Social & Community Development Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Social & Community Development Research - Essay Example The option of having alternative education programs for prospective delinquent children is something I admire. It was no difficult task choosing my area of research seeing that it has been aptly covered by Cox among other researchers. The research by this particular writer is a bonus for me as it provides a foundation stone for my future research interests. Perhaps the reason for my personal interest in this research area is because I lost an elder brother to jail for delinquency; something that could have been prevented early enough. While searching for this journal, I first developed a search strategy that was very useful in identifying this research. To start with, I first defined the topic that I wanted to cover, or rather my research interest. As stated earlier, my interest in research is in child delinquency. A practical solution to child delinquency is the establishment of alternative schools. In so doing, I came up with the keywords ‘child delinquency’ and ‘alternative schools’. To make my search more wide and varied, I included the keyword ‘assess*’. The asterisk at the end of the word assess was intentional to make the search pick up variations such as ‘assessed’ and ‘assessment’. Since the three concepts, assess, child delinquency and alternative schools are related I used the conjunction ‘and’ between them to ensure the search gave results that had all the three concepts. The work of Cox particularly interested me because of the number of reviews that it had attracted (Conley, 2002, pp. 142). Moreover, the researcher has been involved in other remarkable researches. In particular, his assessment of delinquency related outcomes of alternative education programs stood out because it covered the same field that I was venturing in. The fact that Cox has published those many times (Korn, 1991, pp. 75) makes him an ideal reference point in doing my future research. The main

Non native(introduced),exotic species and their impacts to the Essay

Non native(introduced),exotic species and their impacts to the ebvironment - Essay Example For example, U.S. Executive Order 13112 defines invasive species as â€Å"an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health† (Clinton, 1999). Non-native species either can be introduced unintentionally and accidentally or can be transported by humans intentionally and purposely. It is estimated that more than 50,000 non-native species have been introduced into the United States. Many of these introduced species are beneficial, such as â€Å"corn, wheat, rice, and other food crops, and cattle, poultry, and other livestock† which â€Å"provide more than 98% of the U.S. food system at a value of approximately $800 billion per year† (Pimentel, Zuniga, & Morrison, 2005). Some introduced species also are used for â€Å"landscape restoration, biological pest control, sport, pets, and food processing† (Pimentel et al, 2005). However, there are many invasive species with harmful economic, ecologica l or human health impacts. One study estimated â€Å"approximately $97 billion in damages from 79 exotic species during the period from 1906 to1991† (Pimentel et al, 2005). ... ?survives from one growing season to another by forming perennating buds (surviving from season to season) and enduring a period of dormancy during the winter† (â€Å"NYIS.INFO†). Mature giant hogweed can reach a height of 3 to 5 m with hollow stems approximately 5 to 10 cm in diameter and compound leaves as big as 1.5 m (Nice, Johnson, & Bauman, 2004). Giant hogweed has aggressive, invasive and toxic nature and so, it is on the Federal Noxious Weed List (Nice et al, 2004). Originally, giant hogweed belongs to the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Because of its beauty and huge size, in 19th century giant hogweed was introduced to Great Britain as an ornamental curiosity in the 19th century. Later, the plant was imported to the United States â€Å"as a showpiece in arboreta and Victorian gardens (one of the plant’s first North American plantings of giant hogweed was in gardens near Highland Park in the City of Rochester, New York)† (â€Å"NYIS.INFO†). Ever since, giant hogweed has spread in many areas, including Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Putnam, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Counties in New York; Connecticut; the District of Columbia; Illinois; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Ohio; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Washington; Wisconsin; and Ontario and Vancouver Island in Canada (â€Å"NYIS.INFO†). Giant hogweed has ecological and human health impacts. Colonies of this plant easily become dense â€Å"owing to the plant’s prolific seed production and rapid growth rate† (â€Å"NYIS.INFO†). Due to its deep taproots and huge leaves, giant hogweed hinders the growth of native plants by denying them light and