Jaiden DeBoe

Author: jdeboe (Page 1 of 7)

Emplace Contribution 1

February 16, 2026 /

My name is Jaiden DeBoe, and my project for this semester is going to provide a direct link from community organizations to young adults in said community. Throughout the last semester, I spent my time researching the one problem that is the focus of my overall group project: “How can young adults be engaged in water conservation efforts?”. I felt that the best way to do this was to connect Heartlands, my community partner, with peers at SIUE. This started out by asking professors at SIUE how they felt about community organizations in a school setting. 

After I received my survey responses, I immediately began my work on this semester’s product, which takes me to where I am right now. I am currently working on two smaller products, one which will allow Heartlands to know more about professors at SIUE, and one which will let the professors get to know Heartlands a little better. The goal of these two products is to allow them to understand each other better and hopefully form a connection in the future. 

Dissemination Plan

February 9, 2026 /

What is the purpose? 

  • The center purpose of our project is to understand why young adults aren’t engaging in conservation activities and what we can do to help young adults engage in conservation activities. -Zuleyri
  • The goal of this project is to determine how to encourage young adults to engage in water conservation efforts in their community – Jaiden
  • The purpose of our project is to distribute products that will help young adults become more engaged in conservation. – Ayiana
  • The purpose of this project is to work together to fabricate a cohesive and encapsulating display of knowledge over how to get young adults better engaged accompanied by our research that will back it up in a clear and easy-to-comprehend way. – Isaiah
  • Our overall purpose of this project was to find ways to get young adults engaged in water conservation and make sure these practices could be used everyday and could be impactful. -Laylah
  • The central purpose of our research is to ensure that young adults have the access to information and actions to be able to participate in conservation as they grow into adulthood. We want to be the group to encourage young adults to a path in life that will help them in the long run. -Jasmine 

Who is this project made for?

  • This project was made for young adults targeted at 18-25 years old who weren’t/aren’t as educated about water conservation. Also people who need to know more about water conservation and need navigation on where to start. -Laylah 
  • Our project is for both our community partner, Heartlands Conservancy, and for young adults in our communities – Jaiden
  • Our community partner Heartlands Conservancy -Zuleyri
  • Young Adults 
  • This project is made for young adults, who is our target audience, as well as Heartlands Conservancy, who is our community partner. – Ayiana
  • This project is made for young adults who possess some interest in but hold little to no experience learning about or dealing firsthand with topics related to water conservation or such practices that fall under that umbrella. – Isaiah
  • This project is made for young adults here at SIUE and locally ages 18 -25 who don’t have the knowledge , access, resources or motivation for conservation. – Jasmine 

Why is it important?

  • Our group project is important because it provides multiple methods of educating people on and reducing the stigma surrounding water conservation. This is crucial to achieving our goal in facilitating the increase of interest or the decrease of factors that lead to non-engagement amid our target population, being young adults ages 18-25. – Isaiah
  • This project is important because it can educate young adults on how to contribute to solving problems in their communities. A lot of us are taught about the negative impact of issues such as pollution or contaminated water on our planet, but we are rarely taught what exactly to do about these problems in order to reverse the effects – Jaiden
  • The reason why this project is important is because conservation is an important practice that needs to be shared, and there are lots of people who want to be engaged, but just don’t know how to. So, this project will help to bridge that gap between their knowledge and actions. – Ayiana
  • Focusing on finding ways to get young adults engaged in water conservation and figuring out those stakeholders is important because young adults have the capability to make a change in society. If we can figure out ways to get them engaged, we can help them build long-term impacts into the environment. -Laylah 
  • This social media campaign is important because it helps reach the young adults where they already spend a lot of time and attention. It spreads conservation quickly and in a format that is easy to understand and share. This campaign can create interaction and community by letting people respond, ask questions, and share their own actions. Overall, it turns conservation outreach into something visible, social, and repeatable rather than limited to a single event. – Sam Lee
  • Our project is important to allow students access to information , correct habits , and motivation for the future towards conservation that will help them be able to benefit their environment. It is also important for us to provide them with different opportunities to educate on something they may not have thought about. – Jasmine 

What ethical considerations?

