Throughout the Spring 2017 semester, I conducted my service learning at the Sunny Brae Middle School afterschool program. Using my experience from the Environmental Studies program, I led an environmental art class where students learned the importance of frameworks by looking giving a critical look at photographers work and also putting what they learned to practice by taking photos of their own. I hope that knowing how frameworks operate will allow the students to be critical about the produced world around them.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are not only an environmental hazard, they are hazardous to the animals confined in them and neighboring communities. In this project, I researched the consequential effects of CAFOs on the entire biotic community. The main effects discussed include but are not limited to: waste concentration, water quality, air quality, and public health. The interdisciplinarity of the issue at hand is brought to light by analyzing these detrimental effects through an Environmental Justice and Ecofeminist lens. Proposed areas of further research and community inclusion/empowerment are provided upon conclusion.

This research explores popular discourse regarding the “opiate epidemic” and deconstructs the ways in which popular conceptions of addiction and addicts shapes the care that that people recieve. By looking at the systemic causes of addiction, this research also examines the links between addiction, environmental justice, rurality, and the many facets of systemic oppression.

This ongoing research project investigates the counter-narrative of high schools within American and British culture within films and tv shows. 90210 and many other American shows shows high school as “the greatest time of your life” while Skins, a British-based series, shows that high school is just something that you want to get out of. Sex Education, which is the main focus, combines the two cultures to combat the negative connotation of the stereotypical British high school. I also explore how as technology improves, rhetoric changes its form (television) to fit with what society needs to get their message across a large audience.

The threat of sea level rise and tsunamis make the future of the Humboldt Bay in Northern California an uncertain situation. Modifications to the landscape of the bay have made many cultural resources more vulnerable to climate change and hazard events, based on their location, due to crumbling infrastructure that is likely to fail in holding back the tide. Protection of these resources can be expanded once an inventory of vulnerable resources is collected. Data has been collected from projections of future coastal inundation and from inventories of cultural resources.

Bake the World a Better Place is a non-profit organization based out of Denver, Colorado that aims to holistically improve the community. Presently, the organization engages in job training and job placement of marginalized populations such as those experiencing homelessness. Additionally, continuing collaborations are being made with local hotels to assist with housing individuals during the job training process. Products made during the classes are shared with individuals living on the streets. Through building community partnerships between business, social service agencies, and vulnerable populations, each entity is taking an active role in helping improve their community.

This quality improvement project, guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice, examines the potential impact of implementing the LUCAS mechanical chest compression device in rural hospitals. High mortality rates from cardiac arrest, partly due to inconsistent manual CPR and staffing limitations, have led to a review of the evidence supporting mechanical CPR. Proposed interventions include individual training, department-wide integration, and the development of institutional policies. The anticipated outcomes are increased rates of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), improved discharge survival rates, and enhanced staff competency in providing high-quality resuscitation.

A comprehensive overview of the relationship between traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The poster delves into the critical roles that the proteins tau and beta-amyloid play in the neurodegeneration associated with TBI, suggesting a strong link between TBI and subsequent neurodegenerative conditions. It calls for increased research into treatment strategies and an improved understanding of TBI’s long-term effects.

This study investigated how biological productivity in the shallow waters of Trinidad Bay, located adjacent to Trinidad Head, differed from the productivity in exposed nearshore environments before and after the onset of seasonal upwelling in 2017. Biological and hydrographic measurements were collected prior to the onset of seasonal upwelling (March) as well as after (May and June) to determine if the associated hydrodynamics affected the spatial distribution of planktonic productivity. Measurements suggest that Trinidad Bay exhibited enhanced secondary productivity relative to nearby exposed environments during relaxation events following strong upwelling periods.

"Black To The Kitchen: A Genealogical Cookbook" intertwines culinary exploration with genealogical research to illuminate Afro-cultural foodways. From traditional family recipes rooted in West African heritage to adaptations born out of diasporic experiences, the book celebrates the richness and diversity of Afro-descendant cuisines. Moreover, the book explores the concept of the Black Kitchen as an "under commons," highlighting its historical significance as a site of resistance, resilience, and community organization, where cultural practices were preserved, solidarity was forged, and resistance movements were incubated.