Two years ago, my teammate was diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcoma. It was the third girl to develop a tumor and the second to develop cancer on the University of Montana women’s golf team. The coincidence of these events made me consider what effect golfing has on people and the environment. It led to me ask the question: does repetitive exposure to golf courses increase risk of disease? and if so, what can be done?

This study is a comprehensive meta-analysis on health claims linked to exposure to golf courses, more specifically the chemicals used to maintain their appearance. The average golf course in America uses 50,000 pounds of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers each year. They disrupt local ecologies, contaminate ground water, rivers, lakes and streams with run-off, and they are responsible for the bioaccumulation of chemicals which remain dangerous for decades. Despite the adverse effects of golf courses on the environment, there remains an opportunity to transform the golf industry into a sustainable enterprise. The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) regulates the Best Management Practices for each states’ golf courses. This study assesses the quality of Montana’s Best Management Practices, provides a list of alternative management practice that have been identified as safe for humans and the environment, and seeks include wildlife management principles. This is especially important going forward as there have been legal decisions that put the liability on golf courses using carcinogenic chemicals. There are always natural alternatives to the synthetic chemicals, and much better ways of incorporating the natural environment into the overall function of golf courses to help minimize their negative ecological impact.

Ion channels are essential for neural function, playing a variety of necessary cellular roles including excitability, maintaining ion gradients, and volume control. While the role of ion channels in neurons is well-defined, much less is known about excitability in neural progenitor cells. Recently it has emerged that these neural precursors may be affected by channelopathies, indicating a critical role of ion channels in neural development. Using the model system Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), I investigated the role of the ion channel SERCA (sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ATPase). SERCA is a vital calcium ion pump located on the wall of the endoplasmic reticulum, and it is integral in maintenance of cellular homeostasis and signal transduction in larval brain development. The use of RNAi knockdown technology to reduce the expression of SERCA resulted in a significant decrease in larval brain volume. Further experiments found that the SERCA RNAi knockdown not only decreased cell numbers in neural stem cell lineages but changed the identity of the neural stem cell lineage, implicating an important role for SERCA in both neural stem cell asymmetric division and cell fate. These results indicated that SERCA channels hold a prominent role in cellular proliferation in normal development. The knockdown of SERCA in a brain tumor model additionally showed significantly decreased brain tumor volume, implicating SERCA in tumor development and the proliferation of “neural stem cell-like” cancer cells. Together, these data pinpoint SERCA as a promising potential treatment target for both neural developmental disorders and cancer.

The composition of the sky is likely to change in the coming decades with advancements in uncrewed aerial system (UAS) technology, safety, efficiency, market viability, and broader community adoption. Different airspace design concepts have been proposed, including aerial tubes, geofenced corridors, and vertically stacked lanes. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) holds ultimate authority over the national airspace, local jurisdictions have increasingly exercised their authority over local, low-altitude flights. Tribal governments have successfully regulated their immediate airspace by imposing fines on trespassers, but the matter remains unresolved in the court system on who holds ultimate authority over localized airspace. This paper examines the current proposals for local airspace design and how those airspace design concepts would apply to tribal territory. This review indicates that tribal governments must be part of conversations around future airspace design to develop airspace for all. This paper encourages tribal governments to exercise airspace sovereignty by implementing codes and ordinances into their constitution to assert their rights to their immediate airspace and by actively participating in designing their local airspace.

Ungulate body condition is often considered to reflect the nutritional resources on the landscape but is ultimately influenced by more than forage as body condition integrates both energetic costs and benefits. Variation in female body condition is driven by both individual and environmental factors, such as age and reproductive effort or forage resources and predation risk, respectively. Our research evaluates how individual and environmental factors influence ingesta-free body fat (IFBF) in female elk (Cervus canadensis) to improve understanding and interpretation of body condition data. We collected seven years (2015-2021) of IFBF data from monitored and recaptured female elk (n = 139) in the Ya Ha Tinda (YHT) population in Alberta, Canada. We determined the best fitting generalized linear mixed-effects model to explain IFBF as a function of individual and environmental factors. Our top model included only prior summer calf survival as a predictor variable, with the second model (DAICc = 1.42) including both prior summer calf survival and average prior summer forage biomass. Our final top model predicts that a female elk whose calf survives the previous summer will have 3.28 percentage points (95% CI: 2.38, 4.19) lower body fat levels in winter compared to a female elk whose calf did not survive the summer. The importance of prior summer calf survival as an explanatory variable and the large size of its effect indicates that changes in reproductive costs driven by predation influence variation in female body fat more significantly than environmental factors like access to forage in this system. Our research helps scientists and managers interpret variation in ungulate body condition data and understand the important effects of juvenile survival on adult ungulate female body condition in the context of expanding predator communities across North America.

