Digital Commons Network^™

“A Tale Of Two Classrooms”: Designing Culturally-Relevant Hip Hop Curriculum To Support Stem Identity Of Underrepresented Students, Jessica Mcclain, Rebecca Colina Neri Ph.D

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores how educators can contribute to the development of STEM identity in historically marginalized groups by using critical frameworks and pedagogies like Funds of Knowledge and Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy as a curricular tool to counter traditional teaching practices. The authors amplify the importance of cultural spaces that support educators in examining aspects of power, access, and cultural awareness in STEM classrooms to increase student participation and acquisition of STEM knowledge. This article provides a guided activity named “A tale of two citiez” as an example of how educators can act towards (re)conceptualizing and (re)imagining STEM classrooms.

A Path To Decolonizing The Online Classroom, Erin Woodford

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Designing our online classroom is more than just putting content online or showing up on video conferencing as scheduled. The inequities across regions that inhibit success with online learning may affect students anywhere at any time. How do you navigate what inequities our learners may face? Are decolonization strategies the key to creating a more equitable, student-centered classroom? This paper illustrates the autoethnographic case study research process of decolonizing the online classroom that takes the researcher to the United Kingdom and back to the US and Canada to realize how global decolonization varies, yet how using an equity lens in …

“The Power Of Onomatopoeia In Manga” An Essay By Natsume Fusanosuke With Translators’ Introduction, Jon Holt, Teppei Fukuda

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Natsume Fusanosuke is one of the founding critics of manga that pioneered a style of formal analysis of manga in the 1990s. Natsume’s first important foray into his “theory of expression” (hyōgenron) was seen in the collaborate work, Manga no yomikata (How to read manga) in 1995. He later streamlined those ideas in a twelve-episode series Manga wa naze omoshiroi no ka: sono bunpō to hyōgen (Why is manga so interesting?: Its grammar and expression) for NHK television in 1996. The accompanying expanded book (1997) consists of well-ordered, individual essays on elements of manga such as …

Working Paper No. 56, Towards A Veblenian View Of Non-Fungible Tokens, Kamren Geist

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that ideas advanced by Thorstein Veblen in his book, The Theory of the Leisure Class [1899], offer insights into nonfungible tokens. Through the evolution of technology -- aided by broad access to the internet -- the emergence of non-fungible tokens can be understood to offer the leisure class a novel form of conspicuous consumption. Enabled by expansive networks, members of the leisure class can now engage in conspicuous displays of wealth and therewith establish their status relative to members of the laboring class as well as members of the leisure class. While there exist many …

Effects Of Pore-Forming Peptides (Melittin And Magainin 2) On The Phospholipid Bilayer Interior, Elmukhtar Ehmed Alhatmi

Dissertations and Theses

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are one of the most promising solutions to drug-resistant bacteria. Melittin and magainin 2 are two of the most representative and extensively studied AMPs. In this research, I investigated the interaction of these two AMPs with three models of cell membranes: 80% POPC 20% POPG, 40%POPC 40% POPE and 20% POPG, and 80%POPC 20%POPG plus 30% mole fraction of cholesterol. Time-resolved fluorescence emission and fluorescence anisotropy decays of the fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) were analyzed to determine the effects of AMPs on the bilayer headgroup packing and changes in the interior of the phospholipid bilayer during the …

Words Matter: A Linguistic Analysis Of Cluniac Views On The Use And Abuse Of Violent Force, Amanda K. Swinford

Dissertations and Theses

The goal of this project is to isolate Cluniac attitudes towards violence and the use of martial force in the tenth through twelfth centuries, first by determining in what situations Cluniac authors deemed the shedding of human blood was permissible, and second by tracking the evolution of these attitudes from the abbey's foundation to the height of its influence. Given Cluny's role in European society, there is a rich and longstanding body of scholarship which examines Cluny's support or rejection of force as a means of conflict resolution. This study demonstrates a consistency over time in Cluniac attitudes on the …

Among The Bedouins, A Knife Is Never Just A Knife: On Nourishment, Betrayal, And Finding Family Histories, Diana Abu-Jaber

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

This is an essay about family relationships from the perspective of a fiction writer, written in the context of the author's book, Fencing with the King.

