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2024 Urban Studies Capstone students celebrate a successful end of their term

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 This December, Urban Studies Associate Professor Dr. Adam Saltsman congratulated three of our majors on completing their rigorous capstone research and writing work with a traditional lunch at the Boynton.


Left to right: Skylar Adcock, Melody Byrne, Morgan Mercadante, Adam Saltsman

Here are their titles and abstracts:


Skylar Adcock
Mental Health Resources for Transition-Aged Unhoused Youth: A Case Study of Worcester County, MA
Access to mental health resources is a significant factor in supporting transition age homeless youth, a population which is affected by mental health concerns and challenges. There are potential barriers such as financial and language barriers, which may be difficult to get access to these resources. I will be researching what social barriers transition age homeless youth face in seeking and receiving mental health service. Interviews and surveys were conducted with professionals in the field in Worcester County and research from databases. The study reveals important information about accessible resources for the transition age homeless youth population and the social barriers that they face.


Melody Byrne
Teachers Perceptions of Students Learning Outcomes due to the Covid-19 Pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all schools were shut down and remote learning had to be adapted in order for all students to continue their education. Because of this change there are many uncertainties regarding students' learning and education outcomes. As teachers were considered frontline workers and were the ones encountering changes during the pandemic they are considered knowledgeable when looking at students' education outcomes. The aim of this study is to explore students' learning changes as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic through the perspectives of teachers. Research was conducted through qualitative interviews of (5-10) k-12 teachers from the Acton-Boxborough school district as well as a document review relating to the ABRS district. All teachers used in the study have previous experiences working before COVID-19 and continued working throughout the pandemic. Previous research was used to further understand the impact of the current study.


Morgan Mercadante
Comparing Resources for Seniors in Two Massachusetts Counties
There are many counties located in Massachusetts. The counties should be making sure that they are providing enough for their elders. This study will focus on two counties in Massachusetts, one being larger and one being smaller. The counties are Middlesex county and Franklin county. When it comes to elders certain things become more important as they age, things such as access to healthcare, social isolation, access to transportation, also issues involving food insecurities, and housing. The study's goal is to find resources and opportunities that the county provides. I also want to focus on whether a town or city is rural or urban and will have an effect on resources available for elders. I will compare the two counties in terms of resources that are provided for their elders. I hypothesize that more Urban areas may have more ability to get resources. Meanwhile it may be harder for rural areas to get access to resources and help. According to Social Explorer the total population of Franklin is about 70,836 people. The total population of Middlesex is about 1,623,952 people.To conduct my research I will interview some of the workers at chosen organizations as well as other key informants. I will go through documents that I am able to find involving elders provided by the county's websites and organizations. I really want to see if a town or city being rural or urban will have an effect on how people will receive care. It would be helpful to see if the counties provide proper care and have resources that elders can reach out to. Other people who work in the field may be interested in this research, due to them wanting to find proper care for elders.

Congratulations 2024 Urban Studies capstone students!

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