Rising child mortality in the U.S. has the most impact on Black and Native American youth

As young Americans face higher death rates, a new VCU study reveals the disproportionate effect on certain racial and ethnic groups

Peer-Reviewed Publication

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY

RICHMOND, Va. (May 6, 2024) — Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU are shedding new light on how the increasing rate of child mortality in the United States has disproportionately affected certain racial and ethnic groups.

Their previous research found that child and adolescent mortality rates in the United States rose by 18.3% between 2019 and 2021, the largest such increase in at least half a century. In their latest study, published May 4 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, their analysis revealed that Black and Native American (American Indian and Alaska Native) youth died at significantly higher rates than white youth – primarily due to deaths from injuries – and the gap is widening.

Death rates among young Americans had been in decline for decades thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and expanded access to health care. However, these gains in public health have since been eclipsed by the rise of injury-related fatalities, including homicide, drug overdoses, motor vehicle accidents and suicide.

“Once you start looking at these trends with a magnifying glass, it becomes clear that mortality rates are not consistent across all racial and ethnic groups,” said Elizabeth Wolf, M.D., an associate professor in the VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and lead author of the study. “While we saw that the overall pediatric all-cause mortality rate in the United States began to increase around 2020 and 2021, for Native American, Black and Hispanic populations, pediatric mortality rates began increasing as early as 2014.”

“Our earlier research on pediatric mortality revealed a great tragedy in that injury-related deaths are reversing the progress we’ve made in pediatric care. This latest study uncovers another layer of tragedy in that injury-related deaths are also reversing our progress in closing racial disparities in mortality,” added Steven Woolf, M.D., director emeritus of the VCU Center on Society and Health and a professor in the VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine.

Wolf and Woolf are part of a research team that reviewed more than 20 years of death certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess how the risk of death at ages 1 to 19 differed by race and ethnicity. 

The data showed that differences in pediatric mortality rates between racial and ethnic groups were improving until 2013. However, in more recent years, the disparities in death rates have widened, especially for Black and Native American populations. Between 2014 and 2020, mortality rates increased by 36.7% in Black youth and 22.3% in Native American youth while increasing 4.7% in white youth.

This shift was primarily driven by disparities in injury-related deaths, according to the analysis. Between 2016 and 2020, nearly 13 in every 100,000 Black youth died by homicide, which is more than 10 times higher than the rate among white youth. During the same period, about 11 in every 100,000 Native American youth died by suicide, more than two times higher than the rate among white youth. 

The data also revealed that many of the recorded deaths caused by homicide and suicide involved firearms. Between 2016 and 2020, about 13 in 100,000 Black youth and 7 in 100,000 Native American youth died from gun-related injuries. These mortality rates were four and two times higher than among white youth, respectively. The data also showed that firearm fatalities have become more frequent over time for both groups. Between 2013 and 2020, the risk of death from gun violence increased by 108% among Black youth and 124% among Native American youth.

The observed disparities are not limited to deaths from injuries, as they also are seen in deaths from diseases such as asthma, influenza and heart failure. About 1 in every 100,000 Black youth died from asthma, nearly eight times higher than the rate among white youth. Additionally, 1 in every 100,000 Native American youth died from pneumonia and influenza, more than three times higher than the rate among white youth. 

Wolf and Woolf said a number of factors are potentially linked to the country’s rise in pediatric mortality and the associated disparities across racial and ethnic groups. For example, the racial imbalance seen in suicide rates may be due in part to differences in poverty levels, childhood experiences and access to mental health services. On the other hand, the racial inequities in death from asthma could be tied to differences in exposure to tobacco smoke and other air pollutants, as well as unequal access to asthma medications.

The researchers also stressed that the various conditions contributing to the widening racial gaps in child death ultimately reflect the legacy of systemic racism in the United States.  

“At the end of the day, the history of systemic racism in this country lies at the root of this tragedy by creating gaps in the social, economic and environmental conditions in which children are being raised,” Woolf said. “Addressing these systemic factors is essential for mitigating the disproportionate risks of injury and disease experienced by children of color.”