Le Gout Qui Reste: Cultural Identity And Belonging In Ook Chung's Kimchi, Taurean James Weber-Laurencio

Dissertations and Theses

The emphasis placed on the questioning of identity in Québécois society since the Quiet Revolution of the mid-twentieth century continues to this day. Whereas this search for a specifically Québécois identity was originally cast in terms of an Anglophone/Francophone divide, the influx of migrants from around the world to the province since the 1970s has rendered such a simplistic, binary discourse impossible. The population of Québéc in general and of Montréal in particular is now multicultural; visible minorities now constitute twenty-six percent of the Montréal populace. While most migrants in Québéc are able to find a niche in Montréal in …

Working Paper No. 58, Auro Ex Oleum: Departing The American Gold Standard*, Zakhary L. Roth

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that the character of the United States dollar fundamentally changed over the course of the 20th century as it moved away from its being rooted in the gold standard. As the global economy transitioned into the 20th century and the United States began establishing itself as a cornerstone of global trade, the dollar evolved into the standard currency of the world economy, changing significantly along the way as it moved from a gold-backed standard to the reserve currency of the international petroleum trade. These changes are reflected in U.S. foreign and monetary policy throughout this …

Seismic Performance Design Criteria Of Existing Bridge Bent Plastic Hinge Region And Rapid Repair Measures Of Earthquake Damaged Bridges Considering Future Resilience, A K M Golam Murtuz

Dissertations and Theses

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the seismic performance of existing sub-standard reinforced concrete (RC) bridge column-spread footing subassemblies and to quantify the material strain limits through a full-scale experimental program. A total of six column-footing test specimens with pre-1990 construction details were subjected to reverse cyclic lateral loading, utilizing a conventional three-cycle symmetric loading protocol and a protocol representing the demands expected from a CSZ earthquake. Additionally, the tests were designed so that variable axial loading could be applied to simulate the secondary load effects experienced during an earthquake in a column that is part of …

Quantification Of Reynolds Shear Stress Wave-Phase Dependence In Fixed-Bottom Offshore Wind Turbine Via Quadrant Analysis, Cerrina Mouchref

University Honors Theses

As the need for a reliable renewable energy supply is increasing, many have looked to offshore wind because they hold more potential for power production than onshore wind. Interests in expanding offshore wind energy has brought along many challenges when it comes to understanding the complex dynamics experienced offshore, including the relationship between the wind-turbine generated wakes and ocean waves. This experimental study characterizes the relationship between Reynolds shear stress and the phase of surface waves above the air-sea interface in the wind-turbine wake region. The experimental setup combines a wave tank, wind tunnel, and a fixed-bottom wind turbine. Particle …

Open Education Faculty Panel, Jenny Ceciliano, Lindsey Wilkinson, Staci Martin, Norma Cardenas

Open Education Week 2022

Many faculty at PSU have been involved in the Open Education movement. This panel of PSU faculty members discusses how Open Education has affected their teaching practice and how Open Education relates to equity and inclusion.

Our panelists are:

• Jenny Ceciliano, Senior Instructor II of Spanish/Coordinator of First-year Spanish, World Languages and Literatures
• Lindsey Wilkinson, Associate Professor, Sociology
• Staci Martin, Assistant Professor of Practice, CYFS Practicum Coordinator Child, Youth, and Family Studies, School of Social Work
• Norma Cardenas, Assistant Professor of Practice Child, Youth, and Family Studies, School of Social Work

Using Intrinsically-Typed Definitional Interpreters To Verify Compiler Optimizations In A Monadic Intermediate Language, Dani Barrack

Dissertations and Theses

Compiler optimizations are critical to the efficiency of modern functional programs. At the same time, optimizations that unintentionally change the semantics of programs can systematically introduce errors into programs that pass through them. The question of how to best verify that optimizations and other program transformations preserve semantics is an important one, given the potential for error introduction. Dependent types allow us to prove that properties about our programs are correct, as well as to design data types and interpreters in such a way that they are correct-by-construction. In this thesis, we explore the use of dependent types and intrinsically-typed …

Robust Design Methodologies Under Performance Variations For More Than Moore Technologies: Cnfets & 3dics, Satya Keerthi Vendra

Dissertations and Theses

Various emerging technologies have shown great potential of supplementing silicon transistors as Moore's law slows down. One such disruptive technology, Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors (CNFET), among others, promises increased speed and integration with reduced power consumption. However, due to a limited controllability over the Carbon Nano-tube(CNT) growth process, CNFETs show large variations in their performance and behavior. It is therefore difficult to predict and model their behavior while design suggestions are also challenging. CNT variations are important for a realistic delay modelling. Due to the presence of CNT-specific variations, conventional CMOS evaluation techniques cannot be used for CNFETs.

