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The Strengths and Weaknesses of ABA Therapy, and the Importance of Compassionate Care for Children with ASD
No full textABA Therapy is the premier form of treatment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Despite the efficacy of ABA therapy, it has become an incredibly controversial form of treatment. This paper aims to understand the strengths and weaknesses of ABA therapy based on both personal experience and research, with the goal of understanding how ABA therapy can best adapt as a field
Study of Stellar Membership in Segue 3
No full textI studied the membership of stars near the Segue 3 cluster. Using position and proper motion data I calculated membership probabilities for each source in the area near Segue 3. I found an excess in source density near the cluster center in both position space as well as proper motion space. By fitting an exponential model to the density as a function of radius and comparing the motion of sources, I calculated membership probabilities based on distance to the cluster center as well as differences in motion to find the most likely cluster members
Friends of Issaquah Salmon Hatchery Intern
No full textFor my internship provided through Western Washington University, I chose to work for Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. This organization was founded in 1993 at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery to provide education and outreach to local communities, as well as tourists in order to help people gain an understanding and appreciation of the west coast’s endangered salmon species. Despite temporarily shutting down during the pandemic, and having to rely on the city of Issaquah to help pay for their funding after nearly closing forever, the organization has rebuilt and continued to provide educational services to tens of thousands of guests each year
WSU Mt Vernon Ext - Ag Research Technologist
No full textThe purpose of participating in an internship was for me to develop my scientific skills to better prepare me for future jobs in the environmental science field. I applied for this job because it seemed like a great opportunity to get hands on experience with field work and to learn more about the process of research for graduate school. It offered a range of tasks that allowed me to be self-leading for parts of the project that I would be working on
City Sprouts Farm Apprenticeship
No full textCity Sprouts is an urban farm in the Birchwood neighborhood operated by Ellie Duncan, resident farmer and Program Coordinator for the Center for Community Learning at Western Washington University. For the summer season of 2025, I joined the City Sprouts Farm crew as part of their apprenticeship program. The apprenticeship is an 11- week-long employment and experiential learning opportunity where hands-on farmwork is partnered with field trips and communal teaching with the goal of understanding local food systems and regenerative agriculture. Over the course of the summer, we visited 7 different sites to meet farmers and food system workers, learning directly from our community members about the struggles and successes of their work. On the farm, we helped to plant, harvest, and deliver free vegetables to SeaMar and the Viking Union food pantry. The farm crew developed skills together during work and apprentice-led skill-sharing workshops
City of Lone Tree GIS Internship
No full textIn my learning agreement, I explained that I would learn more about field data and “gain a well-rounded experience in both applied GIS work and exposure to the planning and infrastructure needs of a growing municipality.” I also expected that I would gain more skills that can help me with future projects in my education or career. This week is my last week at the City of Lone Tree, and I am confident in saying that I have learned many skills and tools that will help me greatly in the future. From as small as pressing “A” on my keyboard to change the angle of a feature to bigger skills such as coding, field work, or digitizing documents, each of the projects helped me grow. I worked on nine different projects between June 26th and August 14th some were bigger projects that took a few days, and others were quicker, smaller projects. For almost each project Courtland, my internship mentor, would provide me with detailed instructions and set up a meeting where he could quickly run through and show me how to do the project as well
The Impact of School Board Member Sociopolitical Ideology on the Role of the Superintendent
Get PDFThis qualitative study explores how the sociopolitical ideologies of school board members influence the role, responsibilities, and leadership capacity of public school superintendents. Grounded in critical theory, this research examines how dominant political narratives increasingly shape local education governance. Using Washington State as a case study, the project includes a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with current superintendents and state-level leaders from the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA).
Findings reveal that superintendents are navigating an increasingly politicized environment marked by ideological division, legal ambiguity, and heightened community scrutiny. Six key themes emerged: a profound personal commitment to public service, intensifying sociopolitical pressures, changing board-superintendent relationships, the superintendent’s evolving role as a legal and political interpreter, the strategic use of communication and framing, and the critical need for peer networks and professional development. Participants described a shift away from traditional instructional leadership toward political navigation, often requiring superintendents to mediate between board ideologies and student needs.