According to the researchers, the most effective way to reverse the country’s pediatric mortality trends is through bold policy actions. For instance, they noted the importance of enacting sensible gun policies to prevent child access to firearms, as well as providing better access to behavioral health services to address the current mental health crisis affecting children and adolescents. 

“As doctors, we tend to first focus on the health care system, but many of the issues driving these spikes in mortality cannot simply be treated at a hospital or clinic – such as a person’s income level, education and environment,” Wolf said. “We need to look beyond the sphere of health care and into the sphere of public policy.”

“There are many clear policy recommendations on how to save the lives of our children,” Woolf added. “We just need to act on it.”

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JOURNAL

JAMA

DOI

10.1001/jama.2024.3908 

ARTICLE TITLE

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among US Youth

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-May-2024

 

New China Air Pollution Data Center launched to combat evolving complexity of air quality challenges

INSTITUTE OF ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

 

IMAGE: 

HOMEPAGE OF THE CHINA AIR POLLUTION DATA CENTER (CAPDC)

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CREDIT: CAPDC

While significant strides have been made in improving air quality in China through regulations like the Clean Air Act issued in 2013, air pollution has become increasingly complex. Despite notable improvements, the development of the economy and expansion of vehicular activity have given rise to new challenges, such as the emergence of ozone (O3) pollution, complicating the landscape of air quality management.

In response, a dedicated air pollution data center has been launched, supported by a Major Research Plan of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) titled "Fundamental Researches on the Formation and Response Mechanism of the Air Pollution Complex in China". This initiative aims to delve into the formation mechanisms of air pollution, crucial chemical and physical processes, and their interconnectedness.

This Major Research Plan, comprising 76 individual research projects, has yielded extensive and high-quality data. To consolidate and disseminate these findings for the benefit of scientific research on air pollution, a comprehensive data sharing platform was initiated in 2020. Spearheaded by Peking University, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Normal University, and 3Clear Science & Technology Co., Ltd., this platform marks the inception of the China Air Pollution Data Center (CAPDC).

Accessible at www.capdatabase.cn, CAPDC represents the first-ever data sharing platform focused specifically on atmospheric pollution complexities in China. Designed to be inclusive, the platform welcomes both domestic and international scientists.

The introduction of CAPDC has been featured in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, categorizing the results from the Major Research Plan into eight distinct categories, encompassing both data and non-data types. The data categories include emission inventory, chemical reanalysis, field observation, satellite observation, laboratory measurement, and source profile, comprising a total of 258 datasets. Non-data type results are further divided into new technology and online source apportionment technology, totaling 15 reports.

Here's a brief overview of some key data categories available on CAPDC:

1. Emissions Inventory: Providing nine datasets covering various anthropogenic and natural sources, including a 10-km resolution emission inventory for China in 2017.
2. Chemical Reanalysis: Comprising three datasets, including high-resolution air quality reanalysis and PM2.5 composition data, continuously updated on the platform.
3. Field Observation: Offering 221 datasets from 2011 to 2021, capturing field measurements in 41 cities, focusing on parameters such as cloud characteristics and aerosol parameters.
4. Satellite Observation: Collating high-resolution data for various atmospheric pollutants through the Major Research Plan and the ChinaHighAirPollutants (CHAP) dataset.
5. Laboratory Measurement: Encompassing physicochemical property parameters and chemical reaction parameters across six datasets.

The CAPDC website provides bilingual access in Chinese and English, facilitating functions such as project information inquiries, data retrieval, and downloading after registration and agreement to the data use terms. Notably, emissions inventory, chemical reanalysis, and satellite observation data can be previewed prior to downloading.

“Looking ahead, CAPDC aims to expand its repository with additional data and resources, continually enhancing user experience and bolstering efforts in combating air pollution.” Said the PI of CAPDC, Prof. Mei Zheng from Peking University.

