Digital Commons Network^™

Standing Under A Sign To Which One Does Not Belong: Desire And (Dis)Identification In Catherine Opie’S Self-Portrait Series, Jenna June

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

This paper will take a closer look at Catherine Opie’s Self-Portrait series. Spanning a decade, from 1993 to 2004, each self-portrait is both reflective of an important time in Opie’s life, and are emblematic of a particular period in the LGBTQ movement. Traditional interpretations of these images have read them as independent of one another. When read together however, they present a subtle yet powerful statement on identity and desire. Using José Muñoz’ disidentification theory as a critical lens, I plan to unpack these images and offer new insights that will bring them in line with contemporary queer theory. While …

Creative Submission: I Return To The Place I Ran From, Ian Gillespie

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

No abstract provided.

Lgbtq People Of Color And Digital Spaces Of Empowerment, Eden Bonjo

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

In recent history, the internet has been considered a place where disembodied users can escape the limitations of their corporeal bodies. But in the contemporary moment, the digital and the physical worlds have become mutually constitutive. What happens when a politics of race, sexuality, and gender is centered in an analysis of digital activity? LGBTQ people of color use strategies to navigate marginalizing social dynamics of power both offline and online. This negotiation is important because of how integral the internet has become to everyday life. In the age of social media, cultural production has become the business of the …

La Negra Tiene Tumbao: Multimodal Resistance Strategies Of Afro-Latinxs And Other Queer Constructions, Kassandra Colón Cisneros

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

The importance of sound in Afro- diasporic communities hearkens back to the slave cry on the plantation field, a sound that showed there is social life within social death. These survival and resistance strategies still exist today, and are not limited to music; they can also be traced through aesthetics, as well as routes and history that connect Afro-Latinxs to the diaspora. The deployment of diasporic resistance through what Juan Flores calls “baggage,” show the possibility and radical potential for survival in white spaces. Recognizing the necessity to dismantle white heteronormative spaces, my research will analyze how Afro-Latinxs—especially those who …

A Pre-Medical Student’S Reconciliation Of Feminist Narratives Regarding Women’S Health: A Consideration Of Perspectives On Childbirth In The U.S., Laura Clayton

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

Many feminists argue that one major negative aspect of reproductive healthcare in the U.S. is the common over-medicalization of women during childbirth, including potentially unnecessary procedures such as cesarean-section and episiotomy. As a solution, they advocate for increased involvement of midwives in childbirth practices, as midwives allow women to give birth at home with minimal medical intervention. This paper analyzes the benefits of midwifery as well as the current increased risk associated with homebirth in the U.S. Additionally, it questions the damaging stigma associated with assumptions of cesarean-section as a suboptimal outcome. A false dichotomy has developed in our culture …

Shame And The Struggle Of Sexual Identity, Brooke English

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

This paper examines the development and use of language in minority communities within the queer community from the beginning of the 20th century through today. The pre-Stonewall era is explored through two literary works, Quentin Crisp’s The Naked Civil Servant (1997/1968) and Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness (1990/1928), and the post- Stonewall era looks at two 21st century groups, the undocuqueer movement and the group of queer people who use Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), otherwise known as Truvada Whores. Drawing on analysis of the modern groups found in Hinda Seif’s Coming out of the Shadows and undocuqueer and Tim Dean’s …

Creative Submission: For The Androgynous, Elias Fulmer

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

No abstract provided.

Driscoll’S Water-Use Efficiency (Wue) Strawberry Breeding Trial, Aidan Inoue

Plant Sciences

California’s water supply is seeing stress and growers are increasingly under pressure to lower their water use. While reducing irrigation to strawberry plants can be used to raise sugars (°bx), research on the impact of deficit irrigation on plant growth, fruit yield and quality are not yet quantified. The purpose of this experiment is to observe the effects of a ~50% deficit irrigation treatment on tabletop strawberry plants where drainage measurements and plant absorption can be recorded. Results indicate that plant vigor and total marketable yield are predominantly treatment dependent whereas fruit characteristics, including culls and berry size are reliant …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Fire Behavior Impacts Following California Fuel Treatments, Lindsay M. Senechal

