DNA barcoding and metabarcoding reveal labeling accuracy and species substitution in squid and surimi from Los Angeles markets

Accurate species identification of seafood remains a persistent challenge in local and global marketplaces. This is particularly true for processed products that obscure diagnostic features. Here, we conduct a dual-molecular investigation into frozen squid and imitation crab products sold at American, Asian, and Hispanic grocery stores in Los Angeles, California, to assess label integrity under current U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) guidance. Forty-eight squid samples from 13 retailers underwent DNA barcoding and yielded high percentage matches to 10 species across six genera. Despite broad labeling as ‘squid’, all samples matched FDA Acceptable Market Names with a 0 % mislabeling rate. In contrast, DNA metabarcoding of 43 imitation crab products revealed an average of six detected species per sample, with only 72 % of samples containing at least one package listed seafood ingredient. Gadus chalcogrammus (Alaska pollock) and Doryteuthis gahi (Patagonian squid) were the most frequently detected species, with the former often included as a listed ingredient and the latter never listed. 95 % of imitation crab products contained at least one undeclared species, including detection of endangered shark species and squid species prone to illegal fishing. Our results illustrate a high labeling fidelity for single species packaged squid, yet a discrepancy between legal labeling allowances and actual product composition for blended species surimi. Based on our findings, we encourage refining and the addition of routine DNA-based surveillance of blended seafood products to improve labeling credibility, consumer confidence, and supply chain integrity

A New Beginning

The purpose of my reflection is to demonstrate to other individuals, especially first-generation students, my experience with the college process, along with the obstacles I faced, the doubts, and everything that comes along with being the first person in your family to attend a higher education institution in the United States. In my reflection, I describe the process that I experienced, from the very beginning of high school to the start of my college journey. To finalize my reflection, I leave the reader with three important tips I have learned along the journey: being resilient, not being afraid of new experiences, and finally, trusting yourself. My reflection includes a picture of one of the first trips that we did during our retreat as a cohort, and a recognition paragraph, where I recognize those individuals who have helped me during my journey

Latina Triunfadoras: Testimonios and Consejos of Latina Superintendents in California

The current dissertation examined the leadership of six Latina leaders in the executive role of the superintendency, presenting valuable testimonios (M. A. Martinez et al., 2017) that detail the early educational and familial experiences shaping the Latina superintendents’ journeys to the superintendency. The qualitative study used the community cultural wealth framework (Yosso, 2005) and a feminista perspective grounded in Chicana/Latina feminist epistemology (Delgado Bernal, 1998) and Latina leadership (Bordas, 2013, 2023) to explore the leadership principles employed by the six superintendents. The study revealed three significant findings. First, Latina superintendents’ parents instilled a work ethic of perseverance, hard work, and commitment that shaped their leadership and who the Latina superintendents were as leaders. Second, the Latina superintendents described their leadership around a strong sense of cultural identity, purpose, and commitment to others. Finally, their life experiences enabled them to understand and work to address the needs of the most marginalized students in their districts, particularly Latina/o students. The distinctive voices of the Latina superintendents came to the forefront through their valuable testimonios that revealed their parents served as important role models, instilling in them leadership traits of hard work, perseverance, and commitment to others. The findings indicated the leadership traits significantly influenced their leadership, success, and ascension to the superintendency. The Latina superintendents demonstrated a strong sense of cultural identity and led with a clear purpose, emphasizing equity and educational success for marginalized students, particularly Latina/o students, in their districts. Their lived experiences, along with their family, culture, and language, provided them with valuable insights to understand and address the inequalities and challenges faced by Latina/o students in their education and life, which underscored their deep commitment to ensuring equitable education for Latina/o students. Additionally, the current study’s findings serve as counter narratives to historically oppressive views and stereotypes that have limited Latina access to the executive seat of the superintendency and the significant impact Latina leaders have on marginalized students, communities, and families