Global amphibian populations are declining at an alarming rate, yet amphibians are often left out of restoration planning and effort. This means that the impacts of restoration on amphibians are not well understood. At a Superfund restoration site in western Montana, Milltown State Park, amphibian larvae detectability was extremely low in 2021, despite successful amphibian breeding. This study aimed to determine whether the low detectability of Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) and long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) larvae at this site might be due to predation by fish in many of the ponds. In April-May of 2022, we counted the number of Columbia spotted frog egg masses in eight permanent ponds and four seasonal ponds at Milltown to establish a baseline of breeding events. We then conducted repeated catch-and-release sampling of amphibian larvae at the identified sites in June and July, determining fish presence at this time. We found weak evidence that the catch of long-toed salamander larvae was lower in ponds that contained fish compared to ponds that did not have fish, but no evidence that fish presence determined the catch of Columbia spotted frog larvae. The largest proportion of Columbia spotted frog and long-toed salamander larvae caught at Milltown came from a single permanent, fishless pond on the park's south end, supplying 86% and 63% of the total larvae, respectively. It also contained the majority of Columbia spotted frog egg masses (74%). While we could not attribute this finding to fish absence alone, we speculate it may play a large role in its suitability as a habitat. Further studies are needed to determine what makes this pond different from the rest, and that information could be used to inform future pond construction methods at restoration sites in western Montana.

Phylogenetic analyses have revolutionized our understanding of evolutionary relationships between species. Subsequently, we can apply phylogenetics to study how divergent phenotypic traits among closely-related taxa evolved. Rhinoceros beetles (Coleoptera: Dynastinae) are a diverse group of scarabs that exhibit highly variable weapon traits, including horns, spikes, and other structures which evolved due to intense male-male competition over matings. Because of their variety in fighting structures, Dynastinae represents a perfect opportunity to understand how complex weapons change and evolve between species. In order to make phylogenetic comparisons, I first constructed a robust phylogenetic tree for Dynastinae. This allowed me to understand and visualize how these diverse species are related to one another. I then compared distinct Dynastinae weapons across the various species which allows me to quantify the presence and complexity of their weaponry development. Using this approach, I can identify key evolutionary events that have shaped the diversity of weapon traits across this clade, for example when horn loss, horn duplication, or bifurcation events occured. This information will be valuable for understanding the functional significance of weapon traits and the selective forces (i.e., differential fighting styles and reproductive behaviors) that have shaped their evolution.

In species with large male weapons (e.g. antlers, horns, claws), female choice has traditionally been considered relatively weak since males establish dominance among themselves, and the best fighters were presumed to be the best mates. In Japanese rhinoceros beetles (Trypoxylus dichotomus), males with long horns win fights over feeding territories visited by females and females were assumed to be passive. However, it is now clear that females routinely reject males –even large males with long horns—and males must court females with stridulatory songs and trembling, oscillating dances. Why? We hypothesized that hours of repeated battles might exhaust males, depleting their stored energy reserves, and females may be using courtship to select mating partners based on their body condition. Here we tested whether the trembling dances performed by males could signal body condition to females. We restricted food intake for a subset of males and compared the head-dipping and trembling rates of 25 nutrient-stressed and 25 well-fed males. We observed and filmed male courtships and then used DeepLabCut, an estimation algorithm technology, to analyze the courtship dances. Using multiple markers on both the male’s and female’s body, we were able to determine the displacement of their bodies during dances and calculate the speed of their back-and-forth movements. We found that well-fed males trembled faster than the stressed, food-restricted males. While the Emlen Lab is still determining all of the factors that play a role during a courtship, our study utilizing DeepLabCut paints a clearer picture of the function of the trembling dance. Female insects continue to amaze us with the sophistication of their mate choices, and this study reminds us that it isn’t always all about body or weapon size.

