Accommodating consensus and diversity in environmental knowledge production: Achieving closure through typologies in IPBES

How can a diversity of perspectives be accommodated in scientific and political consensus on environmental issues? This paper adopts a science and technology studies (STS) approach to examine how the pursuit of consensus-based knowledge and diverse participation, as seemingly contradictory commitments, have been converted into practice in the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Through a series of negotiations, these commitments have been translated into a set of situated practices that now dominate this expert panel. Consensus has been achieved through the pursuit of closure, in which meetings of expert and administrator groups produce texts, tables and images that stabilise ostensibly collective decisions. Within this framework, diverse perspectives have been accommodated through the production of typologies, such as lists of comparable options, which allow for the coexistence and commensurability of a range of knowledges and experts. However there is a politics to typologies, which requires specific attention to how decisions are made (deliberation), who participates in them (participation), and the extent to which these participants are representative of broader knowledge and policy communities (representation). While the potential of typologies to accommodate consensus and diversity offers the hope of realising ‘unity in diversity’ for both environmental knowledge and policy, recognising the politics of their production is important for more equitable processes of environmental governance.This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, UK [University of Cambridge DTC]

The Choreo-Story Workshops: Devising Body Narratives

This multi-methodological project analyzes the utility of the proposed performance method, the Choreo-Story, within the field of Performance Studies. The Choreo-Story is a movement-based performance method, mode of devising, and performance product. It is a performance tool that can be used to understand how embodiment and dance help individuals make sense of the many identities they perform. This method highlights the body as both a text and tool for storytelling. To analyze the Choreo-Story method, I use Kenneth Burke’s Dramatistic Approach to examine three performance acts that occurred in the HopKins Black Box theatre between 2016 and 2018: my original Bauhaus performance assignment, LOOK!, and the Choreo-Story Workshops. Using thick description, I describe the scene within which these acts occurred, argue for the intrinsic relationship between agent and agency within the Choreo-Story, and highlight the personal and professional purposes behind creating the Choreo-Story method. Through this analysis, I argue for the Choreo-Story method’s utility as a movement-based performance method and tool for performance practitioners. I also describe the method’s ability to be used outside of Performance Studies, pointing to its usefulness within Health Communication, Narrative Medicine, Medical Humanities, and Psychology. I conclude this project by considering its limitations and highlighting areas for future research and ways to expand the Choreo-Story method

Educating Executives for Managing Public and Non-Profit Organizations

The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) Accredited Business Schools focus on preparing current and future leaders within the public and nonprofit sectors. To determine this information, a survey questionnaire recently was distributed to AACSB Accredited institutions in which they were asked a series of questions regarding programs and course offerings within the public and nonprofit areas. The main findings of this study indicated that ninety two (92%) of institutions offering coursework in the management of nonprofit organizations have seen a consistent, continuing and even an increased enrollment within their offerings. The results of this exploratory study also indicate that with the enormity of organizations holding nonprofit status and with the increased pressure for accountability for results within the public and nonprofit sectors, business schools must respond more fully to the challenge and need for educating managers for nonprofit organizations, particularly in the area of executive education

Motivating And Managing Generation X And Y On The Job While Preparing For Z: A Market Oriented Approach

This article examines the factors that have motivated Generation X and Y over time and the emerging attributes that will be impacting Generation Z.   More specifically, two hundred recent graduates and Executive MBA students (Generation X) as well as undergraduates (Generation Y) at Fordham University Schools of Business were surveyed recently and were asked to rank six (out of twenty five) factors they consider most important in motivating them to do their best work on the job.  When comparing Generation X and Generation Y, the results are very similar.   Both groups rank Respect for me as a person and Good Pay to be their top motivators.   While both groups have similar motivators in their top six including Chance for promotion, Opportunity to do interesting work and Opportunity for self-development and improvement, Generation Y differs greatly as Getting along well  with others on the job ranked third in their top six.  This factor is considered a “hybrid factor” that crosses motivation and maintenance needs.  While this “hybrid factor” does not appear as an important motivator among the Baby Boom generation, it is projected that Getting along well with others on the job will be a critical factor especially among Generation Z for a variety of reasons predominately their technical background

Sampling-based stochastic optimal control with metric interval temporal logic specifications

This paper describes a method to find optimal policies for stochastic dynamic systems that maximise the probability of satisfying real-time properties. The method consists of two phases. In the first phase, a coarse abstraction of the original system is created. In each region of the abstraction, a sampling-based algorithm is utilised to compute local policies that allow the system to move between regions. Then, in the second phase, the selection of a policy in each region is obtained by solving a reachability problem on the Cartesian product between the abstraction and a timed automaton representing a real-time specification given as a metric interval temporal logic formula. In contrast to current methods that require a fine abstraction, the proposed method achieves computational tractability by modelling the coarse abstraction of the system as a bounded-parameter Markov decision process (BMDP). Moreover, once the BMDP is created, this can be reused for new specifications assuming the same stochastic system and workspace. The method is demonstrated with an autonomous driving example

Evolving text classification rules with genetic programming

We describe a novel method for using genetic programming to create compact classification rules using combinations of N-grams (character strings). Genetic programs acquire fitness by producing rules that are effective classifiers in terms of precision and recall when evaluated against a set of training documents. We describe a set of functions and terminals and provide results from a classification task using the Reuters 21578 dataset. We also suggest that the rules may have a number of other uses beyond classification and provide a basis for text mining applications

Building Bridges: A Mentor Education Program for Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Mentoring in occupational therapy is a crucial role that many practitioners undertake and there is a paucity of mentor education specific to occupational therapists. Authors present an innovative approach to mentor education through a novel three-part online mentor training series. Developed by faculty teaching at Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) entry level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program, the series incorporated adult learning theory and the stages of mentoring through the lens of occupational therapy. The training series received positive feedback from participants, who found it straightforward, relevant, and applicable to their work settings. Literature emphasizes the increasing demand for quality mentors in occupational therapy as the field expands and the need for mentor education to support professional development. Although there is limited literature on mentor support in occupational therapy, studies in related fields have highlighted the effectiveness of mentor training programs. Authors suggest that the establishment of a mentoring practice community can bridge OTD program expectations with clinical and community practice realities and build mentor capacities. Overall, this work emphasizes the significance of mentorship and the need for formal mentor education in occupational therapy to foster professional growth and ensure the availability of quality mentors for students and new professionals