Manifestations of students’ voices: Examining shifts, academic demands, and identity work in how students make themselves understood.

Voice is a concept that is both highly sought after and elusive in education. While schools aim to foster students’ voices, many academic structures inadvertently conceal their voices and in turn their identities. Definitions of voice have been assumed, vague, or looked at as a writing trait, with little consideration of voices’ dynamic and mediated structures. Drawing on scholarship grounded in sociocultural theories and dialogism (e.g., Bakhtin, 1986; Engeström; 1987, Leont’ev, 1981; Rosenblatt, 1978; Vygotsky, 1978), I contribute a new, tangible definition of voice, in which voice is a dynamic happening, continually negotiated and constructed. This dissertation explores students’ voices, advancing theoretical and empirical approaches to studying voice. Specifically, this study examines how undergraduates manifest their voices and how their voices shift in a children’s literature course. Through qualitative analyses of students’ academic writing, discussions, and reflections I illuminate various resources and structures students employed when manifesting their voice. I describe how students’ voice shifts due to disruptions—events that create instability to students’ predominant way of thinking in a given context. Additionally, I illustrate factors that both conceal and contribute to students’ voices in academic settings, such as students’ racial and gendered identities, group dynamics, and students’ desire to be seen as knowledgeable. This dissertation argues for classrooms to engage students in routine dialogic interaction to expand students’ voices, and to consider the implications students’ racial and gendered identities have on the production of their voices

Reimagining A to Z Database Descriptions to Improve User Experiences: A Database Description Project

Objective: This poster examines how a Research and Instruction Librarian team at Rowland Medical Library updated and re-envisioned the library’s A to Z Database list. Methods: Two librarians worked to reimagine the format of the database descriptions provided on the A-Z Database page to include the relevant information users routinely requested. To this end, the librarians determined that each description should include alternative names, subjects, content categories, date range, icons, and vendor information. The reimagined descriptions removed extraneous vendor content that confused users and focused on information users could use to make quick determinations on which databases were best for their information needs. They worked systematically to correlate subjects and content with the educational, clinical, and research missions of the university. Results: The project team selected 20 subjects, 21 content categories, and four resource icons for possible assignment to each database. All categories went through review by the library director and all faculty librarians. The team created a Microsoft Form to collate all data for each database in one location and used the collated information to update descriptions. Decisions on database best bests and content experts, features of the Springshare platform, were made by consensus. Conclusion: The updated A to Z Database page will improve user access and experiences when using the library website and e-resources

The Project‑Partnership Cycle: managing city‑university partnerships for urban sustainability and resilience transformations

Cities across the globe are striving to produce viable solutions to pressing urban sustainability and resilience problems. Despite aspirations, municipal governments often need additional support in terms of knowledge, capacity, or resources to achieve transformations. Partnerships between cities and universities are one mechanism for co-producing knowledge and achieving sustained progress on complex challenges. When properly structured and effectively managed, city-university partnerships (CUPs) are purported to increase transformative capacity in city administrations and support actions which accelerate urban transformations; but these outcomes are not always achieved. As CUPs grow in numbers, there is a pressing need to identify which principles and practices facilitate transformation. Therefore, we used iterative reflective focus group sessions to develop in-depth case studies of five sustainability and resilience CUPs across three countries. The CUPs were cross-compared to explore the partnership dynamics and management practices that aid progress towards transformative goals. Observations were then related to transformative capacity typologies, and mapped to the newly described project-partnership cycle – which is useful for the management of transformative partnerships

Ecology of Biofouling and Impacts on Mussel Aquaculture: A Case Study with Didemnum Vexillum

