Schedule at a Glance Speaker Index Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 Room 9 Room 10 Room 11 Posters Special Events
Galaxy Motion is crucial to probing the large scale structure of the universe. However, measurements of this motion are noisy. Thus to obtain significant results we must take averages over many measurements. My project proposes a new method of modeling the velocity field of the local Universe, which can be used to determine expected velocities at every location in the Milky Way's vicinity. Using a large set of velocity measurements, I applied Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis: a random process of repeated sampling. This marks a new application of Markov Chains within cosmology with the potential for new, never-before-seen results.
Faculty Sponsor: Richard Watkins
Discipline: Physics
The health and success of activist ecosystems hinges on the organizational dynamics and rhetoric used within the group. This research project explored the rhetoric of the climate activist group Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN) in order to gain insight into the relationship between the organizational structure and the rhetoric that is used by members within the organization. During my research, I sat in on meetings as a participant observer, conducted interviews with volunteers at all levels of the organization to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the organization’s communication practices. My research culminated in a series of recommendations for activist organizations to cultivate healthier ecosystems among their membership.
Faculty Sponsor: Maegan Brooks
Discipline: Rhetoric
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, an average of approximately 96 elephants die every day due to poaching. Additionally, the black rhino population has become endangered after nearly 90% of the species was lost in the 1970s and 80s. These, and other similar statistics, inspired this project, whose focus is on conservation efforts in South Africa. Through narration of personal experiences on the Phinda Wildlife Reserve in South Africa, this project illuminates the various threats different African mammals face, and questions the impact of the human perspective on solving these, and related problems, in South Africa and across the globe.
Faculty Sponsor: David Craig
Discipline: Humanities
This project examines Structural Competence training coursework received by medical students at Oregon Health and Science University. Structural competence training moves away from Cultural Competency by addressing upstream factors of health and encourages providers to consider how structural inequality impacts access to healthcare. Curriculum was analyzed in correspondence with OHSU faculty and current students were also interviewed for their perspectives and what things could be improved upon. This talk will address data gathered through curriculum analysis and interviews with students and faculty to explore their experiences with and perspectives on the curriculum and how it could be improved upon.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Melinda Butterworth
Discipline: Public Health Ethics, Advocacy and Leadership
An analysis of The Spotlight, a self titled “populist” newspaper that circulated from 1975-2001. Owned and operated by Willis Carto, The Spotlight produced news directed towards far-right conspiracy theorists, taking advantage of globalist, communist, and multiculturalist fears, while pushing anti-Semitic, xenophobic, and racist narratives. The Spotlight was only one aspect of Carto’s Liberty Lobby, but proved to be his most influential. This paper dissects specific issues and advertisements published in The Spotlight, and draws conclusions regarding populism as a rhetorical strategy.
Faculty Sponsor: Jeanne Clark
Discipline: Rhetoric
This study investigates the prevalence of food insecurity across Marion county and the compounding impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those who experience food insecurity. Through surveys and interviews, the research will examine the impacts of the resources and support provided by three food justice organizations.
Faculty Sponsor: Melinda Butterworth
Discipline: Environmental Science
Investigating the social construction of wilderness, my Carson Grant project offers a reevaluation of outdoorsy culture to my white peers. Through a series of backpacking, and camping trips this summer I reflected on my own colonial understandings of “wilderness”. Such experiential work was grounded in an extensive literature review. Much of this was work by Indigenous peoples, and others centering traditional ecological knowledge, or challenging the settler-colonial “pristine nature” cannon. My final zine reflects these topics, and intends to serve as a jumping-off point for others (again, particularly my white peers) to support but, reframe their love of outdoors.
Faculty Sponsor: Rebecca Dobkins
Discipline: Anthropology
This two part podcast series explores queer figures from genres of traditional Mexican and Latin American folk music. In Part 1, we examine the legacies of Chavela Vargas and Juan Gabriel, who lived their lives as open secrets. In Part 2, we hear from LA-based musicians Ayan Vasquez-Lopez of Mariachi Arcoíris and Mary Alfaro Velasco about the importance of intersectional queer Latinx representation in music.
Faculty Sponsor: Vincent Pham
Discipline: Latin American Studies
Peg solitaire is a game played on a board with holes and pegs. Moves are made by jumping a peg over another into an empty hole, removing the peg that was jumped over. A board is solved if a single peg remains after a sequence of moves. On graphs moves can only be made across points connected by lines. In this paper we color various families of graphs such that no adjacent points are the same color. By restricting moves to different start and end colors, we determine how many colors are needed to solve the graphs.
Faculty Sponsor: Josh Laison
Discipline: Mathematics
Peg solitaire is a game played on a peg board where all but one spot is filled. A move is defined by jumping one peg over another to an empty space. Our research explores peg solitaire on graphs where moves are played across adjacent vertices. We consider a graph solved if there are no possible moves, even if the number of pegs left, k, is greater than 1. We define the Optimal Solving Set (OSS) for each graph as the set of k-solvability numbers in optimal play across each possible starting position. We examine Cycle, Lollipop, Star, and Path graphs.
Faculty Sponsor: Josh Laison
Discipline: Mathematics
Graph difference labeling describes a graph labeling where vertices are adjacent exactly when their difference is in a list of allowable differences. In our research we use polynomials as labels. We label various graphs using this system including Path, Windmill, Cycle and Wheel graphs. We determine the smallest subset of polynomials from a specified set each graph can be labeled with.
Faculty Sponsor: Josh Laison
Discipline: Mathematics
The fixing number of a graph is the minimum number of fixed vertices needed to take away all possible symmetries. Consider a square: it can be rotated or reflected in eight different ways. If we fix one of its corners -- so it cannot be sent to any other point -- we remove all of the square's symmetries except across one of its diagonals. By fixing another corner, we fix the graph. Past research has investigated fixing numbers over families of graphs. Our research considers these same graphs as geometric objects and determines the fixing number of these objects in 2, 3, and higher dimensions.
Faculty Sponsor: Josh Laison
Discipline: Mathematics
The study investigates the effects of Costa Rica's lifestyle and healthcare approach on their low mortality rate. Observational healthcare evidence was acquired in the hospital of San Jose, Costa Rica, and local doctors were shadowed and interviewed to learn about their country's healthcare system and philosophy. Costa Rica's lifestyle was experienced, observed and locals were interviewed to understand their thoughts and experiences in their country. Differences and similarities were analyzed within the United States and possible intervention ideas were discovered in order to minimize the mortality rate in the United States and improve the United States healthcare system.
Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Kirk
Discipline: Public Health Ethics, Advocacy and Leadership