Category: 2020

Characterizing the Structure of Twitter Network Through Socially-Aware Clustering of Users

Presenter(s): Eugene Tan—Computer Information Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Reza Rejaie

Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation

Popular online social networks (OSN) such as Twitter form a networked system where millions of users interconnect and exchange information . Characterizing the structural properties of the resulting”relationship graph” among the OSN users is very informative but inherently challenging because of its huge size and complex connectivity patterns . This project explores a novel “socially- aware” approach to classify Twitter users and thus partition the structure of Twitter relationship graph . To this end, we consider the top 10K most-followed Twitter users, called Twitter elite, and show that these users form coherent and socially meaningful communities, called Twitter elite communities . We define a “social interest vector” for each regular (i .e . non-elite) Twitter user where each element of this vector captures the user’s relative level of interest to a specific elite community based on the fraction of her followings in that elite community . We then rely on this multi-dimensional measure of user’s social interest to cluster millions of randomly selected Twitter users . We collect profile information, list of friends and followers along with available tweets for selected Twitter users in each cluster to assess (i) whether the resulting clusters of users are socially coherent, (ii) relative degree of connectivity between different pairs of clusters, and (iii) the key social attributes of each cluster . Overall, our analysis will illustrate if elite communities can serve as “landmarks” to meaningfully classify regular Twitter users and characterize the structure of the Twitter network .

Examining the Effect of Collection Method on the Microbial Communities Detected by Shotgun Metagenomics in Elephant Dung

Presenter(s): Joshaniel Tan—Environmental Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Claire Goodfellow

Session 6: The Earth, Sky & Everything In Between

The development of new ways to non-invasively monitor and manage endangered, cryptic or otherwise inaccessible wildlife populations is of critical importance to conservation initiatives . New fecal
DNA (fDNA) approaches offer considerable potential to inform these efforts, as the DNA which is present in an animal’s feces contains a wealth of information about that individual’s diet, health, metabolism, and resistance to disease . Specifically, shotgun metagenomic sequencing of DNA from feces represents an exciting new development in molecular analytics, enabling high resolution characterization of microbial communities in samples . In spite of this, no studies have been done to standardize the collection methods of samples from wild animals for shotgun metagenomics or to evaluate whether different collection methods can lead to differences in the microbial communities which are detected in a sample . In this study, I conducted shotgun metagenomic analyses on fecal samples collected from a captive elephant at the Oregon Zoo and developed an efficient bioinformatic pipeline to analyze the microbial communities detected . Each fecal sample was collected from the same elephant using five different, commonly-used collection methods . DNA was then extracted from each of these samples, sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq, and analyzed using the pipeline which I developed . Based on preliminary results, bacteria and archaea were identified to the genus level, and detected community composition varied by collection method . This work emphasizes both the potential and feasibility of shotgun metagenomics for informing conservation efforts and the need to standardize collection methods in shotgun metagenomic studies of wild populations .

Barred Owl Survey

Presenter(s): Alan Strickland (Lane Community College Student)—Microbiology

Co-Presenter(s): Matthew Shields, Stolba Human Physiology

Faculty Mentor(s): Stacey Kiser Biology

Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation

Previous surveys identified three species of owls around Lane Community College’s main campus . Undergraduate students conducted annual surveys from 2016 to 2019 to identify species and habitat . We conducted night surveys by broadcasting likely occupant owl calls, then listened and recorded responses . We encountered four species: Great Horned Owl (Buba Virginianus), Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii), and Barred Owl (Strix varia), with the Barred Owl detected only in 2019 . Our results indicate that there has been a shift in species on the LCC main campus due to recent land management changes (forest clearing) .

Rational Design of s-Indacene-cored Small Molecule Organic Semiconductors as a Paradigm to Tune Electronic Characteristics

Presenter(s): Eric Strand—Biology/Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Joshua Barker

Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation

The Haley Lab is interested in the synthesis and characterization of organic hydrocarbon scaffolds which can be used as semiconductors . The family of indenofluorene hydrocarbons exhibit unique electronic properties such as antiaromaticity and diradical character, which contribute to their allure for scientists . Specifically, our studies into indenofluorenes have shown promise in regard to the ability of these molecules to serve as potential replacements for current inorganic counterparts within devices . Continuous fundamental studies into the electronic abilities of these molecules will help to elucidate the ideal characteristics of organic semiconductors, which is imperative for the feasible implementation of these molecules into devices . Our lab has developed highly modular synthetic routes toward many analogues of this parent scaffold, which can be further optimized through subtle synthetic tuning . Fusing a variety of aryl moieties onto the parent scaffold allows for a decrease in the HOMO-LUMO energy gap and subsequent improvement in electron mobility and conductivity . Our project initially focused on proving the diradical character in an analogue of indenoindenodibenzothiopene, and has successfully shown this by reacting the molecule through a known radical degradation pathway . This project is now focused on the optimization of previous synthetic routes such that further studies into these highly interesting molecules can be carried out . Our goal is to create a library of analogues with various electronic characteristics such that we may identify the most promising candidates for device implementation .