It is important to investigate the effects of forest management on non-target species which may be detrimentally affected by management for other species. The Bridger-Teton National Forest is conducting thinning and prescribed burning of forest stands on Monument Ridge in western Wyoming to promote aspen regeneration for mule deer and elk habitat and to reduce the risk of wildfire near urban areas. As a significant remaining patch of mixed conifer forest after the 2018 Roosevelt Fire, which burned nearly 65,000 acres, Monument Ridge is thought to be an important location for wintering moose. However, the effects of this management on moose in the area are unknown. Conifer removal may be detrimental to overwintering moose since conifer cover reduces snow depth and decreases energetic costs of movement across a landscape. Increased cover may also serve as a thermal refuge and create a cooler microclimate during warm periods. We used photos from 24 motion-triggered camera traps to assess moose use of thinned and wildfire-burned sites relative to untreated areas over the 2021–2022 winter, from October 1 to April 30. We hypothesized that moose occupancy will be positively-related to conifer cover and negatively-related to burned landscapes.

Student-athletes at the collegiate level experience high levels of pressure that can impact their mental health. When athletes crack under this pressure, many wonder where to draw the line between healthy and excessive pressures. Despite international examples (e.g. Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the French Open in 2021, Simone Biles withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and many collegiate athletes taking their own lives), some backlash still remains towards athletes prioritizing their mental health. The athletic department at the University of Montana currently offers counseling sessions free to student-athletes. However, student-athletes have expressed mental health concerns; yet many of the sessions offered remain unattended. To investigate why athletes are concerned for their mental health, but are not attending counseling, this paper draws on a Qualtrics survey of 22 questions, using the University of Montana as a case study. The survey asked questions regarding the pressures student-athletes feel, how these pressures impact their mental health, and the resources they use to combat them. It was distributed to all ~330 student-athletes at the University of Montana. Athletes were recruited for the survey by the principal investigator and their trainers as they entered their weight-lifting facility, using a QR code, and through an email sent to them by their advisors. The results of the survey and literature from the psychology field of collegiate athlete mental health were combined into a literature review, to get a holistic scope on collegiate student-athlete mental health, not just at the University of Montana. This investigation examined the specific ways pressure is contributing to mental health concerns at the University of Montana, the resources student-athletes are using or not using, the barriers to accessing these resources, and to how we can help high-level athletes combat the negative impacts these pressures may be having on their mental health.

Black-billed cuckoos (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) are classified as a species of concern in Montana and have seen declines due to habitat loss and fragmentation. However, we lack data on the current population of Black-billed cuckoos in Montana. They are a cryptic species, occupying dense riparian vegetation, and not moving or calling frequently. Thus, they are difficult to detect, making research and management of these birds difficult and often inefficient, which can be costly with insufficient reward. Autonomous acoustic survey methods offer the potential to be more effective and efficient than traditional avian survey methods. Autonomous recording units (ARUs) are small, programmable, relatively inexpensive acoustic detectors, and have been used in several other studies on a variety of species. However, because cuckoos nest and perch in dense riparian vegetation, the detection capabilities of ARUs is potentially limited. To learn what degree of limitation is present, we investigated the detection distance of ARUs and how it changes with varying vegetation density. We set up thirteen 200-meter transects in locations in Western Montana. Each site had varying vegetation density, from open landscape to dense vegetation. We mounted an ARU to a 6-foot PVC pipe at one end of the transect, then played Black-billed cuckoo calls from a speaker at intervals of 50 meters. We then analyzed how well the ARU detected the calls at each distance and examined how that changed with increased vegetation cover. As predicted, detection capability decreased as distance increased. The influences of vegetation density are still under investigation but is predicted to further decrease detection distance. We also found that increased levels of ambient noise further decreased detection distance both with and without dense vegetation. Our work will help researchers to maximize detection probability by modifying the number of ARUs, and the distance between each ARU.

