Tag: Oral Presentation

The Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Components and their Association with HbA1c in Tunisia

Presenter: Adriana Wisniewski – Human Physiology, Multidisciplinary Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass, Alicia DeLouize

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Healthy Considerations

The prevalence of diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is rapidly increasing worldwide. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a combination of metabolic components (e.g., abdominal obesity and elevated blood pressure) that are risk factors for NCDs such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Anthropometric, biomarker, and sociodemographic data were collected from a nationally representative sample of individuals 15 years and older (n = 7444) as part of the Tunisian Health Examination Survey, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and the Tunisian Ministry of Health. Examining both diabetic and nondiabetic groups, we hypothesize that: 1) there will be positive associations between HbA1c levels and individual components of MetS, and 2) there will be positive associations between HbA1c levels and the cumulative number of MetS components. Results showed that both diabetic women and men had positive associations between HbA1c and triglyceride levels and between HbA1c and systolic blood pressure(SBP). Nondiabetic women and men had positive associations between HbA1c and LDL cholesterol levels and HbA1c and triglyceride levels. Nondiabetic men also had a negative association between HbA1c and HDL cholesterol levels. These findings highlight the different MetS components and metabolic risk factors that are associated with increasing HbA1c levels in Tunisian diabetic and nondiabetic populations.

Princess Mononoke: A Masterpiece of Japanese Animation

Presenter: Annabel Winningham – Art History

Faculty Mentor(s): Alexandria Nanneman

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Comics, Classics and Analysis

Hayao Miyazaki’s films are renowned for their fantastic visual complexity, cohesiveness, and heart- warming narratives. Miyazaki is able to unite oil-painting-like backgrounds with a great sense of depth and super-flat styled character to create playful, mystical, and breathtaking atmospheres. Although his art style is child-like and charming, the narratives of his work have very serious themes, and like much Japanese art post World War II, are highly influenced by westernization, industrialism, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Princess Mononoke, he portrays a sense of nationalism with an appreciation for the traditional Japanese way of life, yet detests the influence that the modern world has had on Japanese culture, especially as it contradicts many of the basic morals of the central religion of Japan, Shinto. The focal theme of the film is environmentalism, but he dives into the complexity of this issue by also portraying the benefits that have come with western industrialization. The film depicts a seemingly unresolvable conflict between the animals and spirits of the forest versus humanity, yet by the end of the film, Miyazaki beautifully displays the harmony that can be achieved, but only after devastating conflict and disaster. The film is a warning. The final battle is suspenseful and action-pact, but the movie concludes on a deeply pensive and hopeful note. My essay is a visual, historical, and contextual analysis of Princess Mononoke.

Food Security Among University of Oregon Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Presenter: Jennifer Vuong – Family and Human Services, Psychology

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Elizabeth Budd

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid

U.S college students are vulnerable to low food security and students of color more so than White students. Those with low food security tend to consume fewer daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Low food security and lower fruit and vegetable intake are associated with poor health outcomes. Food security and eating behaviors of University of Oregon (UO) students during the pandemic are unknown. This study examines the food security and eating behaviors of UO students, whether food security varies by race and ethnicity, and how fruit and vegetable intake may vary by students’ income level, student status, and use of food assistance programs. From August-October 2020, 779 UO students completed a Qualtrics survey. One-way ANOVAs were conducted. In Fall 2020, 47.2% of UO students reported low food security. Black/African American students experienced low food security at higher rates than White students (p = .045). Fruit and vegetable intake significantly varied by income (p = .001; p = .001) and student status (p = .01; p = <.001). Only vegetable intake significantly varied by use of food assistance programs (p =.04). Concerningly, low food security is common among UO students and more common among Black/African American students. Also, undergraduates and lower-income students consume fewer fruits and vegetables than other students. Findings can inform programs to support food security and healthy eating.

