Tag: Podium Presentation

Pablo Ponce¹
Faculty Mentor: Amy Reed-Sandoval, Ph.D.^1
1College of Liberal Arts, Department of Philosophy

ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study will be to measure the effect that teaching pre-college philosophy to children has on their performance in science classes. The study will include a literature review, in which the various perspectives on this topic are surveyed and analyzed. The study will also include insights gathered from a 4-month philosophy course taught by the researcher(s) to children between the ages of 9-12. In these classes, students typically engage in a “community of inquiry,” in which they ask and answer questions about a picture book that contains philosophical themes. Also, each class usually begins with a series of warm up questions about the topic of the lesson and ends with a game or activity that relates to the discussion. The children in this group are a part of a biochemistry literacy program and the study will also include information gathered from their respective biochemistry classes.

Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio¹
Faculty Mentor: Terance D. Miethe, Ph.D.^2
1Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, School of Public Policy and Leadership
²Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, Department of Criminal Justice

ABSTRACT
Is the nexus between illicit wildlife trafficking (IWT) and terrorism real or purported? A review of 21st-century literature suggests that researchers are divided. Zoonotic diseases such as the COVID-19 pandemic occur via the transmission of viruses from animals to humans. They are increasingly pervasive not just as a public health issue, but as a security concern as well. While trillions of dollars have gone toward counterterrorism since the 9/11 attack, relatively little is spent policing the various illicit economies that finance terrorist groups. According to the Congressional Research Service, IWT ranks in the upper tier of the world’s most lucrative illicit economies, behind only drug trafficking, human trafficking, and the illegal weapons trade. One perspective argues that the nexus is real since many of the same groups dealing in commodities like weapons or drugs also deal in wildlife. Poachers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often using the same tactics and complex distribution networks used by organized crime and militant groups. Several militant groups have long engaged in IWT, including the Taliban in Afghanistan, the FARC in Colombia, and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to name a few. The counter-perspective argues that IWT accounts for only a small portion of terrorist financing; overstating this nexus can result in the over-militarization of law enforcement against wildlife trafficking, and thus more violence. Previous research has examined the topic primarily through a regional lens. This study therefore examines the sources, convergences, and divergent elements of IWT and other forms of organized crime worldwide.

This research was funded by UNLV’s TRIO McNair Scholars Institute, which is housed within UNLV’s Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach and funded under the TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program by a grant (P217A170069) from the U.S. Department of Education. 

Syeda Jamshed¹
Faculty Mentor: John P. Tuman, Ph.D.^1
1College of Liberal Arts, Department of Political Science

ABSTRACT
As the fastest-growing ethnic group in southern Nevada, Asian Americans comprise 8.6% of Nevada’s population and 10.28% of Clark County’s population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Despite the rapid growth of the Asian American community in southern Nevada, Asian Americans are constantly facing obstacles that inhibit them from moving up the socioeconomic ladder mainly due to the lack of opportunity, policies, and resources. This research paper examines whether education influences socioeconomic advancement of Asian Americans, and whether the relationship between the two variables is conditioned by other factors, including social capital. A secondary goal is to examine whether the relationship between education and social mobility varies among different sub-groups of Asian Americans, including South Asians. Lastly, the thesis offers simple, tangible solutions to these problems. The research methodology of the thesis drew on analysis of recent, empirical studies by scholars who have examined and documented the determinants and levels of socioeconomic levels and educational attainment of Asian Americans in the United States. The thesis also provides an empirical analysis that are based on data from the Asian American Survey, which is a representative sample that includes data on educational attainment, social capital, and various ethnic and immigrant groups, including different Asian American sub-groups. The main findings of the research thesis indicated that education provides critical skills for social mobility as it provides individuals more leverage in the labor market in order to earn a higher salary.

Kristian Thymianos¹
Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio²
Peter Grema³
Saha Salahi⁴
Faculty Mentor: Magdalena Martinez, Ph.D.^2
1College of Liberal Arts, Department of Political Science
²Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, School of Public Policy and Leadership
³Lee Business School, Department of Economics
⁴Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, Department of Communication Studies

ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the economies across the United States, but few areas were hit with the same severity as southern Nevada—which reported a nearly 30% unemployment rate in April of 2020 . This presentation will review the methodologies, plans, and goals of the study. Through interviews with businesses, community leaders, and workers, this study seeks to determine how groups of southern Nevadans were impacted, and whether they experienced a disparate economic recovery since the onset of the pandemic. The first group of interviews will be ‘individuals in leadership roles’ from higher education institutions, elected officials, business bureaus and organizations, unions, healthcare practitioners, and leaders of community organizations (including for housing assistance, food assistance, and Native American Tribes). The second group, the ‘non-leaders’ will consist of service workers, students, single-parent households, etc. By garnering a holistic view of the impact of COVID-19 on southern Nevada, we will gain a thorough understanding of what policy mechanisms can prevent and/or mitigate the impacts of future recessions in southern Nevada.

Candace Wells¹
Faculty Mentor: Kenneth Miller, Ph.D.^1
1College of Liberal Arts, Department of Political Science

ABSTRACT
This study offers an explanation to the interstate variation of the gender wage gap in the United States. Looking at political explanations as an answer for the wage gap’s persistence, I hypothesize that Democratically controlled state government positively impacts the state having pay equity policies, and that having these pay equity policies positively impacts the state’s gender wage gap. Using U.S. Census Bureau, National Conference of State Legislatures, and American Association of University Women with U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau data, I find that while there is a correlation between Democratically controlled state legislatures and pay equity policy and a correlation between Democratic majority legislatures and a narrower gender wage gap, there does not appear to be a direct association between pay equity policy and the state’s gender wage gap. The findings suggest that partisanship of the state legislature plays a key role in the wage equity policy of a state, as well as the reasoning that longstanding Democratic majorities have already passed policy to combat the apparent causes of the gap, and that more in depth policy is thus necessary to completely close it.

Julianna Jovillar¹
Faculty Mentor: Emma Bloomfield, Ph.D.^1
1Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, Department of Communications Studies

ABSTRACT
Although American children’s animated series, Steven Universe, is often praised for its diverse and queer representation, people often overlook that the show also portrays toxic relationships. This portrayal moves the narrative along and frames the characters as learning and growing from their traumas. In this study, I have evaluated the portrayal of the toxic and abusive relationship of Lapis Lazuli (Lapis) and Jasper in Steven Universe using feminist rhetorical criticism. Informed by rhetorical theories of gender, hierarchies, and power dynamics, my analysis shows there is an issue of consent displayed between the characters, as well as blatant physical and verbal abuse. Additionally, other characters’ comments about the relationship provide explicit acknowledgment that the relationship is harmful and abusive. Power dynamics are also apparent in the simultaneous framing of a relationship between two females and the distinctive presentation of Lapis as feminine and Jasper as masculine, which mirrors but also complicates gender roles. The results indicate that the depiction of abuse through Lapis and Jasper is nuanced and accurate, enabling Steven Universe audiences, likely children and young adults, to recognize toxic relationships that are often missing from children’s media. As children are the primary audience of this show, it is implicated that Lapis and Jasper’s portrayal acts as a lesson for younger generations, introducing them to toxic relationships early on as a way of educating them on what to identify as unhealthy and presenting them in a way that challenges traditional gender roles and power dynamics between men and women.