SCURC Spring 2023 Digital Program

At a Glance Schedule

Spring 2023 SCURC At-A-Glance Schedule
*Denotes outstanding abstract award contenders.

Schedule-at-a-Glance URL: tinyurl.com/SCURCSP23SAG 

8:15-8:40 am Check In

Refreshments

Outside BGS 254

Check Ins

8:45-8:55 am Opening Session

SCURC Fall 2022 Opening Speaker

Speaker: Elliot Stern, M.D., J.D.

Session Moderator: Marni Fisher, Ph.D.

Room BGS 254

9:00-10:15 am Break Out Session 1: Oral Presentations

Social Science Orals: The Study of Answers

Session Moderator: Elisa Barrios Mateo

Room BGS 244

Chris Estrada

“I always feel like somebody’s watching me”: Analyzing Life360 as the Panopticon

Life360 is a mobile application installed on cell phones that uses location-based technology to track its users. Mentor: Erica Vogel

Life360 is a mobile application installed on cell phones that uses location-based technology to track its users. It takes the location data that is typically tracked on any cell phone but expands upon it to provide important statistical data. A parent or administrator of the app can create a “Circle” that includes all family members. With the location data set to “always on” within the app, you can see all user’s locations at any time. The app also tracks driving trips for all involved and reports on the start and end of the trip, the top speed of the trip, and if the driver interacts with their cell phone in any way. It can also detect if the driver has been in a collision, and with an additional subscription cost can dispatch emergency vehicles to your location. This data is especially useful and is used by parents to not only know about their kid’s location, but to track the driving behaviors of new teenage drivers. For this project I did participant observation in Life360. My intent was to review the data it tracked, coupled with interviews of users on both side of the surveillance to determine how they felt about this system. I wanted to answer the question: Using the Disciplinary Power of Life360, do parents feel safer being able to track their kids, and do kids modify their behavior based on this surveillance? 

Sources

Foucault, Discipline and Punish(1977)Ethnographic Research

Emilie Carrere

"Try Looking Up": Exploring Target as a Panopticon

Targets use of surveillance technology, monitoring, and set up placements all support the idea that it follows the panopticon ideology. Mentor: 

For this project I conducted research about the technologies of surveillance in my local Target. Target is a staple for many civilians since it supplies a variety of commodities, from toilet paper to a person's favorite foundation. But how could the beloved Target store be related to a prison focused ideology called a panopticon? To answer this question I observed technologies of surveillance such as the location of cameras and observed the behavior of Target employees to see if they act “different” in front of surveillance. My findings include that surveillance was stronger in aisles gendered for women and I argue that Target’s use of surveillance technology, monitoring, and set up all support the idea that it follows the panopticon ideology

Sources

Foucault, Michel Discipline and Punish (1977)ethnographic research

Logan Le*

The Evolutionary Role of Addiction

The biology of addiction is explored on a evolutionary and neurological basis by examining the genetic and functional causes.Mentor: Renee Garcia

Dopamine acts as a chemical reward system for human brains. The brain receives dopamine upon the completion of a task beneficial to survival (Cunningham et al. 2012). However, that mechanism becomes disrupted today because of the presence of artificial sources of dopamine. Dopamine seeking also lies as the root cause of addiction in humans. It is important to understand that the root cause of addiction is the constant need for dopamine highs. Therefore, there exist reasons for why the brain can become addicted to that same exact high that should occur naturally through tasks such as eating or novelty seeking (Costa et al. 2014). In addition, addiction may have benefited human evolution through increasing the chances of reproduction regardless of the long term health effects (Abed, St. John-Smith 2022) (Durrant et al. 2009). Dopamine addiction does not inherently associate itself with substance abuse, however, substance abuse/addiction relies on the same chemical as any other addiction (Martin-Morris et al 2012).

Sources

Abed, R., & St. John-Smith, P. (Eds.). (2022). Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health. Cambridge University Press.Costa, V. D., Tran, V. L., Turchi, J., & Averbeck, B. B. (2014). Dopamine modulates novelty seeking behavior during decision making. Behavioral neuroscience, 128(5), 556–566. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037128Cunningham, S. L., Buckland, H. T., & Linda Martin-Morris. (2012). What is the link between eating, reproducing, & addiction? The American Biology Teacher, 74(8), 590-591. doi:10.1525/abt.2012.74.8.11Davis, C. (2014). Evolutionary and neuropsychological perspectives on addictive behaviors and addictive substances: relevance to the “food addiction” construct. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, 129-137.Durrant, R., Adamson, S., Todd, F., & Sellman, D. (2009). Drug use and addiction: evolutionary perspective. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 43(11), 1049-1056.Linda Martin-Morris, Helen T. Buckland, & Susanna L. Cunningham. (2012). Can Your Genes “Make You Do It”? The American Biology Teacher, 74(9), 652–653. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2012.74.9.10 Previc, F. H. (1999). Dopamine and the origins of human intelligence. Brain and Cognition, 41(3), 299-350.
Le-Final Poster - Logan Le.pptx

Madiha Pashtoon 

The Court of Public Opinion: Exploring the Role of Public Perception in Roe v Wade's Reversal

How did the public opinion influence the Supreme Court's decision to uphold or overturn Roe v Wade, and how did the views of the minority and majority impact this process?Mentor: Anthony Szczurek

This research project aims to explore the role of public opinion in the Supreme Court's decision to uphold or overturn Roe v Wade, with a focus on the recent case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. In this case, Mississippi has challenged the constitutional right to abortion and asked the court to uphold its ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, effectively overturning Roe v Wade.

One of the interesting aspects of this case is the role of the minority in the Supreme Court's decision-making process. In previous cases related to abortion rights, the court has often looked to the views of the majority in deciding how to rule. However, in the current court, the conservative justices, who are in the minority, hold a significant amount of power, and their views are expected to carry more weight than those of the liberal justices.

This project will investigate how the conservative minority has influenced the court's decision-making process in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, and how public opinion has played a role in this process. By examining public opinion polls and other relevant data, as well as analyzing the court's opinions and dissents, this research aims to provide a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between public opinion, the Supreme Court, and the ongoing battle over abortion rights in the United States.

Sources

1.] Rachel L. Goldstein, Jennifer L. Carlson, Nichole A. Tyson; Dobbs v. Jackson Decision: It’s Time to Get Uncomfortable. Hosp Pediatr October 2022; 12 (10): e364–e366. https://doi.org/10.1542/hpeds.2022-0068292.] Lu, Y. (2022). Roe v. Wade Overturned: Public Opinion on Abortion. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 6, 50–55. https://doi.org/10.54097/ehss.v6i.4040
Pashtoon, Madiha: SCURC Public Opinion - Madiha Pashtoon

Logan Le

Darker than the Blues

The characterization of race relations by musicians is a commentary against the status quo and its perpetuation. Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek

Race plays a complicated and often uncomfortable role in the story of American identity. However, the way Americans have viewed race’s role in society has dramatically changed as the result of the Civil Rights movement. The movement caused Americans to deconstruct and ultimately reject unjust social narratives (Baron, Scita 82-84), which included the use of postmodern music reflecting the transformation of race relations (Goertzen 80); examples can be seen in the songs Mississippi Goddam by Nina Simone, Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone, and We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue by Curtis Mayfield exemplify those breakdowns.

The use of music as a medium to discuss race relations in America peaked during the beginning and aftermath of the Civil Rights movement during the middle of the twentieth century and its close. Furthermore, postmodern music on race relations deconstructs and transforms modernist narratives to speak as a marginalized community against the status quo. In talking about race relations, music: (1) serves as a point of unity in protest (Goertzen 80); (2) rejecting the status quo (Feldstein 1349); (3) transforms the narrative on how racial identity is discussed (Litwack 20), and (4) brings to light the struggles of marginalized communities (Dunaway 284). The song Misssissipi Goddam by Nina Simone transforms the discourse on progress by bringing in her personal experience on how progress has become a part of negotiation liable to being paused rather than allowed to continue. Sly and the Family Stone’s song Everyday People advocates for a “love thy neighbor” mindset of race relations. Similarly, Curtis Mayfield’s song, We the People Who Are Darker Than Blue, also advocates for coexistence and mutual respect amongst the many different peoples of America.

Sources

Dunaway, David K. "Music and Politics in the United States." Folk Music Journal, vol. 5, no. 3, 1987, pp. 268-294. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4522239.Baron, Robert C., Scinta, Samuel. “1960-1970 the Unsettled Decade: 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.” Millennium 2000 -- 20th Century America: Key Events in History, Mar. 1996, pp.82–84. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=18519897&site=hrc-live.Feldstein, Ruth. ""I Don't Trust You Anymore": Nina Simone, Culture, and Black Activism in the 1960s." Journal of American History, vol. 91, no. 4, 2005, pp. 1349-1379, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=16477673&site=hrc-live, doi:10.2307/3660176.Goertzen, Chris. "Freedom Songs: Helping Black Activists, Black Residents, and White Volunteers Work Together in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, during the Summer of 1964." Black Music Research Journal, vol. 36, no. 1, 2016, pp. 59-85. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/blacmusiresej.36.1.0059, doi:10.5406/blacmusiresej.36.1.0059.Litwack, Leon F. "’Fight the Power!’ The Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement." Journal of Southern History, vol. 75, no. 1, 2009, pp. 3-28, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=36429708&site=hrc-live.
Le - Race Relations and Music - Logan Le.pptx

STEM Orals: All Things Great and Small

Session Moderator: Monica Friedrich, Ph.D.

Room BGS 245

Liam Kerrigan

Where Are We?

How has postmodernism shaped the current understanding and governing principles of developing a description of reality in quantum physics ?Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek

Theoretical physics, more specifically quantum gravity, is currently incapable of providing discrete evidence as an indication of its existence. With the limitations that scientists face in theoretical physics, the ongoing work shows how much has been discovered as well as how much needs to be discovered if the field is to continue on its path of development, while redefining the basis for further methods of evaluation. History shows that the development of quantum physics has been recursive and has taken years to only come to a very little understanding since there are numerous questions still left to answer. Current issues faced by mathematicians and physicists includes: (1) spacetime inconsistencies (Ronco sec. 4), (2) undetermined assumptions (Li et al. sec. 10), (3) restrictions on observations (Naqash et al. sec. 4), and (4) limits on research (Brumfiel par. 2). Outside of physics circles, the concepts of theoretical physics have been adapted in a digestible manner for those that are not familiar with such advanced physical concepts through art and media. 

Sources

Javanmardi, Ehsan, et al. "Exploring the Philosophical Paradigm of Grey Systems Theory as a Postmodern Theory." Foundations of Science, vol. 25, no. 4, Dec. 2020, pp. 905+. Gale OneFile: Science."Postmodernism." Key Concepts in Leisure Studies, David Harris, Sage UK, 1st edition, 2005. Credo Reference, Accessed 06 Feb. 2023."Quantum Mechanics." The Handy Astronomy Answer Book, Charles Liu, Visible Ink Press, 3rd edition, 2013. Credo Reference.Staley, Richard. "Quantum Mechanics." Reader's Guide to the History of Science, edited by Arne Hessenbruch, Routledge, 1st edition, 2000. Credo Reference.
Quantum Gravity

Winston Zaw & Anne Spencer

Production, Purification, and Characterization of Recombinant β-glucosidase W409E

The goal is to determine whether the mutant has an effect on enzymatic kinetic activity.Mentor: Monica Friedrich

The project will cover the transformation and growth selection of BLR cells (E. coli cells) and the purification process as well as the concentration and purity analysis of the mutant protein. The transformation is done using the pET29b plasmid with the bg1B gene; gene expression is induced with IPTG. Protein purification is conducted via immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Concentration analysis is done using a BCA assay while purity analysis was conducted via SDS page. The goal is to analyze the effects of a single amino acid substitution.

Sources

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.8b02169 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7114132/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627771/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7329481/ 
Anne Spencer and Winston Zaw SCURC Presentation on D2D - Anne Spencer

Faith Lee & Catherine Lee

Characterization of recombinant β-glucosidase I137K modified by mutagenesis

The goal is to be able to transform cells, find the mutation, analyze purity and extract proteins to determine the overall the kinetic activity.Mentor: Monica Friedrich

During the presentation the topics that will be covered are the steps taken to make conclusions about the mutated amino acid.

Transform competent BL21 E. coli cells with plasmids containing mutated sequences of the ꞵ-Glucosidase gene BLR cells are a strain of E. coli that result in a particularly high level of protein production. Grow transformed cells and induce protein production using IPTG which triggers the transcription of lac operon. Extract protein using affinity chromatography this also serves as a method of purification. Perform a protein assay to determine concentration ad the yield of the protein to allow for analysis. Analyze protein purity by using a kinetic assay the purity of the enzyme will be based on the color change in the color change over time. Finally, form a conclusion about the overall purity and kinetic activity after the amino acid residues have been changed. 

Sources

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.8b02169 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7114132/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627771/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7329481/ 
Lee SCURC PRESENT - Catherine Lee.pptx

Jannah Azar, Shannon Cole, & Lia Thakar

Purification and Partial Characterization of β-Glucosidase Mutant E388F

How does transformation of competent BL21 E. coli cells with plasmids containing mutated sequences of the β-Glucosidase gene affect enzymatic productivity through analysis of purity? Mentor: Monica Friedrich

To create mutated β-Glucosidase protein, competent E. coli cells are transformed with plasmids containing the changed gene sequence E388F. Then, cells are grown and protein-production is induced. After that, protein is extracted using affinity chromatography. Next, we determine how much protein we have by doing a colorimetric protein assay test. This allows us to determine the amount of protein in the sample through absorbance. 

Sources

Design2Data with 𝝱-Glucosidase Lab Manual & Workflow written by the Siegel Lab at UC Davis
Purification and and Characterization of ꞵ-Glucosidase mutant - Lia Thakar

Keaton Knowles & Mitch Rashid

Characterization of Recombinant Beta Glucosidase Q19T Modified by Mutagenesis.

The goal of this project is to affect the reactivity of the bglB enzyme.Mentor: Monica Friedrich

Transforming competent BL21 E. Coli cells with plasmids containing mutated sequences of the beta-glucosidase gene. These cells will be transformed and grown to induce protein production. The protein will extracted using affinity chromatography. Then a protein assay will be used to determine the concentration of the protein produced. Finally ending with analyzing the purity of the protein, which would allow us to analyze the kinetic activity using a colorimetric kinetic assay.

Sources

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.8b02169 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7114132/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627771/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7329481/ 
Keaton Knowles and Mitch Rashid D2D Project - Keaton Knowles.pdf

Psychology Orals: Mind Over Matter

Session Moderator: Jennifer Czerniawski, Ph.D.

Room BGS 252

Natalie Gonzalez, Caroline Craven, Daniel McLean, Karla Coffey, & Harlee Links

Birth Order and its Link to Stress and Happiness

This presentation examines the link between birth order and levels of stress and happiness experienced in adults.Mentor: Jennifer Czerniawski 

Birth order may take up a fundamental role in a person's childhood. This role has the potential to continue its importance into adulthood. These aspects of life lead us to wonder if there is a link between birth order and other experiences people live through. Is there an association between a person’s birth order and the levels of happiness and stress they experience throughout their life? If there is such an association, it is important to acknowledge how the relationship between these variables may help establish a more profound understanding of an individual’s personal and professional life. Analysis of previous research suggests that first born individuals tend to have difficulty admitting they need help with emotional coping (Ring et al.,1965). The results in other recently published studies indicate levels of mental resilience and happiness were higher among middle born children (Fukuya et al., 2021). There appears to be a deficiency in studies that fail to include a combination of psychological constructs in their research. In response to the aforementioned issue, this project aimed to explore the relationship between the variables of birth order, stress, and happiness. Details describing the design, method, and results of the recently conducted correlational study will be discussed further.

Sources

Dohrenwend, B. S., & Dohrenwend, B. P. (1966). Stress situations, birth order, and psychological symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 71(3), 215-223.Fukuya, Y., Fujiwara, T., Isumi, A., Doi, S., & Ochi, M. (2021). Association of birth order with mental health problems, self-esteem, resilience, and happiness among children: Results from A-child study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 1–15.Hilton, I. (1967). Differences in the behavior of mothers toward first- and later-born children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7(3), 282-290.Ring, K., Lipinski, C. E., & Braginsky, D. (1965). The relationship of birth order to self-evaluation anxiety reduction, and susceptibility to emotional contagion. Psychological Monographs, 79(10), 1-24.Van Volkom, M., & Beaudoin, E. (2016). The Effect of Birth Order and Sex on Perceptions of the Sibling Relationship among College Students. College Student Journal, 50(3), 347–354.
Birth Order, Stress, and Happiness

Michala Ballard, Paige Wesselman, Julia Villanueva, Ranjana Ravishankar, and Elijah Al-Debaran 

Relationship between Social Media Usage, Sleep, and Anxiety

We are testing to see if social media usage, sleep, and anxiety all influence one another.Mentor: Jennifer Czerniawski

Within the more recent decades, we have witnessed social media’s growth. As technology has advanced and become easily accessible, we are able to use any social media application whenever we want, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and much more. They allow us to connect with friends and family as well as other parts of the world; we can instantly view a funny video or a helpful recipe, which is so amazing. Since social media is a large part of our daily lives, it is important for us to study how it affects us. Due to this technological advancement, humans are spending more time on social media, causing a negative effect on their lives.

In this study, we aimed to test how the amount of time spent on social media affected a person’s sleep and feelings of anxiety. We used a Google Forms survey to gather data, which was administered through our professor and our personal connections. Participants started off the test by confirming that they gave consent to share their information and answering demographic questions. Then, they anonymously answered a three part survey; the sections focused on sleep (quantitative), anxiety (categorical), and social media apps (quantitative). We hypothesized that there would be a negative correlation between social media usage and the other two variables. In addition, there would be a positive correlation between sleep and anxiety.

Sources

Binford, J., Dolan, M., Elhai, J. D., & Contractor, A. A. (2022). Examining relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder severity and types of media/technology usage. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi-org.ezproxy.ivc.edu/10.1037/tra0001333.supp (Supplemental)Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51, 41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008Luo, X., & Hu, C. (2022). Loneliness and sleep disturbance among first year college students: the sequential mediating effect of attachment anxiety and mobile social media dependence. Psychology in the Schools, 59(9), 1776–1789. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22721Imani, V., Ahorsu, D. K., Taghizadeh, N., Parsapour, Z., Nejati, B., Hsin-Pao Chen, & Pakpour, A. H. (2022). The mediating roles of anxiety, depression, sleepiness, insomnia, and sleep quality in the association between problematic social media use and quality of life among patients with cancer. Healthcare, 10(9), 1745. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091745Alonzo, R., Hussain, J., Stranges, S., Anderson, K.K (2021). Interplay between social media use, sleep quality, and mental health in youth: A systematic review. ScienceDirect. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101414
Ballard_presentation - Michala Ballard.pdf

Stephanie Povich, Annie Huang, & Rida Khan

Social Media, Stress, and Self-Esteem

Is social media use related to one's self esteem and stress levels?Mentor: Jennifer Czerniawski

In our project, we will cover the possible correlations we find between social media, stress, and self-esteem. We will also touch on the group differences between genders and we will separate social media use into active use and passive use.

Sources

TBD
Social Media, Self-Esteem, and Stress

Will Hische

A Neuroscientific Perspective on Dissociative Identity Disorder's Creations: Alters, Biomarkers, and Trauma

This research focuses on what modern psychobiology and neuroscience can see in the brains of patients with dissociative identity disorder and implications across these findings.Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Dissociative identity disorder, also known as DID, is a dissociative disorder that has been mired in controversy for decades. Those with the condition are vulnerable to misdiagnoses and incorrect treatment due to the lack of understanding about the disorder. To provide a more objective perspective on DID, this research investigates numerous studies on neuroanatomy and neuroimaging to explore connections between the disorder and the brain that houses it. Findings suggest that DID can not only be distinguished neurologically from healthy controls, but also that a biomarker may be able to signal this differentiation with a 72.84% level of accuracy. Moreover, DID shares similarities with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, including a decreased amygdala size, which backs the traumagenic model of the disorder. However, the frequency and early onset of trauma in DID patients results in differences such as smaller hippocampal volumes. Other differences in the brain of DID patients, such as an impacted fusiform and parahippocampal gyrus, can be connected to traits in DID such as intrusion and recall symptoms. Even individual alters may have differences in resting states. These insights into the neural underpinnings of DID may refine the understanding and detection of the disorder, which could help to address the ongoing debates surrounding it. 

Sources

Reinders, A., Marquand, A., et al. (2019). Aiding the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder: Pattern recognition study of brain biomarkers. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 215(3), 536-544. doi:10.1192/bjp.2018.255Bhilar D., Delgado E., et al., A systematic review of the neuroanatomy of dissociative identity disorder, European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, Volume 4, Issue 3, 2020, 100148, ISSN 2468-7499, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtd.2020.100148.Modesti, M. N., Rapisarda, L., Capriotti, G., & Del Casale, A. (2022). Functional Neuroimaging in Dissociative Disorders: A Systematic Review. Journal of personalized medicine, 12(9), 1405. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12091405Vissia, Eline M., et al. "Dissociative Identity State-Dependent Working Memory in Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Controlled Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study." BJPsych Open, vol. 8, no. 3, 2022. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/dissociative-identity-state-dependent-working/docview/2648982248/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.22.Dimitrova, Lora I., et al. "A Neurostructural Biomarker of Dissociative Amnesia: A Hippocampal Study in Dissociative Identity Disorder." Psychological Medicine, vol. 53, no. 3, 2023, pp. 805-813. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/neurostructural-biomarker-dissociative-amnesia/docview/2780568144/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721002154. 
HISCHEDissociativeNeurology - Will Hische.pptx

Makayla Arnoldi

SafeStep: Protecting You One Step At A Time

This project explores the elements of our prototype application, SafeStep, a mobile application that provides students with easily accessible features to increase safety in students.Mentor: Donna Franks
This project explores the elements of our prototype application, SafeStep, a mobile application that provides students with easily accessible features to increase safety in students.