  • One concern in this project is encouraging young adults to participate in community activities while ensuring that they are willing to help out. We do not want to pressure young adults into thinking that they have to be active in their communities, this should be about volunteering – Jaiden
  • Background (such as where a person grew up or how they grew up) etc. -zuleyri
  • The ethical considerations are about making sure my posts are honest, respectful, safe, and fair to my audience and partners. I will only share information that is correct and supported. Motivating people ethically is the goal of this project. – Sam Lee 
  • The ethical considerations that are important to think about is how our plans will affect the community. We need to make sure we are aware of our actions, behavior, and anything else that can possibly cause unethical conclusions towards the community. – Ayiana
  • An ethical consideration of mine is always making sure to inform the people I am interviewing that my podcast project will be publicly broadcasted and only to share information they feel comfortable with. – Isaiah 
  • One ethical consideration that I have for this project is to provide a non-pressure inducing environment that facilitates a space of open communication. -Laylah
  • One ethical consideration I have for this project is presenting my information and research in a way that is helpful and welcoming and not pressuring. I would not like for my audience to feel any way towards outcomes I have created for them. – Jasmine 

What working practices will you adapt? 

  • Since my campaign is about young adult conservation and social media   like the codes and Heartlands project, the best working practices are the ones that keep my content consistent, interactive, and easy to manage within a group. I am going to tie my post to real activities like Jasmine’s event. – Sam Lee
  • I am producing a brochure that will allow me to obtain practices such as creating a flyer, distributing it on campus, and informing others. -zuleyri
  • The working practices that I will adopt in order to be ready for distribution is to become more organized where I write down my actions and plans in order to stay on top of what I need to do and when it needs to be done. – Ayiana
  • I will be using a brochure to display Heartlands to professors at SIUE and a list of professors to show Heartlands who they would most likely benefit from a collaboration with. So it will be important for me to learn to display Heartlands and the professors in a way that is positive, yet truthful. – Jaiden
  • Some working practices that I could include in my contribution towards our project is to make sure that the video I create connects to our problem at hand and also making sure that the video is informational so that we can get our problem across but also making it very engaging which is our whole point of our project. Overall, keeping the audience’s attention. – Laylah
  • I will ensure that I have a schedule in place to make sure that I complete my project in a timely to conduct all the interviews and still have enough time transcribe and code them.
  • Working practices I will adapt will be organizing events with a purpose, communicating with community partners effectively for collaboration, and listening to student feedback. -Jasmine  

320 Reflection #2

February 9, 2026 /

My individual project for this semester is going to be complicated when it comes to ensuring that it benefits both groups that I am attempting to reach. As stated in the first reflection, my product is going to consist of two smaller products, one for Heartlands and one for professors at SIUE. The way that I see it, each of my products is going to be a reflection of the other one. For the first product, the focus will be professors at SIUE, while the audience that I will be attempting to reach out to is Heartlands, and the second product will focus on Heartlands in an attempt to reach out to professors at SIUE. With that being the case, both Heartlands and the professors at SIUE will be the primary stakeholders in my project. I will need to ensure that my work can best communicate the benefits of one stakeholder to the other. 

Heartlands will play the most important role in this project. Since information on Heartlands and their projects is not as easily accessible as the work that professors do at SIUE, I will need to go to Heartlands directly to get the most accurate information. On top of that, I will need to know what information Heartlands needs from the professors in order to initiate a collaboration with them in the future. In my initial draft of my product to Heartlands, I included information like the specific courses they are teaching this semester and a description of these courses. However, Heartlands might also want to know things such as the professor’s history at SIUE or their specific contact information. On the other hand, working with professors at SIUE should be relatively simple. If I need specific information, I could always create another survey for the same professors or even reach out to the Department Chairs to avoid sending out over 30 emails. 

