Intention for this study is driven by finding patterns that may be shown to reveal primary factors of influence for the abundance and diversity of wetland birds. These correlations may be used to promote wetland management strategies for the benefit of waterbird species, and help illuminate current local wetland conditions for waterbirds, respectively. The idea is to help enliven individuals to become a more conscious steward and manipulator of our environment through incorporating structural and biological components into wetland development and management strategies, and broadly speaking, urban development practices.

The aim of this thesis is to narrate and analyze lynching and atypical violence in Denton County, Texas, between 1920 and 1926. Through this intensive study of a rural county in north Texas, the role of law enforcement in typical and systemic violence is observed and the relationship between Denton County Officials and the Ku Klux Klan is analyzed. Chapter 1 discusses the root of the word lynching and submits a call for academic attention to violence that is unable to be categorized as lynching due to its restrictive definition. Chapter 2 chronicles known instances of lynching in Denton County from its founding through the 1920s including two lynchings perpetrated by Klavern 136, the Denton County Klan. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between Denton County Law Enforcement and the Klan. In Chapter 4, seasons of violence are identified and applied to available historical records. Chapter 5 concludes that non-lynching violence, termed "disappearances," occurred and argues on behalf of its inclusion within the historiography of Jim Crow Era criminal actions against Black Americans. In the Prologue and Epilogue, the development and dissolution of the St. John's Community in Pilot Point, Texas, is narrated.

The Texas High Plains produces the most substantial amount of cotton in Texas. The region is a semi-arid area with limited precipitation, and it is, therefore, susceptible to climate change. Cotton production in the Texas High Plains is mostly dependent on irrigation to increase yield. The overall goal of this research was to study the interrelationships between climate change and cotton yield using correlation analysis and also to study how climate has changed in the region using trend analysis. A three-decade data (1987-2017) was analyzed to establish the relationship between climate change and cotton and also to determine how climate has changed in the area over the last 30 years. The research used precipitation and temperature data to assess climate change.The results of this research showed that annual mean temperature has lesser impacts on cotton yield, and the correlation between annual precipitation and cotton yield is insignificant. It also found out that high rates of temperature at the boll opening stage of cotton growth results in decreased cotton yield and that at the boll development and boll opening stages, precipitation is needed. Again, the research indicated that, on average, there had been a significant increase in temperature, but precipitation trends …

The primary goal of the research project was to organize a community needs assessment, which culminated in a report attached in the appendix. Data from sixteen interviews with community leaders involved in mental health promotion throughout Dallas County, Texas was used as the foundation of the professional report. This data revealed several key barriers faced by those with mental illness in their ability to access mental health services in Dallas County. The information gathered prompted further exploration into the intersection between public transit and mental health. Transit became the focus of this work when it came up as simultaneously a barrier to care and mode of prevention in the majority of the interviews. Interestingly, Dallas County has public plans to address transit related disparities; however, their intervention pulls from strategies determined to be ineffectual among the poor and disenfranchised. In this work we explore community needs and the civic culture of Dallas with a specific focus on transportation.

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Mixed Media by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic and Enamel on Panel by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

When governments are unable or unwilling to provide necessary relief to communities, local faith-based congregations (FBCs) step in and fill the gap. Though shown to provide for so many needs following disaster, FBCs have largely been left out of the institutional emergency management cycle. The aim of this study was to explore the role of FBCs in the disaster response and recovery process and investigate how recovery impacts FBCs. The primary objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of FBCs and how to better integrate them into the formal emergency management process.The main questions were as follows: First, what is the role of FBCs during the disaster recovery process? Second, how do FBCs change (temporarily and permanently) during disaster recovery, and what factors may promote or inhibit change? To answer these questions, qualitative semistructured interviews were held to develop a case study of Katy, Texas and its recovery from Hurricane Harvey of 2017. The applied and conceptual implications resulting from this study, which apply to FBCs, researchers, emergency managers, and policy makers, highlight the opportunity to better incorporate FBCs formally into emergency management practices.

This work examines the lynching of twelve female victims in Texas from 1885 to 1926.

Through painting, I use materiality to describe the material world. By rooting my practice in visual culture and art history, I seek to extend the meaning of images beyond their initial form. The coalescing of opposing and complimentary formal elements accentuate the visual and contextual friction. This allows the work to exist in an ambiguous state. Seen together, my works appear disparate, but they suggest alternative meanings through association with one another. The works can exist on their own, but engage in dialogue when juxtaposed against each other. Although about specific occurrences, the works afford the viewer their own interpretations.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies", November 12-18 2020, Cora Stafford Gallery, University of North Texas.

Work of art in Acrylic on Panel by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas over Panel by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies".

Work of art in Acrylic on Canvas by artist Loc Huynh as part of a 2020 MFA Exhibition, entitled "The Gainsay Taxonomies", November 12-18 2020, Cora Stafford Gallery, University of North Texas.