Urban Gardening Grows Relationships: The importance of urban gardening to the self and the earth

There are many texts for young readers that focus on gardening and the pleasant experiences it can bring. However, there is a distinct lack of texts that address urban gardening specifically as well as the reasons why gardening, in and outside of cities, is so important. This independent study had a purpose of providing a book for young readers that will engage them in a celebration of gardening and the environment around them. The text of the book follows a young girl who gardens not only to build relationships with her peers, but also to take care of and appreciate her environment. The purpose of this text and research is to provide readers with an understanding of how gardening can have positive effects on personal, local, and global levels

Bringing Biochemistry Home: Transforming Milk into Yogurt

Communicating the beauty and complexity of biochemistry to students in a large classroom during the pandemic: what a challenge! We undertook a novel endeavor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry by introducing a mandatory kitchen chemistry experiment in a lecture course. Milk, the epitome of our identity as mammals, also contains all of the major biochemical macromolecules studied in Biochemistry I. Further, the making of yogurt invokes physical processes that are the major processes and molecular forces that dominate the content of the course. Here, we report the results of massive parallel experiment conducted in the kitchens of the students enrolled in a large lecture course in our department at the University of Mississippi. Students prepared yogurt from kits that we supplied. Our hypotheses were: 1) lactose was required for curd formation, so lactose free milk would not form curd; 2) Only casein containing milk would form curds, so soy milk would not form curd; and 3) Fermentation by the bacterial cultures would cause the yogurt to be acidic relative to the milk from which it was made. The two measurable quantities were the pH of the solution and an informal viscosity measurement performed by dropping a stainless-steel ball through a standardized column on yogurt (BB drop test). Thus, students were assigned a control milk and a test milk of five types: Whole, 2%, Fat Free, Lactose Free, and Soy. An online form was developed for students to submit all relevant aspects of their “lab report. A total of 127 complete reports were submitted. An analysis was done to determine the relevance of the recorded information, resulting in the deletion of nine entries. Formats of entries were standardized. Results showed that 1) Lactose free milk formed curds. 2) Soy milk formed a very thin curd, but thickened. 3) All milks were acidified after incubation in the bacterial starter culture. Suggestions for revision of protocol and reporting of the experiment are provided

A Policy Analysis of the Effectiveness of Hot Spot Policing

The objective of this research is to examine the effectiveness of Hot Spot Policing efforts in reducing rates of crime in high concentrated areas. A systematic review of studies conducted to assess the impact of this policy found that this policy is an effective means of reducing crime rates. In addition, this policy has also allowed for police agencies to make use of their limited resources in an effective manner

Envisioning a Modern Federal-State Partnership in the Reauthorization of the HEA as an Engine to Increase Social Mobility

Financial aid makes up the bulk of federal higher education spending, but do those dollars make a difference to needy students? A look at Federal Work-Study and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant allocations show that a disproportionate amount of funding goes to private universities with high tuition and low Federal Pell Grant enrollment. Additionally, many financial aid awards use cost of attendance as a factor in determining award amounts, creating an unintentional incentive for tuition increases. These elements contribute to a funding environment that favors private universities over publics. When considered alongside the fact that pervasive state disinvestment has caused public colleges and universities to raise their tuition considerably over the last decade alone, the existence of public higher education appears to be in jeopardy. The authors propose a federal-state partnership that would incentivize state governments to maintain or increase their funding for public higher education. Further suggestions include the elimination of price-sensitive components in financial aid awards and maintaining caps on these awards to stem tuition increases where possible