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Fuel treatments are being increasingly applied across California landscapes as communities struggle to recover from wildfire disasters nationwide. Increased funding for treatments stems from grants under CARB’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and funding requires reports accounting the yielded benefits from these fuel treatments. Using data from real-world local scale fuel treatments, I used the forest simulation model FVSFEE and fire behavior software IFTDSS to quantify GHG emission benefits and fire behavior impacts 70 years after treatment. Results suggest that fuel treatments do not yield significant GHG benefits, and fire behavior impacts (conditional flame length) are minimal but overall show slight …

Establishing A Monitoring Framework To Evaluate Impacts Of Grazing Exclusion And Inform Restoration At Santa Rita Ranch, Annie Booth, Annie Booth

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Santa Rita Ranch is a 1,750-acre cattle ranch in Templeton, California, that was privately owned and continuously grazed for the past 70 years. In 2021, The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo (LCSLO) acquired the property, and in the winter of 2022, they built a fence that bisects the ranch, excluding the cattle from 800 acres to preserve the riparian habitat. The LCSLO is currently defining the ecological baseline for the ranch to inform future management decisions. Given that cattle grazing has many environmental tradeoffs, they wanted to establish a long-term monitoring study to understand how relieving the pressures of …

Pumping-Induced Drawdown Of Streams In Proximity To Agricultural Wells, Sara Alina Sternberg

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

In the context of unprecedented drought and aquifer overdraft in California, understanding surface water and groundwater connectivity have become increasingly important. While there is a clear understanding of how wells induce drawdown in aquifers (Theis, 1935; Hantush, 1965), secondary effects on local streams have not fully been considered. Current mathematical models targeting aquifer drawdown do not address stream drawdown response in aquifer-stream systems with strong connectivity; instead, they assume the stream to be a constant head boundary. In the drought-stricken and summer-dry climate of California, streams often run dry for months out of the year, which is currently not reflected …

The Methods Of Communication And Education Used To Train Forest And Fire Personnel Through The Swanton Pacific Ranch, Christine Brittney Johnson

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

California does not have a cohesive curriculum for educating and training forest and fire professionals. The Swanton Pacific Ranch Fuels Management Training Program is Cal Fire affiliated and provides online and in person training to assist in equipping fire and forest professionals throughout California with the necessary skills to be successful fire and forest practitioners and managers. An exit survey was offered to all workshop participants after the Swanton workshop concluded. The survey was answered by 331 Swanton workshop participants to assess the effectiveness of the training program, the educational practices used to teach participants, and what factors of a …

Environmental Controls On Soil Organic Matter Fractions In Post-Fire Landscapes, Alexis Heuer

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

In the past few decades, the world’s climate is being altered by anthropogenic forces such as the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions due to fossil fuel combustion (Paraschiv and Paraschiv, 2020). In California, the impacts of increased CO2 concentrations have created longer fire seasons, warmer temperatures, and increased lightning strikes which allow for wildfires to become more frequent, severe, and larger in scale (Westerling et al., 2006). Wildfires of this magnitude result in acceleration of landscape scale processes such as erosion and aggregation which in turn affects soil organic matter (SOM), the basis of soil health (Gonz´alez-P´erez et al., …

Fire Effects On Soil Organic Matter In The Creek Fire, Gracie E. Doolin

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Wildfires have increased in frequency and severity over the past few decades due to the increased concertation of CO2 emissions from anthropogenic influence. Soil carbon (C) sequestration has been identified as a climate change mitigation strategy; however, the influx of large-scale wildfires has accelerated landscape processes such as erosion, reducing soil aggradation, and soil C and nitrogen (N) protection. This trend is highlighted by the Creek Fire that occurred in September 2020 and burned 379,895 acres in the Sierra National Forest. This research is designed to close the knowledge gap regarding the impact of burn severity on soil organic matter …

Identifying The Stream Depletion Paradox By Monitoring A Stream’S Response To Aquifer Pumping From Neighboring Wells, James Klueber

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Current groundwater models utilize a constant head (Dirichlet) boundary condition which assumes stream stage is fixed and does not experience any drawdown in the event of pumping from an interconnected aquifer despite the presence of stream depletion. Therefore, constant head boundary implies that streams and lakes in a groundwater model behave as an infinite supply of water when aquifer pumping occurs. This study aimed to determine if a stream located in the California Central Coast experiences drawdown and depletion when pumping occurs within an aquifer-stream system. This was achieved by measuring stream stage, aquifer water levels, stream discharge, and the …

