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Here For The Now
Full text link15 page zineIn an assembly of works, our Visiting Faculty in the Department of Art present their individual practices which are specific to medium and simultaneously expand the notion and condition of the contemporary within art practice. Their concerns reflect the complexity of a bordered yet global world that we find ourselves within and enlist the inner and the outer conditions of being human – our ability to question, imagine and rebuild within the webs of production and consumption.
Through these works, thought provoking questions emerge, capturing a sense of rebellion in relation to our current environment – whether in reference to the continual archived disasters associated with our climate, the rapidly changing relationship between humans and machine or a queering of landscape through re-registering tropes of masculinity. Further entanglements unfold within the unconscious and become embedded in forms, materials and processes that allow our imagination to meander between our current material culture and the broader vocabulary of elemental phenomena. These elements invite us to experience the tactility of the world around us as well as our tendency to ascribe meaning or find affinities in form even under the most abstract conditions
Moving Mountains: An Immigrant's Inferno
Full text link94 pagesIn an effort to improve my skills as a writer- specifically a playwright- I used this thesis to create my first two act play. My thesis begins with detailing the steps I took in creating this play- starting with why I chose to write this story, at this time in my life, as well as my artistic influences. Next, I walk through what my writing process was like this year- first draft ideas, how the story evolved, and ended up taking the final shape that it is (for now). Then, I explain parts of the writing and research process that I would have done differently, with the added hindsight of having now written a play before. Subsequently, I talk about the “failed” efforts on my advisor and my behalf to stage a read-through of the play, and what it revealed about the nature of timing and art. Finally, I discuss the "so, what?" of this project, and how this play has me in my future career as a writer (and actor, and director too). In conclusion, I outline what might come next for this film project. With this explanation of my project, I will have outlined how the process of assimilation in America- exemplified by my family, and 1st wave Arab immigrants (1878-1924) as a whole- caused deep seated issues in immigrant communities and their descendants, that still are being worked through to this day
From policy to practice: analyzing Oregon’s drug decriminalization in comparison to Portugal and Switzerland
Full text link97 pagesThis study explores why many people see Measure 110, Oregon's drug decriminalization policy, as a failure. It identifies challenges like poor implementation, limited resources, and public safety concerns. The research compares Oregon’s struggles to programs in Portugal and Switzerland. Using data, news articles, and government reports, it explores perspectives from public opinion and nonprofits. The thesis highlights the need to address stigma, improve treatment access, and learn from international models. Learning from successful models could help Oregon, or other states, build a more just and effective drug policy in the future
A Systematized Literature Review On Pediatric Hospitalization Impact On Mental Health Outcomes In Youth
Full text link72 pagesThis review explores pediatric hospitalization as a potential stressor capable of impacting mental health in pediatric patients. The Adaptive Calibration Model (ACM) supports the categorization of hospitalization as a stressor due to the low resource availability, extrinsic morbidity-mortality cues, and unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of the hospitalization experience. An established literature (Del Guidice et al., 2011 & Del Guidice et al., 2013) links stress with poor mental health outcomes; therefore, a basic premise of this literature review is that if hospitalization is a stressor, it should be linked with poor mental health outcomes. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of unpredictable environments; thus, it’s necessary to understand how experiencing hospitalization contributes to psychological outcomes in the pediatric population, and thus the present study examines pediatric populations. A systematized review was conducted using the PubMed, APA PsycNet, and Web of Science databases to reveal existing literature on pediatric hospitalization and mental health outcomes. Utilizing Covidence to apply relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria, fourteen articles were identified. The main inclusion criteria were: 1) literature focusing on the pediatric patient population; 2) hospitalization being an identified or inferred stressor, and 3) mental health, or psychological, outcomes being assessed as a potential result of stress responses to the hospitalization environment. The articles were analyzed using the following variables: age of patient, reason for hospitalization, duration of hospitalization, severity of treatment, and caregiver/family presence during hospitalization. The literature supports the notion that experiencing hospitalization impacts mental health in pediatric patients. Younger age and severity of treatment (increased exposure to invasive procedures and medical technology) were the most frequently identified factors resulting in worse negative mental health outcomes, including anxiety, intrusive thoughts, post-traumatic stress, and depression. Therefore, pediatric hospitalization is a stressor capable of impacting youth mental health. As a secondary aim, this review also attempts to identify gaps in research on pediatric hospitalization and mental health. Based on the fourteen included articles, it can be inferred that there is a lack of standardized, longitudinal studies effectively assessing the specific impact of hospitalization on mental health. Additionally, there is a lack of examination of hospitalization as a stressor, and the components necessary to quality it as such. This indicates a clear need for continued research on hospitalization and how it impacts pediatric patients’ mental health. Additional research may reveal novel strategies for providing pediatric patients with effective resources and support to help mitigate harmful mental health outcomes
Immunomodulatory Strategies to Ameliorate Trauma-Induced Immune Dysregulation
No full textSevere musculoskeletal trauma is a highly prevalent condition that frequently results in poor healing outcomes and other complications. Following a fracture, the successful initiation of bone repair relies in part on the immune response to injury, which plays crucial roles such as preventing infection, clearing debris from the injury site, and recruiting and activating progenitor cells. Previous studies have highlighted the functions of specific immune cell populations in these processes, and direct correlations have recently been identified between certain circulating immune cells and bone regeneration in preclinical models of trauma. However, therapeutic strategies leveraging or targeting these immune cell populations to improve bone healing outcomes remain understudied. This work aimed to address this problem by characterizing immune cells and cytokines that are dysregulated after severe injury and by investigating novel methods for modulating immune cells that have been correlated to impaired bone healing.
