Public History Service Learning in National Parks Campus-Community Partnerships for the Preservation of Minidoka National Historic Site

This Master of Applied Historical Research project entailed the development and launch of an iOS-platform mobile application that provides an interpretive walking tour of Minidoka National Historic Site (Minidoka NHS). Established in 2001, Minidoka is a remotely located National Park Service unit which preserves one of the ten mainland United States WWII Japanese American concentration camps. With the Visitor Contact Station slated to open in 2019, the site has lacked in-depth interpretation of the history and landscape in a meaningful way, detracting from the typical visitor experience. The accompanying analytical essay situates the process of creating the Minidoka NHS mobile app within the landscape of preservation at Minidoka, as well as examines the existing interpretive framework of Minidoka NHS and the decisions made to position the app within the existing infrastructure in a complementary rather than redundant manner. It also interrogates the role of service-learning at Boise State University within the context of preservation and interpretation at Minidoka with particular attention to the Minidoka guard tower reconstruction project carried out by the Boise State University Construction Management program from 2013-2015. The paper describes the walking tour app and evaluates it and the guard tower project to advocate for the continued role of service-learning in enhancing civic engagement at Minidoka. Through this research I ultimately promote a greater emphasis on service-learning as it relates to Public History students engaged in national parks, and specifically in regards to the relationship between the Master of Applied Historical Research and Service-Learning Programs at Boise State University and Minidoka NHS

Online Financial Education Programs: Theory, Research, and Recommendations

Technological advances have created unprecedented opportunities for online financial education that can be used to improve financial literacy and money management practices. While online financial education programs have become popular, relevant research and theoretical frameworks have rarely been considered in the development of such programs. This article synthesizes lessons from literature and theories for the development of an effective online financial education program. Drawing from literature on financial literacy education and online education, implications and recommendations for integrating technology into online financial education programs for adults are discussed

Integrating Emotional Intelligence Principles into Extension Programming

Emotional intelligence is a learned ability that can bridge emotions and decision making to help improve Extension program participant outcomes. Because decision making is not based on information and facts alone, emotional intelligence has the power to transform the way individuals think about, plan, and execute behavior changes as well as make informed decisions. We introduce and discuss the applicability of a five-step emotional intelligence framework for Extension programming as a means for integrating emotional intelligence into programs to enhance program participant decision making

Extension-Led Training for Human Services Providers on Use of a Financial Empowerment Tool

We investigated the effectiveness of an Extension-led training for human services providers on Your Money, Your Goals: A Financial Empowerment Toolkit, a resource developed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Results from pretests, posttests, and focus group research indicate that participants significantly increased confidence in their ability to understand, access, and convey financial information. Recommendations include making adjustments to improve future trainings and addressing the need for additional financial literacy professional development. We offer lessons learned that Extension professionals can use to expand the reach of financial empowerment education and can apply to other trainings for professionals, regardless of discipline

Burnout and Extension Educators: Where We Are and Implications for Future Research

Burnout is identified as an individual work-related outcome that plagues educators within Cooperative Extension. Extension educators are particularly susceptible to burnout due to the unique set of demands and stressors they face, including geographic isolation, long work hours, prolonged driving times, and emotionally demanding interactions with clients, peers, local government, and administration. This review examines the literature relevant to Extension and burnout, discusses predictors and outcomes of burnout, and examines theories that have been used to investigate burnout. While studies have shed light on burnout within Extension from discipline and individual state perspectives, this review identifies the need for an updated examination of burnout with a regional or national scope. Additionally, job demands-resources theory is identified as a lens to better understand and explain burnout among Extension educators. As a prevalent issue that requires deeper understanding, the job demands-resources theory comprises principles from work motivation, job design, and job stress literatures and has been used to understand, explain, and make predictions about job burnout. At a time when issues related to Extension are front and center in academe and mainstream media, understanding burnout can help support the continued success of Extension. Other implications are also discussed

Psychomotor therapy targeting anger and aggressive behaviour in individuals with mild or borderline intellectual disabilities:A systematic review

Background: Poor anger regulation is considered a risk factor of aggression in individuals with mild or borderline intellectual disabilities. Psychomotor therapy (PMT) targets anger regulation through body- and movement-oriented interventions. This study aims to inform practitioners on efficacy and research-base of PMT in this population. Method: This systematic review evaluated nine studies which met inclusion criteria in terms of participants, intervention procedures, outcomes and certainty of evidence. Results: Seven studies revealed a substantial reduction of aggressive behaviour or anger. Certainty of evidence was rated inconclusive in most cases due to absence of experimental control. Conclusions: We can conclude that body-oriented PMT, involving progressive relaxation and meditation procedure "Soles of the Feet", is a promising approach. However, the paucity of studies and methodological limitations preclude classifying it as an evidence-based practice. This suggests stronger methodological research and research aimed at PMT's mechanisms of action (e.g., improved interoceptive awareness) is warranted.</p

Diversity and inclusion efforts in Federal agencies: a context for exploring perceptions of military veterans

National attention and resources are being brought to the issue of supporting the economic success of America’s military veterans. Deemed an essential part of the transition and reintegration of military veterans, employment remains a major area of focus. As such, various initiatives and hiring preferences in public and private organizations have reduced the obstacles to employment for those transitioning from the military to the civilian workplace. This is particularly the case in United States Federal agencies where military veterans comprise an increasingly significant demographic that is adding to the diversity of the workforce. These military veterans bring a unique set of values, life experiences, and perspectives with them to the civilian workforce that often differ from those of non-military veterans. In 2012, Federal agencies hired the highest number of military veterans in more than 20 years. Currently, this demographic makes up almost 28% of the Federal workforce. These increases coincide with agency efforts to move from a sole focus on diversity towards a focus on diversity and inclusion; an effort designed to move away from simply ensuring proportional representation from various groups towards integrating the diverse perspectives of various demographic groups into the organization. This article provides a theoretical context for better understanding the perceptions and attitudes of veterans and how perceptions of agency diversity and inclusion efforts may differ between military veterans and non-veterans.</p

Rapid evolution of A(H5N1) influenza viruses after intercontinental spread to North America

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b underwent an explosive geographic expansion in 2021 among wild birds and domestic poultry across Asia, Europe, and Africa. By the end of 2021, 2.3.4.4b viruses were detected in North America, signifying further intercontinental spread. Here we show that the western movement of clade 2.3.4.4b was quickly followed by reassortment with viruses circulating in wild birds in North America, resulting in the acquisition of different combinations of ribonucleoprotein genes. These reassortant A(H5N1) viruses are genotypically and phenotypically diverse, with many causing severe disease with dramatic neurologic involvement in mammals. The proclivity of the current A(H5N1) 2.3.4.4b virus lineage to reassort and target the central nervous system warrants concerted planning to combat the spread and evolution of the virus within the continent and to mitigate the impact of a potential influenza pandemic that could originate from similar A(H5N1) reassortants