Assessing Environmental Impact Of The Built Environment By Adopting Life Cycle Design: Using Swanton Pacific Ranch As A Case Study, Hope E. Springer

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

To combat the carbon emissions contributed to the atmosphere by the built environment, it is imperative that low-embodied-carbon materials choices be prioritized throughout the building design process. To achieve this, this professional project creates an Excel-based, open source, and user-friendly tool for the construction sector to make design decisions that prioritize the sustainability of structures, as one such tool does not currently exist. The use of OpenLCA software and the EcoInvent34 database are utilized to calculate the environmental impact of 25 different building materials, as well as energy and electricity consumption. Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR) in Santa Cruz County is …

New God Video Game, Evan Springer

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Artificial Intelligence is used in all sorts of ways in various types of media. AI is often applied to Interactive entertainment such as video games. One of the most important parts of designing an AI for a video game is considering how “intelligent” it should be for better user enjoyment. For instance, making the AI too simple can cause frustration and impatience in the player, and making the AI too advanced can result in unexpected side effects and/or the player not getting personal satisfaction from in-game accomplishments. My goal for this project was to figure out what level of “intelligence” …

Laboratory Glovebox, Jackson T. Tenne, Noah Fitzgerald, Scott Stirling, Danny Ho

Mechanical Engineering

The Laboratory Glovebox project aimed to create an affordable, functional, ready to use, airtight workstation enabling Dr. Ramanan Sritharan to continue his research of the mechanical properties of nanomaterials. When airborne, nanomaterials are a health risk if inhaled, so the design requires a hermetic seal to protect the user. The design was meant to emulate features of the glovebox used by Dr. Sritharan during his PhD research, but was optimized to meet a budget of $3000, much cheaper than comparable alternatives. Key design features included acrylic panels, a transfer chamber, glove mounts, and a main access door, all sealed to …

Dynamic Projection Mapping, Addison J. Sandvik

Computer Engineering

Projection mapping is a modern technology used in the live entertainment industry that uses objects as display surfaces. It is most frequently used at events like theatrical performances and art exhibitions to enhance the visual appeal of the production. However, most projection mapping applications are onto static surfaces or surfaces with predetermined movement, resulting in predetermined mappings. This method is suitable for many applications where the target surface is fixed, like a building, but is restrictive to cases where the target surface has an unfixed and unpredictable position, like a person. This project serves as a proof-of-concept for a dynamic …

Smart Bottle Firmware And Wireless Charging Integration, Khanh Thy Chau Le, Justin Truong

Electrical Engineering

In the past 3 decades, there has been a 60% increase of infants under the age of 2 who are considered obese [1]. The California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Child Development Department wants to research parents feeding habits and the Smart Bottle tool was built to aid this effort in finding the relationship between infant obesity and parent feeding habits. The Smart Bottle is a baby bottle meter attached to the bottom of the bottle. The goal of this device is to analyze the state of the feeding the parent is currently at and measure the amount of …

Physical Treatments To Modify The Functionality Of Carrot Pomace And The Development Of An Enhanced Beef Patty, Jordan O.A Richards

Master's Theses

Approximately one-third of the global food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted somewhere along the food chain. Carrots are one of the most important and widely produced root vegetables grown worldwide; they are rich in many beneficial bioactive compounds such as dietary fiber and carotenoids. Every year, an estimated 29% of processed carrots are lost as waste. The U.S. is the 3^rd largest producer of carrots worldwide, 85% of which come from California. During carrot juice processing, up to 50% of the raw material remains as carrot pomace. Carrot pomace may contain up to 55% total dietary …

Wood Diaphragm Deflections. Part Ii: Implementing A Unified Approach For Current Clt And Wsp Practice, John Lawson

Architectural Engineering

Horizontal wood diaphragm systems, whether decked with conventional or mass timber panels, transfer wind and seismic loads to vertical elements of the lateral force-resisting system (LFRS), in flexible, rigid, or semi-rigid fashion. Characterizing and calculating the resulting diaphragm deflections determines the distribution of forces to critically loaded components and a significant portion of lateral building translations and rotations. Deflection equations for sheathed wood structural panel (WSP) diaphragms are well established in U.S. design standards in a 4-term expression that models flexural, shear, and fastener-slip deformations, but similar equations for cross-laminated timber (CLT) diaphragms have yet to unfold, despite growing industry …

From Greens To General Plans: Reinventing Abandoned Golf Courses, Chloe Carolyn Partain

City and Regional Planning

This paper examines three case studies from different areas of the western United States to analyze the challenges and opportunities associated with redeveloping underutilized or abandoned golf courses. By examining how different communities from across the region have approached this process, this study aims to inform city planners, developers, policymakers, and other stakeholders about the intricacies and potential pitfalls of this process. It concludes with a list of necessary considerations for the redevelopment of any golf course and recommends best practices to follow throughout the process of redevelopment.