320 Reflection #1

February 3, 2026 /

Finally, after three semesters of building towards the implementation of a product for our community partners, this semester is the one we have all been waiting for. Just last year, I finalized my “product” in the Research Teams class, which consisted of two smaller products, one for professors at SIUE and one for Heartlands Conservancy. For the professors, I created a document that showcased what exactly Heartlands is and what they do for their community. The information I provided was solely based on what I knew from my experience with them or what I could find online. However, this may not be the way that Heartlands wishes to portray itself to professors at SIUE. In order to ensure that I display Heartlands to my list of professors in the best light, I believe that it is crucial for me to speak with people from Heartlands on how they would like to be portrayed to students and professors on campus. 

For the second part of my product, I created a list of professors at SIUE who teach science, ecology, or environmental science courses. I also included the individual courses that they are teaching this semester, a description of those courses, and the chairs of each professor’s department. Unfortunately, I feel like there is some more information that I could include in this portion of the product in order to give Heartlands an idea of which professors would most benefit from a collaboration. All in all, my work throughout this semester is going to involve going back in forth between two groups, SIUE professors and Heartlands, in order to determine what would be best for forming a connection between both of them. I have a long way to go, but I already have an outline for what I want to accomplish, so I know this last part will not be too difficult.

CODE320 ePortfolio

January 21, 2026 /
A WorkB WorkC Work

– Misses one class or fewer, or completes make-up work for excused absences
– Annotates all readings thoroughly
– Contributes deeply to discussions
– Completes all assignments on time or has approved extension
– Work shows engagement, care, effort, and growth
– Collaborates substantially, contributes to vision, and works equally with peers
– Abides by the CODE of Conduct and classroom norms		– Misses two classes or fewer, or does make-up work for excused absences
– Annotates most readings
– Often participates in discussion
– Completes all assignments on time or has approved extension
– Work shows care, effort, and growth 
– Collaborates equally and completes required work
– Abides by the CODE of Conduct and classroom norms		– Misses three classes or fewer, or does make-up work for excused absences
– Completes most readings
– Sometimes adds to discussion
– Completes all major assignments and at least five SAs
– Meets minimal expectations on assignments; shows some growth 
– Completes required collaborative work
– Abides by the CODE of Conduct and classroom norms

First-Week Introduction

For one of my final semesters in the CODES program, I wanted to focus on goals that would highlight writing assignments and presentations. My first goal is all about showing an understanding of reading assignments in writing, which is where my reflections will be used as artifacts. My second goal will revolve around contributions to group projects, so the Emplace Contributions, Dissemination Plan, and Author Bio will serve as my major artifacts for that particular goal. Goals #3 and #5 will mostly relate to literary texts read in class, so the reflections will be the main pieces of evidence that I will use to support these two goals. Finally, my fourth goal will focus on developing strong central messages, allowing for the Final Presentation to serve as the main artifact. Part of me is nervous about these major assignments, like the Emplace Contributions or Dissemination Plan, just because I want them to turn out perfect. However, I think learning to develop better communication skills throughout this semester will help me do my part for my group in a way that allows us to submit more cohesive assignments.

Midterm Introduction

[Speak about the skills and content you’ve learned during the first half of the semester. What did you most enjoy? What did you struggle with? What goals do you think you’ve most excelled at meeting and what do you want to continue developing during the second half of the semester? What goals haven’t you yet met, and how will you make them a priority in the second half of class?]

Final Introduction

[Now that the semester is over, use your introduction to reflect in-depth on your process. How well did you meet the goals you set out to meet? What did you learn that surprised you? Focusing on your goals for this class, what do you want to remember to take with you into your future courses? What strategies can you use to continue developing toward these goals?]

Course Goals

Goal 1 (20%)
Based on (13A): Demonstrates a thorough understanding of context, audience, and purpose.

