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This thesis project started out with an ambition to inspire more people to discover the mesmerizing landscape of the inner parts of northern Sweden by making it more accessible and attractive to persons usually not looking for outdoor adventures or the solitude and silence of wilderness.   By that initial aspiration I was led into an investigation of how constant connectedness affect us in everyday life, what performing “work” require and how the presence of nature and a challenging climate could be used as resources; offering more than nice views or weather to be sheltered from. Not only is the nature in the north fascinating on its own but the vast areas of almost untouched nature is becoming something unique in the world, an amazing resource most Swedes are more or less unaware of.   This project aims to test an alternative way of working, exploring the opportunities the technology provide us with while also offering time for reflection and inspiration. The program is a version of a work retreat; a facility that offers temporary work spaces away from the office and everyday life, allowing new social constellations, new ideas and work processes. / Detta examensarbete började med en ambition och en önskan om att inspirera fler att upptäcka det trollbindande landskapet i norra Sveriges inland genom att göra det mer lättillgängligt och attraktivt för personer som vanligtvis inte söker sig till vildmarksäventyr eller stillheten och tystnaden i skogen. Från den inledande ambitionen letade sig arbetet vidare till vitt skilda undersökningar av hur konstant uppkoppling (eller en ständig nåbarhet) påverkar människor, vad termen ”att arbeta” innebär samt hur natur och ett utmanande klimat kan användas som resurser och erbjuda mer än vacker utsikt eller ett väder man måste skyddas från. De stora orörda vidderna i norr är inte bara fascinerande i sig själva utan de börjar bli något helt unikt i världen, en fantastisk tillgång som de flesta svenskar är mer eller mindre omedvetna om. Projektet strävar efter att undersöka alternativa sätt att arbeta; att utforska möjligheterna som öppnas för oss med hjälp av dagens teknologi samtidigt som tid för reflektion och inspiration prioriteras. Programmet är en uppdaterad version av konferensanläggning, en plats som erbjuder temporära arbetsplatser långt från kontor och vardagsliv för att på så vis möjliggöra nya sociala samspel, tillföra nya idéer och arbetsprocesser.

This study was designed with an interest for the healing of emotional distress shared by the disciplines of psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. It sought to merge these disciplines into a coherent therapeutic context for human interaction that could be grounded in the shared human condition, the essential need for meaning, freedom, and relationship. This study also sought to examine the importance of spirituality across the lifespan to the practice of psychotherapy and particularly to explore the spiritual experiences of the adolescent male and discover the meaning and healing effects those experiences have for them, especially those who have experienced significant emotional or relationship difficulties in their lives. Using a phenomenological methodology for the qualitative data analysis, 10 interviews were conducted with young adult males who had participated in a unique spiritual retreat while in high school and during a particularly troubled time in their lives. An exhaustive document review took place. Two distinct phenomena emerged: Lost in Suffering, a state of life prior to the retreat and Found in Redemption: the results of a four day experience of bonding, healing, and transformation, each experience containing five distinct themes. The result is a deep understanding of the lived experience of the participants and a powerful implication regarding the place of spiritual experience in psychotherapeutic healing.

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This is a project about reconciling the rational world of architecture with the empirical world of nature. A small retreat on the Appalachian Trail near Dragon's Tooth, this project employs two elements belonging to each of those entities. The retreat is composed of a double envelope. The exterior envelope is a wooden screen and dry stacked stone wall relating to the natural world. In contrast, the second envelope is a glass and steel box, analogous to the rationality of man. Dimensional 2x4 lumber models are employed to study the light conditions, patterns, and construction of the wooden screen. / Master of Architecture

This item contains the agenda, minutes, and attachments for the Faculty Senate meeting on this date. There may be additional materials from the meeting available at the Faculty Center.

This dissertation explores the relationship between Christian spirituality and the general wellbeing of the individual. To this end a literature review is conducted, as well as qualitative interviews with eleven individuals in the Cape Town area (South Africa). Snowball sampling was used to gain access to these eleven research participants who fitted the criteria of adults exhibiting a particular Christian lifestyle. The literature review revealed that nurturing, non-punitive religion has been associated with mental and physical health and that active participation in church activities that enhance a person’s social support system is beneficial. The qualitative interviews yielded the finding that those interviewees who had positive experiences with Christian spirituality during their childhood regard it as a significant contributor to meaning, hope and happiness in their lives. / Christian Spirituality Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Christian Spirituality)

Conservation of intertidal habitats in the UK is vital in order to continue to support nationally and internationally important populations of non-breeding waterbirds. Historic reclamation for agriculture and industry has resulted in the loss and degradation of large areas of these intertidal habitats in estuaries and they continue to be threatened by sea-level rise. Managed realignment is one method which is increasingly being used to restore intertidal habitats. As managed realignment is a relatively new restoration technique, the extent to which knowledge of the biology of estuaries is applicable to managed realignment sites is unclear. Habitat restoration is often unsuccessful or incomplete, so a detailed knowledge of both the natural system and the characteristics of restored systems will usually be necessary to recreate fully-functional estuarine habitats. This thesis focuses on Nigg Bay Managed Realignment Site (Nigg Bay MRS), the first managed realignment site in Scotland, and follows the first four years of ecological development to gain an understanding of how breached realignment can be used to restore intertidal habitats to support non-breeding waterbirds. This thesis has six major aims: (i) to describe the development of saltmarsh, (ii) to describe the development of intertidal flat, (iii) to describe the colonisation by non-breeding waterbirds (iv) to determine how tidal cycle and weather affect patterns of waterbird use, (v) to determine which factors affect the spatial distribution of waders and finally (vi) to determine the patterns of use by individual birds. Four summers after the re-establishment of tidal conditions, almost all of the saltmarsh species recorded on the nearby saltmarsh had colonised Nigg Bay MRS, although recognisable communities had yet to establish. Three winters after the re- establishment of tidal conditions in Nigg Bay MRS, the sediments had a significantly smaller particle size and higher organic matter content compared to the fine sands of the adjacent intertidal flats. The intertidal invertebrate community also differed from the adjacent intertidal flats. Nigg Bay MRS attracted large numbers of non-breeding waterbirds and supported each of the most common wader and wildfowl species present in the wider estuary. Nigg Bay MRS performs a number of important functions for non-breeding waterbirds by: (i) providing a foraging and resting habitat when the tide is absent and intertidal sediments in Nigg Bay are exposed; (ii) providing a foraging resource as the tide passes over the intertidal sediments within the site once the intertidal flats in Nigg Bay are inundated; and (iii) providing a high tide roosting site. On days with low temperatures and high wind speeds, more waterbirds use Nigg Bay MRS, suggesting that it is likely to be providing sheltering benefits. Nigg Bay MRS also provides top-up feeding habitat. The factors that often influence the spatial distributions of waders in estuaries appear to be operating within Nigg Bay MRS. Wader densities are greater on the intertidal flats when they are accessible than on the saltmarsh. Wader densities are also greatest close to creeks and drainage channels, possibly due to higher invertebrate densities, more accessible prey or sheltering benefits. Colour-ringing and radio-tracking of Common Redshank established that Nigg Bay MRS has a subset of regular users, including both adults and juveniles, and the wader assemblage at night may differ from the assemblage during the day. These findings are discussed in terms of the implications for locating, designing and managing future managed realignment projects.