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Item Open Access Structure and Funding Recommendations for Wyoming Equality(University of Wyoming Libraries, 2026-02-25)In Wyoming, the lowest population density state in the contiguous United States, individual political organizers, organizations, and day-to-day citizens lack inter-communication. This creates specialization overlap between like-minded grassroots organizations, who then compete for finances and engagement from an already scarce populace. By working with Wyoming Equality, a grassroots organization that specializes in queer advocacy both in the legal system and the religious population of Wyoming, and by interviewing individuals about grassroots organizations, I studied what makes a community-driven organization successful in rural states. I developed four collaboration-focused proposals to further Wyoming Equality’s growth. 1) Create a group chat for grassroot operators, enabling basic collaboration and information flow. Ideally, a spreadsheet of basic contact information and programs each grassroot group provides supplements this. 2) Compile a list of local affiliates who would be willing to host or advertise events. 3) Coordinate fundraising campaigns and events with a calendar that organizations share. 4) The University of Wyoming’s Honors College offers paid internships if a student should choose to work with an organization through the college, creating an opportunity for mentorship, personnel, and community engagement. Coordination between grassroots organizations with these four methods could reduce resource competition, expand individual organization networks, and promote mentorship within larger movements.Item Open Access Cinematic Portrayals of Conventionally Unattractive Body Types(University of Wyoming Libraries, 2026-01-22)This capstone analyzes the cultural and social anxieties reflected in the portrayal of fat people in cinematic media. It analyzes how two films, Shallow Hal (2001) and The Whale (2022), display the cultural stereotypes surrounding fat people. Using Jeffrey Cohen's Monster Theory (1996), this project deconstructs the techniques used in these films that portray the fat characters as monstrous. The analysis reveals that tropes such as the fat slapstick, the fat body as a thing, and the fat body as a grotesque body contribute to the othering of fat people. Labeling fat people as the "other" is conductive to the systemic discrimination and bias facing this group. Connecting this with Cohen's seven theses of monster theory, it can be seen that fat people are characterized as monstrous, further representing cultural fears of death, disease, and a lack of control. While the cultural stereotypes surrounding fat people may have shifted over time, internalized biases about the monstrous nature of fat people have not, and this can be seen in their depictions in cinematic media. Ultimately, this project sheds light upon the complex relationship between cinema and the cultural fears that facilitate the depiction of fat people as monsters, contributing to ongoing discussions about fatphobia in the media in a time where the so-called "obesity epidemic" is at an all-time high.Item Open Access Safety-Integrated Calibration and Validation of Simulation Models for Complex Innovative Intersections Using Bivariate Extreme Value Theory(University of Wyoming Libraries, 2025-07-30)This paper presents a safety-integrated calibration and validation framework for microscopic traffic simulation models applied to two unconventional intersection designs: Diverging Diamond Interchanges (DDI) and Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI). Sites from Utah, United States, were modeled in PTV VISSIM and calibrated against three key Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs): Traffic Volume, Average Speed, and Crash Frequency. Unlike traditional calibration approaches, the proposed framework incorporates surrogate safety analysis directly into the calibration process by embedding bivariate Peak Over Threshold (POT) modeling from Extreme Value Theory (EVT). This method jointly captures conflict severity using Time to Collision (TTC) and Maximum Deceleration (MaxD), allowing crash frequency estimation from simulated conflicts. The calibration results showed strong agreement with field data, achieving GEH values below 5 for all movements and minimal speed errors. Simulation-based crash estimates differed from observed crash frequencies by only 0.07 crashes per year for the CFI. Validation using 2019 data further confirmed the predictive capability and generalizability of the models. This study contributes a robust and transferable framework for evaluating both operational efficiency and safety performance in innovative intersection design.Item Open Access Engaging Wyoming Communities in an Environmental Justice Approach for Advanced Nuclear Energy Facility Siting: Public Participation and Stakeholder Engagement Milestone Report(University of Wyoming Libraries, 2026-01-09)In November 2021, the private company, TerraPower, in partnership with electric utility, PacifiCorp, and the United States Department of Energy via its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, announced plans to site its Natrium advanced nuclear reactor near the retiring Naughton Power Plant in Kemmerer, located in southwest Wyoming. This marks the first commercial advanced nuclear energy facility to begin construction in the United States. Our research explores this case and aims to inform an adaptable community engagement process for advanced nuclear energy siting and development, as proposals to develop similar facilities are rapidly increasing. Public participation processes often receive critique for establishing only cursory informative or consultative opportunities for notice and comment rather than deeper opportunities for procedural justice. In July 2025 in Kemmerer, we hosted two public participation and stakeholder engagement meetings called Community Conversations on Natrium and Kemmerer’s Energy Future. This public participation and stakeholder engagement process focused on eliciting and documenting community members’ questions about and perspectives on opportunities and challenges related to the development and operation of the TerraPower Natrium advanced nuclear energy facility with an overall aim of community capacity-building. This document reports our methods for developing and implementing the Community Conversations meetings, findings from those meetings, and a suggested protocol for potential use in other advanced nuclear energy facility siting processes.Item Open Access Direct Community Economic Benefits from TerraPower’s Kemmerer Unit 1 Natrium Facility: A Research and Practice Brief for Engaging Communities in Advanced Nuclear Energy Facility Siting(University of Wyoming Libraries, 2026-01-07)In November 2021, the private company, TerraPower, in partnership with electric utility, PacifiCorp, and the United States Department of Energy via its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, announced plans to site its Natrium advanced nuclear reactor near the retiring Naughton Power Plant in Kemmerer, located in southwest Wyoming. This marks the first commercial advanced nuclear energy facility to begin construction in the United States. Our research explores this case and aims to inform an adaptable community engagement process for advanced nuclear energy siting and development, as proposals to develop similar facilities are rapidly increasing. Within this research, community members frequently asked not just what kind of and how many benefits may confer to the local community from the Natrium project, but where they come from, how they are shared, and when they will occur. We investigated those questions and worked to provide clear, evidence-based answers to share back with the community. This brief shares what we learned about direct economic benefits to local communities from the TerraPower Natrium facility.
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