This …

Coming To Know The Local Environment: Children's Experiences In Rautamai Gaunpalika, Nepal, Elsie Nicole Love

Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative research, conducted over three months from late monsoon season into early fall of 2018 with twenty-six children and thirteen adults, explores how children in the hills of Rautamai Gaunpalika, Province 1, Nepal come to know their local environment. Semi-structured interviews with children, their family members, and teachers, and participant observation with children as they worked and played in forests, fields, and streams, suggest that outside of school, children come to know their local environment in the following ways: through participation in and application of knowledge to subsistence practices; through collaborative learning and teaching in mixed-age groups; through relationships …

Open Legislation In Oregon, Amy Hofer, Karen Bjork, Jaime R. Wood

Open Education Week 2022

Open Oregon Educational Resources’ Director, Amy Hofer, talks about Oregon's legislation around Open Education and how these laws affect teaching and learning at Portland State University (PSU). Karen Bjork, PSU librarian, and Jaime Wood-Riley, OAI staff, talk specifically about PSU's textbook affordability plan, how faculty can label their course materials as low- or no-cost, and what these designations mean for students.

Publishing In The Pacific Northwest, Kathi Inman Berens, Rachel Noorda, Nathalie Op De Beeck

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

Overview of how 11 Pacific Northwest booksellers survived Covid, and continue to thrive after pandemic lockdowns have lifted. After many consumers shifted to online book buying, what techniques are these book stores using to attract and keep customers?

The Secret Garden: Results And Reflections From The Back 5 Project, Gwyn Case

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The Leach Botanical Garden is a hidden botanical gem tucked away in SE Portland, but beyond the manicured paths lie five acres of leafy chaos. Once a pig farm, the eastern five acres of the Leach Botanical Garden (affectionately called the “back 5”) devolved into a tangle of Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, and other invasive plant species. Since 2019, the Back 5 Project has worked to transform this land from an ecological desert to an outdoor classroom and healthy forest. Formed as a partnership between the Leach Botanical Garden and many other organizations, including Wisdom of the Elders, the Blueprint …

Aerosolization Of Catalytic Rna For Prebiotic Transport And In Situ Reactivity, Brennan Roland Farrell

Dissertations and Theses

Recent theoretical and experimental work suggests that aqueous aerosols in the early Earth's atmosphere might have been an essential component to the development of life. These complex droplets would have served to compartmentalize emerging biomolecules, thereby concentrating them, increasing reactivity, and facilitating transport and exchange between ocean and atmosphere. This project tests an underexplored but potentially important environmental paradigm for the RNA world hypothesis of prebiotic evolution, probing the effects of aerosolization on catalytic RNA using a model ribozyme. Here we demonstrate the successful transport and in situ self-assembly of the Azoarcus ribozyme from multiple independent fragments via a laboratory-constructed …

Examining The Role Of Social Support And Neighborhood Deprivation In The Relationship Between Multiple Aces And Health Risk Behaviors, Marin L. Henderson-Posther

Dissertations and Theses

The accumulation of multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is associated with the disproportionate development of health risk behaviors (HRBs), such as smoking, substance use, physical inactivity, and risky HIV behaviors. The impact of neighborhood social inequities on the association between multiple ACEs and HRBs is not well known. This study aims to examine the impact of stressors associated with neighborhood deprivation on ACE-related HRBs, the potential protective factor of perceived social support (PSS), as well as better understand disproportionality experienced by racial/ethnic minorities. Through merging data from the 2010 Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey (n = …

Mental Health As A Predictor Of Bone Stress Fractures In Female Collegiate Athletes: A Literature Review, Phoebe Brown

University Honors Theses

Stress fractures are a common injury within collegiate athletics. Most athletes assigned female at birth will experience at least one stress fracture in their collegiate career. Eating disorders, amenorrhea, low energy availability, and low bone mass density all contribute to higher risks of stress fractures. However, one factor has been lacking within our stress fracture prevention practices in athletic departments: mental health.

Without screenings for anxiety, depression, or eating disorders, female athletes are left defenseless in a society where athletic bodies are judged and compared to each other. Underfueling in order for a body to look like another body leads …

Classifying Dead Code In Software Development, Arman Alavizadeh

University Honors Theses

Dead code pervades as an issue in the world of software development as a source of many famous software disasters such as the ARIANE 5 rocket failure and chemical bank withdrawal error. Defining dead code on narrow levels of granularity has not been fully explored, yet is crucial to better our understanding of dead code. Here we will be starting a discussion on how to approach classifying dead code via comparing dead code research specific to an industry segment. Research will be compared primarily by methodology and limitations. Dead code subtype classifications are gleaned from research comparisons and can serve …