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JOURNAL

Advances in Atmospheric Sciences

DOI

10.1007/s00376-024-4055-4 

ARTICLE TITLE

A Newly Established Air Pollution Data Center in China

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-May-2024

 

Cal Poly Biological Sciences professor and herpetology expert publishes "California snakes and how to find them"

Taylor’s Heyday Books publication is illustrated with more than 100 dazzling photographs

CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY

 

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"CALIFORNIA SNAKES AND HOW TO FIND THEM" AUTHOR EMILY TAYLOR HOLDING

 A CALIFORNIA KINGSNAKE IN HER HANDS, WHILE TOTING A GOPHER SNAKE AROUND HER NECK.

A California mountain kingsnake (image featured in book).

CREDIT

Photo by Marisa Ai Ishimatsu

A beachside striped racer (image featured in book). 

CREDIT

Photo by Francesca Heras

 

 

Dana-Farber review article examines past and guides future efforts to reduce cancer disparities

DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE

BOSTON—Investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have examined the historical evolution of Community Outreach and Engagement initiatives at both the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers (NCI-DCCs). The team's assessment of these activities and recommendations for future efforts were recently published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

The toll cancer takes on lives in the U.S. has declined during the last 28 years, but not equitably. Disparities persist in many historically marginalized communities—including communities disadvantaged by race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or gender identity, and geographic location—despite NCI community outreach and engagement programs designed to address them.

Formed in 1971, the NCI recognizes 72 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, including Dana-Farber. Improving community outreach and engagement has long been an important initiative for NCI, but it was not until 2012 that NCI-DCCs were required to rigorously define their catchment areas, the geographic areas that each center "serves or intends to serve in the research it conducts, the communities it engages, and the outreach it performs." Beginning in 2016, NCI-DCCs were required to provide specific descriptions of community outreach and engagement interventions.

"The purpose of this review is to help us learn what has been working and also what has been missing in terms of community outreach and engagement efforts," says Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH, Chief Clinical Access and Equity Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer at Dana-Farber. "It is imperative that we ensure everyone has access to the latest scientific advances, and that takes a sustained and dedicated focus on community outreach and engagement, clinical access, and health equity."

NCI-DCCs have initiated several interventions intended to decrease health disparities and increase access to innovative medicines, clinical trials, and preventive services and reported many positive results. For instance, a program initiated by Dana-Farber in 2012 to provide diagnostic and patient navigation services to a local federally qualified health center that serves a predominantly Black community helped reduce time to cancer diagnosis from 32 to 12 days.

Due to an intense focus on scientific research, NCI-DCCs have yielded incredible advances in cancer prevention and treatment. But, the investigators conclude, efforts to reduce disparities must be as focused, integrated, and sustained as those made to advance science. According to the authors, "Until recently, our NCI-DCCs have not matched their scientific focus with an intense focus on the inclusion of historically marginalized patients in research trials, access to treatment advances, and development of innovative care delivery interventions to improve access in marginalized communities." The newer emphasis on community outreach and engagement must be expanded to give everyone the same opportunities to benefit from the groundbreaking advancement in diagnosis and treatment.

The investigators note that most NCI-DCC community outreach and engagement work has been focused on education and disparities research rather than on the deliberate expansion of care and interventions. Programs that successfully reduced disparities have yet to be widely shared or replicated in ways that broaden their impact. Further, according to the authors, "Many patients, especially those from historically marginalized communities, or those who do not have traditional political or financial capital, feel that it is difficult to share their experiences, thoughts, and ideas for change directly with institutions themselves." In producing the review itself, the authors were committed to representing the views of those who are impacted most; one of the authors, Barry Nelson, is a patient advocate who was integral to the writing process from start to finish.

The authors recommend the following:

1. NCI-DCCs should engage the communities most impacted and marginalized in a proactive, bidirectional manner and integrate this engagement into the research and diagnostic efforts across the entire cancer center.
2. NCI-DCCs should broaden clinical access for patients across the spectrum of cancer services. This includes investing in the collection of demographic data (area measures of poverty, granular race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity data) across the enterprise and using evidence-based interventions via a highly developed implementation core that connects clinical operations, health care delivery research, and the basic/translation research enterprise. Interventions should be integrated with the healthcare delivery system, not exist outside of it.
3. NCI-DCCs should commit to evolving their current structure of community outreach and engagement by committing to utilizing their economic power to improve local communities via job training, educational collaborations, and health promotion. They should provide healthcare education to their workforce and catchment area communities.
4. NCI-DCCs should establish and implement governance policies and standards, clearly demonstrating their commitment to elevating and empowering those patient voices so as to facilitate equitable decision-making for inclusion, transparency, and professional integrity.