Over the past decade, several species of non-indigenous ascidian have had adverse effects in the marine environment and on associated industries. The colonial ascidian Didemnum vexillum is a recent successful invader in temperate marine communities worldwide, proving problematic to mussel aquaculture in New Zealand. At the inception of this thesis, control strategies to manage the threat from Didemnum to mussel aquaculture were implemented in the absence of information on the biological processes underpinning the species’ invasion success. Background information on Didemnum presented in Chapter 2 recognises this paucity of information on several key biological attributes as well as negative impacts of this species. The ability to obtain larvae and culture colonies in the laboratory was a crucial first step. Thus, Chapter 3 presents laboratory experiments that describe the first successful methods to induce spawning in adult Didemnum colonies, as well as techniques for the successful settlement and metamorphosis of the larvae produced, and for laboratory culture of juveniles. Chapters 4 to 6 address key aspects of the biological characteristics of Didemnum that relate to its invasiveness and spread. The recruitment and reproductive development of Didemnum were assessed over a 20-month period at two locations in central New Zealand. Results indicated that the reproductive season for Didemnum in New Zealand (at least 9 months) is considerably longer than previously believed, with recruitment patterns strongly correlated with seasonal water temperature fluctuations at each location. Secondly, the natural dispersal ability of Didemnum was assessed using a weight-of-evidence approach that combined laboratory and field studies. Larval competency trials revealed that > 70 % of larvae were able to settle and undergo metamorphosis following an artificial settlement delay of 2 hours. Larval viability decreased with increasing delay duration; however 10 % of larvae remained viable following a 36 hour delay. These findings were supported by a field-based study documenting larval recruitment at distances up to 250 m from source populations. Exponential decay models indicated that, given favourable conditions, larval dispersal distances greater than 1 km were theoretically possible, which is a much greater distance than previously assumed. Lastly, the impacts of Didemnum on cultured New Zealand green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) were investigated. At the level of invasiveness experienced in a field experiment, only small mussel size classes were vulnerable to direct Didemnum impacts, with negative effects restricted to fouling-related displacement of mussels as opposed to reduced size or condition. However, at the greater levels of invasiveness evident at other places and times, Didemnum impacts have the potential to be considerably larger. As such, the ability to predict invasiveness, and hence impacts, is critical for stakeholders. However, for reasons discussed in the thesis, making reliable specific predictions of invasiveness is difficult. Despite such limitations, it is clear that an understanding of a species’ basic biological attributes can still greatly assist with management decisions, as highlighted throughout the chapters in this thesis. My research findings have led to a better awareness of commercial impacts and potential spread of this species. Simultaneously, my research also highlights the limitations inherent in inferring invasiveness from other situations (e.g. places, times, and related species); there is a need to specifically evaluate a species’ biological attributes and invasive behaviour when introduced into a novel environment

Adaptive realities : effects of merging physical and virtual entities

In the worlds of virtual reality, whole objects and bodies are created in an immaterial manner from lines, ratios and light pixels. When objects are created in this form they can easily be manipulated, edited, multiplied and deleted. In addition, technological advances in virtual reality development result in an increased merging of physical and virtual elements, creating spaces of mixed reality. This leads to interesting consequences where the physical environment and body, in a similar vein to the virtual, also becomes increasingly easier to manipulate, distort and change. Mixed realities thus enhance possibilities of a world of constantly changing landscapes and adjustable, interchangeable bodies. The notions of virtual and real coincide within this thesis, reflecting on a new version of reality that is overlapped and ever-present in its mixing of virtual and physical. These concepts are explored within my exhibition Immaterial - a creation of simulated nature encompassing a mix of natural and artificial, tangible and intangible. Within the exhibition space, I have created a scene of mixed reality, by merging elements of both a virtual and physical forest. This generates a magical space of new experiences that comes to life through the manipulated, edited, morphed and re-awakened bodies of trees

Evaluation of lens distortion errors using an underwater camera system for video-based motion analysis

Video-based motion analysis systems are widely employed to study human movement, using computers to capture, store, process, and analyze video data. This data can be collected in any environment where cameras can be located. One of the NASA facilities where human performance research is conducted is the Weightless Environment Training Facility (WETF), a pool of water which simulates zero-gravity with neutral buoyance. Underwater video collection in the WETF poses some unique problems. This project evaluates the error caused by the lens distortion of the WETF cameras. A grid of points of known dimensions was constructed and videotaped using a video vault underwater system. Recorded images were played back on a VCR and a personal computer grabbed and stored the images on disk. These images were then digitized to give calculated coordinates for the grid points. Errors were calculated as the distance from the known coordinates of the points to the calculated coordinates. It was demonstrated that errors from lens distortion could be as high as 8 percent. By avoiding the outermost regions of a wide-angle lens, the error can be kept smaller

