Bridging the gap between ethnically/culturally diverse \u27others\u27: A contribution to the understanding of how women work together

In this thesis, I explore the ways in which ethnically and culturally diverse women work together to rbedige their differences. Using a critical, feminist, reflexive and post-colonialist approach, I conducted eight in-person, semi-structured interviews with women who were staff and board members, volunteers, or participants in programmes offered by an organization serving immigrant women. Wommen were asked to name their cultural or ethnic identities, to share their views on multiculturalism, tolerance, and the “welcoming” of newcomers to Canada, the uniting and divisive issues they faced in their work, as well as appropriate roles for Canadian-born and immigrant women in the organization at which they work. According to my interviews with women and the organizational data, one of the main features of women’s work together has been their attempt to “fit in.” In the context of this particular organization, “fitting in” meant that women emphasized commonalities and swerved away from critical and political analyses, particularly around notions of colour, power and privilege. In addition, women within this organization adopted mainstream society’s “liberal’ view of multiculturalism, which celebrated women’s diversity, but did not make room for a deeper understanding of the differences between individuals from diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial groups. As such, ethnically and culturally diverse women tended to work together as “Canadians,” and swept aside their differences or challenges. Women’s responses to the questions regarding the “how” of their work together were impacted by their skin colour (visible minority vs. white) and experience with immigration (Canadian-born vs. immigrant to Canada). Colour was a salient predictor of women’s experiences, as visible minority women (regardless of their country of birth) were more forthcoming about their views on multiculturalism, tolerance, and the roles women should play within the organization. Generally, all participants were quite uncomfortable with critical language around colour, power and privilege, which was understandable given the organization’s downplaying of “political” issues, and our larger society’s avoidance of issues of power and privilege. To account for some of the “gaps” in communication between ethnically and culturally diverse women, I discuss the utility of an anti-oppressive framework and the abandonment of critical language (without a rejection of the underlying critical approach) in order to “build bridges” between diverse women working together in Canada

Compiling the space shuttle wind tunnel data base: An exercise in technical and managerial innovators

Engineers evaluating Space Shuttle flight data and performance results are using a massive data base of wind tunnel test data. A wind tunnel test data base of the magnitude attained is a major accomplishment. The Apollo program spawned an automated wind tunnel data analysis system called SADSAC developed by the Chrysler Space Division. An improved version of this system renamed DATAMAN was used by Chrysler to document analyzed wind tunnel data and data bank the test data in standardized formats. These analysis documents, associated computer graphics and standard formatted data were disseminated nationwide to the Shuttle technical community. These outputs became the basis for substantiating and certifying the flight worthiness of the Space Shuttle and for improving future designs. As an aid to future programs this paper documents the lessons learned in compiling the massive wind tunnel test data base for developing the Space Shuttle. In particular, innovative managerial and technical concepts evolved in the course of conceiving and developing this successful DATAMAN system and the methods and organization for applying the system are presented

Preconstruction Plan for Stairs at West Cerro Vista Apartments

Students at California Polytechnic University have created an unsafe dirt trail down a hillside west of the Cerro Vista Apartment Complex on the university’s campus. This heavily traveled trail is a shortcut to an existing pedestrian pathway which connects Village Drive to Poly Canyon Village, as well as the R-3 and R-4 parking structures. The use of this trail raises alarm for potential safety concerns for students using it, especially during winter months when the hillside becomes very slippery. This paper outlines the design and preconstruction plan for the West Cerro Vista Stair Project, which proposes replacing the current trail with two independent concrete stairways. The scope of the preconstruction plan includes the preliminary design of the stairway, estimate of cost to construct, construction schedule, project cost forecast, site logistics plan, traffic control plan, risk hazard analysis, as well as a land acquisition and permitting plan. The purpose of this paper is to bring awareness of the safety concern with the existing trail, as well as provide a potential solution that may be continued into a final design phase and constructed in the proposed locatio

The optical polarization of Epsilon Aurigae through the 1982-84 eclipse

About 350 nights observations on the 61-cm telescope at Pine Mt. Observatory were made of the variable polarization of Eps. Aurigae during 1982-85, in the U, B, and V color bands. The V data are the most complete and are shown. In terms of the overall features the curves in all three colors are quite similar. The typical errors per nightly point in the V curves are about 0.015% for either of the two normalized, equatorial Stokes parameters Q and U. Note that there is a large background or constant component of some 2.5%, position angle around 135 deg. This is presumably largely interstellar, and the intrinsic polarization probably does not much exceed the amplitude of the variable component, approx. 0.5%. A few field-star polarizations were measured but a very clear pattern was not obtained in this part of the sky

Cryogenic Propellant Scavenging

A detailed description of a computer model that has been developed for assessing the feasibility of low g cryogen propellant scavenging from the space shuttle External Tank (ET) is given. Either pump-assisted or pressure-induced propellant transfer may be selected. The program will accept a wide range of input variables, including the fuel to be transferred (LOX or LH2), heat leaks, tank temperatures, and piping and equipment specifications. The model has been parametrically analyzed to determine initial design specification for the system

Beyond recurrent costs: an institutional analysis of the unsustainability of donor-supported reforms in agricultural extension

International donors have spent billions of dollars over the past four decades in developing and/or reforming the agricultural extension service delivery arrangements in developing countries. However, many of these reforms, supported through short-term projects, became unsustainable once aid funding had ceased. The unavailability of recurrent funding has predominantly been highlighted in the literature as the key reason for this undesirable outcome, while little has been written about institutional factors. The purpose of this article is to examine the usefulness of taking an institutional perspective in explaining the unsustainability of donor-supported extension reforms and derive lessons for improvement. Using a framework drawn from the school of institutionalism in a Bangladeshi case study, we have found that a reform becomes unsustainable because of poor demands for extension information and advice; missing, weak, incongruent, and perverse institutional frameworks governing the exchange of extension goods (services); and a lack of institutional learning and change during the reform process. Accordingly, we have argued that strategies for sustainable extension reforms should move beyond financial considerations and include such measures as making extension goods (services) more tangible and monetary in nature, commissioning in-depth studies to learn about local institutions, crafting new institutions and/or reforming the weak and perverse institutions prevailing in developing countries. We emphasize the need to address three categories of institutions – regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive – and call for an alignment among them. We further argue that, in order to be sustainable, a reform should take a systemic approach in institutional capacity building and, for this to be possible, adopt a long-term program approach, as opposed to a short-term project approach