Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Experiences Of White Passing And White-Assumed Latine College Students, Emanuel Magaña

Dissertations and Theses

Between 2009 and 2019 Latine college enrollment has increased, yet retention and graduation rates lag those of their white peers. While barriers for Latine students are well-documented, the influence of colorism, particularly among lighter-skinned or white passing students, remains understudied. This study utilized a qualitative case-study approach grounded in CRT and LatCrit and based on a Street Race Praxis framework. This study explored the experiences of twelve white passing and/or white-assumed Latine students at an emerging HSI in the Pacific Northwest. Using Testimonio informed approach and Counterstory, I drew from interviews, pláticas, site observations, and document analysis to create four …

Systematics And Systems Theory: Reconstructability Analysis Of The Tetrad, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This talk discusses the relationship between systems theory, specifically Reconstructability Analysis, and Systematics, a systems theory-like framework of number symbolism developed by John G. Bennett, which he presented in his four-volume magnum opus, The Dramatic Universe. The talk, given to a community of people interested in Bennett's ideas, focuses on Martin Zwick's paper "Ideas and Graphs: the Tetrad of Activity" archived at https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/36249.

The Social Side Of Aging In Place: Community, Belonging, And Cultural Fit, Michael Crespo

University Honors Theses

Aging in place, or the capacity of older adults to remain in their homes and communities as they age has been a central tenet of the field of gerontology and the gerontological social policy area. Although access to physical facilities and service provision has been the main focus of traditional studies, contemporary experience demonstrates that social and cultural issues are equally important as determinants of the quality of life. This thesis discusses the influence of social networks, cultural congruence, and community belonging on the aging in place experience. The content of the study is based on the Ecological Model of …

An Innovative Hdm Model For Assessing Renewable Heat Energy Resources In Utility Energy Systems, Mark Alan Ryan

Dissertations and Theses

Renewable Heat Energy projects exhibit numerous unique, complex, and often conflicting characteristics, including varying project sizes, diverse energy resources, stakeholder demands, and significant challenges in energy conversion applications. Traditionally, cash flow analysis and return on investment are the most widely recognized metrics for evaluating remote energy projects. However, numerous quantitative and qualitative factors influence the overall performance and success of Renewable Heat Energy System (RHES) projects. A comprehensive approach using advanced tools is essential for assessing the factors and criteria that significantly impact these projects.

This research investigates the key quantitative and qualitative factors that contribute to the successful implementation …

The Power Of Positive Lesbian Representation In Television: How It Affects The Well-Being And Identity Formation Of Lgbtq+ Adults, Brittany Berry

University Honors Theses

To date, there are no studies which explore the effects that positively represented Black and lesbian characters in television have on LGBTQ viewers. Exposure to LGBTQ characters has the potential to validate LGBTQ identities and improve well-being. A comprehensive literature review and quantitative analysis using Żerebecki et. al.'s codebook reveals there are simply not enough characters depicted to provide such research. In an attempt to demonstrate the qualities possessed by positively portrayed Black, lesbian characters, this study analyses Taissa Turner from the hit series Yellowjackets available on the streaming network Paramount+.

Human Evil (In The Weird), Lucas Ethridge

University Honors Theses

This paper examines a trending doom in speculative fiction: the post-human age. Many modern works have started to look past human civilization as humans surrender all hope and faith in a climate-doomed world. Honing in on core concepts in Weird fiction, this paper explores human merit through Old and New Weird. A good part spends time establishing the canon, looking at similar patterns across age, philosophy, war and genre. The chief question asks if humankind was ever worth saving.