Sources

“Annual Crime Statistics // Police Department // UCI.” // Police Department // UCI, www.police.uci.edu/data-dashboards/crime-statistics.php. Accessed 8 May 2023.“Annual Security & Fire Safety Report: UC Berkeley.” Annual Security & Fire Safety Report: UC Berkeley | Berkeley UCPD, ucpd.berkeley.edu/alerts-data/annual-security-fire-safety-report-uc-berkeley. Accessed 8 May 2023.“Annual Security Report - USC.” Department of Public Safety, 28 Sept. 2022, dps.usc.edu/alerts/annual-report/.“Human Trafficking - Statistics & Facts.” Statista, www.statista.com/topics/4238/human-trafficking/. Accessed 8 May 2023.UCI and UCI Health 2022 Annual Security Report, police.uci.edu/clery/annual-reports/uci_security_report.pdf. Accessed 8 May 2023. 
Arnoldi - SafeStep SCURC May 2023 Poster - Makayla Arnoldi.pdf
SafeStep SCURC Presentation PDF.pdf

Humanities Orals: A Matter of Safety

Session Moderator: Jacob Duffy

Room BGS 250

Ryan Aminloo

Cybersecurity Policies and International Relations: The Case of the US and Iran

This paper takes two very different players in cybersecurity--the US and Iran--to outline their general approaches, find areas of potential conflict, and outline confrontations that may be possible in the future.Mentor: Anthony Szczurek

I'd like to outline the dichotomy of Iranian and American foreign policies, and explore their differences. I'd then discuss how these differences come to fruition in cyberspace in the form of conflict. I'd finally bring up the implications of this strenuous relationship and offer possible resolutions.

Sources

TBD
RyanAminloo - Ryan Aminloo

Christopher Nugent

The Necessity of Legal Liability Insurance for the Police

Would requiring police officers to carry professional liability insurance reduce the amount of police brutality and misconduct?Mentor: Marni Fisher

“To serve and protect,” would be a joke if it was not such an insulting and blatant lie. The purpose of the police is, and has always been, to uphold the status quo of the rich, white population through means of political violence. In order to hold officers accountable for their actions, systematic changes must be made.

The research started with going to the library database and finding credible sources that are peer reviewed. Then, the research was organized into patterns. After enough information had been gathered, the next step was to create a research statement. 

Sources

Burke, Julie M. “Why a Qualitative Grounded Theory?” Untangling Preservice Teachers from the Web of Idle Talk: Grounded Theory for a Generative Model of Teacher Education. Education Dissertation, North Carolina State University, 2003, 29-62. Dissertation Chair, Anna Wilson.Ontario School Library Association (OSLA). “Together for Learning.” Learning to Learn. Ontario Library Association, 2010, 23-24.Mongan-Rallis, Helen. “Guidelines for writing a literature review.” How To Guidelines, 2014, University of Minnesota Deluth. 8 July 2017 http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/researching/litreview.htmlSC Library. “How to Start Your Research.” Basic Library Guide. Saddleback College Library, 2019, secs. 1-4.

Artin Esfahani

Punishment & Prisons

Has media violence desensitized humanity to the point of influencing the death penalty?Mentor: Marni FIsher & Anthony Szczurek

Through the course of history, the taking of a life has always been seen as sacrilege - as the worst action a person could commit to another person. Humanity has had its viewpoint altered, desensitized to brutality and the inexplicable value of a life. This plays into how capital punishment is viewed to date. The death penalty is a topic of much discussion, debated over countless times. This research paper aims to dive deeper into the subject and answer this main question: Has media violence desensitized humanity to the point of influencing the death penalty? Further sub questions include:

There are currently countless ways to witness a death. Be it through online games, the television, outlandish shows, or even the media itself, the death penalty has been allowed to continue for far too long. Capital punishment goes against basic human rights, is far too expensive, and has a cost not only in money, but morality.

Sources

Daly, K., & Scheinin, M. (2010). “The UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture: A commentary.” Oxford University Press.Lundberg, David. “The American Literature of War: The Civil War, World War I, and World War II.” American Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 3, 1984, pp. 373–88. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2712739.French, D. A. (2009). The Role of Justice in Society: A Comparative Analysis. Ethics & International Affairs, 23(2), 143-162. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-7093.2009.00215.xHall, S., & Jefferson, T. (Eds.). (1993). Resistance through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain. Routledge.)Brown, Wendy. "Black Lives Matter." South Atlantic Quarterly, vol. 114, no. 3, 2015, pp. 439-480.
Artin E - SCURC Spring 2023

Ian Bentley Shaw

The Underbelly of Cobalt Mining: Understanding Cobalt and Its Impact in 2023

While the material provided by cobalt mining provides foundational elements for many aspects of modern life, what are the ethical implications of how it’s produced?Mentor: Ryan Hitch

Lithium Ion Rechargeable Batteries are used in almost every single electronic humanity uses on a daily basis, such as Electric Cars, Phone Batteries, Toys, household items and thousands of other things. These batteries also pave the way for a better future and can be easily replenished through renewable sources like solar energy. The main tool to make these batteries is called Cobalt, but the conditions people are put through to get cobalt raises the ethical question of, “Is it worth it?” Everyday people are put through slavery within these cobalt mines. Across the globe cobalt mining occurs but the largest hotspot of it sits within the Democratic Republic of The Congo. The workers within these mines are put through excruciating conditions and are paid little to nothing at the end of the day. Along with this, the environment around them is toppled over in order to allow these mines to grow. Thus, it’s important to explore potential solutions to this problematic situation.

Sources

NPR.orgwww.cfr.org www.cobaltinstitutewww.hsphharvard.www.newyorker 

Liberal Arts Orals: Arts, Music, & Education

Session Moderator: Marni Fisher, Ph.D.

Room BGS 234 (Computer Lab)

Nathan Denney*

The Connection Between Other Arts and Music in Romanticism

During the Romantic art movement, music was more connected to other arts in comparison to other time periods.Mentor: Marni Fisher

Authors, poets, and painters inspired some of the musical works of composers during the Romantic era; furthermore, literature and art’s similarity to music was more significant in this particular timeframe than any other time period. Romanticism is characteristically defined as art that deals with expressiveness in terms of emotion and imagination. It is better to define Romanticism based on these characteristics because the Romantic period in music does not have a definitive end or beginning. It borrows the name from the whole Romantic movement in art, spanning across all art forms. This paper will survey a variety of Romantic composers in order to show how other art forms influenced music in the Romantic period. Interconnections between disparate mediums of art flourished during Romanticism because of how patronage change affected composers (DeNora 340), similar forms seen in music and art (Lang 319), and inspiration for composers themselves (Locke 266). These interconnections demonstrate the similarities between music and other arts, but also can demonstrate a new way for listeners to appreciate music with programmatic music. This understanding is important not only for those studying classical music but also for listeners, as a substantial part of the classical concert repertoire contains Romantic period music.

Sources

DeNora, Tia. “Musical Patronage and Social Change in Beethoven’s Vienna.” American Journal of Sociology, vol. 97, no. 2, 1991, pp. 310–46. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2781379Láng, Paul Henry. “Liszt and the Romantic Movement.” The Musical Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 3, 1936, pp. 314–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/738874.Locke, Arthur W. “The Background of the Romantic Movement in French Music.” The Musical Quarterly, vol. 6, no. 2, 1920, pp. 257–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/737870.Altenburg, Detlef. “Liszt and the Spirit of Weimar.” Studia Musicologica, vol. 54, no. 2, 2013, pp. 165–76. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43289714. Accessed 27 Apr. 2023.Sams, Eric. “Notes on a Magic Horn.” The Musical Times, vol. 115, no. 1577, 1974, pp. 556–59. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/959733.
SCURC Denney

Alanna Vescovi*

Those Left Behind: The Structural Barriers in Gifted Education

Gifted education structurally discriminates against minorities. Some of the barriers they face are: underrepresentation, discriminatory testing practices, under-referment for screening, and lack of teacher preparation.Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek

Gifted education is designed to encourage student achievement and to provide equal access for a minority of students: the “gifted.” Put broadly, gifted children are those whose performance or aptitude is exceptional compared to that of their peers. However, the practice of equal access fails to sufficiently identify and engage gifted nontraditional students, including those of color, the socioeconomically disadvantaged, and the disabled (Ford 61). When gifted nontraditional students are overlooked for placement into gifted education, it becomes necessary to question the system that perpetuates this underrepresentation. Today, gifted education structurally discriminates against minorities, hindering their educational development and curbing their potential (Ford and Grantham 220). Though, postmodern influence has sparked positive structural change. The research demonstrates that prejudice in gifted education is evidenced by a variety of organizational barriers that undermine student achievement: (1) an underrepresentation of nontraditional students (Bianco 291; Hargrove et al. 120), (2) discriminatory testing practices (Ford and Grantham 220; Johnson et al. 429), (3) an underreferment of nontraditional students for screening (Bianco 291), and (4) insufficient teacher preparation in multicultural, gifted, and testing education (Ford and Grantham 221). When gifted nontraditional students go unidentified due to unidimensional approaches to identification, their academic progress stagnates and their true potential remains untapped (Ford 60). The dominant model of equal access needs to be replaced with equitable access, where different resources and opportunities are allocated accordingly to achieve equal outcome. Through structural reshaping of gifted education, educators will better identify and nurture nontraditional gifted students (Ford 60).

Sources

Bianco, Margarita. “Winner of CLD’S 2004 Award for Outstanding Research: The Effects of Disability Labels on Special Education and General Education Teachers’ Referrals for Gifted Programs.” Learning Disability Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 4, 2005, pp. 285–93. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4126967.Ford, Donna Y. “Desegregating Gifted Education: A Need Unmet.” The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 64, no. 1, 1995, pp. 52–62. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2967284.Ford, Donna Y., and Tarek C. Grantham. “Providing Access for Culturally Diverse Gifted Students: From Deficit to Dynamic Thinking.” Theory Into Practice, vol. 42, no. 3, 2003, pp. 217–25. JSTOR.Hargrove, Erwin C., et al. “Regulation and Schools: The Implementation of Equal Education for Handicapped Children.” Peabody Journal of Education, vol. 60, no. 4, 1983, pp. iii–126. JSTOR.Johnson, Sylvia T., et al. “Program of Assessment, Diagnosis, and Instruction (PADI): Identifying and Nurturing Potentially Gifted and Talented Minority Students.” The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 54, no. 3, 1985, pp. 416–30. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2295074.
Vescovi, Alanna - SCURC (Spring 2023) - Alanna Vescovi.pdf

Rinoa Redington

Why People are Concerned with AI Art

Despite the bright future or opportunity that many see when it comes to the rise of AI art, many individuals express legitimate ethical, moral, legal, and philosophical concerns that have risen from the controversy of artificial intelligence and its newfound artistic capabilities. Mentor: Suki Fisher

Art has played a crucial historical and cultural role for humanity since prehistoric times, and between the many influential eras of art, every creation, no matter the genre, time period, or medium, shares one thing in common– they are all expressions of humanity. In fact, the very definition of art is described as the conveyance of imagination, creativity and human experience (Oxford Dictionary). This distinction has become crucial to many people with the recent invasion of artificial intelligence in the art world. AI art most commonly refers to the product from computer programmed image generators that use artificial intelligence to turn text prompts into digital art. The subject of AI art is widely controversial for a wide number of reasons. Many people have started to question whether art generated by computers should even be considered art at all. Some feel threatened by such big technological advancements with artificial intelligence, fearing a future in which robots and computers fulfill all the purposes that humans once had. The project will cover what these concerns about AI art are and why they exist, and why AI art is considered "different" from more traditional art forms. 

Sources

Cha, Young-Jae, et al. “Compensating for the Loss of Human Distinctiveness: The Use of Social Creativity under Human–Machine Comparisons.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 103, 2020, pp. 80–90., ScienceDirect, doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.08.027.Jimpei Hitsuwari, Yoshiyuki Ueda, Woojin Yun, Michio Nomura. “Does Human–AI Collaboration Lead to More Creative Art? Aesthetic Evaluation of Human-Made and AI-Generated Haiku Poetry.” Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 139, 2023, 107502, ISSN 0747-5632, ScienceDirect, doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107502.Wong, Justin Jay. “Dall·E: Creating Images from Text.” DALL·E: Creating Images from Text, OpenAI, 5 Jan. 2021, https://openai.com/research/dall-e.
REDINGTON _ SCURC Presentation - Rinoa Nichole Redington.pdf

Harrison Pedranti

The Death of the Story

Discussing how storytelling as we knew it has changed as technology has changed with there being both positive and negative changes.Mentor: Suki Fisher

My project covers areas upon which technology has expanded storytelling and areas where it has detracted from it. I start by covering how storytelling has become somewhat ‘globalized’ in that a story can be shared anywhere by anyone. I also talk about how technology has allowed people to intake stories in much less time than it used to take, with this also expanding a stories availability in that more people have the time to read it. Furthermore, I discuss how individuals are more involved in stories nowadays through media such as gaming allowing for audience interactivity and immersion. But with all these supposed benefits of technology in storytelling I also talk about what was lost, the interpersonal aspect and connection between individuals. With an introduction of technology into storytelling there is less connection between storyteller and audience, with the process becoming impersonalized. I also discuss the many proven benefits associated with oral storytelling to different audiences, especially children. By the end of this project I have hoped to have shown that these losses associated with introducing technology in storytelling outweigh the benefits. 

Sources

"Storification" by Ian Christie,"If I Had Three Wishes: The Educational and Social/Emotional Benefits of Oral Storytelling" by Denise E. Agosto,“How Technology Affects Child Development.” by Megna Dong,“The Modern Mythmakers.” by Jane Yolen,"The Stories We Tell—And What They Tell Us." Heather Sundahl
_The Death of the Story_ - Harrison Pedranti - HfrogTheGamer.pdf

Griffin Glen

Acting Out Postmodernism

This research explores film acting throughout the twentieth century and highlight the evolution from actors simply portraying an archetype to the realistic, oftentimes gritty performances that are seen today. Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek

The art of acting is evolving. This evolution began when Thespis first recited poetry in character on the back of a wagon. Today, theaters all over the world practice and preach different styles of acting from Meisner’s method to Stanislavski’s techniques as they perform Shakespeare or Seussical. This paper will explore film acting throughout the twentieth century and highlight the evolution from actors simply portraying an archetype to the realistic, oftentimes gritty performances that are seen today. Acting has never evolved at the rate by which it has over the last seventy-five years. Reasons for this include, actors changing their methods by which they approach characters, growing interest in cinema allowing for more subtle performance, performance awards starting to gain relevance, and a greater collection of work to draw inspiration from. 

Sources

Collier, Lorna. “Hollywood and COVID 19.”  CQ Researcher, vol 31, no. 7. https://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2021021904&type=hitlist Ladika, Susan. “Movie Industry Disruption.” CQ Researcher, vol. 29, no. 6. https://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2019020800&type=hitlist# Mylopoulos, Myrto. “Agentive Awareness Is Not Sensory Awareness.” Philosophical Studies, vol. 172, no. 3, Mar. 2015, pp. 761–80. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1007/s11098-014-0332-x.Goodling, Emily, and Lianna Mark. “‘Be Yourself, Inasmuch as It Suits the Job’: ‘Authenticity’ in Practice at Berlin’s Maxim Gorki and London’s Royal Court.” Comparative Drama, vol. 56, no. 1/2, Spring/Summer 2022, pp. 1–29. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1353/cdr.2022.0002.Delibero, Linda. “Enter Brando.” Raritan, vol. 34, no. 4, Spring 2015, pp. 85–107. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url&db=a9h&AN=102612460&site=ehost-live.

Political Science & Humanities Orals: Under Human Influence

Session Moderator: Sophia Stebbins

 Room BGS 235

Victoria Gutierrez

The Politics of Gender and Sexuality as Represented in Teen Dramas

American teen dramas reiterate largely regressive politics and ideas regarding gender and sexuality while posturing as progressive.Mentor: Anthony Szczurek

I will dissect the depiction of gender roles and relationships in American teen dramas of the 1990s-2020s (specifically Dawson's Creek, The OC, Gossip Girl, and Euphoria) and compare their representation to the politics of the time. I want to focus on the role of the femme fatale, the madonna-whore complex, LGBTQ+ representation, as well as how the real life politics impacted the storylines that were represented. In addition to this, I'd like to add a subsection on the evolution of certain tropes within the genre and how those have evolved over time.

Sources

Dawson's CreekThe OCGossip GirlEuphoria
Victoria Gutierrez-The Sexual and Gender Politics of Teen Dramas - Victoria Gutierrez

Michael Wojtowicz*

Too Much, Too Fantastic: Culture, Identity Formation, and Camp Sensibility of LGBTQ+ People of Color through a Postmodern Analysis of Pose

This research discusses the history of contributions from LGBTQ+ people of color to queer culture, analyzing the show Pose through a postmodern perspective.Mentor: Anthony Szczurek & Marni Fisher

In recent history, the rise of intersectional theory has given new meaning to the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals to their communities (Parent et al., 2013). This paper examines the historical context of contributions from LGBTQ+ people of color to queer culture, highlighting unique community structures and sexual behaviors (Levitt et al., 2017), distinct language patterns (Daniele et al., 2020), ideologies that promote inclusion (Parmenter et al., 2021), and humor and performance art (Bailey, 2011). The paper further analyzes Pose—an American television series—through a postmodern perspective, incorporating insight from Susan Sontag’s landmark essay, Notes on Camp. Through its diverse cast and storylines addressing issues such as the AIDS epidemic, prejudice within the queer community, and families of choice, Pose illustrates how individuals can challenge societal norms by creating their own communities. Moreover, this paper highlights how members within these marginalized groups have adopted a camp sensibility to inform judgements about important cultural topics—alluding to Sontag's definition of camp—which facilitates identity formation, solidarity, and resilience within the LGBTQ+ community.

Sources

Bailey, M. M. (2011). Gender/racial realness: Theorizing the gender system in ballroom culture. Feminist Studies, 37(2), 365-386,472. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/gender-racial-realness-theorizing-system-ballroom/docview/905225500/se-2?accountid=39855Daniele, M., Fasoli Fabio, Antonio, R., Sulpizio Simone, & Maass, A. (2020). Gay voice: Stable marker of sexual orientation or flexible communication device? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(7), 2585-2600. doi:10.1007/s10508-020-01771-2Levitt, H. M., Horne, S. G., Freeman-coppadge, D., & Roberts, T. (2017). HIV prevention in gay family and house networks: Fostering self-determination and sexual safety. AIDS and Behavior, 21(10), 2973-2986. doi:10.1007/s10461-017-1774-xParent, M. C., Deblaere, C., & Moradi, B. (2013). Approaches to research on intersectionality: Perspectives on gender, LGBT, and racial/ethnic identities. Sex Roles, 68(11-12), 639-645. doi:10.1007/s11199-013-0283-2Parmenter, J. G., Galliher, R. V., Wong, E., & Perez, D. (2021). An intersectional approach to understanding LGBTQ+ people of color's access to LGBTQ+ community resilience. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(6), 629. doi:10.1037/cou0000578

Fatima Xitlaly Muniz

Decline of Religion in America

There has been a decline in religion across Americans from all walks of life as of the early twentieth century, and there is reason to believe that this stems from reasons having to do with our society's history, generational traumas, and international historic events. Mentor: Anthony Szczurek

The number of Americans who identify themselves as separate from a religion doubled from 7 to 14 percent in the 1990s, and it has been on a steady decline ever since. Today, we are far beyond postmodernism; we are living in the results and the consequences that came from that era, as the world entirely is completely transformed in many aspects. From the creation of new world organizations for the prevention of past worldly historic mistakes, to the granting of more universal rights across developed states, the people were given more freedom to be, which meant that there was no longer a pressure necessary to follow a traditional religion nor the need for the comfort that was once so vital. Religion in America is what led to the foundation of the institutions and the type of government which exists here today but current numbers show that approximately 89% of the population does believe in God, despite the fact that numbers are evidently decreasing- furthermore, it is important to note that Americans identify as spiritual but with no specific religion. This decline of religion in the United States has shone evidently on younger generations globally who are losing their religion, which may be due to their upbringing by generations raised in a post-war world, the transformation of social politics and the role which religion still plays in it, the theory of secularization, and the appeal towards other social communities.

Sources

Brauer, Simon. “The Surprising Predictable Decline of Religion in the United States.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 57, no. 4, 2018, pp. 654–675., https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12551.Gilkey, Charles W. “Religion in the Post-War World.” Journal of Bible and Religion, vol. 13, no. 1, 1945, pp. 3–7. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1456174. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.Brooks, Clem. “Religious Influence and the Politics of Family Decline Concern: Trends, Sources, and U.S. Political Behavior.” American Sociological Review, vol. 67, no. 2, 2002, pp. 191–211. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3088892. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023.Hout, Michael, and Claude S. Fischer. “Why More Americans Have No Religious Preference: Politics and Generations.” American Sociological Review, vol. 67, no. 2, 2002, pp. 165–90. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3088891. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023.Layman, Geoffrey C. “Religion and Political Behavior in the United States: The Impact of Beliefs, Affiliations, and Commitment From 1980 to 1994.” The Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 2, 1997, pp. 288–316. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2749553. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023.
The Decline of Religion in the United States: Going Past Postmodernism - Fatima Muniz

Janhavi Shah*

Climate Change Impacts on Women's Prosperity in Bangladesh

This research analyzes climate change vulnerabilities in Bangladesh and offers a picture of how gender-based social capital develops prosperity in a climate catastrophe.Mentor: Ryan Hitch

This research examines climate change vulnerability in Bangladesh and how gender-based social capital develops prosperity in a climate catastrophe. It uses a mixed-method approach to examine changes in the relationship between social capital among women in the post-cyclone Alia recovery in the Kalpara, Gabura, and Koyra regions. While the majority of prior research has been on community-based climate adaptation, little emphasis has been paid to how gender disparities affect local populations. Male residents of coastal families in Bangladesh are emigrating as a result of the climate disaster, creating social imbalance. Women have found ways to combat this limitation by connecting with NGOs and creating local solutions. 

