Browsing by Subject "Systems"
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Item Definitional Tension: The Construction of Race In and Through Evaluation(2019-12) Shanker, VidhyaDespite the centrality of racialized difference to evaluation, the field has yet to develop a body of literature or guidelines for practice that advance understanding of difference and inequality, including its own role therein. The purpose of this study was to broaden understanding of observed differences and inequality in evaluation beyond individuals and individual lifetimes. Drawing from critical theories of systemic oppression and system dynamics, it used a discourse-historical approach to answer three questions: How has the U.S. scholarly evaluation literature constructed racialized difference? How has that construction changed since the field began formalizing? How is that trajectory related to surrounding systems? Results showed four discursive patterns: (1) minoritization and ambivalence toward whiteness; (2) the invocation of diversity and inclusion; (3) the replacement of race with culture; and (4) the rise of and decoupled relationship between indigeneity and colonization. All four patterns were tied to meso-level dynamics. In the second two, existing recruitment and training efforts initiated and led by and for evaluators representing racially otherized groups at lower levels of the American Evaluation Association were elevated to the association’s board-level, where leadership and language were broadened to represent dimensions of difference beyond race. Analysis of archival documents and interviews tied this meso-level pivot away from race to macro-level discourse and policies associated with racialized neoliberalization, which attributes inequality to individual as opposed to structural deficits. Unlike “Equal Opportunity” or “Affirmative Action,” “diversity,” “inclusion,” and “culture” depoliticize difference and privatize the responsibility for—and benefits of—desegregation. In fourth pattern, literature that authors who identified as indigenous published, which explicitly complicated the relationship between indigeneity and colonization, increased sharply and remained higher following the organizing efforts led by evaluation scholars and practitioners who identify as indigenous. Their efforts remained in their hands rather than being elevated or broadened. Variation among the patterns suggests that the American Evaluation Association’s relations with its racially otherized members and with educational institutions, large firms, philanthropy, and government are linked to the field’s construction of racialized difference through existing institutional mechanisms. Whether the mechanisms counteract or amplify racialized neoliberalization depends on whether they circulate capital in ways that enable otherized groups to exercise collective agency and produce knowledge for structural change.Item Designing a Model Food Systems Graduate Degree Program(2022-07) Dryke, JessicaWe live in a Global Society where our business and cultures are connected across communities, countries, sectors, and disciplines. That means problems are more complex than can be addressed with a single tiered approach. In a society where communities are interconnected and interdependent across local and global markets, problems do not have simple solutions and fall under the category of wicked problems. These problems require evolving multidisciplinary collaboration across sectors, disciplines, and cultures to find solutions through continual adaptation to changes in society. Issues like food waste, food insecurity, sustainability and climate change are wicked problems that need multi-pronged approaches that appreciate multi-disciplinary problems. Since wicked problems occur on a systems scale, understanding the functionality of systems is imperative. Right now, there are few professionals trained in systems that can tackle these wicked problems within our food system. A shift in higher education over the years towards specialization, linear thinking, and reductionist approaches has not only contributed the shift away from systems understanding but has also contributed to a skills shortage gap in employees entering the workforce. The shortage includes skills such as communication, building collaborative relationships, systems thinking, problem solving, interdisciplinary work, and facilitation. This thesis is based on Participatory Action Research that combines action, practice, theory, and reflection to identify problems and potential solutions within the University of Minnesota graduate system. An anthropological approach used observations, qualitative data collection, and conversations with people of differing views to understand the issues within the current academic system from the perspective of fellow students, administrators, faculty, staff, alumni, and other professionals outside the university system. This methodology and write-up further recognize and support the value of the human influence on research design and interpretation while utilizing the first-person experience. This project highlights the need for training of food systems students and young professionals to support the relevancy and impact of the nutrition discipline, in recognition of the absence of nutrition and food science in food system discussions and activities, while advocating for multidisciplinary training through the creation of a model Food Systems Graduate degree program. This complementary approach allows reductionist thinking to confluence with systems thinking to promote more wholistic training for graduate students. This Graduate degree program further supports flexibility to promote self-efficacy and interest for students, cohort-based experiential learning, and