"We can and must make a marked impact on the health outcomes of historically marginalized communities," says Lathan. "What is the use of developing new therapies if the communities that could benefit the most are the very ones that cannot access them?"

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JOURNAL

CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians

ARTICLE TITLE

Evolution of community outreach and engagement at National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers, an evolving journey

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-May-2024

 

The Clues for Cleaner Water

Pitt, Drexel, and Brookhaven engineers solve the “catalysis vs corrosion” mystery in electrochemical ozone production

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

 

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A REPRESENTATION OF ELECTRICAL OZONE PRODUCTION AND THE INVESTIGATION OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENS AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL.

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CREDIT: JOHN KEITH

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Drexel University in Philadelphia, along with Brookhaven National Laboratory, are working to solve a multipart mystery to make water disinfection treatments more sustainable.

Scalable electrochemical ozone production (EOP) technologies to disinfect dirty water may someday replace centralized chlorine treatments used today, whether in modern cities or remote villages. However, little is understood about EOP at the molecular level and how technologies that make it possible can be made to be efficient, economical, and sustainable.

Their research, “Interplay between Catalyst Corrosion and Homogeneous Reactive Oxygen Species in Electrochemical Ozone Production,” was published recently in the journal ACS Catalysis (doi: 10.1021/acscatal.4c01317). Lead author is Drexel PhD student Rayan Alaufey, with contributing researchers from Drexel, including co-PI Maureen Tang, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, postdoctoral researcher Andrew Lindsay, PhD student Tana Siboonruang, and  Ezra Wood, associate professor of chemistry; co-PI John A. Keith, associate professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, and graduate student Lingyan Zhao from Pitt; and Qin Wu from Brookhaven.

“People have used chlorine to treat drinking water since the 19th century, but today we better understand that chlorine may not always be the best option. EOP for example can generate ozone, a molecule with about the same disinfecting power as chlorine, directly in water. Unlike chlorine which stably persists in water, ozone in water naturally decomposes after about 20 minutes, meaning it is less likely to damage people when consuming from water at a tap, when swimming in a pool, or when cleaning wounds in a hospital,” explained Keith, who is also R.K. Mellon Faculty Fellow in Energy at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering.

“EOP for sustainable disinfection would make a lot of sense in some markets, but doing it requires a good enough catalyst, and because nobody has found a good enough EOP catalyst yet, EOP is too expensive and energy-intensive for broader use. My colleagues and I thought if we could decode at the atomic level what makes a mediocre EOP catalyst work, maybe we could engineer an even better EOP catalyst.”

Solving the mystery of how EOP catalysts work is crucial in understanding how to better engineer one of the most promising and least toxic EOP catalysts known to date: nickel- and antimony-doped tin oxide (Ni/Sb–SnO2, or NATO).  

Therein, said Keith, lies the conundrum: what is every atom’s role in NATO doing to help EOP? Is ozone getting formed catalytically in ways we want it to, or does it form because the catalyst is decomposing, and future work needs to be done to make NATO catalysts more stable?

Surprisingly, the researchers discovered that it is probably a mix of both.

By using experimental electrochemical analyses, mass spectrometry, and computational quantum chemistry modeling, the researchers created an “atomic-scale storyline” to explain how ozone is generated on NATO electrocatalysts. For the first time, they identified that some of the nickel in NATO is probably leaching out of the electrodes via corrosion, and these nickel atoms, now floating in the solution near the catalyst, can promote chemical reactions that eventually generate ozone.

“If we want to make a better electrocatalyst, we need to understand what parts are working and not working. Factors like metal ion leaching, corrosion, and solution phase reactions can give the appearance that a catalyst is working one way when actually it is working another way.”

