The mission of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) is to provide a university-wide forum for Central Washington University (CWU) students, encouraging equity, diversity, and inclusivity, representing all disciplines and experience levels, to present their mentored research, scholarship, and creative works in a juried environment that meets professional conference standards and expectations.
The 2022 SOURCE program is hybrid. Pre-recorded virtual talks are colored green and can be watched anytime. Live/in-person sessions with Zoom access can be found in the daily schedule. Thank you for joining us!
To vote for the 2023 SOURCE poster, click here To learn more about SOURCE or give to support the students of Central visit, https://www.cwu.edu/source Connect on social media with @CentralWashU, @cwusource, #SOURCE2022, #CWUTogether
The intent of this craft talk is to engage the audience in a generative writing prompt for the purpose of developing poetic imagery. By the conclusion of this craft talk each participant will have emersed themselves in the creative process and written a draft poem. The presentation portion of the craft talk explores the intersection between the poetry of Pablo Neruda, specifically his poem “Ode to a chair” and Mary Ruefle’s perspectives for writing “On Secrets” from her book Madness, Rack and Honey. The development of this craft talk, and engagement with these poets forced me to consider the relationship between humans and inanimate objects, the true value of material things and how humans can attempt to discover the secrets held within these objects. This craft talk was originally created for ENG 565 Advanced Poetry Writing. Since leading craft talks is a valuable part of professional development for a writer, I learned how poets responded to the content and prompt within the craft talk, as well as how to create an environment that breaks down barriers and supports creativity.
The Central Washington University (CWU) Student Union (SURC) is at the center of student life on campus and the SURC Information Center is no exception. The Information Center provides various tools to many students and patrons of CWU’s campus. Printing services, guest services, laptop checkout, and poster approval are only a few of the services provided by the Information Center Staff. With so much interaction with the CWU community, the point of accessibility is crucial in providing services to every student on campus and not the vast majority. A small portion of the CWU population live life with a sensory disability. Sensory disabilities relate to any of the 5 senses and can also be covered as communication disabilities which includes being d/Deaf, blind, or mute. With a mission to provide services to all CWU populations, the Information Center must be at the forefront of providing the services necessary to these student groups. Through experience as an Information Attendant of 3 years, I will examine the current services provided to determine if they meet the standard of accessibility expected by Central Washington University.
Organic compounds that contain sulfur (i.e., organosulfur compounds) are associated with rich flavors. Meanwhile, ~80% of small-molecule drugs contain a nitrogen atom and ~67% are found within a heterocycle. Specifically, N,S-heterocycles such as 4-thiazolidinones exhibit a diverse range of biological activities, including antifungal, antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, anti-HIV, antitubercular, and many others. Organosulfur compounds are also present in several medicines, fragrances, and materials. A cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for the controlled synthesis of two types of organosulfur compounds; namely sulfoxides (one with two carbon-sulfur bonds and one sulfur-oxygen bond) and sulfones (one with two carbon-sulfur bonds and two sulfur-oxygen bonds) has been developed. The outcomes are achieved through controlled oxidation of cyclic compounds bearing a disulfide bridge (R-S-S-R) as well as a protein-type bond (referred to herein as disulfide-embedded lactams). The cost was controlled by using a cheap and commercially available catalyst known as N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI). Water served as the solvent and the oxygen source for the controlled oxidation. Since water is a green and an environmentally friendly solvent, the successful execution of the proposed strategy has set the stage for the attainment of the highly coveted green chemistry status. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study is being performed together with another group member and Dr. Dondji in the Department of Biological Sciences, with a focus on neglected tropical diseases, especially leishmaniasis.
Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have become common in industry and commercial products and have in recent years gained further attention for their possible diagnostic and therapeutic applications in biomedicine. These applications necessitate a thorough understanding of the behavior and interactions of ENPs in vivo. It is known that nanoparticles, when they enter the bloodstream, associate with serum proteins to varying degrees, resulting in different outcomes. These associations are driven by the characteristics of the nanoparticles including size, core composition, and surface chemistry. In this study, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of 5 nm diameter were synthesized with monolayers composed of a negatively-charged ligand (mercaptohexanoic acid, (MHA)), a neutral ligand (mercaptoethoxyethoxy ethanol (MEEE)), or a mixture of the two ligands, and used to investigate interactions with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Fluorescence titrations were conducted to determine binding affinity and it was found that the binding constants (Ka) for MHA, MEEE, and mixed-ligand AuNPs were 0.47 ± 0.02 nM-1, 0.40 ± 0.02 nM-1, and 0.48 ± 0.02 nM-1, respectively, indicating that the affinity of BSA for both MHA-capped and mixed-ligand AuNPs is higher than that for MEEE-capped AuNPs. The difference between MHA and MEEE-capped and between mixed-ligand and MEEE-capped AuNPs was statistically significant, whereas the difference between the mixed-ligand and MHA-capped AuNPs was not. Fluorescence studies were also used to determine the Hill coefficient n for the binding of BSA with each AuNP type. In all cases n was greater than 1, indicating cooperative binding of BSA molecules to the AuNP surface.
This panel presents perspectives on the theme of coping, specifically amid the challenges that intensified with the increased isolation during the COVID pandemic. Since the early months of 2020, large parts of the United States have come to brief and long-term pauses that have resulted in deep introspection and have led to abandoned paths and impulse decisions. With a reflexive approach, these vignettes capture elements of the internal and external barriers we all face and the process by which we try to overcome them. The creation of a painting while processing racial trauma; using self-tattooing to handle neurodivergence; a raw reflection on growth in motherhood; the pitfalls of isolation and how one might self-medicate; a retrospective on the life of Les Blank and his love of a life less ordinary; a search for collaboration after an impulse move to Brooklyn. The ethnographic collection pulls from disparate voices to offer a view of the human condition in myriad form. Each visual presentation is roughly 5-10 minutes and is a selection from Visual Anthropology, winter 2022.
Makayla (Raelynne) Crow. Transcending Duality: Reconstituting a non-colonial tribal identity. Step-by-step, the artist shares her process of creating a painting that's a dynamic representation of her indigenous identity in dissonance with colonial frameworks.
Destanee Stillwaugh. Tattoos Hurt Less. A visual follow and interview of a non-binary person who uses self-tattooing as a coping mechanism for various mental health disorders.
Brittany Whiz. Motherhood. A reflection on the birth and growth of a student-mother in a time of global pandemic and social ideology of intensive mothering.
Brady Bell. Have You Eaten Today? A capture of life during the COVID era and quarantine, highlighting difficult subjects such as depression, loneliness, and alcoholism -- and a life-thread.
Caleb Aal. A Les Blank Retrospective. Les Blank’s films have in common a romantic outlook, celebrating expressions of a joy of living. Always For Pleasure provides a recipe to follow for the enjoyment of red beans and rice.
Nils Petersen. Anomie or Affinity. A brief Exploration in Isolation and Collaboration. An experimental look at loneliness and its effect on creativity in NYC, one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
This panel presents perspectives on the theme of coping, specifically amid the challenges that intensified with the increased isolation during the COVID pandemic. Since the early months of 2020, large parts of the United States have come to brief and long-term pauses that have resulted in deep introspection and have led to abandoned paths and impulse decisions. With a reflexive approach, these vignettes capture elements of the internal and external barriers we all face and the process by which we try to overcome them. The creation of a painting while processing racial trauma; using self-tattooing to handle neurodivergence; a raw reflection on growth in motherhood; the pitfalls of isolation and how one might self-medicate; a retrospective on the life of Les Blank and his love of a life less ordinary; a search for collaboration after an impulse move to Brooklyn. The ethnographic collection pulls from disparate voices to offer a view of the human condition in myriad form. Each visual presentation is roughly 5-10 minutes and is a selection from Visual Anthropology, winter 2022.
Makayla (Raelynne) Crow. Transcending Duality: Reconstituting a non-colonial tribal identity. Step-by-step, the artist shares her process of creating a painting that's a dynamic representation of her indigenous identity in dissonance with colonial frameworks.
Destanee Stillwaugh. Tattoos Hurt Less. A visual follow and interview of a non-binary person who uses self-tattooing as a coping mechanism for various mental health disorders.
Brittany Whiz. Motherhood. A reflection on the birth and growth of a student-mother in a time of global pandemic and social ideology of intensive mothering.
Brady Bell. Have You Eaten Today? A capture of life during the COVID era and quarantine, highlighting difficult subjects such as depression, loneliness, and alcoholism -- and a life-thread.
Caleb Aal. A Les Blank Retrospective. Les Blank’s films have in common a romantic outlook, celebrating expressions of a joy of living. Always For Pleasure provides a recipe to follow for the enjoyment of red beans and rice.
Nils Petersen. Anomie or Affinity. A brief Exploration in Isolation and Collaboration. An experimental look at loneliness and its effect on creativity in NYC, one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
This panel presents perspectives on the theme of coping, specifically amid the challenges that intensified with the increased isolation during the COVID pandemic. Since the early months of 2020, large parts of the United States have come to brief and long-term pauses that have resulted in deep introspection and have led to abandoned paths and impulse decisions. With a reflexive approach, these vignettes capture elements of the internal and external barriers we all face and the process by which we try to overcome them. The creation of a painting while processing racial trauma; using self-tattooing to handle neurodivergence; a raw reflection on growth in motherhood; the pitfalls of isolation and how one might self-medicate; a retrospective on the life of Les Blank and his love of a life less ordinary; a search for collaboration after an impulse move to Brooklyn. The ethnographic collection pulls from disparate voices to offer a view of the human condition in myriad form. Each visual presentation is roughly 5-10 minutes and is a selection from Visual Anthropology, winter 2022.
Makayla (Raelynne) Crow. Transcending Duality: Reconstituting a non-colonial tribal identity. Step-by-step, the artist shares her process of creating a painting that's a dynamic representation of her indigenous identity in dissonance with colonial frameworks.
Destanee Stillwaugh. Tattoos Hurt Less. A visual follow and interview of a non-binary person who uses self-tattooing as a coping mechanism for various mental health disorders.
Brittany Whiz. Motherhood. A reflection on the birth and growth of a student-mother in a time of global pandemic and social ideology of intensive mothering.
Brady Bell. Have You Eaten Today? A capture of life during the COVID era and quarantine, highlighting difficult subjects such as depression, loneliness, and alcoholism -- and a life-thread.