What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill?What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning?What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal?
I will demonstrate my ability to complete writing assignments in a way that acknowledges my primary audience for my productReflection #2, Reflection #3, Reflection #4, Reflection #5Each reflection I turn in will address how my current progress on the group project is contributing to a greater connection to Heartlands and professors at SIUE

[For each 5% of effort you assign to your goal, provide at at least one example or artifact that demonstrates your learning process and shows how your made progress toward meeting that goal this semester (You would need four examples if the goal was worth 20% of your grade). Show how you have improved over time, what methods you took to grow, and talk about what you still plan to do in the future. ]

Goal 2 (30%)
Based on (12C): Works independently toward goals by contributing and meeting deadlines.

What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill?What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning?What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal?
I will thoroughly complete individual assignments given throughout the semesterReflection #2, Reflection #3, Reflection #4, Reflection #5, Author Bio, Dissemination PlanEach piece of evidence will be turned in on time

[For each 5% of effort you assign to your goal, provide at at least one example or artifact that demonstrates your learning process and shows how your made progress toward meeting that goal this semester (You would need four examples if the goal was worth 20% of your grade). Show how you have improved over time, what methods you took to grow, and talk about what you still plan to do in the future. ]

Goal 3 (30%)
Based on (11A): Evaluates texts’ scholarly significance to apply reading to other contexts or issues.

What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill?What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning?What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal?
My writing assignments will reflect my understanding of the material covered on the Emplace websiteEmplace Contribution 1, Emplace Contribution 2, Reflection #2, Reflection #3, Reflection #4, Reflection #5Each assignment I turn in will reference material from the Emplace website

[For each 5% of effort you assign to your goal, provide at at least one example or artifact that demonstrates your learning process and shows how your made progress toward meeting that goal this semester (You would need four examples if the goal was worth 20% of your grade). Show how you have improved over time, what methods you took to grow, and talk about what you still plan to do in the future. ]

Goal 4 (10%)
Based on (8C): Develops clear, innovative central messages with significant supporting materials.

What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill?What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning?What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal?
I will use my work in the group project to show how I have learned new information throughout my researchDissemination Plan, Final PresentationEach assignment will show what I have learned up until that point and how it contributes to my overall project

[For each 5% of effort you assign to your goal, provide at at least one example or artifact that demonstrates your learning process and shows how your made progress toward meeting that goal this semester (You would need four examples if the goal was worth 20% of your grade). Show how you have improved over time, what methods you took to grow, and talk about what you still plan to do in the future. ]

Goal 5 (10%)
Based on (4A): Adapts and applies a deep understanding of multiple worldviews, experiences, and power structures while initiating meaningful interaction with other cultures to address significant global problems.

What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill?What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning?What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal?
I will use newfound knowledge to contribute to my understanding of my audienceEmplace Contribution 1, Emplace Contribution 2Each assignment will explain my newfound understanding of my audience up until that point

[For each 5% of effort you assign to your goal, provide at at least one example or artifact that demonstrates your learning process and shows how your made progress toward meeting that goal this semester (You would need four examples if the goal was worth 20% of your grade). Show how you have improved over time, what methods you took to grow, and talk about what you still plan to do in the future. ]

Content Assignment

December 6, 2025 /

For professors:

Heartlands Conservancy is a nonprofit community organization located in Belleville, Illinois. Founded in 1989, it has been their mission to conserve water and other natural resources in order to ensure that they are still around for generations to come. By partnering with local landowners and sponsoring volunteer events in the community, Heartlands continues to push for public engagement in the same issues that they fight for. One such volunteer event is the Jingle Hike Challenge, which was a hiking event that took volunteers through several local trails that many people might not have known about beforehand. There are also several stewardships held by Heartlands, where volunteers from the community help restore specific locations, such as native prairie lands or the Exploration Garden. 

Beyond their work in the community, Heartlands also partners with other groups or organizations, such as the CODES program. CODES, which stands for Community Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars, is a program at SIUE that works towards bettering environmental issues, such as water equity, in local communities. CODES is a growing program at this university, yet there is more work to be done with Heartlands outside of this program. Heartlands already supports schools outside of SIUE, such as those who send their students to sites such as the Signal Hill Outdoor Classroom. This site, located in Belleville, is commonly used by local high schools for environmental learning activities. Projects like these are only possible because of the dedicated team of people working at Heartlands, like Anna, who works directly with the CODES program to offer advice and feedback on their projects. 

