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WWU Research Intern
No full textI worked with two graduate students, Jessica Scotten and Gabe Diephuis, at Western Washington University on their projects, which aim to measure two-dimensional nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium concentrations in Salish Sea pore waters. This is achieved by using diffusive equilibrium thin-film (DET) sensors, which are inserted into collected sediment core samples. This method is based on Metzger et. al (2016, 2019). I was responsible for assisting Gabe in the production of agarose and polyacrylamide gels, which measure the distribution of ammonium (agarose), and nitrite plus nitrate (polyacrylamide), and making reagents for a standard curve calibration
High Potential: Legal and Scientific Perspectives on Unlocking CBD\u27s Medicinal Value
No full textThe cannabis plant has been used by humans across the globe for thousands of years. Although the plant is known by many names, humans have found a wide variety of ritualistic, recreational, and medicinal uses for cannabis throughout history. Despite this, various legal and scientific developments over the course of the past century have heavily shifted societal perspectives on cannabis. Cannabis has become an illicit substance in many nations, including the United States, while an incomplete understanding of cannabis’ effects on the human brain has constrained its medicinal utility. The result of these developments is that government regulations and a lack of thorough pharmacological research limit safe cannabis use and access, even in spite of rising use rates across the country. Clearly, our perspective on cannabis must change. Cannabis policy must evolve to align with our scientific knowledge, which itself must be strengthened through further research, in order to provide legal and safety assurances to users. One particular compound in the cannabis plant, known as cannabidiol or CBD, has largely been underrepresented in cannabis research despite lacking the intoxicating effects of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. This review will outline the steps necessary for CBD, and cannabis as a whole, to be utilized more effectively in therapeutic settings while acknowledging the work that has been done towards this goal so far
Community Perceptions of Alternative Policing Strategies in Bellingham, Washington
No full textThis study examines community perceptions of public safety in Bellingham, Washington, through analysis of 137 city council public comments from 2023-2025 and corresponding police call data. Analysis reveals what issues receive the most public attention, visible street-level disorder, drug use, encampments, and theft. Comments reflecting growing exhaustion with implementation failures of harm reduction approaches prompting a return to ineffective traditional policing methods. Last, I propose policy recommendations emphasizing transparent performance metrics, strengthened service infrastructure before program expansion, coordinated facility responses, enhanced case management, and comprehensive officer training, arguing that procedural justice depends on systemic capacity to demonstrate tangible improvements in community safety and order
Learning the Language of Music: A Life in Harmony
No full textMusic has been an integral part of humanity for thousands of years. This video presentation explores music as a language and mode of creative expression. The video features my original music and song analysis, examining themes of self-determination, community, and purpose. These themes are conveyed through various motifs that transform between pieces of music. These motifs depict my shifting perspectives on individual and collective well-being through my time at Western Washington University. I explain music theory concepts and demonstrate how I have applied them to communicate nuanced and dynamic ideas. Music is an effective means of encouraging introspection and understanding how one wishes to interact with their environment
Mountain Lake Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Dynamics in Mount Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park Complex
No full textMountain lakes provide habitat for many threatened species and are important indicators of environmental change. Mountain lakes are experiencing accelerated rates of climate change and threats to their native biota from the stocking of salmonid fishes. Mountain lake benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) communities are an integral part of the lake and surrounding ecosystem, but can also serve as valuable indicators of environmental change. The National Park Service’s North Coast and Cascade Inventory and Monitoring Network (NCCN) conducted long-term monitoring of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in 12 mountain lakes and supplemental samples in 50 additional lakes in Mount Ranier National Park and North Cascades National Park Complex. Many of the lakes sampled have reproducing fish populations and over the study period (2008-2022), 11 mountain lakes had targeted fish removals conducted on them.
My objective was to use the NCCN data to study how mountain lake BMI communities are changing over time and how that change is influenced by climate change and fisheries management decisions. I used linear mixed effects models to test the influence of water temperature, growing period and fish status, as well as linear models to test static lake attributes on temporal beta diversity, proportional taxa gains and proportional losses. Multi-level pattern analysis was used to identify indicator taxa associated with fish absence or presence. I found the BMI communities across all long-term monitoring lakes to be experiencing a high rate of temporal beta diversity (mean 0.53 ±0.12 SD). Water temperature and growing period, as well as the status of fish in the lake (removed, absent, or present) all influenced the rate and direction of change. Higher water temperatures and longer growing periods had relationships with lower proportional losses and higher proportional gains of taxa respectively, in the following year. The presence of fish depressed proportional gains and the removal of fish increased temporal beta diversity. Lakes with larger perimeters experienced higher rates of proportional gains and lower proportional losses. Additionally, indicator taxa analysis identified three taxa associated with fish absence (Ameletidae, Desmona, Micropsectra) and eight taxa associated with fish presence (Odonata, Hirudinida, Sialis, Amphipoda, Pagastiella, Microtendipes, Cladopelma, Cryptochironomus). My findings provide a deeper understanding of mountain lake BMI community dynamics and its drivers. Additionally, my study provides insight into how fish affect certain mountain lake BMI taxa, which is useful for mountain lake and land managers
The Rescue Potential of Cannabidiol and β-Caryophyllene Against the Molecular Changes Induced by Early Life Stress in Mice
