The Westphalian state system—i.e., the global division of power in to roughly 195 sovereign nation-states—is proving inadequate in the face of rapid globalization. As our world becomes increasingly integrated, the political tools of the past, which uphold division and absolute autonomy, cannot offer a viable vision for the future. This is particularly salient in the case of global climate change: our commitment to statehood and international competition is preventing us from seeing the ways in which we are deeply interconnected, effectively imperiling current and future generations. Indeed, how should we respond to the 200-250 million climate refugees that will be displaced in the next 50-70 years due to climate change? What duties of justice are they owed? In this project, I assess the social contract tradition in political theory which offers the main philosophical grounds for the contemporary state system. I argue that, for a number of different reasons, social contract theory fails to offer a desirable framework for the new global political order necessitated by globalization. A theoretical framework that recognizes the ways in which humans are fundamentally in nature, and thus widens the scope of justice, offers a more promising alternative for regulating global cooperation. Indeed, if we, the human race, see ourselves as a unified group playing a small part in the larger play that is the global ecosystem, then our vision will clear and we will begin to see the appropriate duties of justice that we owe to each other, nonhuman animals, and nature.

To many “he” or “she” is just a word, but for the transgender individual these words pose an emotionally charged socialization. An instance of misgendering, being a very common experience for transgender individuals, has an association with violence and ultimately a denial of self. While the trans community has recognized the significance of accurate language in including trans persons in social groups, the relationship between language and an individual’s identity has yet to be fully explored. This research seeks to define the role of pronouns as a connection to the trans individual’s personal identity. Specifically, how someone’s use of accurate pronouns may recognize who an individual is and the adverse impact of inaccurate language. My approach is contextual, contingent on the knowledge one has about the person they are speaking about, in hopes of reconciling the issue of privacy and potential harm of misgendering a person. Under an ethical framework, I assert that we have a positive duty to use the pronouns that a trans person prefers. However, one can only say someone’s pronouns if they are aware of the pronouns that person uses. So in order to maintain a protection of both one’s personal identity and privacy, I propose that one ought to use “they” in reference to another person until they are aware of that person’s pronouns with certainty.

Recreational outdoor winter activities on national forest lands are enjoyed by hikers, skiers, snowshoes, and snowmobilers. These activities come with the risk of being caught in an avalanche. It’s the number one cause of death on forest lands in the United States. Recreationalists are highly encouraged to wear avalanche transceivers. These devices transmit a beacon to be used in locating someone caught in an avalanche. Avalanche survival greatly decreases beyond 15 minutes because of asphyxiation and trauma. Professional Search & Rescue (SAR) teams can rarely arrive within this time limit, but locating a victim after an event is necessary. We will design a portable avalanche beacon detection device that can be attached to an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS or Drone) and can be carried by a SAR team into the field to locate victims. The SAR team can designate a search area via a user interface. The UAS will search this area for the victim’s avalanche transceiver frequency (457 kHz). The sensor attached to a UAS will determine signal location. This location information will be sent back to the rescue team. UAS application increases the safety of the SAR team given additional rescuers are not put in a high-risk avalanche path where another avalanche could occur. Our sensor presents challenges in integrating the payload into a UAS embedded system and user interface while maintaining realistic power and flight capabilities. Our initial customer is Seattle Mountain Rescue, a non-profit organization, so our product must be as cost-effective as possible. In the future, we hope the technology can be used on smaller, more portable UAS’s by all outdoor recreationalists such that at the time of accident they can immediately locate their friends, significantly increasing their chance of survival.

Two basic goals for implementation science are to broaden the reach and promote sustainability of Evidence-based Practice (EBP) through effective and efficient dissemination and implementation methods. Research has consistently shown that clinicians need both training and expert consultation or EBP supervision to deliver EBPs. However, often there are only a limited number of EBP expert trainers available. In children’s mental health, a growing body of literature documents the science-to-practice divide, in which few of the many EBPs for children’s mental health are available in public mental health settings, where most children are served. The question guiding this study is whether the Train The Trainer (TTT) model of implementation that is currently being utilized for scale up of EBP is effective. The goal of this study was to analyze trainer candidate ratings under the TTT model and within the context of CBT+. Participants included expert trainers (N=5) as well as trainer candidates (N=7). Surveys were used to compare the performance and trainee perception of trainer candidates. To assess candidate trainer effectiveness, we examined clinicians’ self-report of knowledge gain/competency. Similarly, we assessed whether expert and peer ratings of candidates at the TTT training predicted clinicians’ ratings of the trainer candidates. The results from this study serve to inform further implementation research on how other initiatives can use TTT models to expand EBP reach. This study also provides empirical data that indicates problematic discrepancies between experts and candidate trainers in their CBT+ training.