UO Libraries' Award for Undergraduate Research Excellence (LAURE)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/1794/313

Undergraduate education at the University of Oregon occurs in an environment where teaching, research, and service are integrated and mutually enriching enterprises. Many undergraduates already engage in the UO's research processes by working in laboratories and in the field. The LAURE program (formerly the Undergraduate Research Award) is intended to recognize students who demonstrate extraordinary skill and creativity in the application of library and information resources to original research and scholarship.

Successful projects will:

Make extensive, creative use of library services, resources, and collections in any format.
Demonstrate effective application of information literacy and fluency principles:

determining information needs
evaluating and analyzing information
managing, organizing, and synthesizing information
applying information in the context of the research project
communicating information in formats appropriate to an academic audience
making responsible use of information by providing appropriate and accurate citations and credits

Show evidence of significant personal knowledge in the methods of research and inquiry.
Demonstrate originality of thought, mastery of content appropriate to class level, clear writing, and overall quality of presentation.

For more information, consult the LAURE Research Guide

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Now showing 1 - 16 of 16

Open Access
Brand Activism: Working Toward Progressive Representations of Social Movements in Advertising
(University of Oregon, 2018-06) Benner, Rachel
Brands and advertising agencies have always used the cultural energy of social movements to connect to new audiences and promote their products. Academics have written a large body of critique about the intersection of social movements and marketing, but it is largely ignored by the advertising industry. This thesis addresses that disconnect, helping advertisers address critical discourse around social movements and brands, leading to industry success and progressive allyship with social movements. After exploring studies of social movements’ framing in advertising messages, this project assesses the strengths and weaknesses of those frames with a theoretical model. In-depth interviews with advertising professionals shape a best practices guide for creating activist ads. Advertisers today can leverage successful framing strategies to address social movements in their work by extending existing critical conversations about brand activism beyond large-scale strategy and into the message creation process. They can also succeed by giving their brand activism the context of tangible action and responsibly researching the audience they seek to reach with their messaging.
Open Access
Colombian Counterpoint: Transculturation in Sibundoy Valley Ethnohistory
(University of Oregon, 2022-05) Glass, Rowan F. F.
Anthropological and historical scholarship on cultural change in colonially subordinated cultures has often stressed deculturation—cultural loss and degradation—as a consequence of colonialism. This paper disputes that narrative by presenting the case of Indigenous cultural change in the Sibundoy Valley of southwest Colombia from an ethnohistorical perspective. Drawing on historical, ethnographic, and theoretical texts, and relying on the concept of transculturation—understood as a complex process of partial loss, partial gain, and the creation of new cultural phenomena from intercultural encounters—as a more nuanced alternative to deculturation, I outline the history of cultural change in the valley from the prehispanic period to the present. While recognizing that colonialism was experienced as a catastrophe for the Indigenous communities of the valley, I suggest that the latter’s deep historical experience of transculturation in the prehispanic era enabled the preservation and rearticulation of core elements of their native cultures in the post-contact period. That experience allowed for the incorporation of foreign, colonially imposed cultural elements into the pre-existing cultural framework of the valley. The historical continuity of the transcultural experience in the valley demonstrates that its Indigenous communities have not been passive subjects of colonial power, but active agents in negotiating and mitigating its deculturating effects. This approach emphasizes the historical agency of Sibundoy Valley natives and positions them as the central protagonists of their own history, suggesting the applicability of this perspective to other situations of cultural change in colonial contexts.
