Issue 8, Spring 2014

Sustainable Energy in the Galapagos

Sean Dove

As the global population continues to grow, so does the dependency and need for energy. For decades, the solution to satisfy the world’s demand has been the use of cheap, abundant, and inefficient sources such as coal and oil, but these sources are contributing to massive amounts of environmental degradation and the emission of greenhouse gases. The Galapagos Islands have pledged to do away with fossil fuels in an innovative “Zero Fuels Initiative” in order to help combat environmental damage to its own pristine habitats that make Galapagos one of the most sought out destinations in the world for scientific research and eco-tourism. This paper serves as a summary of the initiative as well as other projects that by 2020 will reduce the use of unsustainable energy in boats, cars, and generators and replace them with sustainable means such as wind turbines, solar panels, and bio-fuel, making Galapagos a completely sustainable archipelago.

Education, Employment, and Coastal Carolina University

Tom Fernandez

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown that while unemployment amongst young college graduates is high, joblessness decreases as students pursue post-baccalaureate degrees. With national unemployment near eight percent, it is important for college students to consider what obstacles they may face when entering the workforce. Challenges may include sociohistorical factors like parental educational attainment, socioeconomic factors, and obstacles surrounding various forms of human capital. This study predicts the decisions Coastal Carolina University (CCU) students will make post-graduation based upon four elements: parental education, academic achievement, paid work, and faculty-student interaction. I surveyed a random sample of CCU students to assess future occupational and/or educational plans postbaccalaureate graduation. The results show that the four selected elements accurately predict whether CCU students plan to enter a graduate program or the workforce after graduation. Considering, then, that unemployment risks decrease as education beyond a bachelor’s degree increases, CCU faculty have a unique opportunity to shape the economy by encouraging students to pursue schooling postbaccalaureate graduation.

The Pit Bull's Discourse

Karen Jennings

Since the early 1980s, news reporters have used the pit bull as a scapegoat to get media attention by plastering the frightening image of a snarling, bloody dog across all news outlets. Over the years, the pit bull’s image has suffered major blows to its already battered reputation with every new “dog attack” news story published. Each reporter’s word choice, in both past and present news stories, has an effect on the reader’s perception of the topic. By analyzing several unrelated stories about pit bulls, both good and bad, I reveal how word choice alone shapes a reader’s perception while providing a new image for the breed, one mixed with my own personal experiences and the true history of the American Pit Bull Terrier.

Preliminary Study of Kleptoplasty in Foraminifera of South Carolina

Shawnee Lechliter

Recent studies of living foraminifera, microscopic aquatic protists, indicate that some species have the ability to steal photosynthetic plastids from other microorganism and keep them viable through a process called kleptoplasty. Studying the symbiotic relationships within these diverse protists gives insight not only into evolutionary history, but also their importance to the ecosystem. We determined the presence of these kleptoplastic species and identified presence and origin of sequestered plastids based on morphological identification and molecular data from samples collected at Waties Island, South Carolina. We identified two kleptoplastic genera (Elphidium and Haynesina) and two non-kleptoplastic genera (Ammonia and Quinqueloculina) present in the lagoon. Phylogenomic results indicated that sequestered plastids originated from pennate diatoms from the genus Amphora. However, further research is needed to prevent bias due to environmental impact and corroborate host specificity and plastid origin.

The Globalization of Human Rights in Post-Genocide Rwanda

Sadara Shine

In the past two decades, Rwanda has been through major changes, from a conflict-ridden society with deep divisions between the two main ethnic groups–Hutus and Tutsis–to a case of impressive economic growth. Despite the progress, deep divisions and human rights issues exist. To avoid the recurrence of any conflict, both state and non-state actors are playing varied roles in a post-genocide Rwanda. Based on both primary and secondary sources, this article argues that in an era of globalization and postgenocide in Rwanda, non-state actors like international non-governmental organizations have the most impact in the preservation of human rights. So, in spite of the multiplicity of actors working to protect human life and property in Rwanda, and recovery from the effects of genocide, the character and mode of operation of these non-state actors put them ahead of other actors in the achievement of this goal.