Sources

Ahmed, S., & Eklund, E. (2021). Climate change impacts in coastal Bangladesh: Migration, gender and environmental injustice. Asian Affairs, 52(1), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/03068374.2021.1880213Ahmed, S., & Kiester, E. (2021). Do gender differences lead to unequal access to climate adaptation strategies in an agrarian context? perceptions from coastal Bangladesh. Local Environment, 26(5), 650–665. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2021.1916901Ahmed, S., Eklund, E., & Kiester, E. (2022). Adaptation outcomes in climate-vulnerable locations: Understanding how short-term climate actions exacerbated existing gender inequities in coastal Bangladesh. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2022.2082928Amin, M. A. (2021, January 25). Bangladesh remains 7th most vulnerable to climate change. The Business Standard. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.tbsnews.net/environment/climate-change/bangladesh-remains-7th-most-vulnerable-climate-change-191044Anas, A. Z. M. (2020, September 4). How dire climate displacement warnings are becoming a reality in Bangladesh. The New Humanitarian. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/2019/03/05/how-dire-climate-displacement-warnings-are-becoming-reality-bangladesh
Shah SCURC Poster - Janhavi Shah.pdf

Humanities Orals: Tech Blitz

Session Moderator: Sergio Khachatryan 

Room BGS 233

Noah Benton

Manipulation in Advertising through a Postmodern Lens 

Advertising has dramatically changed during modern history bringing many new questions in the field such as how does advertising manipulate audiences both consciously and subconsciously?Mentor: Anthony Szczurek

Advertising has dramatically changed during modern history, bringing many new questions in the field, such as how advertising manipulates audiences both consciously and subconsciously. Historically, the shift in the majority of advertisements were from traditional sources into ever increasing digital platforms such as websites, social media, and entertainment such as video games and T.V. (Ma et. al. par. 1-4). Postmodernism has changed the dominant narratives signifying a shift into a new era (McHale 13). Therefore, we can analyze that postmodernism has transformed the nature and structure of advertising, including the increased use of manipulation on audiences, both consciously and subconsciously. Analysis of the literature grouped research articles based on how they connected to postmodern concepts. Some of the ways advertising has shifted include: (1) tracking of internet users (Ma par. 8), (2) the use of complex & confusing terms of service (Tan 98-110), (3) more targeted to specific demographics (Lemire), and (4) the monopoly held by search engines (Khan 997). Through the lens of postmodernism, we also find through artifacts such as beer commercials and innovative video game advertisements the continued impact of postmodernism in the modern era. 

Sources

Khan, Lina M. “THE SEPARATION OF PLATFORMS AND COMMERCE.” Columbia Law Review, vol. 119, no. 4, 2019, pp. 973–1098. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26632275. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.Ma, Wenjuan, et al. "Online Advertising." The International Encyclopedia of Digital Communication and Society, edited by Robin Mansell, and Peng Hwa Ang, Wiley, 1st edition, 2015. Credo Reference, login.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?qurl=%3A%2F%2F search. credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fwileydcas%2Fonline_ advertising%2F0%3FinstitutionId%3D5172. Accessed 20 Feb. 2023.McHale, B., "What Is Postmodernism?" The Cambridge Introduction to Postmodernism, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 1-7.Tan, Corinne. “Application of the Terms of Service.” Regulating Content on Social Media: Copyright, Terms of Service and Technological Features, UCL Press, 2018, pp. 98–136. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt2250v4k.8. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.Lemire, Joe. “Detroit Lions' Analytics War Room Is Helping Improve the Fan Experience with Real-Time Fan Tracking Solution from Crowdiq.” Detroit Lions' Analytics War Room Helps Improve the Fan Experience, Sports Business Journal, 29 Nov. 2022, www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2022/11/29/Technology/detroit-lions-nfl-analytics-war-room-trace3-crowdiq-fan-experience-stadium-insight. 
Manipulation in Advertising

Brooke Chansler*

Breaking Down Bad: Exploring the Popularity of Good Characters Who Bad Things in Mass Media

Why are we, as viewers of media, drawn to the antiheroes of stories despite their horrendous actions?Mentor: Ryan Hitch

Antiheroes have taken several mass media forms by storm, especially in recent years. Early depictions of characters through literature and stage plays focused on heroes and villains for leading roles. History teaches us that humans are imperfect. Entertainment needed characters that provided food for thought to match that imperfection. Antiheroes took a long time to begin starring in their own stories, but when they did, audiences reacted enthusiastically. They felt connected to the antihero due to feelings lying deep within their psyche. Today’s psychologists can explain the draw through theories such as Affectionate Disposition and Cognitive Dissonance. This piece demonstrates solid ground for explaining human reactions to character types. For instance, it discusses the theories’ ideas behind why people want certain characters to succeed and others to not. In addition, viewers connect to antiheros’ struggles with society. In particular, an interview from KOB news channel is paraphrased to describe how societal circumstances connected a man to antiheroes he saw on television. He struggled with a methamphetamine addiction and found truth within the stories of the antiheroes from the television show Breaking Bad. This show provides prime examples of the character types and will be used to explain the theories, along with examples from other media.

Sources

(Birnbaum, 2014) https://variety.com/2014/tv/awards/vince-gilligan-and-beau-willimon-on-netflix-antiheroes-and-their-biggest-mistakes-1201272198/ (Hickey, 2013) https://www.businessinsider.com/chart-breaking-bad-is-the-greatest-show-ever-made-2013-9 Lloyd, 2010) https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/television-review-good-bad-ugly-walter-white-is/docview/422267907/se-2 (Lyon, 2021) https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=8f3d0622-cb5b-462c-8545-f45674f9332d%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHVybCZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmU%3d#AN=153092013&db=a9h (Ramirez, 2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqEFkxFgh1E&ab_channel=KOB4 
Chansler, SCURC - Breaking Down Bad

Christopher Raheb

These Invaders Are Gonna Make Me Late For Work! A Look At The Desensitization of Society to Tragedy

A study on the reason behind the recent apathetic societal response to tragedies, wars, and negative news.Mentor: Tina Jenkins

I will study the societal reaction to certain extremely negative events, such as school shootings, wars, and other tragedies, and how and why our view on them has become largely apathetic. I will also be looking at the psychological reasoning behind the fixation on certain specific issues, such as the war in Ukraine, and why these issues are singled out by society over other equally as important or more relevant issues. Specific factors that will be studied is negative news being pushed by news outlets, a reaction to everything that happened in 2020, and how relevant certain issues are to a person's personal life.

Sources

TBD
These Invaders Are Gonna Make Me Late For Work! A Look At The Desensitization of Society to Tragedy

Samantha Cruz

The Art of Storytelling Suffers While Technology Prospers

The integration of new technology in storytelling has detrimentally affected the human experience by placing negative implications on the mind and the stories being distributed. Mentor: Suki Fisher

Technological advancements create a new future for the generations to come but in doing so, human culture begins to deteriorate. Currently, storytelling is under attack by the new technology that seems to arise every coming year; the technology consists of e-books and streaming services alike. Whether it is by novels, television, films, and all the many forms of storytelling, all are being impacted by the changes placed on society. More importantly, this new technology is allowing humans to think differently and that may be the cause of why such a change in storytelling is occurring. It seems that the consequences significantly outweigh the benefits when it comes to technology harming storytelling. Technology reassembles the human mind in many ways affecting the attention span, cognitive functions, morals, and in the way of social interaction. This suggests that society is very influenced by technology and people alter themselves unknowingly just to fit in with newer processes. There is also a darker element that technology can distribute with new storytelling, for some may be manipulated by the media or may be placed at a disadvantage for lack of technology.

Sources

Chen, Chien-Wen. "The Effect of Technological and Psychological Factors on User's Intentions to Continually Read e-Books." International Journal of Business and Economics, vol. 14, no. 2, 2015, pp. 195-220. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/effect-technological-psychological-factors-on/docview/1756087448/se-2.Christie, Ian. “‘Storification’: Or, What Do We Want Psychology and Physiology to Tell Us about Screen Stories?” Stories, edited by Ian Christie and Annie van den Oever, Amsterdam University Press, 2018, pp. 85–96. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5rf6vf.9. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.Postman, Neil. “The Judgement of Thamus.” Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Reading Pop Culture: a Portable Anthology. 2nd ed.,Written by Ousborne, Jeffrey, 2016, pp 153-166. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.Small, Gary W et al. “Brain health consequences of digital technology use.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience vol. 22,2 (2020): 179-187. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2020.22.2/gsmall. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
Cruz, Samantha SCURC - Sam cruz.pdf

Social Sciences Orals: Culture & Civilizations

Session Moderator: Mia Noergaard

 Room BGS 255

Aaditya Warrier*

Ends and Means: How Collectivization Changed the Soviet Union

Oppression results when a group in power implements policy with the aim of shaping reality to justify a preconceived ideology (which was created in the first place to describe reality, not create it).Mentor: Jennifer Pakula

Is a government ever justified in drastically “changing” its population culturally and economically? Or is that change something that is supposed to happen on its own that politics must accommodate while mediating peace? Furthermore, what is genocide and how do we identify it? In this project, I will explore the political, economic, and cultural impacts of the USSR’s attempts to collectivize their agricultural sector. In an attempt to industrialize the peasantry, a class system was imposed upon them. One major symptom I will be analyzing is dekulakization. More broadly, this project will be about how a large-scale initiative to modernize the economy of a nation oppressed the liberties and fractured the culture of a whole population of peasants. The USSR adopted a Marxist political ideology which did not suit their early industrial nation, and a genocide resulted in an effort to bring about the conditions outlined by Marx.

Sources

The Harvest of Sorrow by Robert ConquestEncyclopedia of Russian History by Kollektiv Avtorov
Dekulakization

Keli Fisher*

Traditions and the Future: Chanoyu in Contemporary Japan 

An exploration of the historical practices and philosophies of chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony) to understand the development and significance of cultural traditions in contemporary Japan. Mentor: Claire Cesareo 

Cultural traditions form the foundation of a society, but traditions also undergo shifts to adapt to broader societal, economic, and political changes through time. Chanoyu, as one of the most well-known Japanese traditions, is a prominent example of a tradition’s change over time. In response to westernization, Okakura Kakuzō published _The Book of Tea_ in 1906, which signified chanoyu’s transition from common practice to a symbol of Japanese culture. Okakura proposed that chanoyu is not only a product of Japanese society, but also the essential embodiment of Japanese culture, art, and philosophy, and therefore must be preserved (Okakura 9-10). Then and today, chanoyu’s practitioners balance the desire to honor chanoyu’s roots, while also adapting it to fit contemporary themes, like technologization and globalization. To adapt, I argue that, by drawing from Okakura’s philosophy, chanoyu’s meaning has changed to embody Japan’s cultural identity and a way to reconnect with traditional Japanese culture, also known as premodern Japan. Chanoyu’s practitioners seek to align chanoyu with the traditional Japanese values of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. They prioritize elements that align with these values, specifically emphasizing the authority of the iemoto system and its ideologies, while assigning little importance to chanoyu’s contemporary developments (Surak 91). By doing such, chanoyu can be championed as a force against urbanization and a way to reclaim what it means to be Japanese. Ultimately, this phenomenon speaks not only to chanoyu’s role in Japan, but also to the growing importance of traditions and traditional values in 21st-century Japan. 

Sources

Okakura, Kakuzō. The Book of Tea. Amber Books, 1906.Surak, Kristin. Making Tea, Making Japan: Cultural Nationalism in Practice. Stanford University Press, 2012.Barbara Lynne Rowland Mori. “The Tea Ceremony: A Transformed Japanese Ritual.” Gender and Society, vol. 5, no. 1, 1991, pp. 86–97. Accessed through JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/189931.Anderson, Jennifer L. “Japanese Tea Ritual: Religion in Practice.” Man, vol. 22, no. 3, 1987, pp. 475–98. Accessed through JSTOR, doi.org/10.2307/2802501.Saito, Yuriko. “The Japanese Aesthetics of Imperfection and Insufficiency.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 55, no. 4, 1997, pp. 377–85. Accessed through JSTOR, doi.org/10.2307/430925.
(Fisher, Keli) Traditions and the Future_ Chanoyu in Contemporary Japan.pptx - Keli Fisher.pdf

Lucca Mattiuzzi Martins

Brazil's Failure to Meet Expectations

Brazil has failed to develop the high expectations of a global superpower, and this lack of development throughout the last couple of decades can be attributed to several social barbarisms.Mentor: Marni Fisher

Brazil has failed to develop the high expectations of a global superpower, and this lack of development throughout the last couple of decades can be attributed to several social barbarisms. Since the colonization of Latin America by the Spanish and Portuguese people, social, political and economic institutions have been a very challenging aspect to set up correctly. These institutions have frequently been plagued with corruption and backwards national policies, further damaging the country. Furthermore, Brazil has a very high crime rate in impoverished populations, which creates inescapable poor conditions for the large number of people who live in favelas and shanty towns.

Sources

Masci, D. (2003, March 14). Trouble in South America. CQ Researcher, 13, 225-248. http://library.cqpress.com/Kuecker, Glen D. “Problems in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations (Rev.).” The Americas, vol. 61, no. 2, 2004, pp. 261–262.Lora, Eduardo, et al. The Quality of Life in Latin American Cities : Markets and Perception. World Bank Publications, 2010. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023.Stallings, Barbara, et al. Finance for Development : Latin America in Comparative Perspective. Brookings Institution Press, 2006. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023.

Bre Moeller

The Socialization of Women in Capitalist America: Consent or Coercion in Sex Work and Pornography 

Respecting the private as essential to the political, this research examines contemporary pornography & its subjection of femininity as a manifestation of our sexuality. Mentor: Anthony Szczurek and Marni Fisher

The demographics, political stances, and cultures concerning the depiction of sexuality through pornography varies widely both historically and in contemporary times (Glazer 2016). What remains, even in the postmodern world, is the enactment of abuse, rigid gender roles, and pervasive power dynamics. Yet, as we are faced with the reality of pornography’s abuse, suddenly what matters more is pleasure. In 2019, PornHub reports they received 42 billion visits, around 150 million a day. Employing a feminist theorist framework, this research notes how it is not the proliferation of pornography which leads to the abuse of women and children, but the abuse of women and children, which lays the foundation for widespread pornography. The historical context in relation to trauma continues to persist in denying women’s true reality (Herman, 1992), perpetuating the abuse not only in pornography, but the androcentrism that is ingrained in our sexuality (MacKinnon, 1989) which has been worsened by how we socialize both men and women (hooks, 2004). Positioning the private within the political, this research examines contemporary pornography as significant within cultures, as well as for the purpose of socialization. 

Keywords: gender, climate change, vulnerability 

Sources

Cruz, A. (2015). Beyond Black and Blue: BDSM, Internet Pornography, and Black Female Sexuality. Feminist Studies, 41(2), 409–436. https://doi.org/10.15767/feministstudies.41.2.409Glazer, Sarah. "Pornography." CQ Researcher, 21 Oct. 2016, pp. 865-88, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2016102100Herman, J. (1992). Trauma and Recovery. Basic Books.hooks, b. (2004). The Will to Change: Men, masculinity, and love. Washington Square Press.MacKinnon, C. A. (1989). Sexuality, Pornography, and Method: “Pleasure under Patriarchy.” Ethics, 99 (2), 314–346. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2381437 

James Mastrilli 

FRELIMO; and The Empowerment of Women During the Mozambique Revolution 

During the Mozambique war for independence, FRELIMO, the organizing party, was able to mobilize women into their cause and drastically change the tides of war. Mentor: Margot Lovett 

During the Mozambique war for independence, FRELIMO, the organizing party of the Mozambicans, was able to mobilize women into their cause and drastically change the tides of war. FRELIMO was fighting an uphill battle for independence with the occupying Portuguese. However, the party's leader declared that the integration of women was necessary for the state's survival. Through ideological and practical strategies, FRELIMO effectively recruited female agents en masse and empowered the 'forgotten 50%.'

The propaganda arm of FRELIMO recruited female agents, utilizing a variety of female-oriented propaganda that appealed to women. Women were portrayed as strong, capable, and active participants in the revolution through various mediums, such as radio programs, magazines, and pamphlets. In addition, FRELIMO expanded clinics and hospitals in rural areas, staffing them with women, not as nurses, but as doctors (Hansen 240-41). Aside from Frelimo introducing one of the very first gender quotas for commanding officers and politicians (Penicela 41). They also had women acting in combat roles, getting special military and political training at special centers (Penicela, 22).

On the homefront, women continued to be a priority; even during the revolution, FRELIMO set up women detachments of the party to oversee women's education in business skills and literacy to increase their independence, as well as supplied many rural women loans to start them (Hansen, 231). These initiatives went beyond addressing the gender inequality so prevalent in Mozambique at the time but also served as a necessary step towards liberating the country. 

Sources

Hansen, Helena, et al. “THE ORGANIZATION OF MOZAMBICAN WOMEN (A ORGANIZACAO MULHER MOCAMBICANA/OMM).” Journal of Eastern African Research & Development, vol. 15, 1985, pp. 230–44. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24325658. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.Nordstrom, Carolyn. "Women and War: Observations from the Field." Minerva, vol. IX, no. 1, 1991, pp. 1. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/women-war-observations-field/docview/222837385/se-2.Penicela, Isidro. “Qual a influência da criação do Destacamento Feminino, nas Lutas de Libertação Nacional, para a Emancipação da Mulher em Moçambique?” 2012. Military Academy - Lisbon, Scientific research dissertation. Http://Hdl.Handle.Net/10400.26/8651.
Mastrilli, James Poster - James Mastrilli.pdf

Psychology Paper Posters (Session 1): Just Think About it

Session Moderator: Tina Jenkins, MA

 Room BGS 352

Kevin Perow

Keeping Parkinson’s Patients Moving: Finding Healthful Ways to Fight Parkinsons’ Non-motor Symptoms 

Using longitudinal studies and qualitative assessments, this research poster aims to illustrate the efficacy of maintaining a healthy lifestyle to further treatment of Parkinson’s Disease.Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Parkinson’s Disease is a difficult neurodegenerative disorder that takes a heavy toll on not only motor-function but also many other aspects of a patient’s well being. The primary treatment method for this disorder is almost solely based on medication. This study aims to institute the efficacy of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by way of maintaining proper nutrition and regular exercise as an additional branch of existing treatment. This would incorporate a more natural form of treatment that would further ensure that patients are being provided with the most well rounded care possible that prioritizes their quality of life. Results were collected from an in depth analysis of a longitudinal study as well as three qualitative assessments. This analysis found that with respect to many different non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, taking actions that promote a healthy lifestyle has shown to decrease the progression of these symptoms and provide patients with a better overall quality of life in comparison to patients using medicinal treatment alone. This profound evidence highlights the immense value of Parkinson’s patients having access to fitness and nutrition specialists to help guide and regiment them into practicing a healthy lifestyle since the nature of this disorder makes this very difficult for them to do all on their own. The implication of these findings is that treatment for Parkinson’s Disease can be vastly improved by giving patients access to the fitness and nutritional resources they desperately need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This study can help further research on forms of treatment for the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease ensuring that these are being given as much attention in treatment strategies as their motor counterparts.

Sources

Durcan, R., Wiblin, L., Lawson, R. A., Khoo, T. K., Yarnall, A. J., Duncan, G. W., Brooks, D. J., Pavese, N., & Burn, D. J. (2019). Prevalence and duration of non-motor symptoms in prodromal Parkinson's disease. European Journal of Neurology, 26(7), 979-985. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.13919Nedim Ongun. (2018). Does nutritional status affect Parkinson's Disease features and quality of life? PLoS One, 13(10)https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205100Paknahad, Z., Sheklabadi, E., Derakhshan, Y., Bagherniya, M., & Chitsaz, A. (2020). The effect of the Mediterranean diet on cognitive function in patients with Parkinson’s disease: A randomized clinical controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 50https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102366Colombo, B., Rigby, A., Gnerre, M., & Biassoni, F. (2022). The Effects of a Dance and Music-Based Intervention on Parkinson’s Patients’ Well-Being: An Interview Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(12), 7519. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127519Moon, S., Sarmento, C. V. M., Steinbacher, M., Smirnova, I. V., Colgrove, Y., Lai, S. M., Lyons, K. E., & Liu, W. (2020). Can Qigong improve non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease - A pilot randomized controlled trial?. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 39, 101169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101169
SCURC Research Poster - Kevin Perow.pdf

Caroline Mertens*

Chiari Type One Surgery: Life Post Operation with Physical and Mental Effects 

Using case studies, this research poster works to determine the correlation between Chiari Type One Surgery working towards the embetterment of physical and mental well being. Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Chiari Malformation One is a very challenging condition, with over one in a thousand possessing this, and not discovering surgery option until later. Surgery is highly recommended for those with severe cases. This study aims to establish the efficiency and improvement patients feel when having underwent surgery for Chiari Malformation. To obtain these results, one book, fourteen scholarly reviews, and many clinical trials were analyzed. This anaylsis found that over three fourths of patients that received the surgical treament experienced postive changes. Many experienced an improved quality of life doing everyday tasks, minimized to no heaaches, etc. Research indicates that the younger surgery is completed the more favorable the outcome is. Studies show that many individuals do not discover they possess this condition until at a much older age which may cause results to vary. From a younger perspective cognition and routine physical performance is exceptional post-operation. Furthermore, studies found that neurological status is increased allowing neurons to fire and more cerebrospinal fluid to flow within the craniovertebral junction. CM1 surgery is very effective within younger teens and as age increases, surgery is still effective, just not at the equivalent of the younger groups. The implications of these findings is that CM1 must become a larger topic of discussion among physicians due to treatment being effective within pediatrics. This study can contribute to further research in improving how doctors assess this condition, and performing X-rays at younger ages in life in order to ultimately assist patients as early as possible.

Sources

Badrfam, R., Naghavi, H. R., Noroozian, M., & Zandifar, A. (2021). Chiari malformation type I with depression and severe psychosis: Case report according to the role of the cerebellum in cognition and emotion. Clinical Case Reports, 9(6)https://doi.org/10.1002/ccr3.4273Eppelheimer, M. S., Biswas, D., Braun, A. M., Houston, J. R., Allen, P. A., Jayapalli, R. B., Labuda, R., Loth, D. M., Frim, D., & Loth, F. (2019). Quantification of changes in brain morphology following posterior fossa decompression surgery in women treated for Chiari malformation type 1. Neuroradiology, 61(9), 1011-1022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-019-02206-zGarcía, M., Lázaro, E., López-Paz, J. F., Martínez, O., Pérez, M., Berrocoso, S., Al-Rashaida, M., & Amayra, I. (2018). Cognitive Functioning in Chiari Malformation Type I Without Posterior Fossa Surgery. The Cerebellum, 17(5), 564-574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-018-0940-7Lázaro, Esther, et al. “Anxiety and Depression in Chiari Malformation.” IMR Press, IMR Press, 15 Nov. 2018, https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JIN/17/4/10.31083/j.jin.2018.04.0414.Labuda, R., Nwotchouang, B. S. T., Ibrahimy, A., Allen, P. A., Oshinski, J. N., Klinge, P., & Loth, F. (2022). A new hypothesis for the pathophysiology of symptomatic adult Chiari malformation Type I. Medical Hypotheses, 158, 110740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2021.110740
mertenscaroline_LATE_60080000000169801_60080000013417243_chiari 1 pt 3.pptx

Kate Dewalt*

Resurgence of Psychedelics as Medical Treatment: Efficacy of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy on Depression, PTSD, and the Brain

Using various clinical studies, the research poster examined the benefits and effectiveness of psychedelics assisted therapy to treat PTSD and Depression. Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Psychiatric disorders affect 51 million people in the United States. Traditional pharmacology and physiotherapy are not successful for up to 40% of cases related to depression and PTSD. Preliminary data suggests that psychedelics provide immediate relief from severe symptoms associated with depression and PTSD while more traditional treatments take weeks to take effect. The research investigated how effective psychedelic-assisted therapy is in treating depression and PTSD and how it affects the brain. Psychedelics helps rewire the brain and releases the individual from being stuck in rumination and allows positive perspectives in.The participants treated with psilocybin reported relief from depressive symptoms after the first dose, with many reporting feelings of calm and relaxation. In blind studies with MDMA, there were less suicidal ideation with the MDMA group and two-thirds of the the MDMA group were in remission from symptoms after the 12 month period of treatment and psychotherapy. Microdosing has become more popular with the online community with thousands of users so further research should be developed in this area. Future studies could extend the use of different psychedelics in treatment of other diseases and disorders. Under careful monitoring with medical professionals, psychedelic-assisted treatment can be beneficial to individuals suffering from PTSD and depression, with negligible side effects, when traditional therapy is not successful.

