Browsing by Subject "Program"
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Item Intent versus outcome of international mural exchange(2011-08) Batson, Amanda Ashley; Bolin, Paul Erik, 1954-In an attempt to rectify the issues and concerns on the impact of an international mural exchange created by the organization Let Art Talk in 2008, I traveled to Uganda to pursue a similar community based, environmentally themed art workshops and Talking Mural. This theme-based mural was created and then given to a school in Plano, Texas to complete. My role was to investigate the work being done and the potential effects of learning on participants involved and to gauge the communication and learning exchanged between the participants in two varied communities. Through the creation of a mural using case study methods, it was also to be determined if the mission and goals of the project were accomplished. This study was focused on the following question: In what ways and to what extent is the purposeful intent and meaning of the artwork made by students in Uganda--as part of a mural exchange program about environmental issues that occurs between students in Uganda and the United States--understood by the students in the United States who view and respond to this artwork?Item Residential water conservation in Austin, Texas(2009-12) Sires, Luke Abrams; Moore, Steven A., 1945-; Butler, Kent S.This study explores the social, technological economic, and environmental development of single-family residential water conservation programs at the Austin Water Utility and asks: What makes a conservation program successful? I hypothesize that water conservation programs will be successful if both institutional-producer goals and citizen-consumer goals are satisfied. While the findings suggest that this may be partially true, it also has become clear that my original actor-network model was too simple to predict the various types of influences on program success. Not only did I find other significant ‘actors’ involved in water conservation, I also found that utility and participant groups themselves represent a wide variety of interests. This study seeks to answer the research question by creating a series of narratives that critically explore water infrastructure and water conservation programs in Austin, Texas. Through a methodological lens referred to as ‘critical constructivism,’ I use mixed methods to analyze and interpret historic documents, interviews, and quantitative data as primary sources. Literature from Science and Technology Studies (STS) are used as secondary sources. This study will add to a body of knowledge that describes how and why we manage our environmental resources. The subject of conservation is especially relevant as urban growth continues with fewer affordable opportunities to increase regional water supplies. As we enter an era of expected water conflict, knowing how to conserve water effectively will help provide more opportunities for sharing a common resource amongst communities, industry, agriculture, and the environment.Item The Austin Garden Landscape Project(2020-05-13) Hoover, Amy; Davis, Jaimie NicoleThe Austin Garden Landscape Project Amy Hoover, MS The University of Texas at Austin, 2020 Supervisor: Jaimie Davis, PhD, RD, Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences Co-Supervisor: Laura M. Lashinger, PhD, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Nutritional Sciences Background: Gardening programs have been utilized by schools for over thirty years to provide an outdoor hands-on science learning experience, teach nutrition knowledge and food safety practices, and promote environmental awareness. Numerous studies over the past two decades have shown that school gardening programs improve dietary intake, academic performance and numerous other health parameters. Despite the amount of substantiated benefits associated with school gardening education integration, few studies have systematically evaluated sustainability factors essential to the success of these programs. Objective: The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the challenges and best practices predicting successful sustainability of school gardens in the Greater Austin area. Methods: We assembled a panel of experts to develop surveys targeting administrators and teachers to assess fundamental barriers and strategies relevant to school gardening programs, as well as an observational evaluation tool of the physical garden landscape. We administered these 35-item surveys to 523 school teachers and 174 administrators and completed the observation logs from 100 schools across the Austin area. Descriptive and frequency analyses will be run to identify the top barriers reported and strategies implemented. Subsequently, schools will be categorized based on status of the physical gardens, teacher usage/integration of garden, and number of children using the garden, to categorize schools as thriving vs. struggling garden programs. Regression analysis will be run to assess which strategies/barriers predict thriving garden programs. Conclusion: The results of this study will identify key components needed to maintain and sustain successful school gardening programs.