In 1972, an environmental legal case involving Disney was taken to the Supreme Court. The case of Sierra Club v Morton began when The Mineral King Valley was still an undeveloped part of the Sequoia National Forest. With thoughts of profits on their mind, Disney wanted to build a ski resort on untouched land in the National Forest. Although Disney won the legal case, after doing research on the lasting, negative effects they would have on the land, the company decided not to move forward with a project that was worth millions of dollars. The ongoing struggles to fight for inanimate objects such as the land in question brought light to a sensitive subject; what if nature itself had legal rights? This work will combine rulings from the Sierra Club v Morton lawsuit and professional opinions along with factual information that shows that humankind should examine what it would mean to give legal rights to the natural environment.

For many cities in the American Midwest, decaying steel and auto industries have pockmarked their neighborhoods with empty factories and miles of unusable brownfield land. This article showcases a study of the environmental history, as well as the socio-economic downturn that industry has played on Canton, Ohio. Specifically, it investigates the Southwest neighborhoods that were built in response to companies such as Timken and Republic Steel. Data for this research was primarily acquired through secondary sources, namely news articles or journals that relate to the subject matter. Both economic and environmental data relating to these industries are well publicized over the span of the last 30 years. The study reveals that not only have the residents of these neighborhoods suffered from a loss of work, services and property values, but also have faced environmental hazards over the years due to the close proximity to industrial sites. These actions have particularly resulted in the gradual decline and lack of support for this region in response to the closing and outsourcing of industrial work from Canton to other places in the United States and across the world.

The meaning of Norse symbolism remains obscure in both popular and academic spheres, exacerbated by the appropriation of these symbols by Nazism; given the rising popular interest in pre-Christian Scandinavian religion, understanding the symbolism is critical to ensuring its proper use. Whereas many scholars feel comfortable treating the social, ritual, or linguistic elements of Norse religion, the methodology outlined in The Interpretation of Cultures by Clifford Geertz, utilized in the present paper, enables us to connect those elements to the metaphysical aspects of religion. We will apply those methods to the study of Norse wealth symbolism, since it clearly demonstrates the connection between society and metaphysics. Our sources will include the Prose and Poetic Eddas and associated mythic sagas. We will find that wealth symbolizes power, status, and skill in battle, reflecting a world transformed by war, ordered by the gods, and shaped by inexorable fate.

Jazz Jennings is an LGBT rights activist, a television personality, and a remarkable inspiration to many.  Jazz is one of the youngest people to be identified as transgender, at age five. Her story and struggle with finding her true self has greatly impacted the life of others, including myself. Jazz is very vocal and passionate in order to help transgender children know that they are not alone. I created a video based on Jazz’s book, Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen. Within my video, I share the story of Jazz’s life, the challenges she has faced, and her efforts fighting for LGBT rights. As a future educator, I find it extremely important that students accept and understand all differences. The video that I created brings awareness to the LGBT community and enforces Jazz’s message of loving yourself and knowing that it is okay to be different from others.

Food production has changed drastically over the years in the United States. As the population continues to grow, so does the demand for food. To manage the growing demand for meat, intensive farming systems were created to increase agricultural output and reduce costs. Around the world seventy billion farm animals are produced for consumption annually as a result of factory farming. However, producing vast numbers of livestock in a short period of time leads to environmental degradation. This paper determines how intensive animal agriculture contributes to environmental pollution and resource depletion. Intense animal agriculture leads to air pollution, water pollution, and deforestation. The global demand for animal protein is projected to more than double by 2050. Continuing on this path of over production and consumption will lead to irreversible environmental degradation. 