Caleb Aal. A Les Blank Retrospective. Les Blank’s films have in common a romantic outlook, celebrating expressions of a joy of living. Always For Pleasure provides a recipe to follow for the enjoyment of red beans and rice.
Nils Petersen. Anomie or Affinity. A brief Exploration in Isolation and Collaboration. An experimental look at loneliness and its effect on creativity in NYC, one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
This panel presents perspectives on the theme of coping, specifically amid the challenges that intensified with the increased isolation during the COVID pandemic. Since the early months of 2020, large parts of the United States have come to brief and long-term pauses that have resulted in deep introspection and have led to abandoned paths and impulse decisions. With a reflexive approach, these vignettes capture elements of the internal and external barriers we all face and the process by which we try to overcome them. The creation of a painting while processing racial trauma; using self-tattooing to handle neurodivergence; a raw reflection on growth in motherhood; the pitfalls of isolation and how one might self-medicate; a retrospective on the life of Les Blank and his love of a life less ordinary; a search for collaboration after an impulse move to Brooklyn. The ethnographic collection pulls from disparate voices to offer a view of the human condition in myriad form. Each visual presentation is roughly 5-10 minutes and is a selection from Visual Anthropology, winter 2022.
Makayla (Raelynne) Crow. Transcending Duality: Reconstituting a non-colonial tribal identity. Step-by-step, the artist shares her process of creating a painting that's a dynamic representation of her indigenous identity in dissonance with colonial frameworks.
Destanee Stillwaugh. Tattoos Hurt Less. A visual follow and interview of a non-binary person who uses self-tattooing as a coping mechanism for various mental health disorders.
Brittany Whiz. Motherhood. A reflection on the birth and growth of a student-mother in a time of global pandemic and social ideology of intensive mothering.
Brady Bell. Have You Eaten Today? A capture of life during the COVID era and quarantine, highlighting difficult subjects such as depression, loneliness, and alcoholism -- and a life-thread.
Caleb Aal. A Les Blank Retrospective. Les Blank’s films have in common a romantic outlook, celebrating expressions of a joy of living. Always For Pleasure provides a recipe to follow for the enjoyment of red beans and rice.
Nils Petersen. Anomie or Affinity. A brief Exploration in Isolation and Collaboration. An experimental look at loneliness and its effect on creativity in NYC, one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
This panel presents perspectives on the theme of coping, specifically amid the challenges that intensified with the increased isolation during the COVID pandemic. Since the early months of 2020, large parts of the United States have come to brief and long-term pauses that have resulted in deep introspection and have led to abandoned paths and impulse decisions. With a reflexive approach, these vignettes capture elements of the internal and external barriers we all face and the process by which we try to overcome them. The creation of a painting while processing racial trauma; using self-tattooing to handle neurodivergence; a raw reflection on growth in motherhood; the pitfalls of isolation and how one might self-medicate; a retrospective on the life of Les Blank and his love of a life less ordinary; a search for collaboration after an impulse move to Brooklyn. The ethnographic collection pulls from disparate voices to offer a view of the human condition in myriad form. Each visual presentation is roughly 5-10 minutes and is a selection from Visual Anthropology, winter 2022.
Makayla (Raelynne) Crow. Transcending Duality: Reconstituting a non-colonial tribal identity. Step-by-step, the artist shares her process of creating a painting that's a dynamic representation of her indigenous identity in dissonance with colonial frameworks.
Destanee Stillwaugh. Tattoos Hurt Less. A visual follow and interview of a non-binary person who uses self-tattooing as a coping mechanism for various mental health disorders.
Brittany Whiz. Motherhood. A reflection on the birth and growth of a student-mother in a time of global pandemic and social ideology of intensive mothering.
Brady Bell. Have You Eaten Today? A capture of life during the COVID era and quarantine, highlighting difficult subjects such as depression, loneliness, and alcoholism -- and a life-thread.
Caleb Aal. A Les Blank Retrospective. Les Blank’s films have in common a romantic outlook, celebrating expressions of a joy of living. Always For Pleasure provides a recipe to follow for the enjoyment of red beans and rice.
Nils Petersen. Anomie or Affinity. A brief Exploration in Isolation and Collaboration. An experimental look at loneliness and its effect on creativity in NYC, one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
Ecological factors such as feeding, and climate might influence intestinal parasite infection fluctuation in non-human primates. Here, we examined if high fruit consumption and climate (i.e., temperature and rainfall) lead to monthly variation in parasite infection in a frugivorous species of lemur, the black-and-white ruffed lemurs. To do this, we collected feeding data every 5 minutes, temperature, rainfall daily, and fecal samples from the black-and-white lemurs at the Mangevo site, Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar from February through May 2019. We used fecal floatation and sedimentation microscopic examination techniques to identify and count parasite species contained in our samples. Two nematodes and three protozoa species of parasites were recovered with Nematodes and Balantidium were the most frequently found in the observed individuals. The month of March differs from May in terms of fruit consumption, the number of species of parasites, nematode parasite worm and egg counts, minimum and maximum temperatures, and rainfall. Low nematode parasites worm and egg production are associated with high fruit consumption and high temperature. There was a trend for lower minimum temperatures to be associated with increases in the number of parasite species recovered. Temperature and fruit consumption played an important role in parasite infection, particularly nematode worm counts. Currently, we are extending our observation to a full-year period using the molecular method.
This panel presents perspectives on the theme of coping, specifically amid the challenges that intensified with the increased isolation during the COVID pandemic. Since the early months of 2020, large parts of the United States have come to brief and long-term pauses that have resulted in deep introspection and have led to abandoned paths and impulse decisions. With a reflexive approach, these vignettes capture elements of the internal and external barriers we all face and the process by which we try to overcome them. The creation of a painting while processing racial trauma; using self-tattooing to handle neurodivergence; a raw reflection on growth in motherhood; the pitfalls of isolation and how one might self-medicate; a retrospective on the life of Les Blank and his love of a life less ordinary; a search for collaboration after an impulse move to Brooklyn. The ethnographic collection pulls from disparate voices to offer a view of the human condition in myriad form. Each visual presentation is roughly 5-10 minutes and is a selection from Visual Anthropology, winter 2022.
Makayla (Raelynne) Crow. Transcending Duality: Reconstituting a non-colonial tribal identity. Step-by-step, the artist shares her process of creating a painting that's a dynamic representation of her indigenous identity in dissonance with colonial frameworks.
Destanee Stillwaugh. Tattoos Hurt Less. A visual follow and interview of a non-binary person who uses self-tattooing as a coping mechanism for various mental health disorders.
Brittany Whiz. Motherhood. A reflection on the birth and growth of a student-mother in a time of global pandemic and social ideology of intensive mothering.
Brady Bell. Have You Eaten Today? A capture of life during the COVID era and quarantine, highlighting difficult subjects such as depression, loneliness, and alcoholism -- and a life-thread.
Caleb Aal. A Les Blank Retrospective. Les Blank’s films have in common a romantic outlook, celebrating expressions of a joy of living. Always For Pleasure provides a recipe to follow for the enjoyment of red beans and rice.
Nils Petersen. Anomie or Affinity. A brief Exploration in Isolation and Collaboration. An experimental look at loneliness and its effect on creativity in NYC, one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
CWU is working to improve its sustainability. As part of this effort, through CWU’s Sustainability Certificate I developed a sustainability literacy and behavior survey that tests students’ knowledge about sustainability topics and challenges, and also assesses students’ sustainability behaviors. This survey will help CWU assess and evaluate their sustainability education initiatives and see what can be improved upon. This survey will also gain CWU points through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainable Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). This survey is to be taken as a pre and post survey, one at the beginning and one at the end of a period of time. Then when analyzing the results, we can see what students learned about sustainability in a certain course and how we can improve education about the topic. The survey was given out spring and fall of 2021 as a trial run and to receive feedback about the survey. The survey was revised, and re-administered in the winter and spring of 2022. Here are the results of the survey, including results from the survey administered at the beginning and end of a course to assess gains in sustainability literacy by the students.
Liver disease affects one in every three Americans and leads to diseases such as Type II Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, and cardiac disease. The majority of people suffering from liver disease did not abuse alcohol but rather develop fatty liver from diets high in simple sugars or sugar and fat together. These metabolically stressful diets induce steatosis and fibrosis, which is referred to as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). In this study, we used HEPG2 cells as a model for fatty liver disease caused by excess sugar, without excess fat. To look at how excess lipid accumulation impacts HEPG2 cell metabolism, we induced lipid droplet formation by feeding cells media containing different concentrations of hexoses and growth factors. rates of cells cultured in low (5mM) or high (25mM) glucose or high (25mM) fructose were measured with Crystal Violet assays. Growth rates between different groups were not significant; excess sugars did not promote faster growth, nor did it cause cell death. Oil Red O staining was used to assess intracellular lipid accumulation in excess glucose and excess fructose (with 5mM glucose), with or without growth factors. Growth factors are needed to induce lipid-laden cells; high sugar concentrations in the media alone are not sufficient. Excess lipid droplets are known to cause metabolic stress by disrupting the reduction-oxidation balance of a cell. To assess this, glutathione levels were measured. We show that excess sugars, without fat, can promote fatty liver in HEPG2 cells.
Roads have allowed for increased connectivity between humans, but also fragment animal habitats and impede movement. When animals do move across roads, wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) can occur, which endanger people, are costly, and cause unnecessary mortality in wildlife populations. Reducing wildlife collisions protects biodiversity while also protecting people. Construction of wildlife crossing structures on I-90, which started in 2008, has aimed to reduce wildlife collisions for those reasons. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has collected data on the number of WVCs occurring on I-90 in the construction area, as well as a control area, from August 2008 to the present. In addition, wildlife cameras have been deployed to document the usage of wildlife crossing structures both before and after their construction. Based on those data, I used generalized linear mixed-models to analyze the effect of construction on both wildlife-vehicle collisions and movement of wildlife across the highway. Construction of the wildlife crossing structures has resulted in safe passage across the I-90 freeway thousands of times, for species ranging from ungulates such as elk and deer to carnivores such as coyotes,' preventing wildlife collisions from occurring. Increased time since construction is associated with an increase in the number of crossing events, especially for deer and elk within the Price/Noble Creek area overcrossing. Implementation of these wildlife crossing structures on I-90 has allowed for connectivity between habitats while decreasing the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions as animals can now safely cross the barrier created by the I-90 freeway.
