SpaceTech Scholars Program

I am a co-PI on a Developing Hispanic Serving Institute grant that focuses on diversifying Colorado Aerospace Industries.  This grant provides scholarship opportunities and programming for students interesting in in this field.  Highly underrepresented students are the primary beneficiaries of this grant and program.     Click Here For More Information.

Contact the grant leaders:

Dr. Jeffrey Forrest, Chair and PI of the Grant forrestj@msudenver.edu

Roberto DeMata, Project Management, SpaceTech Scholars Program rdemata@msudenver.edu

Food Neophobia Factors In College Students

I served on Dr. Jesse Lunsford's dissertation committee studying educational and social factors that contribute to Food Neophobia (the fear of trying new foods).  An abstract from this work:

Problem Statement: Diet-related chronic disease rates continue to rise in the United States. Dietary decisions are complex and causal evidence for obesity is still lacking. While significant research has been done evaluating dietary interventions, further work is needed to identify factors that can help individuals adopt a healthful diet.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine food neophobia in college students. The aims of the study included: impact of college level general nutrition course on food neophobia, food neophobia relationship to nutrient intake, and a qualitative analysis of food neophobia factors.

Methods: College students who were enrolled in Introduction to Nutrition (NUT-2040) in Fall 2020 were recruited from Metropolitan State University of Denver. A validated tool, the food neophobia scale (FNS), was used to evaluate levels of food neophobia. Participants completed a pre- and post-test FNS and paired T-tests were completed to measure differences in means. FNS scores were correlated to self-reported micronutrient and macronutrient intake. Qualitative interviews were completed to explore factors related to food neophobia.

Contact Dr. Lunsford:  jlunsfo7@msudenver.edu

Marijuana and Homelessness Study

Utilizing students from my research methods class (Fall 2014), we focused on whether or not representatives of Homeless shelters (11 shelters in the Denver area) have seen an increase in homelessness since the legalization of Marijuana:

• One said there was no increase and one said there is a decrease in the number of homeless people they serve
• One representative said that she has not seen an increase in her shelter but she knows that there are more homeless people in Denver because of marijuana
• Nine interviewees stated that there is an increase in the number of clients they serve due to the legalization of marijuana
• Those with more clients who are in Denver because of marijuana:
  • Serve males
  • Young people 17-25
  • Increase in white clients
  • Clients want to smoke marijuana or get into the business
• Ten interviewees claimed that they have seen no increase in property crime in or around their shelter
• One stated that they historically have minor thefts at night – no police involvement
• They discussed crimes that occur in the Triangle park but this is an ongoing problem
• They have not had to contact the police for any issues related to marijuana use or distribution
• All interviewees claimed that there is no increase of violence due to marijuana legalization
• Two interviewees said legalizing marijuana was a good thing
• Six stated it was a bad thing
• Two are unsure and want to see if there are any long-term problems
• One stated that medicinal marijuana is good but recreational marijuana is bad
• Other Explanations for an Increase in the Homeless Population?
  • The Governor’s proposed homeless camp
  • The Colorado economy is good while neighboring state’s economy is not
  • People think there are opportunities here
  • People are failing drug tests for employment
  • Domestic violence
• Problems Mentioned by Interviewees
  • Lack of housing/beds
  • Drug tests are making people lose jobs
  • Public smoking is a nuisance  
  • More young people involved with marijuana
• Recommendations
  • Focus on public smoking
  • Focus on young people – more education and prevention aimed at adolescents
  • Focus on housing/number of beds
  • Continue to monitor this issue
  • Monitor the drug testing issue 

Prison Violence Study

The researchers successfully interviewed 383 men and women in prison.  This is 11% of the total adult prison population in this state.  We are now coding our random sample into qualitative and quantitative data sets focusing on:

•  How do friendships in prison insulate you from violent action?
•  How do male and female inmates differ with regard to interpersonal relationships?
•  Are the relationships between inmates and staff important?
•  Do violent offenders commit more violent acts in prison than non-violent offenders?
•  What is the social context of prison violence?

Update on Sunday, November 10, 2013 at 10:17AM by Becky

Published articles from this study:

Wulf, Timbre and Rebecca Trammell. 2021. “Understanding Disrespectful Behavior Through a Gendered Lens: Racism and Power in a Women’s Prison” The Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology.  10 (2) 

Trammell, Rebecca, Mackenzie Rundle, and Andrea Borrego. 2021. "Anger, Frustration, and Snitching: Inmates Describe Structured Isolation in a High-Tech Prison."  Deviant Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 42 (9): 1067-1085

Trammell, Rebecca, Anthony Cook, Maria DeLeon Marquez, Paul Hinkle, Lucy Protze, and Nathaly Rodriguez.  2018. "From Procedural Justice to Procedural Injustice: Understanding Prison Staff and Inmate Conflict." The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice.  57 (4): 537-555.

Trammell, Rebecca, Wulf-Ludden, Timbre, Pyfer, Nicole, Jakobitz, Emily, Mullins-Orcutt, Jordan, and Kaylee Nowakowski.  2018. “Doing Gender as Self-Improvement:  An Exploration of How Incarcerated Men and Women Interpret the Advice from Prison Employees.” Feminist Criminology.  13 (5): 516-542.

Trammell, Rebecca and Mackenzie Rundle. 2015. “The Inmate as the Nonperson: Examining Staff Conflict from the Inmate’s Perspective.” The Prison Journal.  94 (4): 472:492.

Trammell, Rebecca, Wulf-Ludden, Timbre, and Denise Mowder. 2015.  “Partner Violence in Women’s Prison: The Social Consequences of Girlfriend Fights.” Women and Criminal Justice. 25 (4): 256-272.

Trammell, Rebecca, Jennifer Raby, Alexandra Anderson, Shannon Hampton, and Travis Stickney. 2014. “Maintaining Order and Following the Rules:  Gender Differences in Punishing Inmate Misconduct.” Deviant Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 35 (10): 804-821.