Academic Excellence Symposium

Upon retirement, coal plants must go through a process of decommissioning, remediation, and redevelopment. Decommissioning involves shutting down operations, removal of coal and hazardous materials, cleaning of electrical generating equipment, and demolishing of facilities. Environmental remediation is performed to clean up hazardous waste. The private or public landowners of the sites then need to consider redevelopment. This policy analysis identifies and examines five potential redevelopment alternatives that include conversion to natural gas plants, wind energy facilities, nuclear power plants, data centers, and community parks. Alternatives are evaluated, and given a high, medium, or low rating, based on economic efficiency, environmental impact, and community development. The economic efficiency rating is based on the cost of redevelopment and availability of financial incentives. The environmental impact rating is based on the effect on air quality, remediation requirements, amount of clean energy produced, and amount of energy consumed. The community acceptance rating is based on jobs created; enjoyment brought to the community, and income taxes generated from the redevelopment. All the identified solutions are rated high in community acceptance. Wind energy facilities, nuclear power plants, and park conversions are rated low in environmental impact, with natural gas ranking medium, and data centers rated high. Natural gas, data centers, park conversions are rated medium in economic efficiency, while wind and nuclear conversions are rated low, as these conversions are the most expensive. The community park conversion is rated the best based on the criteria, but with this conversion there is no clean energy produced as there would be with wind and nuclear plant conversions. Landowners of these sites can use these rankings to help determine the best solution for redevelopment of the decommissioned coal plants in their communities.

The rise in book bans across the United States raises critical concerns about censorship, intellectual freedom, and students' right to access diverse perspectives. This project investigates the motivations behind book bans, their impact on democratic values, and their broader educational consequences. Over the past decade, challenges to books, particularly those addressing race, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues, have surged in public schools and libraries. By examining historical and contemporary instances of book censorship, this project will analyze Supreme Court rulings such as Board of Education v. Pico (1982) and assess the ideological and political factors fueling modern bans. Additionally, comparisons to international censorship policies will offer a broader context for understanding the implications of these bans in democratic societies. Book bans represent a significant threat to democratic ideals by restricting access to diverse viewpoints and limiting educational opportunities. Though some argue certain materials are unsuitable for young audiences, the selective nature of these bans often reflects ideological battles rather than legitimate educational concerns. The project highlights how censorship has historically been used to control narratives, disproportionately affecting marginalized voices. Drawing on legal, historical, and policy analyses, the research emphasizes the need for policies that uphold intellectual freedom and resist censorship. As a lifelong reader, this issue is deeply personal. Many of the books being banned today, like To Kill a Mockingbird, shaped my worldview and inspired my interest in law. This project aims to preserve the right to read and discuss diverse narratives, ensuring that future generations can engage with the stories that have influenced and enriched our understanding of society.

Illustration is important in children's books, as it adds to the story and determines whether or not a child will be engaged with the text. It is also incredibly important that the text matches the illustrations because these help add the overall story. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss, the lack of color (minus the color red) helps children use their imaginations, while also focusing on what the meaning of the story really is.

The United States is facing many issues specific to the economy today due to rising cost of living without pay adjusting accordingly, inflation, and pay inequalities. With this, housing in America has become a major issue. Housing in America disproportionately affects people of color more than White Americans and reflects the deep-rooted economic inequalities in America. It seems that people of color have become victim to housing issues particularly because of economic inequalities. America then went in a direction in the 20th century where education was supposed to be the remedy to solve these inequalities, but we see today it’s helped but has not solved the problem. To help combat the housing problem today, specifically for minority groups, we must minimize the wage gap that is expanding today in order to keep up with rising housing costs and introduce federal laws that regulate housing.

We will be interviewing local organizations that create a safe space for children to learn and experience different youth opportunities: Boys and Girls Club, COMSA, FFA, WE ALL RISE. Within the interview we will ask questions about how the different organizations plan for member success as well as what kind of mandates they have given to them by either boards of directors or state in order to obtain funding. We hope to delve deeper into how each respective organization foster a unique and beneficial experience while having overtones of fun engaging activity and undertones of a more academic standpoint. The interviews will be opened with outside research reports from academic journals that have reported on the topic, this will be to open the discussion on whether or not this organizations are beneficial for not only the kids but the people that run them and the money that is used to fund such places. Overall, the intended goal is to research and verbalize the positive effects that outside organizations have on young students.