Exploring barriers and facilitators to accessing reproductive healthcare in rural Montana

Access to reproductive healthcare in the United States is a growing issue of concern, especially in rural communities. Montana is one of the largest and least populated states in the U.S. with 55 out of 56 counties labeled as rural or frontier. This project aims to better understand barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare services in rural areas of Montana. Since January 2023, we have recruited 19 self-identified women of reproductive age (18-49) throughout the state of Montana with an emphasis in recruiting in rural and frontier counties. Employing a qualitative description approach, 30-minute semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with participants. We coded the data using content analysis through NVIVO—a qualitative data analysis software. Themes that emerged from participant interviews related to rural reproductive healthcare access will be further discussed in the presentation. These findings have implications for healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers to inform efforts to address barriers.

As climate change impacts the severity and frequency of drought, knowledge of hillslope-to-watershed scale ecohydrology is becoming increasingly necessary to inform appropriate conservation, restoration, and management of forested ecosystems. In mountain environments, spatial patterns of water and energy organize forest productivity at plot, hillslope, and watershed scales. These hydrometeorological patterns are impacted by gradients in elevation, aspect, and local topographic convergence and divergence. In water-limited systems, such patterns of moisture may be first-order drivers of intra-annual tree growth. However, there is limited field-based research characterizing how seasonal limitations of forest growth may vary across complex terrain. In 2016, continuous soil moisture, vapor pressure deficit, temperature and radial Douglas-fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii) growth were collected across 27 sites within the Lubrecht Experimental Forest, MT. Using this data, we assessed the influences of topographic position, elevation, and aspect on local temperature and moisture conditions. These landscape and microclimatic predictors were then compared to the timing of growth cessation. Sites in convergent topographic positions, high elevations, and north-facing aspects were correlated with decreased temperature and greater moisture, which generally lead to later growth cessation. However, we also observed a nonlinear phenomenon where saturated soils contributed to early cessation at convergent topographic positions. Overall, average microclimatic measures predicted the complex timing of growth cessation across the watershed. These findings contribute to critical knowledge of landscape scale vegetation responses to changes in water availability, important for predicting the ramifications of climate change on forest growth and zones of climate refugia.

This study examines how warming and drying affect the performance and survival of giant salmonfly nymphs (Pteronarcys californica), which are important economically, ecologically, and culturally throughout the mountain west. My experiments were motivated by a dam malfunction that occurred in late November 2021 on the Madison River in Montana that caused the river to dry rapidly downstream of the dam and reduced flow by 70% for 50 hours. The effects of such events on aquatic insects are unknown, and my experiments were designed to assess how long salmonfly nymphs could survive in still water as well as in air depending on temperature and relative humidity. For the first portion of my study, I exposed salmonfly nymphs in the laboratory to four temperatures (5, 12.5, 20, and 25 ℃) in still water. I then measured survival, feeding, and growth, as well as a behavior called ‘push-ups’ – a stereotypic respiratory movement that ventilates gills and increases oxygen supply rates. My study demonstrates that temperature has a significant effect on the rate of pushups performed and the survival of salmonfly nymphs. The results for feeding and growth were not significant. In the second part of my study, I exposed nymphs to dry conditions – representing extreme dewatering – at five temperatures (5, 12.5, 20, and 25 ℃) and two relative humidities (75% and 100%) and measured how long they survived. Temperature and humidity influenced survival; survival times declined at higher temperatures and were especially short in the lower humidity. Regardless no salmonfly survived outside of water longer than four days at either humidity. However, the most significant factor influencing salmonfly survival was the type of medium they were in, as most of the nymphs in still water were able to survive the duration of the two weeks, while all of the nymphs in air died.

Climate change is leading to an increase in mental health impacts of anxiety, grief, and depression on young people, with many feeling it affects their daily life and functioning. Because of the direct and existential threat that climate change poses to youth, it is essential that educators provide opportunities for students to be informed and empowered through tools to cope with mental health impacts as well as tools for action.Outdoor education can provide the space for educators to engage with climate change discussion. Outdoor education provides an empowering structure for students to engage with nature, develop problem-solving skills, and strengthen communities. Because of the structure provided by outdoor education, this research culminated in the development of a weeklong climate change curriculum for a backpacking trip on the Big Island of Hawai’i. This trip aimed to engage students with climate discussions while teaching outdoor skills. The trip included many opportunities for engaging in climate discussions, practicing outdoor education skills as well as spending a ton of time being immersed in nature. Educators can utilize outdoor education and experiences as a resource as they are the frontline of helping students become informed citizens as well as feel empowered and safe in the world.

