Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal

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https://hdl.handle.net/1794/23360

The Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal (OURJ) is an open access undergraduate research journal at the University of Oregon. It showcases some of the best research and publications by UO undergraduate students across all disciplines.

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Open Access
Abject by Gender and Rage: The Loss of Antoinette's Identity in Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea
(University of Oregon, 2012-05-14) Pollanen, Iida
Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) is a postcolonial novel that gives a voice to Antoinette, the Creole woman described as the “mad woman in the attic” in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847). Wide Sargasso Sea has been widely discussed by critics, especially in the fields of postcolonial, feminist and modernist literary theory, but while many critics have focused on how it rewrites race and gender as expressed in Jane Eyre, this work highlights the novel as an independent entity and introduces the notion of abjection to analyze Antoinette’s identity crisis. Thus, by examining the connections between race and gender in Rhys’ novel in the light of Ania Loomba’s ideas about colonialism and postcolonialism and linking it to psychoanalytic feminism with Julia Kristeva’s notion of the abject, it is possible to understand why Antoinette loses her identity and how madness actually operates in a colonial and patriarchal society. Race and gender are used to provide metaphors for one another and to abject ‘the other’ among us, driving it to insanity.
Open Access
Acquisition of Second Language Vocabularly for Kindergartners with Speech Sound Disorders
(University of Oregon, 2011-10-18) Zapf, Tracy
Researchers and educators alike have raised concerns over the potential exclusion of children with speech and language disorders in immersion programs. The purpose of this pilot study is to determine whether children with speech sound disorders acquire Spanish vocabulary at a rate comparable to typical peers when learning in an immersion program, and if rates of acquisition differ for expressive versus receptive vocabulary. Five kindergartners attending a partial, early elementary immersion school were studied: one control participant and four participants with speech sound disorders. This investigation used expressive (spoken) and receptive (understood) vocabulary probes to test the number of Spanish vocabulary words children could produce and comprehend within an eight-week period. Results show that children with speech sound disorders acquire expressive Spanish vocabulary at a rate comparable to their typical peers but had lower levels of acquisition overall, while rates of receptive vocabulary acquisition varied across participants. The results of this pilot study, which are not yet comprehensive, suggest that children with speech sound disorders are able to acquire Spanish vocabulary and, as a result, should continue to be included in immersion programs in the future.
Open Access
Activation of Defense Mechanisms in the Nudibranchs Peltodoris nobilis and Hermissenda crassicornis
(University of Oregon, 2022-11) Joy, Siena
Nudibranchs are marine invertebrates that use various defenses to deter predators. Peltodoris nobilis is a member of the superfamily Doridoidea and uses de novo chemical synthesis for defense. Hermissenda crassicornis is a member of the superfamily Aeolidioidea and uses nematocyst sequestration for defense. Past research explains the function and evolution of defenses in nudibranchs; however, it is unknown whether these defenses are active or passive. The goal of this research was to determine if the defense mechanisms in P. nobilis and H. crassicornis are active or passive and if one method is more effective at preventing predation than the other. It was hypothesized that the activation of defense mechanisms in both nudibranch species was active and that the defenses were equally effective at preventing predation. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the contact times of a juvenile Glebocarcinus oregonensis crab— a predator of nudibranchs—with an anesthetized and non-anesthetized nudibranch. There was no statistical difference in crab contact times between the anesthetized and control P. nobilis nudibranchs; however, the anesthetized H. crassicornis contact times with the crabs were statistically higher than the control. This suggests that the release of chemicals produced de novo in P. nobilis is passive, while the firing of sequestered nematocyst by H. crassicornis is active. The results also indicated that the control H. crassicornis contact times with the crabs were statistically lower than those of P. nobilis; however, the crabs demonstrated little predatory behavior across all trials. Therefore, this study cannot conclusively determine which defense mechanism is more effective at preventing predation.
Open Access
Adamov's Alienation Effect: Showing the Absurdist Slant of Epic Theatre Aesthetic
(University of Oregon, 2015) Maurer, Nicholas
Epic Theatre and Absurdism could not be further apart. Epic Theatre was constructed in order to teach audiences morality, while Absurdism asserts that the world is deprived of morality and meaning. The contrast between styles can be seen by comparing the work of Bertolt Brecht to Samuel Beckett, figureheads of these two movements. Although these styles seem to originate from two separate schools of thought, they actually exist under the umbrella of modernism, and their connection is exemplified by the works of Arthur Adamov, who used Brechtian theory for his absurdist plays. Most notably, Adamov borrowed Brecht’s alienation effect. In his plays Professor Taranne, Paolo Paoli, and Ping Pong, Adamov adapted Brecht’s alienation effect in order to allow the audience to remove themselves from the exaggerated, absurd plot of the play. Instead of showing morality, this effect allows the plays to be more humorous than if an audience was to become invested in the onstage plight.