As Susan Sontag describes in Illness as Metaphor, there is wide use of “medical imagery” for satirical commentary, where disease acts as metaphor for analyzing corruption within society (42). Through a reading of Alejandro Morales’ The Rag Doll Plagues (1992), this paper analyzes Curanderismo, a traditional folk healing system practiced in Latinx cultures, in the novel’s representation of epidemics as individual and collective contamination from physical and social illness. Morales’ work explores colonization and pollution from the conquest of the Americas into the 21st century. In Morales’ text, a colonial physician and his successors attempt to balance their desires with the well-being of society and the state when confronting mysterious plagues in ancient, modern, and future civilizations. The plagues disrupt the temporality of each protagonist’s narrative in colonial and borderland cultures, as he struggles to live between the two sites, often visited by the ghosts of his ancestors or descendants, acting as spiritual guides. Morales presents a spiritual illness-to-healing framework that creates an environmental ethos, where the environment and spirit form an intimate relationship essential to remove pollution, discrimination, and socio-political borders. As Maria de Lourdes Medrano argues in “Performances of Mestizaje in 20th/21st Century Literature of the Americas,” mestizaje becomes “a discourse of dominance and resistance” functioning as a cultural critique (2). Morales’ text suggests that physical and social illness can produce new racial, ethnic, and cultural identities and promote intercultural communication through spiritual healing of the self and environment.
Christopher Schedler is Co-Chair and Professor of English at Central Washington University, where he teaches a wide variety of courses in American and Multicultural Literatures, Latino and Latin American Studies, and American Indian Studies. He has developed and taught multiple online/hybrid... Read More →
The Clark’s Nutcracker is a bird with a mutualistic relationship with whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), a keystone tree species currently threatened by mountain pine beetles, climate change, altered fire regimes, and white pine blister rust. White pine blister rust is an invasive fungus introduced in the 1910s which attacks five-needled white pine species, including whitebark pine. Previous research indicates the nutcracker relationship with whitebark pine may be detrimentally impacted by the invasive fungus. However, no previous research has been able to compare diets before and after the introduction of blister rust. Using feather stable isotopes from museum specimens, I analyzed dietary information to address shifts in relative diet over seasons, life stages, habitats, and over the last 128 years. Shifts between seasons within each of these years showed significant increases in trophic level during the summer and decreases in trophic level during the spring and fall seasons. Adults also appeared to utilize conifer seeds more often than juveniles, even during the summer season. Over the years, there is evidence of diet shifts that may indicate a change conifer species preference, yet no significant changes in their relative trophic level. My project relates to whitebark pine conservation through examination of nutcracker diet shifts based on impacts of fire exclusion, climate change, and invasive species over the years and the seasonal stability of nutcracker-conifer relationships.
Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by the parasitic protozoan Leishmania. Present in 88 countries, with 350 million people at risk and roughly 12 million patients, Leishmaniasis is endemic in tropical and Mediterranean areas where the female sandfly vector thrives. There are three clinical manifestations of the disease: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis, also referred to as Kala-Azar. Leishmania major, the focus of this drug discovery project, manifests in humans as cutaneous leishmaniasis, a disease characteristic of its skin lesions. Amphotericin B (Amp B) is the only FDA approved treatment for leishmaniasis in the US, but is toxic to patients. Consequently, there is an urgent need for new compounds that are active against Leishmania, non-toxic or less toxic, and affordable. In my contribution to this ongoing drug discovery project, I worked to identify organic compounds that are active against Leishmania parasites. To evaluate the anti-Leishmanial activities of bicyclic lactam compounds, I preformed in vitro assays using the dye Alamar Blue to indicate cell viability. Amp B and dimethyl sulfoxide served as experimental controls. At a concentration of 100 µg/mL, eighty-four total compounds were screened. Twelve compounds were identified to have leishmanicidal activity, with an additional eight compounds that were semi-active. By performing dilution curve analyses, I found that the lowest concentration at which compounds were still active was 25 µg/mL. Using flow cytometry, the candidate compounds were analyzed against mammalian splenocytes to indicate cytotoxicity. A dual-parameter stain for apoptosis and necrosis was performed, however, preliminary findings on cytotoxicity were inconclusive.
We are investigating the history of the Greenwood Cemetery, mapping graves, and conducting ground penetrating radar surveys (GPR). The cemetery, near South Cle Elum, was an active burial place from 1903 until 1923 when it was abandoned due to flooding. Some bodies were relocated to the new cemetery which is the Laurel Hill Memorial Park. The graveyard is now officially under the care of the City of Cle Elum and is maintained with the help of the Roslyn Ronald Cle Elum Heritage Club. We are mapping marked and unmarked grave features and trying to distinguish between graves with remains and graves without remains. A photographic record of features and markers has been compiled. Graves will be matched using burial records by name as possible. Several survey grids (20x20 meters) are placed around graves located in clusters between large trees. GPR transect lines are collected for each grid using a pulse EKKO Pro “Smartcart” with 500 MHz transducers. Radar images of features are represented in profile and slice views. Using the data and images we can predict whether burials may be intact or removed. We are working with the Roslyn Heritage Club, collecting oral history, and will be using genealogy to locate decedents. We are presenting in local high schools and inviting students to dive headfirst into history, archaeology, and careers. Our project is supported by the CWU Dr. Corrine Farrell Merit Scholarship Program.
Microtubules (MTs) are a type of polymer filament that makes up the cytoskeleton of a cell. The cytoskeleton is a structure that maintains the cell shape and more. Proteins called molecular motors transport organelles along microtubules. Microtubules also maintain the structure of axons and dendrites in the nervous system. The organization of MTs into a specific pattern (process called polarity sorting) is essential for axons to function properly. Disruption of MT polarity can affect the distribution of organelles and lead to neuron degeneration. The objective of this project is to test how MT organization is impacted by a class of proteins in the axon called crosslinker proteins, which link two MTs together and do not affect their directional mobility through the axon. We are using a computational model that simulates the MT organization in the axon. The model simulates MT movement in response to forces from molecular motors, with tunable parameters that take into account the orientation of MTs, MT length, and protein attachment numbers. We analyze plots of simulated data to determine how the overall polarity is changing with respect to the changes in the contributions of each crosslinker protein type. We use this approach to investigate which crosslinkers are a significant advantage for polarity sorting of axonal MTs. This study will help address the importance of MT polarity corruption, which is a probable contributor to neuronal degeneration during disease and injury. Further study could foster strategies to overcome disease-related corruption of MT polarity patterns and correct the flaws.
Influence is the ability to affect the behavior of others and have the power to move others in a particular direction or decision. This can be in many forms from tactical moves, leveraging, pushing a personal agenda, and more. It can also go in a less taking over the world, evil plan and instead a good direction with your team connecting, involved, and even being inspired. It comes down to how effective leaders within a team are going to interact and how they will use their social influence within the group's dynamics. Social influence is a powerful tool in group settings when used properly. To understand the background of social influence, we must first break it down into pieces and examine each one. The term “social” is linked to groups and communities, and “influence'' is linked to power and authority. When the two are put together, we can visualize a group being impacted by a source of authority. When discussing social influence, one must consider the ways in which it can be used well in both groups and organizations, as well as how it can be misused and negatively impact these groups. In our research we examine three theories surrounding social influence, determine the best practices for using social influence in a positive way and offer potential solutions to our concern of misusing social influence for nefarious purposes.
Graduate student, Education: Master's in Higher Education
I am a CWU Alum, graduating class of 2020 with a BS in the Interdisciplinary Studies: Social Science program with a double minor in Communications and Accessibility Studies. I am a proud transfer student and Clark College Alum, graduating classes of 2018 and 2019 with my DTA, Marketing... Read More →
Administrative Assistant III, Department of Public Safety & Emergency Management, Highline College
I am a current Administrative Assistant for the Public Safety and Emergency Management office located at Highline College in Des Moines, Washington. I graduated with my Bachelors of Science from Central Washington University, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Sciences... Read More →
It has been previously demonstrated that resonance frequencies of fluid-filled shells of simple geometry are shifted in proportion to fluid pressure [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, EL506 (2012)]. We investigate the applicability of this approach for measuring changes of intracranial pressure in ovine skulls. A catheter inserted through the foramen magnum of a complete sheep’s head enables the control of hydrostatic pressure, which is measured independently using a pressure transducer inserted into the parenchyma through a drilled hole in the skull. The vibrational response is measured using a small modal impact hammer to gently tap the skull with small accelerometers mounted at different locations on skull. Acceleration normalized by impact force is computed in the frequency domain, averaged over multiple taps. Significant peaks in the response spectrum are identified and associated with vibrational modes observed using a laser doppler vibrometer. The consistency with which peaks shift in frequency in proportion to ICP is reported. The effect of tap location and accelerometer placement is also explored.
Wildcat Rocketry is the team of 9 Central Washington University (CWU) students that competed in the 2022 NASA Student Launch (NASA SL) competition. The NASA SL is a yearly competition, spanning 9 months with new mission criteria every year. This year, the mission criteria was to simulate an Earth-to-foreign-body transfer, where a rocket would launch and land in on an unexplored celestial body, and upon landing, be able to autonomously detect its location and report that figure back to mission control. GPS and magnetometers were not allowed for this competition, since they would only work with detailed information about the target body. Wildcat Rocketry settled on a method we dubbed "A Visual Analysis Tracking of A Rocket" (AVATAR), which would take pictures and, based off of a scaling factor and known position of a target object, provide the landing location of the airframe. The Wildcat Rocketry team has built a 105 inch tall rocket, powered by a K1050W-PS motor allowing it to fly to a height of greater than 4,000 ft. before safely returning to the ground to be recovered and used again. This competition has challenged the students of Wildcat Rocketry in the engineering process, community engagement, and teamwork, making us better academics and communicators, and teaching us critical skills in project management and problem solving in the process.
