Tag: 2014

Deciduous Teeth Show Close Relationships Between Oreodont Genera (Eucrotaphus, Merycochoerus and Promerycochoerus)

Presenter : Kendra Walters

Mentor : Edward Davis

Major : Biology

Poster 27

Oreodonts lived during the Cenozoic Era, particularly from the Eocene to Miocene Epochs. They were abundant in the past but have no modern descendants. Classifying oreodonts is a difficult task because there is disagreement on the species, genus and subfamily classifications of many individual oreodont groups. The three genera of oreodonts we examined (Promerycochoerus, Merycochoerus, and Eucrotaphus) have experienced this problem and are divided between two to three different subfamilies. Our examination of the deciduous teeth of four individuals from these three genera found great morphological similarity, indicating a closer relationship than is currently recognized. We examined two individuals of Eucrotaphus trigonocephalus, one individual of Merycochoerus sp., and one of Promerycochoerus carrikeri from the collection at the University of California Museum of Paleontology. The deciduous premolars from all three genera are tellingly similar, varying only in size, and match previous descriptions of Promerycochoerus carrikeri. Simi- larities are especially evident in the last two deciduous premolars. These similar characters contradict the current subfamily divisions, indicating a close relationship between all three genera. We propose a re-division of oreodont subfamilies that reflects this close deciduous morphology. We also recognize synonymy of Promerycochoerus and Merycochoerus, as our examination primarily found size differences between them that we do not accept as genus-level distinctions.

Crafting the Ancient: Pre-Columbian Music for a Modern Audience

Presenter: Sarah Wyer

Mentor: Daniel Wojcik, William Ayres

Oral Presentation

Major: Anthropology/Folklore

In this paper I recount my fieldwork with local Eugenian artist musician Samuel Becerra and his motivations for crafting clay flutes. Becerra is a formally trained musician with a specialization in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican music and a further focus on Aztec instruments and musical forms. Beyond giving an overview of the instruments and how Becerra defines their importance and use, I ask questions regarding his motivations for making folk art. Of particular focus is his use of Aztec heritage to form his identity and inform his work. Consulting background research on Aztec music, I attempt to create a framework for understanding Becerra’s artistic creations in terms of personal reasons, motivations and issues of community and identity. Through my fieldwork with Becerra, I explore the deeper meanings, such as strengthening a nostalgic connection to his Aztec heritage, behind his goal to uphold ancient Aztec traditions.

Fabrication of Diffraction Gratings Using Electron Beam Lithography

Presenter: Carly Wright

Mentor: Ben McMorran

Poster: 36

Major: Physics/Math 

Studying electron diffraction using transmission electron microscopy allows us to better understand many different phenomena in physics, particularly conservation of forces and wave-particle duality. To be able to make these observations, we require diffraction gratings on the nanoscale. This can be done with a variety of techniques, but our particular focus is electron beam lithography. EBL is a dynamic method for fabrication and can be used from the micro-scale down to the nanoscale, but for our particular purposes and scale it is somewhat difficult to achieve nicely resolved lines. This technique involves coating a sample with a photosensitive resist that breaks down at the molecular level from the bombardment of electrons and then developing the resist to create physical features. Using this process, we were able to create straight and forked gratings ranging from 100nm pitch to 50nm pitch that can be used to study the behavior of electrons inside of a transmission electron microscope. With some revisions to our technique, we hope to decrease this pitch down to 20nm while maintaining efficiency, which will provide clearer diffraction data.

Brain Training and Cognitive Aging: A Meta-analytic Review

Presenter: Lauren Williams

Co-Presenters: Selina Robson

Mentor: Ulrich Mayr

Poster: 35

Major: Psychology

Cognitive decline is an unfortunate hallmark of aging. Deficits can interfere with daily activities and often come at the cost of living independently. In recent years, “brain training” programs and games have become a popular option for older adults who are looking to sharpen their cognitive skills. However, despite their commercial success, it is not clear to what degree these programs produce generalized effects beyond improvement on the trained skills. To determine the size of generalized training effects, we conducted a meta-analysis of existing training studies that used plasticity-focused practice regimes. Studies were included if they sampled adults aged 50 and older, participants had no cognitive impairment, and they had a control group. This led to a final sample of 32 studies. Preliminary results suggest a small-to-moderate overall effect size. In addition, we found that the effect size declined along the near-to-far transfer continuum as assessments become more dissimilar to training type, and with the sample size of the study. Particularly surprising is the fact that the effect size is negatively correlated with duration of the practice regimen. For far-transfer outcome measures with large sample sizes and long durations of practice, the effect size approaches zero. These results raise doubts about the promise that plasticity-related training regimes effectively counter the broad effects of cognitive aging.