One key population of immune cells that has been previously implicated in impaired bone regeneration in a rat model of trauma are myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). MDSCs represent a heterogeneous population of immature myeloid cells that expand rapidly after injury and are hallmarked by their potent immunosuppressive capacity. In this work, we aimed to target and deplete these cells systemically in a rat model of bone and muscle polytrauma using two different therapeutic strategies. First, we employed Synthetic Nanoparticle Antibodies (SNAbs), a multivalent nanotherapeutic platform that serves as a synthetic alternative to monoclonal antibodies for targeted cell depletion. SNAbs were used to target S100A8/A9, a protein complex known to be expressed by MDSCs. However, systemic administration of SNAbs only decreased the relative frequency of a sub-population of MDSCs in rats with polytrauma, while another sub-population of MDSCs actually expanded and healing outcomes worsened following SNAb treatment. Therefore, in a subsequent study, we attempted to instead modulate MDSCs using all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a vitamin A derivative that has previously been shown to promote differentiation of MDSCs into mature myeloid cell types and reduce their immunosuppressive capacity in models of cancer. ATRA diminished MDSCs in vitro, but it only resulted in depletion of a sub-population of MDSCs when administered in vivo to rats with polytrauma, and it failed to improve bone regeneration.
To provide further insights for potential future immunomodulatory strategies, we next aimed to expand our characterization of the cellular immune response to trauma to tissues local to the site of injury. We accomplished this by employing spectral flow cytometry to analyze several immune cell populations in the bone defect site, the adjacent muscle, and the adjacent bone marrow in a rat model of femur trauma. This revealed multiple immune cell populations that became altered following injury, mimicking certain patterns of immune dysregulation previously observed in the peripheral blood after injury.
Altogether, this work helped elucidate the development and time course of trauma induced immune dysregulation, identified novel immunomodulatory strategies and their limitations in therapeutically altering systemic immune cells after injury, and ultimately highlighted the need for additional study of trauma immunology as a potential pathway for improving bone regenerative outcomes.2026-10-1
Does Urban Air Mobility Advance City Goals?
Full text link20 pagesUAM is promoted as a service that could address a wide-range of city goals from reducing traffic congestion and emissions to improving access to destinations. At the forecast scale, however, trips will remain both too few and too expensive to meet broad city goals. While UAM may offer an exciting and futuristic technological vision, it can also distract attention and resources from proven policies and investments that could realize concrete improvements. For cities planning to pursue scaled UAM services, they should consider scenario planning and implement flexible regulations and plans that can be adapted and updated as understanding of UAM services’ costs, risks, and benefits evolve
Evaluating Dyadic Interactions as a Mechanism Driving Caregiver and Child Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial of the FIND Intervention
Full text linkGrounded in evidence that responsive caregiving can buffer the negative effects of stress on young children, there have been a growing number of parenting interventions that target responsive caregiving as a key mechanism of change. One challenge in evaluating intervention efficacy has been a relative lack of valid and reliable observational coding tools that can effectively quantify nuanced dyadic interactions and are sensitive to change over time. The current study employs two novel video-coding methods – Conversational Turns (CT) and Follow-Lead-Other (FLO) – to evaluate changes to dyadic interaction variables in a randomized controlled trial of a strengths-based video-feedback intervention (Filming Interactions to Nurture Development – FIND). This study aimed to understand a) how dyadic interaction measures change across the intervention period; b) how dyadic interaction variables were related to other caregiver and child outcome measures; and c) whether CT or FLO variables mediate intervention-related changes in caregiver and child outcomes. Contrary to hypotheses, dyadic language counts measured with CT did not change significantly across the intervention period. CT variables were also not significantly related to other child language outcomes. Our second observational coding measure yielded more promising results: there was a marginally significant FIND-related increase in FLO Following behaviors across the intervention period, and FLO Following behaviors significantly predicted several measures of caregiver self-efficacy, stress, and executive function. An exploratory mediation analysis offered promising evidence that FLO Following may partially mediate FIND-related changes in caregiver teaching self-efficacy; results from the current study suggest only marginally significant effects that warrant further follow-up in the context of a larger study with more statistical power.
