Maryland Shared Open Access Repository
MD-SOAR is a shared digital repository platform for twelve colleges and universities in Maryland. It is currently funded by the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium (usmai.org) and other participating partner institutions. MD-SOAR is jointly governed by all participating libraries, who have agreed to share policies and practices that are necessary and appropriate for the shared platform. Within this broad framework, each library provides customized repository services and collections that meet local institutional needs. Please follow the links below to learn more about each library's repository services and collections.
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Recent Submissions
Beyond Formalization: Legal Empowerment Strategies for Strengthening Indigenous and Afro-descendant Land Tenure in Ecuador
(2023-01-01) Pasion, Valerie Navarro; Holland, Margaret B; Geography and Environmental Systems; Geography and Environmental Systems
This paper examines the intricate challenges surrounding land tenure faced by Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Ecuador, exploring the critical role of legal empowerment strategies in addressing historical injustices. Through a qualitative analysis of the socio-political landscape, the study evaluates existing legal frameworks and their effectiveness in safeguarding ancestral lands. Emphasizing the need for inclusive governance, the paper proposes community legal empowerment strategies that empower Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations to assert their rights. By drawing on case studies of ECOLEX organization in Ecuador and legal precedents, the research shows the potential impact of Community Paralegals as strategies on strengthening land tenure security and fostering sustainable development. Ultimately, the paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on social justice and Indigenous rights, advocating for a transformative approach to legal empowerment that not only recognizes the cultural significance of ancestral lands but also bolsters the autonomy and resilience of marginalized communities.
Chiroptera as Biomonitors of Heavy Metal Distribution in Baltimore City
(2023-01-01) Blume, Christopher Phillip; Biehler, Dawn; Geography and Environmental Systems; Geography and Environmental Systems
ABSTRACT Title of Document: CHIROPTERA AS BIOMONITORS OF HEAVY METAL DISTRIBUTION IN BALTIMORE CITY Christopher Blume M.S 2023 Directed by: Dr. Dawn Biehler, Dr. Ela-Sita Carpenter, Dr. Chris Hawn, Dr Tamra Mendelson
Dr. Colin Studds Heavy metal contaminants such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury are often found in urban zones dominated by industry, construction and traffic. However, due to historic trends of racism and inequality, not all communities experience pollution in the same way. Low socioeconomic and communities of color have often borne the brunt of this ecological injustice due to the disenfranchisement and lack of investment in these communities. This burden impacts both the human communities near sources of contamination but also the wildlife species exposed. However, due to their exposure and adjacency to human communities, certain wildlife species can be used as biomonitors providing information about the health of communities and ecosystems. Bats are one such species due to their high trophic level, closeness to human populations, diet and bioaccumulation of contaminants. By sampling their guano from roosting sites, data on the distribution of contaminants and their concentrations can be determined.
Economic and Racial Disparities in Air Quality Monitors in Baltimore City, Maryland, and Other Major Metropolitan Cities in the United States
(2023-01-01) Gibson, Selenea Deianira; Mahmoudi, Dillon; Geography and Environmental Systems; Geography and Environmental Systems
The EPA has air quality monitoring networks that report ambient air fine particulate matter (PM2.5) within cities in the United States (EPA 2023a). The citizen science project PurpleAir has community scientists place PurpleAir PM2.5 monitors in areas of their choosing (Dybwad 2022). Yet, areas that have air quality monitors are still suffering from PM2.5 pollution. These areas contain predominantly low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) (Tessum et al. 2021; Tabuchi and Popovich 2021). To fully understand how air quality monitors work, I must understand the geography/distribution of monitors and the relationship between people and monitors. I use quantitative methods through exploratory and statistical analysis to collect location data on EPA and PurpleAir monitors, tract-level population data, race/ethnicity data, and median household income data. The findings reveal evidence of uneven geographies of EPA and PurpleAir air quality monitors. There is no relationship between EPA air quality monitors and low-income and BIPOC communities. Further, there is a relationship between PurpleAir air quality monitors and low-income and BIPOC communities.
The Trifecta of Environmental Challenges on College Campuses: Waste, Climate Change and Environmental Justice
(2023-01-01) Bodman, Mackenzie; Holland, Margaret; Geography and Environmental Systems; Geography and Environmental Systems
Through this thesis, I explore waste, climate change and environmental justice as a set of environmental challenges on university campuses. They are issues that exist independently of one another but can also work to exacerbate each other. The average member of a university campus community may or may not understand how these issues work in combination to influence people and the environment both on and off-campus. This study explores how different campus members perceive the interconnections between climate change, waste, and environmental justice. Do they understand the implications of a university campus’s impact on the environment and on people? Through structured surveys and focus group interviews, I find that campus members personalities tend to most closely relate to the following: (1) those who make the connections between climate change, environmental justice and waste and are acutely aware of their environmental impacts, (2) those who generally understand that there are impacts to the environment and to people from waste, but do not think about how campuses impact the environment and people, and (3) those who do not make connections between the three and do not perceive of impacts university campuses might have off campus. I find that even if campus members do make the connections between the three issues, they do not apply these same principles or associate the same impacts with a university campus.
Random Forest of Tensors
(01/01/2022) Eren, Maksim Ekin; Nicholas, Charles K; Computer Science and Electrical Engineering; Computer Science
Tensor decomposition is a powerful unsupervised Machine Learning method that enables the modeling of multi-dimensional data, including malware data. This thesis introduces a novel ensemble semi-supervised classification algorithm, named Random Forest of Tensors (RFoT), that utilizes tensor decomposition to extract the complex and multi-faceted latent patterns from data. Our hybrid model leverages the strength of multi-dimensional analysis combined with clustering to capture the sample groupings in the latent components, whose combinations distinguish malware and benign-ware. The patterns extracted from a malware data with tensor decomposition depend upon the configuration of the tensor such as dimension, entry, and rank selection. To capture the unique perspectives of different tensor configurations, we employ the "wisdom of crowds" philosophy and make use of decisions made by the majority of a randomly generated ensemble of tensors with varying dimensions, entries, and ranks. We show the capabilities of RFoT when classifying Windows Portable Executable (PE) malware and benign-ware.