Transfusion Plot: Reading the American Novel

This thesis proposes a new critical framework for reading American literature: the Transfusion Plot, a structural and symbolic model through which narrative progression depends on reciprocal exchanges among body, land, and memory. Drawing on metaphor and materiality, the Transfusion Plot suggests that stories in the American novel emerge—successfully or not—through acts of offering: labor, lineage, emotion, and sacrifice given to soil or withheld from it. The dual meaning of “plot” as both narrative arc and physical land is central to this reading, allowing for deeper insight into how novels negotiate rootedness, inheritance, and rupture. The project centers on a close reading of Willa Cather’s My Ántonia, where the success or failure of plot depends on the characters’ ability to labor meaningfully on and with the land. The Shimerdas arrive without preparation or offering, and the prairie remains closed to them. In contrast, Ántonia’s physical labor becomes the novel’s central transfusion—her bodily commitment to soil generates memory, family, and narrative continuity. Her sweat, persistence, and eventual rootedness form a living arc in which plot, in both senses, is allowed to grow. Ultimately, the Transfusion Plot offers a vocabulary for reading the American novel through its circulatory systems—where blood, sweat, soil, and story intersect. It repositions land not as backdrop but as participant in the plot’s formation and resolution, inviting new readings of literary inheritance and identity

‘Thank God It Was Me’: Antecedents and Consequences of Identity Integration for LGBTQ+ Christians

Identity conflict is a common struggle that many LGBTQ+ Christians contend with due to many Christian denominations promoting anti-LGBTQ+ hate and harm. This harm causes many LGBTQ+ Christians to leave the faith, giving up one of their social identities and losing the psychological benefits of religion, namely increased life satisfaction and meaning in life. Previous literature has found identity integration to be a solution to identity conflict, but it is still unknown what antecedents allow LGBTQ+ Christians to achieve identity integration. Gender differences, three self-identification age milestones, having LGBTQ+ Christian role models, and perceived congregation support. Four-hundred five LGBTQ+ Christians (Mage = 33.12 years, SD = 12.10) were recruited through Prolific and Western Washington University Human Subjects Pool. The majority of the sample reported being bisexual. Older age of self-realization, having LGBTQ+ Christian role models, and higher perceived congregation support all significantly increased identity integration. Identity integration also partially mediated the relationship between role models and perceived congregation support and subjective well-being outcomes. Results highlight the importance of finding LGBTQ+ Christian role models and supportive churches. Future research should strive to include the experiences of transgender and nonbinary Christians, along with LGBTQ+ Christians of color

A Life Cycle Analysis of District Heating Options for Western Washington University

This study examined two replacement options for the district heating system at Western Washington University based on CO2e emissions savings and system feasibility. Life cycle assessment was used to compare a nodal air source heat pump system with supplemental geo-exchange and a nodal air source heat pump system with water preheated from waste heat sources. The systems were also compared at their designed water temperature of 120, and at a temperature of 180, with natural gas used to boost the water temperature. This work adds to the body of knowledge for universities seeking to replace aging steam-based heating system. It provides results about the feasibility of incrementally upgrading heating systems and using geothermal and waste heat sources at a university scale. The EcoInvent 3.11 systems library, the Recipe Endpoint (H/A), and IPCC 2021 GTP 100 V1.03 methods were used for the LCA. I found that in both the geothermal and waste heat cases, the high temperature scenarios resulted in high emissions of 554kton CO2e and 377kton CO2e, respectively, over the 50-year project lifetime. The Business-As-Usual case, which assumes WWU continues to use the natural-gas-powered steam plant, produced 468kton CO2e over 50 years. For low-temperature scenarios, the geothermal system produced 240kton CO2e over the project lifetime, and the waste heat system produced 120kton CO2e. The emissions for the construction of all scenarios were under 14kton CO2e. These results show that the high-temperature scenarios are not appropriate options due to their high emissions of 118% of the BAU emissions for the geothermal scenario, and 82% of the BAU emissions for the Port scenario. The results also show the Port low-temperature scenario has the lowest emissions of all use scenarios, 120kton CO2e, and is therefore the recommended option for WWU

Team Building Grounded in Experiential Learning Theory, Relatedness, Cohesion, and Passing Performance in a Newly Formed Group of Intermediate Soccer Players

The basic psychological need of relatedness (i.e., a sense of belonging; Deci & Ryan, 2002) has had positive relationships with performance outcomes (Gillet et al., 2009; Raabe & Zakrajsek, 2017) and perceived performance (Lourenço et al., 2022), yet the effects of relatedness on objective team performance is limited (Campbell, 2018). Although, a close relationship between relatedness and the widely studied topic of social cohesion has been found (Erikstad et al., 2018; Nascimento Júnior et al., 2019). Team-building interventions have successfully increased team cohesion on intercollegiate sport teams (e.g., Stevens & Bloom, 2003), yet there are limited team building interventions that are based on theory such as experiential learning (Kolb, 1984). Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of a team-building activity with theoretically grounded processing on relatedness and cohesion. Participants were nine adult male soccer players (Mage = 19.78) who engaged in a passing drill in a pretest/posttest design as part of a newly formed group. The intervention was a 20-minute, team-building activity with experiential learning model guided processing (Kolb, 1984) that targeted the basic psychological need of relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2002). At posttest, participants had increased perceived cohesion (p = .006, d = 1.22) and relatedness satisfaction (p = .007, d = 1.19), and decreased relatedness frustration (p = \u3c .001, d = 1.79). Furthermore, there was a strong correlation between relatedness satisfaction and perceived cohesion at pretest (r = .75) and at posttest (r = .71), and a medium correlation between relatedness frustration and perceived cohesion at both pretest (r = -.63) and posttest (r = -.62). Lastly, an exploratory, non-inferential statistics analysis indicated that objective performance on a soccer passing drill may have decreased after the intervention and the majority of participants (55.55%) perceived a subjective increase in their performance. The results of the study indicate that a team building activity with guided experiential learning processing may cause positive changes in relatedness and cohesion in male soccer players, but further research is needed on effects on performance

Otolith-based Determination of Rainbow Trout Life Histories in the Skagit River Basin

In 2007, the population of Rainbow Trout/Steelhead native to the Skagit River Basin was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Since then, research has been conducted to assess population dynamics and migration history using trace elements in otoliths––the “ear stones” found in the inner ear of fish. Otoliths are mostly made up of calcium carbonate and are used for hearing and balance. They grow in proportion to the growth of the fish and incorporate elements from the ambient water and diet. Microchemical analyses were utilized to identify early life history stages, such as hatch and button-up of Rainbow Trout in the Skagit River basin. Juvenile Rainbow Trout were collected from five tributaries of the Skagit River and from the Marblemount State Fish Hatchery. Otoliths were extracted, mounted to glass coverslips, and polished. Elemental analysis was conducted using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), where 23 isotopes of 22 elements were analyzed. Daily ring counts reflected differences in age at hatch and button-up between wild and hatchery fish. Additionally, nearly all wild fish showed an increase of 88Sr in the otolith core, indicating maternal anadromy. Results identify a means to potentially distinguish hatchery v wild origin, maternal anadromy, and point to fundamental early life history differences that may be reflected in later life stages. Ultimately, these results contribute to a deeper understanding of early development in Skagit River Rainbow Trout and emphasize the utility of otolith chemistry in informing management and conservation efforts

Pillars of Sustainability: Connecting People, Business, and the Environment

This is a visual art project that uses paintings to explore the relationships between business, human, and environmental sustainability—three deeply interconnected concepts that shape our daily lives and experiences. Through ten paintings, the project investigates how we view and value each of these three dimensions of sustainability and how these perspectives shift as these ideas are put in conversation with each other. A color palette is assigned to each theme, and as the series progresses, the palettes become increasingly intertwined, visually expressing the growing connections of the themes. The final, tenth painting brings all three ideas together, symbolizing their connection. Alongside the visual work, the project reflects on my evolving understanding and perspectives of sustainability, from personal experiences from childhood through Running Start and into college at Western Washington University. This project aims to spark conversations and deeper thinking about how sustainability is perceived, practiced, and represented through art