Keith noted that identifying the prevalence of corrosion and chemical reactions occurring away from the catalyst are important steps to clarify before other researchers can pursue improvements to EOP and other electrocatalytic processes. In their conclusion, they note that “Identifying or refuting the existence of such fundamental technological constraints will be critical to any future applications of EOP and other advanced electrochemical oxidation processes.”

“We know that electrochemical water treatment works on small scales, but the discovery of better catalysts will boost it to a global scale. The next step is finding new atomic combinations in materials that are more resistant to corrosion but also promote economically and sustainably viable EOP,” Keith said.

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JOURNAL

ACS Catalysis

DOI

10.1021/acscatal.4c01317 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Interplay between Catalyst Corrosion and Homogeneous Reactive Oxygen Species in Electrochemical Ozone Production

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-Apr-2024

COI STATEMENT

This work was supported by the NSF (CHE-1855657, CHE-1856460, and AGS-2002928). This research used computing resources of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), which is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility, at Brookhaven National Laboratory under Contract no. DE-SC0012704. This research was supported in part by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research Computing, RRID:SCR_022735, through the resources provided. Specifically, this work used the H2P cluster, which is supported by NSF award number OAC-2117681.

Now available from Penn Nursing: innovative, online psychedelic course

Business Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF NURSING

PHILADELPHIA (May 6, 2024) – Penn Nursing is proud to launch a groundbreaking new online course – Educating Nurses in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy – via Open Canvas. This free comprehensive course is designed to prepare nursing professionals for the pioneering field of psychedelic assisted therapy (PAT), aligning with the latest advancements in mental health treatment and Penn Nursing's commitment to social justice in healthcare.

With this new modality of care on the horizon, the need for well-educated, compassionate nursing professionals who can navigate the complexities of PAT will be critical. Anticipating this forthcoming need, Penn Nursing has developed coursework and student learning outcomes  that not only equip nurses with the necessary knowledge and skills but also aligns with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education.

Nurses are champions of social justice, and this course emphasizes the role of nurses in advocating for equitable access to PAT. It addresses the importance of dismantling healthcare disparities and ensuring that the therapeutic potential of psychedelics is accessible to all, particularly marginalized communities. Each lesson plan is supported by a wealth of resources, including detailed slides, reading lists, and supplementary materials, crafted by Penn Nursing faculty through extensive literature reviews and theoretical synthesis. These materials are also applicable for use by researchers, educators, and other healthcare providers interested in psychedelics.

"We are at a pivotal moment in the intersection of mental health care and social justice," said Penn Nursing Dean Antonia M. Villarruel. "This resource represents our commitment to leading in both areas, preparing our nurses to lead in cutting-edge science and practice, and advocating for safe, equitable and compassionate care."

The free "Educating Nurses in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy" course is now open for enrollment and ready to use via Open Canvas. It is suitable for current nursing professionals, students, and anyone interested in the intersection of nursing, mental health care, and psychedelics therapy. This work is part of a larger partnership between Penn Nursing & Columbia School of Social Work, which has been supported by the Joe & Sandy Samberg Foundation and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

“We are proud to have supported the creation of this innovative psychedelic education program. What began as an idea has grown in many ways, including this remarkable new resource, now accessible to all,” said Sandy Beeber Samberg (BSN ’94, MSN ’95). “Penn Nursing’s ability to transform ideas into impactful initiatives is truly inspiring.”

For more information and to enroll, visit our Penn Open Canvas page by clicking here.

# # #

About the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing is one of the world’s leading schools of nursing. For the ninth year in a row, it is ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS University. For the third year in a row, our Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is ranked # 1 in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. Penn Nursing is also consistently ranked highly in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of best graduate schools and is ranked as one of the top schools of nursing in funding from the National Institutes of Health. Penn Nursing prepares nurse scientists and nurse leaders to meet the health needs of a global society through innovation in research, education, and practice. Follow Penn Nursing on: Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, & Instagram.