Addressing Injustices Toward Individuals With Schizophrenia-Spectrum Conditions: A Call To Action For Social Work Practice, Shannon M. Blajeski, Lindsay A. Bornheimer, Jessica A. Wojtalik, Lynette Studer, Shelly Ben-David, Patricia R. Turner, Ana T. Flores, Matthew J. Smith, Nev Jones, Jordan E. Devylder

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The field of social work has a lengthy history of training social workers for community mental health settings, and an ethical commitment to advance human rights and social justice. However, individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum conditions continue to suffer from myriad social injustices, including poverty, social isolation, and lower-life expectancy. This paper outlines these injustices, and reviews historical social work contributions and current training for supporting this population. Finally, the authors outline actions to 1) adopt national practice guidelines that formally acknowledge injustices, including anti-oppressive practice guidelines that are inclusive of lived experience, and 2) revitalize social work’s contributions to models of …

Experience From A Distance: Improving Transparency For The Multnomah Athletic Club, Matthew Penner

University Honors Theses

Portland is home to the largest and one of the most prestigious athletic clubs in the world: Multnomah Athletic Club. In many ways, it is the pinnacle of luxury and innovation, and over time, it finds any way to entice prospective members to pay the expensive upfront fee of $6000 and monthly membership fees exceeding $300. Due to the previous technological barrier, which was not being able to see the full extent of what amenities the club had to offer, the club faced major challenges in recruitment and marketing. Over two academic terms, a team of six computer science capstone …

Bridging Boundaries: Integration Of Culturally Relevant Resources, James D. Ware, Evan W. Stokes

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative study examines the impact of culturally relevant resources on student engagement, motivation, and academic achievement in a language arts classroom. Since school curricula are increasingly scrutinized for their ability to reflect the historical and cultural diversity of student populations, this study investigates how integrating culturally relevant pedagogy can enhance learning outcomes. The study explores the student impact of blending culturally relevant teaching materials with traditional educational frameworks to foster a more inclusive and equitable classroom environment. By analyzing student feedback from a writing-intensive English course that utilized culturally relevant resources, the study seeks to provide insights into how …

Protests, Epistemic Injustice, And The Movement For Black Lives, Sofia De Ferrari

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Epistemic injustice provides a powerful perspective for understanding media narratives of the Movement for Black Lives (#BlackLivesMatter). To understand the media coverage, I draw on Foucauldian theories and critical race theory, as well as accounts of hermeneutical and recognition injustice, which show how “truth” emerges as a product of knowledge/power/resistance. Special attention is given to the question of violence: what is violent and what isn’t? Who gets to decide? What are the consequences? Media narratives favor the status quo and delegitimize social movements which challenge it. This is achieved by prioritizing the voices of officials and law enforcement in coverage …

Review Of Information Literacy And Social Media: Empowered Student Engagement With The Acrl Framework, Rebecca M. Mccall

Communications in Information Literacy

Review of Santamaría, M., & Pfannenstiel, N. (2024). Information literacy and social media: Empowered student engagement with the ACRL Framework. Association of College and Research Libraries.

Recognition Through The Algorithm: How Emotional Identification Shapes The Circulation Of Classics On Booktok, Olivia Carolyn Cowles

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores how classic literature circulates within the virtual community known as BookTok. Rather than making any definitive claims, this study offers a preliminary look at how and why certain classics surface within a digital space. Using a mixed-methods approach that includes three Zeeschuimer data pulls paired with qualitative analysis of thirty-four unique top-performing videos. This thesis examines the recurring patterns regarding top performing content of classics. Early findings suggest that these posts tend to gain traction on BookTok due to recognition and relatability. The top texts retain their prominence not necessarily because of their canonical status, but because …

Population Observations And Microhabitat Use Of Isthmohyla Tica (Anura: Hylidae) In San Ramón, Costa Rica, Pablo Marin Pacheco, Jerson Santamaria Martinez, Jose Manuel Mora, Jennifer L. Stynoski, Randall Arguedas