Open Access
The Ecology and Demography of the Invasive Ascidian Botrylloides violaceus in the Coos Estuary
(University of Oregon, 2017) Dorning, Sandra
Botrylloides violaceus, a colonial ascidian, is a cosmopolitan invader of fouling communities on man-made structures in harbors including Oregon’s Coos Estuary. This study documents seasonal and spatial patterns of B. violaceus distribution, assesses the impact of abiotic factors on this distribution, and characterizes the demography of this population and its interactions with other fouling organisms. I surveyed five fouling communities on docks in the Coos Estuary, and observed B. violaceus at all sites except Isthmus Slough in the upper bay. In laboratory experiments B. violaceus survived temperatures up to 27 degrees centrigrade and salinities down to 25 psu, indicating that temperature and salinity do not limit its distribution to the lower bay as hypothesized. Botrylloides violaceus overgrew all fouling species encountered on settlement plates except for sponge Halichondria bowerbanki. Understanding the interactions between B. violaceus and its abiotic and biotic surroundings is critical for improving invasive species management in the Coos Estuary.
Open Access
Fossil Foodscapes: Examining the United States’ Carbon Diet
(University of Oregon, 2020-06) Polk, Siena
While many are aware of the inputs required to maintain food production at an industrial level in the United States, we seldom reflect on the profound significance of a food system that is so deeply rooted in what Matthew Huber calls the “dead ecologies of fossilized energy.” In order to more fully understand and critique the linkages between fossil fuels and agriculture, as well as their ecological and social implications, I examine the use of fossil fuels in agriculture through an eco-socialist framework. I employ Wim Carton’s fossil fuel landscape and Marx as developed by John Bellamy Foster’s concept of metabolic rift to illuminate the linkages between combustible carbons and the food we eat. Ultimately, these two concepts lead to a place of critical understanding in attempts to envision a more sustainable and resilient future. Such an inquiry is of the upmost urgency considering the dual threats of climate change and soil erosion. Both threats are exacerbated by our continued use of fossil fuels and the machines they power.
Open Access
“I Don’t Have Deaths on my Conscience”: the Impact of a Peer-Delivered Naloxone Program on a Community of Intravenous Drug Users in Eugene, Oregon
(University of Oregon, 2019-06) Rochester, Eleanor Gloria
The United States is in the midst of an epidemic of overdose deaths. In response, harm reduction programs commonly distribute the opioid antagonist naloxone directly to drug users so that they can act as first responders to overdose. When injected, naloxone reverses respiratory depression and can save the life of a person overdosing on opioids. As evidence for the effectiveness of these programs at reducing deaths continues to be collected, little research has been conducted into the impact of serving in this role on drug users themselves. To better understand the lived experiences of drug users with naloxone, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seventeen syringe exchange participants who currently carry naloxone. Interviews revealed that carrying and administering naloxone is empowering for many drug users, because it contrasts with the powerlessness they may feel in other aspects of their lives. Peer administrators use naloxone in a way that reinforces the community of care among drug users. This aligns with the goals of harm reduction programs, which seek to empower drug users to make choices to improve their lives, without abstinence as the ultimate goal. Future programs distributing naloxone to drug users should be aware of its potential not only to save lives, but to increase drug users’ self-confidence and strengthen the network of overdose care in their communities.
Open Access
Investigating Variations in Unemployment Between North and South Spain and Associated Implications
(University of Oregon, 2022-06) Kraschel, Emily
Unemployment rates in Southern Spain have long been significantly higher than in Northern Spain, negatively affecting Spain’s national unemployment rate. This has led Spain to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the EU, making it a target for corrective policies. The European Central Bank has enacted conservative fiscal policy across members and implemented further austerity policies on Spain due to its perceived high risk to the Euro and large amount of unpaid loans. The ECB has continued to increase interest rates for the currency which negatively effects economies trying to stimulate investment such as Spain. The regional difference has previously been explored through purely quantitative methods and is widely attributed to a deficit in industrial output or a cultural aversion to work. The purpose of this research is to use a combination of quantitative decomposition through regression and various historical, policy, and geo-sensing sources to gain a deeper understanding of factors which may contribute to unemployment, to explore possible avenues for development which could improve employment in the South.