Open Access
Amakosikazi: Undervalued Figures in Zulu History
(University of Oregon, 2015) Morrissey, Caellagh
Extractive European Imperial forces often justified colonization as a crusade, bringing civilization to a timeless and barbaric continent. One way of validating this justification was to create a narrative, or a history of the people being colonized, which allowed a European audience to excuse invasions as an attempt to resituate savage peoples away from their own barbaric past. This paper examines the Zulu Kingdom in southeastern Africa that rose to power after 1816 under the rule of Shaka KaSenzangakona, a controversial and powerful figure whose military and political innovations consolidated loosely affiliated peoples into a more centralized and militarized society. This article examines historical record of Zulu history to identify women who articulated agency in the political and religious spheres of Zulu history. This will be accomplished through identifying and examining the roles of specific elite members of the royal family from what is generally considered the rise of the Zulu nation in 1816 until its eventual fall in the early twentieth century. The paper will first detail limitations of sources and explain current academic understanding, and the will progress to an analysis of specific figures in chronological order.
Open Access
Analysis of the Economic Impacts of Immigration in the United States
(University of Oregon, 2017) McIntosh, Michael
In this paper, I attempt to establish a causal relationship between immigration and local economic outputs. My estimation sample consists of national data on each of education attainment, wages, and native employment, organized by state. The sample also contains state- and national-level data on other macroeconomic factors including population, unemployment, Consumer Price Index, and a construction of remittances, that I believe impact the economic outputs. Estimation reveals positive effects of immigration on educational attainment and wages, and an ambiguous effect of immigration on native employment. I then discuss potential theoretical economic explanations for my estimation results, ranging from simple uncorrected endogeneity to labor supply and demand interactions, and a complementarity effect leading to labor specialization among immigrants. In sum, my data shows immigration having positive or neutral impacts on each of the economic outputs listed above. In many cases, I find these impacts can be explained by conventional economic theory rather than issues with the data or estimation methodology used.
Open Access
The Anthropocene Commons – A New Paradigm of Scale Variance: Commons Frameworks and Climate Change Theory
(University of Oregon, 2021-06) Aghel, Parsa
The term Anthropocene, denoting the era where human activity is the greatest influence on the environment and climate, marks a new era of climate change theory and understanding. This paper, though, looks at existing promising works surrounding the Anthropocene and argues that the dialogue lacks holistic conceptions of agency and spatial and temporal scale variance in order to fully grasp its complexity. Agency refers to the flawed understanding of the Anthropocene as simply human without consideration for other assemblages, which denotes the other stakeholders apart from humans. Temporal scale refers to the need for a varied consideration of time and the creation of assemblages. Spatial scale refers to the different levels of interaction (national, international, socioeconomic. This understanding of scales, or scale variance, relies on Derek Woods’ theory that multiple scalar levels are necessary to encapsulate the Anthropocene. This paper will approach scale variance by constructing the Anthropocene Commons model. The model, based its theoretical framework on Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons on resource, will utilize the three levels of scale absent in other scholarship. The paper will examine other models used to address climate change and discuss their lack of the necessary scope and holistic framework and how their prescriptions for addressing climate catastrophe fall short. Using scale variance in the Anthropocene commons, then, will seek to correct it and offer a standardized but flexible framework to better address the ongoing and impending crisis.
Open Access
Apartment Price Models for the Glenwood Riverfront Development
(University of Oregon, 2013-11-18) Friedman, Joseph
This study examines the rent prices of the student housing apartment market surrounding the University of Oregon. The first key component of this study includes a Hedonic price model that helps evaluate what apartment complex amenities and characteristics are most important and influential in determining rental rates in the local community. Secondly, using the information from our Hedonic price model, this study will help the city of Springfield in their plans to develop a student housing project in the Glenwood Riverfront district, located along the Willamette River. Specifically, this study of rental prices and apartment complex attributes should be useful in evaluating a potential student housing project to ensure sufficient rental profit for developers and for tax revenues for Springfield under their current development budget constraints.
Open Access
Art Feature — “Tuning In”
(University of Oregon, 2022-05) Wilkinson, Olivia
Taken near Fisher Mountain, WY at my family’s cabin, this polyphemus moth sat like this on our screen door for over 24 hours. It was important to me to capture its because it was truly massive: its wingspan was at least as long as my hand from wrist to fingertip.