Enhancing the Chemical Mixture Methodology: Incorporating 20 Health Code Numbers

The Chemical Mixture Methodology (CMM) is used by the Department of Energy (DOE), its contractors, and other private and public organizations for emergency response planning. CMM assesses the potential health impacts on individuals that would result from exposure to an airborne mixture of hazardous chemicals. Health Code Numbers (HCNs) are assigned to each chemical based on the human organs targeted by exposure. In the current CMM, only the top 10 HCNs ranked by severity are included in each CMM analysis. This project focuses on assessing what happens when doubling the potential number of HCNs for each chemical that could be used in each CMM analysis. A total of 361 chemicals were used in our testing (the entire CMM database contains over 3000 chemicals). A set of 127 representative mixtures were prepared for our analysis. Three different concentration distributions (called “ideal”, “realistic”, and “same”) were used for each test mixture, providing us with a total of 381 test cases. CMM results were compared for all 381 test cases using both the 10-HCN approach and the 20-HCN approach. Only a slight difference was observed between the 10- and 20-HCN approaches. This slight difference suggests that the top 10-HCNs give good representation of the potential toxic health effects. This also indicates that it is impractical to incorporate the 20-HCN approach in a future version of the CMM. Therefore, effort should be directed to other aspects of the CMM development such as refining the nervous system effects or respiratory irritant effects in the near future

Hired During COVID: Interviewing and Onboarding in a Pandemic

The pandemic forced those working in higher education to navigate a myriad of changes in all facets of day-to-day operations. From January-February 2022, we conducted a study that surveyed hiring managers for professional academic library positions to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their hiring and onboarding processes. We will present our preliminary findings from the mixed-methods survey in advance of a published article. Our study identifies changes in hiring practices and reflects the current attitudes of hiring managers in regards to future employment practices. Because many interview processes have transitioned to an online format, some hiring managers are reconsidering the necessity and duration of in-person interviews. Our study identified issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Not all candidates have access to the space and technology required for an all-day virtual interview. However, virtual interviewing also expands opportunities for those who have health, financial, or childcare concerns. A common thread that emerged is that there is still much uncertainty regarding what hiring will look like in the future. This study also explored the ways that job descriptions, the work of search committees, and the use of collaborative tools have been impacted by the pandemic. Some participants reported increased DEI training for search committee participants as well as more guidance on using technology. Study results identified challenges experienced when onboarding and acclimating an employee to a new institution in the pandemic environment. At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to: Identify trends in changes to hiring practices that occurred as a result of the pandemic Discuss difficulties associated with onboarding new employees during the pandemic Describe common practices in conducting virtual and hybrid interview processe

Pandemic Transitions: The Impact of COVID-19 on Hiring and Onboarding in Academic Libraries

Objectives: To explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected hiring and onboarding practices in academic libraries.Methods: An embedded mixed-methods approach, utilizing grounded theory, was used to develop an online survey to identify changes that occurred in hiring and onboarding practices in academic libraries resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were hiring managers (including human resources staff, library administration, search committee chairs, or library supervisors) in an academic library setting. Invitations to participate were sent to multiple academic library listservs and social media groups.Results: Results will be analyzed to determine trends in hiring and onboarding practices across a range of institutions from March 2020 - to the present. Researchers anticipate recording trends concerning geographic location, institution type, interview length, interview modality (virtual, in-person, hybrid), collaboration tools, and overarching onboarding practices.Conclusions: The authors plan to investigate the impact of COVID on the hiring and onboarding practices in academic libraries. While much has been written regarding individual or institutional experiences, this project looks at the collective effect COVID-19 had on library practices of hiring and onboarding. Understanding these developments and trends will help both job-seekers and library administration to prepare for a post-COVID future