Colgate-Palmolive Customer Development Year-Long Internship Project

From June 2021 to May 2022, I had the privilege of being the Customer Development Intern in the home care department at Colgate-Palmolive. In this thesis I will unpack the experience of working with Colgate Palmolive, specifically as it pertains to my largest project for the company. The genesis of the project was informed by observations of the company over the course of the internship. The company had a noticeable gap in the data collection tools it was utilizing. I, along with the manager and analyst of the home care team, identified a solution by using Walnut in Google Data Studios to curate and sift through all the data stored across platforms into one. Doing this would increase productivity in communication and cut out the extra steps in the data storage process. This was a far-reaching project with even broader advantages once completed. During the process of setting up a Walnut in Google Data Studios, I had to become familiar with software like Atlas, Retail Link, and Nielsen IQ, and learned that businesses need a central location for their data storage and analysis to increase efficiency and ensure that data is up-to-date and filed properly. The advantages of relocating the company’s data to a central and all-encompassing software like Walnut in Google Data Studios include increasing efficiency in communication team-wide, centralizing data for easy analysis, and eliminating unnecessary resources that waste company time, money, and energy. Far-reaching software, like Walnut in Google Data Studios, is essential for any company and worth the necessary time it takes to set up as a tool. It was imperative I take on this project to better support the home care team and show initiative as a young professional, and I succeeded in transforming the way the team operates and communicates daily

Systematic Review: Comparative Efficacy of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to Other Augmentative Communication Systems in Increasing Social Communication Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose: This systematic review aims to compare the efficacy of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to other forms of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in increasing social communication skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: A systematic review of the literature on PECS and other forms of AAC written between 2007 and 2018 was conducted. Studies were selected based on the established inclusionary and exclusionary criteria. The inclusionary criteria incorporated subjects with a formal diagnosis of ASD under the age of 18. Exclusionary criteria included individuals with severe sensory, motor, and/or other medical conditions that may have affected their use of PECS. 25 articles of varying study designs were critically appraised for validity and reliability to minimize bias. Results: Results suggest that both PECS and other forms of AAC are conducive to improving social communication in children (\u3c18 \u3eyears) with ASD. Advancements in conversation initiation, requesting behaviors and joint attention were noted, resulting in a global increase in communication interactions. However, studies demonstrated mixed results with specific consideration of rate of acquisition, modality preference, and overall effectiveness of the system. Conclusion: Synthesis of results from the 25 studies suggest that both PECS and other AAC systems show favorable outcomes for encouraging social-communicative behavior. The clinical implications of these results suggest the implementation of an AAC system may be client dependent. Single design designs were included in this review due to the lack of research in the areas of ASD and AAC. Further research of this comparison should be conducted on larger populations of children with ASD to improve clinical decision making to target social communication and increase generalizability.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/csdms/1000/thumbnail.jp

Awareness, use, and perceptions of biodiesel: A comparison of consumers in Belgium and the United States

Belgian (N = 61) and American (N = 134) fuel consumers were interviewed in the summer of 2012 to determine their awareness, use, and perceptions of biodiesel. Consumers who were aware of biodiesel were asked their perceptions. A significantly P \u3c 0.0001) higher percentage of Belgian consumers (78.7%) reported owning or driving a diesel vehicle compared to American consumers (9.0%). Belgian and American consumers moderately agreed biodiesel is a high-quality fuel. For both Belgian and American consumers, there was no significant association between owning a diesel vehicle and being aware of biodiesel or having purchased biodiesel. Although Belgian and American consumers agreed that using non-food crops for biodiesel is justified, Belgians were significantly less supportive than American consumers of using food crops for biodiesel. Both Belgian and American consumers disagreed with the statement “I would never use biodiesel”, and the two sets of consumers moderately disagreed that diesel engines would not run properly on biodiesel. Belgian and American consumers agreed that global warming is increasing; however, American consumers were more positive about the potential of biodiesel to reduce harmful exhaust emissions and global warming. Belgian consumers moderately agreed and American consumers agreed that biodiesel is better to use because it is made from renewable resources. Belgian and American consumers generally show similar perceptions of biodiesel, with the exception that American consumers were more positive toward the environmental and renewable aspects of biodiesel use. Recommendations for further research include gaining a better understanding of the potential positive influences that impact consumers’ perceptions of biodiesel

Criminal background screening in affordable housing units in Austin, Texas

Since the 1970s the number of individuals with involvement in the criminal justice system has increased rapidly. Here in Texas, this number is alarmingly high. With over 5,000 individuals being released from correctional facilities in Travis County alone in 2007, this issue is very relevant to the Austin community. Current happenings in the city revolving around a ‘Ban the Box’ policy for employment have begun a momentum to look at the necessity of criminal background screenings to judge an applicant’s ability to be a good employee. This along with Austin Mayor Steve Adler’s recent 2015 proposition to effectively end veteran homelessness, have set the stage to create programs to aid people with criminal records obtain housing. Obtaining housing is increasingly difficult in Austin not only for people with criminal records. The price of housing has increased dramatically for both renters and owners making housing unaffordable for much of the population. This trend, coupled with criminal background screening practices, makes finding housing very difficult for many individuals. The city has multiple programs in place to incentivize the development of affordable housing through density bonuses and expedited reviews. These programs have led to a large number of affordable units scattered throughout the city; however, these units, like many across Austin, often have criminal background screenings practices that are overly broad and make housing unattainable for many individuals. A number of organizations across the country have created a series of best practices for criminal background screening that deconstruct stigmas regarding applicants with criminal backgrounds. If these practices were to be applied in Austin, especially to the current stock of affordable housing, it would create more opportunity and choice for applicants across the city to find housing.Community and Regional Plannin

The Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Physical Activity and Health within United States University Population

