Conference Agenda

Language is what distinguishes humans from other animals, and communication between humans is one of the oldest elements of our instincts as humans. Over time, we have developed different sociocultural contexts surrounding language and how we communicate.

The query is to explore how people from different linguistic backgrounds view language culture specifically in the South Jersey and Philadelphia region, where students and staff alike congregate and bring their own unique experiences with language with them.

The methods of research and analysis included ethnographic interviews. The expected results will most likely fall within a large range, since language and culture intersect on many different levels. It is anticipated that some interviewees will feel as if their linguistic background has either helped or hindered them in their experiences with navigating this region. Results may differ between linguistic backgrounds and whether or not the interviewee is an immigrant. The expected limitations include not being able to interview people from every linguistic background, and only interviewing people from Rowan University.

The significance of the ethnographic research conducted is important because it will lead to an increased awareness of the effects of different linguistic backgrounds on the shared human experience.

This study is a subsection of a National Science Foundation Build to Broaden project, “Collaborative Research: Socio-economic patterns, public perceptions, and climate vulnerabilities of water resources and quality,” conducted among students and professors at William Paterson University and Columbia University. This poster focuses on examining community perceptions of water quality, access, and associated socioeconomic factors in urban populations.

The purpose of this study subsection is to assess public perceptions of drinking water quality, access to potable water, and environmental concerns among residents of Paterson, NJ. Methods ranged from fieldnotes, survey collection, interviews, focus groups, and content analyses, each further described as follows. A bilingual (English and Spanish) structured survey instrument (“Cuestionario sobre agua”) was administered to community members to collect data on primary water sources, perceived safety and quality of tap water, reliance on bottled water, and beliefs about environmental and public health risks. Three individual interviews were conducted, transcribed (within the respective languages) and analyzed. Data was also collected within five different focus groups which ranged in size from two to seven participants. These interviews and focus groups were held both in English and Spanish. Additionally, fieldwork observations were recorded within various water-related events in Paterson such as the annual City of Water Day, and a public screening of a film centering the Passaic River. Lastly, data was also collected from different official town websites, news reports, and social media posts that highlighted a recent water crisis in Paterson, NJ. Content analysis of these sites was conducted in reference to the recent August 2025 water crisis Paterson residents were faced with.

These different qualitative data sets served to triangulate the research and gain a nuanced understanding of water perceptions within Paterson, NJ. Preliminary findings indicate variability in perceived water safety and quality, with many participants reporting concerns about tap water and expressing reliance on alternative water sources. Participants showed varying levels of awareness regarding local water resources and potential climate-related vulnerabilities. Additionally, participants express discontent with how local city officials approach water access and handle water crises. This research emphasizes the importance of connecting with community residents about their perceptions of water, and ways to build trust in local water sources. By building confidence in tap water as drinking water would eliminate millions of plastic water bottle waste within New Jersey. This research speaks to the importance of integrating community perspectives into water resource management and public health initiatives. Cooperating and collaborating with local community members can inform policy development, environmental education, and targeted interventions aimed at improving water accessibility and quality in urban communities for a more sustainable future.

Faith Toce

Rowan University

Poster Presentation

Ancient Bread Trails: The Pre Clovis peoples, and What Their Cultural Leftovers Can Teach Us About Early Migration Patterns.

Within the past two decades, recent scholarship has revealed varying occupational remnants at different geographic pre-Clovis sites throughout the Americas. Carbon-dated analysis of these converging discoveries has led archaeologists to determine that these remnants have yielded conclusive proof of earlier migration patterns from the Bering Sea pre ~13,500 ybp. This migration information is extremely important, as it is interdisciplinary in its uses. It can support and bring agency to local histories/peoples, update our notions of physical and cognitive evolutionary history, and can bring cultural awareness to the archaeological records’ need for constant reevaluations. Furthermore, we can learn more about our past with the environment, their food patterns, and cross-compare cultural progression/overlapping, all of which can update our considerations of the pre-Clovis continent migration and subsequent population. However, there are still quite a bit of research gaps, in terms of evidence correlation and agreeance on methodologies used. This can be seen in debates of data interpretation and radiocarbon testing, discussions of the implications of parallel cultural development and overlapping, and in evaluating previous migration routes. The main objective of this study was to explore, link, and verify the amalgamation of pre-Clovis cultural remnants found at various archaeological sites throughout the Americas to being older than the previously accepted Clovis-First, ~13,500 ybp timeline. Referring to academic journals of various archaeologists that discuss various pre-Clovis sites, data analysis of both excavation site data and data collection of DNA/genetic population analysis has revealed that the artifacts, stratigraphic layers consisting of animal bones, and paleo-fecal remains, of both pre-Clovis and Clovis groups, have been dated to both ~13,500 and older, confirming the earlier migration taken through a possible pacific-coastal route, and subsequent occupation of the pre-Clovis at these sites. With the confirmation of these dates, the field can reevaluate their study of pre-Clovis in evaluating their understandings of ancient geochronology, their sustenance patterns, and cross-compare cultural progression/overlapping. The findings suggest that the pre-Clovis archaeological sites conclusively point towards earlier migration patterns of the ancient Americas than early scholarship had previously determined and strongly indicate that more research in the field is needed for further questions that have arisen throughout this study.