American and Soviet Battle for the Stars

Writing Center Academic Essay Award Winner, 2nd Place

Urban form and infrastructure: A morphological review

The report provides a baseline analysis of, and forward look at, urban form and infrastructure in the UK. It sets out the legacy of development in the post-war period, and explains how settlement patterns have evolved in relation to investments in infrastructure (transport, energy, water, waste, ICT, health and education). It provides a summary of the positive and negative consequences of the UK's key development patterns: compact and contained established towns and cities; edge and out-of-town developments; peripheral housing estates and urban extensions; newer settlements; and dispersed developments. It then considers emerging approaches to the governance of urban form and infrastructure, with potential lessons for the UK, in the face of a number of challenges and uncertainties related to climate change, economic instability, and demographic and social shifts. Finally, the report offers an analysis of plausible future options for the development of: a) existing places (via compaction/containment, the development of polycentric city regions and managed shrinkage); and b) new developments (via peripheral growth, new settlements or dispersed developments). The report concludes with a number of conditions nexessary for the effective delivery and management of urban form and infrastructure to 2065

The effectiveness of the UK planning system in delivering sustainable development via urban intensification

The purpose of this research is to establish whether the land use planning system in the UK is capable of delivering a sustainable urban form via the process of urban intensification. Sustainable development is usually defined as '...development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). Urban intensification is a process whereby existing towns or cities become more densely built up and more intensively populated and used. The process has been promoted in the UK over the last decade or so in land use planning policy because it is seen as furthering sustainability objectives. However, there appears to be a gap in knowledge about whether intensification policies, when implemented, actually contribute to sustainability. Thus, this research attempts to answer two questions: will the urban intensification policies that are in place lead to a sustainable urban form, if implemented; and can the land use planning system alone implement these policies? To answer these questions an evaluation of policy performance and an implementation study were required. The methodology for the evaluation study is an adapted balance sheet which provides a framework for a structured analysis of intensification policies across the three main interests in planning: economic, quality of life and environment. The implementation study consists of interviews with those operationalising intensification policies, reviews of policy and observations of policies in action. These methodologies were carried out in case studies of three London boroughs. They identified the intensification policies that had been used, their impacts and how they had been implemented over a ten year period. The fmdings of the research have significant implications for the potential of intensification policies to realise sustainable development. The evaluation study found that such policies can contribute to achieving forms of urban development which are sustainable in their use of land and which enable opportunities for sustainable patterns of use, but that the planning system cannot guarantee these opportunities are realised, due to a host of intervening variables which lie outside its remit. The implementation study found that the planning system could implement intensification policies without any major changes to it, but Only if it adopts new 'tools' to help relate individual planning decisions to sustainability targets, ensures legal consistency through all the tiers of planning, develops new working coalitions and promotes increased public awareness of sustainability. The overall conclusion to the research asserts that a revised defmition of sustainable development, applicable to urban intensification, is required and offers such a definition. It states that intensification should produce development which is both 'technically' sustainable (e.g., in terms of air quality and infrastructure capacity) and acceptable to urban residents. It also suggests that the integration of the findings on policy content and implementation, if combined with a better understanding of locality, will help the planning system achieve sustainable development via urban intensification

Vulnerability, Environmental Security, and Adaptation Awareness in Samoa

Climate change remains a prevalent problem for today’s international community, particularly for Pacific Island countries. This study examines the current influence of climate change on Samoa by looking at the three tenets of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. These aspects of climatic change correlate and build off one another, ultimately elucidating the basic vulnerability of any given region. It also analyzes how environmentally secure Samoa is and will be, using Thomas Homer- Dixon’s theory on climate change and conflict. Finally, this paper seeks to outline the current system of adaptation awareness that exists between government, community and foreign aid components, and propose future strategies. Quantitative data collected from Samoan government resources, international databases, and non-governmental organizations explained the basic environmental impacts while articles and interviews highlighted the anthropogenic reaction. Analysis proved high exposure, medium-high sensitivity, and medium-high (improving) adaptive capacity. Additionally, Homer-Dixon’s theory illuminated an environmentally secure nation where an adaptation awareness system exists but lacks depth, remaining a work-in-progress. Collectively, this research illuminated a viable foundation for positive adaptation and comprehensive mitigation of climate change in Samoa

Hate crimes based on gender identity and sexual orientation

The purpose of this study was to examine hate crimes based on their gender identity or sexual orientation of the victim through selected variables. The research looked at information collected from a variety of media sources, categorized the information into the existing dataset, and used a chi-square test to prove the significance. The sample analyzed contains 121 cases of individuals that were killed because of their real or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation within a twenty year time frame; Mathew Shepard, a highly publicized hate crime victim, was used as the focal point of this research

Personnel Problems of the Teaching Staff

One of the most interesting and significant aspects of the development of the American public school has been the change in the functions and duties of the teacher. In the early colonial days the elementary or common school was usually a one-teacher school where the teacher was the superintendent, principal, supervisor, teacher, school nurse, and janitor. As the public school increased in size and complexity, there was a corresponding increase in differentiation of functions of the personnel of the school. Four general types of personnel have developed: administrative, supervisory, classroom teaching, and the new types including guidance director, visiting teacher, deans of girls and boys, special teachers, school librarian, school nurse, and research expert. All these groups require special preparation for their particular kind of work. Each field also makes its own specific requirements or demands with respect to the personal qualifications of those entering that field.1 The purpose of this writing is to (1) show some of the problems that confront the teaching staff, and (2) to throw some light on the solution of the same. 1Frasier and Armentrout, AN INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATION, 1933, p. 404

Strategies to Strengthen Youth Leadership and Youth Participation Opportunities in Central Appalachia

The purpose of this study was to assess opportunities for strengthening youth leadership and participation in the Central Appalachian region. In particular, authors Rebecca O’Doherty, Ada Smith, Ben Spangler, Elandria Williams, and Katie Richards-Schuster sought to understand and document the range of activities and strategies in the region as well as understand the nuances involved in promoting and sustaining youth leadership opportunities. Through interviews with key leaders in the region, they explored critical themes for strengthening youth leadership. To highlight the potential and opportunities for future development, they share a case study of an innovative approach to nurturing and sustaining youth leadership. They conclude with a set of recommendations for consideration by policy makers and stakeholders interested in developing sustainable youth leadership practices in Central Appalachia