Modern Russian Reflections On The Soviet-Afghan War, Octavio Camba

University Honors Theses

The work is focused on the translation and analysis of Russian news articles in recent years which reflect on the Soviet-Afghan War of 1979-1989. Various sources offer lessons of the war, and the reflections carry criticisms of the Soviet failures in warfare and governance that created the present situation in Afghanistan, directly and with related consequences. The Soviet Union was a large conventional army that attempted to create political transformation in Afghanistan by supporting the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan in order to stop the perceived threat of radical political Islam, and its spread into the Soviet Central Asian republics …

Care Ethics, Bruno Latour, And The Anthropocene, Michael Flower, Maurice Hamington

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bruno Latour is one of the founding figures in social network theory and a broadly influential systems thinker. Although his work has always been relational, little scholarship has engaged the relational morality, ontology, and epistemology of feminist care ethics with Latour’s actor–network theory. This article is intended as a translation and a prompt to spur further interactions. Latour’s recent publications, in particular, have focused on the new climate regime of the Anthropocene. Care theorists are just beginning to address posthuman approaches to care. The argument here is that Latourian analysis is helpful for such explorations, given that caring for the …

Global Climate Governance: Rising Trend Of Translateral Cooperation, Nataliya Stranadko

Public Affairs and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The transformation from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement has been analyzed by international relations scholars, international law, and transnational governance theory. The international relations literature looks at the climate regime from a perspective of power distribution, state interests, institutions, and multilateral negotiations. International law theory focuses on legal analysis and design of international climate agreements. The transnational governance literature examines the participation of transnational actors at different levels of governance. However, each of these theories overlooks a bilateral trend of cooperation in a multilateral setting that arises as part of the construction or reconstruction of the international regime. …

A Requiem For “Blame It On Beijing” Interpreting Rotating Global Current Account Surpluses, Menzie David Chinn, Hiro Ito

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Global current account imbalances have reappeared, although the extent and distribution of these imbalances are noticeably different from those experienced in the middle of the last decade. What does that recurrence mean for our understanding of the origin and nature of such imbalances? Will imbalances persist over time? Informed by empirical estimates of the determinants of current account imbalances encompassing the period after the global recession, we find that – as before – the observable manifestations of the factors driving the global saving glut have limited explanatory power for the time series variation in imbalances. Fiscal factors determine imbalances, and …

Does Restoration Of Urban Riparian Zones Impact Stream Water Quality In Portland, Oregon, Ash Ivanov

University Honors Theses

Riparian zones influence urban stream quality through factors such as shading the stream, adding nutrients through leaf litter, stabilizing the stream banks to reduce turbidity, and filtering toxins out of the water. Riparian restoration often involves changing plant assemblage to be more diverse and include primarily native species instead of non-native, improving connection to the stream through changing stream morphology, improving species habitat, and reducing pollution. The goal of this study was to determine if urban riparian restoration projects in the region were successful, and if not, why that may be the case. The study was performed in the Portland, …

Exploring Stress Relief Methods And The Efficacy For The Houseless At Urban Settings, Lexis Bates

University Honors Theses

When the word "stress" is mentioned to lay people, they might think that their definitions of "stress" would be the same or similar. However, stress may vary by, not only degrees of the adverse circumstances, but also kinds of stressors which make an individual's experience of stress and their coping mechanisms complicated. Stress refers to a state of mental strain or tension resulting from adverse circumstances. Each individual living in society undergoes stress as a part of life. To some degree, stress keeps us motivated to stay alive in this way through survival instincts. However, excess stress may cause chaos …

Enhancing Exchange Of Knowledge On The Practice Of Applied Behavior Analysis, Harper C. Thomas

University Honors Theses

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) - originally a method of studying behavior - is now an intervention style that utilizes operant conditioning and behaviorism to teach and address behaviors that support the development of autistic students. While much of ABA is strongly supported by research, a debate exists over its use. Criticisms from people on the spectrum, their families, and professionals of various fields target everything from ABA’s implementation, research, and ethical basis. By clarifying what ABA entails, reviewing the history of ABA, compiling criticisms, and collecting opinions of Oregon-based behavioral specialists, this thesis seeks to identify regions where ABA can …

Gender Does Not Equal Genitalia: A Review Of The Implications Of Inclusivity In School-Based Sexual Health Education On The Identity Development Of Non-Binary And Transgender Adolescents, Sol N. Rise

University Honors Theses

Abstinence-only based sexual education has historically been the predominant form of school-based sexuality and sexual health education in the United States since the early 1900s. In recent years, there has been an emergence of more expansive and inclusive comprehensive education, however, both types of sexual education continue to affirm hetero- and cis-centric social and cultural norms around gender and sexual identity that leave transgender and non-binary youth at increased risk of poor psychological well-being and physical health outcomes compared to their peers. There have been considerable recommendations within the discourse community for the linguistic de-gendering of anatomy and anatomical processes, …