Power and politics in research design and practice: Opening up space for social equity in interdisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional and community-based research

Working collaboratively with communities is commonly considered a cornerstone of good practice in research involving social-ecological concerns. Increasingly, funding agencies also recognise that such collaborations are most productive when community partners have some influence on the design and implementation of the projects that benefit from their participation. However, researchers engaged with this work often struggle to actively engage community members in this way and, in particular, Indigenous peoples. In this article, we argue that useful strategies for facilitating such engagement are to leave space in the research plan for questions of interest to community partners and to encourage equitable interactions between all participants through the use of forums in which power dynamics are intentionally flattened. We demonstrate the use of this technique in an interdisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional research study involving the fate and transport of toxic compounds that lead to fish consumption advisories throughout the world. In this project, the use of participatory forums resulted in community partners in Michigan’s Keweenaw Bay area of Lake Superior shaping a key aspect of the research by raising the simple but significant question: ‘When can we eat the fish?’. Their interest in this question also helped to ensure that they would remain meaningful partners throughout the duration of the project. The conclusion emphasises that further integration of Indigenous and community-based research methods has the potential to significantly enhance the process and value of university-community research engagement in the future

Microseismic monitoring of the controls on coastal rock cliff erosion

The aim of this thesis has been to improve understanding of the controls on coastal rock cliff erosion, utilising microseismic ground motion. Coastal cliff erosion has remained poorly understood, in part confounded by the challenges associated with monitoring changes to and controls upon steep slopes in the coastal zone. As a result the relative contribution of marine to subaerial and episodic to iterative forcing is based upon models with only limited field validation. For two years, from July 2008 to July 2010, cliff top microseismic ground motions were monitored using a broadband seismometer, installed on top of a 70 m high hard rock cliff of Jurassic mudstone, shale and sandstone, on the North York Moors National Park coast, UK. Concurrently cliff face erosion was monitored using high-resolution 3D terrestrial laser scanning. Regional-scale marine and weather data for the monitoring period and modelled nearshore wave conditions were used to establish the conditions under which cliff microseismic ground motions were generated. Distinct ground motion frequency bands were found to correlate with a range of marine and subaerial processes that transfer energy to the coastline and cliff. Fundamentally, microseismic sources were identified both at the cliff face from, for example, direct wave impact during cliff toe inundation, but also at more distal locations resulting from the transfer of energy from gravity and infragravity waves. Further analysis demonstrates statistically significant correlations between rockfall and cliff ground motion generated by wave impacts and wind at the cliff face, but also surprisingly waves across the nearshore and offshore, implying direct environmental controls on cliff erosion rate. The significance of longer period ground motion, representative of ocean gravity and infragravity waves also identifies an almost constant dynamic loading of the cliff rock mass, highlighting a potential for progressive deterioration of the cliff rock. The analysis demonstrates that cliff top microseismic ground motion provides a valuable proxy for marine and atmospheric forcing at coastal cliffs, overcoming the limitations in quantifying and testing controls on cliff erosion. The findings of this study are used to develop a new conceptual model of the environmental processes and failure mechanisms that control rock cliff erosion

Using CRISPR to Generate Integrated Ssa4-GFP Reporter Strains

Using CRISPR to Generate Integrated Ssa4-GFP Reporter Strains Emma Norman, Rebecca Adams, PhD Proteins play critical roles in numerous cellular processes. In order to synthesize these important molecules in eukaryotes, DNA is first transcribed into an intermediate molecule, mRNA, in the nucleus. The export of mRNA from its origin in the nucleus to the site of protein production, the cytoplasm, is an integral step in protein synthesis. When a cell is subjected to stress, such as heat shock, most mRNA export is halted, as export proteins are inactivated, and cellular machinery is redirected towards recovery. However, particular transcripts, including the Ssa4 transcript, are selectively exported for induced expression of the Ssa4 protein. The mechanism by which Ssa4 is exported is largely unknown. Therefore, the goal of this semester has been to insert GFP sequence into the endogenous genetic locus encoding for Ssa4 to make a series of strains that report on the selective export of the Ssa4 transcript. Using a plasmid that I previously generated that contains gRNA sequences for Ssa4 and PCR to generate GFP templates for HR-directed repair, I was able to successfully generate several reporter strains. These were initially phenotyped by fluorescent microscopy and have been confirmed by PCR. Future experimentation will aim to investigate the conditions that allow for selective Ssa4 export using the Ssa4-GFP fusions generated this semester

Local Stakeholders Governing Water Across the 49th Parallel

This article analyzes how local stakeholders along the Canada – U.S. border are increasingly involved in binational governance of water. The article highlights the growing influence of regional, multi-jurisdictional organizations such as the Washington – B.C. Shared Waters Alliance, as well as the changing role of long-standing supranational institutions such as the International Joint Commission. Particular emphasis is given to the topic of the relative institutional capacity of local groups within multi-jurisdictional, international structures. The article concludes with remarks that can guide public policy on local involvement in transboundary water issues

Power and politics in research design and practice: Opening up space for social equity in interdisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional and community-based research

Working collaboratively with communities is commonly considered a cornerstone of good practice in research involving social-ecological concerns. Increasingly, funding agencies also recognise that such collaborations are most productive when community partners have some influence on the design and implementation of the projects that benefit from their participation. However, researchers engaged with this work often struggle to actively engage community members in this way and, in particular, Indigenous peoples. In this article, we argue that useful strategies for facilitating such engagement are to leave space in the research plan for questions of interest to community partners and to encourage equitable interactions between all participants through the use of forums in which power dynamics are intentionally flattened. We demonstrate the use of this technique in an interdisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional research study involving the fate and transport of toxic compounds that lead to fish consumption advisories throughout the world. In this project, the use of participatory forums resulted in community partners in Michigan’s Keweenaw Bay area of Lake Superior shaping a key aspect of the research by raising the simple but significant question: ‘When can we eat the fish?’. Their interest in this question also helped to ensure that they would remain meaningful partners throughout the duration of the project. The conclusion emphasises that further integration of Indigenous and community-based research methods has the potential to significantly enhance the process and value of university-community research engagement in the future

Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel? An’ Why Not Every Man? Black Theodicy in the Antebellum United States and the Problem of the Demonic God

Introduction Didn\u27t My Lord Deliver Daniel? An\u27 Why Not Every Man: Black Theodicy in the Antebellum United States and the Problem of the Demonic God is an ambitious attempt to construct a coherent narrative that spans many centuries and connect numerous historical persons and figures in recent scholarship. I set out to understand how an enslaved person could have faith in the goodness of god despite their oppressed condition. I learned that most enslaved Africans first encountered Christianity when they became the “property” of Christians. Then, in a revolutionarily creative move, the Black community re-signified Christianity from a religious system synonymous with oppression to a theology of liberation. The Black community claimed they knew the real Christ, embodied by Jesus, the suffering servant. They discovered an intimate spiritual connection with the Children of Israel, delivered from slavery by the grace of God. Black people of the Christian faith created thousands of Spirituals lamenting their suffering and celebrating the promise of a liberated future on Earth and in God\u27s heaven. Not everyone accepted Christianity, however. Many enslaved or otherwise oppressed people found much to be cynical of in those who claimed to be Godly; corruption, hypocrisy, violence, inhumanity. These skeptical voices speak to us through Slave Narratives and records of preachers who documented a certain humanistic doubt in the antebellum Black community. The lyrics of the Seculars, non-theistic music produced at the same time as the Spirituals, express humor and irony in reaction to the absurd nature of life as experienced by a Black person during slavery. I went on to explore contemporary critiques of the emancipative potential of theodicy, ending up mostly won ove

Developing activity theory in information studies (DATIS)

Over the last two decades the use of Activity Theory has grown within the field of information studies. However, while there is a budding community, the use and development of Activity Theory in information studies remains underdeveloped and fragmented. This community building workshop provides an opportunity to: (1) introduce information scholars to the basic conceptual premises of Activity Theory focusing on the use, development and contribution of Activity Theory; (2) provide a forum to extend the development of Activity Theory; and (3) It will also provide a networking opportunity for scholars already utilizing activity theory and an opportunity to discuss the contributions iSchool scholars can make to the wider Activity Theory community. The aim of the afternoon session is to both stimulate discourse and advance the use of the theory. A 500-word position paper is due 4th of March

Reading strategies in upper secondary school : How and to what extent are reading strategies taught and used in Norwegian upper secondary schools?

Denne kvalitative oppgaven undersøker bruken av lesestrategier i det obligatoriske engelskfaget på norske videregående skoler. Gjennom fenomenologisk forskningsdesign undersøker den til hvilken grad lesestrategier blir undervist av lærere og brukt av elever. Bruken av lesestrategier er viktig for elevers forståelse av tekster, og for at elevene skal kunne få kunnskap fra tekstene. Tidligere forskning har vist at det er lite fokus på, og kunnskap om lesestrategier blant lærere og elever. Denne oppgaven foreslår at dette ikke lenger er tilfelle. Den teoretiske delen inkluderer teorier og tidligere forskning om lesestrategier, som vil være nyttig for elevene å ha kunnskap om, og å kunne bruke. Dataene består av opptak av semistrukturerte intervjuer med elever og skoleledere, og skriftlige observasjoner fra forsker og lærere fra timer hvor lesing var hovedfokus. I tillegg har tidligere eksamensoppgaver og to tekster med oppgaver fra tre ulike lærebøker blitt analysert for å se hvordan lesestrategier er presentert og brukt der. Selv om dataene har blitt innhentet fra bare to skoler, impliserer trianguliseringen at videre konklusjoner kan bli trukket. Funnene viser at det er stort fokus på, og kunnskap om lesestrategier, bade blant lærere og elever. Dette gjelder spesielt elever ved yrkesfaglige linjer. Skolelederne i denne oppgaven deltar ikke i undervisningsplanlegging, men sier uansett at elevene må lese mer for å bli bedre lesere. Denne masteroppgaven har oppdaget en ny trend, hvor lesestrategier er mer og mer viktig i engelskundervisningen i den videregående skole. Flere temaer for videre forskning blir også foreslått

Uncovering discursive framings of the Bangladesh shipbreaking industry

Shipbreaking in the Chittagong region of Bangladesh supplies metal to meet the needs of the nation’s construction sector. The shipbreaking industry has received international attention for environmental contamination and workers’ insecurity. However, these issues have been framed without considering the actors that produce them and their associated motives. This paper illuminates the conflicting discourses regarding the industry between two divergent groups of actors. On the one hand, national and international NGOs collaborate to enforce a discourse focused on negative localized impacts. On the other hand, yard owners, yard workers, and local community members forge a counter discourse, focused on positive localized impacts and raising doubts about the origin of the environmental pollutants and occupational standards setting. National and international actors have so far missed the conflicting perspective of workers, yard owners, locals and NGOs. We contend that these divergent discourses involve scalar politics, with one discursive frame focused on localized impacts in order to leverage global resources, while the other situates local communities in the global world system; this confounding of scale leads to ineffective policy formulation. This shipbreaking case study provides a valuable lesson on the importance of listening to and including stakeholders at multiple scales when seeking policies to address localized impacts of a globalized industry