User:Bdewhurst17/sandbox

The Population Council: This is a start-class article because it provides incomplete and brief information about the organization that can be expanded and built upon. I plan to add more to the sections that have already been created, as well as add new sections regarding the Population Council's recent efforts/initiatives. I would like to find descriptive information, without opinion, and add it to the article to make it more up-to-date. The article

Bibliography:

- “Breaking the Chain of Poverty”: Family Planning, Community Involvement, and the Population Council–Office of Economic Opportunity Alliance by Jennifer Nelson

- Recent developments in contraceptive implants at the Population Council by Sivin, Irving; Moo-Young, Alfred

- 7α-Methyl-19-nortestosterone (MENTR): the Population Council's contribution to research on male contraception and treatment of hypogonadism by Nieschlag, Eberhard; Kumar, Narender; Sitruk-Ware, ReGine

- The Population Council files one-year contraceptive ring with US FDA for review by Normans Media Ltd

Article Evaluation:

The Wiki article about the US Census is relevant, appropriate, and accurate. The information provided is informative and neutral, with minimal bias, if any. Although the first ten or so listed references are from the US Census Bureau, the majority of the 45 listed sources are independent and reliable. After skimming through the sections, there doesn't appear to be any opinions or claims represented. The opening paragraphs are clear cut, concise, and sum up the topic adequately. With the exception of one or two citations, the majority of the citations listed provide a working link directly to the source. The link that I tested brought me to an article by the Washington Post that entertained the opinion that the US Census was in trouble, however that opinion was not used by the Wiki article. Instead, strictly factual information about the census was cited from the Washington Post article. However, another source link that I tested brought me to an article from an unorganized website called FCW. This website contained grammar errors in its 'About Us' page, and the site's layout was a bit confusing. The article was written not only to inform, but to portray an opinion about a contract the Census Bureau had established. Although this source is seemingly unreliable, the only idea taken from it and put into the Wiki article is that there is some controversy behind parts of the census. Within the 'Talk' page of the article, there is evidence of several misleading facts being removed from the article due to a lack in credibility. There is a discussion regarding the idea that there very well might be corruption within the process of the census, however, since those ideas cannot be backed up with evidence, they've been removed from the article. In conclusion, after spending some time exploring this article and its sources, it seems to be very reliable.

HIV Prevention
The Population Council provides programs all over the world that aim to address the prevention and treatment of the HIV virus. These programs help to develop new technologies and distribute them to marginalized populations, and also educate people about the HIV virus through workshops and mentorship services. For example, Empowering Girls and Young Women at High Risk of HIV Infection: A Capacity Strengthening Project is a project with locations in 15 different African countries that reaches girls and young women who have the highest risk of HIV transmission and provides them with resources to prevent the virus.

The Council is constantly conducting research to find high risk populations and the most cost-effective ways to get them the treatment they lack. The Council partners in a project called Link Up that is based in Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Uganda, which focuses on the population of young people ages 10 to 24 who represent a large proportion of HIV infections. The Council's research and involvement in this project helped to implement more effective strategies for improving the sexual and reproductive health of these populations.

''' This is a good start to adding to the article - It would be really great to see you connect some of these strategies from the Pop Council back to the issues we've been discussing in class. - Prof H '''

Gender-Based Violence
The Council helps to alleviate the harmful effects of sexual and gender based violence by offering education to both men and women about domestic violence and provide programs to help victims. Programs like "Opening Opportunities" help to develop the social networks of girls who are most at risk of being involved in sexual or gender based violence, and also connects them with mentors to help them stay safe.

Public Health Data
The research that the Population Council conducts, and the publications it releases based on that research, contributes significantly to the data that demographers and health officials require in order to promote public health. For instance, the Population Council was one of the first organizations to document statistics on HIV in Africa. The council also conducted the first study in India to assess the HIV risks that injecting drug users face. Their persistent efforts help to provide information about and combat public health disparities.