Sources

Ahmed Al-Naggar R., Alshaikhli. H., & Erlam, G., (2021). Effectiveness of Psilocybin on Depression: A Qualitative Study. Electronic Journal of General Medicine, 18(3), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/10862Doss, M. K., et al. (2021). Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01706-yGukasyan N., et al. (2022). Efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted treatment for major depressive disorder: Prospective 12-month follow-up 36(2), 151–158. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/ffff10.1177/02698811211073759Mitchell, J. M., Bogenschutz, M., Alia, L., Harrison, C., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., Ot’alora, G. M., Wael, G., Casey, P., Gorman, I., Nicholas, C., Mithoefer, M., Carlin, S., Poulter, B., Ann, M., Sylvestre, Q., Wells, G., Klaire Sukhpreet, S., van der, K. B., . . . Doblin, R., (2021). MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine, 27(6), 1025-1033. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01336-3Daws R. et al. (2022). Increased global integration in the brain after psilocybin therapy for depression. Nature Medicine, 28(4), 844–851. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01744-zJerome, L., Feduccia, A. A., Wang, J. B., Hamilton, S., Berra, Y., Emerson, A., Mithoefer Michael, C., & Doblin, R. (2020). Long-term follow-up outcomes of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD: a longitudinal pooled analysis of six phases 2 trials. Psychopharmacology, 237(8), 2485-2497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-020-05548-2 
Dewalt Phychedellics treating Phycheatric dissorders - Kate Dewalt.pdf

Hope Moran

Are You Hungry? The Psychology Behind Advertising in Fast Food Sales and Its Effects on Consumers. 

Using scholarly article reviews, this poster aims to find the correlation between fast food business advertising manipulation and consumer sales. Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Consumers of fast food might have a hard time staying away from their favorite businesses due to the strategic psychology the businesses use to influence them. In order to find the causes of manipulation that fast food businesses use to increase their sales, five scholarly article reviews were analyzed. This analysis found that color plays a major role in fast food advertising as it induces hunger and evokes emotion. Not only this, but colors can affect the way people view certain foods and cause them to feel like they are healthier than they think. This would be known as cognitive dissonance because their attitudes and beliefs start to conflict. Research has also shown that positive emotions in a product can make it more attractive and create positive attitudes towards the product. These findings imply that colors are very important to fast-food advertising. Not only does it evoke emotions and hunger, but it attracts customers into buying more than they need. Some future research that could be performed is whether the purchase of fast food is related to more cognitive behaviors or motivational behaviors. This research can be applied to almost anything since there are colors around everything. People might benefit from learning how cognitive dissonance plays a role in the purchasing process because it could be able to help them in deciding whether they should purchase fast food or not. 

Sources

Juwaheer , T. D., & Sahye, K. (2019). The use of colours in marketing in shopping malls of mauritius- A gendered approach. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.33423/jmdc.v13i3.2240Sofi, S. A., & Najar, S. A. (2018). Impact of personality influencers on psychological paradigms: An empirical-discourse of big five framework and impulsive buying behaviour. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 24(2), 71–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2017.12.002Vermeir, I., & Roose, G. (2020). Visual design cues impacting Food Choice: A Review and Future Research Agenda. Foods, 9(10), 1495. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9101495Yakın, V., Güven, H., David, S., Güven, E., Bărbuță-Mișu, N., Güven, E. T., & Virlanuta, F. O. (2023). The effect of cognitive dissonance theory and brand loyalty on Consumer Complaint Behaviors: A cross-cultural study. Sustainability, 15(6), 4718. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064718Yang, J., & Shen, X. (2022). The application of color psychology in Community Health Environment Design. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2022, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7259595 
Hope Moran - SCURC (1) - Hope Moran.pdf

Joshua Meyer

Aging, Envejecimiento: The Effects of Multilingualism on the Aging Brain 

Language has shown to have many connections to brain health during cognitive aging, implying many advantages for multilingual individuals. Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Multilingualism is a common ability of many individuals that comes along with different experiences in life and even in the brain. Using scholarly psychological journals, this research finds that the age at which dementia and Alzheimer’s develops among monolinguals vs bilinguals is significantly different. However, the likelihood of developing these conditions is not significantly different. While it could delay the diagnoses, multilingualism won’t prevent these conditions altogether. Nevertheless, this aspect of brain health seems to be benefited by speaking multiple languages. When tested in critical thinking disposition, the difference between monolinguals and bilinguals is not significant during younger years of life. However, as they get older the difference is more noticeable and the advantages of bilingualism are revealed. Despite this, using language learning as a method to counteract age-related cognitive decline has proven to be ineffective, so prescribing language learning in old age would not be a proper treatment. In order for it to be effective, language learning would need to take place at a younger age so that fluency could more easily be achieved, in which case it could be used as a preventative measure rather than as a treatment. Language learning should be encouraged the most during the formative years of development and should be part of education from the very beginning rather than later on. This will ultimately allow the benefits of multilingualism to occur and in turn produce a future society that experiences a more successful cognitive aging. 

Sources

Berggren, R., Nilsson, J., Brehmer, Y., Schmiedek, F., & Lövdén, M. (2020). Foreign language learning in older age does not improve memory or intelligence: Evidence from a randomized controlled study. Psychology and Aging, 35(2), 212-219. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000439Costumero, V., Marin-Marin, L., Calabria, M., Belloch, V., Escudero, J., Baquero, M., Hernandez, M., Ruiz de Miras, J., Costa, A., Maria-Antònia Parcet, & Ávila, C. (2020). A cross-sectional and longitudinal study on the protective effect of bilingualism against dementia using brain atrophy and cognitive measures. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, 12, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-020-0581-1Hernandez, S. D. and E. (2022). Nearly 68 million people spoke a language other than English at home in 2019. Census.gov. Retrieved April 2, 2023, fromStefano, B., Sohrabi, H. R., Hebert, J. J., Forrest Mitchell, R. L., Matti, L., Hämäläinen Heikki, Mira, K., Peiffer, J. J., Martins, R. N., & Fairchild, T. J. (2020). Bilingualism Is Associated with a Delayed Onset of Dementia but Not with a Lower Risk of Developing it: a Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses. Neuropsychology Review, 30(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-020-09426-8Tarighat, S., Rashtchi, M., & Khoii, R. (2019). The Bilingual Advantage in Thinking Critically: The Roles of Age of Onset and L2 Proficiency. The American Journal of Psychology, 132(3), 281–292. https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.132.3.0281 
Meyer SCURC Presentation.pptx - josh.pdf

Julia Christesen

The Musicality of Psychology: Music effects on the Brain

How does music impact brain activity and in specific mental illnesses and brain disorders?Mentor: Tina Jenkins

For this project I will cover how different types of music impact mental illness and brain disorders on a biological level. In specific I will be looking at the change in brain activity when certain music is played. I will then look at the brain activity of people with mental illness and brain disorders to look at possible ways music may affect their brains. Furthermore, people's preference for music will also be taken into account when looking at how music can affect the brain. Lastly, I will discuss the different components to music therapy and the different effects they can have on an individual. 

Sources

Zubcevic, J., Watkins, J., Perez, P. D., Colon-Perez, L., Long, M. T., Febo, M., & Hayward, L. (2018). MEMRI reveals altered activity in brain regions associated with anxiety, locomotion, and cardiovascular reactivity on the elevated plus maze in the WKY vs SHR rats. brain imaging and behavior, 12(5), 1318-1331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-017-9798-4Chen, R. (2018). Emotional inhibitory effect of music therapy on anxiety neurosis based on neural content analysis in hippocampus. NeuroQuantology, 16(5)https://doi.org/10.14704/nq.2018.16.5.1431Berryhill, B., Carlson, C., Hopson, L., Culmer, N., & Williams, N. (2022). Adolescent depression and anxiety treatment in rural schools: a systematic review. journal of rural mental health, 46(1), 13-27. https://doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000183
CHRISTESEN, JULIA- PSYCH 1H- FINAL POSTER - Julia Christesen.pdf

Ryan Doyle

How Much of Our Gender Identity Is Our Choice: How Is It Influenced?

Gender identity is a life-altering, mostly once-in-a-life-time choice, profoundly and permanently influenced by hormones and by family, with the child facing possible ostracism by family.Mentor: Tina Jenkins

How much choice is there in our gender identity – how is it affected by our living conditions, family conditions/ideals, and our brain? This study aims to examine how gender identity is positively or negatively influenced by living conditions, family conditions/ideals, and the brain. To achieve this aim, I analyzed five scholarly journals containing gender identity, implications of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), and the dichotomous effect of parent’s acceptance/rejection. This analysis found that gender identity is a life-altering, mostly once-in-a-life-time choice, but it is heavily influenced by hormones in our brain. In addition, families do not influence their child’s gender identity, but they do affect their child’s acceptance/confidence in his/her gender identity, causing their child’s life course to change. Research states that transgender individuals tend to block their transition to puberty through gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) and that has beneficial mental effects. Furthermore, research found that GAHT helps induce desired secondary sex characteristics in transgender individual and helps achieve their desired appearance, causing their mental health to improve. Additionally, transgender individuals who “come out” to their family have their family relationships and their mental health greatly impacted. The implications of these findings are that social environment and socioeconomic status greatly affect the lives of transgender individuals. Being homeless or pursuing higher education typically resulted in opposite treatment by the families (Schmitz & Tyler, 2018). We need to have better acceptance of other’s gender identity – regardless of social environment, socioeconomic status, or pursuit of higher education.

Sources

Nguyen, H. B., Loughead, J., Lipner, E., Hantsoo, L., Kornfield, S. L., Epperson C. N. (2019). What has sex got to do with it? The role of hormones in the transgender brain. Neuropsychopharmacology, 44(1), 22-37. ProQuest, URL: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2133417710/6DCDDA6CDF7A4216PQ/1?accountid=39855. Accessed 2 April 2023.Schmitz, R. M., Tyler, K. A. (2018) The Complexity of Family Reactions to Identity among Homeless and College Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Young Adults. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47(4), 1195-1207. ProQuest, URL: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2023322410/9A3E4AFF4E024280PQ/7?accountid=39855. Accessed 2 April 2023.Robinson, B. A. (2018) Conditional Families and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youth Homelessness: Gender, Sexuality, Family Instability, and Rejection. Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(2), 383-396. ProQuest, URL: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2018570578/6E985EC0332C46B9PQ/4?accountid=39855. Accessed 2 April 2023.Stroumsa, D., Minadeo, L. A., Maksutova, M., Moravek, M. B., Stephenson, R., Pfeiffer, P. N., Wu, J. P. (2022) Initiating gender-affirming hormones for transgender and non-binary people: A qualitative study of providers’ perspectives on requiring mental health evaluations. PLoS One, 17(8). ProQuest, URL: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2703943196/118649F2C0454F19PQ/1?accountid=39855. Accessed 2 April 2023.Ristori, J., Cocchetti, C., Romani, A., Mazzoli, F., Vignozzi, L., Maggi, M., Fisher, A. D. (2022) Brain Sex Differences Related to Gender Identity Development: Genes or Hormones? International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(6). ProQuest, URL: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2382243911/A575A8D8177249EDPQ/5?accountid=39855. Accessed 2 April 2023.
PSYCH Poster - Ryan Doyle - Ryan Doyle.pdf

Jacob Park 

Riding the K-Wave Until It Breaks: The Effect that Korean Popular Culture in America Has on a New Generation of Immigrants 

This poster analyzes how the rise of Korean pop culture in the US has positively and negatively affected the acculturation process for new immigrants. Mentor: Tina Jenkins

The Korean Wave refers to the explosion in popularity of South Korean pop culture in the US, specifically through social media and entertainment. This study aims to explore the effect that this has had on the acculturation process for new Korean immigrants. The following results were obtained by analyzing three journal articles, a qualitative study, and a dissertation. Upon conducting this analysis, it was found that young Korean Americans feel marginalized in the US and Korean media serves as a space for them to feel comfortable with their cultural identity. Additionally, the consumption of Korean media cultivates global imagination within immigrants which motivates them to seek out new relationships within the Korean American community. The growth of Korean pop culture also gives immigrants more opportunities to introduce Korean culture to Americans in a diverse set of social environments. Conversely, continuous consumption of Korean media decreases the socioeconomic factors that help immigrants assimilate into American culture. As a result, a bicultural identity is formed which can lead to frustration with self-identity as well as difficulty fitting in with either culture. From these findings, it can be concluded that Korean immigrants should be encouraged to utilize the Korean Wave through social media as a tool to grow friendships and create more opportunities to connect with other Korean Americans. This will lead to an increased global imagination which others should take advantage of by providing them with local events and gatherings to connect with people going through similar experiences. 

Sources

https://doi.org/10.29152/KOIKS.2020.51.1.125https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1080/10304312.2018.1458819https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1006https://scholarshare.temple.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.12613/2478/Suh_temple_0225E_13430.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Jacob Park - Psych 1H Poster PowerPoint - Jacob Park.pdf

Kaitlin Gribben

Future Parenting Styles of Parentified Children: Emotional Parentification and the Impacts of Role Reversal on Parenting Techniques in Adulthood

Examining multiple dimensions relating to parentification, this study looks to determine the parenting style most likely used by children who had been parentified in childhood.Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Parentification can be detrimental to a child’s development and there remain questions surrounding what becomes of a parentified child once they reach adulthood, especially once they raise children of their own. In this paper, severe emotional parentification was focused on due to it being found to have the most detrimental effects on youth. This study analyzes thirteen different research papers to determine the most likely outcome of an adult parentified child’s parenting techniques. The journals examine the impact of neglect, parentification, and attachment on the futures of children who experience parentification, along with the causes behind neglect. Through this analysis, it was found that parentification can be linked to attachment insecurity due to similar outcomes and causes, while also being able to be connected to histories of mental illness in the parentified child’s parents. Neglectful parenting styles are employed by those that have insecure attachments, were parentified, or were neglected. Also, less beneficial parenting techniques were used by those with symptoms that are commonly caused by severe emotional parentification. Extreme parenting techniques have been shown to transfer down generations, and according to the research conducted, parentification likely follows suit. Thus, parentified children are most likely to use an extreme parenting style with their future children, such as permissive, neglectful, or authoritarian. These findings imply that the sources of parentification need to be further uncovered for better treatment and therefore break the intergenerational cycle of trauma and neglectful parenting. Understanding what makes parentification harmful can help parents form healthier boundaries.

Sources

Borchet, J., Lewandowska-Walter, A., Połomski, P., Peplińska, A., & Hooper, L. M. (2021). The relations among types of parentification, school achievement, and quality of life in early adolescence: an exploratory study. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 635171. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635171Tedgård, E., Råstam, M., & Wirtberg, I. (2019). An upbringing with substance-abusing parents: Experiences of parentification and dysfunctional communication. Nordisk alkohol- & narkotikatidskrift : NAT, 36(3), 223–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1455072518814308Kamis, C. (2021). The long-term impact of parental mental health on children’s distress trajectories in adulthood. Society and Mental Health, 11(1), 54–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869320912520Azman, Ö., Mauz, E., Reitzle, M., Geene, R., Hölling, H., & Rattay, P. (2021). Associations between parenting style and mental health in children and adolescents aged 11–17 years: results of the KiGGS cohort study (second follow-up). Children, 8(8), 672. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/children8080672Sorbara, A. S. (2018). Redefining past events using narrative art therapy: promoting resilience in adult children of mentally ill parents. Notre Dame de Namur University. https://www.proquest.com/openview/dff679f564d05c994b2948b92c3bf2f8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y 
Gribben_Kaitlin Parentification PosterPDF - Kaitlin Gribben.pdf

Aiden Conant

We Both Know you Need Help, the Question is, What Kind?

The search to "cure" anxiety is a goal those in the psychological community have been aiming to achieve forever, and presently seems to be more crucial than ever in aiding our development of a healthy society.Mentor: Tina Jenkins

The search to "cure" anxiety is a goal those in the psychological community have been aiming to achieve forever, and presently seems to be more crucial than ever in aiding our development of a healthy society. We have found that out of all mental ailments Anxiety is one of if not the easiest to fix. Nonetheless, this poses the question which form of cognitive-based based therapy is the most effective in lessening the symptoms of anxiety disorders, specifically TBCT and MCBT? My approach to this growing issue is to move away from the chemical approach and focus more on CBT’s. This unfortunately is easier said than done due to there being a major lack of people in the mental health field qualified to do CBT. Another variable we must consider is that people are very different and respond to therapy much differently than others. Genetics' play a big part in why others are more susceptible to anxiety than other for example a more active central nervous system causes one to be more anxious. Another example of a variable hindering how well my plan could work, is the stigma behind therapy. Many like those in the military view it as weak and won't give therapy the time of day. But, if the U.S. puts more money into cognitive based talk therapy, we will see a decline in the need for medication, and see similar, if not better, results if cognitive therapy is the main form of treatment for those with anxiety disorders. 

Sources

Ghahari, S; Mohammadi-Hasel, (2020), Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, Photograph,  East Asian Archives of Psychiatry; Aberdeen, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2581892328/fulltextPDF/95BB0B07E1B0401BPQ/1
conantaidan_60080000000214928_60080000013402376_poster template 1-3.pptx

Biology Posters and Orals

Session Moderator: Tony Huntley, Ph.D.

Room SCI 211

Nikou Bakhtiari, Tyler Bashor, James Begando, Chloe Foo, Masha Goodarzi, Lia Harvey, Ellen Nguyen, Alex Patino, Perigrine Reed, Hugo Lozano

Preliminary Report of the Fossil Marine Organisms in a Sample From Eastern Mission Viejo

Mentor: Tony Huntley

Catherine Berry

Effects of Lactose in Yogurt Fermentation

Mentor: Tony Huntley

Esmeralda Flores Cabrera and Victoria Farasat

The Effect of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the Growth Rate in Hybrid Round Radishes, Raphanus sativus

Mentor: Tony Huntley

Chloe Foo

Survey of Food Availability at Saddleback College

Mentor: Tony Huntley

Chloe Foo, Lia Harvey, Masha Goodarzi, Nikou Bakhtiari, Tyler Bashor, Alex Pantino, James Begando, Peregrine Reed, and Ellen Nuyen

Fossils

Mentor: Tony Huntley

 Josmar De La Cruz and Zohal Noori

The Effect of Temperature on the Growth of Plasmoidial Slime Mold, Physarum polycephalum, Growing In A Labyrinth Maze

Mentor: Tony Huntley

Nathan Lahaderne, Armita Sarvi, Carly Wilson, Katrina Green, Ryan Dialahmeh, and Crystal Kausler

What is Glass? Characteristics, History, and Applications of Glass in the Arts and Sciences

Mentor: Tony Huntley

Kaeli Wedel

Effect of Coffee on the Growth of King Oyster Mushrooms, Pleurotus eryngii, on Malt Agar

Mentor: Tony Huntley

Elena Flores Cabrera

The Effects of Nicotine Vape Liquid on Germination and Growth in of Radishes, Raphanus raphanistrum

Mentor: Tony Huntley

Nathan Kelley and Arman Meysami Tabriz

Effect of Ambient Water Osmolarity on the Body Fluid Concentraion of Blue Crabs

Mentor: Tony Huntley

10:15-10:30 am  Break

Refreshments

BGS Patio

Check Ins

10:30-11:45 am Break Out Session 2: Poster Sessions

STEM Orals: Through the Lens of Science (Session 2)

Session Moderator: Monica Friedrich, Ph.D.

Room BGS 245

Tyler Bashor & Graan Manely

Purification and Partial Characterization of Recombinant β-glucosidase Y333F

Does mutating Y333F have an effect on enzyme activity?Mentor: Monica Friedrich

Over the course of the research, β-glucosidase was mutated at amino acid residue 333 from tyrosine to a phenylalanine. The mutated gene was initially extracted then analyzed to determine the concentration and purity of the gene. 

Sources

Lab Manual, A Deep Dive Into Induction with IPTG | GoldBio https://goldbio.com/articles/article/a-deep-dive-into-iptg-induction New England biolabs, module 1 - Using FoldIt for Protein Modeling - Google Docs https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gWNVxjoj6v0-KKKhLvjWIBmjmlD14Mz2E3n_psJYd-g/edit 
d2d research - Tyler Bashor.pdf

Victoria Farasat & Esmeralda Flores Cabrera

Production, Purification, and Characterization of Recombinant β-Glucosidase A306S and Its Application in Biofuels

Plasmids containing mutated sequences for the β-glucosidase gene will have an effect on enzyme activityMentor: Monica Friedrich

The project will transform competent BL21 E. coli cells with plasmids containing mutated sequences of the β-glucosidase gene; grow transformed cells and induce protein production; extract protein using affinity chromatography; perform a protein assay to determine concentration; analyze protein purity; and possibly analyze kinetic activity using a colorimetric kinetic assay

Sources

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.8b02169 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7114132/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627771/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7329481/ 
BIO 3C D2D FINAL SLIDE PRESENTATION - Victoria Farasat.pdf

Ryan Dialameh & Arman Vakili

Purification and Partial Characterization of β-Glucosidase mutant W120N

Which mutations will have the greatest effect on activity?Mentor: Monica Friedrich

The process involves transforming competent BL21 E. coli cells with plasmids containing mutated sequences of the β-Glucosidase gene. The transformed cells are grown and protein production is induced. The protein is then extracted using affinity chromatography and its concentration is determined through a protein assay. The purity of the protein is analyzed to ensure that it is free from any contaminants. Finally, the kinetic activity of the protein is analyzed using a colorimetric kinetic assay to measure its enzymatic activity. This process is useful for studying mutated versions of the β-Glucosidase gene, which can have implications in fields such as biotechnology and biochemistry.

