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1. Sociocultural determinants of global mask-wearing behavior

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213525119  

   Yang, Luojun; Constantino, Sara M.; Grenfell, Bryan T.; Weber, Elke U.; Levin, Simon A.; Vasconcelos, Vítor V. (October 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Behavioral responses influence the trajectories of epidemics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) reduced pathogen transmission and mortality worldwide. However, despite the global pandemic threat, there was substantial cross-country variation in the adoption of protective behaviors that is not explained by disease prevalence alone. In particular, many countries show a pattern of slow initial mask adoption followed by sharp transitions to high acceptance rates. These patterns are characteristic of behaviors that depend on social norms or peer influence. We develop a game-theoretic model of mask wearing where the utility of wearing a mask depends on the perceived risk of infection, social norms, and mandates from formal institutions. In this model, increasing pathogen transmission or policy stringency can trigger social tipping points in collective mask wearing. We show that complex social dynamics can emerge from simple individual interactions and that sociocultural variables and local policies are important for recovering cross-country variation in the speed and breadth of mask adoption. These results have implications for public health policy and data collection. 

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2. Total Eclipse En Frontera

   https://doi.org/10.3847/25c2cfeb.dcdd4f81  

   Miller-Ray, Jennifer; Brown, Angela; Ritzi, Christopher; Morales, Catarino; Williamson, Savanah; Qvarnstrom, Jeanne; Perez-Gallego, Jorge (December 2024, Bulletin American Astronomical Society)

   The Total Eclipse en la Frontera program provided informal and formal science education outreach using Sul Ross State University’s La Frontera Research Initiative (LFRI) mobile program, which serves communities located along the southwest Texas-Mexico border. With assistance from existing community partnerships, the Jay M. Pasachoff Solar Eclipse Mini-Grants Program, and the National Science Foundation Noyce program, our program reached over 20,000 people within a 6-month period. LFRI provided educational experiences to Uvalde CISD (4,041 students), Eagle Pass ISD (14,028 students), San Felipe Del Rio CISD (9,874 students), Southwest Texas Junior College (2,300 students), Sul Ross State University (2,071 students), and surrounding private schools, public libraries, and the general public. Established partnerships included the above institutions, as well as Presidio ISD, Marfa ISD, Alpine ISD, the Science Mill Museum, McDonald’s Observatory, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and the National Solar Observatory. Leveraging a mobile STEM Lab, LFRI provided eclipse-themed makerspace programing along with eclipse-focused educator training to include cultural total eclipse lectures with national experts to the communities along the southwest Texas-Mexico border. Specifically, border communities of Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Uvalde, and the Big Bend Region experienced STEM education outreach throughout the summer of 2023 leading up to the Total Eclipse in April 2024. Program outcomes provide a glimpse on the use of mobile makerspace program might increase STEM identity, self-efficacy, and engagement of isolated communities through a 2-year mentoring program connecting faculty, graduate students, preservice teachers, K12 educators, and community college students. 

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3. Construcciones causativas en amahuaca (Pano)

   https://doi.org/10.20396/liames.v22i00.8667996  

   Angulo Pando, Candy Milagros (March 2022, LIAMES: Línguas Indígenas Americanas)

   En este artículo, se ofrece una discusión sobre las propiedades morfosintácticas y semánticas de las construcciones causativas en amahuaca, lengua pano de la Amazonía peruana, desde una perspectiva tipológico-funcional. Esta lengua presenta el morfema causativo general -ma, causativos supletivos totales o léxicos y el transitivizador -n, que también se encuentran en las lenguas de la familia. Por el contrario, el amahuaca presenta estrategias innovadoras: causativos semisupletivos segmentales y suprasegmentales. Se propone que estas formas han sido el resultado de procesos morfofonológicos propios de la lengua, que han cambiado la forma de los causativos mencionados, pero no su significado, debido a que estas estrategias están relacionadas con los causativos morfológicos que se encuentran en otras lenguas de la familia. Este artículo proporciona una descripción de cada una de las estrategias mencionadas, así como la explicación del tipo de causación (directa o indirecta) que conceptualizan. Así, se señala cómo los mecanismos causativos se distribuyen en el dominio funcional de la causación siguiendo la propuesta de Shibatani (2002) y Shibatani & Pardeshi (2002). 