Effects of Rangeland Compost Amendments on Nematode Abundance

Presenter: Maya Treder – General Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Ashley Shaw, Lauren Hallett

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Fuel, Fire, Grass and Compost, Poster Presentation

California rangelands are often over-grazed, nutrient-depleted, and subject to variable rainfall. Compost amendments are gaining popularity as a management tool due to their potential for soil carbon sequestration. Despite positive effects on plant growth, little is known about how soil communities respond to these amendments, especially across variable precipitation conditions. Nematodes are excellent indicators of soil community responses as they span every trophic level and are sensitive to changing environments. Here, we examined how amendment treatments (compost, fertilizer, none) affect nematode communities across variable precipitation conditions (drought, irrigation, wet). We hypothesized: 1) amendments increase nematode abundance, where compost has a greater positive effect than fertilizer; 2) nematodes respond positively to elevated soil moisture and negatively to drought; 3) effects of amendment and precipitation are interactive, where compost mitigates drought’s effects on nematodes. As expected, compost increased nematode abundance relative to other amendment treatments. However, overall, nematodes were most abundant under ambient precipitation, contrary to expectations. This was due to the precipitation-amendment interaction. While compost and fertilizer had similar positive effects on nematodes under ambient and irrigation, under drought, fertilizer had a negative while compost had a positive effect on nematode abundance compared to the no amendment treatment.

Stories of Decline: Narratives and Risk Framing of Glacier Retreat and Salmon in Washington, USA

Presenter: Jenna Travers – Marine Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Learning from the Environment

Climate change is threatening both glaciers and salmon in Washington with extinction, putting the state’s economy, culture, and ecosystems at risk. However, the overlapping crises are framed and understood differently throughout the state, affecting policy and climate action. This study analyzed 115 media sources from four main stakeholder categories to determine a) which narratives of glacier retreat and salmon declines are the most prevalent; b) how perceived risks change among stakeholders and cause narratives to diverge; c) how these narratives are shaped by stakeholder identity, geographic location, knowledge sources, and time; and d) how narratives of overlapping climate emergencies differ from narratives of a single crisis. Key narratives were identified by creating a qualitative codebook that was applied using Dedoose, and the presence of narratives was analyzed across the categories to evaluate trends. The study found that while a common narrative did exist, stakeholder identity, geographic location, and source of knowledge were all key factors in shaping narratives. It also found that narratives of overlapping climate emergencies were more likely to diverge than those of a single crisis. As climate change worsens and causes more overlapping crises, understanding how climate narratives are created and shaped will become increasingly important for understanding stakeholder conflicts, effective climate campaigns, and how people view themselves within these crises.

Freedom Towns, Freedom Colonies: A Primer for Prosperity

Presenter: Sarada Thomas – Anthropology, Architecture

Faculty Mentor: Richard Margerum

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Connection and Community

The study examines Freedom Towns and Colonies. The newly freed had few resources but established hundreds of these communities. Many were very successful, and some are still in existence today.

Modern African American communities are materially in the same place as those from the early 1800s. Previous research indicates the same methods could be used to create similar economic transformation. The study answers the questions: how did these towns and colonies emerge? What are the lessons, successful practices, and guiding principles from their history? How can policy support and protect efforts to apply them?

A primary literature review framed the study at the intersection of political economics, sociopolitical history, and community development. A secondary literature review of oral histories, government documents, and journalistic articles provided data for analysis.

Primary findings show cooperative and collective behaviors span successful communities while failures were induced externally. The implication is privation among ADOS communities can be alleviated using internal and external solutions drawn from history.

This work is significant in its assumption of ability, motivation, and ongoing effort by ADOS communities. Second the study centers the community’s cultural habits as a solution to their economic, social, and political condition. Third, this work is significant in its clarification of policy’s role to support, promote and protect the community and its efforts.

How Music is Used to Preserve Ainu Culture

Presenter: Lily Strobel – Asian Studies, Global Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Alisa Freedman, Kathie Carpenter

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Sex, Drugs, & Music

The Ainu are an indigenous population native to northern modern-day Japan who have historically been suppressed and erased by the Japanese government. One of the ways they have resisted this governmental action is through music. In this presentation, how the Ainu use music as a tool to preserve their culture will be analyzed, both historically and in the modern context. To develop an understanding of the Ainu as a population, an in-depth literature review of their history was conducted, particularly as it pertains to music. This information informs an analysis of how music is used in the modern day. Two principal musical approaches were identified: the traditionalist approach, where artists perform music in traditional styles; and the fusionist approach, which combines traditional Ainu music with elements of more modern music, such as reggae or dub. Both of these approaches have the dual purpose of exposing non-Ainu to Ainu culture, as well as a way for Ainu to find belonging and express their heritage. Because the two approaches are drastically different styles of music, they will naturally attract different demographics. By understanding how music specifically is used to preserve Ainu culture, a more robust understanding of how arts in general can be used to the same end will develop. The underlying framework needs only to be slightly altered to map onto other fields, such as dance or literature.