Open Access
Jack-of-all-trades, The Role of Astrocytes in Circuit Formation and Plasticity
(University of Oregon, 2020-06) Perez-Catalan, Nelson A.
Neurons are electrically excitable cells that transmit information throughout the nervous system with high speed and accuracy. This is largely facilitated by their specialized morphology, with dendrites receiving diverse information, to axons propagating the message to specific neighboring neuronal partners. During development, neuronal networks undergo rapid changes, ranging from short-term changes on the order of milliseconds, to long-term modifications in neural architecture that could last as long as the lifetime of the organism. This ‘plasticity’ ensures that neuronal networks, or circuits, undergo constant checks during development, while also facilitating a degree of adaptability that acts as the basis for learning and memory. The mechanisms that the nervous system employs to establish the correct connections and regulate plasticity remain a poorly understood topic in neuroscience. Research in both mammals and invertebrates, including Drosophila, have defined that glial cells are capable of instructing neurons to find partners to form synapses, a specialized chemical junction between two neurons where electrical signals propagate. More specifically, studies in astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell subtype in the central nervous system, have demonstrated that while neurogenesis precedes astrogenesis in the cortex, neuronal synapses only begin to form after astrocytes have been generated (explored in Chapter 1). Astrocyte development is crucial for circuit formation in the nervous system, and their dysfunction can lead to neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, neuroimmune, and neoplastic diseases, such as ALS and Alzheimer’s. This thesis explores a subset of the mechanisms employed by the nervous system to regulate circuit plasticity and circuit establishment during development, with a specific focus on astroglia. iv My first goal was to characterize plasticity within a model neural circuit during development. In the second chapter of this thesis, I use the highly specialized genetic toolkit available for Drosophila to characterize the structural dynamics of motor neuron dendrites during development in vivo by utilizing fluorescence microscopy. By manipulating neuronal activity in my model motor neurons, I show that the presence of stable microtubule populations within dendrites is directly correlated with structurally stable arbors. Furthermore, overexpression of the cell adhesion molecule Neurexin in motor neurons led to the increased stability of microtubule populations within dendritic arbors. Finally, I demonstrate that astrocytes are required to restrict motor dendrite plasticity to newly hatched larva. Interestingly, astrocytes robustly express Neuroligins, which are binding partners for Neurexin, suggesting that astrocyte-secreted proteins are capable of directly regulating neuronal morphology and plasticity. Previous studies in vitro have shown that in addition to regulating circuit plasticity, astrocyte-derived secreted and cell surface molecules (CSMs) can modify synaptogenesis during circuit development. In a separate line of questioning, I explore the role of astrocyte-secreted and cell surface proteins in the formation of excitatory cholinergic synapses in vivo (described in Chapter 3). Specifically, I took part in a reverse genetic screen to knock down astrocyte-derived proteins using commercially available RNAi lines. Concurrently, we labeled both neuronal membranes and their presynaptic sites (Brp+) using Synaptic Tagging with Recombination (STaR) to assess non-cell autonomous changes in synapse number. We performed two parallel screens, the first labeled individual dorsal bipolar dendritic (Dbd) sensory neurons. The second targeted neurons that generate synapses localized in the mushroom body, a memory and v learning center in the Drosophila brain. Excitingly, the major astrocyte-secreted molecules that induce synapse formation (e.g. TGF-β) or inhibit synapse development (e.g. SPARC) in vertebrates are conserved in fly, and we identified fourteen novel genes (of 245 tested) required in astrocytes for synaptogenesis. In sum, this work further characterizes dendritic dynamics during a critical period in Drosophila development. My data shows that altered neuronal activity in aCC/RP2 motor neurons within a critical period of motor circuit plasticity causes significant dendritic remodeling within minutes, and that astrocytes are required for proper critical period closure. Further, I demonstrate that the ablation of astrocytes postcritical period induces abnormal period of heightened plasticity. Finally, this work provides direct evidence of the key regulatory function of astrocytes in synaptogenesis, and their role in regulating global synapse formation in the central nervous system.