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4. The Missing Layers: Integrating Sociocultural Values Into Marine Spatial Planning

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.633198  

   Pennino, Maria Grazia; Brodie, Stephanie; Frainer, André; Lopes, Priscila F.; Lopez, Jon; Ortega-Cisneros, Kelly; Selim, Samiya; Vaidianu, Natasa (July 2021, Frontiers in Marine Science)

   Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is a relatively new approach to ocean management and has been widely implemented worldwide. Ideally, MSP should be established as a public process that analyzes and distributes human activities across space and time to achieve ecological, economic and social goals, which historically have been accomplished exclusively in the political arena. However, in most cases MSP seems to be driven primarily by economic interests rather than by sociocultural goals. In this paper, we discuss how integrating the missing sociocultural layers into MSP can help to reduce governance rigidity, promote adaptability in decision-making, support environmental justice, and improve MSP acceptance and uptake. In particular, we focus on identifying possible points of connection between MSP and frameworks based on social-ecological system theory, including co-management and other democratic and empowering alternatives. We conclude by proposing a new definition of the MSP process that is more inclusive, and mindful of users’ rights and sociocultural objectives. If we bridge the gap between the dominant economic rhetoric and a de facto sociocultural-ecological system approach, we are likely to improve the chances of the MSP process succeeding on both the human and nature fronts. 

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5. Advancing Student Success Through Integrated Sociocultural and Academic Intervention Strategies

   Sudarshan Kurwadkar, Salvador Mayoral (June 2022, ASEE annual conference exposition)

   Promoting equitable undergraduate engineering education is an overarching concern at many minority-serving institutions (MSI). In addition, historical analysis of student performance in lower-division math and engineering courses at one of the largest MSI revealed an achievement gap in performance between the underrepresented minority students and other students. Furthermore, critical analysis of underlying factors overwhelmingly suggests that academic intervention coupled with sociocultural intervention may be a possible solution to help address this problem. Academic and sociocultural intervention strategies were designed and implemented in lower-division math courses through the National Science Foundation-funded project, “Building Capacity: Advancing Student Success in Undergraduate Engineering and Computer Science (ASSURE-US).” These strategies involved application-based math courses targeted explicitly at undergraduate engineering students. Results of academic intervention strategies in the lower-division math courses at one of the largest MSI demonstrate mixed effectiveness. The results of the academic intervention in lower-division Calculus I (N=150) show that 36% of students reported that the intervention was helpful and helped them learn math, while 38% were neutral. Overall, students reported having difficulty connecting the projects with the mathematics being taught. Similarly, only 10% of students expressed satisfaction with the redesigned intervention modules implemented in Integral Calculus II (N=90), while 52% were neutral. The sociocultural interventions include activities facilitated through the Student-Teacher Interaction Council. These activities include motivational speakers, exam preparation and stress-relief workshop, campus resources and college financial planning workshops, peer advising and learning communities, summer research, and faculty development and support. Results of the sociocultural intervention strategies show that 39% of students reported that the ASSURE-US project helped them identify role models in their discipline, while 34% reported that the project helped them identify and connect to a mentor. Students also reported higher awareness of campus resources, including mental health resources and academic support, with 89% and 90% of students reporting fully or partial understanding of these resources. The academic and sociocultural interventions of the ASSURE-US project were initially designed for in-person, hands-on, project-based, and student-faculty-involved activities; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these activities were reimagined and redesigned for virtual instruction. The outcomes of this project so far were significantly impacted by the pandemic. 

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