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From Reclamation To Restoration: Remaking Nature On Portland's Peninsula, Theus Richards

University Honors Theses

This environmental history of the North Portland Peninsula is a critical case study of a landscape in transition, where new "natures" have been constructed through shifting projects of reclamation and restoration. The Port of Portland, who controlled the Peninsula, transformed the marshy bottomlands near the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers to accommodate greater networks of industrial infrastructure and expand their capacity for global trade. Beginning in 1967, the Port began dredging operations to fill Ramsey Lake to make way for the construction of Rivergate Industrial District. Through this process, Smith & Bybee Lakes were set aside as a …

An Assessment Of Historical Planning Processes And Greenspace Distribution (1975–2024): A Case Study Of Portland, Oregon, Usa, Quadri Olatunbosun Taiwo, Vivek Shandas, Damilola Emmanuel Oluyege

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Portland study examined past planning regulations and greenspace distribution over the period of fifty years, with particular attention given to neighborhood differences between invested and non-invested neighborhoods. This exploratory study examined spatial greenspace using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery. We tested the study hypothesis using the GIS Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression test to predict how key sociodemographic characteristics affect the provision of greenspace in non-white disinvested neighborhoods. The key findings suggested a consistent pattern of greenspace inequality, heavily shaped by historically disadvantaged ethnic status. Areas with higher non-white populations may have significant less greenspace (p < 0.001). Although median household income had a minimal negative impact, educational attainment showed a slight positive correlation. We employed multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks such as historical institutionalism, urban political ecology, and environmental justice. The study illustrated how historical decisions may have established path dependencies that are currently perpetuating greenspace inequalities. Policy solutions advocate for integrating restorative justice principles and rigid enforcement of 3-30-300 greenspace equity legislation to offset these long-term disparities.

Sweep Angle Effects Of Flow Over A Seal Whisker-Inspired Undulated Cylinder, Trevor Dunt, Christin T. Murphy, Ondrej Fercak, Raúl Bayoán Cal, Jennifer A. Franck

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Flow over a seal whisker-inspired undulated cylinder at swept back angles is computationally investigated, comparing the vortex shedding, forces, and wake characteristics to those of an equivalent smooth geometry. Numerous prior studies have demonstrated that undulated cylinders can reduce mean drag and unsteady lift oscillations; however, none have isolated the effects of the sweep angle resulting from whisker positioning in flow. Inspired by the active control seals exert over their whiskers while navigating and sensing in unsteady aquatic environments, this study investigates how such orientation influences the hydrodynamic performance of the geometry. Simulations are performed of flow across a rigid, …

Influence Of Depressive Symptoms On Disease Activity In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Mediating Effect Of Self-Efficacy, Wen-Wei Lin, Chieh-Tsung Yen, Hua-Lung Huang, Hanoch Livneh, Ming-Chi Lu, Wei-Jen Chen, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Leadership, Learning and Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background and Objectives:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a lifelong autoimmune disease in which joint inflammation is caused by a dysfunctional immune system. Synchronous depressive symptoms have been identified as determinants of disease progression, especially disease activity as measured using the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28). Although growing evidence suggests the interplay between depression and DAS28 in RA, related findings remain inconsistent, implying that a pivotal underlying mechanism is overlooked. Hence, we aimed to examine whether self-efficacy, the belief in one’s ability to manage health, could mediate the association between depressive symptoms and DAS28.

Materials and Methods:

Between January and October …

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2025, Julia Stone, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter, Carolee Harrison

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This PDXScholar Annual Report covers the period between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. This report demonstrates PDXScholar’s continued impact through readership data, new and growing collections, and comments and feedback from our users.

Properties Of The Graph Modularity Matrix And Its Applications, Benjamin Quiring, Panayot S. Vassilevski

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We study the popular modularity matrix and respective functional ([20]) used in connection with graph clustering and derive some properties useful when performing vertex aggregation of the associated graph. These properties are employed in the derivation of a multilevel parallel pairwise aggregation algorithm. Comparative performance results of the studied algorithm applied to graph clustering tested against the popular Louvain algorithm [4], [3] are presented. Some illustrative examples show that the resulting aggregates if used in an adaptive algebraic multigrid (AMG) are able to follow strong direction of anisotropy in finite element problems. 1.

