Preserving, Protecting, and Expanding Affordable Housing: A Policy Toolkit for Public Health

Resurgent interest in urban living is helping to revive neighborhoods in numerous American cities, stabilizing populations and sometimes beginning to reverse previous declines. One consequence of the influx of residents is new public and private investment in amenities such as parks, bike paths and grocery and other stores. However, new demand and investment can also drive up housing costs. That's particularly true in areas that have traditionally been affordable to low- and moderate-income individuals and families, notes a report by ChangeLab Solutions. With support from Kresge's Health Program, the nonprofit ChangeLab Solutions developed a guide to help practitioners and community advocates preserve and expand the number of affordable rental housing options in high-demand neighborhoods. The guide is aimed at practitioners who work at the intersection of housing and health, an area of increasing emphasis for Kresge's Health Program.The ChangeLab team has produced a policy toolkit with information on housing market trends and research on the links between rising housing costs and poor health outcomes. The toolkit identifies strategies to help ensure that households of all incomes have housing options in the areas where they want to live. It covers six policy areas: preservation, protection, inclusion, revenue generation, incentives and property acquisition

Near-field angular distributions of high velocity ions for low-power hall thrusters

Experimental angular distributions of high-energy primary ions in the near-field region of a small Hall thruster between 50-200 mm downstream of the thruster exit plane at a range of centerline angles have been determined using a highly-collimated, energy-selective diagnostic probe. The measurements reveal a wide angular distribution of ions exiting the thruster channel and the formation of a strong, axially-directed jet of ions along the thruster centerline. Comparisons are made to other experimental determinations as applicable

Smadditisation: Dancehall in Dance/Movement Therapy to Address the Loss of Cultural Identity Within the Jamaica Diaspora

This is a theoretical based study that focuses on members of the Jamaican diaspora in the United States. Jamaican immigrants, or members of the diaspora, comprise the largest Caribbean immigrant group in the United States. These individuals have encountered a race stratified culture that is vastly different from their native culture. The culture within the United States also encourages individualism which is counter to the community-based values of the Jamaican culture. Encountering a new culture can be difficult and being assigned a new way of identifying can be stressful. This stress can manifest as depression, anxiety or feelings of isolation and alienation. These issues can result in feeling disconnected from their culture. Dance is a significant aspect of the Jamaican culture. Dancehall, a contemporary form of dance, is a major part of Jamaican identity. This study concludes with a discussion that recommends the use of dancehall in a dance/movement therapy setting to effectively address the loss of identity in a culturally appropriate and meaningful way for this population

Minimum High School Graduation Requirements and Teacher Compensation

In the last forty years of educational reform, significant changes have been made to the number and type of high school credits students are required to complete for graduation. As these requirements have changed, the demand for higher-level academic courses has increased while teacher shortages, particularly in high-demand areas such as math and science, have continued to increase. This study uses data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Student and Staffing Survey to examine the relationship between minimum graduation credit requirements in core subject areas (English, math, science and social sciences) and teacher salaries, both holistically and in specific geographic contexts (cities, towns, suburbs and rural areas). Through the use of multiple regression models, this study examined the impact of graduation requirements and other district-level variables (including total student population, the number of teacher contract days and the percent of district students qualified for the National School Lunch Program) on both the lowest and highest fulltime teacher salaries. The results suggest minimum graduation requirements, specifically science and social science courses, do impact teacher salaries, though the effect size is quite small

Bolstering Resistance to Misinformation through K-12 Education

Misinformation online and in news media is a problem because it degrades truth and hinders legitimate democratic discourse. As misinformation becomes more prevalent, we need to start finding ways to limit the extent of the problem. To do so, I recommend a policy solution based on inoculation theory. Inoculation theory, as the name suggests, uses the metaphor of a vaccine. When receiving the flu shot, we get a weakened dose of the virus, which in turn helps us to create antibodies and later be more effective at fighting the real flu. In this instance, people are exposed to weakened doses of misinformation which allows them to create “mental antibodies” and bolster their resistance to misinformation. Misinformation has been proven to “stick,” displaying the critical importance of bolstering resistance prior to exposure, rather than correcting after exposure. My policy recommendation contains three main components aimed at bolstering resistance to misinformation through K-12 education in Kentucky. First, Kentucky should adopt an adapted version of Media Literacy Now’s model bill, which requires the development of a media literacy curriculum, provides appropriate training and resources to teachers and teacher-librarians via the Kentucky Department of Education, and mandates annual surveys to determine best practices for teaching media literacy at all grade levels. Secondly, Kentucky should create additional digital literacy standards focused around identifying and resisting misinformation. Finally, the Kentucky General Assembly should allocate appropriate funds for the Kentucky Department of Education to fulfill the mandates set for them in the first two policies

The Green Bean: A specials coffee and cacao supplier that supports the organic and fair trade efforts in Central and South America.

During my study in graphic design, I have noticed the different ways certain product identity motifs influence potential consumers. My thesis explores this idea by addressing the importance of organic and fair trade products and materials. 1 have created a coffee company that specializes in coffees, chocolates, and spices from specific countries in Central and South America. The company’s identity is designed around the culture of these countries and tlie increasingly popular idea of “going green”. Environmentally safe, fair trade, organic, and recyclable are characteristics and the unifying themes of the company. Not only am I trying to persuade potential consumers to buy the products, but to do so because of the “green” benefits. The other goal 1 had was to design the product identity so it was artfully distinguished from the competition. Today, most organic and fair trade product packaging is very cluttered with infomiation and images. 1 designed my packaging so only the most important infomiation was given in text. The materials and colors used let the consumer gather other information without having to read a lot. For example, the natural brown coffee bags with grass ties and a sewn label let the consumer assume that this is a type of organic coffee. (The USDA Organic and Fair Trade logos arc printed small on the back to reassure the consumer.) My packaging has clean designs, a couple of colors, and clear labels that stand out from today’s packaging that has many complicated colors, images, and text. A majority of my research is based off information provided by Transfair, the Fair Trade Organization, and a brief study on location. The programs that I used in creating the designs were Adobe Illustrator CS2 and Adobe Photoshop CS2. Upon the completion of my thesis, I believe I have successfully created a and its identity with a particular motif that would catch the attention of many, and influence potential consumers to purchase because of its green benefits

A New American Dream

A New American Dream traverses’ the hierarchical systems of power within the United States of America (USA). Survival and ‘success’ in the USA almost always requires assimilation into white culture, valuing patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy (PCWS). Articulated through fine art prints, video and commercially produced postcards, my Master of Fine Arts Thesis artwork serves as multimedia instigation, compassing the viewer to reflect upon injustices of today and to reimagine a society of equality for tomorrow. Holding a queer liberatory politick with an artistic platform, my puissance lies within disrupting our ability to lucidly categorize and separate issues. The artwork challenges the acceptance of patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy by reacquainting the viewer with pervasive cultural objects and ideals which all work to uphold an insidious operation of oppressive ideology. The artwork does not ask for equality within the dominating state of the United States of America because bona fide equality would reflect a non-hierarchical society, thus a society free of patriarchy, capitalism and white supremacy. My MFA Thesis artwork intends to help viewers reflect and locate themselves within the larger network of power called the United States of America. Utilizing a queer liberatory politick, the artwork asks us to reflect upon the past and reconsider the present in order to reshape the future