Working Paper 03: Protecting Old Trees from Prescribed Fire

Due to logging and other ecological changes, old trees have grown scarce in most southwestern ponderosa pine forests. Many of those that remain are under increased stress due to competition from overcrowded younger trees, as well as from fire and insects. One of the primary aims of forest restoration is to preserve old trees and to reduce competition around younger trees so that they grow large more quickly. This paper explores methods to avoid fire-caused mortality among the older leave trees during a restoration treatment

Working Paper 06: Butterflies as Indicators of Restoration Progress

Ecological restoration treatments can significantly reduce the risk of unnaturally severe wildfire and increase the health of old-growth trees in southwestern ponderosa pine forests. Carefully planned thinning and prescribed burning treatments, sometimes followed by reseeding of native plant species or control of noxious species, can also promote the growth of understory plants. As a result, restoration work can have a great impact on the populations of animal species that rely on forest habitats

Working Paper 05: Limiting Damage to Forest Soils During Restoration

In southwestern ponderosa pine forests, wildfires have become unnaturally damaging because of decades of fire exclusion and the increased density of forest stands. Large, severe fires are well known to be destructive to forest vegetation and wildlife, but an additional, often-unseen effect of fires is on and in the ground the disruption of soil structure and properties that can have a cascade of effects throughout forest systems. Forest soils supply air, water, nutrients, and mechanical support for plants, and provide habitat for decomposers, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and symbiotic fungi. Whether forest managers are looking to rehabilitate forests after wildfire or conduct restoration treatments intended to prevent severe wildfire, it is important to protect soils

The Image – by any means

Art is inherently a reflection of the human condition. As I am working, my intention is to make images that, at the very least, capture the audience\u27s attention. By adding layers and fracturing the images, I want the audience to see through various visual relationships. These visual relationships can be interpreted as a metaphor of the often hectic and unstable qualities of daily life. As the human figure is my connection to the work, it also serves as the viewer\u27s connection. The blending of media and mixing up of figurative representation with abstraction is my attempt to challenge the viewer to search for their own humanity among the clamor of everyday existence. I want to bring a sense of balance and harmony to the disorder of being. This body of work is an attempt to blend abstract expressionistic painting, collage, and large-format, digital, inkjet printing. In the past I have always kept my life as a graphic designer separate from my life as an artist. I now feel comfortable with the idea of integrating these aspects of myself to create energetic, stimulating, and thought-provoking images. The finished pieces range in size from 36 x24 to 63 x45 . Some elements in the imagery are painterly in contrast to the mechanical and digital processes that I employ. Figurative elements are combined with abstract forms. Through training, education, and practice I have come to be a process-oriented artist. I don\u27t intend to make art that overtly makes any kind of personal, social or political statement. The two things most important to me are the act of making the image and the image itself. This does not mean that content does not play a role in my process. As I work, I let the content emerge intuitively. I use the figure as an element of form. I use bright, contrasting and complementary colors to stimulate the image. I integrate pattern and design to create depth and motion

Students Together Encouraging Potential (STEP) Learning Community

This project presents a plan of action for the creation of a learning community, for students with developmental disabilities at Bowling Green State University. The plan includes a discussion of the purpose of the community, a name for the community, the target population for the community, the learning community’s mission, universal design, impact the community would have on Bowling Green State University, funding, staffing, facilities and learning outcomes and goals

Micro-economics of quality and social construction of the market: disputes among the London leather trades in the eighteenth-century

"The London leather market inherited an age-old regulation framework. But some harsh disputes among the leather trades in the Eighteenth Century reactivated the debate about norms and mies. Disputes between butchers, tanners and curriers revolved less around the principle of the quality control than around its intrinsic definition, leading to a significant shift: the former definition of quality as an absolute, defined by precise norms ('regulated quality') is challenged by a more flexible definition, the 'deliberated quality' established by a jury formed by representatives of each trade. Hence quality turns out to be a pure convention, grounded on a deliberative process. This case study, by approaching norms of quality and certification process from the point of view of the actors of the market instead of adopting the former cliché of free-market versus regulation and control, sheds light on the need to set a new ground to discuss these issues." (author's abstract

Week 8 Research Article: Implementation of Robotic Automation in Foodservice

Studies have been conducted to examine the recent increase in the implementation of robotic automation in foodservice. These studies conclude that serving robots do exist currently, primarily in countries outside of the United States. In addition, studies suggest that customers have a better customer service experience with serving robots if they go into the interaction with a positive perception. Therefore, the implementation of robotic automation in the foodservice industry will possibly continue to be implemented in countries where it has not yet currently been brought to the markets

Inter-basin Water Transfers

Inter-basin water transfers move water from one watershed to another. As droughts constrict the availability of water, and cities grow larger and thirstier, such transfers are increasingly being eyed as a solution. Although inter-basin transfers usually do not increase the overall availability of water in a state, they can move water to where it is needed most. Some of the main proponents of inter-basin transfers are pro-growth city and state governments as the re-allocation of water across watersheds allows for flexibility in planning for future growth