Education Commons^™

Working Towards A Racially Inclusive Studio, Dee Payton, Justine Dombrowski, Tian Qing Yen

Undergraduate Studio Assistant Research

Writing Centers and Studios have the potential to be more than just an inclusive space—they can be spaces that actively foster advocacy and racial justice. This module examines how racial inequality manifests on a systemic and interpersonal level within learning spaces. Interactive scenarios examine and challenge what race, racism, and microaggressions mean in the context of learning spaces, and promote reflection on inclusive practices in peer tutoring.

Why English? A Defense Of The Humanities In The Midst Of Stem Promotion, Madison Elmenhurst

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This is a research and text analysis paper exploring the promotion of STEM fields in America and why we still need the humanities.

Klipsun Magazine, 2016 - Fall, Ashe Lambe

Klipsun Magazine

Picture, if you will, a child with matted hair and a sunken lower jaw. Clutched in that child’s hands is a notebook, tattered and filled with sweeping drawings of dragons and the scrawlings of a dreamer.

If you asked that child to write about the real world, a scoff would have followed. “Why would I write about that? It’s boring! ”

As a 10-year-old, I was convinced of this mentality. I had tried writing about myself and I had tried writing about others. Nothing ever stuck. It’s hard to write about others without taking the time to walk in their …

The Planet, 2016, Fall, Jesse Nichols, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Window: The Magazine Of Western Washington University, 2016, Volume 09, Issue 01, Mary Lane Gallagher, Office Of University Communications And Marketing, Western Washington University

Window Magazine

No abstract provided.

Operation Innovators: A Systematic Review Of Experiential Learning Opportunities Within The Western Washington University Honors Program, Elise Aylward

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

"Operation Innovators" is a systematic review of experiential learning opportunities within the Western Washington University Honors Program. Service based opportunities are just one example of a method that provides experiential learning within a real world setting that is difficult to replicate within a traditional classroom. The aim of this project is to provide recommendations for the immediate addition of opportunities for this type of learning within the WWU Honors Program as well as to gather research for possible long term changes in Honors curricula in order to strengthen the overall educational experience of the Honors Program.

Honors Senior Project: Painted Portraits, Justice Fox-Hille

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

A depiction of the paintings and artist statement for the Honors Senior Project requirement of Justice Fox-Hille.

Artist Statement: Integrating elements of the Art Nouveau immortalized by Alphonse Mucha, these works present representations of the nine Greek muses of classical mythology. Each young woman which modeled is a person in my life who, in a more modern sense, acts as a muse in my life. The people around me inspire me just as the Greeks were inspired by these artistic personifications. Young women don’t always recognize their own value and beauty, so raising their forms up to a level of …

Hnrs 400: Implementing A Capstone Research Course For The Western Washington University Honors Program, Courtney Telloian

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This paper provides an outline for how a prerequisite course to HNRS 490, Senior Project, would function. The paper provides descriptions of similar courses that other universities have implemented and suggests revisions to the curriculum in the Honors Program at Western Washington University accordingly. The paper discusses the use of Canvas, collaboration with the on-campus Research-Writing Studio, proposal writing, and striking a balance between field-specific and interdisciplinary research and learning environments.

Reworking The Structure Of Sexual Education Sessions At Western Washington University, Isabella Ramos Miller

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The aim of this paper is to identify characteristics of the Western Washington Peer Sexual Health Educator program that bar students from receiving health care. We hope to accumulate available data on program use, assess barriers to care, suggest collection of additional data, and finally, make suggestions for program improvement.

Klipsun Magazine, 2016, Volume 46, Issue 04 - Summer, Amanda Raschkow

Klipsun Magazine

Every day we have the ability to influence others and our surroundings. We share our stories in hopes that we can inspire change and create a conversation. Our stories can be tragic, happy or anywhere in between. But everyone has a story to tell.

As time passes by we realize how the little points in our lives can lead to bigger experiences. We listen to others while they motivate us to express our voices.

In life we may not always know exactly where we are headed but eventually we will find our path. As when the tides on a beach …

The Role Of The Western Front During The Bsu's Fight For Black Power And Liberation In 1968-1975, Weyni Haddis

Scholars Week

The recent racially and sexually charged threats that were made in Fall 2015 toward a specific Black woman leader on Western’s campus, and Black students at large, were not isolated events for our University. The current campus climate of whiteness and exclusivity at Western has been maintained through the history of marginalization of Black individuals on this campus. Through conducting archival research on the history of student activism that occurred through Western’s Black Student Union, my research revealed that our student publication failed to accurately represent the BSU and was counterproductive in trying to promote racial justice on Western’s campus …

The Language Of Non-Normative Sexuality And Genders, Emily Bolam, Samantha Jarvis