Sources

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.8b02169 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7114132/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627771/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7329481/ 
Dialemeh, Vakili D2D Updated Slides

Josh Miyamoto & Jake Jung

Characterization of Beta-glucosidase Asparagine 293 Alanine, Originally from Paenibacillus Polymyxa and Its Application in Agriculture

Does an enzyme produced by a mutated beta glucosidase gene have effects on enzyme activity?Mentor: Monica Friedrich

The project will contain analyses of both E. coli bacteria transformed by a mutant beta galactosidase gene and an enzyme produced by the transformed bacteria. The six step analysis includes verification of the transformation of the E. coli bacteria, verification of the production of protein by the transformed bacteria, extraction of the protein using affinity chromatography, determination of the concentration of protein, analysis of the protein's purity, and finally a measurement of the protein's enzymatic activity using a color-based chemical activity test. The project was done in conjunction with hundreds of other undergraduate labs across the country as part of the Data to Design (D2D) project at the University of California, Davis. Researchers hope the results of this study will be helpful in agricultural applications and beyond.

Sources

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.8b02169 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7329481/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627771/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7114132/ 
D2D Design2Data Jake Jung Josh Miyamoto - Jake Jung.pptx

Ian Gray & Ariana Verdugo

Purification and Partial Characterization of recombinant β-glucosidase mutant E406H

The transformation, growth, and purification of competent E. coli cells containing mutated ꞵ-Glucosidase genes. Mentor: Monica Friedrich

ꞵ-Glucosidase is an important enzyme which is responsible for breaking down cellulose in many organisms. Throughout the experiment, we transformed competent BL21 E. coli cells with plasmids containing mutated ꞵ-Glucosidase gene sequences, we grew these transformed cells on agar plates to induce protein production, we extracted the proteins with an affinity chromatography, and we performed a protein assay and determined the concentration of the protein. Under ideal circumstances, we would be able to use a colorimetric kinetic assay to determine the efficiency of the mutated enzyme compared to the original. We expect the activity of the mutated enzyme would be greatly reduced when introducing histidine to the enzyme, as it is structurally dissimilar from glutamate.

Gray Verdugo - D2D SCURC Presentation - Ariana Verdugo

Psychology Paper Posters: Is It All In Our Heads? 

Session Moderator: Tina Jenkins, M.A.

Room BGS 352

Armita Sarvi 

Dating Getting Complicating? Effects of Social Media Use on Starting and Maintaining Relationships

Using scholarly articles of correlational studies, this research poster works to identify the effects of social media use on the quality of modern-day romantic relationships.Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Social media has found itself an integral part of today’s society and has affected many social interactions including romantic relationships. This study aims to analyze the different aspects of social media use that contribute the most to the issues faced in modern day relationships. Results were obtained from six scholarly, peer-reviewed articles from various journals of psychology.This analysis found that the most significant effects of social media use were the easy accessibility to information of a potential partner, increase in technoference/ “phubbing”, and social media’s facilitation of “ghosting” fairly new relationships. Research indicates that excessive social media use has an inverse relationship to relationship satisfaction. The readily available information that is accessible to each partner through social media platforms has increased jealousy, miscommunication, and stress in forming and maintaining relationships.Studies show that social media has also increased addiction to phone use, which has degraded quality time with partners and decreased relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, research finds that the use of social media has increased anonymity and relationship significance, which has in turn increased “ghosting.” All the research points to the decrease in relationship quality and satisfaction when the couples excessively use social media. The implications of these findings include awareness of the detrimental impact of social media use on both new and pre-existing romantic relationships. This study can contribute to future research on social media’s impacts on the parental relationships and other familial relationships of the future families stemming from these social media driven romantic relationships.

Sources

Aníbal González-Rivera, J., Aquino-Serrano, F., Méndez-Cortes, T. J., & Rivera-Viruet, J. (2022). Partner Facebook intrusion, jealousy over Facebook use, and relationship satisfaction among romantic partners. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 11(3), 254-262. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000231Deibert, R. J. (2019). The road to digital unfreedom: Three painful truths about social media. Journal of Democracy, 30(1), 25-39. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2019.0002Delle, F. A., Clayton, R. B., Jordan Jackson, F. F., & Lee, J. (2022). Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: Simultaneously examining the association between three social networking sites and relationship stress and satisfaction. Psychology of Popular Media., https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000415Lapierre, M. A., & Zhao, P. (2022). Problematic smartphone use versus “technoference”: Examining their unique predictive power on relational and life satisfaction. Psychology of Popular Media., https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000438Lv, S., & Wang, H. (2023). Cross-lagged analysis of problematic social media use and phubbing among college students. BMC Psychology, 11, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023 -01062-0Thomas, J. O., & Dubar, R. T. (2021). Disappearing in the age of hypervisibility: Definition, context, and perceived psychological consequences of social media ghosting. Psychology of Popular Media., 10(3), 291-302. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000343
sarviarmita_LATE_60080000000154626_60080000013420716_Armita Sarvi Psych Poster-3.pptx

Caden Dekker 

How Does an Individual's Mental Health Affect their Economic Health? 

How does an individual's mental health affect their economic health? Mentor: Tina Jenkins

I will be taking close look on how mental health affects one's economic well-being. I will be looking at not only how government plays a role in economic areas, but how individuals with poor mental health or anxiety are monetarily affected. 

Sources

TBD
dekkercaden_60080000000151663_60080000013403747_poster template 1 (1) star template.pptx

Lorien Linde 

A Dilemma from Behind the Curtains: How Extreme Parental Abuse Contributes to Poor Moral Development in Children at-risk to Psychopathy

Parental abuse harms neurological development and emotional regulation, leading to antisocial behavior, immorality, and social isolation in children at-risk of psychopathy.Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Psychopathy is a severe form of antisocial personality disorder which is believed to have its roots in biology and highlights a distinct lack of proper moral development. A major contribution to the increased severity of symptoms in at-risk children is the history of adverse childhood environments, specifically abuse from parents or caregivers. The purpose of this study is to examine various research articles and studies to discover how parenting plays a role in shaping the moral development of a child at-risk to psychopathy, and the intensity of the child’s symptoms. The findings indicate that psychopathy, which is presumed to originate from genetic variations, is actually heavily influenced by environmental factors as well, and is enhanced and dangerous when an at-risk child faces extreme parental abuse and neglect. Consequently, the witnessing of or the experiencing of adverse childhood maltreatment in at-risk children produces particularly poor moral development and can cause the child to be unable to function normally with society, even becoming a potential antisocial hazard. These findings imply the extreme importance of positive parenting for children at risk to psychopathy. It also implies that the genetic inheritance of psychopathy cannot be the sole cause of poor moral development in these children, because abusive forms of parenting impacts the developing child’s brain in significantly important ways that intensify pre-existing traits of psychopathy and immorality.

Sources

Backman, H., Laajasalo, T., Jokela, M., & Aronen, E. T. (2021). Parental Warmth and Hostility and the Development of Psychopathic Behaviors: A Longitudinal Study of Young Offenders. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 30(4), 955–965. https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1007/s10826-021-01921-7Begemann, M. J. H., Schutte, M. J. L., Abramovic, L., Boks, M. P., Mandl, R. C. W., Vinkers, C. H., Bohlken, M. M., & Sommer, I. E. C. (2023). Childhood trauma is associated with reduced frontal gray matter volume: a large transdiagnostic structural mri study. Psychological Medicine, 53(3), 741–749. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721002087Cardinale, E. M., O'Connell, K., Robertson, E. L., Meena, L. B., Breeden, A. L., Lozier, L. M., VanMeter, J. W., & Marsh, A. A. (2019). Callous and uncaring traits are associated with reductions in amygdala volume among youths with varying levels of conduct problems. Psychological Medicine, 49(9), 1449-1458. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718001927di Giacomo, E., Santorelli, M., Pessina, R., Rucco, D., Placenti, V., Aliberti, F., Colmegna, F., & Clerici, M. (2021). Child abuse and psychopathy: Interplay, gender differences and biological correlates. World journal of psychiatry, 11(12), 1167–1176. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v11.i12.1167Frazier, A., Ferreira, P. A., & Gonzales, J. E. (2019). Born this way? A review of neurobiological and environmental evidence for the etiology of psychopathy. Personality Neuroscience, 2https://doi.org/10.1017/pen.2019.7
Linde PSYCH Poster PDF Spring 2023 - Lorien Linde.pdf

Dylan Kim 

Does the first grade matter? 

How does failing a college student (who is either extrinsically or intrinsically motivated) on their first exam impact their motivation and performance in a highly competitive classroom? Mentor: Tina Jenkins

I will survey 5 journal articles to correlate if having a lower first exam impacts students motivation or performance levels throughout the semester. The project will also cover how differing motives for taking the class can impact some ones overall motivation or performance after the first exam. Having a lower test score on the first exam has been shown to have a significant impact on college students' performance and motivation when they were extrinsically motivated. However, college students who were intrinsically motivated had no apparent effect on motivation or performance in the class. Using these findings I hope to find out why certain motives for taking a class effects some ones ability to perform. 

Sources

https://doi.org/10.35706/sjme.v2i2.1322 https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2019.319 pp. 1–10., https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4007048. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787418819728 doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000169 
kimdylan_60080000000206606_60080000013400355_Presentation.pptx

Jed Lee 

Addressing Mental Health Services in the Homeless Population 

This research poster functions to determine whether the Open Dialogue technique is the most effective treatment for the homeless population who experience mental health issues. Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Mental health issues in the homeless population is a major, and growing concern in America. This study aims to find what the effects of mental health have on each different category of the homeless population, and how it can be specialized to meet the unique psychological needs of each category. To acquire the specific results needed for this experiment, 5 scholarly sources were thoroughly examined to find the needed results. Research from several articles found that when Sexual and Gender minorities (SGM) leave their homes, they are often exposed to more victimization and discrimination than their non-SGM peers, including violence and abuse faced in homeless shelters. Furthermore, rates between 5%-48% of youth who experience homelessness suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. Homeless veterans have​ had a significant impact on mental health in the U.S. Increased levels of suicidal thoughts, uneasiness, and depression have been noted in multiple investigations. Veterans who were dealing with psychotic disorders (PSY) and veterans who recently experienced homelessness (RHV) all showed increasing levels of loneliness, and resulted in demonstration of decrease in social functioning. Furthermore, lower social support results in higher urban stress and lower chance of psychological symptoms. Therefore, less social support can be linked to the detrimental effects of urban stress on psychiatric symptoms. The Open Dialogue Approach, which de-emphasizes pharmaceutical intervention and instead establishes a dialogue with the patient, has been found to be effective in reducing hospitalization rates, medication use, and long-term disability, as well as improving patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Sources

Diane, S.M., Tyler, K.A., Melander, L.A., & Auerswald, C.L. (2020). Sexual risk classes among youth experiencing homelessness: Relation to childhood adversities, current mental symptoms, substance use, and HIV testing. PLoS One, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227331Hernandez, D.C., Toro, P.A., & Velasquez, E.E. (2020). Urban stress indirectly influences psychological symptoms through its association with distress tolerance and perceived social support among adults experiencing homelessness. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15), 5301. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155301LoSchiavo, C., Moody, R.L., & Lahey, J.N. (2020). The confluence of housing instability and psychosocial, mental, and physical health in sexual minority young adults: The P18 cohort study. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 31(4), 1693-1711. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2020.0129Waters, R. (2020). A new approach to mental health care, imported from abroad. Health Affairs, 39(3), 362-366. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00047Wynn, J.K., Lin, A., Goldsmith, C.J., & Green, M.F. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and functional outcomes in veterans with psychosis or recent homelessness: A 15-month longitudinal study. PLoS One, 17(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273579
SCURC Poster (1) - Jed Lee.pdf

Retaj Ridha 

Invisible Beings of Fire: How Jinn possession, faith healers, and stigmatization contribute to the mental health of Muslims around the world. 

How do Jinn possession and other Islamic beliefs affect care for mentally ill Muslims and how does stigma influence healthcare decisions for Muslims in general? Mentor: Tina Jenkins

Any illness you have or will have might be caused by an entity you’ll never see. My project will cover how Jinn possession and other Islamic beliefs can affect whether or not a Muslim will receive proper care for their mental health issues. This research was done by analyzing 10 different scholarly sources and their results. While many Muslims believe in Jinn, there is a minority of Muslims who believe that Jinn caused their mental illness, of which hallucinations, hearing voices, and paranoia are one of the few symptoms that are heavily attributed to Jinns. Because of evil Jinns, not many are comfortable talking about their problems due to possibly inviting more evil omens. These beliefs have given a negative stigma towards mental illness causing issues like harassment and shame, leading many to not seek out professional help for fear of judgment. In addition, there has been a trend of Muslims going to faith healers to get care instead of relying on healthcare professionals due to mistrust and lack of education. This can cause many complications, one major being that mentally ill patients might not get diagnosed properly and might even get poor treatment. Other minor factors include income levels and societal/family pressure, which might affect a Muslim's decision. Better education on mental illness from religious leaders and learning to trust professionals, along with professionals understanding these religious beliefs, are essential to lessen the stigma of mental illness and allow proper diagnoses and help.

Sources

Al-Abbudi, S. J. (2019, January 27). RELIGION IMPACT ON ACUTE SCHIZOPHRENIA IN IRAQ. World Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research, 5(2), 57-62. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shalan-Al-Abbudi/publication/330971332_RELIGION_IMPACT_ON_ACUTE_SCHIZOPHRENIA_IN_IRAQ/links/5c5e061d299bf1d14cb66c32/RELIGION-IMPACT-ON-ACUTE-SCHIZOPHRENIA-IN-IRAQLim, A., Hoek, H. W., Ghane, S., Deen, M., Blom, J. D. (2018, March 28). The Attribution of Mental Health Problems to Jinn: An Explorative Study in a Transcultural Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00089/fullYounis, M. S., Lafta, R. K., Dhiaa, S. (2019, November 29). Faith healers are taking over the role of psychiatrists in Iraq. Qatar Medical Journal, 2019(3). https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2019.13Md Rosli, A., Hashi, A., & Razali, Z. (2020). Jinn and Mental Illness among Muslims - A Commentary. IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v19i1.1341Khan, F., Khan, M., Soyege, H. O., Maklad, S. (2019). Evaluation of Factors Affecting Attitudes of Muslim Americans: Toward Seeking and Using Formal Mental Health Services. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0013.201
Ridha - Invisible Beings of Fire - Tina.pdf

Farah Hakam 

Do We Lose More Then Just Our Youthful Glow With Age?: Losing the Ability to Adapt Over the Years 

This poster analyzes the effects of age on humans neural processing ability and neuroplasticity and its effects on their emotional regulation and learning ability.Mentor:  Tina Jenkins

It is a given fact that everyone will age as time passes so it is important to be aware of the impact getting older will have on our brains to keep it as healthy and functional as possible. This study aims to distinguish the effects of age on a human's neural processing ability and neuroplasticity, and how this affects their ability to acquire information and respond to emotional situations in the world/people around them. To piece together a conclusion, 5 peer reviewed studies and sources were analyzed. It was found through this analysis that a person's ability to learn and regulate emotions resembles a bell curve, meaning it gradually improves from birth to physical peak, then once again starts to decline. This doesn't mean that hope is lost after a certain age. It was also found that people can make conscious efforts to sustain their neuroplasticity to skew the bell curve of their brains’ abilities, keeping it agile including learning ability and regulating emotions. This included doing things such as playing mentally stimulating games ie. chess and sudoku to ‘work out’ the mind similarly to how physical exercise improves health of muscles in the body. The implications of these findings aid people in retaining mental abilities with aging. People commonly fear aging due to the toll it can have on mental stability/agility. Utilizing this information can help put minds at ease, knowing there are steps that can be taken to prolong these negative side effects.

Sources

Saryazdi, R., Bannon, J., & Chambers, C. G. (2019). Age-related differences in referential production: A multiple-measures study. Psychology and Aging, 34(6), 791-804. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/pag000037 Kunzmann, U., Katzorreck, M., Wieck, C., Schilling, O., Lücke, A. J., & Gerstorf, D. (2022). Emotion regulation in old and very old age. Emotion, 22(7), 1473-1486. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001075 Ahmed, S. F., Kuhfeld, M., Watts, T. W., Davis-Kean, P., & Vandell, D. L. (2021). Preschool executive function and adult outcomes: A developmental cascade model. Developmental Psychology, 57(12), 2234-2249. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001270 Elsherif, M. M., Preece, E., & Catling, J. C. (2023). Age-of-acquisition effects: A literature review. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0001215 Karim, A. K. M. R., Proulx, M. J., de Sousa, A. A., & Likova, L. T. (2021). Neuroplasticity and crossmodal connectivity in the normal, healthy brain. Psychology & Neuroscience, 14(3), 298-334. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/pne0000258 Solank, Y. (2021, May 24). What is Neuroplasticity? . Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-neuroplasticity-definition-depression-quiz.html 
Farah Hakam scurc spring psych - Farah Hakam.pdf

Sophia Stebbins, Mia Noergaard, Keli Fisher, & Rudy Villicana* 

More than a Feeling: The Effect of Mood on Stress and Critical Thinking 

Does mood influence critical thinking and stress, and do people with higher critical thinking levels have higher levels of stress? Mentor: Jennifer Czerniawski

We are conducting a survey research study to investigate whether mood has an effect on one's stress level and critical thinking abilities. This research topic is important because critical thinking is an important ability, especially for college students, and can be influenced by mood and stress. Because increased stress levels are prevalent among college students and have a variety of negative impacts on both physical and mental health, researching the relationship between stress, mood, and critical thinking can lead to a better understanding of critical thinking processes. Through better understanding of mood and stress, learning environments for college students could be improved to better enhance critical thinking abilities. 

Sources

Lewine, R., Sommers, A., Waford, R., & Robertson, C. (2015). Setting the mood for critical thinking in the classroom. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9(2), n2. doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2015.090205.Aziz, A., Batool, I. (2022). Effects of mood and school related stress on academic performance: A mood induction investigation. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, Vol. 37(4), 551-567. https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2022.37.4.33Lai, V. T., van Berkum, J., & Hagoort, P. (2022). Negative affect increases reanalysis of conflicts between discourse context and world knowledge. Frontiers in Communication, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.910482 
Research Study Assignment #16 - Eva Stebbins.pdf

Mia Noergaard, Keli Fisher, & Leo Thom Kawile* 

Knowledge is Power: Exploring Correlations Between Vaccine Knowledge and Vaccine Willingness 

This study recruited participants to explore patterns between vaccine knowledge and vaccine willingness to understand the factors underlying COVID-19 vaccination trends in the United States. Mentor:  Jennifer Czerniawski

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has lasted nearly three years, costing millions of lives worldwide. However, increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines has provided an opportunity to increase survival rates (Gerretsen et al., 2021). Willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine has seen fluctuations in the United States (Piltch-Loeb et al., 2022). Key pivotal shifts have been due to increasing accessibility of COVID-19 vaccines and public knowledge of how COVID-19 vaccines work, largely influenced by the spread of information and misinformation (Piltch-Loeb et al., 2022). Previous research has indicated that vaccine knowledge positively correlates with vaccine willingness (Muñoz-Miralles et al., 2022; Okamoto et al., 2022; Roberts et al., 2022). This study examines patterns between COVID-19 vaccine knowledge and willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Southern California residents over 18. Participants (n = 77) self-reported information in a survey. They reported demographic information (including vaccine status), rated willingness to receive the vaccine based on social pressures and perceived safety, and answered questions measuring individual vaccine knowledge. Our data was analyzed through correlational analysis using Pearson’s r. We hypothesized that the survey would show a positive correlation between vaccine knowledge and vaccine willingness. We found that participants with higher levels of vaccine knowledge had a higher willingness to receive a vaccine (r(75) = 0.665, p < 0.001). This research will help further understanding of factors that influence willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This insight can inform researchers, policy makers, and the general public, furthering progress in sufficiently immunizing the American population against COVID-19. 

Sources

Gerretsen, P., Kim, J., Caravaggio, F., Quilty, L., Sanches, M., Wells, S., et al. (2021). Individual determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. PLoS ONE, 16(11): e0258462. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258462Muñoz-Miralles, R., Bonvehí Nadeu, S., Sant Masoliver, C., Martín Gallego, A., Gómez del Canto, J., Mendioroz Peña, J., & Bonet Esteve, A. M. (2022). Effectiveness of a brief intervention for acceptance of influenza vaccine in reluctant primary care patients. Gaceta Sanitaria, 36(5), 446–451. doi:10.1016/j.gaceta.2021.01.002Okamoto S, Kamimura K, Komamura KCOVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccine passports: a cross-sectional conjoint experiment in JapanBMJ Open 2022;12:e060829. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-060829Piltch-Loeb, R., Silver DR, Kim Y, Norris H, McNeill E, Abramson DM (2022) Determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy spectrum. PLoS ONE, 17(6): e0267734. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267734Roberts, H. A., Clark, D. A., Kalina, C., Sherman, C., Brislin, S., Heitzeg, M. M., et al. (2022). To vax or not to vax: Predictors of anti-vax attitudes and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy prior to widespread vaccine availability. PLoS ONE, 17(2): e0264019. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264019 
Noergaard - Knowledge is Power Poster - Mia Noergaard.pdf

Jessie McGinnis, Aiden Ermisch, Amira Tu, & Parisa Ahmari*

News and Media in Relation to Mood 

Is there a relationship between the type of news content consumed with mood? Is there a relationship between the amount of time intaking news/media and mood? Mentor: Jennifer Czerniawski

This project will look at the various types of news platforms used to consume news in relationship with overall mood. A survey will gather demographic information and the types of various platforms used. A video will be assigned to a participant with a news clip. The news clip will be about the same current event, but with different emotionally charged content. The independent variable will be either a negatively charged news clip, a positively charged news clip, and for a controlled group it will be a weather report. After viewing the video, the participant will take a survey that asks questions on a rating scale relating to depression and anxiety. After data is compiled we will look for any trends with the type of news content consumed and levels of depression and anxiety about the world around us. 

Sources

Boukes, M., & Vliegenthart, R. (2017). News consumption and its unpleasant side effect: Studying the effect of hard and soft news exposure on mental well-being over time. Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 29(3), 137-147.Dagmar Unz, Frank Schwab, and Peter Winterhoff-Spurk (2008) TV news--The daily horror?: Emotional effects of violent television news, Journal of Media Psycholog Vol. 20, Iss. 4,Kellerman, J. K.., et al.(2020) The mental health impact of daily news exposure during covid-19 pandemic. JMIR Mental Health vol 9 Iss. 5.Szabo A., Hopkinson, K. L. (2007). Psychological effects of watching the news on the television: relaxation or another Intervention may be needed to buffer. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine Vol 14, No 2, 57-62.
McGinnisNewsStudy - Aidan Ermisch.pdf

Humanities Digital Posters: Law, Safety, & Security 

Session Moderator: Marni Fisher, Ph.D.

