On the Brink: The Melting of Earth’s Polar Ice Caps

Research indicates that earth’s polar ice caps are melting at a faster rate than ever before, a product of continued global warming. Unfortunately, side effects of this melting may negatively impact the lives of humans who dwell on this planet. Consequences may include: a significant loss of albedo, a considerable rise in sea levels, damage to aquatic ecosystems, and/or an ice age resulting from the shutdown of major oceanic currents. Although the situation is not yet imminent and the causes not yet pinpointed, the present outlook is too grim to ignore

Engaging Crisis: Immersive, Interdisciplinary Learning in Mathematics and Rhetoric

This paper describes an interdisciplinary activity that crosses over between Mathematics and Rhetoric. The professors who created this activity both sought active-learning opportunities for their students, a sense of realism--even urgency--in what can otherwise be perceived as abstract material, and a meaningful liberal arts experience. Evidence of the power of this experience is seen in the media coverage, both from our college and from the Portland Press Herald newspaper. Both courses described in this paper are at the elective level, taken by majors or minors in their respective disciplines. Students have moderate to extensive backgrounds in their subject areas. However, adapted versions of our activity could involve students at more introductory levels

Laying the Groundwork for a National Impact Investing Marketplace

The practice of impact investing is rapidly gaining momentum, but the level of activity among individual and institutional investors, including philanthropists and foundations, has barely penetrated projections of market potential. The marketplace that should connect impact investors with investees or social ventures does not function effectively. Developing cost-effective ways to engage new investors and break down barriers to investment is an essential part of growing the industry. Developing cost-effective ways to “prime the pump” for social ventures to become investor-ready — through a capacity-building process that includes outreach, education, and technical assistance — is an essential part of growing the industry. The Impact Finance Center partnered with foundations and other investors in Colorado to create “CO Impact Days and Initiative” to demonstrate how to address this need for a more efficient and effective marketplace. CO Impact Days and Initiative was designed to expand regionally and be replicated

Observation of centimetre-scale argon diffusion in alkali feldspars: implications for ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar thermochronology

New data from a gem-quality feldspar from Itrongay, Madagascar, record naturally occurring 40Ar/39Ar age profiles which can be numerically modelled by invoking a single diffusion mechanism and show that microtexturally simple crystals are capable of recording complex thermal histories. We present the longest directly measured, naturally produced 40Ar*-closure profiles from a single, homogeneous orthoclase feldspar. These data appear to confirm the assumption that laboratory derived diffusion parameters are valid in nature and over geological timescales. Diffusion domains are defined by crystal faces and ancient cracks, thus in gem-quality feldspars the diffusion domain size equates to the physical grain size. The data also illustrate the potential of large, gem-quality feldspars to record detailed thermal histories over tens of millions of years and such samples should be considered for future studies on the slow cooling of continental crust