Scholars Week

This project is about how asexual, intersex and transgender identities challenge normative ideas about what it means to be human. Our research primarily focused on how language used in the medical community influences societal perceptions of non-normative identities. Western culture is pervasively heteronormative, meaning that there is a narrow idea of what constitutes a “normal” human being, which is typically heterosexual and limited to a binary gender system. While society is making strides with accepting non-hetero sexual identities, there persists the notion that humans are inherently sexual beings. Asexuality, an orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction, challenges this …

"I Hate Group Projects", Hillary Thalmann, Hannah Davis, Austin Vaughan

Undergraduate Studio Assistant Research

Most college students will be assigned a group writing project during their academic career. However, traditional writing center pedagogies are not optimized for group work. What types of concerns are common in group writing and how do they differ from those of individual writers? What strategies can writing tutors use to best address these group writing concerns? In this module, participants will explore the concerns unique to group writing and discuss strategies for effectively facilitating group writing.

Klipsun Magazine, 2016, Volume 46, Issue 03 - Spring, Halee Hastad

Klipsun Magazine

The flowering cherry tree has long symbolized the cyclical nature of life and death. Its blossoms arrive in the spring, delivering their beauty for only a short time. There is a transcendent quality to them, a sense of magic. The Japanese tradition of Hanami has celebrated these trees for more than a millennium and invites people to leave their home or workplace to admire the blossoms and watch them fall. This act is one of honor and regard for the ephemerality of life. It is a practice calling for recognition that as all things begin, thus they too shall end. …

Increasing The Use Of Student-Centered Pedagogies From Moderate To High Improves Student Learning And Attitudes About Biology, Georgianne L. Connell, Deborah A. Donovan, Timothy G. Chambers

Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Student-centered strategies are being incorporated into undergraduate classrooms in response to a call for reform. We tested whether teaching in an extensively student-centered manner (many active-learning pedagogies, consistent formative assessment, cooperative groups; the Extensive section) was more effective than teaching in a moderately student-centered manner (fewer active-learning pedagogies, less formative assessment, without groups; the Moderate section) in a large-enrollment course. One instructor taught both sections of Biology 101 during the same quarter, covering the same material. Students in the Extensive section had significantly higher mean scores on course exams. They also scored significantly higher on a content postassessment when accounting …

The Planet, 2016, Spring, Jesse Nichols, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Window: The Magazine Of Western Washington University, 2016, Volume 08, Issue 02, Mary Lane Gallagher, Office Of University Communications And Marketing, Western Washington University

Window Magazine

No abstract provided.

Soil Conditions And Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Spore Abundance And Distribution In Dewatered Reservoir Sediments After Dam Removal, Kari Clausen

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Many dams in the U.S. are reaching the ends of their lifespans and dam removal as a form of river ecosystem restoration is becoming more prevalent. Revegetation of newly exposed sediments is an important aspect of ecosystem recovery after dam removal. Understanding the soil environment left behind after dam removal is important for understanding revegetation and ecosystem recovery trends. Physical soil properties and soil biota communities help to determine the success of plants colonizing exposed sediments after reservoirs are drained. I investigated soil properties and biota after dam removal by looking at the Elwha Dam Removal in Olympic National Park, …

Summer Climate And Western Spruce Budworm Outbreaks In The Pacific Northwest, Melinda Vickers

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Western spruce budworm outbreaks occur yearly with devastating effects for forests across Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. However, as of yet, the relationship between these outbreaks and summer climate is poorly understood. In this study, I compared western spruce budworm outbreak records from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia with June-August temperature and precipitation records between 1975 and 1995. This research reveals interesting patterns in the correlation between drought conditions and western spruce budworm outbreaks. My results necessitate further study examining the potentially significant relationship between summer drought conditions and western spruce budworm outbreaks.

Effects Of Microfinance Penetration Rates On Education Participation, Samuel W. Martinez

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Microfinance, or the extension of financial services to low-income individuals unserved or underserved by traditional financial institutions, has been championed as a method of reducing poverty and creating social change, especially in developing countries. However, empirical studies examining the effects of microcredit programs have found mixed results as to the success of these loans. This study attempts to determine the impact that the presence of microfinance institutions in a country has on education participation rates, specifically examining country- level World Bank data over a 10-year period. Regression results for this data suggest positive effects of microfinance penetration on secondary education …

Spanish News Framing Of The Syrian Refugee Crisis, Ariana Hoyer

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

During 2015 and 2016, Europe dealt with the largest migratory crisis since WWII due to the escalation of the Syrian civil war and ongoing conflict and violence. When an issue as significant as the Syrian refugee crisis occurs, it is crucial to carefully examine the news framing of the issue due to its strong power to influence public discourse. This influence can originate from many different aspects of framing, but one of the most influential is word choice. The word choices used to refer to groups of people can change the feelings of identification or “otherness” among readers. This paper …

