For Alexander: An Exploration Of Good Ole Boy Identity And Mortality.

For Alexander is an exhibition about masculinity as it is exhibited by Southern good ole boys . I rely on original and appropriated imagery, as well as memories of loss and humor from my childhood in Alabama. Combining mixed media and sculptural elements has allowed me to investigate the subjects that interest me. I explore and artistically comment on these subjects through a mix of personal and culturally loaded imagery that records what I have either experienced or researched, and which I realize through the ironic use of non-traditional materials, such as sequins and rhinestones. My work examines stereotypes and my own beliefs about Southern good ole boys. I also reflect on elements of Southern hypocrisy, and I question long standing social practices with the help of historical and contemporary media sources. My exhibition is dedicated to my great uncle, who was murdered by his father, a preacher, during the Great Depression

Finding God on The Indian Road: Exploring the Intersectionality Between Native American and Christian Spiritual Living

Drawing on the long and arduous history between the Indigenous people of the United States and the Christian church that colonists brought to them, this project works to address the harmful relationship of the past to establish a foundation for moving forward in a spirit of respect and reverence for Native American spiritual practices that have much to offer the Christian world of spiritual living. For centuries these two deeply spiritual worlds were told that they could not and would not co-exist. This project then draws deep attention to ways Native American spiritual practices have been misappropriated and trivialized over the years through a lack of reverence and appreciation. The project then moves into a deeper understanding of a “Native” mindset as well as spirituality itself before it concludes with tangible ways of living more spiritually in the spirit of traditional practices of Native American peoples. The goals of this project are twofold per audience. For the non-Native community, the goal is to teach and to lend. Deeper knowledge of a more accurate historical account and actual harms that have been done to Indian people over the centuries is an area often misunderstood and unrealized in non-Native communities. From this place, a deeper sense of respect and appreciation can emerge that embraces the truest essence of Native American spirituality deeply and reverently. The project also works to offer non-Natives a new way of living spiritually that draws on the fundamental nature of Indian spiritual practices and ways of living that give way to a new spiritual path within the Christian community. The second is the Native American community. This work offers a new sense of hope and a new beginning for Natives that continue to struggle with the voices of the past telling them that they can’t be fully Native and fully Christian at the same time. The work offers the possible reality that these two worlds very much can and should co-exist, and it is a good and joyful thing for Indigenous peoples to begin to explore where their cultures and faith intersect

Emotional Intelligence: the Core of the Church Leader for Missional Living in the Emerging Culture

The modem western church is experiencing a crisis of leadership. This crisis of leadership within the church is driven largely by the lack of emotional intelligence among the churches leaders. The lack of emotional intelligence is debilitating to the missional effectiveness of the Church in this emerging culture. The problem of the lack of emotional intelligence among leaders will be addressed by crafting a model of leadership composed of a core with four key components. The core is emotional intelligence (EI). With EI at the core of the leader, four ways of life and leadership emerge. These will equip the emotionally intelligent leader with the capacity to empower himself/herself, other individuals, and congregations for missional living effectiveness in God\u27s twenty-first century Church. This study examines an ever expanding library of leadership experts and their offerings of ideas on leadership for effectiveness in the future. Through the examination of these materials, it was identified that many authors stated similar findings in effective leadership traits. The underlying piece that makes these leadership gifts effective for the leader and the community or business that they lead, is a fundamental growth in their awareness of their emotions and the emotions of others. The four key components flow from the leader\u27s core emotional intelligence. The first two components, Incarnational Living and Transparent Leading, provide the self-discipline for personal growth in mission. Both of these categories deal primarily with the self. Both are instrumental for relationship growth with God and others to take root. As leaders grow in these capacities, a third element of emotional intelligence, Intuitive Leaning, takes on special significance as it enables leaders to create resonance in their communities and life relationships. With these three elements missionally infecting individuals and their relationships, a fourth component, Connective Linking, enables leaders to create environments of inspiration and empowerment for others. Collectively, these EI components build upon one another for missional living in this emerging culture

A cytogenetic study of New Zealand nuclear test veterans : the COMET assay : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Genetics at Massey University