In the United States, COVID-19-related restrictions included a stay-at-home order with the exception of essential services such as medical care, grocery shopping, etc. During this time, all universities transitioned to an online learning format. This study examined the impact of COVID-19 on physical activity lifestyle changes within a university community. This was a cross-sectional study in which assessed changes in lifestyle-related behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic, the amount of sedentary time spent each week, and the underlying reasons behind people’s decisions as to whether to engage in physical activity. The respondents (n=1536) The results of this survey (n=1536) showed that 52.2% were between 18 and 25 years of age, 87.4% Caucasian, 56.7% single and 67.7% female. The mean BMI was 25.8 with 2.6% underweight, 40.9% healthy weight, and 56.5% overweight or obese according to the CDC. Study results showed significant differences between Healthy weight and Obese and between Overweight and Obese with regard to lifestyle-related behavior with those having higher BMIs being affected most by COVID-19. This was the same trend seen with the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) which is a measure of time spent in physical activity. Underweight (m=265.2) and healthy weight individuals (m=262.5) spent more time being physically active. Lastly, those with healthy BMIs differed significantly from all other BMI categories with regard to the BREQ-3 Relative Autonomy Index suggesting that those with healthier BMIs felt greater autonomy with regard to exercise behavior

Sexual Assault Prevention & Education Within Purity Culture: A Process Evaluation of an Intervention Conducted with Community Partners at a Christian University

Background & Purpose: Many victims of sexual assault are rising to advocate for sexual assault prevention on college campuses, including Christian college campuses. Some reports indicate that Christian campuses shy away from the topic and refuse to allow needed programs on sex or sexual assault to be introduced to their campuses, even though it is so adamantly needed. The purpose of this study was to increase the promotion of sexual assault awareness and prevention to students on the campus of Charleston Southern University. Methods: A one-day seminar was offered in partnership with a community health organization on campus. Over 75 students attended to hear survivor narratives and an awareness message. Primary analysis of survey data collected involved qualitative and quantitative analysis of open and closed-ended questions. In total, the research team reviewed 34 pre-intervention surveys and 9 post- intervention surveys. Results: Descriptive data analysis revealed that participants found the sexual assault awareness and prevention program to be “most informative” and “informative.” Qualitative analysis of open-ended questions found that content was accepted by audience because of the “openness” of the speaker. Emergent themes included: unwanted contact, not the victims fault, and attire of victim caused sexual assault. Conclusion: Culturally-informed awareness and prevention programs that are realistic, open, peer-led, and create a comfortable non-threatening atmosphere have a vital role to play in educating students on Christian campuses on the subject of sexual assault prevention. Critical analysis of purity culture and true awareness-raising can happen in such settings

Ecophysiology of coral reef primary producers across an upwelling gradient in the tropical central Pacific

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Johnson, M. D., Fox, M. D., Kelly, E. L. A., Zgliczynski, B. J., Sandin, S. A., & Smith, J. E. Ecophysiology of coral reef primary producers across an upwelling gradient in the tropical central Pacific. Plos One, 15(2), (2020): e0228448, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0228448.Upwelling is an important source of inorganic nutrients in marine systems, yet little is known about how gradients in upwelling affect primary producers on coral reefs. The Southern Line Islands span a natural gradient of inorganic nutrient concentrations across the equatorial upwelling region in the central Pacific. We used this gradient to test the hypothesis that benthic autotroph ecophysiology is enhanced on nutrient-enriched reefs. We measured metabolism and photophysiology of common benthic taxa, including the algae Porolithon, Avrainvillea, and Halimeda, and the corals Pocillopora and Montipora. We found that temperature (27.2–28.7°C) was inversely related to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (0.46–4.63 μM) and surface chlorophyll a concentrations (0.108–0.147 mg m-3), which increased near the equator. Contrary to our prediction, ecophysiology did not consistently track these patterns in all taxa. Though metabolic rates were generally variable, Porolithon and Avrainvillea photosynthesis was highest at the most productive and equatorial island (northernmost). Porolithon photosynthetic rates also generally increased with proximity to the equator. Photophysiology (maximum quantum yield) increased near the equator and was highest at northern islands in all taxa. Photosynthetic pigments also were variable, but chlorophyll a and carotenoids in Avrainvillea and Montipora were highest at the northern islands. Phycobilin pigments of Porolithon responded most consistently across the upwelling gradient, with higher phycoerythrin concentrations closer to the equator. Our findings demonstrate that the effects of in situ nutrient enrichment on benthic autotrophs may be more complex than laboratory experiments indicate. While upwelling is an important feature in some reef ecosystems, ancillary factors may regulate the associated consequences of nutrient enrichment on benthic reef organisms.This work was supported by funding from the Moore Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Scripps family, and anonymous donors. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript

Academic Libraries and Learning Support in Collaboration. Library Based Guidance for Peer Assisted Learning Leaders at Bournemouth University: Theory and Practice.

This article begins with an overview of the University’s pioneering Peer Assisted Learning Scheme (PAL) and describes how in 2005/6, the Library became involved, collaborating with the PAL Coordinator to develop materials for use by PAL Leaders. PAL is intended to foster cross-year support between students on the same course. It encourages students to support each other and learn co-operatively under the guidance of trained students from the year above - called PAL Leaders. Two documents were produced to support and empower these leaders. The first, Using the Library for Your Research, provides leaders with key guidance information on the University Library, its resources and the services it provides. The second, Citing References Using the Harvard System, aims to explain and demystify the Harvard Referencing system and to encourage good referencing habits from an early stage of their course through a practical hands-on exercise. Feedback from PAL Leaders continues to inform the development of these guidance materials, in particular the referencing exercise which was reworked to better suit the needs of the leaders delivering it