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Modeling the impact of abrasion on the fluvial morphodynamics of a volcanic sediment pulse, Suiattle River, WA
Get PDFLarge sediment pulses deposited in river channels can alter channel morphology and amplify downstream flood hazards. In the Suiattle River of Washington State, abrasion controls the downstream impact of sediment supply from Glacier Peak, a stratovolcano that regularly supplies the channel with large sediment pulses. This phenomenon is evident by the persistence of strong volcanic grains on the streambed and the rapid downstream loss of weak volcanic grains to fine sediment. Although cobbles and boulders dominate pulses in the channel, the Suiattle has an unusually high supply of fine sediment and contributes to fine sediment impacts downstream. Despite the evidence that the abrasion of coarse sediment during downstream transport drastically impacts the balance of fine and coarse sediment in the channel, little to no work – in the Suiattle or other real landscapes – has been done to determine the importance of abrasion on the dynamics of sediment pulse evolution in a highly abrasion-prone setting. In this study, I use the Suiattle River’s geometry and sediment characteristics as a real-world framework to explore how sediment pulses evolve under different modeled scenarios of abrasion. I apply the Network Sediment Transporter (NST), a 1D morphodynamic and Lagrangian sediment transport model within Landlab, to simulate channel response to a large sediment pulse. I evaluate three scenarios: (1) no abrasion, (2) abrasion rates based on Schmidt Hammer Rock Strength (SHRS) measurements as a proxy for lab-derived tumbler abrasion rates, and (3) doubled SHRS values to account for known underprediction. Each scenario is driven by a ~2% exceedance flow derived from a distributed hydrology model, with intermittent high flows (~0.1% exceedance) to enable the transport of large particles. The model results show that increased abrasion enhances the mobility of bed material and substantially increases the production and transport of fine sediment. In contrast, changes in bed elevation are relatively insensitive to abrasion alone.
Instead, channel geometry (channel width) emerges as a key control on sediment deposition and export. These findings emphasize the utility of abrasion-inclusive sediment transport modeling and highlight how topographic and geomorphic factors shape sediment pulse evolution. Future work should continue to develop the numerical modeling tools associated with the NST, which will help facilitate a more detailed exploration of the effects of abrasion and heterogeneous sediment characteristics in the rivers of the western Cascade Mountains
Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group Education Intern
No full textThis quarter, I had the opportunity to serve as an Education Intern for Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG). A majority of my time during this internship was spent in elementary school classrooms, in a program teaching salmon ecology and giving many young students an introduction into stewardship and environmental care, called Salmon in Schools (SIS). During this time, I have published three blog posts relating to my work at the non-profit organization, spent plenty of time outdoors working on or visiting various restoration sites throughout the county, and created and edited online content for SFEG. I feel as though my time spent with SFEG was well spent and I gained several professional skills during my time with the organization
Chromium and Titanium Partitioning between Orthopyroxene and Silicate Melt: Insights into Mercury’s Accretion and Differentiation
No full textMercury’s high density and large metallic core indicate that it underwent unique accretion and differentiation processes. These conditions influenced the distribution of major and minor elements, resulting in a planet with low FeO contents and distinctive geochemical affinities compared to other terrestrial bodies. Understanding how these conditions affected Mercury’s differentiation provides key insights into the formation of our solar system; and one way to do so is via chondritic meteorites as they are good proxies for planetary building blocks. To evaluate whether Mercury’s bulk composition is chondritic, this study investigated the partitioning of Cr and Ti between metal, silicate, and sulfide phases since Cr and Ti are key elements that are sensitive to redox conditions. I analyzed experiments conducted below the silicate liquidus and combined them with published datasets to refine partition coefficients for Cr and Ti between orthopyroxene, silicate melt, metal, and sulfide phases. These data were incorporated into thermodynamic models to predict their distribution across Mercury’s core, mantle, and crust. The combined experimental and modeling results demonstrate that both Cr and Ti become increasingly siderophile and chalcophile with decreasing oxygen fugacity, while their partitioning between orthopyroxene and silicate melt decreases with increasing pressure and melt composition. Monte Carlo simulations coupled with mass balance calculations indicate that Mercury’s bulk Cr/Al and Ti/Al ratios are consistent with chondritic values if differentiation occurred between IW–4 and IW–3.5. These findings suggest that an impact scenario was not required in Mercury’s history to explain its Cr/Al and Ti/Al ratios. These results emphasize the importance of oxygen fugacity in planetary differentiation and core formation. Mercury provides an important endmember case for understanding how small variations in redox conditions and starting materials can produce the diverse geochemical outcomes observed among terrestrial planets
Student Activism in the Age of Deportability: Toward the Coalition Between Immigrant and International Students Beyond Divisive Rhetoric
No full textThis article explores social movement experiences of immigrant and international students within the context of escalating political polarization in the United States. While prevailing political rhetoric often divides these two groups, negatively portrays immigrant students, and favors international students who are presumably driven by meritocratic and neoliberal ideologies, both groups share precarious positionalities that become visible through their involvement or lack of involvement in student activism. This review analyzes how federal policies, such as immigration enforcement measures and surveillance practices, combined with university-level restrictions on campus activism, shape these students\u27 experiences with activism. By examining existing literature in political engagement and higher education, it highlights significant differences between these two groups, such as motivations, socioeconomic disparities, and the relatively privileged positions of international students, as well as similarities, including shared fears of deportation, reliance on community and social networks, and nuanced forms of activism. Through these processes, the author argues that research itself should serve as a practice for coalition-building, instead of reinforcing the divisions between students in the two categories. To conclude, the author calls for the need for interconnected, intersectional analyses to bridge the divisively framed groups, immigrant and international students, by constructing bridging narratives and advocating for their joint recognition as authentic civic participants