Between 1952 and 1958, forty thousand troops witnessed or assisted in the detonation of nuclear weapons in and around Australia and Christmas Island. Of these forty thousand troops there were 550 sailors from New Zealand; the remainder were mainly from Australia or Britain, together with a Fijian contingent. Since the end of this test series, the participants have maintained that they were exposed to radiation that has affected their health. The New Zealand test veterans say that their lifespan has been reduced by at least 10 years and there have been an unusually high number of genetic disorders among them and their children. The possible genetic effects of this radiation exposure have never been fully investigated. One of the most popular techniques for detecting DNA damage is the single-cell gel electrophoresis assay (SCGE), also known as the COMET assay. The COMET assay was used throughout this study to determine if veterans of the Operation Grapple tests have longterm genetic effects as a result of their participation. The COMET assay measured three factors to determine the overall genetic damage in these veterans: the tail length; the tail moment; and the Olive tail moment. Only the tail length had a significant amount of difference after a comparison with a control group was conducted (P=0.046). However, the mean genetic damage in these veterans was lower than that of the control group. It is unclear if this result is due to an anomaly in the data, or due to some other complex factor. An epidemiological analysis revealed a possible link between the mortality of these veterans and the number of weapons detonated. The collection of these one hundred samples, not including re-collections, from several areas of New Zealand became a logistical nightmare. To minimise this problem a pilot study was also incorporated into this research to determine if blood samples could be cryopreserved for extended periods of time without an accumulation of genetic damage due to the freezing process. The COMET assay was also used to determine this damage. The cryopreservation of these samples induced extensive genetic damage. Only 7 from the total of 60 frozen samples were retrieved with a level of damage that was not significantly different from the original, unfrozen sample (P=>0.050). It appears that the routine use of cryopreserved blood samples for cytogenetic testing is not possible at this time and further study is required

Reflections on a Silent Meditation Retreat: A Beginner’s Perspective

This paper explores the experience of a silent meditation retreat from the perspective of a novice practitioner. The 7-day Scientist Meditation Retreat was held at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. It was intended to provide meditation researchers an intensive silent retreat experience. The author shares his reflections throughout the retreat and concludes with some of the personal insights he gained

Exercise Behavior Patterns in Emerging Adulthood: An Exploration of Predictor Variables from Self-Determination Theory and Transtheoretical Model

During the transition from childhood to adulthood, young people establish patterns of behavior and make lifestyle choices that affect both their current and future health (NCHS, 2010). Emerging adulthood – a new conception of development for the period from the late teens through the twenties – focuses on individuals ages 18-25 who did not have a child, own a home, or have sufficient income to be fully independent (Arnett, 2000). Very little is known about social influence, motivational mediators, and motivation on exercise behavior within this developmental period. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of constructs from self-determination theory (SDT) and transtheoretical model (TTM) on the development and maintenance of exercise behavior in emerging adulthood. Using logistic regression techniques, this study investigated the influence of SDT and TTM constructs on meeting the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for American among emerging adults (USDHHS, 2008). As part of the analysis, indirect parental influences on exercise behavior were also explored. Four-hundred and thirty-five (N=435) emerging-adult participants from a southeastern university completed the study assessing their basic psychological needs in exercise, self-regulation motivation in exercise, stage-of-exercise adherence, and current activity level; indirect parental influences on exercise behavior were also explored. Several factors significantly predicted whether or not emerging adults were meeting 2008 Guidelines: high levels of total perceived competence in exercise, moderate-high levels of relatedness satisfaction in exercise, moderate levels of intrinsic motivation to exercise, being in action stage of change for exercise adherence, and having an influential parental figure/s meeting 2008 Guidelines. Significant probabilities emerged describing the likelihood of emerging adults meeting 2008 Guidelines (meeting Guidelines associated with substantial and/or extensive health benefits)

Cultivating High-Level Organizational Engagement to Promote Novel Learning Experiences in STEAM

Traditional partnerships in K-12 public education often produce low-level organizational engagement among its partners—one partner funds, the other uses the funds Typically a “partner in education” donates funds, which may benefit students through the purchase of new equipment, staff development experiences, or scholarships. In some cases, an organization may send an expert over to speak with the students about their field. This type of philanthropic outreach is indispensable for schools that need additional support and important for students to gain information from the “real world” but does not necessarily translate into deep, meaningful academic impact