plan A / Pacific Islands Studies

<p>The Geologic <i>TimeScale Creator </i>(TSCreator) project has compiled a range of paleo-environmental and bio-diversity data which provides the opportunity to explore origination, speciation and extinction events. My PhD research has four major interconnected themes which include the visualization methods of evolutionary tree and the impacts of climate change on the evolution of life in longer and shorter timeframes: <b>(1) </b>Evolutionary range data of planktonic foraminifera and nannofossils over the Cenozoic era have been updated with our latest geological timescale. These evolutionary ranges can be visualized in the form of interactive, extensible evolutionary trees and can be compared with other geologic data columns. <b>(2) </b>A novel approach of integrating morphospecies and lineage trees is proposed to expand the scope of exploration of the evolutionary history of microfossils. It is now possible to visualize morphological changes and ancestor-descendant lineage relationships on TSCreator charts which helps mutual learning of these species based on genetic and bio-stratigraphic studies. <b>(3) </b>These evolutionary datasets have been used to analyze semi-periodic cycles in the past bio-diversity and characteristic rates of turnover. Well-known Milankovitch cycles have been found as the drivers of fluctuations in the speciation and extinction processes. <b>(4) </b>Within a shorter 2000-year time period, global cooling events might have been a factor of human civilization turnover. Using our regional and global cultural turnover time series data, the effect of climate change on human culture has been proposed. The enhancement of the evolutionary visualization system accomplished by this research will hopefully allow academic and non-academic users across the world to research and easily explore Earth history data through publicly available TSCreator program and websites. </p>

Recent charter school enrollment trends suggest that many parents are choosing to enroll students in charter schools instead of traditional public schools, even though data indicate public school achievement is equal to or above charter schools. Guided by Rogers and Maslow's humanistic theory, the purpose of the study was to examine reasons why parents exercised their right to educational choice and chose charter schools instead of traditional public schools for their children. The study focused on two charter schools, the Learning Academy and the School of Excellence (both pseudonyms), which are located in a large urban and suburban school district in Georgia. In this qualitative case study, data collection occurred through focus groups and individual interviews. The information was then coded, and themes were identified. This resulted in rich descriptions of the beliefs and perceptions of 13 classroom teachers, 2 administrators, and 21 parents from the 2 schools studied. Parents interviewed considered student achievement, school climate, and parent involvement opportunities when choosing the charter school. The analyzed data led me to develop a policy recommendation highlighting professional development for teachers and administrators as well as suggestions for increased parental involvement in public schools. This study has the potential to bring about positive social change by providing insights regarding why charter schools are becoming a better choice for parents through the perceptions of parents, teachers, and administrators. School leaders have the option to implement policy recommendations in a way that promotes student learning, positive school climate, and parental engagement, benefiting students within the district.