Quantum systems are largely characterized by the energies of their states. The set of electron energies in solid materials is called band structure. Most electronic properties of a particular material can be understood by studying its band structure. This makes calculating band structures of significant interest to physicists and materials scientists. Many tools exist for calculating band structures, ranging from pen and paper to more contemporary methods including top-tier toolkits designed to run on supercomputers. However, intermediate tools that can be used by undergraduate students to numerically compute band structures are not readily available. This project aims to fill this gap in intermediate tooling by developing a program to calculate band structures at a level higher than is feasible with pen and paper, but that will run on a standard desktop PC. The program was constructed using Python and includes a user-friendly graphical interface. It allows the user to input the details of a crystal structure and select one or more approximation schemes with which to calculate band structures. When run, the program produces a plot with the calculated band structure(s) alongside a density of states plot. The ability to easily calculate and compare band structures will illustrate core ideas in band theory such as band splitting without requiring tedious calculation by hand. The program enables students to relate how different parameters change the resulting band structure and will serve as the basis for new curriculum used in classroom settings such as CWU’s Solid State Physics (PHYS 441).
Symmetry is a fundamental characteristic of any physical system and it plays a clear role in biology, chemistry, classical physics, mathematics, and other disciplines. The role of symmetry in quantum mechanics is more abstract, and this research project constituted an investigation of how the symmetry of a quantum system governs the possible energies of the system’s states. A triangular arrangement of three spin-1/2 particles was used as a test system. The eigenenergies and eigenstates of a triangular arrangement with high-symmetry (equal exchange interactions between the particles) were calculated and compared to the eigenenergies and eigenstates of a triangular arrangement with low-symmetry (one of the exchange interactions was different than the other two). The eigenstates of the Hamiltonian of each arrangement were calculated and expressed in terms of the eigenstates of the spin-squared and z-component of spin operators, and the eigenenergies were calculated by applying the Hamiltonian of each arrangement to those eigenstates. The high-symmetry arrangement had a significant number of different states with the same energy (significant degeneracy), while the low-symmetry arrangement had less degeneracy. Both the high-symmetry and low-symmetry arrangements contained time-invariance symmetry, which can be broken by applying a magnetic field. The consequences for the eigenenergies of the two arrangements when a magnetic field is applied were calculated and a reduction in degeneracy was observed for both arrangements. The results of these calculations show that, in general, reduction of symmetry in quantum systems leads to degeneracy in energy levels being lifted.
Dance has long been regarded as being a therapeutic practice, particularly for physical and emotional states. Although the benefits of dance have primarily been focused on physical and emotional well-being, it has since been extended into the cognitive realm with emerging research examining the effects of dance when it comes to memory. Many studies have shown the preventative benefits of dance against diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia in older adults. However, research on the relationship between memory and dance has been isolated to the older adult population. To gain a better understanding of dance and memory, this study examined the relationship between dance and working memory in young adults. This study will utilize behavioral subtests of the Test of Memory and Learning, 2nd edition (TOMAL 2) measuring visual and auditory working memory. Following the evidence from previous research on the older adult population, we hypothesize that there will be working memory differences between dancers and non-dancers, more specifically, we hypothesize that dancers will score significantly higher on the TOMAL-2 than non-dancers.
The energy states of a quantum mechanical system are one of the most important factors governing its physical characteristics and properties such as heat capacity, magnetization, and many others. At low temperature, there is a high probability the system will be in its “ground state” (the state with lowest energy). When working with quantum mechanical systems, it is generally impossible and/or impractical to calculate exact ground state energies. Rather, mathematical techniques, namely the variational principle, in which the expectation value of energy is calculated, are used to estimate the ground state energy. For a given Hamiltonian, representing the quantum mechanical system’s total energy, the expectation value is calculated using a normalized test wavefunction containing the expected characteristics of the system’s ground-state wavefunction. In this research project, three different test wavefunctions (Gaussian, Lorentzian, and Hyperbolic Secant functions) were used to estimate ground state energies for different quantum systems. Expectation values obtained using the variational principle provide an upper bound on ground state energy, so the wavefunction providing the lowest energy estimate is closest to the true ground state wavefunction. The goal of this project was to determine whether a particular test wavefunction worked well for a variety of quantum systems. The Gaussian test wavefunction generally gave the best results in terms of providing the lowest ground state energy of all test wavefunctions. This project concluded that the Gaussian test wavefunction offered reliable estimates for ground state energies for a variety of quantum systems.
Adolescence is a time of profound growth and change, which makes adequate nutrition critical for meeting the growth and development needs of the high school athlete (Desbrow, 2021). Furthermore, athletes have higher energy intake needs than non-athletes due to increases in energy expenditure from training, and competition. Currently, many adolescent athletes do not meet their nutrition needs and lack the education and resources needed to properly fuel for their sport. In order to increase nutrition education amongst high school athletes, a sports nutrition manual was developed and will be available for download at no cost on both the Washington State Dairy Council (WSDC) and the Washington State Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) websites. The intent of this manual is to provide high school athletes, parents, and coaches with a free and comprehensive nutritional resource that will improve the dietary knowledge and habits of adolescent athletes and enhance athletic performance. A literature search was conducted using Pubmed, Medline, and the National Institute of Health (NIH) to obtain evidence-based sports nutrition information. Topics covered in the manual include: macronutrient needs (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins), micronutrient concerns and needs (iron, vitamin D, and calcium), hydration, pre and post exercise fueling, example fueling plates, eating for recovery, ergogenic aids, simple meals to cook at home, navigating the school cafeteria and fast food options, grocery shopping, as well as disordered eating and relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S). Furthermore, future research is warranted to evaluate the efficacy of improving nutrition knowledge in high school athletes.
Food literacy is an emergent term in public health nutrition literature that is used to describe proficiency in food-related skills and knowledge to ensure adequate nutrition and an overall healthy dietary pattern. The term has often been used in questionnaires, but few studies have specifically assessed food literacy among college students. Having interventions that are focused on improving food literacy skills, during such a critical period for young adults, is beneficial for increasing food knowledge and understanding. Therefore, the goal of this present study was to utilize an interactive survey called Around the World in Eight Plates and compare it to self-perceived food literacy among college students. The original instrument, which had students match eight dishes to eight countries of origin, was developed by researchers from the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC). An item, asking students about self-perceived food literacy, was developed through a literature review and added to the original instrument as the main research question. Students at Central Washington University (CWU) were invited to participate in the survey (n=161) at multiple locations on CWU’s campus. A total of 155 students were included in the final analysis. No significant correlation was found between students’ number of correct answers on the survey and students’ self-perceived food literacy. Researchers discussed how misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the food literacy-related question could have affected these results. Further research is necessary to determine what additional reasons may exist for this finding.
Since joining Central Washington University in 1998, Tim Englund has spent time as a mathematics professor, department chair, with the McNair Scholars Program, and now serves as the dean of the College of the Sciences. Consequently, he has been part of, or witness to, many successful... Read More →
It is a commonly stated belief among violin players and luthiers that new violins require a period of “playing in” for the tone to develop. Several studies have worked towards an answer to this question, such as measuring the change in tone according to the human ear or the vibrational response of stimulated wood. As the effects of sustained excitation on the mechanical response of violins will likely be subtle, it is necessary to create a consistent method of measurement and to quantify the expected range of deviation among repeated measurements. We measure admittance (velocity/force) by tapping the bridge with a small modal impact hammer and recording the velocity response of the top plate near the opposite side of the bridge using a laser doppler vibrometer. The acoustic response is also measured in an anechoic chamber. Since measurements of the same violin on different days do not produce identical response curves, several methods of characterizing the deviation were developed and compared. These uncertainty metrics will be used in the second phase of the experiment to determine the significance of the results, and ultimately work towards a better understanding of the effects of breaking in violins.
Eating out is a popular activity for college students, it provides an opportunity for them to socialize and enjoy their meals. Students eating away from home has increased from an average of 2.1 times per week in the 1990s to an average of 6-8 times per week. College students are more likely to eat out than other groups. Having a better understanding about the origins of food may help to inform and affect a student’s knowledge. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if an increased rate of eating out affects college students’ knowledge of food origins. A survey instrument titled “Around the World in Eight Plates,” originally developed by researchers from the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC) was used. This survey, plus an additional question measuring how many times per month students ate out was administered at Central Washington University (CWU) in the Winter 2022. The survey was originally used as an educational tool among university students, but the goal of this study was to compare eating out frequency with successful matching of food origin. The survey asked a sample of participants (n=155) to match 8 different foods to their country of origin. Participants were also asked how many times a month they eat at a restaurant. Eating out was not correlated with a student’s ability to match food to their country of origin. The results from this survey warrant further research into food origin knowledge and how eating out influences students’ knowledge on food origin.
Since joining Central Washington University in 1998, Tim Englund has spent time as a mathematics professor, department chair, with the McNair Scholars Program, and now serves as the dean of the College of the Sciences. Consequently, he has been part of, or witness to, many successful... Read More →
Distance runners may be at risk for disordered eating (DE) habits and low energy availability (LEA) due to increased energy expenditure with or without decreased energy intake, which leads to negative health and performance outcomes, such as menstrual dysfunction. Purpose: This study investigated risk of DE, LEA, and estimated the prevalence of menstrual dysfunction (MD) among female collegiate runners. Methods: Female runners (n = 325) who compete on an NCAA Division I, II, or III cross-country and/or track team completed an online questionnaire (45 questions). This included the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q) which examined incidence of stress fractures, occurrence and frequency of menstrual cycles within the previous 12 months, contraceptive use, and gastrointestinal function. The Disordered Eating Screening Assessment (DESA-6) was included to examine risk of DE. Runners with MD (oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea) were defined as reporting < 9 cycles within the previous 12 months. Those taking hormonal birth control were excluded from this analysis. Results: A high prevalence of athletes were at risk for LEA (56.6%), with 184 athletes scoring > 8 on the LEAF-Q. 42.5% were at risk for DE, and 13.2% of athletes reported menstrual dysfunction. Conclusion: Consistent with previous literature, a substantial percentage of athletes were found to be at risk for DE and LEA. These findings, along with a high prevalence of MD, demonstrate that collegiate female runners are at risk for health and performance consequences associated with LEA and DE.