 

Art-based ap­proaches can en­cour­age fresh per­spec­tives on the fu­ture

Art provides immersive, multimodal experiences which can create emotional connections with envisioned futures

UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS HELSINKI

Art can contribute to futures thinking in various ways, such as inspiring alternative futures through mediums like science fiction in films and literature, encapsulating future scenarios through artistic illustrations, and posing thought-provoking questions that challenge our perceptions and understanding of the future.  

As a multidisciplinary field, futures research borrows approaches from different disciplines. However, it often ignores the potential of the arts on a large scale, even though the arts embrace creativity and often depict and narrate imagined futures. 

In a fascinating intersection of art and futures studies, researchers from the University of the Arts Helsinki have been exploring how art-based approaches can be used in futures workshops. Their research aims to understand how different art forms can help us envision possible futures. 

Case study tried in eight European countries 

Researchers Kai Lehikoinen and Satu Tuittila applied a case study approach to review and categorize selected arts‐based approaches and assess their potential for futures workshops in higher arts education context. The approaches were tried extensively in higher arts education institutions and a summer school in eight European countries.  

The researchers categorized art-based approaches into several types, including visual, technology-dependent, narrative-based, sound- and music-based, corporeal, interactive, and performative, as well as gaming.  

“Each of these categories offers unique ways to express and explore future scenarios. They also offer other benefits, such as accessibility, nonverbal expression, and the ability to create immersive experiences,” says University Researcher Kai Lehikoinen from the University of the Arts Helsinki’s Research Institute.  

AI as the creative agent and other assessed art-based approaches 

According to the study, a notable strength shared by many of these approaches is the ability to facilitate the nonverbal expression of ideas and emotions, contributing to a holistic and imaginative exploration of futures images.  

The researchers use the example of cut‐out images composed as bricolage which serve as visual metaphors for further contemplation. Several approaches, including bricolages, short films, and LARP, offer multimodal experiences, combining visual, auditory, and tactile elements to enrich the futures imaging process.  

LARP and multisensory walks stand out for their immersive engagement, providing participants with experiential learning and deeper insights into futures images. 

Moreover, sound and music‐based approaches and bodily imaginative time‐traveling excel in creating affective connections with the envisioned futures, arousing emotions, and moods. 

The authors point out that the AI‐based image making lacks concrete, physical and sensory interaction with materials. Additionally, it leaves much of the creative act to AI while the person using AI retains a degree of creative agency in form of commands depending on the person’s AI interaction skills. 

Some approaches, like collaborative storytelling and board games, rely heavily on language and may pose challenges for nonnative speakers. In addition, approaches such as LARP can be highly complex, calling for supportive elements to maintain participant endurance and motivation.  

Art as a multifaceted concept 

Interpreting the artistic visions of the future is a complex process due to the interconnected nature of language, culture, and reason.  

The researchers advocate for a reasoned and analytical approach to interpreting these visions, avoiding subjective interpretations. 

The study also underscores the versatility of art-based approaches, which can be effectively used across various organizational contexts.  

However, Lehikoinen and Tuittila caution that facilitators need to carefully consider each approach’s unique strengths and challenges when selecting the most suitable one for their specific context. 

They also note that perceptions of artistic value can vary among participants, which can influence engagement.  

“When introducing art-based approaches in futures workshops, it’s important to recognize that art is a multifaceted concept. Art-based work in futures workshops should extend beyond creative art making to include communication, idea exploration, and emotional resonance’, Kai Lehikoinen suggests. 

The peer-reviewed article Arts‐based approaches for futures workshops: Creating and interpreting artistic futures images has been published in Futures & Foresight Science. 

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JOURNAL

Futures & Foresight Science

DOI

10.1002/ffo2.182 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Arts-based approaches for futures workshops: Creating and interpreting artistic futures images

Greet receives funding for Abstraction in the Andes, 1950 - 1970

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

Michele Greet, Director, Art History Program, received funding for: “Abstraction in the Andes, 1950-1970.” 

She will examine the emergence of abstract painting in Andean countries (Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia) in the 1950s and 1960s. She will explore artists’ newfound interest in pre-Columbian art as source material as well as the circulation of ideas from Europe and the United States.  

