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Lichen Diversity in Portland Metro Area
No full textLichens are keystone species ubiquitous around the world. Lichens are important air quality indicators across urban and natural ecosystems. The biodiversity of lichens can be great, but as species sensitive to air-pollution, the biodiversity in urban ecosystems does not always match the biodiversity of surrounding natural areas. For this work I used the citizen science tool iNaturalist to compile a list of the most frequently observed lichen species in the Portland-Vancouver Metro Region. Public tools like iNaturalist make lichen surveys accessible to more people. I present details about how to identify the five most frequently observed lichen species, and summary statistics about the twenty most observed species which span 11 fungal families. Parmeliaceae is by far the most common family representing 7 of the top 20 observed lichen species (35%), with Hypogymnia representing the genus of the most species (3 of 20). The most frequent type of thallus (lichen body) is foliose, representing 60% of the top observed species. I will give a brief overview of lichen biology and their ecology. Becoming familiar with lichens is the first step to promoting the conservation of these important organisms. The persistent nature of lichens enables the study of these organisms in any season. I aim to show that anyone can be a lichenologist
Managing a Lake That Flows Both Ways
No full textVancouver Lake, an urban eutrophic lake in Vancouver, WA, is considered a regional “gem” but, despite decades of research and restoration efforts, the lake and its users continue to suffer from a variety of issues including annual toxic HABs and noxious aquatic weeds. Championed by the local Friends of Vancouver Lake group, the state legislature has awarded Clark County funds to restore Vancouver Lake through the development and implementation of a management plan.
Development of the 2023 Vancouver Lake Management Plan (VLMP) included engaging technical experts and local stakeholders, and evaluating feasible management alternatives using lake modeling and cost-effectiveness analyses. One of the key recommendations of the VLMP, based on the results of these analyses, called for enhanced lake flushing to reduce toxic HABs. Today, the project team, technical experts, and local stakeholders are working to 1) develop a funding and governance structure to ensure sustainable, long-term lake management; 2) evaluate the efficacy of piloted near-term beach management solutions to minimize risks to public health; 3) design flushing enhancement options; and 4) update and refine the linked hydrodynamic (HEC-RAS 2D) and water quality (WASP) model to further inform the feasibility of flushing options and advance implementation of long-term solutions.
We encountered a number of social and scientific challenges throughout this project. In this presentation, we will summarize project goals and progress to date, and describe the successes and lessons we’ve (l)earned along the way. Through innovative problem-solving and collaboration, we’re excited to move forward together to restore Vancouver Lake
Foundational Ecology of Recently Established Invasive Mediterranean Oak Borer (Xyleborus monographus): An Emerging Threat to Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana)
No full textThe Mediterranean Oak Borer (Xyleborus monographus), an exotic invasive ambrosia beetle, has emerged as a significant threat to oak ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. Currently limited to infestations in Oregon and California, X. monographus is associated with dieback and mortality in Quercus garryana (Oregon white oak) and Q. lobata (valley oak), ecologically and culturally significant species. Despite increasing evidence of its impact, X. monographus\u27 behavior, population dynamics, and host interactions in its introduced range remain poorly understood. This research provides foundational insights into X. monographus in Q. garryana in Oregon. Preliminary observations reveal unique infestation patterns and potential risk factors, providing actionable insights for urban ecological management and invasive species mitigation in the Portland/Vancouver area and beyond
Ecobuoys for Scalable Oceanography
Get PDFAn approach to scalable surface-drifting buoys is needed to enable the high spatial and temporal resolution of oceanographic data that the science and meteorological communities are asking for. With the number of active buoys predicted to increase by a factor of 100 or more, the impact on the environment becomes even more important. Here, we present a pathway to a scalable and sustainable generation of buoys. We identify the main criteria to be used when developing such buoys to be low cost, with reliable data and neutral or even positive environmental impact. For each buoy subsystem—hull, electronics, energy generation and storage, sensors, and communication system—cutting-edge technological solutions are presented, many of them from emerging research in marine or other disciplines. We then assess the potential solutions against the design criteria and plot a path toward small, environmentally friendly, low-cost, and low-power buoys
The Color of Society: A History of Textile Dyes
Get PDFThis paper will examine how textile dyes have been linked to cultural status and hierarchy throughout history. The colors of clothing have long served as outward expressions of wealth and power due to the rarity of natural dyes. With a limited range of colors, each hue became symbolic and took on specific meanings. In China, a strict color code was enforced, with the emperor wearing the most important color; in the Byzantine Empire tyrian purple became the hallmark of royalty and power. Beginning in the 15th century, colonization opened up extensive trade routes that introduced American cochineal and created a global market for dyes as a luxury product. Dyes became more accessible after the Industrial Revolution, and their appeal became linked to trends and styles rather than rarity or price. The invention of synthetic mauve revolutionized the dye industry and transformed dyes into the common product they are today. Throughout history clothing dyes have taken on many meanings, and although those meanings have changed with time, they continue to hold cultural significance.