Ultrathin Iridium Oxide Catalyst on a Conductive Support for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Acid

Presenter(s): Nathan Stovall—Chemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Shannon Boettcher, Raina Krivina S

ession 5: The Bonds that Make Us

Anthropogenic climate change has driven interest in the research and development of clean
energy alternatives . Great advancements in renewable energy production have been made, but its intermittent nature requires the development of a large-scale storage technology . Water electrolysis is a promising solution to the storage dilemma, via the state-of-the-art proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers that can convert renewable energy into hydrogen fuel . However, the acidic operating conditions of PEM cells results in slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) . Iridium oxide is the only catalyst capable of withstanding these harsh conditions, but its low abundance and high costs limit large-scale implementation . My research focuses on designing a novel sub-monolayer-thick iridium oxide catalyst on an inexpensive conductive support that would allow to decrease iridium loading while maximizing activity . We have developed a novel synthetic method for adhering a cheap commercially available iridium precursor (IrCODCl dimer) to the surfaces of inexpensive acid-stable metal oxide nanoparticles . The mechanism of the assembly was investigated with UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and NMR . We discovered that the dimer attaches in a surface-limited manor allowing for precise control over the catalyst’s thickness . The determination of the mass loadings was accomplished via x-ray fluorescence and ex-situ inductively coupled plasma induced mass spectroscopy . Electrochemical measurements conducted in pH 1 have shown exceptionally high intrinsic activity at significantly reduced mass loadings . We are currently working on improving the catalyst’s stability which might in the future allow for industrial-scale implementation of water electrolysis as renewable energy storage .

Planning for the Future: The International Future Time Orientation and Life Project Scales

Presenter(s): Madeleine Smith—Educational Foundations

Faculty Mentor(s): Jenefer Husman

Throughout the years, extensive research has been done on what influences people’s decisions . What prompts a student to apply to one school over another? Do future goals really influence a student’s academic performance in a class? Researchers have found that psychological future and personal goals play a vital role in an individual’s present behavior, decision making, and self-concept . More specifically, future time orientation (FTO) is the degree to which people’s thoughts of the future influence their present-day actions (Husman & Lens, 1999) . Similarly, the theory of Life Project (LP) refers to a set of short to long-term goals that shape self-concept and identity (Little, Salmela-Aro, & Phillips, 2017) . This project will develop an International Future Time Orientation Scale and Life Project Scale working in conjunction with research teams in Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Uruguay, and the United States . FTO and LP constructs have recently been created by Portuguese research teams . The remaining research teams will conduct focus groups for construct evaluation . This evaluation will focus on main constructs such as distance, connectedness, and extension from FTO as well as organization, engagement, and identity from LP . The structures of both scales’ factors will be analyzed quantitatively with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis . The development of reliable international FTO and LP scales are a necessary instrument as they could be applicable to larger populations . Overall, this exciting research focuses on what influences an individual’s decisions and can greatly benefit prospective psychological and educational studies .

Estrella Symbolic Portrait

Presenter(s): Kat Sincuir Alvarez—Anthropology/Cinema Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Lynn Fujiwara

Session 2: Common Reading

This art was created as an inspiration from the significant amount of symbolism Helena Viramontes portrays of Estrella within the book of Under the Feet of Jesus . To begin, Estrella explains her agony and confusion when she thinks back to the ‘Sun Maid’ raisins logo, as it is a happy white woman . Estrella could not feel more different than the woman in the box . She is a Latina with a pained face as her hands are all cut from the grape vines . I found this to be incredibly important to her character, the vines in my painting symbolize her entangled chains that only bring her down to the field work she is so stuck in . When drawing Estrella, I wanted to recreate her as the young lady I imagined her to be, beautiful, broken, dirty and sad . While she may dream of tomorrow and is a strong character I chose to draw her vulnerable side as that is what almost everyone fears, and yet that is what makes us most human . Our experiences make us the people we are, and for Estrella, the reality is that she is hopeless and yet she decides to be hopeful . Her eyes hold a small galaxy of stars, the one’s she is both named after and looks up to in an attempt to reach for a better tomorrow . Lastly, Estrella
is clutching to wood as she is clutching to the barn . Since the beginning of the book, Estrella had a feeling that was almost spiritual with the barn, while it was falling down and it was old, there was some sort of refuge within it . And yet, she struck a deal with Perfecto to tear it down if it meant he could go to the clinic . Alas, she leaves Alejo alone in the hospital and she goes back into the barn to look at the stars . What will be of the barn?

