APeX 2021-2022

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10657/8286

This collection gathers recordings and materials presented as part of the 2021-2022 APeX Lecture Series

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    Sick and tired of being sick and tired: A qualitative study examining COVID-19, racism, and mental health among middle-class Black women
    (2022-02-23) Walton, Quenette
    Black women have been significantly impacted by COVID-19 and racism. They've experienced financial and mental angst, yet many are not receiving mental health services. In this study, I sought to understand Black women's experiences with COVID-19, racism, and their mental health. Forty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black women across several states. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory. Women described "feeling sick and tired" and three major categories emerged: navigating COVID-19 and racism, mental health management, and my faith getting me through. The feelings of being sick and tired was central to these women's experiences with COVID-19 and racism. It is important for practitioners to create welcoming spaces for Black women to engage in services and explore what it means for them to feel sick and tired during unprecedented times.
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    Pipe organs: The most complex machines before the Industrial Revolution
    (2022-01-26) Robinson, Daryl
    There are currently two large research projects centered on new and refurbished pipe organs taking place at the University of Houston: one, an entirely new pipe organ to be installed in the Schissler Lobby of the Moores Opera House, and the rebuilding of the 1965 Reuter pipe organ housed in the University Chapel of A. D. Bruce Religion Center. The complex mechanics of a pipe organ, the challenge of enhancing architectural spaces, and the appropriate implementation of unique tonal schemes into a singular instrument will be crucial to finalize these instruments. With origins beginning in ancient Greece, the pipe organ has evolved over the centuries to utilize modern technological advancements. However, the core principle of windblown pipes sitting atop a pressurized box of air has remained from the beginning. Before and after the industrial revolution, pipe organs have represented a unique collaboration between artisans to produce complex musical machines consisting of metal and wooden pipes, intricate winding and key action systems, and opulent cases to house these systems. Situating the current UH organ projects within this history, this lecture explores the many options and the decision-making process for both.
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    Examining the cultural and community contexts to address opioid misuse and OUD in Black communities
    (2021-10-27) Gilbert, Lauren
    While Black Americans have similar rates of opioid misuse as national rates, Black Americans in urban areas have seen the sharpest rise in opioid drug death rates, with the biggest rise from synthetic opioids. Disparities in access, utilization, retention, and recovery outcomes for Black patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) have been well-documented. The overall goal of my research program is to improve quality and equity in the prevention strategies and access to treatment in Black communities. In order to achieve this health equity goal, I will develop a culturally centered program from the results and synthesis of multiple projects that illuminate the opioid crisis in Black communities through a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework. This research centers the priorities of the Black communities by engaging them in research to address and alleviate the burden of opioid misuse in a culturally responsive and respectful manner.
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    Using soils of the past to reconstruct the landscapes of human evolution
    (2021-09-22) Beverly, Emily
    Soils are an integral part of our modern lives – supplying our food and controlling many global biogeochemical cycles. In my research, I study the chemistries of modern soils to better understand the biogeochemical cycles affecting modern humans, but also to understand the evolution of our species, Homo sapiens, and the evolution and extinction of our close relatives known as hominins. My research focuses on soils that are hundreds of thousands to millions of years old and have since been buried beneath the earth’s surface. These buried soils of the past – called paleosols – are where we find many hominin fossils and stone tools. We can apply what we know about modern soils to these paleosols to provide snapshots of past landscapes used by our ancestors. The geochemical data from these paleosols provide us information about past climates and environments, such as temperature, precipitation, and vegetation that we can use to reconstruct these snapshots. We know that climate changes have likely driven hominin adaptations and extinctions, but over such long time scales there is much debate over the timing and importance of events. With these soils of the past, I seek to illuminate the role of climate history in the evolution of our own species.