Get PDFEarly life stress (ELS) encompasses a variety of negative life events and circumstances that have persistent effects on physical and mental health in adulthood. Inaccessible and ineffective interventions make managing these symptoms a challenge, indicating the need for a different pharmacological approach with a novel pharmacodynamic. Cannabidiol (CBD), the prominent non-intoxicating component of Cannabis Sativa L., has shown therapeutic potential in addressing many of the pathologies associated with ELS, including anxiety, depression, elevated inflammation, and poor synaptic health. The addition of other compounds produced by the cannabis plant, including terpenes, is hypothesized to synergistically enhance the therapeutic benefits of CDB. In this study, I investigated the rescue potential of CBD and β-caryophyllene (BCP), a cannabis-derived terpene, on brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein involved in synaptic support, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), an inflammatory marker, in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. Mice underwent 3 hours of maternal separation (MS) for 16 days, followed by 15 days of exposure to one of four intervention conditions (CBD, BCP, CBD + BCP, or Vehicle), administered through voluntary consumption. Mice who underwent MS followed by exposure to both CBD and BCP showed elevated BDNF and TNF-α signaling in the PFC, but not the hippocampus. In partial support of my hypothesis, the combination of CBD and BCP rescued the effects MS had on synaptic support through elevated BDNF signaling, but did not rescue the neuroinflammatory effects of MS, evidenced by elevated levels of TNF-α. These results suggest a region-dependent rescue effect of CBD and BCP on BDNF signaling, providing support for its use in addressing some, but not all effects of ELS. Additionally, these results contribute to the growing body of research evaluating the effectiveness and safety profile of CBD-based therapy on the developing brain
Falwell and Begin: Shifting Theopolitical Tides
Get PDFAround 1980, things in the United States began to shift in the theopolitical world. Traditional staunch allies of the State of Israel in liberal Protestant Christians were increasingly separating from Israel and the new political party that had taken control in 1977. By the early 1980s, Israel had completely shifted its allyship to a new branch of Christians: evangelicals. These Evangelicals had traditionally been known for their anti-Semitism, yet by this point in time they had completely transformed to become the staunchest supporters for the State of Israel in the United States. The source of this shift has traditionally been traced to the religious beliefs that many of these Evangelicals held, namely the premillenial dispensationalist belief that the Bible should be taken literally, and that Israel was needed to bring about the apocalypse. Yet these views of the theopolitical alliance between the State of Israel and Evangelical Christians tends to undercut the political work that the two groups engaged in and benefited from. Emphasizing the relationship between the leader of the Moral Majority, Reverend Jerry Falwell Sr. and the new Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin, I aim to change the historical discourse around this subject to emphasize the political leverage that each brought for the other. I argue that Evangelical beliefs were crucial for providing a basis for cooperation between the two groups, but their relationship was also characterized by the trading of support and benefits to ensure their positions within their respective nations
Toxins in Coastal Waters: Will Surf Smelt and Other Forage Fish Survive?
Get PDFSurf smelt are a forage fish—small fish that are prey for larger fish—native to the Salish Sea. They are a source of food for fish such as salmon and tuna and they act as important indicators of ecosystem health. Surf smelt spend their early life stages in shallow coastal waters where diatoms are also abundant. Diatoms are single-celled algae that release toxins called polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs) when they are broken down. The goal of this study was to test the effects of PUAs on the growth and development of surf smelt to determine possible causes of any future fluctuations in surf smelt populations. First, we took fertilized surf smelt eggs and divided them into two control groups and five treatment groups of increasing PUA concentrations. Then, we measured the mortality rate of embryos, as well as the body length and eye area of larval surf smelt post-hatch. We found that surf smelt embryos had greater mortality rates when exposed to high concentrations of PUAs, and larvae had reduced body length and eye size. These overall findings indicate that the early life stages of surf smelt are negatively affected by PUAs, suggesting that other forage fish, which are akin to surf smelt, will likely experience similar effects. Increased PUA concentrations in coastal waters will likely decrease forage fish populations and cause detrimental cascading effects throughout the Salish Sea food webs
Bioinspired Ligand Design with Hydrogen Bonding Capabilities Facilitate Denitrification and N-N Bond Formation
No full textInorganic fertilizers have been able to support the growing global population, but in turn have also disrupted the global nitrogen cycle by introducing an excess of nitrogen species. About 50% of the world population depends on nitrogen-based fertilizers for nourishment. However, fertilizer pollution has been reported to have detrimental effects on terrestrial and aquatic life. The excess nitrogen species entering ecosystems via runoffs or leaching lead to soil acidification, eutrophication, and a decrease in biodiversity. About 80% of anthropogenic emissions of N2O are caused by agricultural production. N2O is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that has 265 times the 100-year global warming potential than CO2. Through the nitrogen cycle, nature reduces nitrogen species to less toxic forms, allowing them to be consumed by plant-based lifeforms. Biological denitrification is supported by metalloenzymes like the reductases of nitrate, nitrite, and nitric oxide reductases. Research into the reduction of NO to form N2O is essential to address the disruption of the global nitrogen cycle. This thesis describes ligands designed to mimic the secondary coordination sphere of metalloenzymes like flavodiiron nitric oxide reductases (FNOR) to tune reactivity while maintaining redox capabilities of the metal center, iron (II). The active site of FNOR is of particular interest as it has hydrogen bonding capabilities within its secondary coordination sphere that has been shown to reduce the activation barrier in N2O formation from NO. To further investigate the role of hydrogen bonding on N-N bond formation, a series of hydrogen bond donating pyridinediimine (PDI) ligands were developed. [Fe(PhNHPDI)(NO)2]+ (3+) was reported to form N2O from the reduction of the dinitrosyl iron complex (DNIC). The control complex which is the exact replica of (3+) but with the exception of the NH group replaced with a methyl group was compared. A series of ligands was investigated to further understand the role hydrogen bonding has in the formation of N2O. These ligands vary in bulkiness, and a ditopic hydrogen bond donating ligand was also examined. Finally, to probe the mechanism in N2O formation, mechanistic studies were completed and analyzed