Student engagement is a massive part of Heartlands’ mission, and it goes without saying that expanding the number of programs they partner with is in their interest. The list of ways in which they can impact the learning of students is long, which is why a potential partnership with SIUE would be beneficial for every student interested in environmental conservation. 

For Heartlands:

My research project this semester has been to connect students at SIUE to Heartlands through the professors who teach there. To divide the instructors who might be interested in water conservation from those who might not, I found 40 professors who teach courses related to ecology, environmental science, or general science. These professors, along with the courses they teach, are listed below. The department chairs of these subjects are also listed in order to allow for opportunities to connect with even more professors. These professors were sent a survey regarding their experiences and opinions on community organizations. Most of the professors showed little to no experience with community organizations, yet many were open to the opportunity to collaborate with organizations like Heartlands. Four out of five of those who did have prior experience showed an interest to allow Heartlands to either give a lecture in class or network with students. This list of professors and department chairs can allow for Heartlands to connect with professors outside of CODES, especially those who were a part of the survey I had sent out. 

Course Number Course Name Course Description Professor 
ANTH-340 Environmental Anthropology Surveys the relationship between humans and their environments from an anthropological perspective, including changes through time and cross-cultural comparisons. Chad M. Huddleston 
BIOL 464/ENSC 450 Applied Ecology Applying ecological concepts and principles for solving, predicting and managing current important ecological problems, such as global climate change, conservation, wetland restoration, and environmental remediation. Zhiqing Lin 
BIOL 472 Topics in Plant Physiology Examination of plant cells, tissues, and morphology. Two lectures and two labs per week. Darron R. Luesse 
BIOL 150 Introduction to Biological Sciences I First of a two-course sequence, introduction to biochemistry, molecular genetics, cell structure and function, and evolution. Lab required. Elizabeth J. Esselman 
BIOL 151 Introduction to Biological Sciences II Second of a two-course sequence, introduction to major taxonomic groups with emphasis on evolutionary relationships and ecological principles. Lab required. Danielle N. Lee 
BIOL 327 Evolution Evolutionary change as shown in heredity, population genetics, speciation, adaptation, natural selection, development, behavior, geographical distribution, and the origin of life. Christopher W. Theodorakis 
CE 380 Environmental Engineering Application of principles of chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics to engineered systems for water purification, wastewater treatment, air pollution control, and solid waste management. Requires completion of stated prerequisite or consent of instructor. Jianpeng Zhou 
CE 482 Water Resources Engineering and Management Excessive water use has adverse impacts on environment and natural water resources. Sustainable management is a necessity. Course focuses on demand analysis and management of water resources for different use. Rohan M. Benjankar 
ENSC 111 Intro to Physical Geology & Geography Physical geology and geography of the solid earth. Hydrologic system, weathering, soils, landforms, sedimentary rocks. Tectonic system, magmatism, igneous rocks, crustal deformation, metamorphism. Susannah Oettle 
ENSC 111 Intro to Physical Geology & Geography Physical geology and geography of the solid earth. Hydrologic system, weathering, soils, landforms, sedimentary rocks. Tectonic system, magmatism, igneous rocks, crustal deformation, metamorphism. Deirdre Smith 
ENSC 125 Topics of Environmental Health and Toxicology Naturally occurring and anthropogenic toxicants can cause adverse environmental impacts. Provides the fundamental information concerning the effects of environmental toxicants on living organisms. Kyong-Sup Yoon 
ENSC 210 Applied Research Methods Research methods for the analysis of environmental problems. Survey research and other data collection techniques. Collection, interpretation, and critical evaluation of data. Sanoar Rahman 
ENSC 401 Environmental Policy Relationship between political processes and policy outcomes; correlation of environmental politics and science; balancing trade-offs between legal, economics, social and environmental goals, including service learning. Nicholas P. Guehlstorf 
ENSC 436 Environmental Epidemiology Environmental epidemiology, the study of how environmental factors (e.g., pollution, climate, geography) influence human health. Includes advanced training in data management and analysis using spreadsheets. Joseph Kusi 
ENSC 440 Sustainable Environment Practices Practices that meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Nathaniel Adegboyega 
GEOG 202 Natural Resource Management and Sustainability Examines the management, use, and sustainability of natural resources, including biodiversity, water, food, soil, and energy sources. Also considers issues in pollution and environmental degradation. Shannon McCarragher 
