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LEAD Native Plant Specialist Intern
No full textLEAD internships provide an extraordinary opportunity to gain practical and applicable experience in the environmental field, build connections, and build a sense of community all while furthering personal academic goals. The Native Plant Specialist intern position focused specifically on using ecological knowledge to contribute to LEAD projects. My experience with this internship was valuable and rewarding
Can We Talk?: Toward an Iterative Praxis of Intergenerational Care
No full textThis project draws on ethnographic and autoethnographic evidence to explore ways of talking about aging, mental capacity, and long-term care for elderly people. Interviews with members of the Western community document a wide array of shared concerns, but also remarkable variation in how, when, and why these conversations take place. Because one of their defining characteristics is that no conversation will be precisely like another, I do not offer scripted guidance. Rather, I suggest that opening substantive dialogues around these issues requires each of us to engage in repetitive acts of vulnerability, attention, and care. I then practice vulnerability by developing my own unique script for initiating difficult conversations. Ultimately, I focus on care’s many forms, as well as the importance of practicing these skills with one’s given and chosen family. Practicing with people outside of our established networks, however, prepares us for more robust public dialogues around these issues
Navigating reproductive futures post-Dobbs: A scoping review of qualitative evidence
No full textBackground: This scoping review explores the reproductive impacts of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and established that there is no federal right to abortion in the United States. This decision has altered the reproductive landscape of the U.S. via health outcomes, access to care, legislation, and societal discourse around abortion, contraception, and social rights. We aimed to understand the current landscape of reproductive health in the United States.
Method: We conducted a scoping review of qualitative literature published after Dobbs to examine the decision’s effect on people’s experiences seeking care, information, and engaging in conversations surrounding abortion. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo, Science Direct, and Google Scholar) using the search terms “abortion”, “Dobbs”, and “qualitative”. The eligibility criteria for inclusion were studies that collected qualitative data (either through participants or analysis of text), explored the impacts of Dobbs, and focused on individual and community experiences rather than provider perspectives.
Results: 27 studies met our inclusion criteria from a pool of 1,134 initial sources. Themes emerged such as Perceived Aftermath of Dobbs (e.g., populations disproportionately affected, larger sociopolitical impacts), Dobbs as a Motivator for Action (e.g., catalyst for making changes in behaviors related to contraceptive use and sexual practices, increased physical and social media activism), Needs Assessment in the Wake of Dobbs (e.g., increased financial strain due to having to travel out of state for care, effects of stigma related to abortion), Dobbs Revealing People’s Stances (e.g., differences in public versus private stances, people feeling more confirmed in their beliefs regarding abortion), and Surge and Decay (e.g., increase in physical and online activism directly after Dobbs followed by a decline in action).
Conclusion: The included studies demonstrated the many impacts that Dobbs has had on various aspects of health and well-being, including access to health care, health information, and conversations regarding reproductive rights and freedom. The Dobbs decision has changed the reproductive landscape of the United States and will continue to shape the way that people receive and obtain abortion care for years to come
Culture in the Commons: Third Places in Bellingham, WA, and their effects on sustainable behavior
No full textThis paper attempts to show the connection between third places and sustainable behavior, both active and passive. I attempt to delve into the facets of sustainable behavior and identify the elements of community third places that contribute to them. This paper discusses the results of an online survey of Bellingham residents, self-evaluating their own sustainable behavior and whether they have a third place. I also used these results to create a StoryMap of current third places in Bellingham, with the intention of connecting people to third places and perhaps indirectly influencing positive environmental behavior.
[This page links to a StoryMap entitled Bellingham’s Third Places in conjunction with this project detailing third places in downtown Bellingham, WA. The paper is included as a supplementary file.
The Legal Rubik\u27s Cube Group
No full textThis project describes the group structure found in the popular children’s toy, the 3x3 Rubik’s Cube. We begin with an introduction to notation specific to the Rubik’s Cube, leading to the first fundamental theorem of cube theory which describes a unique state of the cube. We then build up the illegal cube group which encompasses all possible combinations of states, including ones not achievable with the physical limits of the basic moves. This group is then reduced to the legal cube group described in the second fundamental theorem of cube theory. Investigating the legal group we find the center, its order, how many moves of prime order it has, and how far from solved a move can be.
