Tag: Poster 33

Environmental Leadership Program Canopy Connections Environmental Education Program 2012

Presenter: Emma Newman, Gritz Kuhn, and Kate Vannelli

Mentor: Kathryn Lynch

AM Poster Presentation

Poster 33

Canopy Connections is a project of the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), which is a service learning program housed within the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Oregon. Eight undergraduates worked with faculty and community partners to create environmental education programs for middle school students from eight different classes from around Lane County. Canopy Connections is a partnership between the ELP, the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, and the Pacific Tree Climbing Institute. The Canopy Connections program was set up to give the undergraduate team an opportunity to develop day long field trips based on the theme of people and plants to teach environmental education to middle school students. The goal for this project was to educate middle school students on the fundamentals of ethnobotany through immersion in the Willamette National Forest. Undergraduate students developed their skills as educators by gaining first-hand experience with environmental education curriculum development and implementation, while also improving their collaboration, communication and leadership skills. This report highlights aspects of the Canopy Connections 2012 program. The field trip was set up as four “quests,” which are a type of scavenger hunt that together formed a comprehensive environmental education program. The undergraduates facilitated the quests at the HJA Experimental For- est by working alongside middle school students to answer questions about flora.

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.

Identity and the Virtual Home: Security, Privacy, and Citizen Rights

Presenter: Noelle Jones

Mentor: Naomi Zack, Philosophy

Poster: 33

Major: History and Humanities 

The purpose of this research is to propose the idea of a “virtual home” and how personal identity, privacy, law, technology and the traditional home have helped shape it. The “virtual home” is, in short, a collection of our identities and personal information on the internet, often accessed and updated via computer, smartphone, tablets, or other internet-capable devices. In an attempt to explain the social and legal complexities of technology’s effect on privacy and the home, this paper touches on many topics, including the physical home, symbolic homes, homelessness, personal identity, privacy, the public-private split, the virtual home, and modern technology. My hope is that this interdisciplinary research will inform academics across a range of fields on the importance of these issues, and incite them to tangible action in their virtual and geographic communities, using their current expertise and research interests.

Understanding the Intersection of Twitter Advocacy Subcultures and Corporate Social Responsibility

Presenter: Andrew Rogers

Faculty Mentor: Dean Mundy, Kim Sheehan

Presentation Type: Poster 33

Primary Research Area: Social Science

Major: Journalism: Public Relations

Abstract: As social media activism continues to gain influence in today’s social, cultural, and political spheres, it has become relevant for public relations professionals and social media strategists to better understand the values, motivations, and attitudes of these activist users. This study examines how Twitter users who post, engage with, and participate in conversations regarding political and social issues (i.e. Twitter advocacy subcultures) interpret tweets sent by corporate Twitter accounts that contain activist-like messages. This study asks, “How do users in Twitter advocacy subcultures interpret and respond to corporate social responsibility messages?” and “How can brands better reach and engage Twitter advocacy subcultures?” To answer these questions, a survey concerning interpretation of corporate advocacy tweets was sent to students, student groups, staff, and faculty at the University of Oregon. This survey asked participants to examine screenshots of advocacy tweets posted by corporations and brands and answer questions about the tweet’s core message, intended goal, and overall effectiveness. The initial results of this survey show that message intentionality, co-option of social movements, and tangible actions by a corporation or brand are primary concerns to survey participants who assessed the tweets. The findings of this study serve to elucidate the intersection of Twitter advocacy subcultures and corporate social responsibility.

Arsenic and Fluoride Contamination Analysis of Agricultural Topsoil in Guanajuato, Mexico

Presenter(s): Katie Fischer

Faculty Mentor(s): Matt Polizzotto

Poster 33

Session: Sciences

Groundwater from Guanajuato, Mexico’s Independence Basin has recently been documented to contain elevated levels of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) from past volcanic activity within the region. Guanajuato’s groundwater poses a potential health risk to residents that utilize the groundwater as drinking water, resulting in chronic exposure to toxic levels of As and F. Although contaminated groundwater is extensively used for irrigation, it remains unclear as to whether contaminants are accumulating in agricultural soils and threatening the quality of crops. Therefore, the primary objective of this work was to understand the scale of contaminant accumulation within the region’s topsoil. To do this, we analyzed fifteen batch soil samples from four farms within Guanajuato using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for initial levels of arsenic in topsoil, then analyzed sixteen soil core samples from three farms using a fluoride ion selective electrode to form depth profiles for F accumulation within topsoil. We found that As in agricultural topsoil is currently below the EPA standard of 0.39 parts per million (ppm) for arsenic contamination in soils, ranging from 0.018 ppm to 0.059 ppm. Ongoing work is seeking to define the loading limits of As and F, which influences how much As and F the soil can retain. Ultimately, understanding how As and F accumulate within the region’s agricultural topsoil contributes towards creating a management plan in regards to how much and for how long local farmers can irrigate with contaminated groundwater before As and F levels in topsoil become potentially hazardous.