GEOG 211 Meteorology Introduction to weather controls and elements; and their relationship to human activities and human health; analysis and use of weather maps and forecasts. Alan Black 
GEOG 403 Advanced Urban Geography Selected topics in spatial patterns and processes of urbanization. Topics may include: planning, transportation, sustainability, society and culture, health, housing, global cities, and economic functions. Emily R. Calderon 
GEOG 418 Geographic Information Systems Concepts, basic theory, and principles of GIS using both Raster and Vector data models in a PC environment. Tianyu Li 
GEOG 424 Vector Based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Examination of vector topology, digital map transformation, manipulation, analysis, and composition. Shunfu Hu 
SCI 241B Foundations of Science: Physics, Earth Science and Inquiry Projects General background in science. Laboratory emphasis on process skills, hands-on activities, and projects suitable for children in grades K-8. (b) physics, earth science, and inquiry projects. Mary J. Kaemmerer 
BIOL 111 Contemporary Biology Contributions of biology to understanding ourselves and our world. Development, nature and human implications of cell theory, heredity, the modern synthetic theory of evolution, population dynamics, ecology and environmental problems. Thomas Anderson 
BIOL 220 Genetics Introduction to transmission, molecular and population genetics with applications to all organisms. Thomas James Fowler 
BIOL 250 Bacteriology Structure, nutrition, and genetics of bacteria; control of microbial growth; comparison of medically important bacteria and viruses; host response to infectious disease. Christine Simmons 
BIOL 319 Cell and Molecular Biology Introduction to cellular processes including gene expression, protein and vesicular trafficking, and cell signaling. Differentiation between eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Faith L.W. Liebl 
BIOL 340 Physiology Function and regulation of major organ systems in vertebrates, neural responsiveness and integration, homeostasis of body fluids, circulation, respiration, organic maintenance, and hormonal control.   Jason Williams 
BIOL 350 Microbiology Structure, metabolism, and genetics of bacteria and bacteriophages. Role of bacteria in disease, biotechnology, and the environment. Susanne DiSalvo 
CHEM 113 Introduction to Chemistry Preparation for University Chemistry. Mathematical techniques, problem solving, chemical terms, concepts, and laws. Leanne J. Boyer 
CHEM 120B General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry Primarily for students planning careers in Nursing and Allied Health professions. Not for Chemistry majors. Organic and biological Chemistry Lawrence P. Norcio 
CHEM 121A General Chemistry University-level modern chemistry for science and engineering students, atomic structure, molecular bonding, structure, stoichiometry, chemical change, equilibrium, and qualitative analysis. Richard Edward Finger 
CHEM 121B General Chemistry University-level modern chemistry for science and engineering students. Atomic structure, molecular bonding, structure, stoichiometry, chemical change, equilibrium, and qualitative analysis. Thomas Holovics 
CHEM 241A Organic Chemistry Structural types of organic compounds correlated with chemical and physical properties; bonding, reaction dynamics, reaction types, stereochemistry, functional groups, spectroscopic methods. Yun Lu 
CHEM 351 Basic Biochemistry I Topics will include the structure and function of biologically important macromolecules including: nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, as well as regulation of metabolism, biosynthesis, and degradation of biological molecules. Robert P. Dixon 
CHEM 352 Basic Biochemistry II Topics will include the structure and function of biologically important macromolecules including: carbohydrates and lipids, as well as regulation of metabolism, biosynthesis, and degradation of biological molecules. Chin-Chuan Wei 
CHEM 361B Physical Chemistry Mathematical models of chemical behavior and its underlying causes. Experimental foundations of models, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, kinetics, quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy with applications. Debanjana Ghosh 
CHEM 444 Organic Reaction Emphasis on mono-functional compounds. Topics not covered in elementary courses. Sarah Luesse 
CHEM 455 Experimental Methods in Biochemistry Current practice in enzyme isolation and assessment. Microcomputer-assisted data treatment, graphics, statistical methods, and data acquisition. Mina Sumita 
CHEM 482 BioProcessing Chemistry and Biochemistry Covers the intermediate principles of the historical, scientific, technological, and cultural aspects of fermentation of chemistry and biofuels, fermented beverages, and food production. Jie Dong 
CHEM 439 Advanced Topics in Analytical Chemistry Selected advanced topics. Edward C. Navarre 
CHEM 241B Organic Chemistry Structural types of organic compounds correlated with chemical and physical properties; bonding, reaction dynamics, reaction types, stereochemistry, functional groups, and spectroscopic methods. Lynne Ann Miller 