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Isthmohyla tica, the Tica Frog, is a critically endangered species endemic to Costa Rica and supposedly Panama that has only been seen in a few sites in recent decades. To aid in its conservation, we assessed the population status and microhabitat preferences of this frog in a section of the Danta stream at Rancho Alegre farm, San Ramón, Costa Rica. We conducted 18 nocturnal surveys and collected data on perch types, vegetation associations, stream characteristics, and environmental variables for each sighting of the Tica Frog. To identify potential microhabitat preferences, we compared these features between sites with or without frogs …

Information Literacy In The Artificial Intelligence Era: A Proposed Framework, Radwan Ali, Matthew L. Wilson

Communications in Information Literacy

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems and applications have become ubiquitous across daily life. While AI offers numerous positive opportunities, it also presents numerous challenges. Information literacy (IL) advocates are concerned about the risks that accompany AI systems. Given the universal reach of AI with its potential pitfalls and perils, researchers and practitioners from various fields and disciplines should inform the dialogue on AI’s development and application. A critical aspect of this dialogue comes in the form of information literacy. Our paper aims to answer the question “How can information literacy guide users in navigating and shaping artificial intelligence technologies?” by establishing …

Voting Under Contradictory News, Arnab Mitra, Quazi Shahriar

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

How much do opposing news sources distort private information and how do voters use distorted contradictory information regarding candidate quality? In a two candidate voting game, we derive and experimentally test an “average-opinion” hypothesis, where two opposingly biased sources, capable of forming an unbiased estimate of candidate quality as well as a distorted estimate within a bound, symmetrically distort their reported estimates in opposite directions, and voters split the estimate difference to decipher the unbiased estimate. Data support the hypothesis and show that voters benefit from sources’ competition, compared to a control treatment without competition. When sources are allowed to …

The Library Instructor As Learner: A Survey Of Reflective Teaching Practices In Us Academic Libraries, Alicia G. Vaandering, Amanda Crego-Emley

Communications in Information Literacy

Reflective practice provides library workers with a critical opportunity to examine professional experiences, question assumptions and approaches, explore new perspectives, and develop innovative solutions to existing problems. When applied to instruction as reflective teaching, this practice better situates library instructors to meet the evolving needs of twenty-first-century library users. This research study explores how library workers engage with reflective teaching in academic libraries across the United States. A survey was distributed to academic library communities, and a total of 153 responses were collected. While 92% of respondents reported participating in reflective teaching practice in a variety of instructional contexts, results …

Teaching Research As An Interdependent Practice: Bringing Alternate Models Into The Scholarly Conversation, Natalia Kapacinskas, Veronica Arellano Douglas

Communications in Information Literacy

The customs and practices of research in academia are often mischaracterized as individualistic pursuits, ignoring the reality that research requires a great deal of collaboration. As teaching librarians, our research instruction often reinforces individualism as a scholarly virtue, even as we simultaneously engage with themes of connection between researchers and their ideas. We propose an approach to teaching research and information literacy grounded in the concept, intention, and practice of interdependence rather than individualism. In doing so, we will call in models of interdependence from critical disability studies, relational-cultural theory, Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and the Cite Black Women movement. …

Searching For Change: Exploring Historical Silences And Counterstorytelling Through Youth-Led Social Justice Movements, Ariana Varela

Communications in Information Literacy

During a first-year engagement program, a librarian and a cohort of students worked towards a shared understanding of dominant narratives, historical silences, and creating counterstories through research to center marginalized stories and complicate existing narratives. As information literacy professionals, we should design interactive lessons that demonstrate critical search and evaluation skills through topics that are relevant to students and encourage them to work with issues that impact their communities. Incorporating critical information literacy, feminist pedagogy, and critical race theory, this two-day micro-seminar introduced first-year students to the legacy of youth community activism in the neighborhoods around their university. They practiced …

Why Teens Are Particularly Vulnerable To The Harms Of Vaping Addiction: A Literature Review, Chloe Manning-Floch

