THE RAIN OVER HANOI: A PERSONAL PROJECT ABOUT SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE, STORY, REPRESENTATION AND INTERGENERATIONAL STRUGGLE

A good screenplay is first and foremost a good story. Elements of a good story include compelling characters, a theoretical structure, and a well-executed premise. The Rain Over Hanoi is an extremely intimate and personal project about an Asian American expat living in Vietnam. Our protagonist’s journey and coming of age is explored via the interactions she has with her old and new family. Communication through food, symbolism, and cultural exchange are also present throughout the screenplay, utilizing a realistic point of view for the benefit of a full story submersion experience to the reader/viewer. Themes of self-exploration, growing up, maturing, and intergenerational trauma are presented in the screenplay to heighten the dramatic impact of how a structured story is told. This project contains a screenplay that explores themed elements weaved together to represent the stories of people who look like me and share the same experiences as me. Our stories are typically not told in Hollywood so The Rain Over Hanoi serves as a vessel to give our experiences a chance and a voice

Ethnic Socialization and Ethnic Identity: Examining Intergenerational Conflict as a Moderator Among Hmong American Adolescents

Working from a cultural-ecological perspective, this study focused on ethnic socialization, the socialization messages that parents convey to teach children about their ethnic background in relation to ethnic identity. In this study, ethnic socialization is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct that is separate from racial socialization. Six ethnic socialization subscales (e.g., Cultural Values, Ethnic Pride, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Embeddedness, Cultural History, and Preparation for Marriage) from parents\u27 and adolescents\u27 perspectives were examined in association with ethnic identity for 116 Hmong American parents and their adolescents. In addition, intergenerational conflict, one aspect of the nature of the parent-child relationship, was examined as a potential moderator between components of ethnic socialization and ethnic identity. It was hypothesized that the association between each component of ethnic socialization and ethnic identity would be stronger at low levels of intergenerational conflict than at higher levels. In addition, we examined gender patterns in the moderator models to determine whether the role of intergenerational conflict as a moderator variable would appear differently for boys and girls. Furthermore, the study examined which of the six ethnic socialization subscales would emerge as the best predictor of ethnic identity. Contrary to our hypothesis, intergenerational conflict did not moderate the association between any of the six ethnic socialization subscales and ethnic identity in the overall sample. However, intergenerational conflict moderated the association between adolescents\u27 ethnic socialization and ethnic identity exploration among boys but not among girls. More work is needed to understand the relation between ethnic socialization and ethnic identity for each gender. Of the ethnic socialization subscales that we examined, Cultural Heritage had the strongest association with ethnic identity. Overall, Hmong American parents engaged in a wide variety of ethnic socialization practices that were associated with ethnic identity for Hmong American adolescents

Use of ILTV Control Laws for LaNCETS Flight Research

A report discusses the Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shock (LaNCETS) test to investigate the effects of lift distribution and nozzle-area ratio changes on tail shock strength of an F-15 aircraft. Specific research objectives are to obtain inflight shock strength for multiple combinations of nozzle-area ratio and lift distribution; compare results with preflight prediction tools; and update predictive tools with flight results. The objectives from a stability and control perspective are to ensure adequate aircraft stability for the changes in lift distribution and plume shape, and ensure manageable transient from engaging and disengaging the ILTV research control laws. In order to change the lift distribution and plume shape of the F-15 aircraft, a decade-old Inner Loop Thrust Vectoring (ILTV) research control law was used. Flight envelope expansion was performed for the test configuration and flight conditions prior to the probing test points. The approach for achieving the research objectives was to utilize the unique capabilities of NASA's NF-15B-837 aircraft to allow the adjustment of the nozzle-area ratio and/or canard positions by engaging the ILTV research control laws. The ILTV control laws provide the ability to add trim command biases to canard positions, nozzle area ratios, and thrust vectoring through the use of datasets. Datasets consist of programmed test inputs (PTIs) that define trims to change the nozzle-area ratio and/or canard positions. The trims are applied as increments to the normally commanded positions. A LaNCETS non-linear, six-degrees-of-freedom simulation capable of realtime pilot-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and non-real-time batch support was developed and validated. Prior to first flight, extensive simulation analyses were performed to show adequate stability margins with the changes in lift distribution and plume shape. Additionally, engagement/disengagement transient analysis was also performed to show manageable transients

Poverty in the Twin Cities using GIS Studying

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow easy comparison of spatial phenomenon with other variables and output the results onto maps which non-specialist audience can easily interpret and analyze. This study made an effort to understand the spatial distribution of poverty within the Twin Cities Metro Area. Poverty distribution is compared with but not limited to the selected variables such as education level, education funding, family size, family composition, infrastructure distribution, and illicit drugs. The Census 2000 family income variables have been analyzed and mapped using GIS. According to federal guidelines in 2000, the poverty threshold for a family of three was $14,150. The poverty threshold for a family of four was$17, 050. Results showed the concentration of families living below federal poverty level is not evenly distributed. The correlation of this spatial distribution to that of the aforementioned variables can further be analyzed. Maps of these analyses can assist urban policy makers on development decisions and processes

A Reflective Approach To Building An Inclusive Classroom And School Community For Students In Special Education

Teachers today have a responsibility to teach a wide range of learners in the general education classroom. Federal laws in the United States such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) were implemented to ensure that all children are held to higher expectations and with appropriate services to learn in public schools. At the same time, researchers have demonstrated that a teacher’s experience, lack of support in the classroom and varied belief on inclusive education can impact the outcome of achieving inclusion. The purpose of this research is to address the question, What approach can educators use in public schools to build an inclusive classroom and school community for students in special education? Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory was used in this project to guide the framework of a professional development training that will foster reflective thinking and discourse in schools. This training will help individuals to be aware of their strengths, weaknesses and areas of improvements through using self recorded videos in the classroom, self-reflective questionnaires, and applying reflective discussion in professional learning community (PLC) groups

Three Poems: The Dog at the Hospital; Bracken Ferns; Branta Canadensis

These three poems reflect the speaker\u27s refugee experience and his adjustment to the new land and the natural world and present an account of his love, companionship, and memory of war

Do Letters and Gifts from International Sponsors affect Child Outcomes? Evidence from Colombia, Ghana, and Haiti

Past research has found child sponsorship results in higher aspirations, mental health, and educational outcomes. In this research, I explore the extent to which these outcomes can be influenced by letters and gifts sent from the sponsor to the child. However, there is limited research on the effects of direct relationship between sponsor and child. Using 1142 sponsor letters and a 2017 survey from Compassion International, an international child sponsorship organization, we find that letters and gifts from sponsors have a statistically insignificant impact on outcomes including education, mental health, aspirations, social connectedness, nutrition, religiosity, hygiene, and views on drugs, sex, and alcohol. Although a larger sample would be able to provide more definitive conclusions, we can rule out moderate-sized effects with our current sample, an exception being that more encouraging letters appear to foster deeper spiritual outcomes