Department Chairs: 

Anthropology: Dr. Corey Ragsdale 

Biology: Dr. Jakes Williams 

Environmental Science: Dr. Adrianna Martinez 

Civil Engineering: Nader Panahshahi 

Geography: Dr. Stacey Brown Amilian 

Science: Dr. Susan Hume 

Chemistry: Dr. Erik Voss 

Process Description

November 27, 2025 /

At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), I have been researching young adult engagement in local community issues. Together with my CODES (Community Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars) research team and Heartlands Conservancy, I have been looking for ways to involve young adults, ages 18-24, in problems relating to water conservation. My specific region of focus for this project was to focus on connecting Heartlands Conservancy, our community partner, to students at SIUE who may be interested in learning more about their work. Since reaching out to individual students is not an easy feat, I decided to reach out to professors who were scheduled to teach classes like ecology and environmental science the next semester. All of my research regarding this topic is being accumulated into my research team’s project for this semester. The data for my portion of the research project was collected through surveys. The first step in my process was to build a survey on Qualtrics that asked about the professor’s experience with community organizations. I wrote questions that were a mix of short response and multiple choice, with 8 questions in total. The main objective of the survey was to find out how professors at SIUE feel about community organizations and how willing they would be to collaborate with them in future courses. Afterwards, I created a list of teachers that I could email my survey to. This list was mainly composed of science and ecology professors who would be most interested in water conservation issues. In the end, I found 40 SIUE professors that I sent my survey to via email. The main goal of this project was to give Heartlands a list of teachers that they could collaborate with in the future. These collaborations could be in the form of extra credit or even lectures taught by people who work at Heartlands Conservancy. 

Preliminary Analysis

November 27, 2025 /

After a week of waiting, I had received a little over 10 responses from professors at SIUE. Even though I had received less answers than I originally expected, I did notice some patterns in the responses. While only 3 participants mentioned teaching or planning to teach a course, such as Environmental Anthropology, that would benefit from the input of a community organization, those same participants went on to state that they had prior experience working with a community organization in a classroom setting. Also, only one out of three participants claimed that they had a negative experience with these organizations. A common theme throughout these responses appears to be a positive outlook on community organizations from the professors.  

Figure 1. Professors’ response to community organizations relationships benefiting students

Overall, the majority of the professors seem to believe that the use of community organizations is beneficial for students in and outside of school (Figure 1), with several of them arguing that it gives the students both practical and real-world experience. From the responses, it is obvious that many of these professors are willing to offer lecture time to these organizations as well. When asked what these community organizations can do in a classroom setting, the majority of them suggested either giving lectures or networking with students. 