Pollution in urban areas, and more specifically urban lakes, affect local ecosystems. The surrounding environment both in the natural sense, and the social sense are seeing the effects that pollution has on the quality of life both in and out of the water. Plastic bottles, styrofoam cups, and spare tires riddle this environment and have a detrimental effect on the water quality. Nonprofit organizations have regular cleanups to help promote and advocate for a healthy environment both biologically and visually. Contracted firms conduct tests to verify whether or not the water is safe for human contact, as well as the biodiversity of the lake itself. This lake is at the center of two neighboring communities. Both varying differently in socioeconomic status and racially. Summit Lake in Akron, Ohio is at the epicenter of recreation and scenic views. The deterring factor is the constant pollution, and who or what is responsible for this persistent problem. Research and data collection over the vast amount of pollution in this lake shows whether there is a correlation with the socioeconomic background of the surrounding community, as well as the connection that the city of Akron has with waste management in this area. The Summit Metro Parks is a strong entity in this county. Their restoration project focuses on restoring the shoreline to its natural state, while adding accessibility to the community via a repurposed nature center and towpath trail. There are several factors that show contribution to the pollution in this area. The conclusions will show that it is a collective conglomeration of these various avenues.

Moderated by Dr. Lindsay Starkey

The use of atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki has remained a controversial decision due to the immense loss of life. Using information now available, I will be determining whether or not the use of atomic weaponry truly did save lives. Previous arguments discuss the possibility of conditional surrender, the effectiveness of traditional bombing, and the potential casualties of a land invasion. They ultimately fail to adequately consider Japanese sources when analyzing the effect on Japanese morale. I will be asking whether or not a second atomic bomb was required for surrender, and discuss the Japanese perspective on the war in the Pacific that is too often overlooked. Overall, the use of the nuclear bomb did save lives, and both were likely necessary to save lives when considering the culture of Japan and the mindset of the Japanese government.

The African Continent is a hotbed for ideas of what we think of as underdeveloped and underfunded communities and societies. Soil conservation is no different than social issues in that too can be lacking in both funding and practice. Africa is still a continent that is riddled with infighting, conflicts and underdevelopment due to years of exploitation in places like Ethiopia and South Africa, despite efforts from world organizations and local charities. This infighting and conflict fan the flame of underdevelopment and makes implementing soil conservation practices harder. This is not always the same across all countries within the continent, but it is relevant to most. An example, South Africa may be seen as a developed nation on paper but it still has issues with soil conservation. This study is supplemented by a collective of data obtained from scholarly journals published with professionals in the field and helps in an effort to explain what is done wrong and what is done right within the continent in regards to soil conservation and management.

Social and emotional development in children is important because it influences their self-confidence, ability to develop empathy, meaningful relationships, and their sense of importance. Children with strong social and emotional skills learn better. We interviewed experienced teachers so that we might better understand how educators support their students.   This video presentation is a brief summary of the insight shared by experienced educators when interviewed about Socioemotional Development in the Classroom. Sarah Flower interviewed Mrs. Hoxworth, an elementary art teacher with 30 years of experience. Haley Weller interviewed Mrs. Fone, a high school Spanish teacher with 26 years of experience. In this presentation, we examine self and identity, the moral development, and emotional development of students. Because of the benefits of strong socioemotional development in students, this information is also beneficial for teachers to be able to best help their students so that they feel competent and confident to succeed in their futures.

Events in the early twentieth century had profound impacts on American culture. The most indicative shift of the time is that of the flapper, a young woman drastically different from her more conservative predecessors at the turn of the century. While the Gibson girl, images of the Modern American woman created by Charles Dana Gibson, is primarily described as the predecessor to what would become flapper culture, it is immediately apparent that there must have been intermediaries as the transition from Gibson to flapper is not one-to-one. This ideal image of the Gibson girl, while remaining feminine, laid the groundwork for more independent and confident women that would be seen during the height of flapper culture. This article will examine one such pioneer Alice Roosevelt, daughter of former president Theodore Roosevelt. By doing so, this oral presentation will examine Alice Roosevelt’s ties to the Gibson girl while examining her actions and behaviors that would go on to resonate with flapper culture, through interviews with Alice and contemporary sources to flapper culture, such as the works of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.