Pacific McGeorge School of Law
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Undergraduate Advocacy on Capitol Hill: Student Experiences in the Scholars Transforming Though Undergraduate Research (STR) Program
No full textThree students, Jessica Lacap, Karen Nateras Perez, Elizabeth Monterroso, and Communication Professor Dr. Qingwen Dong, participated in the national STR program this March 2025. The program is an opportunity for students to develop advocacy and communication skills to convey the importance of their undergraduate research to stakeholders (i.e., congressmen) through four online webinars and a final session in Washington, DC. 54 institutions from 22 states with a total of 61 campus representatives and 142 undergraduate research participated in this competitive program during 2024-2025. The webinar covered four topics: how research is used in policy, policy actors and actions, how to write an Op-ed, and how to write a policy brief. The D.C. trip was two days, the first being a seminar on connecting with policymakers and public interview skills. The second day was for students to meet their state senators and local representative(s). Meeting with aides of California Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, each undergraduate student introduced themselves and their research study to advocate for the importance of their topics and increased funding for research. After that, Elizabeth, Karen, and Jessica met with the aide of California Representative Josh Harder. Elizabeth emphasized her research on improving the ESL learning experience, Karen highlighted the need for publicizing homelessness resources, and Jessica stressed the importance of keeping Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within higher education. Together, the aide used their knowledge of local resources and Josh Harder’s priorities to develop solutions to solving these critical issues, which were then relayed to the Senator. The three students reflected on their experience with four themes emerging: The connection of research to real-world change, the Importance of learning advocacy in a shifting political landscape, preparation for the future, and the lasting impact of STR on professional development
Wood Delights: Therapy and Hobby
No full textThis presentation explores my journey as a self-taught woodworker transforming unwanted wood - trimmed tree branches and scrap wood - into decorative and occasionally utilitarian objects. Emphasizing the therapeutic potential of woodworking, the presentation highlights how this hobby serves as both a creative outlet and, more importantly, a form of therapy. I am eager to share this process, showing how working with discarded materials can provide both artistic fulfillment and mental well-being. The presentation showcases examples of completed pieces, allowing the audience to see the tangible outcomes of this therapeutic craft. Attendees will see and learn about the various sources of wood, the inspiration behind the creations, and the tools and methods used in the crafting process. Through samples on display, participants gain insight into the rewarding practice of turning scrap materials into meaningful art
Analyzing Medicare Cost Distribution and Coverage Disparities: Insights from Data-Driven Analysis
No full textThis study investigates 2022 Medicare Part B claims data to evaluate systemic disparities in healthcare costs and service utilization across U.S. regions. Using descriptive statistics and visual analytics on 270,673 service records, we identify a 5.6-fold gap between provider-submitted charges and Medicare standardized payments, with significant disparity variations in payment structures. Key visualizations reveal weak correlations between charges and reimbursements and outlier-driven cost distributions in high-service regions. The findings advocate for granular reporting standards and transparent pricing models to reduce beneficiary financial burdens
Induction of lysogenic bacteriophages from MF160 using UV light from various sources
No full textMany bacterial species harbor temperate bacteriophages in their genomes. These viruses that infect bacteria are replicated along with their hosts, but can often be induced to enter the lytic cycle. The induction of lysogenic bacteriophages via ultraviolet (UV) light is a standard approach to explore bacteriophage-bacteria interactions and optimize phage production. In this study, we investigate the impact of different UV exposure sources and durations on phage induction efficiency and bacterial survival in strain MF160. Cultures inoculated with strain MF160 are diluted to an optical density of approximately 0.2 and exposed to UV light from three sources: a handheld UV flashlight, a UV chamber located in the biology building, and a dedicated UV chamber in the microbiology laboratory. Exposure times range from 10 to 60 seconds, with intervals of 10 seconds, to identify optimal induction conditions.
Post-exposure survival and phage induction efficiency is assessed by counting surviving bacterial colonies and plaque-forming units (PFU). CFU are determined by standard serial dilution, while PFU are determined using a top agar plating technique. We hypothesize that there will be an increase in phage induction with increasing UV exposure, but over some threshold the viability of the cell population will reduce phage production. Our goal is to determine an optimal UV exposure strategy in terms of source and time that maximizes phage yield without excessive bacterial lethality. Preliminary experiments with strain MF160 have demonstrated successful phage induction using UV treatment, validating the potential of this strain for exploring phage production strategies
Protein Cousins: Characterizing Ubiquitin-Like Proteins within the Ubiquitin Code
No full textUbiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) are a group of small proteins that share sequence homology with ubiquitin. Although structurally like ubiquitin, UBLs are a protein group that play a distinct role in biological signaling ranging from DNA repair to cellular inflammatory response. The group achieves this by participating in enzymatic cascades that are intricately adjacent to that of the ubiquitin-proteasome machinery yet remain functionally distinct. Due to the unique duality of UBLs, researchers over the past three decades have sought to answer the fundamental question: Do the conjugation machinery of both protein classes overlap, and if so, which specific enzymes mediate such interaction?