The consensus between students and faculty in the EET program concerning the state of the course Process Control is that the class is complex and difficult to understand. This complexity, paired with labs that are disconnected from both the lecture material and prerequisite information, needs to be mitigated. The goal of this project is to increase student comprehension by relating the lecture material and mathematic concepts of prerequisite courses to the circuits and mechanical systems that are used in the real world. I studied the course material and supporting concepts comprehensively and obtained feedback from students and instructors that have participated in the class. This allowed me to develop supporting material across several platforms, including videos, mathematic models, circuit simulations, and updated lab instructions. Through research and feedback from both students and instructors, I have determined that the topics of greatest concern in the course are first-order, second-order, and state-space systems. To develop an understanding of these topics, the Multisim, MATLAB, Simulink, and LabVIEW programs are utilized. Additionally, the current labs have been reworked to be more readable and consistent, clarifying the student’s responsibilities and providing logical pathways to understand the material. Throughout this project I have vastly increased my own understanding of Process Control technologies and concepts, developed ideas and strategies to support the curriculum of the course, and built a foundation of labs and programs for future offerings to implement.
Running is characterized by high physiological demands with an emphasis on weight, which may lead to a greater risk of developing low energy availability (LEA) and or disordered eating (DE). Recreational runners are a population that is often overlooked due to a lack of resources readily available to them such as registered dietitians, physicians, and therapists. Purpose: This study investigated the prevalence of menstrual dysfunction, risk of DE and LEA. Methods: Female recreational runners (n= 2,434) running a minimum of 21 miles a week completed an online questionnaire that included the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q) (occurrence of stress fractures, menstrual function, contraceptive use, and gastrointestinal function) to evaluate LEA risk, and the Disordered Eating Screening Assessment (DESA-6) (weight control methods, weight satisfaction, and self-reported diagnosis of eating disorders (ED)/DE) to evaluate DE risk. Chi-square tests analyzed the presence or history of an ED and menstrual function. Results: 55% of participants are at risk for LEA based on a score of > 8 on the LEAF-Q, 39% are at risk for DE based on a score of >3 on the DESA-6, and 30% reported menstrual dysfunction. Conclusion: Female recreational runners have a high risk for LEA and DE. Furthermore, recreational athletes may not receive the needed treatment due to a lack of resources available to them. These results reinforce the need for further education and preventative measures around LEA and DE amongst recreational female runners.
Most of the U.S. population is not meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) which puts them at risk for multimorbidity (≥ two risk factors) that increases the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. The aim of this project was to investigate how dietary factors affect the risk for multimorbidity. This project was an observational cross-sectional study, using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey’s (NHANES) questionnaire, laboratory, examination, and dietary data from the years 2015-2018. Data from 10,530 subjects, ≥ 20 years of age, non-pregnant and/or lactating were analyzed. Underlying medical conditions identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were quantified and assessed for prevalence of multimorbidity. Rao-Scott chi-squared analysis was used to determine significant differences in the prevalence of multimorbidity. Forty-five percent of the population had multimorbidity. Those who did not meet recommendations for saturated fat and fiber intake had a higher prevalence of multimorbidity (46.3% and 45.8%, respectively). Those who did not meet recommendations for alcohol intake had a lower prevalence of multimorbidity (42.8%). Odds ratios for multimorbidity was established for those who did not meet the DGA compared to those who did. Fiber: (OR 1.4, p ≤ 0.0001); Saturated Fat: (OR 1.13, p = 0.016); Alcohol: (OR 0.85, p = 0.042). Sodium and total sugar intake had no significant effect on multimorbidity. The results of this study indicate that those who did not meet the fiber and saturated fat DGA recommendations may be at an increased risk for multimorbidity that increases the risk of COVID-19.
This session will outline what manufacturing practices are most significantly attributing to short product life spans for smartphones, the damage these devices have on the environment, and how right-to-repair combats these issues. Research began with literature reviews showing smartphones' highly damaging impact on the environment throughout their life cycles. The focus then shifted to methods of increasing these lifespans using repairability as the catalyst for this change. Later, an interview with a repair shop owner, right-to-repair activist, and industry professional helped identify the primary unsustainable practices targeted by right-to-repair legislation. These targeted practices include software locks on components such as camera modules and manufacturers' policies to withhold schematics and repair parts to consumers or repair businesses. Even with the negative public relations backlash that companies, such as Apple, receive for unsustainable manufacturing practices, the practices persist. Because social pressure has not been enough to facilitate change, right-to-repair legislation is a powerful tool to implement meaningful progress concerning ownership rights and reducing harmful practices for the environment.
Mentor, Information Technology and Administrative Management
Greetings! I currently teach classes in IT Sustainability, research methods, business administration and data analysis. I also serve on Central Washington University's Sustainability Council which is charged with implementing sustainability across campus.My background includes... Read More →
We will be using a variety of interpolation functions in order to analyze the illicit drug overdose deaths in the last 20 years. We will construct a program to approximate the change, rate of change, and total change of drug-related deaths. The data set used was the 1999-2020 CDC drug-related deaths. We will be looking for trends and sudden behavior changes in order to see how policies and world events affect the death rate.
The construction industry accounts for 38% of CO2 emissions and generates 600 million tons of debris in the United States in 2018. Although there are many initiatives and advocates for sustainable practices and renewable energy, the destructive impact of construction activities remains a challenge. This paper investigates the design and construction of net-zero energy and solar-powered house in Ellensburg, Washington, United States. The project is a part of a national collegiate competition named Solar Decathlon Build Challenge, organized by the United States Department of Energy. The innovative design will be evaluated in ten contests: architecture, engineering, innovation, energy, water, health and comfort, home life, appliances, communications, and market potential. The contribution to the body of knowledge is 1) innovative design practices in the net-zero energy and solar-power house and 2) reflection and lessons learned on the design tradeoff that increase the affordability and constructability. The project will be locally built in Ellensburg, Washington, United States.
Abstract—This presentation contributes to interpretable machine learning via visual knowledge discovery in general line coordinates (GLC). The concepts of hyperblocks as interpretable dataset units and general line coordinates are combined to create a visual self-service machine learning model. The DSC1 and DSC2 lossless multidimensional coordinate systems are proposed. DSC1 and DSC2 can map multiple dataset attributes to a single two-dimensional (X, Y) Cartesian plane using a graph construction algorithm. The hyperblock analysis was used to determine visually appealing dataset attribute orders and to reduce line occlusion. It is shown that hyperblocks can generalize decision tree rules and a series of DSC1 or DSC2 plots can visualize a decision tree. The DSC1 and DSC2 plots were tested on benchmark datasets from the UCI ML repository. They allowed for visual classification of data. Additionally, areas of hyperblock impurity were discovered and used to establish dataset splits that highlight the upper estimate of worst-case model accuracy to guide model selection for high-risk decision-making. Major benefits of DSC1 and DSC2 is their highly interpretable nature. They allow domain experts to control or establish new machine learning models through visual pattern discovery.
One of the most important aspects of studying crime is identifying how and why certain crimes happen. There are several questions one should ask: Why did this event happen? What caused this to happen? How could it have been stopped? Criminologists use various theories to seek the answer to these questions regarding various types of crimes – from petty crimes, such as stealing a pack of gum from the grocery store, to major, violent crimes, such as cannibalism, the latter of which is analyzed here. The goal is to prevent these crimes from happening in the future by identifying why they are happening now. In this paper, I hypothesize that the same theory, or theories, can explain the crimes of different cannibals. To test this, I use Jeffery Dahmer, Idi Amin, and Issei Sagawa as case studies. Various sources are analyzed, from books to articles to movies, to come up with brief biographies of each man, discussing events from early childhood into adulthood that could have contributed to their crimes. Then, I use this biographical information and analyze three traditional theories: Hirschi’s social-bond theory, Agnew’s strain theory, and Aker’s social learning theory. When examining these three men, it becomes clear that though the number and demographics of their victims differ, these theories explain all three men’s actions. Similar life events and personality traits contribute to an increased likelihood of criminogenic behavior, and their motives for murder and cannibalism are rooted in similar places.
Foster care in Washington State is in crisis. There are too many children to place and not enough homes, so children are living in offices, motels, and out of state. News reports all too often mention cases of abuse and runaways in foster homes, and monitoring foster placements is inadequate. This study is significant because it proposes solutions for oversight of foster care children in Washington, solutions which could assist policymakers, DCYF programming, and encourage the public to consider becoming foster parents. This qualitative, case study research seeks to understand how changes on the Braam panel have affected government and policy changes at the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) in monitoring foster care children, placements, and runaways from foster placements throughout the State of Washington. Due to the dissolution of the Braam panel, the research will focus on understanding oversight programming and analysis for foster care children in the State of Washington and will be defined as a case study.
Malicious software, or malware, has quickly become a top threat among companies and government agencies. It has the potential to expose sensitive information, halt business operations, and even cause a catastrophic loss of life. Malware can be deployed in many ways including hardware injection (USB), software injection, and misconfiguration. Software injection continues to be a popular attack vector and consistently ranks within the top three web application security risks published by OWASP. One of the simplest types of software injection is called SQL injection. This attack takes advantage of the fact that most applications interact with a database. Engineers can reduce the risk of successful attacks by following secure development practices, but cannot eliminate them. Prōtegō is an easy-to-use Python package that can be leveraged to identify and deter SQL injection attacks. It uses the most current machine learning algorithms to identify attacks with high accuracy.
On February 29th, 2020, Washington state, ground zero for the COVID-19 pandemic in America, would gain another national distinction as the first state in America to record a death from COVID-19. Over the next two years, a wave of mass deaths would sweep the nation as almost 1 million people perished from severe cases of the disease. These deaths would be concentrated primarily in the most vulnerable communities, with the most tenuous connections to essential resources like healthcare. Undocumented immigrants and migrant workers in America sought out healthcare at a far lower rate than any other group in America during the height of the pandemic due to fear of them or a family member being deported, prohibitive costs of care, and language barriers. Race, class, and immigration status would compound upon one another to render healthcare too expensive, too difficult, and too dangerous for undocumented immigrants to seek medical care during the worst phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The passage of legislation and then defending said legislation against judicial review is one of the best ways to provide a stable basis from which immigrants can seek out essential services without fear of deportation or confinement. The policy analysis will highlight the legal roadblocks faced by asylum seekers, climate refugees, migrant workers, and legal residents as a result of being denied state-funded healthcare insurance. The purpose of this policy analysis is to qualitatively and quantitatively show the damage wrought over the last 30 years in America, by the current policy of excluding immigrants from Medi-Care eligibility and to present the case for the passage Washington State proposed House Bill 1191, a landmark bill for a state expansion of Medi-Care to include undocumented immigrants in Washington.