An Evaluation of the Clark County Wetlands Park Volunteer Program

Background Student evaluation team, M.A.R.S. Consulting Group (M.A.R.S.), conducted an evaluation of the Clark County Wetlands Park (CCWP) Volunteer Program from April 2014 through August 2014. The pre-assessment consisted of a qualitative analysis of the organization’s educational programs, tremendous growth in and establishment of facilities throughout 2013 and 2014, staff responsibilities, and volunteer programs. As a result of this pre-assessment, M.A.R.S. determined that an evaluation of the current volunteer program would have the most impact on the organization. Purpose The primary purpose of this evaluation is to provide Wetlands Park staff with suggestions and recommendations based on the identified needs of the current volunteer program. Methodology Qualitative information about the program was collected via interviews with CCWP staff members. Qualitative and qualitative data was collected via a benchmark study in reference to three comparable local volunteer programs. M.A.R.S. also collected quantitative data via surveys developed and distributed to current volunteers as well as Park visitors. Major Findings Volunteer survey and visitor survey respondents provided insight into wants, needs and likes, as well as constructive feedback regarding perceived issues (survey data and comments are available throughout the evaluation report and in the Appendix) Volunteer Survey The majority of respondents: Expressed a desire for more in-depth communication with CCWP staff. Indicated that additional training, specifically technical training, was most desired. Expressed a desire for additional opportunities to socialize with peers. Indicated that volunteer uniforms were uncomfortable, and of average quality. Expressed a desire for the opportunity to spend more time outdoors, including hosting additional guided tours of the Park. Expressed a desire for a vendor in the Café space, and/or a gift shop Visitor Survey The majority of respondents: Indicated their primary reason for visiting the Park was to Walk/Run on Trails and visit the Nature Center. Felt CCWP facilities were adequately staffed. Expressed an interest in seeing additional guided tours of the Park. Expressed a desire for a vendor in the Café space, and/or a gift shop Indicated that they would return to Wetlands Park. Cost Benefit Analysis The volunteer appreciation program currently costs approximately $4,050.00 annually for a volunteer base of 75 volunteers. The utilization of volunteers to run the Park produced a net benefit of$159,441.30 in FY13-14. Should the Park reach its’ goal of expansion of the volunteer program to 150 volunteers, the Cost-Benefit ratio would be 60.33, meaning for every dollar spent on the volunteer program, the Park would receive a benefit of $60.33. Recommendations The results of the evaluation determined that the goal to expand the CCWP volunteer program could be accommodated within the current budget with the following adjustments: Actionable Items (three to twelve months) Cost Minimization Efforts on Current Volunteer Program Operation Decrease the number of volunteer appreciation potlucks Decrease the number of appreciation gifts Modify the units in which volunteer commitment/contribution is measured and tracked Increase the minimum volunteer requirement from eight to 16 hours each month Increase communication between CCWP staff and volunteers Offer additional training opportunities Peer-to-peer training program Additional forums for communication with volunteers and visitors Short-Term Goals (One to Three Years) Alternative uniform possibilities Volunteer handbook Additional guided group tours Long-Term Goals (Three to Ten Years) Café and/or Gift Shop Volunteer management software Addition of a nonprofit arm, the Friends of Wetlands For the purposes of this evaluation report, “CCWP” and “The Park” will be used interchangeably to reference Clark County Wetlands Park. “M.A.R.S.” and “the evaluation team” will be used interchangeably to reference the M.A.R.S. student evaluation group

Using the Theory of Emotional Stakeholders to Experimentally Test the Influence of Proxy Communicators about Organizational Crises in Digital News Reports

The emergence of new and social media has transformed the way that stakeholders and organizations interact between and amongst each other. Online news consumers are now able to directly respond to crisis news reports by offering their own interpretation, thus expanding the diversity of viewpoints audiences are exposed to (Carpenter, 2010; Springer, 2014). Using the Theory of Emotional Stakeholders framework our study aims (1) to understand how positive and negative user-generated comments in response to online news reports of crisis events impacts audience perceptions of organizational blame; (2) to examine the persuasive effects of user comments when expert or official organizational responses are provided; and, (3) to measure the affective response to online news reports including user comments. Using experimental procedures our findings show that user comments from organizations, faith-holders, and hate-holders contribute to audience evaluations of crisis responsibility, both causal and treatment. Results found that user comments from faith-holders reduced causal responsibility in the intentional cluster compared to the control condition; however, when organizations were facing preventable crises, user comments from faith-holders amplified perceived treatment responsibility. A detailed description of the findings, discussion, limitations and future directions are provided

Agricultural Law: A Selected Bibliography, October 1992-December 1995

The following bibliography was compiled to assist lawyers and scholars in researching agricultural law topics

Endangered species condoms: a social marketing tool for starting conversations about population

The Endangered Species Condoms project was launched 10 years ago to bring the discussion of human population growth back into the environmental movement with a focus on human rights and reproductive justice. In that time, more than 1 million condoms have been distributed by thousands of volunteers. The principles of social marketing are used through the Endangered Species Condoms project to create a national discourse around the population issue. They are introduced in both formal teaching settings like high school and university classrooms as well as informal settings like community events and after-hours programing at zoos and museums to reach a broad, diverse audience