Room BGS 233

Aaron Azami* 

The Ramifications of Transnational Terror within America 

Over the course of the latter 20th century, the rise of postmodern culture emerged resilient, and began shaping the very way society responded to the government. Historically, the United States’ response to transnational terrorism has become far more devastating than ever intended, resulting in changing dominant cultures. Mentor: Marni Fisher

The actions taken by the United States in response to transnational terrorism resulted in changing dominant cultures. The latter half of the 20th century saw a rise of postmodern influences and cultures – a dominant cultural tendency during the second half of the twentieth century, post-WW2, that encapsulated the industrial societies of the West before it became globalized (McHale 1). Postmodernism values world-making ideas over questions of perception and consciousness; thus, with the global world order shifting under Bush’s War on Terror, perspectives among the United States populace began to shift. As such, postmodernist tendencies emerged resilient, and began shaping the very way society responded to governmental decisions. Thus, the precedents set by the United States in response to transnational terrorism resulted in a number of changing cultures. These cultures included: (1) the rise of mass dissent against the government (Brenner 25-32; Lurie 176-89), (2) the emergence of satirical social media outlets and talk shows (Sanchez-Querbin et al. 187-207), (3) racial prejudice against Muslims (Alsultany 293-622; Bilici 133-37; Disha et al 21-46; Tindongan 72-87), (4) and the spread of conspiracy culture (Knight 165-93). Among these cultures came artifacts that vesseled these new cultural tendencies. Films and televised programs like Loose Change and The Daily Show popularized the idea of government criticism, basing their satire and criticism on government deception and conspiracy.

Sources

Eisendrath, Craig, and Traci Langworthy. "Terrorism." Encyclopedia of American Studies, edited by Sharon P. Holland, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1st edition, 2021. Credo Reference, Accessed 05 Feb. 2023.Masters, Jonathan. “Guantanamo Bay: Twenty Years of Counterterrorism and Controversy.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 9 Sept. 2022.McHale, B., "What Is Postmodernism?" The Cambridge Introduction to Postmodernism, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 1-7.
Azami Scurc Poster

Emiliya Tabatabai 

Domestic Violence 

Why are men more likely to inflict abuse to their intimate partners than women are? Mentor: Anthony Szczurek

The literature research methodology includes six parts. These parts are: the hypothesis and driving question, theoretical framework, postmodernism, subjectivity, research process, and data collection. I choose to write about Domestic Violence for my research paper because some of us have experienced domestic violence in our lifetime. It does not matter how severe the scenario is, any form of violence is considered unjust. A family member of mine experienced the most repulsive abuse that eventually carried on to become a tragedy. In 1965, Aza, was brutally stabbed by her husband 20 times and mercilessly dumped in her mother's dumpster. Aza was then pregnant with her fourth daughter. There are many Azas in this world right now that are experiencing abuse by their intimate partners and it is important that we educate women about the red flags of abuse before it becomes a crime. My main focus on this research paper will be to teach women about the signs of domestic violence and prevent intimate partner violence.

Sources

Burke, Julie M. “Why a Qualitative Grounded Theory?” Untangling Preservice Teachers from The Web of Idle Talk: Grounded Theory for a Generative Model of Teacher Education. Education Dissertation, North Carolina State University, 2003, 29-62. Dissertation Chair, Anna Wilson.Mongan-Rallis, Helen. “Guidelines for writing a literature review.” How To Guidelines, 2014, University of Minnesota Deluth. 8 July 2017SC Library. “How to Start Your Research.” Basic Library Guide. Saddleback College Library, 2019, secs. 1-4.

Keaton Knowles 

The United States' Obsession With Drugs

Historically, the US has attempted to quell drug use with various laws (Gray 3); this postmodern situation can be seen in the Netflix Show Narcos. Mentor: Anthony Szczurek & Marni Fisher

Historically, the United States has tried and attempted to quell drug use with various laws and sanctions (Gray 3), and in 1971 the War on Drugs was declared; causing large companies and corporations (Friedman 1402) as well as drug cartels to constantly innovate; this postmodern situation can be seen in the Netflix Show Narcos. Not only does it demonstrate postmodern situations but also demonstrates the vast history of drug use and abuse in the United States. Yet, the United State’s War on Drugs was and continues to be of little benefit to the average American because of the harsh and long sentences given (Vitiello 1), the millions of dollars in tax revenue wasted (Standon 370), a large number of goals and programs not having been met (Friedman 1402), and the laws and regulations are merely moving the problem around (Farrell and Windle 868). “The war against drugs provides politicians with something to say that offends nobody, requires them to do nothing difficult, allows them to postpone … the more urgent questions” (Gray 249).

Sources

Windle, James, and Graham Farrell. “Popping the Balloon Effect: Assessing Drug Law Enforcement in Terms of Displacement, Diffusion, and the Containment Hypothesis.” Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 47, no. 8/9, June 2012, pp. 868–76. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.3109/10826084.2012.663274.Friedman, Samuel, et al. “Has United States Drug Policy Failed? And How Could We Know?” Substance Use & Misuse, vol. 47, no. 13/14, Nov. 2012, pp. 1402–05. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.3109/10826084.2012.705687.Gray, James. Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do about It : A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs, Temple University Press, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/saddleback-ebooks/detail.action?docID=803586.Standon, Madison. “Applying the ‘War on Terror’ to the ‘War on Drugs:’ The Legal Implications and Benefits of Recategorizing Latin American Drug Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.” San Diego International Law Journal, vol. 22, no. 2, Apr. 2021, pp. 365–407. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url&db=a9h&AN=151481571&site=ehost-live.Vitiello, Michael. “The War on Drugs: Moral Panic and Excessive Sentences.” Cleveland State Law Review, vol. 69, no. 2, Jan. 2021, pp. 441–83. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url&db=a9h&AN=149896031&site=ehost-live.
Keaton Knowles -The United States Obsession With Drugs - Keaton Knowles.pdf

Margaret Palmer 

Mass Incarceration; Discipline, Punish, and the Carceral State

The significant societal problem of mass incarceration in the United States, in relation to postmodern philosopher, Michel Foucault's, Discipline and Punish, The Birth of the Prison. Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek 

Mass incarceration is a significant problem in the United States that often goes overlooked. The country has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with more individuals incarcerated than in any other penitentiary system in history. There are numerous factors that contribute to this situation, including systemic racism, politics, over-policing, strict sentencing, punitive-revanchist philosophies, and financial interests. These issues are deeply embedded in the nation's history, and are sustained by hegemonic structures to oppress and control marginalized groups. Michel Foucault, a philosopher and historian, detailed the hegemonic prison structure in his groundbreaking book, Discipline and Punish: Birth of the Prison. Written 50 years ago, at the height of postmodernism, Foucault challenged the modern prison system as an “insidious” apparatus of control over an individual’s soul. Foucault asserted that the humanist practices stemming from the Enlightenment did not provide a more humane criminal justice system. He claimed that the fear of constant surveillance would lead to the development of internal regulation, oppression, and loathing, which would enable the ruling power to exert control over marginalized groups of society without resorting to physical torture. He predicted that the knowledge and power gained from surveillance would lead to a decrease in the need for prisons. While many of Foucault's theories regarding knowledge, power, and control are applicable to the United States Penitentiary System, unfortunately, his prophecy of needing fewer prisons has not come to fruition.

Sources

Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Translated by Alan Sheridan, Vintage Books, 1995.Mugambi, Jouet. "Foucault, Prison, and Human Rights: A Dialectic of Theory and Criminal Justice Reform." Theoretical Criminology, vol. 26, no. 2, 2022, pp. 202-223. ProQuest Central, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/foucault-prison-human-rights-dialectic-theory/docview/2657262008/se-2?accountid=39855 https://doi.org/10.1177/13624806211015968, doi:10.1177/13624806211015968.Simon, Jonathan. "Beyond the Panopticon: Mass Imprisonment and the Humanities." Law, Culture and the Humanities, vol. 6, no. 3, 2010, pp. 327-340. ProQuest Central, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/beyond-panopticon-mass-imprisonment-humanities/docview/750314934/se-2?accountid=39855 https://doi.org/10.1177/1743872110374255, doi:10.1177/1743872110374255.Surprenant, Chris W. "Policing and Punishment for Profit: JBE." Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 159, no. 1, 2019, pp. 119-131. ProQuest Central, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/policing-punishment-profit/docview/1967237372/se-2?accountid=39855 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3744-7, doi:10.1007/s10551-017-3744-7.Wacquant, Loïc. "Class, Race & Hyperincarceration in Revanchist America." Daedalus, vol. 139, no. 3, 2010, pp. 74-90,146. ProQuest Central, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/class-race-hyperincarceration-revanchist-america/docview/744236690/se-2?accountid=39855.
Palmer Mass Incarceration_ Discipline, Punish - Margaret Palmer.pdf

Caitlyn Pham 

Perspectives on Queerness in Fiction 

This research examines the presence and depictions of LGBTQ characters and subjects in postmodern works of fiction. Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek 

During the postmodern era, LGBTQ filmmakers, writers, and other creatives were at last able to express their identities, and many chose to do it through their different mediums of art and entertainment. This research explores the presence, or potentially the absence, of queer authors and subjects in postmodern works of fiction, as well as the various depictions of queer characters and topics. In the realm of queer fiction, there exist a few perspectives: (1) poor portrayals that assign LGBTQ people negative traits and stereotypes, (2) more nuanced and supportive portrayals that encapsulate truer queer experiences, and (3) the public opinion, both preconceived and as a result of how queer people are portrayed. One example of positive representation is the television show, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which explores a complex queer character whose story is not defined by, but enriched by, her queer identity. 

Sources

Bhugra, Dinesh, Gurvinder Kalra, and Antonio Ventriglio. "Portrayal of Gay Characters in Bollywood Cinema." International Review of Psychiatry, vol. 27, no. 5, 2015, pp. 455-459, doi:10.3109/09540261.2015.1086320.Gitzen, Timothy. “"Minute by Minute": The Radical Presentism of Queer Youth Sexuality." Sexuality & Culture, vol. 26, no. 5, 2022, pp. 1766-1781, doi:10.1007/s12119-022-09969-3.Helmer, Kirsten. "Reading Queer Counter-Narratives in the High-School Literature Classroom: Possibilities and Challenges." Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, vol. 37, no. 6, 2016, pp. 902-916, doi:10.1080/01596306.2015.1120943.Nguyễn, Vinh Q. "Narrative Containment of the Same-Sex Underworld in Contemporary Vietnam. A Critical Exploration of the Police Presence and Function in Bùi Anh Tấn's Fiction." Cultural Studies, vol. 35, no. 1, 2021, pp. 44-63, doi:10.1080/09502386.2020.1844257.Öztop Haner, Sezgi. "The Transgender Experience: Cross-Dressing and Sex-Change in Virginia Woolf’s Orlando." Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 21, no. 4, 2022, pp. 2166-2174, doi:10.21547/jss.1121931. 
SCURC 2023 - Caitlyn Pham

Trent Nguyen* 

How Postmodernism Changed American Cities

The main purpose of the entire project is to answer the question why and how the postmodernism movement changed American cities away from the modernist urban design.Mentor: Marni Fisher 

The project will explore different parts of urban design in American cities. It will start by analyzing American cities and their urban design during the modernism era through texts and images. Next, the project will explore the changes postmodernism caused in urban design in American cities. The project will look at both the positive benefits and as well as the negative effects of these changes in urban design in American cities (Fainstein par. 10). Through exploring different changes in urban designs in different cities across the US, the project would look to analyze the changes in the use of public spaces and the meaning of a city (Loughran 311). The urban design the project would focus on would range from the architecture of public buildings to the design choice with the public spaces in the American city (Hebbert 31). Overall, the project would look to compare modernist urban design in contrast to postmodernist urban design to view the causes and benefits of each design in American society.

Sources

Fainstein, Susan S. "Urban Planning". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/urban-planning.Hebbert, Michael. “Re-Enclosure of the Urban Picturesque: Green-Space Transformations in Postmodern Urbanism.” The Town Planning Review, vol. 79, no. 1, 2008, pp. 31–59. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40112746.Loughran, Kevin. “Imbricated Spaces: The High Line, Urban Parks, and the Cultural Meaning of City and Nature.” Sociological Theory, vol. 34, no. 4, 2016, pp. 311–34. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26382874. 

Harris Azamy* 

The Dangers of Minority Voter Suppression 

Historically, the United States election system has undermined African American voter turnout, and, while modern voting laws have a few advantages, research shows that these regulations have proved to delegitimize the African American voting population, continuing to suppress African-American efforts to participate in American democracy. Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek 

The freedoms and natural rights of African-American citizens have been exploited, significantly undermining the democratic values that are instilled in the United States Constitution. Furthermore, both historical precedents and current issues have continued to undermine African-American voting rights. There are three major areas of historical precedence. These include: (1) violations of the Voting Rights Act (Giberson 977; Klarman 142; Smith 11), (2) racially based reconstruction (Crum 261), and (3) criminal disenfranchisement (Re and Re 1584).There are three major areas of modern issues. These include: (1) low voter turnout percentages (Bright and Lynch 340-347; Persily 174), (2) current criminal disenfranchisement (Goldman 611), and (3) modern laws that strip African American voting rights (Bright and Lynch 340-347; Delton 988). Examples of this phenomenon have been represented in films like Black Panther, illuminating the modernist and postmodern impacts that have induced the socio-racial stratification constraining African Americans (Smith sec. 5)

Sources

Giberson, Rolland. "Eroding Voting Rights as a Threat to Judicial Independence and Impartiality." Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, vol. 34, no. 4, 2021, pp. 977+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale.Klarman, Michael J. "The Degradation of American Democracy - and the Court.", vol. 134, no. 1, 2020, pp. 142+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale,Smith, George B. "The Multimember District: A Study of the Multimember District and the Voting Rights Act of 1965." Albany Law Review, vol. 66, no. 1, 2002, pp. 11+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale,Persily, Nathaniel. "The Promise and Pitfalls of the New Voting Rights Act." Yale Law Journal, vol. 117, no. 2, 2007, pp. 174+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale,Crum, Travis. "Reconstructing Racially Polarized Voting." Duke Law Journal, vol. 70, no. 2, 2020, pp. 261+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale.Bright, Chelsie L. M., and Michael S. Lynch. “Kansas Voter ID Laws: Advertising and Its Effects on Turnout.” Political Research Quarterly, vol. 70, no. 2, [University of Utah, Sage Publications, Inc.], 2017, pp. 340–47.Re, Richard M., and Christopher M. Re. “Voting and Vice: Criminal Disenfranchisement and the Reconstruction Amendments.” The Yale Law Journal, vol. 121, no. 7, The Yale Law Journal Company, Inc., 2012, pp. 1584–670.Delton, Jennifer. "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America." Journal of Southern History, vol. 82, 2016, pp. 988+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale.Goldman, Daniel S. "The Modern-Day Literacy Test?: Felon Disenfranchisement and Race Discrimination." Stanford Law Review, vol. 57, no. 2, 2004, pp. 611+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale.

Mary Sherwood*

Sleep and Our Future

How are the minds of youth influenced by bad sleep habits?Mentor: Marni Fisher

Our culture has historically tried to keep up with the grind (Clemmitt 126), but sleep is a vital element for life (Clemmitt 131). This paper examines the negative and long term symptoms of sleep deprivation. These symptoms are: (1) increased susceptibility to illnesses (Cobb 152; Hancox and Landhuis 957, Rustom et al. 1; Simon et al. sec. 1), (2) impaired judgments (Frenda et al. 1674), (3)  reduced academic performance (Gilbert and Weaver 295-306; Gillen-O'Neel et al. 133-142; Lo et al. 10; Sadeh, Gruber, and Raviv 405-417), and (4) altered social-emotional outputs.

Sources

Cobb, Kristin. "Missed ZZZ's More Disease?" Science News, vol. 162, no. 10, 2002, pp. 152-154. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/stable/4013767, doi:10.2307/4013767.Frenda, Steven J., et al. "Sleep Deprivation and False Memories." Psychological Science, vol. 25, no. 9, 2014, pp. 1674-1681, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/stable/24543902.Gilbert, StevenP, and CameronC Weaver. "Sleep Quality and Academic Performance in University Students: A Wake-Up Call for College Psychologists." Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, vol. 24, no. 4, 2010, pp. 295-306, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url&db=a9h&AN=53921269&site=ehost-live, doi:10.1080/87568225.2010.509245.Gillen-O'Neel, Cari, Virginia W. Huynh, and Andrew J. Fuligni. "To Study or to Sleep? The Academic Costs of Extra Studying at the Expense of Sleep." Child development, vol. 84, no. 1, 2013, pp. 133-142. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/stable/23469404.Hancox, Robert J., and C. E. Landhuis. "Association between sleep duration and hemoglobin A1c in young adults." Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (1979-), vol. 66, no. 10, 2012, pp. 957-961. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23268929.
Mary Sherwood - SCURC Digital Poster

Alanna Vescovi, Elijah Chuc, & Kiyana Nouri

Food Insecurity & Community Gardens

Though food insecurity is a multi-faceted issue, its detrimental effect on students can be lessened through community gardens.Mentor: Donna Franks

In the wake of a pandemic and the resulting economic disruption, more students than before are suffering from food insecurity, affecting student success in higher education.

Community gardens increase food security and community involvement in food citizenship (Baker 307). By implementing community gardens at community colleges, we may be able to reduce food insecurity while promoting a “transformation of the urban landscape and food system” (Baker 323). Community gardens also offer valuable experiential learning (Barlett 109).

Sources

Baker, Lauren E. “Tending Cultural Landscapes and Food Citizenship in Toronto’s Community Gardens.” Geographical Review, vol. 94, no. 3, 2004, pp. 305–25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30034276. Accessed 28 Apr. 2023.Barlett, Peggy F. “Campus Sustainable Food Projects: Critique and Engagement.” American Anthropologist, vol. 113, no. 1, 2011, pp. 101–15. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41407379. Accessed 28 Apr. 2023.
Food Insecurity - Official Community Gardens Poster (1) - Alanna Vescovi.pdf

Corey Patton

Childhood Inheritance of Epigenetic Trauma

Epigenetic trauma is responsible for damage to DNA.Mentor: Renee Garcia

Every day, individuals face environments that put them under stress. The known health implications of stress include increased blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Stress is present in almost every situation. Today, it’s important to be aware that stress isn’t only linked to these health problems. Epigenetic trauma is responsible for damage to DNA. From childhood to adulthood, intergenerational effects of stress affect gene expression and neurological problems with human behavior.

Sources

Sources TBD

Fatima Xitlaly Muniz

Antibiotic Resistance: Human and Pathogen Coevolution

There has been a rise in the perseverance of microbial and fungal bacteria, as the overuse of antibiotics has led to a deficit in effectiveness. Here, I explore modern possible solutions to this problem.Mentor: Renee Garcia

Antibiotic medicine has developed greatly over the last hundred years, leading to us saving millions of lives thanks to scientific advances- sbut the misuse and overuse of these extraordinary medicines is causing it to be less effective due to fungi and bacteria growing increased resistance towards it. If we do not find a quick olution to reversing this problem, we could risk losing the vitality of antibiotics for good, and where would that leave us in terms of health as a population? Antimicrobial bacteria continuously growing resistant to antibiotics will result in a major health crisis, as they have the power to affect people at any stage in life. Today, there are two pathways which scientists can take for promising solutions: the first is using the intrinsic antibiotic resistome, a natural element found in all bacteria species, which can be inhibited by other elements so that we can rewire all bacteria. The second looks at the metabolism of humans  and how its fundamental microbial role actually mediates short and long term responses to antimicrobial agents,” (Capelo-Martinez 13). Through this, we can see possible combination therapies that can halt antibiotic resistance. Moreover, there are many statistics to look into that have to do with how commonly used these antibiotics are, which has allowed for bacteria and fungi to beat the medicine at a quicker pace, which raises questions as to how the use of antibiotics should be controlled for the sake of humanity altogether.

Sources

Antibiotic resistance (2016).Capelo-Martínez José-Luis. (2020). Antibiotic drug resistance. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley.Films Media Group. (2008). Antibiotic resistance : stopping the superbugs. Retrieved April 5, 2023.“How Antibiotic Resistance Happens.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 Oct. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about/how-resistance-happens.html. Laxminarayan, R., Duse, A., Wattal, C., Zaidi, A. K. M., Wertheim, H. F. L., Sumpradit, N., Vlieghe, E., Hara, G. L., Gould, I. M., Goossens, H., Greko, C., So, A. D., Bigdeli, M., Tomson, G., Woodhouse, W., Ombaka, E., Peralta, A. Q., Qamar, F. N., Mir, F., … Cars, O. (2013). Antibiotic resistance-the need for global solutions. The Lancet. Infectious Diseases, 13(12), 1057–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(13)70318-9The genetic underground of antibiotic resistance. (2021). Science, 371(6531), 783-784.
ANTH 1H Poster - Fatima Muniz.pdf

Social Sciences Digital Posters: A Matter of Perception

Session Moderator: Sergio Khachatryan and Bre Moeller

Room BGS 234

Evan Henry 

Regulation of Postmodern Media in the United States 

Postmodernism has challenged traditional norms and values related to media regulation and have led to a more diverse and pluralistic media landscape. Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek 

The impact of postmodernism on the media in the United States has resulted in a shift away from traditional notions of objectivity in journalism and a reconsideration of the role of the state in regulating the media, leading to a more diverse and pluralistic media landscape. This new media landscape has changed the role of the United States’ media landscape quite significantly, most notably with the profound spread of social media. Historically, there have been actions taken to ensure media rights, as well as restrictions on what these rights actually protect, which has changed the role of the United States’ media landscape. While the right to free media remains a crucial component of modern society, the evolution of media and its impact on society calls for the implementation of appropriate regulations, highlighting the need for media regulation in the postmodern era.