Knowledge And Use Of Paced Bottle-Feeding Among Mothers Of Young Infants, Alison K. Ventura, Vivian M. Drewelow

Kinesiology and Public Health

Objective: To describe mothers’ awareness and use of paced bottle-feeding (PBF) and to investigate whether the use of PBF was associated with maternal characteristics and infant feeding practices.

Methods: Cross-sectional, online survey. Participants were mothers of infants < 12 months of age (n =197). Participants self-reported their awareness and use of PBF, demographic characteristics, and infant feeding practices.

Results: Of the 41% of participants who indicated they had or maybe had heard of PBF, 23% used PBF and 35% sometimes used PBF. Use of PBF was not associated with mother or infant characteristics. Participants who used PBF were significantly less likely to encourage their infant to finish the bottle (odds ratio,0.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.01−0.79).

Conclusions and Implications: Paced bottle-feeding was …

Wood Diaphragm Deflections. Part I: Generalizing Standard Equations Using Mechanicsbased Derivations For Panel Construction, John W. Lawson, Scott Breneman, Marco Lo Ricco

Architectural Engineering

Horizontal wood diaphragm systems, whether decked with conventional or mass timber panels, transfer wind and seismic loads to vertical elements of the lateral force-resisting system (LFRS), in flexible, rigid, or semi-rigid fashion. Characterizing and calculating the resulting diaphragm deflections determines the distribution of forces to critically loaded components and a significant portion of lateral building translations and rotations. Deflection equations for sheathed wood structural panel (WSP) diaphragms are well established in U.S. design standards in a 4-term expression that models flexural, shear, and fastener-slip deformations and its full derivation using principles of mechanics is provided herein. Derivations of similar equations …

Factors Affecting California Grassland Biodiversity: Two Case Studies, Nora Bales

Master's Theses

Biodiversity loss over the last century has been significant and is projected to increase. Biodiversity loss is accelerating due to climate change and habitat loss and degradation. Biodiversity supports key ecosystem services including pollination services, climate regulation, and water filtration. Biodiversity conservation is a top priority for land managers and researchers, however many ecological studies with practical applications lack a thorough understanding of the soil environment in their study system. We conducted two case studies integrating soil and plant data to answer management questions. The first case study investigated the relationship between a threatened plant, Hooveria purpurea var. purpurea and …

A Study On Rapidly Exploring Random Tree Algorithms For Robot Path Planning, Sahil Sharma

Master's Theses

Robot path planning is a critical feature of autonomous systems. Rapidly-exploring Random Trees (RRT) is a path planning technique that randomly samples the robot configuration space to find a path between the start and end point. This thesis studies and compares the performance of four important RRT algorithms, namely, the original RRT, the optimal RRT (also termed RRT*), RRT*-Smart, and Informed RRT* for six different environments. The performance measures include the final path length (which is also the shortest path length found by each algorithm), time to find the first path, run time (of 1000 iterations) for each algorithm, total …

Nira Ya Mtumwa Aliye Huru: Granville Kachipumo's Life Of Slavery And Redemption In Nineteenth-Century East Africa, Zachary Tyler Levy

Master's Theses

Granville Kachipumo was the Universities Mission to Central Africa’s African-born teacher at Mkului in East Africa near today’s Muheza district of Tanga, Tanzania. He was taken from his home along River Lintipe at 10 to 12 years old. Granville Kachipumo’s life began with his family west of Lake Nyasa. Ripped from the arms of his parents, Granville Kachipumo faced two inland journeys, each with its complex forms of slave trade. From the inland environment, Granville Kachipumo navigated to the mission halls of Masasi and beyond. Kachipumo’s story is, as Arthur Cornwallis Madan stated, “a story of an intelligent boy who …

Closing, Izze Gunn

.RAW Journal of Art and Design

No abstract provided.

Contributors, Miranda Kowalski

.RAW Journal of Art and Design

No abstract provided.