Undocumented Workers in Agriculture: How States can Protect Them

Presenter: Alexis Stinnett – Public Relations

Faculty Mentor(s): Corbett Upton

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Rights of Humans

Agriculture has been and still is the foundation of our economy, and we rely on it to keep our country running. Even in today’s industrialized agriculture system we still see the need for labor in the fields for the backbreaking jobs that cannot yet be done by machines. It is not uncommon that these physically and mentally demanding jobs are typically occupied by undocumented immigrants, who make up about 50% of our work force. Researchers and historians have spent years looking at the history of farm labor in our country, and it is no surprise that in almost every instance it leads back to undocumented labor. Despite our society and economy’s dependence on undocumented workers, there are little to no regulations in place to protect or guarantee them the basic rights that other employees in different fields of work enjoy. The lack of rights and policy around agricultural labor allows for undocumented immigrants to be put in dangerous situations in the workplace as well as making it increasingly easy for them to be exploited. As our system has progressed, our policies and laws have not. There are a variety of social, economic, and political factors that prevent the federal government from passing the legislation that is needed to protect undocumented workers. Because of these factors that prevent the federal government from making the necessary changes, state governments must take initiative and prioritize passing policies to protect undocumented agricultural workers.

Visual Analysis of Kōshirō Onchi’s Family of the Field from Poem no. 2

Presenter: Alivia Stiles – Business Administration

Faculty Mentor(s): Cecilia Rosenow, Alexandria Nanneman

Session: (Virtual) Oral Panel—Read, Speak and Act

Kōshirō Onchi is the father of Sōsaku-hanga, a form of Japanese print popularized in the 20th century during the Shōwa Era of Japan. Sōsaku-hanga, often considered an evolution of the print form Shin-hanga, became a global fine art phenomenon and its development as a result of increased Westernization has been explored by many scholars. This essay contributes to this conversation by additionally lacing the Western influence, particularly among cultural driving events of the 20th century like World War II and the Great Depression, with Eastern tradition and response to these circumstances. This combination provides us with a crucial insight: how these global players affected Kōshirō Onchi’s personal life and identity, thus affecting the art form of Sōsaku-hanga. This delineation is done through the examination of Onchi’s print Family of the Field from Poem no. 2, using a visual analysis to further understand historical and contextual elements presented by previous research in the field. What is indicated by this comprehensive analysis is that there is a certain balance to the contextual and historical influence on Sōsaku-hanga which occurs not only in a culmination of Eastern and Western culture, as well as global events, but also the personal impact of these elements on a single artist, which manifest clearly in the work if one knows where to look. This insight provokes us to think more broadly about what might have influenced visual aspects of a certain artistic piece.

Creation Myths and Science Fiction: The Human Urge to Structure the Unknowable

Presenter: Hayden Stewart – History

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Andrea Goering

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Comics, Classics and Analysis

In his introduction to “Sun Songs: Creation Myths from Around the World,” Raymond Von Over writes, “The myths of ancient mankind attempted to resolve such profound and confusing questions, and therefore when reading myths we experience not so much an emotional insight as a sensation of watching something marvelous grow in the mind of early mankind.” It is my belief that science fiction, in its most scientific and cerebral form, is the evolution of the creation myth. A story that symbolizes the question of “where are we going?” rather than “from where did we come?” It is that same growth of something marvelous growing in our minds, but now instead of then. My presentation includes a story that I wrote. It takes place during the Heat Death of the Universe, on the final abode of humankind. It is meant to be a meditation on how far away storytelling can take us, and what it can show us capable of achieving. Much like how the creation myths of our past told of what was before us, and how and why we came to be, this story aims to tell what will come after us, how, and why we should care about so distant a future. Along with the aforementioned text by Raymond Von Over and the myths it contains, I’ll be drawing from works by Isaac Asimov and Ursula K. Le Guin, and consensus timelines of the eventual fate of the universe. It’s my hope that this collection of ideas can add to the conversation of the importance of art for human self-conception and scientific/philosophical progress.