Are Division III Sports Worth It?

My project is a long-form written piece on Division III athletics, and if the time, money, and effort put into it are worth it. As a Division III athlete myself, I have experienced just about every high and low there is to college athletics. With a lack of an athletic scholarship, the argument could be made that more work is required in Division III collegiate sports. I will be interviewing coaches, athletes, and ex-athletes here at Linfield, and asking about a variety of things: How they started their sport, why they decided to continue in college, how their sport has negatively/positively affected their mental and physical health, how their class workload and athletic workload evens out, if they feel the effort they put in is similar to what they get out, and some other additional questions. In this project, I will explore more on the workload D-III athletes have mentally, physically, socially, and academically. I think it is crucial that this topic is discussed more, considering almost half of our student population here at Linfield University is an athlete, including myself

Having a Blast: A Green Day Podcast

This project is a series of seven podcasts covering the music of the band Green Day. These podcasts consist of an account of the history of the band and its members as well as reviews of each of their 14 albums. Most episodes cover 2 albums and have a run time of around 25-30 minutes. One main goal of this podcast series is to inform those who are interested about one of the biggest American rock bands of the last 30 years. Another main goal of this podcast is for me to express my opinions on the band’s music. Green Day is a band that has been around for nearly four decades and over that time they have made their mark on music history. This podcast hopes to highlight what it is about their music that has endured for so long

Get Reading

Get Reading, taken by Mariah Johnston on the Linfield University January Term Program in Osaka, Japan. 3rd place, Peoplee division, in the 2025 Linfield University Study Abroad Photo Contest.https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/intl_photos2025/1014/thumbnail.jp

The Effects of BiPAP Masks while in Acute Care Settings, Drawbacks and Alternate Mask Options

There are a variety of clinical masks used in hospital environments for respiratory treatments. One treatment used for acute care patients experiencing symptoms, due to chronic respiratory health issues such as COPD or sleep apnea, is referred to as a Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) machine. The Cleveland Clinic defines this machine in simple terms as “…a type of noninvasive ventilation that helps you breathe. Providers can use it to treat you if you’re not getting enough oxygen or can’t get rid of carbon dioxide “(The Cleveland Clinic, 2023, BiPAP). To break it down further, bilevel in this case means one pressure is for high pressure (when you’re inhaling oxygen) and low pressure (for when you are exhaling carbon dioxide). One drawback to this system is that patients wear ill-fitting masks that cover their nose, mouth, and surrounding parts and they may develop pressure injuries over a short period of time (Hamilton Medical, n.d., When and where do pressure injuries occur?). This paper will briefly investigate the drawbacks and effects of BiPAP masks for acute care settings and explore optional masks to provide more consistent, comfortable patient care

Egypt\u27s Mental Health Care System

Mental health disorders are a growing problem worldwide. While Western countries are more open to discussing mental health issues, this isn’t the case in Arab and African countries. In Egypt, talking about mental health is considered taboo, leading to a large number of individuals seeking treatment from traditional healers (Okasha et al., 2020). There are numerous reasons why Egyptians tend to seek traditional care, a large factor being the presence of traditional healers in local communities, fostering a sense of community acceptance (Assad et al., 2015). A recent study found that although seeking care from traditional healers can sometimes result in a delay of obtaining necessary psychiatric interventions, having the option of seeing a traditional healer provides individuals in Egypt with care they can seek without cultural stigmatization, leading to more individuals seeking some kind of care rather than none at all (Shelali, et, al., 2023). This paper aims to provide a comprehensive view on the impacts of traditional healers on mental health outcomes in Egypt

Quantifying Fungal Abundances In Vineyard Soils

Biodynamic farming is essential to the quality of the food being grown and sustainability of the land. It promotes a self-sustaining environment and increases soil fertility, especially since it considers the aspects of the land that are already optimal for growth. However, crops may be more susceptible to pathogens. A potential solution to fungal pathogens is to increase the concentration of beneficial fungi in the soil, with the goal of outcompeting the pathogens. To assess whether specific farming practices increased fungal loads in the soil, we took two samples from each of six rows in a vineyard in Sherwood, OR. DNA was extracted from these samples and then run through a novel qPCR assay that quantifies fungal abundance. Results suggested that fungal abundance was successfully able to detect and quantify fungal DNA in soil samples. We would anticipate higher fungal loads in the fall, when soil moisture is higher. Fall ‘24 samples are significantly higher than the Summer ‘24 samples, in support of this hypothesis

Evaluating Plasma Etching for Graphene Fabrication: Etch Rate Control and Flake Characterization

Graphene, a two-dimensional material composed of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has attracted significant attention due to its exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Mechanical exfoliation is one of the most reliable methods for producing high-quality graphene flakes. However, its lack of scalability limits its application in industrial contexts. This thesis explores plasma etching as an alternative approach for controllable and scalable graphene production, by etching thicker graphite flakes into single-layer graphene

Exploring the Impact of Residential Proximity to Blue Spaces on the Occurence of Diabetes

There is a commonly held belief among surfers in the healing properties of the ocean. Many report that simply visiting a beach has a positive effect on them, whether it is spiritually, mentally, or physically. According to Sandifer et al. (2021) “evidence suggests that living close to ‘blue spaces’ (water features), particularly coastlines, has salutary effects on human health” (p. 1), highlighting a potential benefit to coastal living. For some countries across Europe and Australia, research suggests that living by the coast in Europe and Australia is associated with better health (Geiger et al., 2023). Can similar health benefits of living close to blue spaces be observed in other parts of the world? Due to a family history of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and personal prediabetes, this paper investigates how much of an impact living close to blue spaces has on the occurrence of diabetes

An Investigation Into the Van Der Pauw and 4-Probe Methods to Measure Resistivity

This work compares the accuracy and applicability of the four-probe voltage measurements versus the Van der Pauw (VDP) methods for measuring the resistivity of thin-film metallic devices. Gold films with varying geometries were fabricated through photolithography and electron beam evaporation. Both resistance measurement techniques were applied to each design, and resistivity was calculated and compared across a range of lead widths and wire dimensions. This work provides a framework for selecting appropriate resistivity measurement techniques in microfabricated devices and establishes working limits for applying the VDP method

Running the Numbers: Economic Impact and Demand Drivers of U.S. Marathon Events

Marathon races have a significant impact on local economies. They can give the host city a big economic boost, directly impacting employment and tourism. For example, the 2022 Chicago Marathon generated $386 million for the city of Chicago, almost 3,000 jobs were created, and tourism sent$163 million into the local economy. Because of the importance of a marathon to a local economy, it is important that races optimize demand. This analysis uses a cross-sectional demand model with 31 observations to identify the factors determining a marathon event\u27s impact across the United States. The effect of a marathon event depends on the number of participants, which is a measure of demand. Results suggest that the average price of entry fee, quarter of the year, and number of Instagram followers have a positive and statistically significant effect on the number of marathon participants. The inclusion of a 10k race and the number of Facebook followers have a negative correlation with the number of marathon participants