This study highlights the urgent need for updated leadership preparation, emphasizing sociopolitical literacy, ethical clarity, and communication skills. It calls for enhanced supports that equip superintendents to lead with integrity in a landscape shaped by national political movements, contested educational content, and polarized governance. Ultimately, this research underscores the superintendent’s role as both an educational leader and a mediator of democracy, advocating for student well-being amid increasing ideological complexity
Aquifer Characterization in the lower Skagit River Valley, Northwest Washington State
Get PDFThe Skagit River, its tributaries, and groundwater are important water resources for salmon habitat, agriculture, municipalities, and industries in the lower Skagit River basin. Unfortunately, these resources are threatened by receding glaciers and reduced meltwater due to a warming climate, compounded by increasing groundwater withdrawals driven by development and agricultural practices in the lowlands. Floodplain aquifers have been identified as a source of groundwater for the Skagit River and research has demonstrated that groundwater extracted from the floodplain reduces baseflow to the river which is problematic considering the instream flow rules established in 2001 for the Skagit River. Other potential sources for groundwater in the lower Skagit region are glacial outwash and glacial upland deposits north of the floodplain identified by recent geologic mapping. For water resources management purposes, it is important to characterize the aquifers in the glacial terraces and uplands and determine their connection to the floodplain and the Skagit River.
To characterize the hydrogeologic framework in the lower Skagit Valley, I synthesized well log data, gravel pit and natural stream exposures, recent geomorphic mapping and hydrogeologic studies, borehole data, and LiDAR data and developed two-dimensional (2D) cross sections and 3D conceptual models between Sedro-Woolley and Birdsview, WA. My results reveal a complex geology that differentiates six different hydrogeologic units. Glacial deposits dominate most of the upland aquifers, with lahars and alluvium composing most of the floodplain, with sedimentary and metamorphic rocks at higher elevations. My hydrogeologic framework indicates that glacial outwash deposits in the eastern portion of the study area are connected to and recharging Skagit floodplain aquifers and the Skagit River. The aquifer continuity in the east is also validated by groundwater monitoring data and seepage runs results. There are likely low rates of groundwater flow from the low-conductive units in the uplands to the floodplain deposits in the western half of the study area, meaning that there may be no truly isolated aquifers in the upland area that would serve as an alternative water supply. The hydrogeologic framework serves as a basis for the region, however, more detailed studies will be necessary to inform water resource management decisions going forward in the lower Skagit River Valley, i.e., more extensive well monitoring, long-term pump tests, and groundwater modeling to constrain recharge rates and groundwater flow directions and rates in the study area
Pre-eruptive storage conditions and initiation mechanisms for the most recent explosive magmatic eruption of Mount Baker, northern Cascade volcanic arc, USA.
Get PDFMount Baker is a very high-threat Cascade stratovolcano in Northwestern Washington. It last experienced an explosive magmatic eruption ~6.7 ka, producing the trachyandesitic Black Ash (BA) tephra from Sherman Crater (0.2 km3, VEI 4). Despite this threat assessment, no previous petrological studies have focused on the pre-eruptive magma storage conditions and eruption initiation mechanisms for this latest eruption. The BA tephra presents a unique opportunity to investigate the most recently recorded subvolcanic magmatic architecture beneath Mount Baker, as well as the mechanisms responsible for explosiveness and initiation. Here, I present new bulk tephra and mineral geochemical data to constrain the pre-eruptive plumbing system and provide context for eruption. The BA tephra bulk composition is a trachyandesite with 60.1-62.6 wt.% SiO2 and 2.5-3.9 wt.% MgO. The matrix glass contains an average of 68.6 wt.% SiO2. Bulk tephra compositions suggest that the BA tephra was sourced from a combination of magma series, which include high-Mg andesite/high-Mg basaltic andesite (HMA/HMBA) and alkaline series components. HMA/HMBA series magmas are typical of edifice eruptions for the last ~100 ka, whereas the ~9.8 ka eruption from the flank was fed by a low-Mg calc-alkaline series magma, suggesting that edifice and flank eruptions have two different, yet adjacent, sources. Crystals show a limited range of geochemistry (clinopyroxene Mg# 67-81, orthopyroxene Mg# 62-74, and plagioclase An 30-53), with limited zoning patterns and rare disequilibrium features. Based on core Mg# and An, the crystals can be grouped into three co-crystallizing mineral assemblages that crystallized from andesite to evolving dacite liquids (andesite: A, dacite 1 : D1, and dacite 2: D2). These assemblages crystallized at less than 15 km depth at ~6.7 ka, clustering around ~7-9 km depth. The assemblages were crystallized or stored at relatively hot temperatures, including an average of 1059°C for the A assemblage, 1003°C for the D1 assemblage, and 977°C for the D2 assemblage. The limited range of mineral geochemistry and homogeneous matrix glass suggest relatively simple pre-eruptive processes, involving the extraction of a silicic trachyandesitic interstitial melt from a deeper more mafic mush storage region. While the initiation of melt extraction is unclear, the melt migrated upwards due to one of three possible mechanisms (buoyant forces, magma chamber overpressure, or thermal underplating). The interstitial melt progressively crystallized each assemblage and ultimately erupted explosively only because of external magma-water interactions