E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes are one place of overlap in which overlaps exist. Often referred to as the “middlemen,” E2s play a crucial role in the ubiquitin cascade by facilitating the transfer of activated ubiquitin to protein substrates, in collaboration with ubiquitin ligases (E3s). Through extensive research, these same enzymes have also been shown to conjugate specific UBLs, facilitating their attachment to protein substrates in a manner like ubiquitin. Despite such findings, there is still a gap in understanding how E2s mediate the interplay between both cascades. Consequently, the drive to deepen our understanding of how UBLs interact with E2s is compelling, as it offers a clearer insight into how these protein families converge within the broader context of cellular function and disease. This project aims to characterize nine UBLs and one Ub variant through a series of biochemical assays to elucidate their interactions with E2s
Screening for Antioxidant-Producing Actinomycetes
No full textAntioxidants are essential for combating free radicals and preventing oxidative damage, making them imperative for our health and wellness. Actinomycetes are gram-positive bacterial species known for their filamentous growth and secondary metabolite production. This study aimed to identify the antioxidant-producing actinomycetes in our collection using a free radical assay. Briefly, radical scavenging was quantified using the color-changing reagent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Isolates were grown in 2 L of A1 or A1DI media for marine or freshwater strains respectively made with starch, yeast extract, and peptone. Cultures were extracted using the polymeric XAD16-resin for 24 h, the resin was then rinsed with acetone to release secondary metabolites. The extract was dried and partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The ethyl acetate partition was fractionated using silica gel SPE. For the assay, a 0.2 mM DPPH solution in methanol was prepared, and 109 fractions were tested in a 96-well microplate and compared against a negative control. Samples were tested in 8 serial dilutions from 512 μg/mL to 8 μg/mL to determine the EC50 of the antioxidant activity. After 30 min incubation, absorbance was measured at 515 nm to assess radical scavenging activity based on absorbance. Future directions are to grow the most active cultures in large-scale (6 L) to isolate the small molecules exhibiting free radical scavenging. This could lead to the discovery of novel antioxidant applications in healthcare, nutraceuticals, or beauty products supporting enduring wellness
The Joy of Embodied Learning
No full textThe science of embodied cognition has established that thinking involves dynamic exchanges between the body and the brain and webs of interaction between humans and their environments. While learning draws on these connected ecosystems, persistent notions of the brain as separate from and hierarchically managing the body—an enduring legacy of Cartesian dualism—perpetuate static teaching and learning mindsets. Disregard for the body’s role in learning fuels disengagement, isolation, and inequity. This chapter weaves key findings from embodied learning research together with scenes from the author’s own academic journey to illustrate how leveraging brain–body connections can foster educational well-being. The author shares accessible approaches to and reflection around re-centering the body in teaching and learning, in any discipline or modality, to spark community, curiosity, and joy.https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/provost-facbooks/1021/thumbnail.jp
Myuphoria Festival Design
No full textMy original concept behind the name was to combine the captivating presence and storytelling of the muses in Greek mythology and merge it with the feeling of euphoria. My branding also ties into folklore and the seductive nature of sirens. The siren’s call becomes my own design language, incorporating seafoam textures—playing on the idea of a siren’s passing—with a warm color palette intentionally meant to be unconventional for imagery surrounding sirens. My work is based on the themes of wayfinding, mythology, and immersive design. This festival branding was purposefully designed to create a space where people can lose themselves and rediscover something new. The names listed on the setlist are all fictional and are similar to names of alternative rock/alternative pop bands and artists in the 90s. Instead of going down the illustrative route, I decided to play around with photo manipulation and strong typographic hierarchy to guide the audience/crowd around the festival grounds seamlessly. Wayfinding and signage aren’t just practical tools for the audience, but they are also an extension of their experience. In my mobile app design for Myuphoria, I prioritized a functional map for the festival-goer to refer to throughout the festival. Functions on the app include directions to the nearest water stations, medical station, food vendors, stages, bathrooms, VIP areas, lost & found, and accessible resting areas. These are all essential for a variety of festival-goers to get the most optimal care and be aware of all the resources they need just on their phone
DeadRinger Portable Network Appliance
No full textAs digital technologies continue to evolve and cement their increasingly prominent role in modern human society, they become more and more attractive and facile as vectors of infiltration into our personal lives. The use of electronic devices as implements of covert surveillance is unique in that it is practiced as extensively by criminals as it is by government entities and legitimate corporations; furthermore, at least in highly-developed countries like the United States, the average individual has become largely complacent with regards to the fact that their own possessions are spying upon them. Invasions of privacy are so deeply intertwined with the concept of computers in the modern age that many assume the two to be entirely inseparable. DeadRinger is a project which seeks to upend this resigned attitude by passing control over personal data back into the hands of the user, and it does so by standing between the consumer and the medium through which almost all of their data is extracted: the Internet. Using a set of open-source software and hardware components, the DeadRinger device provides privacy-oriented routing, firewall, DNS server, VPN client, and packet inspection functionality in a simple, portable, and relatively inexpensive package which aims to facilitate user-friendly control over personal digital devices and the information they transmit