Ultimately, the current study offers promising evidence that the FIND intervention increases the extent to which caregivers follow their child’s lead during interactions, which may have downstream effects on FIND-related changes in caregiver self-efficacy. This study also highlights the future potential of the FLO Coding Tool as an effective measure of responsive caregiving with broader applications across clinical research
Through an Experimental Lens: Analyzing the Polish Revolution of 1989 with the Scripting Method of the Comparative Study of Revolutions
Full text link79 pagesIn this thesis project, the primary focus is the Polish Revolution of 1989. Through the exploration of this event, it is possible to gain a greater understanding not only of the event itself, but of the nature of revolution, more generally, and the utility of nonviolence as a tool for political change. To conduct this study, I am observing this event through an experimental lens of comparative revolutionary history called “scripting,” which is discussed and developed in the book edited by Stanford University Professors Keith Baker and Dan Edelstein titled Scripting Revolution: A Historical Approach to the Comparative Study of Revolutions. Within this framework, I divide this piece into three sections, each with the intention of trying to understand the implications of what happened in Poland in 1989. In the first section, following the introduction, I define revolution in general terms and then recount the history of the Polish Revolution with the intent of determining whether the event was revolutionary or not, where I find that it could be understood as a self-limiting revolution, as suggested by Jadwiga Staniszkis, which connects quite well with the idea of the “script.” In the second section, I paint the picture of Professor Edelstein and Baker’s concept of “scripting” through defining the framework itself, as well as lining out why it might be more useful than other means of comparison within the study of revolutions, which is then followed by examples of the application of the scripting method provided by the supporting authors of Scripting Revolution in the Russian and Egyptian Revolutions. From there, I then flip the script onto the Polish Revolution where I find that the Solidarity Trade-Union-turned-Political-Party operated within the script that was created by the Polish Dissidents of the Workers’ Defense Committee that struggled against the Polish United Workers’ Party in the decade before the Polish Revolution. In the final section of this project, I take to the task of determining whether or not certain means of conducting revolution are, objectively, more successful than another, through comparing the intentions laid out by the scripts and the leaders that instituted them in each revolution observed in this project to the observed outcomes of the revolutionary events. In doing so, I find examples of both nonviolent and violent revolution having instances where they can be seen as less successful due to a failure to achieve the desired outcomes, while the Polish Revolution remains an example of complete success. Through this exploration, I primarily intend to understand the nonviolent nature of the Polish Revolution of 1989 and expound upon the concept of “scripting” as a means of conducting the study of comparative history, but there is more to gain from this effort outside of deepening the pools of knowledge surrounding revolution and its study. By better understanding the tools available to groups and individuals to alter the political institution within which they operate, the greater the chance there is to realize a better future. There is no better or worse way of enacting a revolution, but there is a correct method for doing so in consideration of the situation the revolution occurs within, which is why knowing what the options that are laid out by historical precedent is so important to achieving success
Big Ten, Big Impact: The University of Oregon's Move to the Big Ten Conference and Its Influence on Institutional Branding and Recruitment Efforts
Full text link40 pagesAs higher education becomes more competitive, universities must adopt innovative strategies beyond academics to appeal to prospective students. Athletic programs reach broad audiences through media coverage, social media engagement, and national sporting events. This visibility plays a significant role in shaping an institution’s brand identity and in influencing students’ college decisions. This research uses a content analysis of university marketing materials during the transition and semi-structured interviews with professional staff and current students. Focusing on the University of Oregon’s transition to the Big Ten Conference, this study explores how the university leveraged the move to broaden perceptions, increase visibility, and reinforce institutional identity. As the landscape of higher education and collegiate athletics continues to evolve, the findings highlight how transitional periods can offer opportunities to enhance institutional branding
Power, Pictures, and Protest: The Dynamics of Resistance and Repression in Iranian Women's Digital Visual Activism
No full textSince 2014, digital image-sharing has formed a core practice of protest for women in Iran. As a part of this practice, women share pictures of themselves partaking in legally prohibited acts - such as being unveiled, dancing, singing, or cycling - on social media, demonstrating defiance to the regime's "public morality laws" which tightly regulate women’s appearance and behavior in public space. I argue that this form of protest disrupts core mechanisms of authoritarian gender control such as discourses on women's societal roles and the tools of repression - fear, isolation, and the threat of violence - used to enforce compliance to the gender order. Since the beginning of the 1979 Revolution, gender has underlaid key aspects of the Islamic Republic's ideological foundations - further rendering gender-based challenges a pronounced threat. This dissertation shows how women systematically undo the Iranian regime's material and ideological tools of control using subversive images, bringing new insights to questions of power, resistance, and agency in the context of twenty-first century authoritarian regimes. By leveraging social media affordances of visibility, hybrid presence, diffusion, and alternative world-making, I show how women engage a new "repertoire of protest" towards the creation of an alternative gender order based on joy, equality, and free expression. The visions and practices undergirding this gender order gradually take to, and over, public space - undermining key divisions between the private-public spheres which have long constrained women’s presence. Using large-scale image, discourse, and matrix analysis, I trace the emergence of what I term "visual protest movements," which overcome the barriers to mobilization in authoritarian regimes while provoking structural challenges to state power, explaining why they are often met with intense repression. I show how digital image-sharing takes shape around the dynamics of resistance and repression in women's struggles for liberation, while scaling individual acts into collective movements reshaping the very structures they confront, adding new considerations on how marginalized subjects employ creativity in their interactions with digital tools to further their demands