Open Access
MICKEY MOUSE AND MULTICULTURALISM: DISNEY’S GLOBAL CAPITALISM
(University of Oregon, 2020) Griggs, Taylor
This thesis aims to examine the limitations of the Walt Disney Company’s attempts at including diverse representations of marginalized people in their popular films, including Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Moana (2016). It examines how Disney has succeeded and failed in its representations of diverse groups, given the fact that it exists as a multibillion dollar enterprise in a globalist, capitalist world. This paper examines the positive impact that diverse representations can have, especially on young audiences, and the authenticity, or lack thereof, of these representations, using Marxist and Neo-Marxist frameworks. Ultimately, the thesis concludes that based on the research conducted, because of the complexities and nuances of capitalism and the fact that it is impossible to have authentic representation even with seemingly strong attempts to do so, Disney films will always exist in a system that has exploited the marginalized people they are now intent on representing in their films, and it is not possible to have actual authentic representation of these marginalized groups under multicultural capitalism without a major economic shift.
Open Access
Plastic Debris in Deep-Sea Canyon, Estuarine, and Shoreline Sediments
(University of Oregon, 2019-05) Jones, Ellie Sophie
Recent calculations estimate there are currently 5.25 trillion plastic particles afloat in the ocean. Many of these are characterized as microplastics <5mm in diameter. Studies from the past decade have shown that no ecosystem is exempt from plastic contamination. This study examined box core sediment samples from Norfolk Canyon, box core and PONER grab samples from the Coos Bay Estuary, and belt transects along the Oregon shoreline to investigate plastic in marine sediments. The average microplastic density in Norfolk Canyon was 12.95 particles per liter of sediment within the canyon, and 2.04 particles per liter of sediment on the adjacent continental slope. I hypothesize that canyons concentrate microplastics due to down-canyon turbidity currents. In the Coos Bay Estuary, the highest density of microplastics was found in the mouth of the estuary. I hypothesize that plastics can sink due to the front created at the intersection between oceanic and estuarine waters, and can become concentrated around geologically structured areas in the estuary mouth. Using belt transects, I surveyed plastic densities on the northern and southern sides of Yaquina Head, Cape Perpetua, and Cape Blanco. Higher plastic densities were found on the southern beaches in each case. I hypothesize that microplastics may be carried onshore by winds, which blow onto southern-facing beaches on Oregon's coast during the winter. It is important to understand where plastics and concentrated in marine sediments in order to form hypotheses about both horizontal and vertical transport of plastic in the ocean.
Open Access
Portrayals of Power: The Local Identity of Three Cypriot Sarcophagi from the Fifth Century BCE
(University of Oregon, 2018-06) McGee, Samantha
Cyprus’ location just beneath the Anatolian peninsula has made the island a meeting ground of many of the iconic Mediterranean powers of history, including Greece, Egypt, Assyria, and Persia. There has been a great deal of research on the way Cyprus was influenced by external forces, as well as how these cultural influences were engaged and manipulated on the island. Yet more research is needed with a primary focus on the local identity and use of Cypriot material culture. Therefore, this thesis seeks to reorient the focus of the study of Cypriot antiquities towards their internal context by analyzing the local significance of three Cypriot sarcophagi with relief sculpture from the first half of the fifth century BCE. These three objects are similar in date and form, and they are from three different cities: Amathous, Golgoi, and Palaipafos, providing context for inter-island diversity at a time of extreme political and cultural turmoil in Cyprus. I explore how the context of these sarcophagi’s iconography within Cyprus, and the use of sarcophagi as items of funerary ritual, impacted the understanding of these objects in their local communities. The Amathous sarcophagus uses local imagery, both mythological and elite, to create a demonstration of power, the Golgoi sarcophagus includes scenes indicative of cosmopolitan elite status, and finally, the Palaipafos sarcophagus has imagery that arguably relates to Homeric epics, and presents a heroic narrative. Overall, these sarcophagi are all varying local responses to island-wide events that would have impacted their local communities; and these impacts are evident in the iconography used to demonstrate the elite status, heroic qualities, and political power of the deceased.
