2024 Winners
1st Place & People's Choice
Abbey Rode
“Listen Carefully: Disrupting Adultification during the Sentencing Process”
ABSTRACT:
Black children are often viewed as older and more responsible than their White counterparts (Epstein et al., 2017). The effect of adultification can be seen in many different domains of life, but especially within the criminal justice system. Studies show that Black boys are sentenced to longer terms than White boys of the same age (Goff et al., 2014). Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model, I hypothesize higher level processing may disrupt the adultification process, using language that is stereotype in-congruent may increase elaboration and decrease adultification.
Abbey is a master’s student in Psychology studying under Traci Craig.
2nd Place
Alexandra Pace
“Calves are Inflamed: A Burning Issue”
ABSTRACT:
Climate change is increasing wildfires, which release air pollutants like PM2.5. Exposure to wildfire-PM2.5 lowers milk production in dairy cows, affects calf health and metabolism, causes systemic inflammation, and can lead to death. Although systemic responses to wildfire-PM2.5 have been evaluated, the local response within the lung has yet to be described. To assess this, neonatal dairy calves were followed for the first 90-days of life, which aligned with Idaho’s wildfire season. Samples were collected before, during, and after naturally occurring wildfires. Lung inflammation was visualized using ultrasound. Immune cells were harvested from the blood and lung to assess cellular responses. Wildfire-PM2.5 increased lung inflammation for several days and altered immune cell populations within the lung and blood, indicating cell mobilization to combat inhaled PM2.5. As severe wildfires are expected to persist, mitigating wildfire-PM2.5 health deficits in dairy cattle will assist dairy producers in feeding a growing world population.
Alexandra is a PhD student in Animal Physiology under Amy Skibiel.
3rd Place
Yoram Terleth
“The Role of Water in Driving Unstable Ice-flow”
ABSTRACT:
The rate of ice loss from the world’s glaciers is an important driver of ongoing sea level rise. This rate of ice loss depends in large part on how fast glaciers flow downhill, as this transfers ice to lower elevations where it is more vulnerable to melt and iceberg calving. Meanwhile, the factors governing the rate at which glaciers flow downhill remain poorly understood. My thesis centers on assessing the role of liquid water at the base of glaciers in driving ice accelerations. We track water flow below the ice with seismic observations made on S´ıt’ Kus´a, Alaska. S´ıt’ Kus´a is a glacier that undergoes periodic 20-fold increases in ice-flow speed, making it an ideal natural laboratory for understanding unstable ice-flow. We find that water below the ice can contribute to speedups even without disruptions in sub-glacial drainage, suggesting unstable ice-flow could be more prevalent than previously thought.
Yoram is a Geology PhD student under the guidance of Tim Bartholomaus.
4th Qualifier
Hala Zahalqa
“Enhancing Sustainability and Resilience in Refugee Camp Planning through Circular City Principles”
ABSTRACT:
UNHCR reports a continuous increase in the numbers of refugees. The refugee population reached 32.5 million as of mid-2022. Palestinian refugees are more than 1.5 million individuals living in 58 recognized Palestine refugee camps. Their camps have lasted for more than 75 years now with the fifth generation to be born into exile. Although camps are intended to be temporary habitats for refugees, the history of current camps teaches us otherwise. This thesis focuses on addressing the persistent challenges faced by refugees in camps. These challenges encompass unsustainable camp design, excessive reliance on aid, and limited economic opportunities. By examining the application of circular city planning principles, the research aims to achieve long-term sustainability, resilience, and the economic enrichment of refugee camps. What circular city planning will look like in the context of refugee camps? And what are the measurable indicators of such planning in terms of protracted refugee camps?
Hala is an MS in Integrated Architecture & Design student with Professor Bruce Haglund.