Medical Advocacy For Beginners
No full textThis website provides a comprehensive introduction to medical advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. It begins by outlining entry points for individuals looking to get started in this field, including volunteer opportunities and various forms of public engagement. The guide then describes mechanisms for policy development by outlining the steps required to draft, propose, and implement various forms of legislation and regulatory actions. By clarifying how to navigate medical advocacy at different levels of government, the website offers individuals a structured foundation for furthering advocacy goals that create community, statewide, and national change. The website concludes with a curated list of prominent advocacy organizations that the reader can connect with. This page is complemented with a voices in advocacy section containing quotes from leaders in the field to encourage involvement with this work
Visual Journaling as a Personal Well-Being Practice
No full textFor this project, the author explored the art of Visual Journaling as a personal well-being practice. Visual journaling is the use of creative expression to explore deeper or unknown emotions. One may use it as a form of art therapy or a well-being practice. The process includes intentional breathing (meditation), art creation and then written reflection about the creation. Barbara Ganim and Susan Fox created a book called Visual Journaling, Going Deeper than Words. In this book, you are guided through a 6 week course that includes a range of exercises with goals of understanding deeper emotions. This portfolio includes Lela\u27s personal takeaways and reflections after following the 6-week course, offering insight into what did and did not work well for them. Additionally, the visual journal entries done by Lela are provided in chronological order with their corresponding exercise and chapter goals. This portfolio offers guidance to anyone wanting to try visual journaling in their own life
Examining the Scope and Sources of Expectations for School Administrators Post COVID-19
Get PDFAbstract This qualitative study investigates the evolving and increasingly unsustainable role of school principals in the post-pandemic educational landscape. Using a multiple case study design, the research explores how the expectations placed on principals by superintendents, the education system, and the broader community have increased in complexity and scope. Through semi-structured interviews with superintendents and principals from districts of varying sizes in western Washington, and a representative from the Association of Washington School Principals, the study captures perspectives on the sources of these expectations, the perceived and actual responsibilities of principals, and the supports needed to sustain their effectiveness.
Thematic analysis reveals that the role of principals has undergone a long-term process of “layering,” wherein responsibilities have been continuously added with little structural or systemic adjustment. Increasing post-COVID demands, including demands for mental health support, social-emotional learning, and community-based health services, have compounded principals’ workload, leading to an increase in burnout, turnover, and diminished job satisfaction. The study found a common understanding of what principals should be spending their effort on between principals and supervisors, and also a shared concern that the scope of the job is too broad.
Findings suggest that redefining the principalship with clearer boundaries, building teams of support around principals, and promoting peer-to-peer collaborations could improve conditions for principals. The study calls for systemic change in how education leadership is structured and supported, particularly in light of the principal’s central role in student outcomes. Recommendations are made to recalibrate expectations and invest in support systems that preserve principals’ capacity to lead instructional improvement and maintain school stability
The Work Behind Closed Doors: University Professors and Forms of Resistance during the Brazilian Dictatorship (1964-1985)
Get PDFThis research examines University professors in Southeastern Brazil and their role as educators during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship (1964-1985), connecting them to broader structures of repression, resistance, and political ideology. By analyzing the political and ideological contexts within higher education, this study explores why professors were systematically targeted and how their repression pushed them to become politically active within university institutions or abroad.
Given the intense censorship of government records of this time, this research employs a critical analysis of government documents, press sources, and first-hand accounts from persecuted professors to reconstruct the impact of repression on academia.
This thesis argues that University professors were viewed as threats to the regime’s ideological compass, leading to censorship, purges, and structural reforms in academia, forcing professors into co-optation or pushing them into becoming active resistors of the regime.
By emphasizing the role of professors, this thesis sheds light on the politicization of education, the long-term consequences of authoritarian control over academia, and the resilience of intellectual resistance
Analyzing the Future of the Lower Snake River Dams Under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Get PDFPrevious literature has explored the efficiency, ecological concerns, and unlikely stakeholder alliances surrounding the Lower Snake River Dams (LSRDs) and their implications for the potential removal of the dams. However, little scholarly research has directly explored the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ management of the LSRDs. Through my research, I analyzed how the Corps’ positions on the LSRDs have evolved over the decades by analyzing the eight original and updated LSRDs Master Plans, as well as the Columbia River System Operations’ Environmental Impact Statement. Though the original and updated LSRDs Master Plans provide an excellent snapshot of the Corps’ positionality change regarding land management over the decades, there remains less information in the eight Master Plans about dam operations and removal. As cited on every updated LSRDs report, “Master Plans are about the land – they do not address dam operations (e.g., spill, fish passage, or dam breaching), flood risk management (e.g., levees), or navigation,” thus making the EIS a crucial document in understanding the Corps’ in-stream management priorities (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2020). Ultimately, my research included both a document and thematic analysis of these nine Corps-affiliated documents to explore the historical management strategies and future ecological considerations for the LSRDs, particularly regarding dam removal on the Snake River