Predators in Paradise: Ecotourism and Predator-Prey Dynamics

Drew Cremeans, Senior Undergraduate Thesis in Wildlife Biology

The use of camera trap surveys is increasingly common to investigate recurring daily activities of mammals. Investigation into the overlap of mammals’ daily activity patterns can provide unique insights into predator-prey dynamics. Understanding this relationship is essential for the effective management and conservation of both species. Extensive research across the tropics has found that daily activities of mammals were shaped by regulation of body temperature and trophic location in food webs. Although broad scale studies of daily patterns of mammals greatly expand our understanding of these constraints, many study sites included were remote protected areas under strict conservation measures. Such protected areas often had full complements of native species and little human activity. For example, most studies of this kind in the Neotropics include both pumas and jaguars. Thus, Neotropical predator-prey activity patterns may differ in areas of higher human activity, such as private land reserves where pumas are the apex predator. To test these questions, I used remote camera trapping data collected from Monteverde, Costa Rica. The data I used was collected from 16 remote cameras deployed over 819 camera trap nights. Cameras were placed on two private land reserves in the greater Monteverde area in 2021-2022. Both sites differed significantly in their amount of human activity in the form of hikers. I analyzed daily activity patterns and overlap using the R package ‘overlap’ to test whether overlap of predator-prey species differed in areas of high human activity compared to areas of lower human activity. During my study I captured a total of 21 pumas, 23 ocelots, 55 collared peccary, 258 white-nosed coatis, 674 Central American agoutis, and 1507 humans. In general, overlap between predators and prey increased by about 23% at the site with higher human activity. For example, pumas overlapped more with agouti (by 29%) and coati (by 23%) in the site with higher human use. These results support the mutual attraction hypothesis outlined by Van Scoyoc et al. (2023) that predicts human activity will increase predator-prey overlap. My results have potential implications for ecotourism management in Monteverde and other Neotropical locales.

The things that occupy our lives tell human stories. They often go beyond literal interpretation, leaving space for places, people, desires, dreams, and ideologies to be signified and examined. Personal history is the most well-traveled source of inspiration, and it provides significant, meaningful symbols for the concepts I’m engaging with in my newest collection. My project, titled “Kept Things”, is a collection of three nonfiction pieces examining why and how things are kept, lost, and discarded, whether we have a choice in the matter or not. The significance of symbolic items to identity and memory acts as a through-line between each piece. These personal essays engage with the loss of a family home, hard sibling relationships, and how religion, love, and trauma interact. Themes of spirituality, family, and loss have appeared repeatedly in my writing, and placing them in the material world through material object associations allows for a deeper understanding of why symbols mean what they do, and why it can be so hard to let go. Sections of these pieces will be presented at a public reading, and the connective tissue of other texts and experiences will enter into conversation with each work in brief introductions. The readings will be supplemented by referential photographs for visual aids.

In my decade as a musical theatre enthusiast, there have been many shows that have piqued my interest. However, there were two in particular that felt so completely different, but when I sat down to analyze them, I couldn’t understand why. Both of them are deeply disturbing and dark, but they are also really funny. They are both musicals about murder, both rely on physical humor. And yet one is about a giant man eating plant in 1960’s New York City, and the other is about a murderous barber in London in 1785.

The musicals I am referring to are Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim. Little Shop is widely regarded as a horrific comedy musical, whereas Sweeney Todd is known as a comedic horror musical. I’m curious how both these musicals got the reputation they did with the same basic formula. Through my research I hope to uncover the different techniques used to articulate horror and comedy in these two musicals and gain a more complete understanding of what techniques allow for dark material to be seen as comedic, and which techniques lead to a musical more grounded in the dark with funny moments throughout. Thank you so much for your time.

