Research shows that the United States of America is losing its competitive stance in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) relative to other countries. One strategy that could solve this problem would be to diversify the field of STEM to include more women of color. The purpose of this narrative, qualitative research study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women with advanced/terminal degrees who are current STEM professionals in Palm Beach County. Fourteen Black women participated in this study, which yielded four major findings that included early exposure to education’s value. importance of a strong sense of self/self-identity, challenges, and discrimination. The hope is that these findings will provide local administrators and elected officials/decision-makers (e.g., the school district, higher education, and government agencies) with information that could advise future practices and policies to close the gap of under-represented Black women in STEM industries. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1990. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 228-232).

This study examines six oral history projects that were conducted over fifty years in Palm Beach County, Florida. The projects recorded the history of African American neighborhoods in Delray Beach and Boca Raton; individual lives in their place and times; the pioneer and Flagler eras in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach; and people, places, and events chosen by oral history students at Florida Atlantic University. As with oral histories generally, those studied inherently contain numerous variables concerning their (1) historical context, (2) format, and (3) participants, which clearly affect the outcome of recorded interviews and their written representations. Among the variables considered, this study demonstrates that it is the purpose of a single oral history or project that most significantly affects the others, and which is closely tied to the academic disciplines or backgrounds of its planner and interviewer. Although oral history is a tool with many uses, it is also a discipline within that of history. As such, oral historians are obliged to preserve raw history in a form that is protected, accessible, and useful for interpretation by potential researchers in a variety of fields. Regardless of their primary purpose, oral historians from all disciplines should remain aware of this underlying purpose: to provide for the future. / by Lise M. Steinhauer. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Water treatment facilities across the United States are known for providing high-quality drinking water to their residents. However, differences in treatment methods, aging infrastructure, and outdated household plumbing may affect the quality of drinking water by the time it reaches the consumer’s tap. Palm Beach County, Florida, is an area with large socioeconomic contrasts where some families live in dilapidated structures and others reside in luxurious, gated communities. This research highlights the variation of household water quality by determining metal concentrations in tap water samples in communities of different socioeconomic status. In addition, interviews were conducted with personnel from five different Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in the study area to understand the relationship between customers and their water utility. Results indicate that effective communication strategies are needed to boost public trust and fill critical information gaps about the water treatment process. Ninety-six tap water samples were collected from households throughout eastern Palm Beach County and analyzed for different metals using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. Surveys were also administered at the same households where tap water samples were collected. Residents were asked about their perceptions of tap water and social and economic questions regarding their household characteristics. A Socioeconomic Status (SES) index was created using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to understand how perceptions of tap water quality and concentrations of metals in household tap water vary based on SES. Results provide evidence that those living in the lowest-ranking SES neighborhoods are the least satisfied with their tap water quality and consume less tap water than those living in higher SES neighborhoods. Water quality results highlighted large variations in concentrations of aluminum (Al) and thus, analyses focused specifically on how Al concentrations varied according to SES. Results from Ordinary Least Squares regression show that as socioeconomic status decreases, the concentration of Al in tap water increases. Six samples exceed the State of Florida’s Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) for Al, and five of those samples were found in the lowest-ranking SES neighborhoods (SES 1 and 2). The results of this research provide evidence that inequities in household water quality exist across eastern Palm Beach County, Florida. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Open-coast beach-dune environments are vulnerable to erosion, such as from storms or interruption of littoral drift. Although protected from event-driven wave energy, backbarrier shorelines are also susceptible to erosion, due to tidal currents and boat wakes. A common response to mitigate erosion is to place sediment and restore the environment. For placement on beaches, a significant effort has been made to identify offshore resources available; however, offshore resources have seldom been considered for dune or backbarrier shoreline restoration. This study evaluates the geotechnical sediment properties of offshore sediments in proven borrow areas for beach nourishment and reclassifies them for placement in dunes and along the backbarrier in Palm Beach County, Florida. Two different methods calculate volume of offshore resources available for dune or backbarrier projects, including numerical calculations and interpolation of volume through SURFER. Because existing proven borrow areas are delineated for beach nourishment, less volume of sediment available in these areas for other coastal environments. The results of this study suggest that identifying offshore sediment sources for lower-energy environments would not adversely impact sediment needed for beach nourishment. As coastal environments are increasingly threatened by climate change and sea level rise, sediment resources become scarcer, the need to efficiently and effectively use sediments will be of utmost importance for scientists, engineers, and managers in their efforts to protect coastal habitat and communities. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

From 1985 to 2015, local politicians like Kenneth G. Spillias, Jan Winters, and Nancy M. Graham reshaped downtown West Palm Beach. They promised to eliminate urban blight, and turned a crime-ridden area of the city into an upper-middle class entertainment zone frequented by wealthy pleasure-seekers from throughout Palm Beach County. However, much of this transformation was an illusion. These politicians eliminated local taxpayers from the decision-making process by circumventing their votes, but subsequently taxed them to pay for the improvements. Furthermore, blight was not eliminated downtown, merely relocated to areas surrounding the entertainment zone. This resulted in ongoing tension between the mostly white patrons and business owners in the redeveloped area, and the primarily black residents in the dilapidated neighborhoods surrounding this development. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection