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Item Open Access A History of the School of Education at the University of Oregon(University of Oregon, 1964-08) Colvin, Lloyd WilkinsonThe pioneers who settled Oregon had strong convictions about the bearing of education on the individual and the common good. They shared the view expressed in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 that "schools and the means of education shall be forever encouraged." But, even though Nathan Dane's prescript was transposed into the territorial government of Oregon, disagreements among educators and among people imbued with varied religious beliefs and diverse customs prevented quick fulfillment of its precepts.Item Open Access Leveling the Playing Field: Designing Assessment Tools for Equity in Salem’s Parks(University of Oregon, 2024) Stapleton, Ellee; Cole, NathanThis document describes and contains the work of students in LA 407 / 507 Equitable Urban Parks with Professor Stapleton at the University of Oregon. Students created three assessment tools for the City of Salem to assess the current conditions of their parks. The report covers the purpose of the tools and how they were created. The tools are in Appendix C: Tool Protocols, Materials, and Instruments. The City of Salem manages 90 parks and is currently updating its citywide park system master plan (master plan), last updated in 2013, that guides development and maintenance of these parks. The master plan is updated about once a decade (City of Salem 2024). Some residents of Salem are concerned that the distribution of parks and funding in the City is inequitable, and the City would like to address this by conducting an equity analysis of their parks system and including an equity component in the new master plan. The work of Equitable Urban Parks follows Professor Stapleton’s Spatial Justice Seminar, in which students investigated if parks were equitably distributed throughout the City (Cassell and Donnelly 2024). In Equitable Urban Parks, students created assessment tools that can be used to compare conditions and resources across different parks in the City. The findings from these two courses offer complementary explorations of park equity with the Spatial Justice Seminar considering equity through the lens of distribution and Equitable Urban Parks looking in more detail at the qualities of specific park resources.Item Open Access Cases for Age-Friendly Planning And Policy(University of Oregon, 2024) Webster, Brian; Li, AlexThe City of Salem and its largest resource for older people, Center 50+, are in the process of planning for a momentous shift in the City’s demographic composition: citizens are getting older. Salem’s rapidly aging population necessitates a comprehensive approach to creating and maintaining an age-friendly city. This seminar class was tasked with finding, researching, and evaluating successful cases in age-friendly planning and public policy. By learning from programs that have made other cities more accessible for their older population, Salem can ensure that it does the best it can for its older community members. The student research highlights the critical importance of fostering independence and community engagement among older residents. By prioritizing these areas, Salem can significantly enhance the quality of life for its older residents and solidify its position as a welcoming community for all ages. Across the students’ research and resulting case studies, key themes arose: • The need to support aging in place through accessible and affordable housing, robust transportation options, and information environments that work for older people • Effective collaboration among government, non-profit organizations, and community members • Methods to effectively maximize finite volunteer hours • Outreach that meets older people where they are both physically and technologically This report synthesizes the lessons from student analysis of successful cases into takeaways for the City of Salem and its citizens. By implementing the recommendations from this course and utilizing the analysis to shape ongoing programs targeted toward older people, Salem can support its aging population and become a thriving age-friendly city.Item Open Access Safe and Connected Salem: Bicycle Transportation Recommendations(University of Oregon, 2024) Schlossberg, Marc; Taylor, Zoe; Sunberg, Nicolas; Scherer, AnnaThe City of Salem’s goal is to increase bike mobility, thereby increasing street safety in the process. The City’s comprehensive code outlines ambitious goals aimed at reducing pollution, ensuring safe travel, and developing multi-modal transportation networks that cater to all community members. In pursuit of these objectives, students in the Bicycle Transportation course conducted intensive research and proposed innovative recommendations for designing transportation routes that accommodate various modes of travel. Student research highlights the potential for significant improvements in bike mobility, which can lead to increased street safety and reduced vehicular emissions. Students studied specific areas for potential improvements and interacted with local community advocates to identify where best practice research and innovative ideas would be most beneficial. Students spent months curating their ideal plans to allow for better bicycle movement within Salem. Their recommendations, derived from comprehensive research and analysis, suggest enhancements to bicycle infrastructure that aim to promote sustainable urban mobility, boost public health, and stimulate local economic activity while considering cost, use of street, community needs, and more.Item Open Access AN ETHICAL EVALUATION OF AN INTERNATIONAL NONPROFIT AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF FOREIGN AID(University of Oregon, 2024-05) Dhamdhere, Aarushi; Weaver, Lesley Jo; Fitzpatrick, Ellen;This thesis will aim to address ethical challenges that foreign aid poses to aid-receiving countries and investigate the frameworks of international non-governmental organizations (INGO). To do so, I worked closely with an INGO, that I will refer to as GlobalMed, and assessed their duties and obligations as international actors. I accompanied GlobalMed on a week-long service-learning trip (SLT) in Cusco, Peru where I conducted an ethnographic study through participant-observation. My research took place in mobile clinics, patient follow-up care programs, and development projects. The goal, by the end of this project, was to develop insights to the framework of GlobalMed, determine whether my experience aligned with the tenets of medical ethics, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential implications of foreign aid.Item Open Access SCENES! FROM THE PHENOMENOMICON!(University of Oregon, 2024) Alvarado, ChristianThis paper is divided into two sections, each composed of three parts. Section one discusses five artworks that feature in the terminal exhibition titled SCENES! FROM THE PHENOMENOMICON!. This research writing, titled in ALL CAPS to reflect the overarching voice throughout this practice, will note concepts, intentions, and symbols present in the visual artwork, and will draw connections to its formal decisions and references. Section two is composed of an introduction and three short creative writing vignettes – stories developed while working on the visual artwork which serve as open ended lore. The creative writing, written and titled in lowercase to reflect a contemplative subjectivity, plays speculatively with the themes presented in the visual artwork: colonial contact, migration, and mutation.Item Open Access Assessing Infant Speech Discrimination Using Pupillary Dilation Response(University of Oregon, 2024-08) Heilenbach, Sam; Baldwin, Dare; Bala, AvinashPerceptual narrowing is central to the ability of infants in acquiring language competency. The broad sensitivity seen in younger infants to even the smallest units of speech – phonemes – becomes fine-tuned toward the end of their first year of life to the specific phonemes of their native language(s), enabling them to partition continuous speech into discrete words, essential for acquiring language proficiency. Perceptual narrowing refers to the gradual reduction in sensitivity to phonetic contrasts that are not relevant in the native language, along with an enhanced ability to recognize and distinguish phonetic contrasts that are meaningful in the native language. Understanding the timing and mechanisms of this process is key to understanding speech and language development more broadly. Current methods for studying perceptual narrowing rely on behavioral methods that require lengthy training periods, which result in high rates of attrition and may resultingly limit the generalizability of these findings. This study investigated the potential of sound-induced pupil response (SIPR) to measure infant speech-sound discrimination. We hypothesized that SIPR will accurately index auditory discrimination changes as perceptual narrowing unfolds. Using a mixed factorial-design, infants aged 10-12 months were exposed to native and non-native phonetic contrasts while their pupil responses were measured. Our sample of pilot data provides clear evidence validating SIPR as a sensitive measure of infant response to language. However, the sample is as yet too small to offer conclusive findings regarding perceptual narrowing. In any case, the SIPR holds great promise as a new, highly sensitive tool for investigating language development in early infancy. Thus, the significance of this research lies in its potential to enhance our understanding of developmental change in early auditory discrimination abilities.Item Open Access Yahooskin-Northern Paiute Verb Morphology(University of Oregon, 1996-12) Thornes, Timothy JonThe structure of the verbal word in the Yahooskin-Northern Paiute language can be viewed as consisting of layers of functionally complicit morphology. Central to this structure is a semantic core, or STEM, which also participates in the lexical derivation of argument structure. Next is a layer of valence-altering morphology that functions systematically to manipulate argument structure at a syntactic level. This layer, constitutes the THEME portion of verbal structure. A variety of finite morphology occurs suffixally to this central, thematic portion of the Northern Paiute verb.Item Embargo AN ARCHAEOBOTANICAL GUIDE TO THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN(University of Oregon, 2024-09) Di Fiore, Sofia; Kennedy, Jaime; Gallagher, DaphneArchaeobotany—the study of plants recovered from archaeological sites—is a discipline that offers one the opportunity to peer into the past and look at what the lives of humans looked like in times we will never experience. Archaeobotanical investigations are particularly important to the understanding of how human populations adapt to changing environments, as changes in botanical resources due to climactic shifts necessitate changes in traditional lifeways, shaping human cultures. This thesis reviews the archaeobotanical research history of the Northern Great Basin, a unique and isolated part of the intermountain west with an extensive history of human occupation that makes it an important locus of archaeological study, providing the opportunity for researchers to gain a deep time view of how humans interact with their environment. This project details ten of likely hundreds of plant species represented in the area’s archaeological record, drawing inspiration from traditional plant guides to create a proof-of concept look into the human-environmental connection in this region.Item Open Access REDESIGNING CAMPUS DINING TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON(University of Oregon, 2024-09) Merrill, Maya; Selek, Hale; McWhorter, BrianUniversities across the United States, including the University of Oregon, have shifted to promote sustainable thinking and living. However, these large institutions also produce an incredible amount of food and packaging waste every day—two of the largest categories contributing to municipal solid waste in the United States. As universities shape future generations of leaders, it is important that they implement systems and products which uphold sustainable living practices and reduce their environmental impact. My research and design aims to provide strategies, system and product redesigns that will reduce the significant amount of food and packaging waste produced by thousands of consumers at UO Dining halls every day. I provide a multi-pronged approach which includes reusable and biodegradable products, educational campaigns, peer support, food waste diversion strategies and additional key steps, informed by research, observations and case studies. In addition to a dining system redesign plan, I propose three food container design solutions: a reusable lid for existing dining hall receptacles, an organic and biodegradable single use container and a complete reusable container design.Item Open Access TO DESTROY A PEOPLE: CONCEPTUALIZING MASS SEXUAL VIOLENCE AS A PRINCIPAL MODALITY OF GENOCIDE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY(University of Oregon, 2024-06) Howard, Emma Marie; Saavedra, Yvette; Raisanen, Elizabeth; Herrera, AndreaThroughout the twentieth century, mass sexual violence has been integral to genocidal campaigns, indicating that mass sexual violence is both a hallmark and weapon/means of genocide. This paper engages with eleven case studies from the twentieth century using both primary documentation of the occurrence and impact of mass sexual violence and secondary sources that analyze and discuss how gender and sexuality operate within war and genocide more broadly. Whereas previous scholarship and international law have included modalities of genocide that could, by interpretation, include mass sexual violence, this paper argues that weaponized mass sexual violence is an effective means of destroying identity both individually (at the micro level) but also collectively (at the meso and macro levels) and therefore must be included as a principal modality of genocide by definition in order to more accurately and effectively articulate genocide.Item Open Access THE RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW OF OUTCOMES OF PATIENTS THAT COMPLETED THE VASCULAR REHABILITATION PROGRAM FROM 2020-2023(University of Oregon, 2024-07) Wriglesworth, Calvin J.; Halliwill, John; Hansen, Tobin; Harding, AaronPeripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a chronic and progressive cardiovascular condition that is characterized as occlusion or blockage of arteries that supply blood to the extremities, particularly the legs. A substantial amount of evidence supports exercise as a leading intervention of treating PAD. The search for the most ideal conditions of exercise to have the most significant reduction of PAD has long been explored. Purpose: The study aims to retrospectively review the outcomes of the vascular rehabilitation program at PeaceHealth RiverBend. Methods: The study conducted included a retrospective review of a preexisting protocol that consisted of multiple parts. The study is designed around many years of research that surround cardiac rehabilitation, however there are many unique aspects to the protocol being described. The protocol being analyzed involves 31 subjects, all of which are enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation through PeaceHealth hospital from 2020-2023. All said patients are known to suffer from PAD. The protocol begins with a warmup on a treadmill at a slow increase in intensity. Once the patient has reached the threshold of which is considered their normal exercise pace, the patient enters the main phase of the protocol. This phase consists of the patients maintaining an exercise pace of which causes a moderate increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Results: There was no effect of time(p=0.5561) on systolic blood pressure, or time(p=0.1931) on diastolic blood pressure at PRE vs. POST vs. CHANGE. There was a significant difference on time(p<0.05) on Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) at PRE vs. POST vs. CHANGE. Conclusion: The data suggests that the protocol being reviewed had no significant difference on blood pressure but showed significance in increased functional capacity.Item Open Access GRASS ROOTS: A CASE STUDY OF JOHN SAYLES’ LONE STAR AND UTILIZING RURALITY IN CINEMA AS A CATALYST FOR SOCIAL CHANGE(University of Oregon, 2024-09) DiStasio, Anthony; Purnama, Ari; Rovak, AngelaThis thesis investigates the portrayals of American rural life in film, examining the historical context, commonly found themes and qualities, and cultural implications involved with them. Ultimately, the argument made is that films set in rural environments can influence social change by reshaping the image of American history and identity, pieces of the national fabric in which the image of rurality plays a large role. To argue this, the thesis will first track the relationship between rurality, film, and the United States through time, pointing out important shifts in each subject and the development of the genre and thematic associations now related to rurality in film. Next, the general image of the rural United States will be crafted through compiling the common themes and features found among rural-set films. From there, a case study of John Sayles’ 1996 film Lone Star will demonstrate how a film can utilize those features to provide commentary and reflect on the national image through a rural lens. Overall, the thesis aims to show rurality in film as more than a backdrop, but a lens through which films can address the cultural foundations of the United States in order to serve as a catalyst for redefining the way history, national identity, and rural traditional life is perceived.Item Open Access DATA AND DIALOGUE: STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING UNIVERSITY COMMUNITIES IN CLIMATE ACTION(University of Oregon, 2024-08) Coskey, Andrew; Mital, Steve; Mauro, RobertThis thesis seeks to establish the best practices for environmental communication, data visualization, and stakeholder engagement. The first subject investigated is the theoretical foundation and practical applications of engagement strategies that involve a wide range of university stakeholders: students, teachers, and support staff. This section explores transparency, inclusiveness, and ongoing dialogues as some strategies to build support for sustainable development. The importance of data visualization is also discussed, showing a need for clear, accurate, and accessible visual tools that can simplify complicated information into actionable insights. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted on the effectiveness of analogies as a tool for explaining technical concepts to broad audiences. These techniques are then applied to the University of Oregon thermal system transition, wherein the university investigated options to update its current central heating plant into one that will use more sustainable technologies. The proposed options are dissected and evaluated based on the effectiveness of the task forces’ communication and engagement efforts. Then, a conceptual interactive dashboard that addresses critiques of the task force’s presentation strategy is introduced. The findings demonstrate how well-designed, comprehensive communication strategies can help build informed, supportive communities around sustainability initiatives. The conclusion is composed of recommendations for future enhancements to these strategies. It proposes improved methods of implementing sustainable practices in higher education institutions by combining interactive tools, continuous stakeholder engagement, and clear communication. This case study provides valuable insights into guiding other universities facing similar challenges in their sustainability efforts.Item Open Access How to Tie Wood Knots(University of Oregon, 2023) Zarate, RiWoods anisotropic nature causes “defects” in lumber creating unwanted curvature. Actuation is activated by fluctuating moisture content within the wood cells making a shrinking and swelling motion (Hoadly 73-90). Laminating two perpendicular layers of wood veneer, one dry (passive) and one with high moisture (active), creates predictable, strong, and scalable self-actuating curvature without additional energy input (fig 1) (Rüggeberg 4-9, Timoshenko 235). Programable actuation is well studied (Vailati 11-12, Tahouni 13), but knots are particularly difficult to choreograph due to the formal combination of bending and torsion (Bhattacharyya 3-4). This study sought to create a self tying veneer knot by honing 2D geometry to laser cut prior to shaping (fig 2a, 2b). Speed was found to be controllable by varying width of bilayers resulting in several wood knots. Increasing elasticity of the veneer in its final curved form opens possibilities for improving material performance by using woods ingrained “physical intelligence” (Siti 1-2).Item Open Access The 2017 Trump Travel Ban and Its Longterm Consequences for Muslims in the US(University of Oregon, 2024-06-06) Mironova, Maria "Masha"Donald Trump’s four-year presidency altered the US sociopolitical landscape in previously unimaginable ways. Among the communities targeted by the administration’s novel legislation were Muslim Americans, who were subject to one of the earliest executive orders the newly elected president signed: the so-called Trump “Muslim ban” or Trump “travel ban,” formally, EO 13769, succeeded by EO 13780. These orders significantly lowered the number of immigrants and refugees to be admitted from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen; as a result, 700 travelers were detained, up to 60,000 visas “provisionally revoked” (Hersher). Of note is also the fact that these six states have nothing in common outside of having Muslim majority populations. As a result of the Ban, numerous families were separated, plans for immigration to the US in search of a better life cut short, and anti-Muslim hate affected yet another policy. The executive order, though supposedly aimed at “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry in the United States,” as the full title suggests, had a profound impact on the Muslim population in the US, resulting in not only limits on freedom of movement, but also profound mental and physical health consequences, increased rates of Islamophobic attacks, and familial separation. It is thus the goal of this paper to explore several facets of the consequences of the Ban and outline what they mean, on a personal and structural level for the Muslims in the US and the country as a whole.Item Open Access AN INTERNAL ANALYSIS ON ADVOCATING FOR LATINO/A ACHIEVEMENT IN SCHOOL (ALAS)(University of Oregon, 2024-05) Miki, Isabella; Doty, Jen; Mauro, RobertAdvocating for Latino Achievement in Schools (ALAS) is an afterschool program designed for Latino/a immigrant English Language Learners at Springfield High School. This program aims to prevent dropout, promote academic success, and promote college/career readiness through providing academic support and enhancing critical consciousness. After analyzing ALAS student survey responses and interviews with ALAS team members, I explore themes that are important to consider in the continuation of the ALAS program: language barriers, transportation barriers, community building, and commitments of higher priority. I suggest future goals for the ALAS program: continuing teacher coordination, and implementing formal critical consciousness lessons.Item Embargo SYSTEMIC IMMUNOMODULATION OF MYELOID-DERIVED SUPPRESSOR CELLS IN A MODEL OF MUSCULOSKELETAL TRAUMA USING ALL-TRANS RETINOIC ACID(University of Oregon, 2024-05) Gill, Dylan; Guldberg, Bob; Guyer, Tyler; Munger, LisaMusculoskeletal trauma remains a significant challenge clinically, often leading to complications such as bone nonunion, infection, prolonged hospitalization, high treatment costs, and potential disabilities. The current standard treatment, autologous bone grafting, has limitations including donor site morbidity and limited bone availability, necessitating exploration of alternative approaches. Immune responses play a critical role in musculoskeletal healing, with distinct phases of inflammation and regenerative/anti-inflammatory processes. The transition from M1 to M2 macrophages is crucial for soft and hard callus formation during bone healing. However, dysregulated immune responses, characterized by prolonged elevation of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, can hinder healing and tissue repair. Recent research has focused on systemic immune responses following trauma, highlighting the balance between circulating pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers to prevent tissue damage and promote healing. Immune suppressor cells like myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play a pivotal role in immune dysregulation post-trauma and may be a factor in poor healing. Targeting MDSCs presents a complex challenge due partly to their heterogeneity, necessitating innovative therapeutic strategies. Here, we tested several treatment methods for MDSC depletion previously developed for use in cancer models to examine their effects on MDSCs in vitro in blood sourced from a trauma model. All-Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) in particular showed promise in modulating MDSCs initially in vitro and in subsequent in vivo experiments. ATRA is also known to have effects on bone growth and may alter osteoclastogenesis, giving it further potential as a novel therapeutic intervention in musculoskeletal trauma. Further research into the intricate interplay of immune responses following trauma and particularly therapeutic modulation of aberrant cells such as MDSCs is essential for advancing treatment strategies and improving outcomes in musculoskeletal trauma patients.Item Open Access EARLY TRADE-OFFS OF ROOT TRAITS ON A MYCORRHIZAL COLLABORATION GRADIENT(University of Oregon, 2023-06) Villano, Lindsay; Diez, JeffAboveground plant traits exist on a spectrum defined by trade-offs between conservative and acquisitive resource uptake. However, belowground traits do not fit this axis because the uptake of soil nutrients can be outsourced to mycorrhizal mutualists. Thus, adding another axis in the root economic space that represents collaboration with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi increases our understanding of fundamental variation in root traits. Mature roots exhibit trade-offs between investing in longer root structures that travel farther, or thicker roots that can better support mycorrhizae. Here, I explore whether young roots display trade-offs in collaboration intensity and if so, how long after germination species will begin to reflect niches on this axis. I hypothesize a negative correlation between root growth rate and colonization rate of AM fungi and that the relationship between these variables increases over time as plants refine their resource uptake strategy. I grew five native forb species for twenty-five days and sampled plants at eight time points after germination. Upon sampling, I recorded root length by analyzing the root's structure and then quantified percent colonization by AM fungi. I found that despite variation in species ' root length and colonization rates, they did not fo1m a negative relationship. The con elation of length and percent colonization did increase over time with intraspecific variation in the degree and direction of this correlation. The results of this study provide further insight on young root trait variation and benefit our understanding of species interactions in the rhizosphere that contribute to community dynamics.Item Open Access Impact of Rhizobia Presence and Nitrogen Abundance on Competition Between Legumes and Non-Legumes(University of Oregon, 2023-06) Patel, Macy; Diez, JeffThe mutualism between legume species and rhizobia has long been acknowledged as a vital part of plant community dynamics in both natural and agricultural systems. Increasing anthropogenic nitrogen inputs can alter this mutualism and in tum plant commm1ity dynamics. Still, few studies have explored the dependencies of these resource-based mutualistic microbes, rhizobia, on ambient nitrogen levels, and how this may affect competition between hosts and neighboring plants. To test the potential nitrogen-dependent role of rhizobia in mediating coexistence between legumes and non-legumes, we conducted a competition experiment in the greenhouse replicated across rhizobial inoculation and nitrogen fe1tilization treatments. Here, we employ contempora1y ecological theo1y to assess how rhizobia and nitrogen fertilization influence niche differences and fitness inequalities determining competitive outcomes. We measured the fecundity of plants across a competition gradient to parameterize annual plant population models and to use these parameter estimates to predict the outcomes of competition between our plant species. We found that both nitrogen and rhizobia shift the probability of coexistence, and further that the effect of rhizobia was dependent on nitrogen concentration. We also found that these results differed when legumes were competing with either other legumes or non-legumes. These results suggest that these context-dependent mutualisms are impo1tant in dete1mining competitive outcomes. Further, this study sheds light on the ways anthropogenic nitrogen inputs are likely to shift community composition and diversity of native plants and microbial communities alike.