Scholarship & Research
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Item Fertility and reproductive health decisions connected to climate change and adaptation in Greenland(Montana State University - Bozeman, The Graduate School, 2024) Peterson, Malory Kaye; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Elizabeth Rink; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.The capacity for Kalaallit, the Inuit people of Greenland, to adapt to the effects of climate change will depend on sociodemographic change, population distribution, and existing health inequities in the country. Reproduction in Greenland is influenced by connection to place and access to natural resources, factors that will vary with climate adaptation. Given existing fertility and reproductive health disparities among Kalaallit women, there is a compelling reason to explore how climate change effects and adaptation might influence fertility decisions and population dynamics in Greenland. Rooted in the principles of community based participatory research, this exploratory and comparative study investigated the social, environmental, and economic resources that affect fertility decisions for Kalaallit in Greenland. The research presented contextualizes drivers of fertility decisions within Greenland's climate adaptation policy options and presents strategies to guide health studies in Greenland with principles of community based participatory research. Interviews were conducted with 35 reproductive-aged (18-49 years) men and women and 26 interviews with policymakers and key stakeholders in two communities about climate adaptation, natural resources, economic development, and fertility and reproductive health. Interviews were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory in collaboration with a Kalaallit community research partner. Results indicate that improving community capacity to address existing housing, education, and economic inequities is critical to supporting fertility and reproductive health, irrespective of climate change impacts. Participants observed climate change effects and expressed positive attitudes about Kalaallit ability to adapt and capitalize on benefits of climate change. Evidence from this study indicates that addressing development disparities in Greenland may immediately support fertility and reproductive health for Kalaallit people and facilitate equitable climate adaptation.Item A framework for the quantitative assessment of new data streams in avalanche forecasting(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Haddad, Alexander Sean; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: Eric A. Sproles and Jordy HendrikxData used by avalanche forecasters are typically collected using weather stations, manual field-based observations (e.g., avalanche events, snow profiles, stability tests, personal observations, public observations, etc.) and weather forecasts ("traditional observations"). Today, snow cover observations can be delivered via remote sensing (e.g., satellite data, UAV, TLS, time-lapse camera etc.). Forecasting operations can also use statistical forecasting, weather models, and physical modeling to support decisions. This paper presents a framework and methodology to quantify the impact these new, complex data streams have on the formulation of, and associated uncertainty of, avalanche forecasting. We use data from a case study in Norway. Avalanche forecasters in Norway assessed size (D), likelihood, avalanche problem, and hazard level for a highway corridor in Grasdalen, Stryn Norway. The control groups were given access to traditional observations. The experimental groups were given access to the same traditional data, but also near-real-time snow surface LiDAR data ("RS+"). In case study one the RS+ (n=10) consensus findings were a hazard level two steps lower than the control group (n=10). In case study two the traditional (n=10) and RS+ groups' (n=7) consensus findings assessed the northeastern avalanche path at the same hazard level. Assessing the southwestern slide path, the traditional group (n=10) and RS+ group (n=9) had the same consensus finding for hazard level. In 2 of 3 case studies, the RS+ groups had fewer selections for size, likelihood, and avalanche problem which indicates reduced uncertainty in their forecasts. Throughout the 2022-2023 winter season Norwegian Public Roads Administration avalanche forecasters performed a real-time experiment throughout the season - with and without additional RS+ data when forecasting. They agreed on hazard level in 6 of 10 forecasts. In the other 4 forecasts, RS+ forecasters assessed the hazard level higher than traditional data forecasts. When RS+ data reveals aspects of conditions that traditional observations did not detail, RS+ forecasters adjust their selections in the hazard matrix, resulting in greater clustering of their predictions, indicating reduced uncertainty. Due to uncertainty associated with avalanche forecasting, this framework for assessment should be used to track avalanche forecast efficacy and build a qualitative and quantitative historical record.Item Community resilience in remote, resource-dependent communities: a case study of the U.S. coal transition(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Roemer, Kelli Frances; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Julia Hobson Haggerty; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.The United States is undergoing a significant energy system transition characterized by widespread retirement of coal-fired electricity generation facilities. In the next ten years, nearly 30 percent of the nation's coal power plant fleet will retire. The US West hosts a significant portion of these closures, with twenty-five generating units of coal-fired electricity retiring across six Western states. Retirements pose immediate social, economic, and environmental challenges for the localities and regions that host power plants and associated mines. Affected communities need to both plan for loss of employment and tax revenue and ensure thorough decommissioning and remediation of a major industrial facility. Successfully addressing the social, economic, and environmental legacies at coal facilities presents opportunities for enhancing equity and justice in rural energy communities. However, determining the appropriate policy and planning response to address challenges affecting fossil fuel-dependent communities drives significant debate over the implications of accelerating decarbonization in rural places. Interdependent social, political, economic, historical, and environmental processes influence community experiences of coal decline in the US West. This dissertation explores how such factors enable or constrain the resilience of coal-dependent communities to economic decline, where resilience refers to the capacity of a social system to mobilize its resources and respond to shock. This research is thus informed by and contributes to the multidisciplinary literature on resource geography, community resilience, and energy transitions. It makes the following contributions: (1) it investigates how federal and state policies influence community resilience pathways and decision-making at the local level; (2) it identifies and characterizes processes that constrain resilience or enable rural communities to overcome challenges and foster new trajectories; and (3) it identifies specific policies and strategies to support communities navigating energy transition and socioeconomic uncertainty. To make these contributions, this dissertation engages a mixed-methods approach, combining policy analysis and qualitative data collection to examine the coal transition in the US West at the regional and local scale.Item Oregon promise: a look at institutions and decisions made as a result of Oregon Promise Policy(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2020) Rivenes, Teresa Renee; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. MyersHow do free college initiatives, such as the Oregon Promise, impact decision-making at mid-sized community colleges? How have community colleges leveraged free college initiatives to increase and provide systemic support to vulnerable students? The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand the decision-making process as expressed by community college leadership and to explore the process of change. The study examined four mid-sized Oregon community colleges which constituted the entire population of mid-sized community colleges per the Carnegie classification system of size, in the state of Oregon. The participants in the study included seasoned Vice Presidents whose primary role was to implement initiatives, policies, procedures and oversee student success at their campus. The information provided serves to inform change in higher education. Attention was given to Neo-Institutionalism and Tierney's Decision-making theories as well as social-constructionist and critical social frameworks. The results indicate that system change is far more difficult than one might imagine given the multiple stakeholders, vision of shared governance, and competing interests. This study concludes with suggestions for implementing system change and the need for further research.Item Determinants of participation and coverage level choices in the pasture, rangeland and forage insurance program(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2020) DelCurto, Molly Jo; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Eric BelascoDrought risk has become a primary concern for ranchers as a drought can cause substantial financial losses and have been occurring with more regularity and severity than in years past. The Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) insurance program allows ranchers to insure their livestock grazing land against potential losses from low rainfall conditions. This program has undergone substantial changes in its availability and premium prices. We implement a linear fixed effect regression model to estimate changes in participation and coverage level choices in response to changes in factors affecting premium payments. Additionally, we analyze the impacts of future prices, previous year's earnings, and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) on participation and coverage level choices. Our results show that increasing county base values (CBVs) has a significant negative impact on participation, suggesting the more costly the premium payment, the lower the participation. Additionally, we find evidence of memory anchoring and rational decision making in the purchasing decisions of participants. Overall, we find preliminary evidence that ranchers display demand sensitivity to changes in CBVs as well as evidence that producers follow expected utility theory in choosing the highest coverage levels, especially when coverage levels have the same subsidy rate.