The Sisters of St. Joseph and St. Catherine University have a long integrated history with the shared mission of empowering women to lead and influence. St. Catherine University, founded by the Sisters in 1905, has become a modern-day symbol of women pursuing higher education. Despite the historical relationship and physical closeness between these two groups of women, there has been little to show for interpersonal relationships. Many of the living Sisters of St. Joseph live within a few miles from campus or next door in the Carondelet Village community. These women are educators, nurses, activists, board members, executive directors, and students. This project aims to preserve the stories of the Sisters of St.Joseph and spark dialogue between these two communities, which have so much to gain from getting to know one another. It involves a biography written based on an oral interview and a photo portrait of each sister. The idea for this project came to me as a sophomore when I first had the chance to work with the Sisters of St.Joseph in an honors course on women and aging. I had such meaningful interactions with each of the Sisters I met and recognized the opportunity for more connections to be made between those attending St. Kates and the Sisters residing at Carondelet Village and in St.Paul. From that experience, I wanted to make an effort to preserve the experiences and knowledge possessed by the Sisters and share it with other students so that we are no longer strangers but neighbors and friends.   “When strangers start acting like neighbors... communities are reinvigorated.” -Ralph Nader

Cells need nutrients like nitrogen to build essential molecules such as DNA and RNA. Cells often uptake nitrogen from the environment in the form of bulky molecules like ammonia.  These large molecules cannot diffuse passively across cell membranes. Membranes keep most things in the environment out of the cell due to their selective permeability. Instead, cells control what enters via specialized proteins called membrane transporters. There are hundreds of transporters embedded in the cell membrane, and each transporter has a variety of molecules it favors transporting. This characteristic is referred to as substrate affinity. Each substrate also has a specific rate of uptake by the transporter; this data is transporter-based kinetics. Due to advances in genetics, whole genomes have been sequenced, and transporter genes can easily be identified; homology across transporters is due to specific structures relating to their function. By comparing transporter sequences across the genomes of different organisms, hypotheses can be formed about the function of an individual transporter, which can then be validated experimentally. One method to test the function of a particular transporter is electrophysiology.  Electrophysiology is a technique that holds a constant electric charge across a cellular membrane and records the change in electrical potential when the membrane transporter moves a molecule with a charge across the membrane. This change in electric potential can determine the rate that molecules of a particular substrate move into the cell. It also allows for the determination of which charged substrates can be moved via the transporter. Detailed analysis of membrane transporter function can confirm or deny the hypotheses drawn from the structural genetic homology of the transporter. Electrophysiology was applied to a previously uncharacterized transporter SmAMT1.1, and substrate affinity and transporter-based kinetics for NH3/H+ and NH4+ were determined.

Childhood should evoke memories of imaginative make believe and outdoor adventures. However, the rise of urbanization, technological advancements, and anthropocentrism have paralleled a simultaneous decrease in unrestricted, outdoor play. As children’s lives become digitized and disconnected from the natural world, research outlines an increase in sensory, emotional, and attention disorders. Through outdoor immersion, nature-based occupational therapists (OTs) aim to address the cognitive, sensory, and motor deficits that impact a child’s ability to sustain healthy physical and cognitive development in today’s modern world. This project aggregates current research on nature-based OT and its impact on child development through an ecopsychological perspective - that one’s relationship with the Earth has implications for both health and development. Research was conducted via a literature review and interviews with several practicing nature-based OTs across the United States. Further study assessed the racial and class disparities that impact access to both specialized care and the outdoors. To ensure as direct an influence on children as possible, research findings were published publicly within a podcast and provided to parents at a local clinic in the form of an educational resource. Occupational therapy, in combination with the rehabilitative power of nature, rectifies childhood disconnect with the outdoors while simultaneously promoting healthy development.

The human microbiome is described as the community of all microbes living in or on the human body that are essential for all development, immunity, and nutrition. The creation and evolution of this microbiome in infants is everchanging and influenced by multiple factors. One of these factors involves the newborn delivery method, whether it be by cesarean section or vaginal birth. In a vaginal birth, the infant is exposed to the mother’s natural microbiome when they pass through the birth canal, whereas in cesarean birth, the infant is not exposed to the same microbes. A new consideration within the procedure of cesarean sections that can influence microbial development is a process called vaginal seeding. The concept of vaginal seeding is relatively new and unknown. The goal of this project is to educate expecting individuals on the process of vaginal seeding, as well as the hypothesized benefits and risks, in order for these individuals to make an educated decision on whether this might be a beneficial addition to their birth plan. Journal articles, health studies, and medically reviewed documents were chosen to supplement the information used in an educational pamphlet that can be provided to those interested in the topic. During the evolution of the pamphlet, changes were made to the initial document to create a more accessible form that could be utilized by individuals at various levels of health literacy. This educational piece is meant to provide individuals with knowledge of the influence vaginal seeding has on the creation of the infant microbiome.

Stories are means to explore faith and pass down knowledge from one generation to another. This project presents ten faith traditions as they are explored through creative writing. Based on these 15 interviews I conducted, I created a selection of creative works that invite readers to experience the complexities of faith and religion. These works are hybrid in form and represent personal creative adaptations of these interviews. The stories will be divided into three collections. The first is an introduction to each faith tradition so the reader may better comprehend the various types of faith present in this project. The next two collections explore the different faith experiences and intersections between them. The first collection in this exploration will focus on the experiences of those in different faith traditions and unifying beliefs between the different experiences. The second collection will explore the varied transitional experiences between and within different faiths. All these stories present the unity in faith traditions and experiences that is often brushed over.

Many studies have shown that domestic violence against women and girls has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Couples cases are reported to have more quarrels, and stay-home time increases. Most importantly, all of these kinds of violence disproportionately affect and harm women and children, such as: “physical violence, sexual violence, economic control, emotional violence, and psychological assault.” In addition, Women's domestic violence may be physical (sexual abuse) while psychological for children. Many families have been ruined due to the pandemic's impact, resulting in numerous people losing their jobs and leaving many families homeless. This research study aims to develop an educational program to reduce the impact of violence against women and girls in America. The study's second goal is to examine the psychiatric consequences of women and girls and the relationship between domestic violence against women (VAW) and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to several articles, violence against women and girls is rising due to unexpected life changes. Men who "stay at home or come home from work early" are abusing their families daily. This raises the question of what governments are ready to do in the face of abuse of women and girls. When will the voices of these women and girls be heard? And more importantly, how can domestic violence against women and girls be addressed?. 

Intimate partner violence is a serious and prevalent problem in the world of the hispanic population but does not have the true recognition to understand and fix the problem. Intimate partner violence began in the ages of colonialism where the ideas of levels of power started and women were considered underneath men in every situation. This hierarchy still exists in society in the form of machismo where some Hispanic men will attempt to place women below them in their relationships and their daily life. This maintenance of power allows intimate partner violence to exist, which is considered any act to hurt a partner physically, emotionally, or sexually. Intimate partner violence is well documented in the Hispanic population through human rights and feminist organizations, however, the government has not implemented policies and other appropriate measures to improve the problem. The risk factors for the Hispanic population include, of course, this gender hierarchy, but also immigration status, language barrier, young ages, lower socioeconomic status, substance abuse, and history of abuse. Finally, the effects of abuse include three types; physical, psychological, and sexual. To improve the recognition of this problem, the goal of these studies was to understand the problem and find local and national resources specifically for the Hispanic population that can provide culturally relevant care to Hispanic victims. This project was part of the work of the Antonian Honors Program as part of my final project in my last year at St. Catherine University.