Carver, Kafka, And Woolf On Re-Enchanting Modernity, Zachary Davis

University Honors Theses

Though removed from the time of the modernists, Raymond Carver shares similar interests with Woolf and Kafka in his late century story "Cathedral," as he investigates art's capacity for creating meaning, or "re-enchanting." While Carver investigates the function of art in a chaotic world, his story does not feature a central artist figure or a hierarchical social structure surrounding the artistic process, but rather an organic artistic experience which creates community among the characters. In this way, "Cathedral" can be seen as a mediation between Woolf's and Kafka's distinct, if not opposing, reactions to Matthew Arnold's prophecy that "most of …

Arid: Agglomerative Regionalization Via Information Divergence, A Novel Clustering Algorithm For Geo-Spatial Data, Joshua David Sills

Dissertations and Theses

Regionalization is a clustering problem that seeks to partition geospatial data into geographically contiguous regions while remaining internally homogeneous in their attributes. It has been successfully applied towards the development of urban planning, natural resource discovery, and ecological analysis. Existing popular approaches optimize homogeneity using Euclidean or variance-based criteria, which ignore distributional differences such as variance shifts, multimodality, and higher-order dependence. This thesis introduces ARID (Agglomerative Regionalization via Information Divergence), a spatially constrained agglomerative clustering framework that replaces distance-based merging with an information-theoretic, Ward-like criterion that utilizes the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence. ARID constructs a neighborhood graph from coordinate space and …

Role Congruence Meets Feminist Identity: Disaggregating Causes Of The Double Bind On Women Political Candidates, Sarah Shair-Rosenfield, Melody E. Valdini, Jeanette Morehouse Mendez, Tracy Osborn

Politics and Global Affairs Faculty Publications and Presentations

Studies in social psychology and political science have noted the negative impact of the “double bind” facing women leaders and candidates, which suggests that women must demonstrate both masculine and feminine attributes in order to achieve the same success as men can achieve by demonstrating only masculine attributes. Less attention has focused on how feminist identity conditions these evaluations. We focus on whether individuals’ evaluations of men and women are affected by (1) the gendered attributes associated with a candidate and (2) feminist identity. Using data from an original survey experiment in the US, we investigate the relationship between respondents’ …

Disability, Inclusion And Language-In-Education Policy In The Global South: The Colombian Context, Rosa Dene David, Kimberley Brown

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper calls for a shift related to English language-in-education policy and inclusive education initiatives in Colombia to ensure that English language learners with disabilities receive equitable and inclusive classroom instruction that is context-appropriate. We call for English language initiatives and policies to draw from theories and practices from both the Global South and the Global North in order to teach towards inclusive education. Trends in both English language teaching and inclusive education have drawn upon the Global North for solutions, which cannot be systemised to fit one international standard. Instead, using the Colombian context as an example, the present …

Drowning Prevention In The West: Who Did It Better?, Arran Hedley

University Honors Theses

This paper aims to communicate the differences on how the US, UK and Australia have approached drowning prevention in each of their nations. This paper addresses drowning statistics within each nation, national, state and local policies, access to public facilities, and the preventative strategies, swim lessons and Lifeguarding. These are the criteria each nation is being graded upon, because each criteria is a factor that can help mitigate drowning deaths.

For literature around this subject, there are many papers on each individual nation's approach to drowning but in researching there does not appear to be a comparison of the nations' …

Analysis Of Novel Cannabis Products Labeled As Containing Thc-Jd, Kaelas R. Munger, Carlton C. B. Bone, Killian M. Anreise, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective:

THC-JD (tetrahydrocannabioctyl) is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid with an eight-carbon C3 side chain, present in only trace amounts in hemp, requiring synthesis for commercial use. It has been promoted as potentially 19 times more potent than delta-9-THC, consistent with enhanced CB1 receptor affinities for cannabinoids with 7-8 carbon C3 side chains. While one peer-reviewed report identified THC-JD (tetrahydrocannabioctyl) in Japanese online products, an anecdotal report from the U.S. suggests mislabeling. Method: To inform regulatory efforts and consumer awareness and to address these discrepancies, this study chemically analyzed five U.S. commercial cannabis vape products marketed as containing THC-JD. Results: Utilizing GC-MS …

Effectiveness Of Peace Education And Recommendations For Implementation In The Sultanate Of Oman's School Curriculum, Vision 2040, Mohamed Al Braiki