Malignant Gliomas: A Case Study, Bonnie R. Sullivan

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Malignant gliomas, of grade III and grade IV malignancy, are incurable neoplasms that arise from cells with several well-characterized genetic profile abnormalities that cause uncontrollable growth and infiltration in the brain. Presenting symptoms of both generalized and focal neurological abnormalities are induced by increased intracranial pressure and focal neuronal dysfunction, respectively. On average, patients experience 3 months or less of clinical history before receiving diagnosis based on multifactorial comparison of clinical and pathological presentation of the tumor. Following diagnosis, maximal safe resection and adjuvant radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy typically ensues with subsequent management chemotherapy regimens. Despite aggressive treatment approaches, progression …

Sehome Hill Arboretum Trail Decommissioning Follow Up, Calvin Heslop

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Maintaining accessible trail networks for recreation and travel is an important part of management in the Sehome Hill Arboretum in Bellingham Washington. Trails aid in bringing people into the arboretum so they can appreciate and enjoy what it has to offer. Additionally trails serve the purpose of limiting human impact to known and maintained areas. Unofficial “social” trails can be detrimental to both the accessibility and ecological function of the Arboretum. By adding to the existing trail network, these social trails can confuse park visitors as well as decrease the aesthetic value of the arboretum. Additionally, repeated traffic by hikers …

The Economic Impacts Of Cross-Border Retailing, Daniel Edgel

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

An economic impact estimation of cross-border shopping from British Columbia to Whatcom County and forecast of the impact of future changes in retail shopping trends.

Curriculum Development, Courtney Knox

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project examined the process of developing curriculum and analyzed its efficacy. Initially there were two sets of curriculum involved, but only one is included here because I was unable to gain the permission to publicly publish the other. The curriculum that is included is the curriculum I developed the Math Club at Fairhaven Middle School in Bellingham, WA. This curriculum was developed and implemented independently of any official curriculum regulations. Thus, I was free to personalize and change the curriculum based on what I saw was most needed in the classroom setting. However, there were still challenges that needed …

Nickel Phosphide On Boron-Doped Alumina: New Catalysts For Heteroatom Removal Reactions, Catherine E. Miles

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The effects of boron addition to an alumina (Al₂O₃) support on the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) properties of nickel phosphide (Ni₂P) catalysts have been investigated. The B-Al₂O₃ supports were prepared by a wetness impregnation method using boric acid (H₃BO₃) to dope the alumina support with 0-7.2 wt% B, yielding a boron oxide (B₂O₃) layer of monolayer thickness on the surface of the Al₂O₃ support. Ni₂P precursors were prepared on the B-Al₂O₃ supports in two ways: 1) impregnation …

Fish Abundance And Habitat Recommendations Of The Lake Whatcom Tributaries, Ariel Edwards

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The tributaries of Lake Whatcom, Austin/Beaver, Anderson, Olsen, and Smith Creeks, provide essential habitat for many fish species native to the Pacific Northwest. However, development in the watershed has contributed to habitat alterations and even degradation of habitat quality. In this report, fish abundance and diversity, and habitat quality is compared both temporally, and among different streams. Anderson Creek was found to have the greatest species diversity. Cutthroat trout was the most abundant fish at each stream throughout the study period and was observed at every study site. Restoration recommendations for each stream were aimed at supporting existing native fish …

Cultural Sensitivity Education Offered By Western Washington University For Global Southern Study Abroad Programs, Danielle Crow

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In March of 2015, Western Washington University published an Action Plan for Global Education at Western. The document provides four main reasons for becoming more globally engaged, including: 1) remaining relevant in an interconnected world, 2) providing students “the knowledge, attitudes, and skills” needed to thrive in this interconnected world, 3) solving problems around the globe, and finally 4) providing funds to the university and “enhance[ing] the university’s visibility and its rating”. As a call to action, the statement is made that “making the case for the internationalization of the university is simple.” But is it really that simple? Through …

Klipsun Magazine, 2016 - Winter, Halee Hastad

Klipsun Magazine

There exists a value intrinsic to the decisions and actions that we make. A force to promote change and move us forward, into the future.

Decisions lead to acts lead to events and events shape our views of the world. Our frame of reference expands and we are within the human experience.

Please, take a moment and a deep breath. May you be delivered, now and always, to a sense of purpose.

Assessment Of Engineering Writing At Western Washington University, Sura Al-Qudah, Nathan Romond

Writing Research Fellows

Effective writing skills are crucial to the transfer of knowledge and information in all fields. In Engineering, writing skills are the key to communicating the results and findings of engineering analysis, since this analysis is not only represented by graphs, plots, equations, etc. but is also presented in technical reports, lab reports, proposals, and articles. Engineering programs emphasize the importance of teaching students effective writing skills by implementing some writing proficiency courses in their curriculum. However, these programs are usually concerned with how to prepare and assess their students to have effective writing skills to help them in their professional …