Visitors' Perception of Belonging at Museums Victoria

Museums have expanded their role in society beyond education and are seeking to foster a sense of belonging for their visitors; however, visitors do not recognize this expanded role. Our team worked with Museums Victoria to identify steps they can take to make visitors aware that its museums contribute to a sense of belonging. To accomplish this task, we collected eighty surveys at each of the three museums: Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, and Immigration Museum. These surveys consisted of statement-rating questions and open-ended follow-up questions. We found that belonging is a condition of a visitor's experience. Though it does not take center stage, belonging allows visitors to connect to something bigger and to expand their minds, resulting in a sense of well-being that is a byproduct of their visit

Developing a Mobile Application to Support E-Waste Processors in Senegal

This project was originally proposed by a waste-management company called SetTIC based out of Dakar, Senegal. The goal was to create an application that provides support for the informal e-waste repair economies in Senegal. The application will expand upon an existing version that connects repairs with customers through a marketplace. This iteration of the project facilitates educational opportunities for repairers that will expand their skill set. Additionally, the platform provides a space for educational modules that will inform repairers on how to mitigate the negative health and environmental impacts of their work

Sensory Stimulation Prior to Spinal Cord Injury Induces Post-Injury Dysesthesia in Mice

Chronic pain and dysesthesias are debilitating conditions that can arise following spinal cord injury (SCI). Research studies frequently employ rodent models of SCI to better understand the underlying mechanisms and develop better treatments for these phenomena. While evoked withdrawal tests can assess hypersensitivity in these SCI models, there is little consensus over how to evaluate spontaneous sensory abnormalities that are seen in clinical SCI subjects. Overgrooming (OG) and biting after peripheral nerve injury or spinal cord excitotoxic lesions are thought to be one behavioral demonstration of spontaneous neuropathic pain or dysesthesia. However, reports of OG after contusion SCI are largely anecdotal and conditions causing this response are poorly understood. The present study investigated whether repeated application of sensory stimuli to the trunk prior to mid-thoracic contusion SCI would induce OG after SCI in mice. One week prior to SCI or laminectomy, mice were subjected either to nociceptive and mechanical stimulation, mechanical stimulation only, the testing situation without stimulation, or no treatment. They were then examined for 14 days after surgery and the sizes and locations of OG sites were recorded on anatomical maps. Mice subjected to either stimulus paradigm showed increased OG compared with unstimulated or uninjured mice. Histological analysis showed no difference in spinal cord lesion size due to sensory stimulation, or between mice that overgroomed or did not overgroom. The relationship between prior stimulation and contusion injury in mice that display OG indicates a critical interaction that may underlie one facet of spontaneous neuropathic symptoms after SCI