Invasive species negatively affect biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, and the economy, making invasive plant control a major emphasis of managing natural areas. Herbicides are a low-cost and effective method for invasive plant control but can adversely affect the germination of non-target native plants. However, the impact of herbicides on native seed is likely mitigated by soil characteristics, such as soil texture and the amount of litter. To date, these factors have not been included in assessments of the effects of herbicide on germination. In this experiment, I assessed the influence of soil texture and litter depths on rates of germination and biomass of the native plant species Gaillardia aristata (blanket flower) in soils sprayed with herbicide. Specifically, I set up a greenhouse experiment that includes treatment combinations of distinct soil textures (sandy or silt soils) and litter depths (no litter or 2 cm). The pots were treated with Milestone (active ingredient, aminopyralid), and then seeds were planted in the pots. Germination and biomass were measured after 5 weeks. (NO RESULTS YET). Findings will inform restoration practitioners how herbicide use may impact a non-target native plant depending on how soil characteristics vary in the field. By understanding how soil characteristics may mitigate the effects of herbicide on native plants, restoration practitioners can modify their invasive species management and native plant seeding techniques in landscapes where soil characteristics may vary.

This project seeks to evaluate the efficacy of Empower Montana’s youth programs. Empower Montana is a local social justice-oriented nonprofit that provides extracurricular programs for students K-12. They offer various after-school programs, including groups for students of color and queer youth, as well as summer camps emphasizing leadership skills. While Empower Montana consistently collects feedback from their participants, they have not been able to systematically analyze this feedback to identify program areas that need growth or improvement. To help them with this issue, I will examine survey responses from 470 youth participants from a variety of Empower Montana programs from 2017 to 2022. To supplement these data, I will observe several after-school sessions and include data from these observations in my analysis. The surveys provide information on participant demographics and measurements of their social-emotional learning, specifically their self-management abilities, academic self-efficacy, and social skills. My analysis will focus on several areas of interest to Empower Montana, namely differences in participant outcomes before, during, and after the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. This information will help Empower Montana better understand the diverse experiences of their youth participants who have lived through the pandemic. I will also examine differences in participant outcomes based on race and gender to evaluate if participants’ identities lead to different experiences in their programs. Following the findings, I will design a plan of action for Empower Montana to implement changes in areas that need growth. This project contributes to the practice of youth program evaluations and emphasizes how they can be most effective in making positive change.

Although wildfire is a natural process in fire-adapted forests, it poses growing socioeconomic and health threats. Urban development and expansion into the wildland-urban interface (WUI) has heightened wildfire exposure, putting tens of thousands of homes at risk in Montana alone. The Firewise USA program was created to reduce the risk of home ignition and loss in the WUI. The program encourages WUI homeowners to engage in mitigation efforts such as using Firewise landscaping strategies to create a defensible zone around their homes and using building materials that decrease overall ignition risk. Despite strong evidence that Firewise mitigation strategies are effective, there is a lack of knowledge about the best methods for educating homeowners about Firewise strategies and the factors preventing homeowner adoption of Firewise behaviors. We assessed homeowners’ interest in opportunities to learn about Firewise landscaping and their knowledge and usage of Firewise strategies through a social survey administered to neighborhood council leaders located in the WUI in Missoula, Montana. All defensible space activities had an average perception of being either moderately or extremely effective by respondents. The two most commonly done defensible space activities among respondents were cleaning roof surfaces or gutters at 79% and removing dead limbs, leaves, or other debris within 100 feet of the residence at 76% of total responses. The most preferred method of education was information distribution via email at 24% of total selections, followed by tours of the Firewise garden at the University of Montana (22%) and educational programs or videos (20%). Our findings can contribute to the development of Firewise education and awareness programs in Missoula County.

Education in video games is a rapidly evolving field that offers exciting possibilities for the future of learning. With the increasing popularity of video games, educators and developers are discovering innovative ways to use games as a tool for teaching and learning. The collaborative components of making an educational game crucially involve representation, learning objectives, and enjoyment. It is essential for individuals to see themselves represented in the media they consume, and video games are no exception. Diversity in character design, storylines, and themes can have a significant impact on players, especially those from underrepresented communities. It can promote a sense of inclusivity, increase empathy, and raise awareness of critical social issues. Learning objectives are essential to video games, as they help players understand what they need to accomplish and how to achieve it. A clear set of learning objectives can provide players with a sense of direction and purpose, making the game more engaging and rewarding. Last but certainly not least, another vital aspect of educational games to have is enjoyment! By incorporating elements of fun and play, educational video games can capture players' attention, create a sense of immersion, and encourage players to persist in their learning efforts.