Humanizing the Houseless: Warming a Tent Through Homemade Insulation

Presenter: Stefanie Wibiasa

Co-Presenters: Amber Bass, Marisa Daluro

Mentor: Alison Kwok

Poster: 34

Major: Architecture

The Pacific Northwest’s climate-mild, but with occasional extremes-greatly affects a resident’s satisfaction with his or her particular thermal environment. The primary goal of this study was to help the tent communities of Eugene, Oregon stay significantly warmer during the harsh winter months. To this end, we investigated whether adding a layer of homemade insulation to the floor of a tent would significantly reduce heat loss and better regulate the interior temperature. Group members selected a neutral, unsheltered outdoor venue and set up a small tent similar to one that would be found in a houseless community. Over the course of a 24-hour period (divided into three eight-hour segment), hourly temperature readings both inside and outside the tent were measured and recorded. The first eight- hour assessment functioned as a control period—data taken without supplementary insulation. The second and third eight-hour assessments measured temperature data after various layers of homemade insulation had been added to the interior base of the tent. The study goals were addressed primarily through data logging, quantitative inquiry, and analyzing ideas of thermal comfort.

Lichenometric Dating Using Placopsis lambii Applied to the Yachats Basalt, Central Oregon Coast

Presenter: Logan Wetherell

Mentor: Josh Roering

Oral Presentation

Major: Geological Science

Surface exposure dates estimated through lichenometric growth rates can be used to document geologic events where other methods of dating rock surface exposure are not applicable. Largest lichen diameter measurements of pioneer species Placopsis lambii were taken at 10 sites with independent ages along the Yachats Basalt in the central Oregon coast to construct a regional growth curve to be used in estimating surface exposure dates. Largest lichen diameters were recorded across 25m2 swaths of non-calcareous rock at each site and recorded to establish two growth phases of P. lambii. Lichen colonization occurs approximately 5 years after surface exposure and lichen diameter increases at 1.2mm/yr to 1.5mm/yr for approximately 20 years. After 20 years, we observed slow linear growth of <0.2mm/yr as biological competition or spatial constraints from nearby P. lambii colonies impeded growth. We expect that P. lambii could be applied as a lichenometric dating species for exposed surfaces where the timescale of rockfall are less than 100 years and can provide useful information of regional rockfall rates.

Selling Sustainable Fashion: How Small Apparel Companies Communicate Social and Environmental Responsibility

Presenter: Aubrey West

Mentor: Kathie Carpenter

Oral Presentation

Major: International Studies

The apparel industry is responsible for much of today’s global pollution and many human rights violations, but quite a few small apparel companies are refashioning the industry’s dirty façade and becoming successfully sustainable by focusing on quality and consumer awareness. My research compiles the opinions of small apparel company managers and consumers regarding sustainable fashion in order to recommend viable solutions for creating a more sustainable fashion industry. Interviews were conducted with Hilary Fischer-Groban, VP of Operations and Sustainability at The Reformation in Los Angeles, California and Tina Cheung, Senior Manager of Social and Environmental Responsibility at Aritzia in Vancouver, British Columbia. They were chosen based on their company’s small size, brand image of sustainability, and willingness to participate. The interviewees agreed that the biggest sustainability challenge they face is lacking influence over their suppliers, but they believe that consumers feel well informed about their efforts. I also surveyed 80 male and female consumers contacted through my Facebook network, who called for an increase in accessibility and information about sustainable clothing and a decrease in these garments’ prices. Thus I discovered a crucial disconnect between company and consumer opinions about information exchange. Based on this information, I show examples of current marketing approaches, evaluate them, and make recommendations about how small apparel companies can better communicate their sustainability. These recommendations focus on efficient and informative marketing techniques that make known their garments’ origins, materials, and certifications in an accessible and interesting manner using technology such as Quick Response codes partnered with Smart Phones.