Sources

Ehrenberg, Rachel. "Social Media Sway: Worries Over Political Misinformation on Twitter Attract Scientists' Attention." Science News, vol. 182, no. 8, 2012, pp. 22-25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/stable/23351069.Heldt, Amélie. "Let's Meet Halfway: Sharing New Responsibilities in a Digital Age." Journal of Information Policy, vol. 9, 2019, pp. 336-369. JSTOR, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/stable/10.5325/jinfopoli.9.2019.0336, doi:10.5325/jinfopoli.9.2019.0336.Langvardt, Kyle. "Regulating Online Content Moderation.", vol. 106, no. 5, 2018, pp. 1353+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/apps/doc/A548321177/AONE?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=945441f5.Maréchal, Nathalie, Rebecca MacKinnon, and Jessica Dheere. Targeted Advertising and COVID-19 Misinformation:; A Toxic Combination. New America, 2020. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/stable/resrep25417.5.Rowbottom, Jacob. "Media Freedom and Political Debate in the Digital Era." The Modern Law Review, vol. 69, no. 4, 2006, pp. 489-513. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/stable/3877224. 
Evan Henry - SCURC Digital Poster (Postmodern Media Regulation) - Evan Henry.pdf

Maggie Baker* 

Tool of Navigation How Saturday Night Live Uses the Agenda-Setting Theory to Influence the News Cycle 

Saturday Night Live uses agenda setting theory techniques, framing and priming, to direct their audience towards social injustices, political topics, and pop-cultural references. Mentor: Maryanne Shults 

The news cycle is difficult to navigate due to extensive amounts of media, creating feelings of analysis paralysis (Laoyan, 2022). Technological advancements have evolved the news world and such copious amounts of news decrease the relevance of news. However, Saturday Night Live reroutes individuals to important and relevant matters that will not get lost in the shuffle by means of entertainment to frame the messages (Matthes, 1990, p.349).This paper will compare the success of Saturday Night Live’s influence on the news cycle to how closely it follows the agenda-setting theory with its use of framing and priming techniques to direct their audience towards what to think about (Kowalewski, 2013, p. 135). Segments such as Bowen Yang on the Rise of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes (Saturday Night Live, 2021), Sarah Palin and Hillary Address the Nation (Saturday Night Live, 2008), and Try Guys (Saturday Night Live, 2022) will be dissected to consider how Saturday Night Live uses the process of framing a story to guide audiences towards topics such as social injustices, political topics, and pop-cultural references. Key ideas are compiled between Medium is the Message, the agenda-setting theory, and the example clips to find that suspended judgment, the clear voice of an artist, and the importance of relevance leads to Saturday Night Live’s increasing influence on navigating the public towards important news stories. 

Sources

Kowalewski, J. (2013). It's Not Just a Laughing Matter: How Entertainment News Programs Influence the Transfer of the Media's Agenda to the Public's Agenda Similarly to Traditional Hard News. In Agenda Setting in a 2.0 World (pp. 134-157). Routledge.Laoyan, S. (2022, August 4). 4 tips for overcoming analysis paralysis. ASANA. https://asana.com/resources/analysis-paralysisMatthes, J. (2009). What's in a frame? A content analysis of media framing studies in the world's leading communication journals, 1990-2005. Journalism & mass communication quarterly, 86(2), 349-367.McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (pp. 1-18). : The MIT Press. Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/mcluhan.mediummessage.pdf
Maggie Baker- SCURC Digital Poster - Maggie Baker

Erlend Fessenmaier*

The Pygmalion Effect 

The Pygmalion Effect is a pressing phenomenon that requires addressing and further research to maximize its beneficial effects. Mentor: Ryan Hitch and Jennifer Hedgecock 

The Pygmalion effect describes the reinforcing feedback loop of student success, caused by positive or negative expectations set by teachers. The effect is a significant predictor of academic achievement in students based on teacher presuppositions of them. Generally, if expectations are high, academic results will be high and vice versa.

Academic achievement is statistically significantly different between students at schools with higher expectations versus those at schools with lowered expectations (Dobbie and Fryer). This creates discrepancy in the learning achieved by different students.

This inconsistency is caused by teachers forming judgements based on factors including socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and gender. Methods usually synthesized to shrink this difference include instructing teachers to implement high expectation behaviors, making teachers aware of the effects of expectations and biased expectations, and addressing the beliefs of teachers that influence biased expectations (de Boer, Timmermans, and van der Werf).

While the relative effectiveness of each method may vary, employing any of these methods produces a net positive effect on both increasing teacher expectations and student achievement. Furthermore, additional future research on the third method, addressing underlying beliefs of teachers that form the basis of assumptions, is needed to confirm or refute its potential of being the most effective approach to maximizing the benefits of the Pygmalion effect. 

Sources

Boser, U., Wilhelm, M., & Hanna, R. (2022, October 26). The power of the Pygmalion effect. Center for American Progress. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-power-of-the-pygmalion-effect/de Boer, H., Timmermans, A. C., & van der Werf, M. P. C. (n.d.). The effects of teacher expectation interventions on teachers' expectations and student achievement: Narrative review and meta-analysis. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13803611.2018.1550834Dobbie, W., & Fryer, R. G. (n.d.). Getting beneath the veil of effective schools: Evidence from New York City. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257%2Fapp.5.4.28Johnston, O., Wildy, H., & Shand, J. (n.d.). A Decade of teacher expectations research 2008–2018: Historical ... Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0004944118824420
Fessenmaier THE PYGMALION EFFECT_ EVALUATING TEACHER BEHAVIOR’S INFLUENCE ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT - Erlend Fessenmaier.pdf

Jieun Choi 

Exploring Diversity in American Cinema 

Cinematic messages have played a major role in emulating the postmodern substitution of outdated narratives; yet the lack of diverse representation and racial/cultural stereotyping continues to dominate the American cinema industry. Mentor: Marni FIsher & Anthony Szczurek 

Since the popularization of moving images in the early 20th century (Terry sec. 1), the silver screen has mirrored the sociocultural dynamics of its audience. Cinema’s mode of representation and idealization reflected, and contributed to, the cultural discourse that dominated the time of its creation. Discourse on diversity–be it gender, sexual, ethnic, or racial–has likewise found aesthetic form in film through the modernist era; and continues to evolve through today's cinema. Tracing the history of diversity in postmodern American cinema reveals how, despite the rejection of modernist narratives, “charges of gender and racial bias and sexual stereotyping continue to plague the film and broadcast entertainment industries” (Hoag sec. 3) in the present post-postmodern day. 

Sources

Hoag, Christina. "Diversity in Hollywood." CQ Researcher, vol. 26, no. 28, pp. 672. CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2016080500.Kozma, Alicia. "Liberating Hollywood: Women Directors & the Feminist Reform of 1970 as American Cinema." Film & History, vol. 52, 2022, pp. 67+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/apps/doc/A730613402/AONE?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=1bc2d0e9.Mallapragada, Madhavi. "The Problem with Apu, Whiteness, and Racial Hierarchies in US Media Industries." JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies, vol. 60, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-6, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url&db=a9h&AN=152346447&site=ehost-live.Robinson, Marsha R., and Caryn Neumann. "Introduction: On Coogler and Cole's Black Panther Film (2018): Global Perspectives, Reflections and Contexts for Educators." Journal of Pan African Studies, vol. 11, 2018, pp. 1+. Gale Academic OneFile; Gale, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/apps/doc/A555411118/AONE?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=7d8338da.Terry, John. "Hollywood, Racial Depictions in." Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Edited by Patrick L. Mason. Gale, 2013, https://login.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fgalerace%2Fhollywood_racial_depictions_in%2F0.

Danny Feke 

Converging Destinies: Navigating the Opportunities and Perils of Artificial Intelligence in the Shaping of Humanity's Future 

What are the potential economic, social, humanitarian, and cultural impacts of the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence in the coming next coming century? Mentor: Anthony Szczurek & Marni Fisher 

Artificial Intelligence is a subject that has been generating a lot of attention recently due to its potential impact in the coming century. This study explored how the use of artificial intelligence could affect various aspects of life such as the economy, culture, and society (Davenport 1). To achieve this, a mixed-methods research approach combining qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques was used. This research connected with a comprehensive literature review on the development, applications, and ethical, social, and economic implications of the use of artificial intelligence (Gabriel 4). The research then moved onto the official and current use of artificial intelligence, its benefits and drawbacks in various contexts, and the potential implications of its widespread use on different sectors of society (Davenport 1; Hauer 1). The role of policy in shaping the development and use of artificial intelligence was also taken into consideration. This included the analysis of existing policies and regulations on it and proposing future policy inventions that could reduce the negative effects of AI use while maximizing its potential benefits (Pareek 4; Cabral 10). The study concluded with a discussion of the implications of the findings for the future of AI. This included certain considerations of the potential risks and benefits of AI and recommendations for future research and policy development in the field. Overall, this research contributed to a deeper understanding of the impact of AI on society.

Sources

Davenport, Thomas, et al. "How artificial intelligence will change the future of marketing." Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 48, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 24+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610971744/AONE?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-AONE& xid=0fa4ec71Hauer, Tomas. "Society and the Second Age of Machines: Algorithms Versus Ethics." Society, vol. 55, no. 2, Apr. 2018, pp. 100+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A534079794/AONE?Pareek, Varun, et al. "Need for artificial intelligence in pharmaceutical industry and its limitations." Journal of the Indian Academy of Geriatrics, vol. 18, no. 4, Oct.-Dec. 2022, p. 217. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A732067460/AONE?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-AONE& xid=32d997b4.Cabral, Bernardo Pereira, et al. "Future of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Cancer Care: A Global Cross-Sectional Survey of Researchers." Current Oncology, vol. 30, no. 3, Mar. 2023, p. NA. Gale Academic OneFile,Gabriel, Iason. “Artificial Intelligence, Values, and Alignment.” Minds & Machines, vol. 30, no. 3, Sept. 2020, pp. 411–37. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1007/s11023-020-09539-2
Feke, Danny SCURC Digital Poster - Danny Feke.pdf

Dylan Iltis

Moral Philosophy in Ancient and Modern Politics

While ancient politics is quite different from how our world works today, there is still so much to reflect on and apply to modern problems today.Mentor: Anthony Szczurek

I will try to cover Confucius and his moral philosophy. I hope to apply how influential his way of thinking was, not that others take use him as an example but his knowledge and application of it was groundbreaking. I also want to look at ancient Greek philosophers, and the start of political science with Aristotle. 

Sources

TBD
Similarities of Moral Philopshy within Ancient Politics and Politics Today

Omar Gonzales

120 Years of Wheat breeding, 120 of Years Celiac Disease

Cases of Celiacs disease have been rising gradually for many years. Mentor: Renee Garcia

Cases of Celiacs disease have been rising gradually for many years. Many falsely accuse genetically modified foods for producing artificial crops that are   believed to be harmful to digest. However, the answer to the rise of Celiacs disease is not genetically modified organisms but wheat breeding. For the past   120 years, wheat breeding has altered the wheat crop drastically, as it no longer resembles its original ancestor (Scherf). Along with physical changes, wheat   breeding also altered wheat's genetic composition by changing the amount of gluten, which is the protein those with Celiacs cannot consume (ScienceDaily).   Gluten is a natural protein that cannot be genetically modified or engineered, however scientists that study Celiacs disease find that the quality of gluten   is an important factor that determines whether or not those with the disease experience symptoms. Interestingly, this era of wheat breeding came 10-20   years before the first case of Celiacs, which was diagnosed 100 years ago (National Library of Medicine). Therefore, a connection or link between this indirect   change in gluten and the development of Celiac’s disease must be further studied.

Sources

Sources TBD

The Mars Rover Team

Session Moderator: Noah Benton

Room BGS 254 Auditorium

Liam Kerrigan, Jacob Feingold, Jasper Doan, Cameron Wolf, & Cameron Rosenthal

The Mars Rover

Check out the development of this semester's Mars Rover!Mentor: Michell Haeri & James Repka
Mars Rover

11:45-12:45 am Lunch 

Box Lunches

BGS Patio

Check Ins

12:45-2:30 pm Breakout Session 3: Roundtables

Roundtable 1: Impacting Mental Health 

Table Moderator: Evan Henry

Room BGS 252

Kamalin Kaviani*

Therapeutic Culture: A Depoliticizing Force of Neoliberal Governmentality or Politicization of Personal?

Through analysis of the various criticisms and postmodernism influence and relevance, the positive and negative impacts of the rising influence of psychology are discussed.Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek 

Historically, the rise of therapeutic ethos was at first criticized for its lack of traditional form of authority and through a modernist lens was viewed as a cultural decline and amoral. Contrarily, recently, the therapeutic ethos has been raising concerns as a dominant cultural logic promoting values in the interest of the economy, and reinforcing neoliberal governmentality as a postmodern form of social control. Through a more nuanced examination, it is deduced that therapeutic culture has had both positive and negative impacts surrounding the two main opposing accounts of: (1) therapeutic culture forming neoliberal subjectivities and disabling collective political action (Foster 112-113; Binkley 382; Rimke 71-71), and (2) the therapeutic culture’s discussion of vulnerability used as a source of political resistance and its disruption of the traditional notion of personhood and its ability to draw attention to the relational aspect of social justice and acknowledge suffering in the private domain (Ecclestone and Goodley 181-182; Wright 324). Furthermore, a postmodern analysis of therapeutic ethos in the movie Good Will Hunting, depicts it as an improved moral stance and explanatory model, replacing the health/wellness framework with the religious framework. However, the rising application of the psychological framework can also be viewed as modernism’s failure to address social issues through different economic, and political systems, and a general skepticism toward science, technology, and reason to solve social problems. This highlights the psychologization of everyday life and the need for understanding problems through other systems of meaning such as social and political. 

Sources

Binkley, Sam. “Happiness, positive psychology and the program of neoliberal governmentality.” Subjectivity: International Journal of Critical Psychology, vol. 4, no. 4, 2011, pp. 371-394. Academic Search Complete, doi: 10.1057/ sub.2011.16.Ecclestone, Kathryn, and Daniel Goodley. “Political and Educational Springboard or Straitjacket? Theorising Post/Human Subjects in an Age of Vulnerability.” Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, vol. 37, no. 2, 2016, pp. 175–88. Academic Search Complete, doi: 10.1080/01596306.2014.927112.Foster, Roger. “Therapeutic culture, authenticity and neo-liberalism.” History of HumanSciences, Vol. 29, no. 1, 2016, pp. 99-116. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1177/0952695115617384.Rimke, Heidi Marie. “Governing Citizens through Self-Help Literature.” Cultural Studies, vol. 14, no. 1, 2000, pp. 61–78. Academic Search Complete, doi: 10.1080/09 5023800334986.Wright, Katie. “Theorizing therapeutic culture: Past influences, future directions.” Journal of Sociology, vol. 44, no. 4, 2008, pp. 321-336. Academic Search Complete, doi: 10.1 177/1440783308097124.
Kaviani, Kamalin Copy of HON12H RP Template Headings Only

Yasmin Guijosa

Military Mental Health 

What are some warning signs that military and military veterans need help? Mentor: Marni Fisher

Mental health has been a crisis over the years that has been increasing throughout the years. In the past two centuries mental health was a topic that no one would talk about because they would feel ashamed for feeling a certain way that people would judge them for having those emotions and feelings.

Sources

"Emotional and Psychological Trauma." Health Reference Series: PTSD and Coping with Trauma Sourcebook, edited by Angela L. Williams, Omnigraphics, Inc., 1st edition, 2020. Credo Reference, https://login.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fogiptsd%2Femotional_and_psychological_trauma%2F0%3FinstitutionId%3D5172. Accessed 04 Mar. 2023.Kendall, S. (a.n.d.). The history of PTSD among U.S. veterans. Sean Kendall. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://www.seankendalllaw.net/library/a-brief-history-of-ptsd-in-the-military.cfmVA Benefits & Health Care Utilization Pocket Card, Updated 5/13/16; Veteran Population as of 09/30/15 (http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/pocketcards/fy2016q3.pdf)
Yasmin Guijosa- RP Template 1B Headings Only 2

Nicole Cruz

Marijuana in the 21st Century

THC modifications have become extreme Mentor: Marni Fisher

For this research I will be looking into the rising popularity of recreational marijuana. I will talk about when this rise began and how it is affecting the population. How it is affecting the pharmaceutical industry, society, and our health. The THC modifications have become too extreme and need further regulations to prevent harm. 

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6312155/  https://library-cqpress-com.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2017072104&type=hitlist 

Aleksei Sushko

Thoughts on Thinking Machines

How will developments in AI technology affect future society?Mentor: Marni Fisher

My project aims to explore some of the more significant effects developments in AI technology will have on future society, and how future generations will react to them. Will those developments create new trends, or reinforce the ones that exist today? For example, what sort of effect will it have on culture? The development of AI-generated paintings, music, and other mediums can create a brand new approach to the arts as we know them. Many ethical questions arise from the usage of AI as well. Usage of flawed AI training data may reinforce many of the biased standards society aims to combat today. Racism that makes its way into an AI system could have wide-reaching effects.

Sources

Harvis-Nazzario, Leigh. "It's not the algorithms, it's the people: preventing bias in automated hiring tools starts with humans." Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal, vol. 49, no. 1, spring 2023, pp. 138+. Gale OneFile: Computer Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A734610372/CDB?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-CDB&xid=ba5ece81. Accessed 11 Mar. 2023.Wennagel, Robert. "Dark systems: reprogramming artificial intelligence regulations to promote fairness and employment nondiscrimination." Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal, vol. 39, no. 1, Aug. 2022, pp. 1+. Gale OneFile: Computer Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A720240583/CDB?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-CDB&xid=75217f6f. Accessed 11 Mar. 2023.Alrashidi, Bedour, et al. "A review on abusive content automatic detection: approaches, challenges and opportunities." PeerJ Computer Science, vol. 8, 9 Nov. 2022, p. e1142. Gale OneFile: Computer Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A725830192/CDB?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-CDB&xid=b8f1c752. Accessed 12 Mar. 2023.Pike, George H. "Copyright and AI." Information Today, vol. 39, no. 9, Nov.-Dec. 2022, pp. 26+. Gale OneFile: Computer Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A735624531/CDB?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-CDB&xid=38aee35c. Accessed 11 Mar. 2023.Zhao, Yantong, et al. "Effect of Industrial Robots on Employment in China: An Industry Level Analysis." Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience : CIN, vol. 2022, 2022. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/effect-industrial-robots-on-employment-china/docview/2696738685/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2267237.
Thoughts on Thinking Machines
IP 2 Working Copy

Chris Adams 

Social Media and Mental Health 

Is social media a negative outlet for those with social anxiety? Mentor: 

Is social media a negative outlet for those with social anxiety? Can social media influence the likelihood of one being diagnosed with social anxiety disorder? Does gender play a role? Does age play a role?

Grounded theory is the means of research in which one develops a working hypothesis based on data that has been collected. The analysis of collected data works to legitimize the research alongside exploring various social relationships as well as how behaviors are exhibited in groups compared to the self. This applies to this research process because we are not developing new research theories. Topics picked for this process have been studied prior and data regarding these topics have been collected. As the writer of this paper, I am exploring the social processes that could arise from the data that was collected.

Sources

Mongan-Rallis, Helen. “Guidelines for writing a literature review.” How To Guidelines, 2014, University of Minnesota Deluth. 8 July 2017 http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/researching/litreview.htmlNCSU Library. Picking a Research Topic. Youtube, May 1, 2014.
The impact of social media on adolescents

Roundtable 2: Political Aspirations

Table Moderator: Sergio Khachatryan

Room BGS 252

Nicolas Breen

Why American Politics are Getting Extreme 

American Politics are getting more extreme so that they can appeal to more people.Mentor: Marni Fisher

Politics is one of those topics people want to stay away from these days because talking about it could get out of hand and it’s simply easier to not pay attention to what's going on in the World.  Therefore, it is the most important topic to discuss, because not only do we want to see our country do well but we want to make sure that we make decisions that will impact our future so that people will never relive what happened in our past. American politics are becoming more extreme and this is demonstrated through their inclusion of  appealing to more voters (Ahler 15), the constant altercations between the dividing groups (Peck 22),  the prejudiced beliefs many Americans have (Simas 15),  and money strategic allocation of campaign funds (Hale 79).

Sources

Ahler, Douglas J. “Self-Fulfilling Misperceptions of Public Polarization.” Journal of Politics, vol. 76, no. 3, July 2014, pp. 607–20. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1017/S0022381614000085.Hale, Isaac. “Candidate Extremism and Electoral Design in U.S. State Legislative Elections.” Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell), vol. 101, no. 2, Mar. 2020, pp. 861–77. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1111/ssqu.12749.Simas, Elizabeth N. “Extremely High Quality? How Ideology Shapes Perceptions of Candidates’ Personal Traits.” Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 84, no. 3, Fall 2020, pp. 699–724. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1093/poq/nfaa042.Peck, Gunther. “Labor Abolition and the Politics of White Victimhood: Rethinking the History of Working-Class Racism.” Journal of the Early Republic, vol. 39, no. 1, Spring 2019, pp. 89–98. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1353/jer.2019.0007.

Nicholas Wyckoff

The Electoral College: An Undemocratic Function of the American Democracy

Throughout history, the electoral college has done its job. However, the Electoral College is no longer necessary.Mentor: Marni Fisher

The Electoral College perpetuates undemocratic processes and ideas in the United States. These processes and ideas are limits on the number of state representatives (Price 20), excessive use of Gerrymandering (Lemons 677), repeated occasions in which the winner of the popular vote loses the Presidential election due to the Electoral College (Gringer 182). 

The Electoral College has given the Presidential elections of the United States a sense of certainty and finality with whichever candidate receives the presidency. My research will qualify this statement with historical evidence from elections throughout American history. However, my main goal is to prove that the Electoral College is no longer necessary. If I am to attempt to prove that it is no longer a necessary part of our democracy, I must first give historical background and context as to why an institution that is not reliant on the popular vote is allowed to elect the President of the United States. Once I give context I will utilize historical evidence from the entire timeline of the electoral college's lifespan in order to display how the electoral college and several adjacent pieces of successful legislation as well as failed legislation allow us to examine how the government of the United States' is far less guided by the will of the people than it needs to be. The electoral college is one of the most obvious example of an undemocratic aspect of the American democracy.