Visualization of Machine Learning (ML) models is an important part of the ML process to enhance the interpretability and prediction accuracy of the ML models. This paper proposes a new method SPC-DT to visualize the Decision Tree (DT) as interpretable models. These methods use a version of General Line Coordinates called Shifted Paired Coordinates (SPC). In SPC, each n-D point is visualized in a set of shifted pairs of 2-D Cartesian coordinates as a directed graph. The new method expands and complements the capabilities of existing methods, to visualize DT models. It shows: (1) relations between attributes, (2) individual cases relative to the DT structure, (3) data flow in the DT, (4) how tight each split is to thresholds in the DT nodes, and (5) the density of cases in parts of the n-D space. This information is important for domain experts for evaluating and improving the DT models, including avoiding overgeneralization and overfitting of models, along with their performance. The benefits of the methods are demonstrated in the case studies, using three real datasets.
In Washington State, there is a need to develop gender-responsive reentry and rehabilitation correctional programs due to differences in reentry and healing programs for men and women. For example, women have more factors hindering social support. Washington State incarcerates, on average, 796-800 women per day in its two women's state prisons - Washington State Correction Center for Women (WSCCW) and Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women (MCCCW). There is an incomplete restorative improvement program for women in WSCCW and MCCCW. Moreover, the two Washington women's prison rehabilitative models of personal responsibility are stifled by gaps in programming and research. The research focuses on the effects of personal responsibility programs, such as prison writing programs, on past and future crime paths, beliefs, and behavior. Women incarcerated in Washington State may benefit from psychological activities or practices that emphasize understanding through thought and experience early in life or before incarceration. Therefore, the researchers conducted a qualitative exploratory approach using a constructivist paradigm by conducting qualitative interviews. The investigators explored pre and post reasoning to crime pathways and experiences, beliefs, thoughts, and ideas related to cognitive-based programming at WSCCW and MCCCW. When considering the research findings, this study proposes using and developing the gender-based holistic cognitive model for incarcerated women and post-incarceration.
Within the study of the philosophy of law, there have been long standing disputes regarding the nature and origin of rights. One prominent view, espoused by authors such as H.L.A Hart, is such that rights are derived from control by the bearer of the right over whatever the object of the right is. Under this view, an individual has a right to an object insofar as they control the object and exert their will over it. Hart’s will theory approach to rights has often been criticized on several significant conceptual and performative hurdles, each tied to a notion of problematic narrowness. First among these hurdles is an inability to account for those rights believed to be possessed by individuals generally. Second, Hart’s view requires rights to be voluntarily waivable in order to be cogent due to its focus upon control. This is problematic since some rights, particularly rights towards self-ownership or other freedoms, appear to lack any ability to be waived meaningfully. Third, the rights of the incapable are inadequately handled. I defend Hart’s work on a will theory approach by showing that these hurdles are not impassable; that Hart’s work is defensible against these critiques. My argument includes a reassessment of what is meant by being able to waive a right. This is accomplished by reframing waivability as a refrain from enforcing, rather than as a relinquishment of, rights.
To lessen their environmental impact, universities across the United States started taking a closer look at their own carbon footprint. At Central Washington University, the sustainability department is seeking to accomplish a part of this goal by cutting down on greenhouse gasses emitted by employee commuters. The necessary first step in solving this problem is using GIS to determine where the commuters are located and how many miles they are commuting per day. By using a 60-mile study area, split into 6 zones, I found that most employees are located within 0-2 miles accounting for nearly 3000 miles commuted each day. However, while only 10.1% of commuters are located in rural and outlying cities, they account for 19,812 miles commuted per day. Our results also showed us more comprehensive employee and student data, including telework information, should be collected before an action plan to reduce GHG emissions can be solidified.
COVID-19 has impacted public and economic health worldwide. To bolster the economy and maintain human life, economic and epidemiological research is vital. Nations have implemented lockdowns intent on slowing the spread of the virus. This research examines how lockdown parameter adjustments can help control a nations fatalities. The study incorporated an SIRD disease model that is simulated over a 365 day period. The goal of the research is to take the SIRD model and incorporate further parameters to simulate a lockdown. Being able to observe the outcome of the model simulation may provide insight to the importance of lockdown intensity for the future. I hope to use this model to create a minimization function that analyzes dynamics that best produce minimal loss of GDP as well as low loss of life in a lockdown.
The aim was to perform a follow-up analysis on hemodynamic parameters and dyspnea of adults with mild to moderate SARS-COV-2 infections after immunization and compare with a control group. A prospective observational cohort study was performed including adults aged 20-40 years previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 who have expressed mild to moderate COVID-19 (COVG). A control group (CG) matched by age was also included. Procedures were conducted at baseline and six weeks after second shot of COVID-19 vaccination. Hemodynamic parameters were collected using manual sphygmomanometer to access blood pressure, respiratory rate was evaluated by visual inspiration rates, and dyspnea was evaluated by Medical Research Council Questionnaire (MRC). A descriptive data analysis was performed. For baseline COVG presented mean of 118±8.36 mm/Hg for systolic blood pressure and 80±0 mm/Hg for diastolic blood pressure. Similar values were observed for CG: 113.33±8.16 mm/Hg for systolic blood pressure and 76.67±0 mm/Hg for diastolic blood pressure. After immunization COVG presented 110±15.81 mm/Hg for systolic blood pressure and 78±4.47 mm/Hg for diastolic blood pressure. CG presented 116±13.66 mm/Hg for systolic blood pressure and 76.67±8.16 mm/Hg for diastolic blood pressure. For dyspnea analyses both groups presented similar levels at baseline COVG presented a mean score of 0.48 ±0.79 and CG 0.22±0.42. After immunization the levels of dyspnea were sustained for both groups COVG 0.3±0.47 and CG 0.19±0.39. Respiratory rate was considered normal for both groups at baseline and follow up. We conclude hemodynamic parameters and dyspnea were similar between groups and no changes were observed after immunization.
During the COVID19 pandemic public lands felt a massive surge in visitation with people looking for alternative socially-distanced activities. As land managers scrambled to keep up with maintaining these spaces, there was a demand for more efficient ways of understanding problems and making decisions. One solution to this problem is the implementation of spatial data analytics, which can help prioritize department resources to areas of concern. Lexical data provided by recreationalists can efficiently provide valuable information about visitation through use of data analytics software.To demonstrate the value of spatial data analytics in land management, I will be working with lexical survey data from the most well-traveled hiking areas of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I will identify key words and shared themes of both positive and negative sentiment. By integrating the data with geographical locations I will show areas and features needing special attention.
The COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines continue to raise vaccine-related concerns among adults in the United States and around the world. Vaccine hesitancy has increased in recent years, and prior to COVID-19, the majority of research on vaccine hesitancy in adults focused on beliefs, attitudes, and acceptance of annual influenza vaccinations. Fear of, and/or refusal to receive, an influenza vaccine has been more prevalent in certain segments of the population and across several demographic characteristics, even outside of the formal anti-vaccine groups. Individuals who have previously received an influenza vaccine as an adult are far more likely to receive future influenza vaccines. Many of the same indicators have been observed in those who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine, including people of color and those living in rural areas. I'll use a mixed methods approach to see if there's a link between COVID-19 vaccination status and typical influenza vaccine uptake in people aged 20 to 45 in a rural county. For the quantitative portion, I used data from the Kittitas County COVID-19 Vaccine Survey; preliminary results from a chi-square analysis showed that there is a statistically significant relationship between these two variables. Preliminary findings from interviews asking about typical influenza vaccine uptake corroborate these findings. These findings suggest that more targeted education and outreach for general vaccine-related concerns, as well as a better understanding of vaccine attitudes and beliefs, are warranted.
Dr. Beeson is an assistant professor of public health in the Department of Health Sciences at Central Washington University. She received a doctorate in public health from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and a Master of Public Health from... Read More →
Many have raised concerns about the impact of geotagged social media images on public lands. They claim that geotags increase recreational visitation which subsequently contributes to negative recreational impacts including crowding, trampled vegetation, erosion, and litter. Others, however, claim that geotagging on social media has made the outdoors more accessible to less privileged communities and raise concerns that restricting geotags will perpetuate the exclusion of certain groups from nature. This debate is particularly relevant to federally designated wilderness. Wilderness is legally defined as "untrammeled by man," and this problematic construction has helped justify indigenous land dispossession and restricted access for other marginalized populations in wilderness areas. This paper will present the results of research that explores the relationship between geotags, visitation, and the perception of recreational impacts within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington. It uses a GIS kernel density analysis to determine which locations are most frequently geotagged on Flickr and Instagram and then surveys visitors at these sites to ascertain if geotags played a role in individuals' decisions to visit. It also explores whether recreational impacts negatively affect visitor experience at these sites and explores visitors’ expectations for wilderness. The findings of this study suggest that social media does play a role in some visitors travel decisions, however few visitors consider geotags specifically when making their decisions. Furthermore, this research suggests that, despite individuals' concerns that geotags are "ruining nature," the majority of visitors' expectations are still being met within frequently geotagged sites in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Anthropogenic climate change is projected to increase throughout the 21st century. These increases will impact communities around the globe, so determining potential rates of temperature and precipitation change in these areas is an important task. However, most climate change studies are done at global/regional levels rather than county/municipality levels. This can create issues in areas like the Pacific Northwest, which has a high amount of topographic and climate variability within the region. For example, it is unclear how shifting snowfall trends in much of the Cascade Range will impact snowpack losses, streamflow, and water availability in local communities. This research examines historic direction and rates of climate change in Kittitas and King counties, Washington. Historic climate data has been gathered from five climate stations, two in each county and one on Stampede Pass, for the past 120 years. An analysis and visualization of these data, combined with historic streamflow data, are making it possible to evaluate county-level temperature and precipitation trends and assess their impact on current and future water availability in these counties. Preliminary results comparing climate normals at each of the climate stations show changes in average monthly maximum temperature of anywhere from -2.1 to 3.5°F, with the most drastic changes occurring at Stampede Pass. These results will be compared with wider PNW and global climate trends, both past and projected, to determine patterns in climate variability at different spatial scales.