The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want

Dr. Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR). A sociologist by training, her work centers on the data used in new computational technologies, and the ways in which these data exacerbate racial, gender, and class inequality. She also works in the area of social movements, focusing on the dynamics of anti-racist campus protest in the US and Canada. She holds a BS in Computer Science and Mathematics and a BA in Sociology from Purdue University, and an MS and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Is artificial intelligence going to take over the world? Have big tech scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to put authors, artists, and others out of business? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything?The answer to these questions, we respond: is “no,” “they wish,” “LOL,” and “definitely not.” This kind of thinking is a symptom of a phenomenon known as “AI hype.” Hype looks and smells fishy: It twists words and helps the rich get richer by justifying data theft, motivating surveillance capitalism, and devaluing human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. In this talk, I discuss our book The AI Con, (coauthored with Dr. Emily M. Bender), which offers a sharp, witty, and wide-ranging take-down of AI hype across its many forms. We show you how to spot AI hype, how to deconstruct it, and how to expose the power grabs it aims to hide. Armed with these tools, you will be prepared to push back against AI hype at work, as a consumer in the marketplace, as a skeptical newsreader, and as a citizen holding policymakers to account. Together, we expose AI hype for what it is: a mask for Big Tech’s drive for profit, with little concern for who it affects. This session is moderated by Courtney Block and Frans Albarillo.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/irdl-speakerseries-2025/1000/thumbnail.jp

Networking From Afar: Making Meaningful Connections as a Remote LIS Student

The rise of online Library and Information Science (LIS) programs has made library school more accessible, particularly for working professionals and those balancing multiple responsibilities. However, remote attendance presents challenges in forming meaningful connections. Networking is a vital skill in the LIS field, and for LIS students of color, building a supportive community is especially important. So, how can remote students foster connections and grow their professional networks? This session will offer practical strategies for remote LIS students to build and maintain a strong community. The presenter will share personal experiences, highlighting approaches that have been effective in forming professional relationships, engaging with the LIS field, and finding mentorship. Attendees will leave with actionable tips on maximizing their limited networking time, leveraging digital spaces, and creating meaningful connections that extend beyond the virtual classroom. Whether you\u27re new to the field or looking to expand your professional network, this session will provide suggestions to help you navigate the LIS community with confidence—no matter where you are. Outcomes Recognize the importance of networking and community-building in the LIS field. Gain practical strategies to maximize networking efforts, even with limited time. Feel empowered to engage with the LIS community and build meaningful professional connections

Balancing Employee Voice, Coaching, and Termination: An Ignatian Lens on Managing with Respect and Dignity

In attending a Jesuit university as a Management and Leadership major, I have wondered: How do Ignatian principles, such as maintaining respect and dignity for others, intersect with managerial roles in the real world? This led to my research questions 1) Where do employee voice and coaching intersect with Ignatian management and leadership principles? 2) Would managers’ use of Ignatian principles within a performance improvement process either prevent the need to terminate an employee or at least create a termination process that helps employees to experience a sense of respect and dignity? 3) Are managers who received a Jesuit education more likely to terminate employees with respect and dignity than those who have not? I began with a literature review, developed these research questions and an interview script, and then interviewed five managers. I focused on the limited management literature that analyzes Ignatian values and principles within management and leadership. I identified overlaps with the employee voice literature. Thus suggesting that when managers provide coaching, performance management, and consider alternatives such as reassignment before reaching the decision to terminate, an employee can experience more positive outcomes related to their well-being and fair treatment. Additionally, manager interviews suggested that their exposure to Ignatian values has, to some extent, informed their management values and priorities. These findings provide current and future managers with an insight on how to incorporate Ignatian principles into their termination process in order to help employees leave the organization knowing their respect and dignity were prioritized

Immediate Sites for Change: Transforming Librarian Burnout into Hope and Finding Liberation

As a tenure-track librarian specializing in user experience, I have faced significant barriers contributing to burnout and mental health challenges. Placing hope in library-wide or systemic level changes often left me feeling powerless and hopeless. However, exploring and focusing my attention to the “immediate sites” where I do have agency (the spaces, relationships, and practices within reach) opened pathways to possibility and hope. In this presentation, I will share how identifying and working within these immediate sites and pairing them with radical imagination, creative practice, joy, curiosity, and the support of collaborative allies allowed me to begin reclaiming a sense of autonomy, agency, and liberation. Through these strategies, I’m discovering meaningful and small intentional shifts are helping me get closer to creating the change I and others want to see. Together, we’ll reimagine what it means to move through barriers and reshape our relationship to our work and each other in immediate sites in the library. As part of this presentation, a printable zine version with resources and space to reflect and create will be included. Outcomes Attendees will be invited to engage with reflective questions designed to help them identify their own immediate sites for change and envision actions that align with their values and goals. Attendees will be invited to explore their own immediate sites for change, reflect on the conditions they need to thrive, and consider how joy, creativity, and solidarity might support new ways of working. Attendees will co-create practical tools and renewed inspiration to effect change within their library spheres of influence