Tag: Poster 5

An Environmental Anthropology: The Effects of the Yacyretá Dam on Communities in Misiones, Argentina in Comparison to the Economic and Environmental Well-being of the Pilcomayo River Basin

Presenter: Megan Brogan

Mentor: Ronald Mitchell

AM Poster Presentation

Poster 5

Do large dam projects create a “sustainable improvement of human welfare” for those directly affected by a dam (WCD 2000, 2)? Scholars have failed to address whether a community suffering from economic hardship would benefit from the construction of a dam, or if there are better means of human welfare development. To determine whether a dam should be built, one must consider the counterfactual: what the community would be like in terms of economic stability, social equality, and environmental sustainability without a dam. This thesis argues that although there may be benefits of leaving a river to run its natural course, the economic gains associated with the implementation of a large hydropower dam bring a greater “sustainable improvement of human welfare” to the community in question (WCD 2000, 2). Despite environmental changes and economic obstacles associated with the Yacyretá Dam, over time, the people that depend on the Paraná River have experienced sustainable development. The initial benefits of allowing a river to run its natural course are the forgone opportunity costs that would be associated with the construction of a dam, such as dam-related downstream and upstream flooding, environmental changes due to the impoundment of the river, construction-induced human displacement, and the overall financial burden of constructing a large dam and funding its operation. However, economic ben- efits such as job growth and and access to electricity have the potential to outweigh these environmental costs.

ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Population in Lane County- A Project with United Way of Lane County

Presenters : Man Nguyen, Eric Wittkop, Emily White

Mentor : William Harbaugh

Major : Economics

Poster 5

Many US households earn an income greater than that specified by the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), a measure of poverty that does not vary across the 48 contiguous states, however, many households in the U.S who stand above the FPL still struggle to meet their basic needs and be financially self-sufficient. Although the FPL does not take into account the actual quantity of money required to meet the basic cost of living expenses across the United States, many financial assistance programs are designed solely to assist people below this line, especially federally administered programs. As there exists a percentage of population who stands above the 100% FPL but still not able to be self-sufficient, it is the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population. We are working on the research with United Way of Lane County who seeks a way to calculate the percentage population of ALICE and its distribution in Lane County. It is important to know the ALICE population as ALICEs has been suffering without sufficient income that will lead to a short and long-term suffering to the whole community. Our methodology is focused on meeting two separate objectives. The first objective is to calculate the number and percentage of ALICE population in Lane County. The second objective is to create a predictive model that will give United Way a tool to estimate future fluctuations in the size (but not the distribution) of the Lane County ALICE population so that they can better direct their programming to serve this group.

A Predicted SH3 Binding Motif in Drosophila aPKC is Required for Proper Localization of aPKC During Asymmetric Cell Division of Neuroblasts

Presenter: Ryan Boileau

Mentor: Ken Prehoda

Poster: 5

Major: Human Physiology/Biochemistry/Biology

Asymmetric cell division of Drosophila neural stem cells, neuroblasts, requires the proper localization of factors that influence the orientation of cell divisions and future fates of mitotic progeny. Errors in the generation of this polarity could cause cells to overproliferate and become cancerous. In neuroblasts, atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) has been previously shown to be a key mediator in the generation of apico-basal polarity by localizing to the apical cortex and restricting the fate determinant proteins Numb and Miranda to the basal cortex during cell division. This allows the dividing neuroblast to maintain pluripotency while also generating a daughter cell that differentiates into neurons. Although the mechanism by which aPKC restricts basal determinants is known, how aPKC itself is apically localized is not fully known. Using transgenic fly lines and confocal fluorescence microscopy, we have found that a predicted SH3 binding motif within aPKC is necessary for its apical polarization in neuroblasts. We hypothesize that an SH3 domain containing protein binds to aPKC at this site and plays a role in stabilizing apical localization. Future research will be focused on finding interacting partners of this SH3 binding motif using a candidate gene-based approach and elucidating the mechanism by which this novel interaction may function to polarize aPKC.