Open Access
Post-stroke Dysphagia’s Impact on Survivors and Spousal Caregivers: The Importance of Perceptual Congruence
(University of Oregon, 2020-06) Davis, Kayla R.
Previous studies have shown a link between survivors’ stroke severity and family caregiver burden, however other factors may contribute to this burden. Burden specific to post-stroke dysphagia and the consequences of incongruence between care recipient and care partner in their perception of the impacts of the care recipient’s dysphagia are potential variables that are unexplored. The present study aimed to determine the role of partner congruence in the perceived mealtime impacts of poststroke dysphagia on caregiver burden. Twenty-seven spousal dyads consisting of a stroke survivor experiencing post-stroke dysphagia and their spousal caregiver were surveyed concerning their perceptions of the logistical and social impacts of dysphagia on mealtimes and stroke and dysphagia severity. Dyadic congruence in perceptions of mealtime logistical impacts, but not mealtime social impacts, was associated with increased caregiver burden. Additionally, increased survivor dysphagia severity and caregivers’ perceived mealtime logistical impacts were also associated with increased caregiver burden. These results can guide speech-language pathologists and other health professionals in their interventions for clients with dysphagia and their families.
Open Access
Understanding Native Hawaiian Land Relations Through Kanaka Maoli Literature
(University of Oregon, 2020-06) Harden, Jordan Kalani
Within a hegemonic Western discourse, Hawai‘i is largely considered an aesthetic tourist destination. It is perceived to be a vacation haven, bountiful in opportunities for real estate, commodification, and gentrification. While endeavors such as these have indeed proven to be economically prolific for the state, the profits do not directly, if even remotely, benefit the Native Hawaiians whose land continues to be seized and commodified in the name of said profits. Therefore, that dominant discourse which paints Hawai‘i as a tourist destination of great economic potential is in fact a colonialist notion, denoting Hawaiian land as public property to be seized, altered, and owned. In reality, the land that is used for expansive capitalist ventures is often seized from Native people, as has been the trend since settlers first invaded Hawai‘i. This truth is further troubling when one considers Native Hawaiian land relations and the spiritual connection that many Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) have to that land. In light of the spiritual ties that many Kānaka Maoli have to land,or 'āina, its seizure and alteration by non-Native persons is an act of colonialism against not only Kānaka Maoli homes, but also against our bodies and spirits. This spiritual and emotional connection between Kānaka Maoliand our land is deeply rooted, and it is an idea commonly expressed in contemporary Kanaka culture by the term aloha ʻāina. In understanding this sentiment, it is essential that one first understands that aloha carries a much deeper meaning than the Hawaiian “hello” and “goodbye.” Aloha connotes one’s deep love for and connection to Kanaka culture. It also signifies love for one’s neighbors, friends, and ancestors. In essence, aloha ʻāinais an expression of one’s identification with and commitment to Hawaiianland and its connected historical and cultural significance. By close reading Kanaka texts and terminology such as this, one can begin to understand the sanctity of Kanaka land relations, thereby lending to an understanding of one of the ways by which colonialism against Kānaka Maoli continues in perpetuity.In this thesis, I will investigate and discuss relationships between Kanaka bodies and ‘āina. I will do this by close reading Kanaka literature, including the Hawaiian creation mele known as the Kumulipo, the narrative and performative device that is hula, and my Auntie Betty's stories that have been passed down to me through oral storytelling. I will contextualize my findings in both historical and contemporary frames. Ultimately, I am conducting this research with the aim of contributing to existing scholarship which aims to dismantle the dominant narrative which suggests that we live in a post-colonial era. The idea that colonialism is an extinguished historical event is a dangerous and false misconception that allows for the perpetuation of the discriminatory maltreatment of marginalized Indigenous communities and cultures. This discrimination is enacted in countless ways, including but in no way limited to the seizure of Kānaka Maolilands. It is my hope that this research will encourage any and all readers to continue to learn about Kanaka Maoli and other Native cultures, and that this endeavor for further knowledge will lead to advocacy on behalf of, and greater reverence toward Native people, narratives, and knowledge.
