Tag: Poster 162

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.

Día de Salud: A model for community-based outreach to improve health care access for low-income families

Presenter(s): Allison Dona

Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass

Poster 162

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

The Oregon-based nonprofit organization Huerto de la Familia (“The Family Garden”) and the Global Health Biomarker Laboratory at the University of Oregon come together each year to host Día de Salud, a free health fair for underserved Spanish-speaking individuals in Eugene, Oregon. Día de Salud aims to provide general health information through anthropometric measurements, functional measures (including spirometry), blood pressure, and finger-prick biomarkers (including blood glucose, lipids, hemoglobin, and hemoglobin A1c) as well as consultations with volunteer medical and dental professionals from the community. Each year, 20-25 undergraduate volunteers from the University of Oregon, most with at least some level of Spanish language skills, assist at the event through conducting intake interviews, collecting anthropometric measurements, obtaining capillary blood from finger prick, and providing child care for participant families. Since its creation in 2010, Día de Salud has served between 60 to 80 people every year. This poster describes Día de Salud, including its successes and challenges, in order to outline a model for community-based outreach to improve health care access for low- income families. Although not a substitute for comprehensive primary health care, Día de Salud combines community outreach and anthropology to provide health care services to underserved populations.