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IRT Presentation - Atari's E.T. Game

IRT Presentation: 10/5/2020

For this project, groups of two or three students were given a random topic. We were instructed to perform research on that topic and then create a question of which we would answer in a five minute presentation using five slides. This was daunting at first because five minutes goes by extremely quickly, but after delving into the research it wasn't that bad. I really appreciate how thorough my partner and I were in our research and how much effort we put into the question we made. Our presentation was decent, but not flawless. At times we spoke too fast, looked at the board, and our slides trended toward visually distracting. The feedback was great, and going into the next presentation, I now have a better idea of how to present in a way that is interactive, concise, and leaves the audience well informed.

Presearch: 10/28/2020

CAPS Presearch Document

Post-LEAP Feedback Deliverable: 10/29/2020

After debriefing with my LEAP group and completing a meta-analysis, I have decided to spend a little more time building upon my presearch. Even though my group members believed that I was in a good place, I still have the feeling that something about the research is incomplete. From our research-oriented workshops over the past few weeks, I have gathered substantial information about pregnancy-related deaths in the United States along with the disparities that exist in the Pregnancy-Related Mortality Ratios between African American and non-Hispanic white women in the United States, but I think that I could go further. Before I made the Flipgrid video, I still left a few stones unturned in my research in regards to the types of pregnancy-complications that prove most fatal to African American women, along with why it is that the access to proper mental health screening is often of limited access to African American women. Though I need to remember that I should avoid getting too broad, I think that there is still some room for me to wonder and to wander.

I am going to start with completing the triage reading on the few sources I have yet to read in my presearch document. There is a short TED-Talk detailing the importance of maternal mental health, and another informational video that further solidifies some of the information I have already gathered surrounding the impact of systemic racism on the higher rates of maternal mortality among African American women. I also found this article called “Hidden in Plain Sight — Reconsidering the Use of Race Correction in Clinical Algorithms” written in the New England Journal of Medicine which I am really eager to read to see if there are any connections between race correction and racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths. It was also suggested to me that I look to find real life stories to balance out hard statistics with anecdotal representations of how great an issue this is, and I think that is a fantastic idea. After completing some further research with these sources, I will reevaluate, complete another meta-analysis, collaborate with my team, if necessary, and hopefully advance to building my essential question.

Building By Questioning: 11/1/2020

Questions that have developed as a result of my presearch: How can we provide better access to mental health screening and treatment to black women before pregnancy to reduce their allostatic load going into pregnancy? What would it take from a social and legislative perspective to enact systemic change in the realm of maternal mental health among black women? To what extent and in what ways, specifically, has maternal mortality been aggravated by biased city planning initiatives, like urban renewal? Which federal systems/organizations implemented in the U.S are the most to blame for worsening maternal mortality and how can we work to combat that? If not on a systemic level, what preventative measures can be taken to help prevent the stress inflicted upon black mothers? From a historical standpoint, why are black women habitually underserved in the realm of mental health? Can we make an addition link between maternal mortality and race corrections, and if so, what would it take to overcome that challenge? Are the higher rates of maternal and infant mortality among African Americans having an intentional or unintentional effect on the number of African American women giving brith each year? Why isn't the need for better mental health services for African American women more publicized despite the staggering statistics?

Mapping Artifacts in Preparation for the Review of Literature: 1/10/2021

Post-Moth Reflection: 1/5/2021

I listened to the story “Pastels and Crayons” by Aleeza Kazmi. This was an impactful story about a young Afghan-Pakistani girl’s realization that her skin color made her different from her peers. I believe that Aleeza did a fantastic job moving beyond the point “So What”. The story was laced with powerful metaphors in which she compared her own struggle to establish her racial and cultural identity to that of trying to cover peach oil pastel with brown crayon. In only six minutes, her audience is carried through her path to immeasurable personal growth as she is finally able to stand proud and embrace the body she was born in. Part of what moved the story beyond the “So What” was that Aleeza utilized powerfully poignant anecdotes to reflect a struggle many people of color face when they are forced to acknowledge that they are different. She was able to reflect the confusion, disbelief, and panic involved in this acknowledgement, where in her case, her teacher told her blatantly that peach was not “her color”. Another factor that moves a story beyond the “So What” is its clear structure. I never had to question which part was the climax versus the rising action versus the falling action because the story was well crafted to make each component clear without making the story sound too formulaic or tactical. It flowed really beautifully to a resolution that revealed a “confident young woman who is proud of her Afghan-Pakistani heritage”, and who was able to grow despite the tremendous struggle to establish the role that race and heritage played in her life.

Mapping Out my Playground: 1/11/2021

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