Disease and Space: An Historical Epidemiology Study Investigating Northern Paiute Cultural Patterns Pre and Post Reservation

Presenter: Madeline Weissman

Mentor: Kevin Hatfield

Oral Presentation

Major: Psychology/Spanish

I chose to study the effects of disease on the Northern Paiute from the 1700’s through present day for a 10 week Honors College Colloquium. I chose this topic due to my ongoing interest in public health and the ways diseases correlate with cultural and social factors. This study is a historical epidemiology, combining biological information on the components of epidemic diseases such as the flu, malaria, smallpox, and measles with geographical information on the Pacific Northwest as well as cultural information on the lifestyle of the Northern Paiute. I investigated the
onset of epidemiological diseases in relation to movement onto reservations. This study focuses on the interaction between disease and the idiosyncratic cultural patterns of the Northern Paiute, such as location, movement, isolation, and traditional medicinal practices. Methods for my research included finding primary sources such as government documents obtained via microfilm and handwritten letters available through the UO Library’s Special Collections. Additionally, I conducted three oral interviews with four tribe members and referenced secondary sources obtained through the UO library catalogue. Approximately half of my research comes from primary sources and half from secondary sources. Through my research, I found that diseases such as the flu, malaria, smallpox, and measles only started to affect the Northern Paiute once they were forced onto reservations and continue to have devastating population repercussions on the existing tribe.

Tooth Eruption Sequence of Eporeodon occidentalis

Presenter: Kendra Walters

Co-Presenters: Meaghan Emery

Mentor: Edward Davis

Poster: 33

Major: Geology/Biology

Oreodonts lived in North America during the Cenozoic Era and were especially abundant from the Eocene to Miocene Epochs. Despite their abundance, they have no modern descendants. The dentition of fossil oreodonts is often well preserved, including deciduous or “baby” teeth. In order to understand more about oreodont behavior and development, our research examines the tooth eruption sequence for juvenile Eporeodon occidentalis. Tooth eruption sequences differ among groups of animals and reflect their specific life history patterns, including time of weaning and overall lifespan. We created 3D models of the crania of juvenile Eporeodon occidentalis individuals using Agisoft PhotoScan, and examined these models to stitch together the eruption sequence. Interestingly, the eruption sequence showed only the permanent first premolar which means the deciduous first premolar either did not exist or fell out extremely early, possibly before birth. This is a unique feature shared with pigs which may be evidence of a close relationship, similar behaviors, or similar life histories. By comparing the tooth eruption sequences of Eporeodon occidentalis and modern species such as pigs, camels, and sheep, I was able to infer possible life history patterns of Eporeodon occidentalis from known life history patterns of the modern species. In the future, this tooth eruption sequence will be compared to that of other oreodonts to evaluate differences and similarities in behavior, phylogeny, and life histories.

Architecture-Focused Case Study on the Erb Memorial Union Atrium’s Environmental Performance

Presenter: Mauricio Underwood

Co-Presenters: Jiawei Mai

Mentor: Alison Kwok

Poster: 32

Major: Architecture

The Erb Memorial Union acts today as the center of the University of Oregon Campus and is subjected to the most diverse and frequent student traffic. Yet it is one of the oldest, largest, and most poorly insulated buildings on the University of Oregon campus. This research studies the southeast atrium, where many students tend to congregate. The space is well lit due to the expanse of windows covering the entire southeast side of the building and most of the roof. While this allows for plenty of natural light, the single-paned windows also cause enormous amounts of heat loss in the atrium. But does the amount of heat gain through solar-oriented windows compensate for the heat loss during winter months? The result of the temperature data analysis shows that the solar gains in Btu/Hour through the atrium windows is about twelve times greater than the heat loss to the exterior. However, the steam profile of the building indicates that the atrium is still being heated. Our finding suggests infiltration to be the primary source of heat loss, which was initially overlooked in the study. This further indicates the importance of airtightness in the passive cooling/heating of architecture.