Fade Away: A Horror Story is inspired by old-time radio drama. The project includes brief research on sound design, radio shows, Foley techniques, and how radio shows directly inspired podcasts and audio dramas of today. The presentation will include a brief summary of this research and a presentation of the 15-minute horror story written, casted, directed, edited, and acted in by Marisa Bigsbee.
This project analyzes two Black female comic book characters, Amanda Waller and Joanna Cargill, from Marvel and DC Comics from 1986-2021. With the growing success of comic books, this project aims to answer these questions: can Black female characters be used in library initiatives or library programming to attract new readers? Or are the renderings of Black female characters filled with too many stereotypes and racist tropes to be used positively in library initiatives or library programming? Utilizing a Black feminist lens, I analyze articles and podcasts from the creators of Amanda Waller and Joanna Cargill in conjunction with an analysis of the visual and narrative representation of these two characters in Marvel and DC's canon. Numerous studies have shown that many Black female comic book characters are filled with stereotypes and racist tropes. Additionally, several studies have shown that using comic books to inspire new readers increases reader motivation. However, no study has been done at the nexus of using Black female comic book characters to attract new readers and using complex and diverse Black female comic book renderings in library programming. After analyzing both Amanda Waller and Joanna Cargill’s canon, I determined that a majority of the visual and narrative representations were full of racist tropes and stereotypes. Therefore, I suggest that these characters cannot be used to attract new readers and instead suggest more research on how to develop library programming based on Black female characters in a way that doesn’t uphold racist stereotypes and tropes.
At Central Washington University, the Anthropology and Museum Studies Department is in possession of a number of commingled human skeletal remains from an unknown number of individuals, and stored in the Forensics Lab for teaching purposes. Recently, controversy has arisen over the ethics of keeping human remains at academic institutions. The aim of this study was to catalog and analyze the remains at CWU, for the purposes of knowledge and safekeeping in an ethical manner. This involves composing a biological profile of said remains, including sexing, aging, ancestry, and stature of bones when applicable. A thorough inventory, measurement, labelling, and a rating of completeness with accordance with standard protocols, was also conducted. It is important to remember that at the forefront of this research that these bones belonged to a once living person, and therefore need to be treated with respect and dignity. The goal of this research is to handle these remains with care, and establish an ethical curation of said remains, so future academics may continue to learn from them while maintaining the dignity they deserve. This is important since these remains are handled on a weekly basis by students who are just beginning their academic careers. Establishing an ethical curation of this human skeletal remain collection is vital for the continued future use of this collection for educational and research purposes.
In the past couple decades art therapies have gained more attention and are able to provide an alternative treatment for mental health than traditional therapy practices. Some of these practices include art therapy, music therapy, and drama therapy. Drama therapy is defined by the North American Drama Therapy Association (2022) as “the intentional use of drama and/or theater processes to achieve therapeutic goals.” These intentional practices help the person seeking drama therapy achieve mentalization, which is the ability to separate yourself from the emotions of a particular event in order to better understand their emotions (Irwin and Dwyer-Hall, 2021). This ability to separate themselves from their emotions allows youth to practice empathy towards their own situation and helps them better understand and process the trauma associated with a particular event. In addition to drama therapy, Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) can also help youth practice empathy. Playwrights such as Suzan Zeder, Aurand Harris, and David Saar write TYA plays that explore more serious topics like divorce, death of a family member, and even death of a child. By using TYA, we can open up conversations about difficult topics or explain concepts such as drama therapy and mentalization to youth. This project combine the two concepts together I have written a TYA play, called The Drama Therapist, where the concepts of drama therapy and mentalization are explained through a narrative storyline. This presentation will cover the research that inspired and informed The Drama Therapist while including snippets from the play itself.
An “American Canadianist,” Emily Rollie is an assistant professor of theatre at Central Washington University. Her work has been published in Canadian Theatre Review, Theatre Annual, Theatre Survey, and several edited anthologies. Her research focuses on the ways that Canadian... Read More →
We surveyed aquatic plants at 3 locations in the stream on the Reecer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project, Ellensburg, Washington. We compared native and invasive species of flora in and around the area. We measured 1m2 areas at stratified random locations in Reecer creek. We counted the number of each species of plant in each area. We concluded that there are more native than invasive flora at Reecer Creek. For example, our upstream section contained 60% Widgeon Grass (native), 30% Clasping-Leaf Pondweed (native), and 10% Reed Canary Grass (Invasive). We recommend continued monitoring of Reed Canary Grass, which is a highly invasive species that is known to outcompete native flora. In every section of the creek this grass was present, and in our opinion this is a threat to Reecer creek and its native flora.
We measured insect species diversity within different sub-ecosystems of the Reecer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project, Ellensburg, WA. We hope to understand how diversity changes throughout the seasons in three areas: river, ground, and trees. We captured insects using sweep nets at 3 different plots for each area in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. We found that the river area (Shannon Index 1.47) had higher species diversity compared to the ground (Shannon Index 1.33) and trees (Shannon Index 1.04). Out of the three areas, Chironomidae were the most common insect, most likely due to their ability to live in diverse habitats. Aphidoidea and Araneae were also extremely common. Extending insect population studies to other seasons will yield a more complete understanding of insect diversity at Reecer Creek.
We live in a time where recordings of misconduct and injustices are at high. We are capable of seeing damages done by police on almost every social media in our society. From the Black Lives Matter movements to the riots that had happened; our world today has seen history repeat itself in numerous of ways. We have stressed the importance of justice being seek for the unjust at the hands of our own criminal justice system. Police brutality has always been here but as we grow into a technological world we are capable of seeing the extent of police brutality; being able to witness it with our own eyes on a screen. Police have violated our amendment rights more times than we all can count. From falsely accusing those of doing harm, abusing their power, using an unnecessary amount of force and the legality of using lethal force if necessary to the prejudices in our own criminal justice system that allows police to use stereotypes to discriminate against a group of people. Which has allowed us to become fearful, untrusting and hatred to the people who are supposed to protect our constitutional right. The purpose of this project is to access the problems that are surfaced through the qualified immunity doctrine. Going in detail of what qualified immunity is, the advantages police officers have regarding qualified immunity and problems that arise due to qualified immunity will give us a further understanding of what this doctrine entails. Within this project we want to break down the historical context of this doctrine; looking at why this doctrine was created. For an example question, what is the evolution of qualified immunity? We want to see what the qualifications for certain situations that would fall under qualified immunity. For example, a police officer using excessive force to handcuff a person who was resisting arrest. We will go into depth of issues that could arise within the terms of qualified immunity and how we determine a situation would fall under the doctrine of qualified immunity. Continuing the analysis, we will look at all aspects of qualified immunity, look at areas that can be easily affected and determine a better, effective way of determining a certain situation will be under the doctrine of qualified immunity while others will not be.
We started this project by asking the question of "How has Reecer Creek changed over time?". We decided to answer this question through Photo Documentation. Our experiment was part of our high school class's experiments to determine exactly how the Reecer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project, Ellensburg, WA has succeeded or failed to prompt ecological recovery through the years. We built our conclusions off of previous data from the same experiment, completed in 2011 and 2016 by our previous classmates in years beforehand. We went into the experiment looking for differences in vegetation, water levels, and creek water flow. To collect our data, we used gps pinpoints and previous data to find picture locations and capture new images. We used the same locations and procedure as previous groups to achieve the closest comparisons. After data was collected, we overlaid previous images on new pictures as close as possible to better see key differences between past and present. From our analysis, we determined that there were significant changes in vegetation area, wetland development, and introduced plant growth. Our results demonstrate the success of the Reecer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project in achieving regrowth and land reclamation. Besides our data, we also used assumptions based on the inaccessibility of certain areas due to plant growth to make these conclusions. These findings confirm the conclusions of our seniors who performed this experiment previously, who also found that plant growth in Reecer Creek is thriving after a secondary succession event. This experiment is repeatable and can be conducted in the future in order to determine further changes in the floodplain.
This presentation will examine the United States Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Texas, et.al, a case which determines the constitutionality of Texas Senate Bill 8. The bill grants the right of citizens to civilly sue anyone who has provided any substantive assistance in providing an abortion to a private citizen, including medical practitioners, taxi drivers, and others. This law is unique in that it does not target pregnant women, but rather all of those around them who assisted in the providing of an abortion. This legal mechanism creates difficulties for constitutional enforcement under current legal methods for bringing a violation of constitutional rights. This presentation will examine the case facts, issue, and reasoning as well as the broader implications for the enforcement of constitutional rights in the United States legal system.
We measured the elemental composition of sediment at the heads compared to the mouths of six different streams in Kittitas County, Washington. Sediment composition can determine the effects of large-scale agricultural fertilization and the health of stream ecosystems as they flow through farmland. We collected two sediment samples from each of the six creeks we selected in Kittitas County, and determined the elemental composition of the samples. We analyzed the samples using Central Washington University’s ICP-OES which provided results in which most streams had high amounts of specific elements, including: aluminum, calcium, iron, and potassium. Our measurements showed the opposite of our hypothesis; streams contain higher concentrations of elements at the tops of creeks versus the bottoms, with a few exceptions that may have resulted from errors in the procedure. Further research could be conducted to determine why higher concentrations of elements are found at the tops of creeks, and whether this is the case in other counties as well.
The velocity of water in a stream affects vegetative growth, nutrient dispersal, temperature, as well as rearing habitat and spawning areas for salmon and steelhead. We measured stream velocities and depth at 20 locations along a 1.8 km section of the Reecer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project, Ellensburg, WA. We compared our data to fall of 2014. We found that the stream velocities in fall of 2021 had a lower average velocity (0.527m/s < 0.748m/s) and lower standard deviation [0.259m/s < 0.362m/s]. For the 2014 data set 27% of data points were outside of one standard deviation compared to 40% of our data points more than one standard deviation away. From this, we were able to conclude that the restoration was successful in creating a variable stream habitat that is favorable to a healthy salmon and steelhead population.
