Poster Presentation – Page 4 – Undergraduate Research Symposium Abstracts

Event Outreach to Underrepresented Communities on Public Lands

Presenter(s): Helena Kresky − Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald

Poster 165

Research Area: Humanities

My research seeks to address the ways in which Bark and other public land organizations can reevaluate their outreach and advertising methods to foster diverse and inclusive events that all can enjoy. Working with Bark’s public events, my research is tailored to provide them with ways they can improve their strategies to reach out to groups currently underrepresented on public lands. Public land exploration and survival has become a way to define the American identity yet many individuals are excluded from enjoying public lands even if that exclusion is not intentional. This research addresses some of the ways in which event outreach and advertising can exclude individuals, and how we may be able to adjust outreach in order to help others feel included and address their needs.

Environmental Justice and Injustice Timeline Specific to Oregon

Presenter(s): Megan Johnson Guthrie − Environmental Geoscience

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald

Poster 164

Research Area: Environmental Studies

By disregarding our states past, we contribute to the continued mistreatment and injustices that built the foundation of our government, specifically in relation to environment. Systemic white oppression building the foundation of Oregon’s governmental legislations led to a prevalent history of environmental injustices leading up today. In order to shed light on environmental justice and injustices in Oregon, my project involves researching and materializing an environmental justice and injustice timeline specific to Oregon for the organization, Bark. Beginning with what began with Indigenous peoples building communities and forming traditions on the land. To major historical dates, people, and communities contributing
to environmental justice or injustice. To today where governmental policies systemic oppressive, inequitable, and unjust regulations prevent equity and inclusion in environmental use. The environmental justice movement only began to bubble up in US 1980’s so this timeline will include dates, people, and communities that lead to the need of the environmental justice movement. Then after the 1980’s the timeline will focus ore on movements that have improved inclusion and equity in the environment but also including the injustices that continue today. Understanding Oregon’s environmental history can help us and Bark gain insight and understanding on the importance of improving inclusion and equity within our environment. Also, how to contribute change in current and future oppressive, environmental regulations.

Environmental Justice Timeline in the Global South

Presenter(s): Jason John − Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald

Poster 163

Research Area: Humanities

This project focuses on key events in the environmental justice timeline in relations to the Global North and the Global South. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Does actions of the Global North affect environmental justice in the Global South? This is important because a lot of the countries in the Global South are often overlooked because they are classified as either Developing or Third World. These countries are often rich in natural resources but are mismanaged and exploited by some countries in the Global North. I decided to focus on the Global South because it is home to me. In addition, this project is to inform Bark, an environmental organization about Global environmental justice. I used peer-reviewed articles and books for this research. What I think I will find is that Environmental Justice in the Global South is largely dependent on countries in the Global North. Living in a developed country, one can easily forget about other countries and the problems that they encounter regularly. This project will start conversations and will enlighten others about the environmental injustice that’s been happening in the Global South.

The Cascades and Snow Drought: What it Means for the PNW

Presenter(s): Lauren Jin − Pre-Journalism

Faculty Mentor(s): Dave Sutherland

Poster 162

Research Area: Earth Science

For much of the Western United States, mountain snowpack is one of the main sources of water. This is especially true for the Pacific Northwest states, Oregon and Washington, because while rainfall provides sufficient water during the wet months, residents rely on water stored in the snowpack during the summer. This snowpack has been declining: snow water equivalent (SWE) records show this and there have been many studies on the extent and causes of this loss. While it is understood that the snowpack in the Cascades is declining, it is less understood how this loss relates to drought, and specifically snow drought. Snow drought is the combination of general drought and reduced snowpack, but only a few drought metrics account for the water stored in snow. This project will attempt to better quantify snowpack drought in terms of snowpack loss and examine the variables behind it. In this study we will use SNOTEL records from the NRCS and previous research relevant to the project. Snow drought is major concern for water resource managers and must be better understood in order to prepare for it in the future.

Environmental Justice Within the United States Prior to 1980

Presenter(s): Dante Ibarra − Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald

Poster 161

Research Area: Environmental Justice Movement

My work will include creating a timeline, about the Environmental Justice Movement, that BARK can use as a teaching tool, which will quickly educate new and current members. I am working with a team, to cover the large amount of diverse information that the Environmental Justice Movement has. The other group members’ timelines will further increase the education at BARK as they will help will the understanding of other topics. In order to find out as much information as I can I will read books and journals within society and environment sections of libraries. Once I have a list a few notable events I will have to examine their significances on the rest of time to decide which to include on the timeline. The environmental justice movement was created with the goal of equally distributing environmental benefits and burdens amongst all people regardless of race, color, origin or income. In America the first time civil rights were used to challenge the placement of a waste facility was in 1979, Houston wanted another dump in a primarily African-American neighborhood so the residences protested using their given rights. More communities began to challenge unfair treatment and with no time the government was involved, signing acts such as the Clean Air Act. Without having this type of information easily available it can be lost and with it the meaning.