After asking whether or not students would benefit from collaborating with community organizations in a classroom setting, I went on to ask why the professors chose this answer. The majority of the responses I received suggested that it would offer much real-world experience to those participating in the course. However, there was one response that I decided to take a closer look at. 

Figure 2. Open responses to benefits to students

The last response to this question has highlighted the idea that community organizations can offer both experience and knowledge that college professors cannot provide to their students. While this was only one opinion out of multiple, this specific professor has shown how community organizations can offer input from actual community works, while professors can only show students what to expect. The professor could not provide a specific example for a class that they could teach to contribute, but they are willing to support these efforts regardless. Even if it is difficult for the average professor to help with this issue, we do have people who are willing to do what they can to allow their students to learn from community organizations. 

Week 14 Reflection

November 27, 2025 /

What is a windigo to you? What would be analogous to a windigo in your culture, religion, or lore? (250 word minimum)


A windigo, to me, represents the selfish, primal nature that exists within all of us. This nature often shows itself in the form of our overconsumption. With our access to resources having improved drastically in the last 100 years, those who have the greatest access often take more than they need. We eat more food than we need to be satiated, we take more from the earth than we actually use, and we buy more and more useless gadgets and accessories while many people cannot even afford to rent an apartment. I believe that this reflects a primal nature that has existed in humanity since we came into existence. There has always been a “us vs them” mentality in us, which has directly led to a lack of empathy in our modern society.

This windigo is a direct representation of this endless hunger for “more”. It is our desire to take as much for ourselves as possible, because we know the “others” are going to do the exact same thing. The closest thing I could find to compare this entity to is the Seven Deadly Sins. Three of these sins, pride, greed, and gluttony, can be summed up into the idea of believing that you are better than the people around you. Pride, specifically, is centered around having a higher view of yourself compared to others. Meanwhile, greed and gluttony both focus on taking more than what you need, disregarding the needs of those around you. Wrath and envy, two more deadly sins, represent hatred or dislike for people who are not like you.


What is your favorite new word or phrase you’ve learned reading this book and why? What chapter of the book did this phrase appear? 100 word minimum)


“Even a wounded world is feeding us”. This quote stood out to me specifically because of what it means for humanity as a species. Despite all the damage we have made to our planet, it is still able to sustain and entertain our growing populations. While the effects of human activities, such as global warming and deforestation, are not permanent, they have still caused a major change in the
Earth. It makes me realize that we do not deserve the world that we live in. We take nearly everything from the natural world and do not appreciate the benefits that it gives us. We do not even make any efforts to make up for our shortcomings; we just continue to make the same mistakes repeatedly.

Scientist Spotlight (Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim)

November 27, 2025 /
  1. The most interesting part of the resources for me was noticing how climate change impacts cultures worldwide. We often look at climate effects such as rising sea levels and higher yearly temperatures and think that we have it terrible, yet choose not to do anything about it. I believe that seeing how climate change is affecting countries in Africa puts everything in perspective. It also makes sense how there is a massive push against climate change in African countries, since they are receiving the worse end of the problem.
  2. While scientific knowledge may apply to the majority of the real world, but
    Indigenous Knowledge can apply to locations centered around a certain culture. In the TED Talk, Oumarou tells a story about a scientist who was brought to her home to look into climate change effects. When Oumarou predicts that it will rain long before any scientific signs, the scientist doubts her and decides not to pack his items. Eventually, the rain started, just as Oumarou had predicted. Just like scientists make observations in their environment to conduct experiments, indigenous cultures make observations in their home to predict when natural occurrences will reappear.
  3. Oumarou shows that scientists are those who recognize the contribution that they can make to worldwide knowledge. She knows that Indigenous Knowledge can really help advance scientific discoveries, so she is doing whatever she can to make sure it gets recognition.
  4. I would like to know how many concepts Indigenous Knowledge can apply to. Does Indigenous Knowledge go past natural and animal patterns? Can we predict astronomical occurrences, or biological occurrences using Indigenous Knowledge. I am curious as to how interconnected Indigenous Knowledge and scientific knowledge can become.
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