Keeping these aspects of gaming in mind, I have created a little game whose goal is to be educational, inclusive, and enjoyable. The game title is Fallopian Eggscapade. The game has the players play as an ovarian egg. The goal of the game is to flow through the fallopian tubes, collect estrogen and avoid progestogen hormones and other reproductive events. You win by collecting enough estrogen and completing the menstrual cycle and having a period. The layout influences players to learn the functionality of the reproductive system. Players are informed and shown what hormones are involved and how they affect the body. In the current level design players must avoid “swimmers”, also known as sperm. The game plans to add more levels to educate about reproductive health which includes birth control and intercourse. The game strives to normalize the menstrual cycle and be inclusive of women's representation, in a fun and educational matter. Ultimately, the success of educational video games depends on striking a balance between learning objectives and fun gameplay, and game designers must continuously innovate to create engaging and enjoyable learning experiences.

Mining has left massive environmental and physical scars across the landscape. Aquatic and riparian landscapes in particular have been significantly impacted by traditional mining practices. Waste products left over from hard-rock mining leech heavy metals onto the landscape and these metals spread from headwater streams to major waterways (Lottermoser, 2010). Heavy metals have been shown to cause physiological stress and challenges to organisms depending on the metal and the concentration (Baos et al., 2019; Boyd & Rajakaruna, 2013). While some impacted areas have undergone restoration efforts, is it enough? Typical restoration methods replace the contaminated floodplain, but not the riverbed itself. This raises the concern that heavy metal contaminants from the riverbed are still transferring to riparian organisms through the interconnected food webs. In an effort to assess the restoration of these contaminated areas, we have collected blood samples from five riparian songbird species to measure heavy metal concentration and relative telomere length (the size of the ends of the chromosomes that protect against replication damage) across riparian sites with different levels of contamination and remediation. Riparian songbirds are an ideal species to assess the impacts of heavy metal contamination in riparian ecosystems because their diet of both aquatic and terrestrial insects puts them at significant risk of heavy metal contamination (Walters et al., 2008, Baxter et al., 2005) and they are considered indicators of ecosystem health. We are measuring telomere length because it reflects long-term physiological stress and is considered a biomarker for life span in avian species (Powolny et al., 2020; Wilbourn et al., 2018). Thus, telomeres will be informative of the integrated organismal impacts heavy metals have on songbirds. The results of this study will allow us to broadly infer the efficacy of current riparian ecosystem restoration of mining contaminated areas and have implications for the adaptive management of songbirds, a group in overall decline.

References:

Baos, R., Blas, J., Bortolotti, G. R., Marchant, T. A., & Hiraldo, F. (2006). Adrenocortical response to stress and thyroid hormone status in free-living nestling white storks (ciconia ciconia) exposed to heavy metal and arsenic contamination. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114(10), 1497–1501. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.9099

Baxter, C. V., Fausch, K. D., & Saunders, C. W. (2005). Tangled webs: Reciprocal flows of invertebrate prey link streams and riparian zones. Freshwater Biology, 50(2), 201–220. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2004.01328.x

Boyd, R. S., & Rajakaruna, N. (2013). Heavy Metal tolerance. Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199830060-0137

Lottermoser, B. G. (2010). Mine wastes characterization, treatment and environmental impacts. Springer.

Powolny, T., Bassin, N., Crini, N., Fourel, I., Morin, C., Pottinger, T. G., Massemin, S., Zahn, S., & Coeurdassier, M. (2020). Corticosterone mediates telomere length in raptor chicks exposed to chemical mixture. Science of The Total Environment, 706, 135083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135083

Walters, D. M., K. M. Fritz, and R. R. Otter. 2008. The Dark Side of Subsidies: Adult Stream Insects Export Organic Contaminants to Riparian Predators. Ecological Applications 18:1835–1841

Wilbourn, R. V., Moatt, J. P., Froy, H., Walling, C. A., Nussey, D. H., & Boonekamp, J. J. (2018). The relationship between telomere length and mortality risk in non-model vertebrate systems: A meta-analysis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1741), 20160447. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0447

The purpose of this creative scholarship is to examine human relationships to Earth and the implications for a thriving future. This thesis studies the current environmental state of our planet, then looks at sustainability as a model for improving human and planetary health, and ends by visualizing a thriving future beyond sustainability in which we adopt a “caretaker” mindset. The key to this trajectory is to untangle and dismantle colonial relationships with the planet and replace them with “caretaker” relationships - relationships rooted in love, honor, and reciprocity with the environment.