How Melting Rates of East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets Differ and What This Means for Global Mean Sea-Level Rise

Presenter(s): Kenzie Hudler − Public Relations

Faculty Mentor(s): Dave Sutherland

Poster 159

Research Area: Natural/Physical Science

Glaciers are formed from heavy snow accumulation and compaction. Glaciers also experience ablation or surface melting, which involves a loss of glacier mass, as glaciers are viscous fluids. There are numerous factors that control the ice flow speed of glaciers, including temperature of the ice, slope of the glacier, thickness of the ice, and the subglacial environment. Greenhouse gas emissions released into our atmosphere cause a warming that even the continental glaciers of East and West Antarctica cannot withstand, resulting in a rise in global sea-level. Here we show that the West Antarctic ice sheet is melting at a faster rate than the East Antarctic ice sheet, which seems relatively stable at the moment. However, recent data has revealed that the East Antarctic ice sheet could be more vulnerable to climate change than originally thought, after analyzing its past behavior in previously similar climate conditions. Consequently, global mean sea-level is rising at an accelerating rate. The results demonstrate how differently the East and West Antarctic ice sheets are melting, and how these increasing melting rates are impacting global sea-levels. My essay will serve as a comparison of the evolution/recent patterns of retreat and melting in the East and West Antarctic ice sheets and a starting point for how these patterns are impacting global sea-levels. Furthermore, the Antarctic glaciers are melting at accelerating rates, and even cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions may not be able to reverse this process.

To What Degree Do Economic Circumstances Determine Compliance Costs That Consequently Push Like-Minded Nations Apart?

Presenter(s): Taylor Herman − Marine Biology, Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Ron Mitchell

Poster 158

Research Area: Political Science

Rainforest nations that are exposed to similar environmental conditions are often driven to implement different international policies out of economic necessity. The establishment of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations was intended to unite rainforest nations despite their differences. According to Vaahtoranta and Sprinz, countries are more likely to participate in coalitions if the costs of compliance are low. This paper will analyze the degree to which economic circumstance determines compliance costs that consequently push like-minded nations apart, using Costa Rica and Brazil as model nations. Though these are both rainforest nations, they each took different positions regarding their participation in the United Nations Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), which may be due to differences in economic standing.

Creating Climate Change Debate Through Think Tank Politics

Presenter(s): Katlyn Har − Psychology, Political Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey

Poster 156

Research Area: Humanities and Environmental Studies

Scientists across the globe reached a consensus that anthropogenic climate change poses a serious threat to the human race. With little scientific dispute on the climate science, governments should be able to implement actionable policy to mitigate the consequences of climate change and prevent further anthropogenic warming. However, today’s climate discussion involves a two-sided debate with the climate scientists on one side and the climate change skeptics on the other. These skeptics are not climate scientists but rather physicists or economist that attempt to discredit the existing climate science. Despite their seemingly misaligned credentials, they have gained an audience with powerful politicians and American constituency. Why has scientific research been thwarted at the expense of officials not in the field, especially in the political realm that is critical to policy change? This think tank works to politicize the issue, claiming the climate change has been propagated by leftists, in order to gain party support and thus creates a formidable obstacle to climate change policy. This paper will investigate how The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, contributes to climate change denialism by attacking renowned environmentalists, mystifying climatology, and glorifying the fossil fuel industry. The research will involve analyzing the Heartland Institute’s main website and the surrounding literature on think tanks and conservatism. The following will analyze the methods and tactics used in order to attack climate change. This paper outlines the misinformation disseminated by the Heartland Institute so that we can dismantle unfounded denialism and promote progressive legislation.

Climate Change’s Impacts on Indigenous Women, Responsibility, and Adaptability

Presenter(s): Simone Hally − Pre-PPPM, Spanish Literature And Culture

Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey

Poster 155

Research Area: Environmental And Social Studies

While climate change discourse increasingly recognizes the unique vulnerabilities of indigenous peoples, the experiences of indigenous women with respect to climate change continue to receive less attention, especially with respect to scientific and policy writing. In this paper, I aim to apply Kyle Whyte’s framework that binds “collective continuance” and systems of responsibility with regards to the relationship between climate change and indigenous women. I will apply his framework based on the relationship between the Anishinaabe women and water. I will then test it on the indigenous women in South Goulburn Island’s relationship and responsibility to marine resources, the Baka women’s relationships to the Nbwakha fish, and Indigenous Peruvian women’s responsibility to seed saving and harvesting. I will ultimately argue that Whyte’s lense effectively explains how ability to adapt to and carry out traditional responsibilities factors into climate change’s impact on indigenous women. In all these examples, the ecological effects caused by climate change disrupt the responsibilities of the indigenous women and enables them to adapt in order to fulfill their responsibilities, or create new ones altogether. This adaptation reveals the both oppressive and emancipatory nature of climate change’s effect on women’s responsibilities. Writing about indigenous women and climate change is important not only because of their wealth of experience and knowledge of the environments in which they live, but also because incorporating their voices perpetuates a balanced discourse surrounding indigenous women and climate change. Their perspectives are instrumental in global and regional climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

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