University Honors Theses

This literature review examines the factors that have been found to place teens aged 12-18 at particular risk of the harms of vaping addiction. Sixteen relevant research studies are cited, along with four other sources containing information from the FDA, CDC, and NPR, to determine which themes are the most significant and widely identified as risk factors adding to teens' vulnerability. While the body of research on teen vaping addiction is relatively new, strong consensus exists: the most significant factors placing teens at risk of vaping addiction's harms are sweet flavoring appealing to young people, marketing of vapes that has …

Security Vulnerabilities And Defense Tactics For Generative Ai Application Development, Kyle Klein

University Honors Theses

Generative AI (GenAI) applications such as OpenAI's ChatGPT leverage large language models (LLMs) trained on enormous amounts of data to accomplish tasks such as document editing, summarization, and query response. Chatbots and LLM programs that are equipped with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) have the ability to draw upon data provided by developers and users to improve the quality of the program's responses. LLM technology has even expanded to generate images, audio, and video from user instructions. Designed around unpredictable user input and typically composed of many opaque components, LLM software products face a paradigm shift of new, constantly evolving security challenges. …

A Capstone Review: Strategic Solutions For A Small Macrame Business, Jenna Sarieddine

University Honors Theses

This essay presents an overview of the Business Capstone project, focusing on a macramé business currently facing a $10,000 debt due to limited marketing and financial management skills. The purpose of the project is to support the business in developing an effective elevator pitch, improving its social media presence, strengthening its financial statements, and enhancing both personal and business financial practices. The essay explores the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as the team's collaborative approach to addressing these challenges. It outlines the goals established for the company, the strategies selected based on our academic backgrounds and business …

Interventions For Online Gambling Addiction With Vulnerable Populations, Ethan Sarin

University Honors Theses

This paper looks at the modern rise of online gambling, what has been done to address it, and how we can improve upon them in the future. Online gambling is gambling done through a digital medium with two distinct forms: gambling adjacent activities (GAAs), and general online gambling. GAAs are activities that highly resemble gambling, but are legally distinct from gambling due to different kinds of obfuscation like using in-game currency to gamble instead of directly real world money. General online gambling is much clearer about it being gambling with many kinds of gambling activities to partake in from digital …

A Geothermal Amoeba Sets A New Upper Temperature Limit For Eukaryotes, H Beryl Rappaport, Natalie A. Petek-Seoane, Tomáš Tyml, Felix Mikus, Kurt Labutti, Godwin Ani, Jessica K. Niblo, Ethan Macvicar, Rachel M. Shepherd, Ignacio De La Higuera, Samuel J. Lord, Kenneth M. Stedman, Multiple Additional Authors

Center for Life in Extreme Environments Publications

The study of temperature limits has transformed our knowledge of the boundaries of life but has been largely focused on bacteria and archaea. We isolated a novel geothermal amoeba, , that divides at 63°C (145.4°F), establishing a new record for the upper temperature limit across all eukaryotes. We demonstrated cellular proliferation with growth experiments and visualized mitosis expansion microscopy. Using high-temperature live-cell imaging, we quantified movement up to 64°C. We assembled the genome of and using comparative genomics found an enrichment of genes related to proteostasis, genome stability, and sensing the external environment. Taken together, our findings challenge the current …

Book Review: Resisting The Dehumanization Of Refugees, Staci Martin

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Resisting the Dehumanization of Refugees, edited by Abu-Laban, Frishkopf, Hasmath, and Kirova, has a familiar quality when I read it. The book explores the profound struggle to cocreate a sense of home and belonging amidst the relentless dehumanization refugees face from restrictive policies, biased media portrayals, and societal prejudice. It adopts a transdisciplinary approach, featuring contributions from scholars, practitioners, and refugees themselves, who focus on the Canadian context and draw on broader international comparisons that support both the mechanisms of dehumanization and strategies for resistance.