expanded levels of mentorship beyond faculty-student interaction through alumni involvement. The all-encompassing contribution of human influence, different sectors, disciplines, culture, socio-economic, and political perspectives are essential to an inclusive, holistic, and comprehensive education program, based on systems approaches. The Twin Cities is rich in food-related resources to support this Food Systems Graduate degree program. The University of Minnesota has a unique opportunity to tackle the skills shortage gap along with the decline in student motivation, given the breadth, depth, and scope of the food system to gain student interest. To achieve this goal nutrition needs to be reinserted into the food system through dialogue and action by coherently connecting all three intellectual traditions of nutrition (Biological, behavioral, ecological) based on our food system, through situational analysis and design. The all-encompassing contribution of human influence, different sectors, disciplines, culture, socio-economic, and political perspectives are essential to an inclusive, holistic, and comprehensive education program, based on systems approaches.Item Developing evidence-based effective principles for working with homeless youth: a developmental Evaluation of the Otto Bremer Foundation's support for collaboration among agencies serving homeless youth(2014-02) Murphy, Nora F.The purpose of this research was trifold. First, it was an attempt to gain an understanding of the experiences of fourteen unaccompanied, homeless youth between the ages of 18 and 24, living in the Twin Cities metro area, who have utilized services at two or more of the six grantee organizations. The second purpose was to understand how the shared principles of these organizations have been implemented in practice. The third purpose was to explore the extent to which implementation of these principles helps lead to healthy youth development from the perspective of the youth. This study was conducted as part of The Otto Bremer Foundation (OBF) Support for Homeless Youth and is a component of a utilization-focused developmental evaluation. The researcher employed a multiple case study approach. Qualitative data were generated from interviews with the youths themselves, street workers, agency staff, and Foundation staff. Fourteen individual case studies were written, and a cross-case analysis was conducted. The analysis provides insight into how the principles are enacted, as well as how they support a young person's healthy trajectory. This study found that all nine principles were evident in case stories, albeit some more than others. All principles interacted and overlapped, but each added something unique to the organizations' approach to working with youth. Implications for practice, policy, and funding are discussed.Item Environmental Monitoring with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(2020-04) Stefas, NikolaosRecent advances in miniaturization of processing units, storage capacity, battery power and sensory equipment have allowed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to perform environmental monitoring tasks with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Data collection is important for algorithms and systems that try to learn how the physical world works or try to interact with it. The number, variety and quality of the data directly affects the performance of these algorithms. In order to fully realize this vision we need to compliment it with efficient systems that can collect the required data. In this dissertation we develop new robotic solutions for fully automating monitoring and data collection in natural, outdoor environments. First, we study the design of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for safe tree surface inspection flying at low altitude inside orchard type fields. The objective of this study is threefold. The system needs to collect complete sets of data for different types of data collection sensors. Furthermore, it has to be able to operate successfully under the effects of wind disturbances. Finally, the integrity of the field has to be guaranteed. To achieve this goal, we modify and integrate several methods and technologies including a non-standard distance-velocity Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) based controller and real time obstacle map navigation based on occupancy voxels. The resulting system demonstrates successful operation and data collection inside a honeycrisp apple orchard. The demonstration includes multiple tests across several days, under various weather conditions (e.g. sunlight, wind) to ensure consistency and was shown to be fully functional even during GPS signal loss. Second, we study the problem of high altitude optimal trajectory generation for capturing aerial image footage of known but difficult to see areas (e.g. under trees or structures, reflective surfaces). In this problem we consider the relation between the camera resolution and UAV altitude. We associate each camera image with an inverted cone apexed at the location of the interest. The height of each cone is associated with the desired resolution and the apex angle corresponds to camera field of view. In other words, each cone encodes the set of view points from which a target can be imaged at a desired location. We provide a polynomial time approximation algorithm that produces a close to optimal solution and was evaluated in existing applications. We analyze the performance of our strategy and demonstrate through simulations and field experiments that by exploiting the special structure of the cones we can achieve shorter flight times than previously available solutions. The strategy can be used with any number of cones and split coverage into