Functional Analysis of ROCK1 and ROCK2 in Vascular Development Using Zebrafish

Dysregulated Rho-Associated Kinase 1 and 2 (ROCK1/2) protein activity has been implicated in the development of cranial vascular malformations, leading to severe hemorrhage and stroke in human patients. However, the individual roles of ROCK1 versus ROCK2 in regulating blood vessel development have yet to be comprehensively characterized. We use zebrafish as a model organism to determine if and how Rock1 and Rock2 regulate vascular development and integrity. To determine if Rock1 and/or Rock2 are required for blood vessel integrity or patterning, we use CRISPR/Cas9 to mutate rock1 and rock2 protein-encoding genes individually or in combination in transgenic zebrafish embryos with fluorescently labelled blood vessels and imaging these embryos using florescence confocal microscopy. Additionally, to determine whether mutating the rock1 gene leads to transcriptional compensation by rock2 and/or vice versa, we use quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to measure relative rock1 and rock2 mRNA expression levels in CRISPR/Cas9-injected zebrafish embryos. We find potential distinct roles of rock1 and rock2a/2b in trunk vascular development and cranial vascular development respectively. Further, we uncover evidence for the occurrence of genetic compensation by rock1 following the mutagenesis of rock2a/2b in combination

The Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence in Content Creation

This paper examines the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in content creation and evaluates its future involvement in varying forms of internet media. This paper utilizes case studies of multiple different AI projects, beginning with pioneering projects such as Nothing, Forever and moving to more modern examples, namely Neuro-sama to understand the dynamics behind their successes and failures. Furthermore, it also evaluates the feasibility of hyper-personalized media content. The research reveals that early AI generated media relied heavily on novelty and absurdity in order to garner short-term attention, without any way to create lasting entertainment value. Contemporary examples found longevity by combining AI generated content with human creativity. This paper argues that audiences value human authenticity in the media that they consume, therefore media containing AI generation must also include human originality in order to be successful and that the feasibility of the hyper-personalization of media depends much on the timeline of advancement for large language models

Stop and Smell the Lilies: A visual exploration of Pacific Northwest native lilies through acrylic paint

A compilation of 1 drawing and 9 acrylic paintings that show the variety of native lilies in the Pacific Northwest and the complexities of flower parts under a microscope. A single pen drawing introduces the subject and each subsequent painting shows my improvement using acrylic paints. I wanted to grow my art skills and color theory while demonstrating the beauty I have witnessed while studying botany. The time it took to complete each piece ranged from around 3 to 6 hours

Dancing Through Life: Practicing Creative Movement with Seniors

The intention of this research was to explore the range of benefits that practicing creative movement on a regular basis can have for the senior population. It is widely recognized that regular participation in both creativity and movement-based activities can drastically improve quality of life on behalf of senior citizens due to their contribution to improved functioning of the mind and body. Perception of music has also been found to greatly improve the cognitive functioning of an aging brain. Due to the consensus that activities fostering engagement with music, movement, and/or creativity have a net positive effect on aging minds and bodies, I hypothesized that upon completing this six-week creative movement series for seniors at Solstice Senior Living, participants would report a general improvement in quality of life. Each of the six weekly classes began with a warm-up inspired by the developmental movement patterns outlined by Irmgard Bartenieff’s movement fundamentals, followed by a social game based in movement improvisation, and closed with guided breathwork and meditation. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire during both the first and last class of the series addressing their expectations for and experience with the class. Though many participants were unable to complete the entire six-week series, those who were able reported both fulfillment of their initial movement-based goals and expectations, and an overall improvement in quality of life, supporting my initial hypothesis. Upon finding that regular creative movement classes greatly benefit residents and Solstice Senior Living, I have decided to continue teaching weekly classes indefinitely in hopes of improving the quality of life of assisted living residents