Open Access
Art Feature- "Cryographics Series"
(University of Oregon, 2015) Carlson, Katherine
Open Access
Art Feature- "Lane Poppy"
(University of Oregon, 2017) Allums, Martin
Open Access
Art Feature: "Autonomy in the Anthropocene"
(University of Oregon, 2024) Bisheimer, Elle
This drawing explores several of the complex relationships between human innovation, morality, and how progress is defined through time. Who defines progress, and who is truly capable of harnessing its successes? In our modern era of incessant technological advancement towards an algorithmic perfection, this rather timeless struggle for moral truth inescapably seeps into our interactions with Artificial Intelligence. Most programs seek to minimize capacity for human error in each new advancement, successfully reducing our own ability to hinder progress—and our ability to work within it as well. One could argue this is not far off from efforts towards minimizing human error throughout ancient history. Developments of secular sciences, philosophy, and social reform often incorporated similar goals to progress, yet they were all driven by humans attempting to improve their own kind. What happens if reach a point where we no longer hold agency in our own societal progression? Does erasing our potential for error diminish the value of the art we create? Can we discount the value that AI may provide to humans that were never truly given a stake in the playing field towards progress? It may be impossible to predict, yet it remains a necessity to be considered as lines between virtual worlds and reality blur.
Open Access
Art Feature: "Portals for Everyday People"
(University of Oregon, 2024) Bisheimer, Elle
This photo series illustrates the power of captivating, freeform imagery that can spawn organically in our surroundings. The unique movement of black lines in the images result from the natural composition of the environment as it was; the branches hang above the water, the petals glide upon the pond's surface, the light reflects these forms as the water swirls. The images serve as a glimpse at mystical beauty of ordinary environmental conditions and cycles. Such otherworldly scenes will continue to create themselves without any spectators or interference. However, these portals remain unhidden, and their presence is abundant - we only need make a choice to search earnestly to experience the magic in full.
Open Access
Art Feature: "Realization" and "Photon Translation #9"
(University of Oregon, 2014) Crowley, William
Open Access
Art Feature: “Body Fluidity”
(University of Oregon, 2025-02-20) Betancourt, Gio
“Body Fluidity” deals with the complexities of the human body, especially in the case of genitalia. People are assigned a specific sex/gender based on the development of their genitalia before birth. Throughout puberty or even during birth, it may become apparent that someone is intersex due to external appearances or hormonal differences internally. In other cases, some individuals feel as though the sex/gender they were assigned by society does not align with their own sense of self and may transition to a different gender or deconstruct gender altogether in a way that subverts society's expected norms. In all of these instances, we see the body as fluid, not binary, not one gender or the other, but as the home of the soul, which inhabits a body unique to everyone else's. In this way, this piece is representative of undergraduate research; through research you may uncover new findings, some of which deconstruct old findings to represent a better understanding of a topic. My art piece is meant to do that—deconstructing the binary instilled into society for centuries and replacing it with a new understanding of the human body.
Open Access
Art Feature: “Canopies, Cascades, and Canyons”
(University of Oregon, 2022-11) Schmitt, Kyla
During the summer of 2022, my travels—for environmental fieldwork and vacations alike—took me all across Oregon’s Cascade Range, from the North Santiam Canyon to Mount Bachelor. Whether the skies were misty or blue, whether the forests old-growth or young, I always found myself in awe of the sweeping landscapes and the lush stands that punctuate them. These photographs aim to capture just a few of the awe-inspiring sceneries I had the privilege of experiencing.
Open Access
Art Feature: “Clouds over California”
(2023-03-13) Li, Alexander
I took this picture flying out of Los Angeles. As the plane climbed, watching the different clouds roll over the hills and against the blue sky was inspiring. Seeing the clouds cast shadow across each other from a high angle was a wonderful sight.
Open Access
Art Feature: “Emerald Pools”
(University of Oregon, 2023-09) Schmitt, Jadon
I took this photograph at Zion National Park’s Upper Emerald Pools. At the end of a grueling hike, I was treated to this awe-inspiring waterfall. Shot from a low vantage point looking up the sheer canyon wall, the composition of this photograph emphasizes the expansiveness of the magnificent scene.
Open Access
Art Feature: “Gold Beach, Silver Sky”
(University of Oregon, 2023-09) Collins-Burke, Drew
I took this photo while on vacation with my family during spring break of 2022. According to Oregon Coast Beach Connection, the rocks seen in the ocean were formed by lava rivers around 12 to 18 million years ago. These lava rivers would have devastated any forests they touched, stemming from volcanos 300 miles away. This volcanic activity would have made this area a terrifying sight to see, but millions of years later, it led me to have a serene experience, indicating how experiencing nature and environmental history can inspire both happiness and fear.
Open Access
Art Feature: “Heavy Under Pressure”
(University of Oregon, 2025-02-20) Betancourt, Gio
Created during my study abroad trip to Greece, “Heavy Under Pressure” deals with the complexities of gravity underwater. As someone who had not swam in a body of water for a long period of time, being submerged in water felt heavier than usual, as if my body was made of stone. To illustrate this point, I rendered my hand with goggles wrapped around to signify swimming and the heaviness felt when trying to move your joints underwater. This piece captures the science of gravity underwater, and how complexly the human body adapts to different environments, even if impacted by different feelings.