multiple flights in order to account for limited battery power or storage capacity. Third, we describe a method that can localize and approach a radio signal source at an unknown location with UAVs. We start by fitting a multi-rotor UAV system with a small on-board computer and a directional antenna that can detect the signal source. We then model the area around the signal source based on the antenna radiation field and classify the locations in which we can or cannot obtain reliable directionality measurements (i.e. bearing measurements). The results of this modeling resemble a cone-like region above the signal source inside of which bearing measurements are unreliable. In order to verify that our modeling is realistic, we also collect data with a real UAV system. Using this modeling, we develop a “home-in” strategy that takes advantage of a UAV’s ability to change altitude and exploits the special structure of the modeled conic-like region in order to approach the signal source from above. We analyze the performance of our strategy and demonstrate through simulations and field experiments that by exploiting this structure we can achieve short flight times. In this dissertation we make progress towards the creation of robotic sensing solutions that satisfy two important criteria. The first criterion is to provide theoretical guarantees about the performance of the proposed solutions. This is achieved by mathematically proving what the worst case scenario is and using it as an upper bound. The second criterion is to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed solutions in real world applications. This is achieved by providing practical implementations tested in both simulations and with robotic systems operating in realistic settings.Item Partnerships for Sustainability: Eco-collaboration between Higher Education and Ecovillages(2014-03-03) Gladman, KiernanHigher Education Institutions are hierarchical organizational systems which implement sustainability initiatives on- and off-campus, some of which could benefit from forming ecological sustainability-oriented partnerships, or eco-collaborations. Eco-collaborations could be formed between their organizations and intentional communities, also called ecovillages. The systemic and complementary differences between ecovillages and Higher Education Institutions create opportunities for several types of partnerships. Mutual goals and missions may be used as a basis for an eco-collaboration for educational, research, or community engagement activities between Higher Education and ecovillages.Item Placement and motion planning algorithms for robotic sensing systems(2014-10) Tokekar, Pratap RajkumarRecent technological advances are making it possible to build teams of sensors and robots that can sense data from hard-to-reach places at unprecedented spatio-temporal scales. Robotic sensing systems hold the potential to revolutionize a diverse collection of applications such as agriculture, environmental monitoring, climate studies, security and surveillance in the near future. In order to make full use of this technology, it is crucial to complement it with efficient algorithms that plan for the sensing in these systems. In this dissertation, we develop new sensor planning algorithms and present prototype robotic sensing systems.In the first part of this dissertation, we study two problems on placing stationary sensors to cover an environment. Our objective is to place the fewest number of sensors required to ensure that every point in the environment is covered. In the first problem, we say a point is covered if it is seen by sensors from all orientations. The environment is represented as a polygon and the sensors are modeled as omnidirectional cameras. Our formulation, which builds on the well-known art gallery problem, is motivated by practical applications such as visual inspection and video-conferencing where seeing objects from all sides is crucial. In the second problem, we study how to deploy bearing sensors in order to localize a target in the environment. The sensors measure noisy bearings towards the target which can be combined to localize the target. The uncertainty in localization is a function of the placement of the sensors relative to the target. For both problems we present (i) lower bounds on the number of sensors required for an optimal algorithm, and (ii) algorithms to place at most a constant times the optimal number of sensors. In the second part of this dissertation, we study motion planning problems for mobile sensors. We start by investigating how to plan the motion of a team of aerial robots tasked with tracking targets that are moving on the ground. We then study various coverage problems that arise in two environmental monitoring applications: using robotic boats to monitor radio-tagged invasive fish in lakes, and using ground and aerial robots for data collection in precision agriculture. We formulate the coverage problems based on constraints observed in practice. We also present the design of prototype robotic systems for these applications. In the final problem, we investigate how to optimize the low-level motion of the robots to minimize their energy consumption and extend the system lifetime.This dissertation makes progress towards building robotic sensing systems along two directions. We present algorithms with strong theoretical performance guarantees, often by proving that our algorithms are optimal or that their costs are at most a constant factor away from the optimal values. We also demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of our results through system implementation and with results from simulations and extensive field experiments.Item UAV Laboratories AEM Systems Group Seminar 20140926(2014-09-19) Taylor, Brian