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores peace education as an institutional process within the Sultanate of Oman's K–12 education system. Currently, Oman Vision 2040 articulates commitments to social cohesion, global citizenship, and holistic development. Existing empirical research indicates constant challenges related to bullying, student well-being, emotional distress, and school-related harm. This study conceptualizes peace education as a structural and relational mechanism embedded within institutional routines, leadership practices, and conflict-management responses. Using a qualitative integrative review design, the study examines peer-reviewed research, policy documents, and institutional analyses relevant to Oman, the Gulf region, and broader peace education scholarship. The analysis is guided by theoretical …

Inertia Versus Adaptation: Relational Resilience In Buyer-Supplier Relationships Facing Extreme Disruption, Jordan M. Barker, Anne E. Dohmen, Carlos Mena

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research introduces the concept of relational resilience, which reflects the dynamic capacity of a buyer–supplier relationship to absorb external shocks and continue its core function of exchange. Guided by structural inertia theory (SIT), the research explores how relationship age, exchange volume, and multiplexity contribute to relational resilience across both stable periods and times of extreme disruption. Using a large-scale panel dataset of buyer–supplier relationships and the COVID-19 pandemic as an exogenous shock, the findings reveal that relational resilience is enhanced by all three mechanisms, but extreme disruptions lessen the protective value of relationship age and exchange volume while strengthening …

What Is The Value Of A State? Accounting For The Ecosystem Service And Natural Capital Values Of Oregon, Kathryn T. Liebrecht, Sahan Dissanayake, Luis Ruedas

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Ecosystem services are vital to human welfare, but often overlooked in planning and policy. By neglecting to incorporate the benefits received from natural resources, policy makers may unknowingly make decisions that harm the long-term sustainability and use of these services. We used the Institute for Natural Resources’ Oregon statewide habitat map and the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD), and value transfer methodology to calculate a range of ecosystem service values for each Oregon ecosystem and its services. We provide an estimate of the total value of Oregon’s natural capital, by county and by ecosystem. We find a total median value …

Using Passive Camera Monitoring To Investigate Northern Red-Legged Frog Use Of A New Road Undercrossing Structure, Alyson W. Yates, Catherine De Rivera, Susan Barnes, Rachel Wheat, Justine Brumm

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Northern Red-legged Frogs (Rana aurora) make seasonal movements between lentic waters and adjacent upland forests to meet their life history requirements. This movement behavior makes the species particularly vulnerable to landscape fragmentation by roads, where traffic can cause large mortality events during the breeding period. To mitigate R. aurora mortality on U.S. Route 30 near Burlington, Oregon, an under-road wildlife crossing structure was installed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and other partners in late 2024, reconnecting a forested public recreation area with protected wetland habitat in the floodplain of the Willamette River.

We used two specialized optical …

Proceedings Of The 24th Annual Urban Ecology & Conservation Symposium March 16, 2026, Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium Of Portland/Vancouver

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

These proceedings document the agenda and abstracts for presentations and posters from the 24th annual conference organized by the Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver (UERC) which occurred on March 16, 2026. The UERC is a consortium of people from various universities and colleges, state and federal agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and independent professionals interested in supporting urban ecosystem research and creating an information-sharing network of people that collect and use ecological data in the Portland/Vancouver area. The annual conference has an open call for abstracts. The UERC organizing committee selects the final oral and poster presentations, along with …

Turning Point: Usa, 2020 Election Denialism And Its Consequences, Zack George

University Honors Theses

Current President of the United States, Donald Trump interrupted the peaceful transfer for power for the first time in 250 years. In the typical study of the events surrounding this interruption, much focus is made on the events of the January 6th Capitol Riot. Firstly, this thesis examines the 2 months in the leadup to the 2020 election and how the Trump administration acquired and attempted to execute their plans to commit a self-coup, keeping the administration in power in the face of the election victory and transition to the Presidency of election-winner, Joe Biden. Secondarily, it will contextualize and …

The Collective Impact Of Physical Activity, Somatic Therapy, And Nature-Based Spirituality (Pastans) On Individuals Recovering From Substance Use Disorders (Suds), Sara R. Maddox

University Honors Theses

This correlation research study explores the collective impact of physical activities, somatic therapies, and nature-based spirituality (referred to as PASTANS, a term created by the researcher) on individuals recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs). The study aimed to evaluate how these practices enhanced emotional regulation and fostered community development, thereby supporting sustained recovery and overall well-being. PASTANS interconnected to alleviate cravings and rewire brain reward pathways, promoting cultural connections through activities that resonated with pre-colonial traditions and were accessible to atheists and agnostics.

