Vermont Research News – Feb. 22, 2018

 

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Vermont Research News: Well-being, bald eagles, local food and more…
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Vermont Research News: Well-being, bald eagles, local food and more…
February 22, 2018

WELL-BEING

Vermont joined South Dakota as the best states in the country for overall well-being, according to a new comprehensive survey by Gallup. The survey holds grimmer news for other states, with 21 seeing declines from the previous year. The well-being index measures physical and social factors including a sense of purpose and community engagement.

LOCAL FOOD

For the sixth consecutive year Vermont has achieved the number one ranking on the Locavore Index. The Index, established by Vermont-based group Strolling of the Heifers, ranks states based on their consumption of locally produced food. Vermont takes first place in six out of the seven categories, including having the most farmer’s markets and food hubs per capita.  Find out more about the Locavore Indexhere.

PROTECTING STUDENTS’ PRIVACY

Schools across the nation have received low marks for protecting students’ privacy online. Most states have sophisticated user tracking systems, however they fail to reveal this to the students. Vermont is one of 12 states that does not offer HTTPS support, creating websites that are not secure. See the study done by EdTech Strategies.
FLOURIDE
AND DENTAL CARE
In Vermont, it costs $1 per person annually to supply fluoridated water. It is estimated that every dollar spent on fluoridated water, saves $38 on dental care. Currently only 57% of Vermont’s population receives optimally fluoridated water. The Healthy People 2020 goal is for about 80% of Vermont to receive this water. Read more from the report the Burden of Oral Disease in Vermont.

EDUCATION LEVELS HIGH

A new study puts Vermont number 4 in education levels in the country withMassachusetts as number one. Scores are generated based on fifteen categories such as public high school graduation rate, racial gap in educational achievement and public college graduation rate.

SURGERY SAFETY

The implementation of the World Health Organization Surgery Safety Checklist (SSC) has been found to increase communication, safety, and prevent errors in the operating room, according to a study on the perspectives of surgical team members at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Led by researchers at Temple University, the study did not show evidence of a decrease in morbidity.
Paul Hines, Professor of Electrical Engineering at UVM takes us through some of the challenges of clean energy in Vermont.

CLEAN ENERGY JOBS

Vermont holds onto its second-place title in the Clean Energy Momentum state ranking for 2017  – a measure of clean energy jobs per capita.  Only California tops the Green Mountain state. Read more in the full report.

BALD EAGLES

Heavy use of DDT in the mid-twentieth century threatened many bird populations in Vermont, including the osprey, peregrine falcon, and bald eagle. All of these birds have been removed from the Vermont endangered species list, but still remain under the close watch of the VT Fish and Wildlife Department. Bald eagle populations have “soared” so to speak – reaching anew peak in 2017 at about twenty nesting pairs. Read more here.

POOR ROADS

Vermont ranked 39th in a study of road conditions, according to the Reason Foundation. Despite the low overall ranking, the state came in first for rural arterial pavement conditions and fifth best in the rate of fatalities per capita. Following Rhode Island and Hawaii, Vermont has the third smallest number of state-controlled highway miles while ranking in the upper half for money spent per mile on bridges and maintenance, the report says.
NEW MUSIC AND ART
The APEX Ensemble, a horn-driven jazz-funk willshowcase the works of Vermont-based composers on February 24 at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe.  Composers Brian Boyes (Plainfield), Erik Nielsen (Brookfield),Patricia Julien and Kyle Saunier (Burlington),Ira Friedman (Montpelier), Bruce Sklar (West Windsor), and Rob Morse (East Montpelier) will be featured; some will be available for a meet-and-greet after the concert. Find more information at the Spruce Peak Arts website.
A new exhibit at the Fleming Museum highlights the work of Vermont cartoonist Alison Bechdel, the Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont. “Self-confessed! —  the Inappropriately Intimate Comics of Alison Bechdel”  runs through May 20 in the Museum’s East Gallery. Bechdel is also featured in several Museum events.
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focused on research in the Vermont “laboratory” – research that provides original knowledge to the world and research that adds to understanding of the state’s
social, economic, cultural and physical environment.

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