Sources

Price, Tom. "The Electoral College." CQ Researcher, 30 Aug. 2019, pp. 1-29."ELECTORAL COLLEGE an Introductory Course in the Electoral College: [01 Edition]." Boston Herald, Nov 03, 1992, pp. 025. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/402250878/E30F19A2619B41FDPQ/6?accountid=39855Cervas, Jonathan. A Quantitative Assessment of the U.S. Electoral College, 1790-2020, University of California, Irvine, United States -- California, 2020. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2476150494/41247826B3684E65PQ/2?accountid=39855

Scot Hill

How the Term "Nation" Shapes Political Sctivity 

How has the term “nation” influenced modern politics, and is it a force for inclusion or exclusion?Mentor: Anthony Szczurek

The primary focus of my presentation is the classification of a nation and the people that belong under its policies and views. My presentation will investigate both sides of the argument for how the concept of the nation can be both a force for inclusion and exclusion. For instance, in the 20th and 21st centuries, in particular, the modern idea of a nation has been greatly shaped by the global political situation and the relatively fixed state of nations in their recognition in the modern world. Thus, the exclusive practices derived from the use of the concept of the nation in the 20th century and into the present-day political landscape are embodied by the immigration policies developed during periods of restructuring of the political order in Europe, the creation of prominent Indian national identities, and the history that influences international relationships today. On the other hand, examples of inclusion proposed in my presentation revolve around the examples of unification in India under their population’s prerogative to maintain Democracy in addition to examples of nations with liberal immigration policies that ensure smooth transitions for those looking for a new national home.

Sources

Arendt, Hannah. “Chapter 9: The Decline of the Nation-State and the End of the Rights of Man.” The Origins of Totalitarianism, Harcourt , 1985.Guha, Ramachandra. India after Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy. Pan Books, 2017.“Why India's Mix of Nationalism and Religion Can Be Deadly.” YouTube, 18 Nov. 2021, https:/youtu.be/1tUGIkT5xcQ.Amighetti, Sara, and Alasia Nuti. “A Nation’s Right to Exclude and the Colonies.” Political Theory, vol. 44, no. 4, 2016, pp. 541–66. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24768062. Accessed 2 Apr. 2023.Bui, Quoctrung, and Caitlin Dickerson. “What Can the U.S. Learn from How Other Countries Handle Immigration?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Feb. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/16/upshot/comparing-immigration-policies-across-countries.html.
How the Term “nation” Shapes Political Activity- Hill - Scot Hill

Gabriel Herrera

The Hindrance of American Imperialism

This study will be researching the detrimental hindrance of American Imperialism on Latin American governments. How America, under false pretenses and contemporary concepts of liberty, used its advanced military to annex or invade occupied territories. Mentor: Marni Fisher

America, the land of the free, and the righteous dispatchers of liberty. The United States, despite its rich history, has a dark undertone that seems taboo, from foreign military occupations that make little to no sense, territorial annexations of inhabited land, and the systematic “civilizing” of the inhabitants otherwise known as the White Man’s Burden. Over time, developing countries have been influenced by this imperialism however, in practice the outcome was far from supportive. The sovereign nations and territories were gutted for natural resources, served as overseas housing for the military and merchants, and only benefited the Americans coming to the land, not the original inhabitants themselves. As a result, American imperialism caused a hindrance of social, economic, and political improvements in sovereign territories, rather than bettering them. Examples of populations impacted were: (1) Hawaiians , (2) Puerto Ricans, and (3) Filipinos. Firstly the annexation of Hawaii in 1898 only benefited sugar and fruit corporations looking to get rich off cheap labor and surplus products. Secondly Puerto Rico has repeatedly been denied statehood, Puerto Ricans can vote in the primaries but not the actual presidential election, and they have no say in Congress over their own political affairs. Finally after Americans helped the Filipinos gain independence from Spain in 1898, they subsequently replaced the Spanish as a foreign occupying power. They began to seize land and assets from the natives, for American business and expressed complete dominion over the island.

Sources

Beaupre, Myles. ""What Are the Philippines Going to Do to Us?" E. L. Godkin on Democracy, Empire and Anti-imperialism." Journal of American Studies, vol. 46, no. 3, 2012, pp. 711-727. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/what-are-philippines-going-do-us-e-l-godkin-on/docview/1033335489/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021875811001290.Denis, Manuel Maldonado, and Seymour Pollock. “The Political Situation in Puerto Rico.” The Massachusetts Review, vol. 15, no. 1/2, 1974, pp. 221–33. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25088414. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.Go, Julian. “Chains of Empire, Projects of State: Political Education and U.S. Colonial Rule in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.” Comparative Studies in Society and History, vol. 42, no. 2, 2000, pp. 333–62. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2696609. Accessed 9 Mar. 2023.Hyams, B. K. “School Teachers as Agents of Cultural Imperialism in Territorial Hawaii.” The Journal of Pacific History, vol. 20, no. 4, 1985, pp. 202–19. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25168880. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.Wang, Jessica. “Agricultural Expertise, Race, and Economic Development: Small Producer Ideology and Settler Colonialism in the Territory of Hawaiʻi, 1900–1917.” History & Technology, vol. 36, no. 3/4, Sept. 2020, pp. 310–36. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/10.1080/07341512.2020.1859775.

Sean Hu

The Impact of World War One

World War One was the first major global war that impacted humanity as most of the powerful countries participated to fight.Mentor: Marni Fisher

Researching the events that happened in World War One, how it started and tensions that rose with it, the impact it had during the world at it's time, the amount of countries that fought in the war, the amount of casualties dying, and how the war ended. 

Sources

Lagasse, Paul (Ed.). “World War 1.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Paul Lagasse, and Columbia University, Columbia University Press, 8th edition, 2018. Credo ReferenceShowalter, Dennis E. "World War I." The Reader's Companion to Military History, edited by Robert Cowley, and Geoffrey Parker, Houghton Mifflin, 1st edition, 1996. Credo Reference, https://login.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Frcmh%2Fworld_war_i%2F0%3FinstitutionId%3D5172. Accessed 10 Mar. 2023.Segesser, Daniel Marc. "World War I." Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict, edited by Lester R. Kurtz, Elsevier Science & Technology, 2nd edition, 2008. Credo Reference, https://login.ezproxy.saddleback.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Festpeace%2Fworld_war_i%2F0%3FinstitutionId%3D5172. Accessed 10 Mar. 2023.

Roundtable 3: Environment and Humanity 

Table Moderator: Dorothea Amadin 

Room BGS 253

Jasper Duke

Bees: The Keepers of Our Environments.

Bees are very important to the lives of all living things but they are becoming more and more endangered. Here is some information that can potentially help save the bees.Mentor: Marni Fisher

I have always been passionate about bees because I have family members who are beekeepers so I have known a lot about bees from a young age. I know that bees are responsible for keeping most plants alive and reproducing due to pollination. I have only been stung once by a bee last summer when I stepped on one at the beach. I want to provide the reader with as much information as possible about bees and to let them know what they can do to help. 

Sources

Rottenberg, Annette T. and Donna Haisty Winchell. "Chapter 11 Planning Research." Elements of Argument: A Text and Reader. 11th edition, Bedford/St. Martins, 2003/2015. 11th, 337-371.Frankie, Gordon W, et al. “Decline in Bee Diversity and Abundance from 1972-2004 on a Flowering Leguminous Tree, Andira Inermis in Costa Rica at the Interface of Disturbed Dry Forest and the Urban Environment.” Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, vol. 82, no. 1, 2009, pp. 1–20., https://doi.org/10.2317/JKES708.23.1.Sörlin, Sverker, and Paul Warde. “The Problem of the Problem of Environmental History: A Re-Reading of the Field.” Environmental History, vol. 12, no. 1, 2007, pp. 107–130.DeMarco, Edward. "Geopolitics of Green Energy." CQ Researcher, 18 Nov. 2022, pp. 1-34, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2022111800.

Jacob Ryness*

Trawling, A Scarring Reality

Halting sea floor trawling will improve the health of oceans and improve coastal economies.Mentor: Marni Fisher

Bottom trawling originated in 1820, an invention released from the British Isle, and in spite of its popularity, it has many lesser known negatives. Due to the signifigant negative impacts trawling has on fish stocks, climate change and small-scale fisheries that are beneficial to the environment it continues to be significant today. Using a grounded theory framework, this paper examines the impacts of Seafloor trawling, noting that, despite its use in the mass catch of targeted species, bottom trawling carries a higher number of negative impacts. These impacts are: (1) it destroys our sea floors (Rijnsdorp et. al), (2) demolishes populations (Safina et. al), and (3) harms the economy of coastal communities (Fairle et. al). It is because of this that we must halt seafloor trawling indefinitely. Examining the yearly catch of trawling ships shows a continuous decrease in the hourly catch size, directly correlated to a seafloor damaged by non-stop trawling. While there is a need for commercial fishing to boost worldwide economy, to solve the issue of dying oceans, we need to develop/reinforce safe and sustainable fishing practices that will save our oceans while simultaneously boosting economic growth. 

Sources

Puig, Pere, et al. "Ploughing the deep sea floor." Nature, vol. 489, no. 7415, 13 Sept. 2012, pp. 286+. Gale Academic OneFile.Rijnsdorp, A.D., et al. "Mitigating seafloor disturbance of bottom trawl fisheries for North Sea sole Solea solea by replacing mechanical with electrical stimulation." PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 11, 30 Nov. 2020, p. e0228528. Gale Academic OneFile.Safina, Carl. "Scorched-earth fishing." Issues in Science and Technology, vol. 14, no. 3, spring 1998, pp. 33+. Gale Academic OneFile.Thurstan, Ruth H, et al. “Origins of the Bottom Trawling Controversy in the British Isles: 19th Century Witness Testimonies Reveal Evidence of Early Fishery Declines.” Fish and Fisheries, vol. 15, no. 3, 2013, pp. 506–522., https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12034.Watson, Philip, and Timothy Johnson. “Federal Fishery Policy and the Geographic Distribution of Commercial U.S. West Coast Fish Landings: Insights from the 2003 Federal Groundfish Permit Buyback.” Marine Resource Economics, vol. 27, no. 4, 2012, pp. 289–301., https://doi.org/10.5950/0738-1360-27.4.289. 
Ryness - Scurc Round Table Final Materials - Jacob Ryness

Kate Dewalt

The Benefits of Implementing Outdoor Instruction within the Education System

Implementing outdoor education within k-higher ed and the positive effects.Mentor: Marni Fisher

Over time, allowing more funding and developing more equitable education in Public Schools had been a great challenge. Accommodating and providing more support for those who need it has meant increasing programs over time. Implementing outdoor education within K-higher education has several major benefits. These include (1) improved learning and mental health within K-higher education (Shellman and Hill et al. 1-9; Loose et al. 1-9), (2) collaborative group thinking helps develop social skills (Cooley et al. 567–582), (3) leadership skills in outdoor learning spaces (Mullins 379-382), and (4) nature-based setting help with high school writing (Lundahl and Merrilyn 19-31), (5) Nature-based education within the different practices (Harris 222–231). The teachers and the board have the skills and practices to incorporate different styles of outdoor education; they just need to take a stance and incorporate some of these into the class time. Introducing and incorporating outdoor education into the school classrooms helps the students learn better and develop social skills. 

Sources

Hovardas, Tasos. “Primary School Teachers and Outdoor Education: Varying Levels of Teacher Leadership in Informal Networks of Peers.” Journal of Environmental Education, vol. 47, no. 3, July 2016, pp. 237–54. EMartin, Andy, and Jenny Fleming. "Cooperative education in outdoor education." Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, vol. 14, no. 1, Jan. 2010, pp. 41.Shellman, Amy, and Eddie Hill. "Flourishing through Resilience: The Impact of a College Outdoor Education Program." Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, vol. 35, no. 4, winter 2017, pp. 59+.Evans, Neus, and Renae Acton. “Narratives of Teaching in Outdoor and Environmental Education: What Can We Learn from a Case Study of Outdoor Education Pedagogy?” Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, vol. 22, no. 3, Sept. 2022, pp. 214–27.Harris, Frances. “Outdoor Learning Spaces: The Case of Forest School.” Area, vol. 50, no. 2, June 2018, pp. 222–31. 

Jasmine Powell

A Digital Drug for Teens: Social Media

The negative effects that social media mainly has on teens’ mental health are a decrease in self esteem and an obsession with external validation. Mentor: Marni Fisher

The negative effects that social media mainly has on teens’ mental health are a decrease in self esteem and an obsession with external validation.Tracing back to the older days of social media, it’s evident that not all social networks were actually as popular as the ones many adolescents use today. When it comes to the actual development timeline of social media, notice how the main goal that many developers had in mind is how much can they engage the user and make them stay on the platform, rather than how much can they allow them to socialize. Completely disregarding the mental health of the users, the algorithm of these platforms can expose many teens to ideas that can be toxic, harmful, and unhealthy. Although the main point of social media is not meant to intentionally harm people from a developer's perspective, the negative affects still do exist as many teenagers today are on social media constantly. That being said, diving into this issue still remains relevant today since most teens in this day and age use social media. 

Sources

Stern, Tziporah, Linda W. Friedman, and Hershey H. Friedman. "How we Got here: Connectivity, Creativity, Confluence and Internet Culture." Journal of International Technology and Information Management, vol. 26, no. 1, 2017, pp. 21-44. ProQuest,Dhanyasree, V. K. "Social Networking Sites: A Trace Back to Their Origin and Growth." Gyankosh, vol. 5, no. 2, 2014, pp. 44-48. ProQuest,Choukas-Bradley, Sophia, et al. "Camera-Ready: Young women’s Appearance-Related Social Media Consciousness." Psychology of Popular Media Culture., vol. 8, no. 4, 2019, pp. 473-481. ProQuest.

Nicolay Rueda

The Fall of the USA Due to Weapons

For this paper I decided to be inspired by a very big problem that covers the United States in recent years, the carrying and purchase of weapons by civilians without authorization, who decide to use them to attack the lives of day-to-day people.Mentor: Marni Fisher 

Historically, humanity has always had a fascination with weapons and power (New York times). But they have always tried to put aside due to problems and abuse of power, impacting children, families & communities (Collins & Swoveland 57).Weapons in the United States are destroying the country. This is demonstrated through various aspects, such as: (1) the impact of gun violence on children, families & communities (Collins & Swoveland 57), (2) lack of firearm controls (Utter 7), (3) government laws on gun control (Spitzer 10), and (4) ease of access (Levesque 3055-3058). In these years, two sides have discussed a very important issue, the prohibition of weapons. They have always tried to put aside due to problems and abuse of power (Vanclay, Frank, Baines, and Taylor 3).

Sources

McMillan, Jordan and Mary Bernstein. “Beyond Gun Control: Mapping Gun Violence Prevention Logics.” Sociological Perspectives, vol. 65, no. 1, Feb. 2022, pp. 177-195.Smith, Jacob and Jonathan Spiegler. “Explaining Gun Deaths: Gun Control, Mental Illness, and Policymaking in the American States.” Policy Studies Journal, vol. 48, no. 1, Feb. 2020, pp. 235-256.Whitehead, Andrew L., Landon Schnabel, and Samuel L. Perry. “Gun Control in the Crosshairs: Christian Nationalism and Opposition to Stricter Gun Laws.” Socius, vol. 4.Kwong, Jacky Z., Jennifer M. Gray, Lisa Rein, Ying Liu, and Marlene D. Melzer-Lange. “An Educational Intervention for Medical Students to Improve Self-Efficacy in Firearm Injury Prevention Counseling.” Injury Epidemiology, vol. 6, suppl. 1.McGee, Zina T., Kyle Logan, Joseph Samuel, Tandeka Nunn, and Jamie Halsall. “A Multivariate Analysis of Gun Violence among Urban Youth: The Impact of Direct Victimization, Indirect Victimization, and Victimization among Peers.” Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 3, no. 1.Saadi, Altar, Kristen R. Choi, Sea Takada, and Fred J. Zimmerman. “The Impact of Gun Violence Restraining Order Laws in the U.S. and Firearm Suicide among Older Adults: A Longitudinal State-Level Analysis, 2012–2016.” BMC Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1.Collins, Julie and Emily Swoveland. “The Impact of Gun Violence on Children, Families, & Communities.” Children’s Voice, vol. 23, no. 1.
Copy of RP Template 1B Headings Only 2 - Nicolay Rueda.docx

Roundtable 4: Women's Studies 

Table Moderator: Breanna Moeller & Michael Wojtowicz

Room BGS 253

Rina Robinson* 

Gaming Community to Level Up Its Inclusivity, Not Its Masculinity

Gender Gap in Gaming CommunityMentor: Marni Fisher

Over the last decade, video gaming has seen unprecedented growth, with an increasing number of players worldwide, including women (Hayes 23). However, despite this expansion, gaming has a complex and storied history that has been heavily influenced by gender, with the culture of gaming continuing to reflect gendered norms and practices (Hayes 23). Using a grounded theory framework, this paper examines the negative impact of having a gender gap in the world of online gaming. These impacts are: (1) reinforcement of gamer stereotypes (Hayes 24), (2) hyper-sexualized female characters (Anupama 1922; Waddell 654-658; Tompkins 239-250; Dunlop 99-102), (3) widening the gender gap in technology (Burnett 1; Wang and Wang 787; Farmer 16), and (4) discrimination and harassment (Vella 917; Ekiciler 1; Naidoo 580). Closing the gender gap in gaming participation will take multiple efforts from everyone in the gaming community.

Sources

Kim, Se J., and Youngsun S. Kim. "Gender Inequality in eSport Participation: Exploring the Social Process of Women eSport Consumers." Journal of Sport Behavior, vol. 45, no. 4, 2022, pp. 79-107. ProQuest CentralKondrat, Xeniya. "Gender and Video Games: How is Female Gender Generally Represented in various Genres of Video Games?" Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology and Sociology, vol. 6, no. 1, 2015, pp. 171-193. ProQuest CentralHayes, Elisabeth. "Women, Video Gaming and Learning: Beyond Stereotypes." TechTrends, vol. 49, no. 5, 2005, pp. 23-28. ProQuestRobinson, Jessica A. "I Ain't no Girl": Exploring Gender Stereotypes in 0RW1S34RfeSDcfkexd09rT2 League of Legends1RW1S34RfeSDcfkexd09rT2, Purdue University, United States -- Indiana, 2017. ProQuestMcCullough, Keiko M., Wong Y. Joel, and Natalie J. Stevenson. "Female Video Game Players and the Protective Effect of Feminist Identity Against Internalized Misogyny." Sex Roles, vol. 82, no. 5-6, 2020, pp. 266-276. ProQuest 
Robinson _ Gender Gap in Gaming _ Final - Rina Robinson.pdf

Niki Ghaemi 

How Safe Is It? Sexual Assault in Fraternities 

Sexual assault on college campuses.Mentor: Marni Fisher & Anthony Szczurek

The causes of sexual assault and rape on college campuses include; intoxication, trust, and intimate partner violence. These factors can lead to situations where consent is not properly given. Students might let their guard down around people they know and trust, even if those individuals are capable of committing sexual violence. Students can also come across partners who feel entitled to sex. Alcohol is known to impair judgment and decision-making, especially in men who consume it in excessive amounts (Armstrong et al. 486).This can lead to dangerous situations, such as non-consensual sexual encounters (Armstrong et al. 486). Up to 25% of women may experience sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime (Mezie-Okoye 1). A popular show on Netflix that has brought this issue to the forefront is 13 Reasons Why. Analyzing this show through a postmodern lens highlights how the prevalence of rape culture, gender dynamics, and dominant power allows these crimes to take place. Causes increasing this include: (1) the social construction of gender (Reilly et. al 124 and 128), (2) known rape characteristics (Follingstad et al. 307), (3) intimate partner violence (Meize-Okoye 1), and (4) partying and intoxication in fraternity and intercollegiate athletic settings (Armstrong et al. 486). 

Sources

Armstrong, Elizabeth A., et al. “Sexual Assault on Campus: A Multilevel, Integrative Approach to Party Rape.” Social Problems, vol. 53, no. 4, 2006, pp. 483–99.Mezie-Okoye, Margaret-Mary Ifeoma, et al. “Sexual Violence among Female Undergraduates in a Tertiary Institution in Port Harcourt: Prevalence, Pattern, Determinants and Health Consequences.” African Journal of Reproductive Health / La Revue Africaine de La Santé Reproductive, vol. 18, no. 4, 2014, pp. 79–85. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24362047. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

Jessica Zamora 

Documentation of Jesus Christ 

Is the belief in God just an act of faith or is it supported by reason?Mentor: Marni Fisher

One of the most important questions to consider is the existence of God for centuries. The existence of God is debated as an act of faith or reason. Your belief on the existence of God influences coexisting in society, it impacts us morally and our view of life. Therefore, the existence of God is the most significant question a person can consider today. Using a ground theory framework, this paper will examine historical arguments, to demonstrate the existence of God, noting that despite the arguments against his existence, society has benefited greatly from those who believe the reasoning for his existence. These major argument are: (1) the origin of the universe was created not spontaneous, (2) God makes sense of life, defining resurrection of Jesus (Hilbert,2), (3) God can be experienced and enhanced, (4) intelligent life was designed, (5) an objective moral standard exist therefore supports God's existence.(carm.org) Seeking understanding in the universe will lead us to identify God’s blueprint of his creation and how there is no disconnect with reasoning in his existence. While there is a clear need to understand how we came into existence, to solve this debate, we need to analyze the evidence rather than just assume it's based on beliefs and myth.

Sources

Byas, Steve. "JESUS A Man of History: Skeptics of the deity and even the existence of Jesus Christ abound, but the historical evidence of Him is strong, and even Jesus' enemies didn't deny that He did miracles." The New American, vol. 33, no. 24, 18 Dec. 2017, pp. 33+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A521592021/OVIC?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=f3547ca1. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.George, Bob. "Conservative Christianity Is a Biblical Relationship with God." Constructing a Life Philosophy, edited by Mark Ray Schmidt, Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010219216/OVIC?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=c46c43c4. Accessed 5 Mar. 2023.Bryant, Joseph M. “The Sect-Church Dynamic and Christian Expansion in the Roman Empire: Persecution, Penitential Discipline, and Schism in Sociological Perspective.” The British Journal of Sociology, vol. 44, no. 2, 1993, pp. 303–39. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/591221. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.Byas, Steve. "JESUS A Man of History: Skeptics of the deity and even the existence of Jesus Christ abound, but the historical evidence of Him is strong, and even Jesus' enemies didn't deny that He did miracles." The New American, vol. 33, no. 24, 18 Dec. 2017, pp. 33+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A521592021/OVIC?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=f3547ca1. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.Burke, Vincent Colin, et al. "Let's get biblical." Maclean's, vol. 129, no. 17, 2 May 2016, p. 6. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A451634781/OVIC?u=saddleback_col&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=ca5e84e7. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.

2:20-2:40 pm  Closing Session and Awards

Moderators: Tony Huntley, Ph.D., Jennifer Czerniawski, Ph.D., and Tina Jenkins, M.A.

Room BGS 254

Keynote: Kathryn Stovall-Dennis

Collaboration: Art and Science Merging Ideas, Process and Solutions for a Public Art Project

Awards and Presenter Photo