Participants engaged in movement and somatic practices in natural settings, including yoga and hiking. Somatic therapies are …

Prevalence Of Contact Child Sexual Abuse Victimization In The Us: Perpetration Types And Cohort Differences, Luciana C. Assini-Meytin, Rebecca L. Fix, Yi Sun, David Finkelhor, Elizabeth J. Letourneau, Keith Kaufman, Ben Mathews

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigated the prevalence of contact child sexual abuse (CSA) victimization in the US by comparing perpetration types in two adult cohorts. Participants included a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18–22 (n = 3,174) and 32–36 (n = 3,237). We used weighted proportions to obtain prevalences, Rao-Scott χ2 tests to assess for differences between cohorts. Analyses were also stratified by gender. The overall prevalence was 21.7% and similar between the two cohorts; 9.7% reported abuse by adults and 16.9% by youth under age 18. Most said that offenses were perpetrated by people known to them. CSA perpetration by youth …

Using A Place-Based Harms Typology To Inform Community Practice And Research: Illustrative Cases And Contexts, Jason Sawyer, Greer A. Hamilton, Amie Thurber, Amy Krings

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Place-based harms comprise direct threats to community wellbeing within the spaces where people live. These harms, rooted in structural and cultural violence, are codified in policies and programs that contribute to poverty, homelessness, over-policing and surveillance, and environmental injustices. This paper argues, although community practitioners are needed to work alongside communities impacted by place-based harms, there are critical tensions and tradeoffs embedded within the place-based strategies. To illustrate this, we draw from the Contested Places Typology and present cases that highlight key tensions, tradeoffs, and nuances associated with its six approaches: (1) Reparation, (2) Remembrance, (3) Regeneration, (4) Resistance, (5) …

Agnostic Tomography Of Stabilizer Product States, Sabee Grewal, Vishnu Iyer, William Kretschmer, Daniel Liang

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

We define a quantum learning task called agnostic tomography, where given copies of an arbitrary state ρ and a class of quantum states C, the goal is to output a succinct description of a state that approximates ρ at least as well as any state in C (up to some small error ε). This task generalizes ordinary quantum tomography of states in C and is more challenging because the learning algorithm must be robust to perturbations of ρ. We give an efficient agnostic tomography algorithm for the class C of n-qubit stabilizer product states. Assuming ρ has fidelity at least …

Fentanyl Use Among People Who Inject Drugs In Two Large Pacific Northwest Metropolitan Areas., Lauren Lipira, Sara N. Glick, Courtney Moreno, Lalaine Sevillano, Matthew A. Town, Timothy W. Menza

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

Background

We examined fentanyl use and outcomes among people who inject drugs (PWID) in the urban Pacific Northwest (PNW).

Methods We conducted secondary analysis of data from the 2022 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance PWID cycle from Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. We calculated proportions of any fentanyl, injection fentanyl, non-injection fentanyl, and street pill use. Next, we compared characteristics, behaviors, and outcomes by any fentanyl use. Finally, we estimated adjusted relative risk (aRR) of overdose outcomes associated with fentanyl use and injecting less associated with type of street pill use.

Results

Among 835 PWID, 76% reported fentanyl use, 47% injection …

Reasoning In Large Language Models Across Multilingual, Long-Context, And Symbolic Settings, Sina Bagheri Nezhad

Dissertations and Theses

Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly deployed as general-purpose reasoners, yet their reliability degrades in three settings that frequently arise in practice: multilingual inputs, long contexts, and symbolic or formally constrained domains. In multilingual settings, uneven training coverage produces substantial performance disparities and uncertain generalization to languages with little or negligible pretraining exposure. In long-context settings, relevant evidence may be sparsely distributed, and models exhibit the "lost-in-the-middle" phenomenon, undermining retrieval and multi-step synthesis. In symbolic settings such as mathematics, small arithmetic or logical slips invalidate solutions, and prose rationales are difficult to verify automatically.