[An accessible MathML version of the paper is included with this page as a supplementary file.
We Are Always Making
No full textWe Are Always Making is a collaborative exploration of interdisciplinary practice. It prioritizes process, commitment, and creativity. It asks and answers how. Guided by a set of rules to cultivate generative environments toward making, the core of the project is a process-oriented instruction manual called “The Making Place.” As an endlessly reproducible guide to creation across and between and through disciplines, its aim is to empower people to become makers, to encourage action unencumbered by self-inflicted limits of time and inspiration. To embody its practices, We Are Always Making employed “The Making Place” to create a collaborative anthology of epistolary erasures: “Pierce, perforate, drill through, dress.” Fifty-nine collaborators participated in the anthology, making erasures with tools and methods of their choosing. As a further enactment of its commitment to daily practice, We Are Always Making also features a preservation and translation of future. “I am what is around me” documents the gradual evolution of photocopies of photocopies of a singular, blank sheet of paper. Where does making come from? What is inspiration? How do we make something out of what feels like nothing? What does it mean to make together? The truth is: we are always making. And the answers to these questions are up to us
Exploring the Complex Dynamics of Dissolved Organic Matter Across Diverse Ecosystems in Padilla Bay
No full textPadilla Bay, located in the Puget Sound estuarine system of Washington state, is a biologically diverse area with extensive eelgrass beds that play a key role in the ecological balance of the region. This study investigated the complex dynamics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by examining its sources, transformations, and export patterns in salt marsh and eelgrass environments. Using optical techniques and advanced Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), we obtained a detailed molecular understanding of how environmental processes shaped DOM. Sampling was conducted over the course of a year at the Little Indian Slough salt marsh to capture tidal and seasonal variations in DOM. In the salt marsh, we quantified dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and characterized the optical properties of water across tidal phases, leveraging the absorbance and fluorescence characteristics of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). This enabled us to analyze DOM composition and transformations using spectroscopic techniques. We also analyzed marsh plant leachates, particularly from saltgrass, to assess their integration into the broader DOM pool. We examined whether DOM export from the marsh peaked during ebb tides in the warmer months due to heightened vegetation productivity. We also explored whether eelgrass-derived material introduced distinct molecular signatures. Additionally, we conducted biological and photochemical degradation experiments to assess DOM lability and its transformations over time. By comparing molecular compositions across different sources and conditions, including high and low tides, eelgrass, salt grass, and degradation products, we aimed to understand the dynamic interplay of biogeochemical processes in Padilla Bay. The integration of mass spectrometry data with environmental monitoring enhanced our understanding of DOM cycling and its ecological implications, supporting informed strategies for the conservation and management of coastal ecosystems
Wood Rogers Inc Internship
No full textOver the summer, I interned with Wood Rodgers Inc. Wood Rodgers is a planning and engineering firm based in Sacramento, CA. This experience gave me the chance to see how urban planning concepts translate into real world practice and provided me with both technical training and exposure to the public processes that shape planning work. After learning the software primary software tools, AutoDesk AutoCAD, and ArcGIS Pro, I learned how to use them to make exhibits. I was thrown into it rather suddenly, given a crash course about the basics such as why information should flow top to bottom rather than left to right, how to scale maps appropriately for the amount of information in the exhibit, and how to use clear graphics and labels so exhibits are easily understandable
City of North Bend WA CED Department Planning Intern
No full textMy main task was to work on two sets of code revisions for the City. Alterations to the City’s landscape code were duly needed to remedy several issues currently in place. Since the small size of the city, there was only one active farm bordering/within City limits. This farm held requirements to maintain a visual landscaping buffer of 150 feet. This was created to protect the public from witnessing any uncomfortable occurrences typical of a slaughter ranch
Birch Bay State Park Aide
No full textWhen it comes to the actual outcome, this internship experience allowed me to gain multiple skills, including but not limited to, groundwork and general maintenance, knowledge of estuary systems, and knowledge about the history of this state park. This allowed me to feel more confident in my general degree knowledge and helped me to properly educate the public on the do’s and don’t’s. This experience provided a strong foundation for me to continue along this path, working towards being a natural resource manager, and helping the parks stay functional