Organization
Established in 1952 by John D. Rockefeller III, with important funding from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. After many years of evolving, the 2006 council board includes leaders in many different fields. These include: biomedicine, business, economic development, government, health, international finance, media studies, philanthropy, and social science. Headquartered in New York City, the Population Council has 18 offices in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and does work in more than 60 countries. With an annual budget of around $74 million, it employs more than 500 people from 33 countries with expertise in a wide array of scientific disciplines. Roughly 55 percent are based outside the United States. John D. Rockefeller III convened distinguished scientists in Williamsburg, Virginia, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, to begin the search for a better understanding of demographic trends. Shortly thereafter, in 1952, he established the Population Council as an independent, nonprofit organization. He serves as the Council's first president.  Nice work on the evaluation - Prof Hammad  Entire Finished Article:The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The Council conducts research in biomedicine, social science, and public health and helps build research capacities in developing countries. One-third of its research relates to HIV and AIDS; while its other major program areas are in reproductive health and its relation to poverty, youth, and gender. For example, the Population Council strives to teach boys that they can be involved in contraceptive methods regardless of stereotypes that limit male responsibility in child bearing. The organization held the license for Norplant contraceptive implant, and now holds the license for Mirena intrauterine system. The Population Council also publishes the journal Population and Development Review, which reports scientific research on the interrelationships between population and socioeconomic development. It also provides a forum for discussion on related issues of public policy and Studies in Family Planning, which focuses on public health, social science, and biomedical research involving sexual and reproductive health, fertility, and family planning.

Organization
Established in 1952 by John D. Rockefeller III, with important funding from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Council is governed by an international board of trustees. After many years of evolving, the 2006 council board includes leaders in many different fields. These include: biomedicine, business, economic development, government, health, international finance, media studies, philanthropy, and social science.

Headquartered in New York City, the Population Council has 18 offices in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and does work in more than 60 countries. With an annual budget of around $74 million, it employs more than 500 people from 33 countries with expertise in a wide array of scientific disciplines. Roughly 55 percent are based outside the United States. John D. Rockefeller III convened distinguished scientists in Williamsburg, Virginia, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, to begin the search for a better understanding of demographic trends. Shortly thereafter, in 1952, he established the Population Council as an independent, nonprofit organization. He serves as the Council's first president.

Reproductive health
The Council conducts biomedical research to develop contraceptives and social science research to better understand the factors influencing access to and decision-making around contraceptives. Its research on reproductive and immunological processes serves, not only as the basis for the development of new contraceptive methods that reach out to both men and women, but also for new hormone therapies and AIDS-prevention products. The council is involved in a "collaboration with industry partner ProMed Pharma to develop innovative new vaginal rings that may make STI prevention more acceptable and effective for women." In the 1960s, the Council played a key role in documenting the large numbers of people in poor countries who lacked access to contraceptives and in conducting research to design and evaluate public family planning programs.This included bringing IUDs to India. At this time, the Council's biomedical researchers worked to develop contraceptive methods, such as the intrauterine device. The council has found that fertility is "most sensitive to changes in the proportions married and prevalence of contraception." A country's ideas around reproduction out of wedlock, its accessibility, and the public's opinion of birth control are instrumental in the region's fertility. An array of contraceptives available around the world today were developed by the Population Council, including: the Copper T Intrauterine device, Norplant, Jadelle (Norplant II), and Mirena. More than 50 million Copper T IUDs have been distributed in over 70 countries. Norplant was replaced by Jadelle. The British medical journal Lancet said of the Population Council, "Most non-governmental organizations claim to promote change; the Population Council actually has hard evidence of having changed the lives and expectations of hundreds of millions of people."

HIV Prevention
The Population Council provides programs all over the world that aim to address the prevention and treatment of the HIV virus. These programs help to develop new technologies and distribute them to marginalized populations, and also educate people about the HIV virus through workshops and mentorship services. For example, Empowering Girls and Young Women at High Risk of HIV Infection: A Capacity Strengthening Project is a project with locations in 15 different African countries that reaches girls and young women who have the highest risk of HIV transmission and provides them with resources to prevent the virus. The Council is constantly conducting research to find high risk populations and the most cost-effective ways to get them the treatment they lack. The Council partners in a project called Link Up that is based in Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Uganda, which focuses on the population of young people ages 10 to 24 who represent a large proportion of HIV infections. The Council's research and involvement in this project helped to implement more effective strategies for improving the sexual and reproductive health of these populations.

Gender-Based Violence
The Council helps to alleviate the harmful effects of sexual and gender based violence by offering education to both men and women about domestic violence and provide programs to help victims. Programs like "Opening Opportunities" help to develop the social networks of girls who are most at risk of being involved in sexual or gender based violence, and also connects them with mentors to help them stay safe.

Public Health Data
The research that the Population Council conducts, and the publications it releases based on that research, contributes significantly to the data that demographers and health officials require in order to promote public health. For instance, the Population Council was one of the first organizations to document statistics on HIV in Africa. The council also conducted the first study in India to assess the HIV risks that injecting drug users face. Their persistent efforts help to provide information about and combat public health disparities.