This dissertation first characterizes these failure …

Book Review Of, Invading The American Canon: Translators Of Russian Literary Fiction, 1863-1984, Cassio De Oliveira

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Book Review of, Invading the American Canon: Translators of Russian Literary Fiction, 1863-1984

Mapping Fire Management: A Spatial Social Network Approach, Christoph Neger, Cody Evers, Kapil Yadav, Octavio Romero Cuapio

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Maps are an essential tool to inform fire governance and management. For instance, they can highlight which areas are most vulnerable to adverse fire impacts or be used to plan interventions for risk reduction and prevention. In recent years, several studies have mapped the fire management activities and the networks between the multitude of involved actors. They build upon previous advances to combine quantitative and qualitative social network analysis with geographical analysis and cartography, aiming to highlight areas of opportunity to enhance fire governance. This paper continues this line of research, examining cooperation in fire management within the south-eastern part …

Navigating Homelessness And Housing Accessibility: An Ethnography Of Guests At Operation Nightwatch, Chase Kawika Patton

Dissertations and Theses

In 2025, over 7,000 individuals in Portland, Oregon experiencing unsheltered homelessness are without access to shelter or transitional housing. In this resource gap Operation Nightwatch (ON) provides material support for people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in the University District neighborhood of downtown Portland. This study focused on the experiences of chronically homeless guests of Nightwatch as they navigated homelessness and housing access. The study relied on semi-structured interviews with staff and guests and on-site participant observation to determine the availability of support to access housing in a system governed by Coordinated Access and the Housing First model. Primary research took place …

Benevolence And Brutality: Evangelical Christianity & Child Welfare Social Work In Historical Perspective, Grace Pappas

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Evangelical Christians in the U.S. are a unique population with tremendous socio-political influence. While evangelicals have a unique interest in foster care and adoption, little social work scholarship explores intersections between evangelicalism and child welfare. Through an integrative literature review of 11 historical articles discussing evangelical Christianity and child welfare social work, I found the scholarship as a whole tended to emphasize evangelical Christians’ good intentions and deeds, while only limitedly discussing white supremacy, xenophobia, and settler colonialism. In light of these findings, I discuss potential implications and offer three invitations for further exploring this line of inquiry.

Designing Novel Bisquinoline Antimalarials From Historical 4-Aminoquinolines To Combat Drug-Resistant Malaria, Mason J. Handford, Yuexin Li, Terry Riscoe, Xiaowei Zhang, Jane X. Kelly, Michael K. Riscoe

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest causative agent of malaria, continues to evade eradication efforts through widespread drug resistance. The recent development of ADC-028, a 4-aminoquinoline antimalarial with excellent activity and pharmacokinetic properties, prompted the investigation of bisquinoline analogs featuring similar structural motifs. Here, we describe a structure-activity relationship study that guided the optimization of compounds with key features, including the 4-anilinoquinoline core and diverse bridging linkers. Several analogs exhibited potent in vitro activity (IC50 < 20 nM) against both drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant P. falciparum strains, while maintaining favorable cytotoxicity profiles. Among them, 25 demonstrated improved intrinsic metabolic stability (t1/2 = 121 min) and potent in vivo efficacy (ED50 = 0.32 mg/kg/day), achieving complete curative protection at a reduced dose compared to ADC-028. While 25 showed moderately reduced oral bioavailability (F = 43%) and a shorter half-life (T1/2 = 27.2 h) relative to ADC-028, its enhanced in vivo efficacy underscores its therapeutic potential. This work highlights a promising path forward in developing antimalarials that retain the efficacy of legacy compounds while overcoming modern resistance mechanisms.

A 2030 Energy Transition Pathway For Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, Kasiet Nurlanbekova

University Honors Theses

Bishkek remains heavily dependent on thermal generation to meet winter electricity and heating demand, while seasonal air pollution and growing urban energy demand continue to place pressure on aging infrastructure. Although Kyrgyzstan has adopted renewable energy targets, implementation remains limited, and winter reliability in the capital continues to depend on centralized combined heat and power generation.

This study evaluates whether Bishkek can improve its seasonal electricity adequacy by 2030 through alternative supply portfolios built around currently planned projects and moderate renewable additions. Using a seasonal portfolio model, the baseline and scenario 1 are compared. The baseline includes CHP-1 modernization, CHP-2, …