Part of the panel: Picturesque and ProblematicModerator: Professor Jennifer Tappa
Oregon’s Compulsory Education Act: Americanism, Nativism, and Assimilation
Get PDFIn 1922, Oregonians voted on and passed the Compulsory Education Act. Often referred to as the Oregon School Bill, this ballot initiative mandated public school education for children aged 8 to 16, creating a de-facto ban on private education in the state. While many states considered passing compulsory public education bills, and several managed to get the issue on the ballot, including Michigan in 1920 and Washington in 1924, only one state actually managed to pass such a bill through the electorate—Oregon. This paper explores how the School Bill and similar ballot initiatives reflected the nativist and anti-immigrant sentiments prevalent in the United States at the time.
Part of the panel: From Hoover to Horse Trails: Literacy in early Twentieth-Century AmericaModerator: Professor David Horowit
How the Cheating of East and West Germany Reveals a Global Trend of Doping in International Sports
Get PDFIn 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, representing the end of both a deep physical and ideological divide between East and West Germany. The fall of the Berlin Wall revealed a state-sponsored doping program in East Germany created in order to compete for the political and economic symbol of strength: Olympic medals. Years later, the exposure of widespread West German doping in competitions shows the capacity of cheating to spread like a pathogen, passed from one nation to another in a pattern still visible today. Though East and West Germany were the epicenter of the doping outbreak, the trend spread globally and ultimately led to the establishment of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which continues to struggle to limit this form of cheating today. This paper recounts the beginnings and ends of the East and West German doping programs, the beginnings of WADA, and offers insights into how the spread of cheating has had massive ramifications on the modern sporting world.
Part of the panel: Crime and Punishment Moderator: Brenda Frin
35th Annual Young Historians Conference Program
Get PDFThis is the 2025 Young Historians Conference schedule and abstracts
Shanghai\u27s Stateless Immigrants: Anti-Bolshevik Russians in Shanghai from 1917-1949
Get PDFFollowing the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, thousands of anti-Bolshevik (commonly referred to as White Russians) fled to the city of Shanghai. Shanghai’s status as a free port with very few strict immigration laws facilitated their arrival and allowed them to reside within the city\u27s foreign settlements. The city\u27s complexities and the Russians\u27 status within the city also exposed them to vulnerabilities, including poverty, discrimination, and the eventual geopolitical shifts that led to their ultimate displacement. Despite the issues that many faced, White Russians contributed to Shanghai’s cultural and economic life, opening up schools, religious institutions, businesses, and newspapers that maintained ties to Russian identity and their former homeland. The White Russian community in Shanghai contributed largely to Shanghai’s city life and maintained a strong transnational relationship between both Russia and China.
Part of the panel: Creating Space: Community in Unlikely Places Moderator: Professor Richard Beyle
Evading a Post-Truth World: Rorty’s Foundationless Philosophy for an Acculturating Education
Get PDFA challenge for educators is how to teach in a “post-truth” world. Lies, fake news, and a gleeful disregard for facts – what I collectively term mis/information – all seem to undermine the very project of education. The pragmatism of Richard Rorty holds promise to address such issues. I first argue that Rorty’s philosophy of education is of limited use, whereas his broader thoughts on a philosophy without foundations are more relevant. I then suggest that a way forward is to evade the fight against post-truth dynamics altogether. An insistence on rational objectivity and foundational truth are at the root of the challenges of mis/information. We can instead embrace uncertainty and doubt, shifting our educational goals to help students of diverse backgrounds avoid alienation and humiliation at the hands of schooling. Education can instead affirm the dignity of each student through an acculturation into inclusive, coherent narratives, replacing the self-defeating quest for finding the right truths with the more uplifting purpose of forging a common cultural commitment to reducing human suffering