Open Access
Using Deep Learning for FACT Source Detection
(University of Oregon, 2018-06) Bieker, Jacob
Cosmic rays bombard the Earth constantly, causing air showers that contain information about the original particle and potentially about that particle's source. Determining if an air shower is from a gamma-ray or a hadron is a difficult problem to solve. Current methods primarily use a machine learning technique called random forests to determine whether a given event is from a gamma-ray or hadron, as well as the initial energy and source position in the sky by using the image an air shower makes in a detector. Another type of machine learning algorithm called neural networks has been shown to work very well on tasks involving images, in some cases outperforming random forests. This project aims to improve three tasks: determining the particle's type, energy, and source location using data from the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT).
Open Access
WE THE PEOPLE: Populism and Party Realignment in the United States
(University of Oregon, 2017) Couch, Tiffany
Populism is an increasingly relevant topic in the current American political sphere. From the People’s Party to George Wallace, there is plenty to be learned about this movement and its previous influences on the American political party system in order to predict what influences it could potentially have in the future. This thesis seeks to tie the occurrence of third-party populist movements with political party realignment in the United States. This is done through case study analyses of three different third-party populist movements at three times of political party realignment: the 1890s, 1930s, and 1960s-1970s. The resulting analyses show a strong link between the rise of populist third parties and populist third-party candidates with the occurrence of political party realignments. This link is further strengthened as deeper analysis shows that the political system at the time either reoriented around issues that were critical to populists and/or influenced the changing platforms of the major parties.
Open Access
Well-Intentioned but Ineffective: A Legislative History of the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 2001
(University of Oregon, 2017) Rothman, Angela
Repatriation is the policy of returning Native American human remains and other items from museums and agencies within the United States. It became federal law in 1990 with the passage of the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). NAGPRA required federally-funded agencies to repatriate to Native American tribes. In 2001, the California legislature created a state-level version of NAGPRA to assist non-federally recognized California native peoples repatriate their items from state-funded institutions. However, the bill broadened the scope of repatriations and created challenges to comply with existing NAGPRA requirements for California museums. By investigating letters of support and opposition, stages of the bill’s life in the legislature, and other records, I argue that the creators of California NAGPRA were sincere in their intent to help California tribes, but fundamentally lacking in their understanding of the issues at hand. This analysis is necessary because there is a significant gap in California and national literature for a legislative history of California NAGPRA, and a want of general knowledge about Native American repatriation.
Open Access
“You Shall Not Oppress a Resident Alien”: The Conception of Immigrants in the Hebrew Bible
(University of Oregon, 2020-06) Thielman, Miriam
An increase in global immigration has resulted in humanitarian crises across the world as countries struggle to respond to the growing number of refugees and asylum seekers arriving at their borders. Understanding the specific messages within the Hebrew Bible regarding immigrants is important for developing faith-informed responses to immigrants and refugees. Religion often influences people’s beliefs, actions, and even the policy decisions for which they advocate, and the various forms of Christianity practiced in the United States frequently use the Hebrew Bible and New Testament as their sacred instructive texts. A detailed study of relevant portions of the Hebrew Bible, coupled with analysis of biblical commentaries and scholarly criticism, suggests that the Bible underscores the imperative to care for the most vulnerable members of society, as well as to include immigrants in the community. Arguably, people of faith should take this overarching message into account when considering how to respond to immigrants’ arrival in the United States.

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