Developing a Practical Consumable Reinforcer for the Experimental Analysis of Human Operant Behavior

Two projects tested the reinforcing efficacy of a reduction in effort associated with a computer-based laboratory task. In both projects, college students could earn points exchangeable for money by working on an Imposed task or, by executing a changeover response, they could earn the points on an Alternate task. Of interest was whether access to the Alternate task would reinforce the changeover response. In Project 1 the students tracked a moving target on the screen. In the Imposed task the target was programmed to move faster and change directions more frequently relative to the target in the Alternate task. Despite several manipulations of the task parameters, changeover responding failed to occur reliably. In Project 2 the students copied a string of words that appeared on the screen. In the Imposed task the characters of the words were garbled such that they appeared nonsensical to the student. The words in the Alternate task were written in English and followed a comprehensive storyline. During this project changeover responding was reliably maintained. Developing an effective yet practical method of reinforcing human operant behavior in laboratory experiments remains a challenge

Twice-Exceptional College Students Narratives: When Giftedness And Mental Health Intersect

Gifted college students often arrive at universities with high GPAs and/or ACT/SAT scores. Their achievements in extracurricular activities such as in the arts, athletics, service, and leadership are well beyond the average student. To admissions representatives and faculty, these students look well-adjusted and successful on paper. However, many of these gifted college students come with unique challenges that go misunderstood, ignored, and underserved during their years in higher education—specifically involving their mental health. There are copious amounts of literature on gifted K-12 students and their mental health behaviors but very limited research done on the gifted college student population. Although gifted research declines after the twelfth grade, giftedness does not end as those students age. Along with being gifted, some of these individuals also experience mental health issues throughout their lifetimes. When giftedness and mental health overlap, the individual is considered twice-exceptional. Twice-exceptionality includes physical and learning disabilities, but the term can also describe a person who has a mental health diagnosis that coincides with their giftedness. Because twice-exceptional individuals tend to mask their mental health issues very well, it is difficult to identify that they need support—especially when they are in college. With my professional experience in honors education, I came to realize some of these twice-exceptional college experiences and stories have never been heard. The purpose of my dissertation is to bring these narratives into the light with the hopes of more widespread understanding of their specific needs. In order to understand the trends and challenges of twice-exceptional college students, I present a literature review as well as identify research gaps. Using a qualitative research design, I shape interview questions for my participants that illustrate their past experiences with growing up as twice-exceptional along with their present journeys as twice-exceptional college students. I use narrative and discourse analysis to bring their experiences and voices together in conversation with one another to give readers a clearer picture of what it is like to be a twice-exceptional college student. As a result of this analysis, my study culminates in better understanding the twice-exceptional student experience in terms of their behaviors, academic performance, social lives, and the intersectionality of their gender. My participants also gave insight into how universities can better support this student population through honors education programs, holistic academic advising, counseling and support groups, as well as more flexibility and understanding from university administration, faculty, and staff

Investigating Barriers to Access and Delivery of Palliative Care for Persons with Dementia in London, Ontario

Dementia is a syndrome that is progressive, degenerative and terminal. The palliative care philosophy aims to maximize quality of life for the dying individual and has been recognized in the literature as being both beneficial and under-used in persons dying with dementia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of staff delivering palliative care to individuals with dementia to determine how care was delivered, to learn which assessment tools were used, and whether policies were affected the delivery of palliative care. Twenty-two staff participants were interviewed. Data were interpreted using phenomenological methodology. Findings yielded three themes: confusion, resource shortages, and communication difficulties. Implications for practice include the clarification of terminology surrounding palliative care, the education of families about dementia and palliative care, better resource management, and a dementia-specific model of palliative care. Fruitful areas for future research include how to implement best dementia-specific guidelines, and solutions for more efficient resource use

Between bushfire and climate change: Uncertainty, silence and anticipation following the October 2013 fires in the Blue Mountains, Australia

Based on 18 months of ethnographic research in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, following the catastrophic October 2013 bushfires, this thesis investigates the local community response to this disaster as they rebuilt their destroyed homes and recovered. The ambiguity and disagreement surrounding the connection between climate change and the bushfires are analysed as a foundational aspect of how climate change was materialising for residents in daily life. Ambivalence, uncertainty, silence and contradiction characterised the public and private discourse about a heating world in this community. This thesis argues that people’s engagement with climate change is an unstable and iterative process in which local culture and context, in this instance the context of disaster, are of central importance. Local frontline workers avoided articulating the ontologically threatening prospect of climate change catastrophe by focusing on a more comprehensible narrative about the prevailing bushfire threat that could be addressed through existing preparedness measures. The lack of shared public narrative that connected local realities with global climate change meant that people continued to relate to it as an abstract and distant phenomenon, even as they confronted its effects in rising insurance premiums, changed building codes, and shifting bushfire seasons. This research contributes to the understanding of a contemporary Western cosmology, that is, to a particular self-world relationship that is implicated in the causes of climate change and that continues to inform local responses to environmental change in Australia. Additionally, this inquiry elucidates the fraught relationship between vulnerability and responsibility for suburban residents in an era of climate change