The 2008 Economic Crash and the Breakdown in Venezuelan Democracy

Presenter(s): Garret Simmer—Political Science

Co-Presenter(s): Jon Laus

Faculty Mentor(s): Matthias Vogel

Session 5: It’s a Small World After All

This project highlights the economic policies adopted by the Venezuelan government during and after the 2008 financial crisis and its impacts on the stability of democracy in Venezuela . To gain an understanding of the experience of the populace, we trace news reporting on the crisis in Venezuelan daily publications which we contextualize with reporting from an international perspective and academic publications on economic data and social policy . Our study will illuminate how Venezuelan democracy eroded through the breakdown of institutions following economic collapse . This project’s aims are to identify some of the root causes for the Venezuelan economic crisis and the sustained disparity experienced by the Venezuelan people . We are going to show the connection between economic and political issues and their impact on political efficacy in a democracy . Our results show: as Venezuela’s economy experienced greater economic stress, the government was able to take more drastic action threatening its democracy . Political shifts are often the result of economic fluctuations on the national and international scale . When considering relevant concepts such as globalization, media’s influence, and regional issues, it becomes clear that Venezuela’s backslide into authoritarianism was inextricably linked not only to the national economy but the global economy .

Abortion legalization in Spain: A window into the history of Spanish reproductive rights

Presenter(s): Monica Silverman—International Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Yvonne Braun

Session 3: The Way We Were

My thesis research analyzes the social and political history of abortion legalization in Spain, and explores the implications of this history for modern reproductive health discourse and policy throughout the country . Abortion was officially legalized in Spain for the first time in 2010 and saw much political and social backlash . The contemporary policies regarding reproductive rights in the

country are deeply connected to events during the almost 40-year-long dictatorship of Francisco Franco . From 1939, right after the Spanish Civil War, up until his death in 1975, Francisco Franco ruled Spain under a fascist dictatorship, maintaining control through repressive means and implementing a politically and socially conservative plan for Spain in collaboration with the Catholic Church . This relationship between church and state produced an environment in which a narrow version of religious morality dictated women’s autonomy in the public sphere and over their own bodies . This thesis explores the historical ties to the gendered policies and societal norms which were constructed in Franco’s Spain and largely persisted through democratization . Drawing on secondary sources, I specifically argue that rigid gendered ideologies and systematic disenfranchisement of women has been pervasive in Spanish society under both fascist and democratic regimes . Patriarchal systems of oppression have thereby persisted despite political change . Additionally, I have discovered that Spain has made enormous progress relating to reproductive justice even as there are still significant areas for improvement . A strong Spanish feminist movement continues to fight for these improvements, including equitable access to reproductive healthcare and education .

Policy Mapping onto Bodies: The nexus between immigration policy, local community support networks, and migrant health outcomes in Tijuana

Presenter(s): Samantha Sidline—International Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Kristin Yarris

Session 1: Time for Your Check-Up—Decolonizing Global Health

The implementation of new policy at the US-Mexico border has only exacerbated the humanitarian crisis experienced by border communities and asylum-seekers . The Migrant Protection Protocols are already affecting asylum-seekers attempting to enter the United States from Mexico . Policies like the MPP disenfranchise migrants by creating the conditions in which fleeing families are vulnerable to a system that is unsupportive of their rights, exposing them to various forms of violence and hostility . Families must now wait in Mexico for unspecified periods of time for the duration of their immigration proceedings . Inevitably, policies like this one produce environments of uncertainty and neglect the framework which recognizes immigration as a determinant of health . This thesis aims to position the current asylum-seeker experience at the US-Mexico border as one at the whim of frequent United States policy changes and how this instability may impact migrant health negatively . The reality of asylum-seekers’ experiences is detailed through my participant observation research in Tijuana, where the effects of the MPP are lived day-to-day . Interviews with community workers addressing the humanitarian crisis at the border deconstruct the embodiment of such policies in asylum-seekers while simultaneously demonstrating how community support can aim to negate the harmful impacts of policy . This research will show how policy determines the livelihood of asylum-seekers coming into the United States and recognizes community networks’ role in migrant community health and fostering solidarity .