Diet as a Mediator of Life-History in Ceanorhabditis elegans

Presenter: Benjamin Blue

Mentors: Patrick Phillips and Stephen Banse, Biology

Poster: 5

Major: Biochemistry 

The understanding of how diet and health interact is often informed by conventional wisdom that reduces this complex system to the idea of some foods being “bad” while others are “good.” Advances in medicine and biology have shown that health and aging are mediated by the partition of resources to these different goals. The patterning of this process is still unknown and how diets of different quality could affect such partitioning remains to be investigated. Our goal is to break down the internal calculus that informs the mediation between these different life- history outcomes using the bacteria consuming nematode C. elegans as a model. The initial experiment was a series of choice assays to determine the relative preferences C. elegans has for different types of bacterial food. Following this we performed a series of assays to measure the effects of different food sources on C. elegans life-history. The longevity of C. elegans on each food is determined using LifeSpan machines. In order to understand how C. elegans partitions its resources on different foods we compare longevity to the reproductive patterning as measured by a microfluidic egg counter. These observations will provide greater insight into the mechanisms of resource allocation and life history developments.

Socio-Economic Inequality in Sweden and France: A Comparative Study

Presenter: Korinne Breed

Faculty Mentor: Geoff Kennedy

Presentation Type: Poster 5

Primary Research Area: Social Science

Major: Economics and International Studies

Sweden and France have two of the highest levels of public social spending in Europe with each country exemplifying a different welfare state model. While there are some similarities in their labor market and social policies, the differences have contributed to discrepancies between the two countries in terms of socio-economic inequality.
This study features the most recent data available to analyze factors contributing to socio-economic inequality, specifically income inequality, labor market policies, fiscal sustainability, and educational systems. It compares visual representations of this data to reports by governing bodies and international organizations. Findings indicate that Sweden generally has lower levels of inequality and better well-being than France, but not in all cases. Sweden faces high unemployment for the low skilled and migrants, as well as problematic educational outcomes. France’s social transfers are poorly targeted. Its government has struggled to control its increasing debt, and is facing calls to reduce its social services. This research is significant because inequality is correlated with poverty, leads to social exclusion, and can even curb economic growth.

Post-Burn Geomorphic Changes in the Oregon Coast Range

Presenter(s): Evelyn Meador − Geologic Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s): Joshua Roering

Poster 5

Research Area: Geological Science

Funding: Presidential Undergraduate Research Scholars

Wildfires are prevalent in the Oregon coast range, but studies on the post-fire geomorphic changes and hazards are limited in the region. Processes like dry ravel movement, hydrophobicity, and tree root strength decreases are present and contribute to land and mudslides, but the extent of which is not known. By repeatedly visiting the Horse Prairie Fire in the Oregon coast Range and observing and documenting changes and sediment movement, we gained insight into the processes that shape post-burn sites. Water, particularly in the form of precipitation, shapes the land after a burn. The rain in the coast range is seasonal, and the site typically experiences monthly storms of one to two inches. These storms move great amounts of post- fire debris and can cause landslides. The goal of this study is to see if there is a correlation between slope angle and sediment transport, which would greatly help organizations like the United States Geological Survey create accurate hazard maps for the Pacific Northwest.

An Investigation into the Genetic Basis of Spinal Cord Regeneration

Presenter(s): Tova Kruss

Faculty Mentor(s): Dylan Farnsworth & Adam Miller

Poster 5

Session: Sciences

Unlike mammals, Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) are unique in that they can regenerate their nervous systems. The genetic expression involved in Zebrafish nervous system regeneration remains widely uninvestigated, however with potential applications in mammalian cell therapy and injury recovery, it remains a critical area of ongoing research. Throughout the following experiments, the spinal cord of Zebrafish was used as a simplified model for the entire connectome, with regeneration initiated through mechanical lesioning. To narrow the scope of the inquiry gene expression exploration focused on the neural progenitor lineage of olig2 expressing cells, a subset of neurons including motor neurons and glia. Through the utilization of single cell RNA sequencing gene expression during regeneration was assessed on a cell by cell basis, and Vimentin was found as an exciting candidate gene for further study due to the high degree of specific expression of this gene in regenerating cells.