This thesis is a culmination of four years of coursework in environmental science, environmental studies, Indigenous Knowledge, and climate change. These courses included examples of how political divisions prevent climate action, colonial ideas stall progressive wilderness policy, and resource management decisions are made without sufficient community input. These issues have made me realize that mindset and cultural change are most urgently needed to solve or manage major environmental issues.

To carry out this project, I utilized Western and non-Western concepts. I drew upon lessons learned across many of my courses and read several books and texts to prepare myself for the writing of this thesis. These texts were mainly essays, informational texts, TED Talks, non-fiction texts, nature texts, and biographical texts.

This project communicates to the world how we live our relationship with the planet matters. Time and time again, the biggest obstacle to climate and environmental solutions is the lack of care for the planet. We need to reimagine our relationship with the planet everywhere and in every way.

Purpose: Cognates (i.e., words that share meanings and pronunciations in more than one language) are uniquely suited to provide insight into the bilingual mental lexicon due to their overlapping nature. Previous researchers have used a cognate/non-cognate distinction (Dijkstra & Van Heuven, 2002) or measurements of orthographic changes in words (Peeters et. al, 2013) to evaluate this overlap. By comparison, this study aimed to examine how phonological and syntactic differences between cognates impact language processing in bilinguals.

Methods: Researchers categorized cognates by level of phonological overlap as identified by listeners’ ratings of similarity. These categories were described as 1) true cognates with the closest syntax and phonology, 2) lemma cognates with the same syntax but different phonology, and 3) lexemic cognates with the same phonology but different syntax.

Researchers used this continuum to develop a language identification (LID) task to test speakers of both English and Spanish. The stimuli for the task are recorded cognates and prompts to identify the language of the word. Measurements of reaction times and accuracy will be used to analyze the difficulty of each task in association with the degree of similarity between the cognates. The participant’s dominant language and age of acquisition will also be analyzed, as these have been shown to impact language use in bilingual individuals (Hernandez & Li, 2007; Abutalebi & Green, 2007).

Results: Preliminary analysis showed a significant difference between cognates and noncognates and between the categories of true cognates and lemma cognates, suggesting that phonological overlap (but not syntactic overlap) affects speed of cognate processing in an LID task.

Significance: This research provides linguists a new model of phonological and syntactic differences as a continuum. This study contributes to the limited research base on bilingualism and could have clinical applications in treatment of bilingual individuals with speech-language disorders.

References:

Abutalebi, J. (2008). Neural aspects of second language representation and language control. Acta Psychologica, 128(3), 466-478.

Dijkstra, T., & Van Heuven, W. J. (2002). The architecture of the bilingual word recognition system: From identification to decision. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 5(3), 175-197.

Hernandez, A. E., & Li, P. (2007). Age of acquisition: Its neural and computational mechanisms. Psychological Bulletin, 133(4), 638-650.

Peeters, D., Dijkstra, T., & Grainger, J. (2013). The representation and processing of identical cognates by late bilinguals: RT and ERP effects. Journal of Memory and Language, 68(4), 315-332.

Learning, identity, frame, emphasis. Self-saturated is a compilation of one woman’s life so far. In this collection of personal written works, I desaturate, wring out life and explore the drops left clinging in the wake of the initial flow. Vulnerable and open to scrutiny, these works are those drops, and how I’ve found myself able to articulate them. By no means an exhaustive or comprehensive look at my life, each reader will create an alternate version of me, the one they build with my words and from within their own life’s narrative.

Climate change denialism and science misinformation are two major barriers to greater national success in establishing sustainable policy and promoting sustainable individual choices. Effective science education and student connection with nature have been shown to have a positive impact on climate literacy and awareness. Despite this, there is a shortage of approaches to teaching climate change and few resources for teachers. Through a literature review I share research into current barriers to climate change education and strategies for effective climate education. Along with this, I present a sample curriculum for the Montana Natural History Center that connect their newest exhibit, Montana’s Ancient Past, to the present and future of climate on earth. Paired with these lesson plans is a guide to supporting information for educators. Through this review and sample curriculum I hope to demonstrate the importance of rigorous climate education and provide educators with a framework for integrating climate literacy into their curriculum for grade school student groups.