Although abstract art rapidly gained acceptance throughout Latin America after World War II, until recently, studies of abstract painting in the region have focused on the geometric styles that emerged in Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. Different variants of abstraction developed simultaneously in the Andes, where artists incorporated local aesthetics to create a unique interpretation of the trend.  

Greet will not only challenge perceptions of abstraction as primarily the product of U.S. and European environments, but also will demonstrate how this art form can engage regional cultural heritage and serve local goals while simultaneously entering dialogue with global aesthetic movements. 

Greet will receive $50,000 from the National Gallery of Art for this project. Funding will begin in Sept. 2024 and will end in May 2025. 

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ABOUT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.

 

SwRI Workbench for Offline Robotics Development™ (SWORD™) launched at Automate 2024

Southwest Research Institute develops user-friendly ROS programming graphical toolkit for developers

Business Announcement

SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

 

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THE SWRI WORKBENCH FOR OFFLINE ROBOTICS DEVELOPMENT™ (SWORD™) SOFTWARE, DESIGNED FOR MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS AND ROBOTICS DEVELOPERS, IS A USER-FRIENDLY ROS PROGRAMMING GRAPHICAL TOOLKIT THAT INTEGRATES CAD FEATURES.

 

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CREDIT: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

SAN ANTONIO — May 6, 2024 – Southwest Research Institute is simplifying robotics programming with a new toolkit that embeds computer-aided design (CAD) into robotics motion planning, modeling and execution. The SwRI Workbench for Offline Robotics Development™ (SWORD™) features a user-friendly graphical interface to demystify the fundamental coding required in robot operating system (ROS) application development.

Informed by the Institute’s role in supporting the ROS-Industrial community, SwRI developed SWORD so manufacturing engineers can leverage CAD knowledge to unlock more complex capabilities within the ROS codebase. SwRI manages the ROS-Industrial Americas Consortium and supports ROS-I software repositories, executing training and developer events.

“The traditional ROS workflow is programming-intense, requiring developers to be deeply familiar with available ROS libraries and tools. Even experienced ROS developers can spend significant time on initial setup and configuration,” said Matt Robinson, an SwRI engineer who manages the ROS-Industrial Americas Consortium. “We listened to ROS experts and consortium members to develop SWORD to provide easier access to the ROS motion-planning tools, while sticking to a CAD-based environment that non-developers are familiar with.”

SWORD features a graphical toolkit for setting up motion planning environments and collision geometries. It can also test advanced robotic motion-planning applications. Implemented as a plugin to the open-source FreeCAD application, SWORD allows users to integrate robotics capabilities in a cross-platform CAD environment.

It provides a graphical interface to many powerful motion-planning libraries. The goal is to adapt ROS for manufacturing and industrial audiences in a way that is more approachable in a familiar environment.

“SWORD is designed for both robotics developers and manufacturing engineers familiar with CAD processes and programs on process-oriented systems,” said Jeremy Zoss, an SwRI engineer who helped to develop the software. “SWORD brings advanced motion-planning capability to this audience, allowing them to take advantage of these advanced tools in their operational environments.”

The SwRI Workbench for Offline Robotics Development™ (SWORD™) software, designed for manufacturing engineers and robotics developers, is a user-friendly ROS programming graphical toolkit that integrates CAD features.

CREDIT

Southwest Research Institute

Key SWORD features include:

• Environmental Modeling: Create or import a CAD model of your robot, including fixtures and end-of-arm-tooling. Manipulate and control robot model using joint sliders and simulate tool movement with an intuitive dragger to evaluate and calculate joint configurations.

 

• Robot Manipulation and Planning: Generate motion plans using commercial path planners, creating custom pipelines for application-specific behavior while predicting and avoiding collisions.

 

• Custom Planning Pipeline: Define robot motion using either coordinate-based or joint waypoints, specifying different movement segment types and motion groups while inserting supplementary commands.

 

SWORD is officially released, and seats are available. A trial version is available upon request to help you determine if it is right for your organization. To learn more, visit https://sword.swri.org. See a demonstration of ROS May 6-9 at the Automate show in Chicago. Visit SwRI at booth No. 3543.