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted individuals’ lives in a variety of ways. Early in the pandemic, federal and state mandates required individuals to stay home and distance unless they met specific criteria. For college students, the pandemic meant the closure of campuses and the shift to online learning. This similarly impacted students with most shifting their socialization to technology to stay connected. Even prior to the pandemic, research suggested that there is a negative correlational relationship between social-emotional wellbeing and academic success. Throughout the pandemic, researchers have shown that there has been a general rise in the rate of mental health disorders globally. However, there is a general dearth of research examining college students' personal experiences as it relates to their social-emotional wellbeing during the pandemic and how this may have impacted their academic success. For this reason, this qualitative study examined generation Z college students’ perspectives on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their social-emotional wellbeing and academic success. In this study, 11 undergraduate students aged 18-23 were given a semi-structured interview with questions focusing on their social well-being, emotional well-being, and their academic success. Results suggest that students experienced reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and a general lack of motivation when it came to academics. The findings also suggest that students coped with the pandemic by utilizing exercise, mindfulness activity, or participation in a hobby. Attendees of this presentation can expect to learn about the methodology and results of this study as well as about the potential implications for university personnel.
King Sejong (1397-1450) is known as one of the greatest rulers of Korea of all time, as he created Hangul (Korean alphabet), encouraged significant scientific advancements, reinforced Confucianism in Korea, and caused many political and social advancements. However, despite how important he is in Korean culture, he is rarely mentioned in American classes about Asia. This knowledge is more important now than ever, with South Korea being a major power in economics, technology, and more. To rectify the lack of knowledge of King Sejong, this presentation will cover his achievements and their influence on Korea today, the most obvious of which being Hangul, which is the current Korean writing system. The presentation will also cover how his Confucian beliefs influenced his achievements, as King Sejong’s reign was a major turning point for Korea in terms of Confucian impact. A major reason why there is so much information about King Sejong, even though he lived in the early 1400s relates to another of his accomplishments – he took the printing advancements that had been made during his father’s reign and embraced them, causing Korea to become the lead East Asian nation in printing, improving printing speeds by 20 times before the design was finalized, providing a better way of publishing scientific advancements and inventions. Through these publications and modern publications discussing them, we can get a picture of King Sejong’s life and influence. The broad scope of his influence will illustrate the Korean trajectory of innovation and accomplishment that we see today.
When discussing the second amendment of the United States Constitution, it was put into place to protect the right of the people’s ability to keep and bear arms. In case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen Robert Nash and Brandon Koch, both members of the NYSRPA, applied for a general concealed carry permit in the state of New York. New York Penal Law Section 400.00 imposes objective requirements like age and criminal history as well as a submission for proper cause. Both applications by Nash and Koch were denied for lacking proper cause by licensing officer Richard McNally. NYSRPA, Nash and Koch brought a Section 1983 suit against McNally, George Beach and Kevin Bruen alleging that the proper cause requirement violated the second amendment. I will be examining what entails proper cause to allow for a legal possession of a firearm as well hopefully answer the question if New York’s denial of the applications for a concealed carry license for self-defense violates the second amendment.
Central Washington University is at a moment of opportunity, where Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan are being rearticulated. Emerging from meaning-making discussions is language around “diversity,” “equity,” and notably, a “culture of belonging” as values to be centered.
This presentation argues for a mission and vision of CWU becoming the first (and leading) four-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Washington. This analysis draws upon Latinx pedagogy and place-based education, envisioning CWU as decolonized HSI and place of querencia. Latinx pedagogy, specifically Gina Ann Garcia’s research, offers an empirical and philosophical model for HSIs and demonstrates how supporting Latinx students centers access, equity, and outcomes for all students, especially low-income and first-generation. Querencia offers a rooted embodiment of a “culture of belonging” and place-based education for CWU’s increasingly diverse (and Latinx) student population and surrounding communities.
Envisioning CWU as HSI gives practical and cultural meaning to current, aspirational conversations of “belonging” for all CWU students by centering student supports; holistic advising; faculty diversity; decolonizing pedagogy; and serving regional communities.
Under Washington SB 5227, CWU identified DEI priorities like Motion 20-65 and lagging diversity among CWU faculty. These are best accomplished through funding and implementing unfulfilled recommendations found in the 2018 CWU HSI Initiative.
As a decolonized HSI, CWU can become a leading institution in graduating (with minimal debt and other inequitable barriers) a community of engaged, inquisitive, just, and impactful critical thinkers who both represent and make real-world changes in the diverse communities that CWU serves better than any comparable institution.
To assess the potential impact of ESG investing on the CWU investment portfolio, we analyzed the relationship between company ESG scores and financial metrics of risk and return. Financial data consisted of investment returns and beta scores (a measure of risk), provided by S&P Capital IQ. Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) provided CIR with ESG scores of 42,977 companies around the globe. Using the S&P 500 and the ISS company database as benchmarks, we compared how CWU’s investments paired within the scope of a 1, 3, 5, 10, 20-year ESG-Beta and ESG-Risk relationship. CWU displayed similar results to that of the S&P500 and ISS database – the ESG-Risk and ESG-Beta relationships were nonnegative. The literature review on ESG factors and financial performance suggested that there was a largely nonnegative relationship, like our findings as a council.
Furthermore, we collected information on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing policies from a sample of universities in the Pacific Northwest and found that about half of the universities maintain such policies. We identified the full range of different ESG policies across the universities. We then determined which universities were leaders in the field and performed a sentiment analysis of their respective ESG statements. CWU currently does not include investment criteria with regards to sustainability. Improving upon this, we assessed the core values of CWU and other ESG criteria bearing Universities. This provided us with a list of ESG policy tools compatible with CWU’s value framework.
An event dubbed the “Great Resignation” began in April 2021 in the United States and is described as a phenomenon associated with significant increases in the number of people quitting their job. The quitting rate remained elevated throughout the year, with acceleration recorded in September and November 2021. The industries most affected by the “Great Resignation” include hospitality, retail, business services, and healthcare (primarily nurses). In this paper, we use monthly data from the Current Population Survey for March 2019 to February 2022 to analyze the changes in labor force participation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we use descriptive statistics to examine how trends in labor market data for 2021 compare with pre-pandemic levels. We compare these statistics across gender, age (prime-age workers versus workers aged 55 and older), educational attainment, and industry. Increases in the labor force participation rate and declines in the unemployment rate since the beginning of 2022 point to labor market recovery. As a result, we also investigate these recent trends to determine if the groups and industries (e.g., prime-aged workers and the retail and hospitality industries) affected by the great resignation are driving the current increase in labor force participation.
This presentation looks at LGBTQ representation in Korean pop music and how it influences the LGBTQ movement in South Korea. As one of the most well-funded Korean industries, and globally one most popular performance mediums today, its power and influence should not go underestimated. The behaviors of fandoms and the impact they have as a collective is well recognized. Fans are often at the beck and call of their idols, wanting to exemplify their admiration through verbal or physical means. Fandoms have been observed making mass donations to charity organizations and advocating the same political opinions that their idols show support for. To many fans, idols are more than just artists; they are role models from which they can form the basis of their identity and worldviews from. When LGBTQ issues are becoming increasingly relevant worldwide, many fans are eager to see what their idols may have to say on the subject. At times, they deliver, sparking much response and discussion amongst their fans. Analyzing social media posts and comments around the themes of Kpop, Kpop idols, and LGBTQ rights, I will demonstrate how these online interactions reflect, if not drive the growing trend of support for the LGBTQ movement in South Korea.
We analyzed the viability of electric busses as public transportation in Ellensburg, Washington. We started by collecting data for the current bus transit and associated costs. Due to current inefficiencies in the bus route system, we have decided to create new routes that can be adjusted to people’s needs as well as the schedule. Rising fuel costs have encouraged us to look into fully electric busses. We calculated the annual miles driven with the new schedule and route system to compare the fuel costs with electricity costs in Ellensburg. These costs clearly showed an advantage to switch to a fully electric bus, however, to see if it is viable, we have also considered maintenance and vehicle costs. This analysis can be used in any kind of community thinking about switching to electric bussing.
For my presentation, I will be analyzing what is considered the greatest classic novel out of Korea, The Nine Cloud Dream by Kim Man-Jung (1637-1692). Following the journey of a monk, he will come across 8 fairy maidens, each representing some sort of temptation, he then undergoes an unusual punishment of reincarnation into the most ideal man. This is a punishment for his doubting Buddha’s teachings. I will uncover the meaning behind each fairy maiden’s purpose in this monk’s journey and relate these experiences to his final enlightenment to comprehending the fundamental teachings of Buddha while also tying in a bit of Confucius’ teachings, which is a large part of Kim Man-Jung’s expertise, more specifically neo-Confucianism, as this is the form of Confucian teachings followed in Korea. Another aspect to the book I will cover would be political, considering this book is during the Joseon Dynasty under the reign of King Suk Jong. Getting an understanding of the politics at this time, as well as the religious factors previously mentioned, will show Korea in one of its earlier days, allowing me to make comparisons between past and present Korea (South).
South Korea has had a mandatory military service requirement for male South Korean citizens from the ages 18-28 since the 1950's- the government's response to accelerate the establishment of a stronger defense force during post cold-war times. The disposition of conscription has been changed multiple times since it's implementation and continues to be reexamined as South Korea progresses, but it still faces scrutiny and controversies as forced labor conventions are challenged and many young men will try to find exemptions from the obligation to serve their country for several years. This presentation will observe the history, reasoning, and future of conscription in South Korea.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been under scrutiny as of late when the differences between what was provided to the teams in the men’s and women’s Final Four of the NCAA Tournaments was made public knowledge. This is why, come 2027 the NCAA has decided to create a joint Final Four where all eight teams will stay at the same hotel in downtown Indianapolis and be provided with equivalent amenities. Our objective was to put together a cohesive action plan for how to navigate all the nuances that influence the biggest basketball tournaments in the country. We divided all amenities equally, including hotel rooms, locker rooms, practice facilities, gameday court times, and free time. We distributed the same options for food, travel, entertainment, and “swag bags” except for differing on toiletries provided. We also spent an equal amount of money on each tournament as they both combined into one, and we spent the same on advertising because every advertisement will be in reference to the unity of the joint tournament. This presentation is set to display how a joint NCAA Final Four Tournament would operate, how it would look, and what needs to change in terms of Title IX equality.
This presentation will analyze a company to determine its worthiness as an investment vehicle. A summary of the business will be provided and the competitors will be identified. The company’s market position and growth opportunities will be evaluated. That evaluation will be translated into quantitative assumptions on growth in a two-stage discounted cash flow model of company valuation. The company’s value will be estimated and presented using a detailed financial model in Excel.
