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  Strategic Planning: A Case Study of Justice for Migrant Families, 501(c)3

  Katlyn Keane

  This case study of the nonprofit Justice for Migrant Families (JFMF) is a project documenting the experience of strategic planning for JFMF. The purpose of this project was to research, discuss and create a strategic plan for the organization to use over the next three years (2021 - 2023). Best practices for strategic planning were used as guidance in the development of meeting agendas, objectives for the process, committee member recruitment, stakeholder engagement, SWOT analysis application and the written strategic plan itself. The project was undertaken over the course of nine months during which seven meetings were conducted, culminating with a written strategic plan. Meetings focused on planning the process, stakeholder engagement, the SWOT analysis, goal development and implementation strategy. From this strategic planning process five goals and accompanying objectives were determined to help guide the organization in its next three years of operations. A flexible and iterative process was prioritized to meet the needs of this unique organization with the understanding that the process is just as valuable as the product. However, strategic planning itself does not guarantee positive results and a full understanding of the impact of this strategic plan would require future research to be conducted investigating if the plan, once implemented, achieved the desired goals.

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  Heavy Metals in ENDS Liquids: A Comparative Analysis of Products from the United States, England, Canada, and Australia

  Ashleigh Coggins-Block

  Recent research surrounding electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) has shown a presence of heavy metals in their e-liquids. Like many other toxicants that have been found in e-liquids, heavy metals, such as lead, nickel, chromium, and cadmium, can pose many serious health risks, making research on the topic very important. One entity currently investigating many aspects of ENDS, including heavy metals, is the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Project. As part of their 4-Country Survey, my project aims to examine and compare the heavy metal concentrations in various ENDS products and e-liquids purchased in the United States, England, Canada, and Australia to see if differing policies between the countries surrounding ENDS production have any effect on their heavy metal content. The source of these metals in ENDS e-liquids has also been disputed between the cultivated tobacco used to derive nicotine for e-liquids and the metal parts of ENDS devices themselves. Therefore, the second aim of my project is to determine where these metals are originating from by examining both e-liquids from refill bottles (open-system) and e-liquids extracted from prefilled ENDS devices (closed-system).

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  Comparative Analysis of Genuine Acetaminophen Tablets by Raman Scattering and Chemometrics

  Elisabeth M. Good

  The use of Raman spectroscopy with Chemometric analysis has been well documented as an effective method for the identification of counterfeit pharmaceutical products. Due to an ongoing concern about the lack of transparency surrounding the manufacturing of generic pharmaceuticals in the US, this project aimed to examine the utility of the method for the differentiation of generic pharmaceuticals. A testing pool of ten acetaminophen samples was obtained and representative tablets were characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The results were then projected using principal component analysis which revealed discrete groupings of brands. The project provides proof of concept for the differentiation of genuine articles by Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics and the potential for the method to be used for classification and prediction of products.

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  Quantification of CBD in Hemp Oils

  Emily Hsu

  Recently, there has been a sharp rise in the use of cannabis products such as hemp and CBD oils in the United States of America. This is largely due to decriminalization and legalization of recreational marijuana across many states. However, marijuana remains illegal on the federal level because it contains the psychoactive component, Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is currently listed as a schedule 1 drug, meaning there is no accepted medical use, but it has a high potential for abuse. This research primarily focused on determining how much CBD, the non-psychoactive component is in 5 commercial hemp oil product.