Renewal Of The Mind: Forgiveness Through The Lens Of Christian Faith And Neuroscience, Khelen Walsh

University Honors Theses

Within Christian theology, forgiveness is a foundational concept that is often understood as a divine command, a spiritual practice, and a path toward reconciliation and personal growth. Recent neuroscientific research further supports this viewpoint, providing data that shows forgiveness engages neural systems responsible for emotional regulation, empathy, moral reasoning, and perspective-taking. Through neuroplasticity, repeated acts of forgiveness reshape the brain, strengthen connections between prefrontal and limbic regions, reduce amygdala reactivity, and enhance emotional stability and cognitive flexibility. Although forgiveness offers many benefits, modern culture frequently distorts its meaning, framing it as a sign of weakness, gullibility, or a form of …

An Examination Of Disparities In Adhd Diagnosis Between Men And Women, Julia Holloway

University Honors Theses

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become an increasingly popular area of study over the last decade. The rise in cases over the same period likely explains this trend, as does ADHD’s status as one of the most commonly encountered neurodevelopmental disorders. While much of this research has served as an invaluable asset to both practitioners and patients there are still blind spots which have yet to be addressed by the existing body of research. This progress in our understanding of ADHD has gone far in illuminating the biases which have set the precedent for treatment and diagnosis, however, widespread understanding …

Art And Critical Thinking, Audrey Nixon

University Honors Theses

The voice of art molds and dictates norms and behaviors of society. Art eases people into sitting with discomfort or alternate ideas of the world. I work with mixed-media collage to respond and react to culture and the current American political climate. Through the act of expressing and working through thoughts and emotions, art teaches people how to process, it teaches histories of resistance, and empathy. Artists have the ability to engage their audience to critically think about what is happening in our world. By channeling expression and passion, art can help people make necessary connections about concepts that lead …

A Credibility-Driven Evaluation Of A Community-Based Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Collaborative Care Model, Christina M. Jäderholm, Teshanee T. Williams, Brad M. Wipfli, Lynne C. Messer, Liana B. Winett

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction:

Effectively treating substance use disorder (SUD) during pregnancy is critical to preventing adverse health outcomes for both parents and children, including overdose death and family separation. Although evidence supports investing in parental recovery through comprehensive care and support, these approaches remain under-examined, with community perspectives often marginalized due to evaluation challenges. This study evaluated the Substance Use Network (SUN) program, a community-based perinatal SUD recovery model in North Carolina.MethodsWe used a patient-focused journey mapping approach to assess participant engagement, health outcomes, and alignment between participant and provider experiences. The evaluation used a mixed-methods approach, incorporating participant medical record review …

Applying The One Health Approach To Study The Policy And Institutional Determinants To Control And Prevent Zoonoses In A Low-Resource Setting, Lisset Dumet, Erin S. Kenzie, Veronika Merino, Vanessa Cruz, Ruth Atto, Percy Vilchez, Seth O'Neal, Julia Goodman

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Zoonoses - diseases transmitted between animals and people - disproportionally affect low-resource countries (LRCs). The complex nature of zoonoses adds substantial barriers to implementing multisectoral policies to address them. Research on the policy process could help illuminate the significant factors influencing policy change among the complex systems involved in managing zoonoses. We applied the One Health (OH) approach to describe the policy process among the systems involved in preventing and controlling zoonoses in Peru. The study's purpose is to (1) describe the priority-making process and the driving or limiting factors, (2) describe the process for selecting policy solutions and (3) …

Power And Planning: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Tribal And Non-Tribal Oregon Wildfire Protection Plans, Christian J. Heisler, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Douglas Deur, Gabe Sheoships

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background:

Since the late 1800s, the US government has largely removed Indigenous fire stewardship practices from the landscape by implementing a top-down fire suppression system that criminalized traditional fire practices and denaturalized the role of fire in forested environments. A century of routine fire suppression produced dense, homogenous forests capable of sustaining high-intensity wildfire that exceeds the suppression capabilities of land management organizations in many regions, spurring federal leaders to modify management approaches. As part of this change, numerous federal policies and plans have advocated for further involvement of Native American tribes and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge within management decisions. …