Dating, dining, and ducks: Monitoring the recovery of campus lakes after dredging

Dr. Emily Kane, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology ($30,000.00) Monitored pond recovery after recent dredging by involving students to survey these ponds each month for 1 year. Results were shared in hopes of promoting an understanding of campus biodiversity, the ecology of these ponds, and the importance of sustainable activities

Prototype laser-diode-pumped solid state laser transmitters

Monolithic, diode-pumped Nd:YAG ring lasers can provide diffraction-limited, single-frequency, narrow-linewidth, tunable output which is adequate for use as a local oscillator in a coherent communication system. A laser was built which had a linewidth of about 2 kHz, a power of 5 milliwatts, and which was tunable over a range of 30 MHz in a few microseconds. This laser was phase-locked to a second, similar laser. This demonstrates that the powerful technique of heterodyne detection is possible with a diode-pumped laser used as the local oscillator. Laser diode pumping of monolithic Nd:YAG rings can lead to output powers of hundreds of milliwatts from a single laser. A laser was built with a single-mode output of 310 mW. Several lasers can be chained together to sum their power, while maintaining diffraction-limited, single frequency operation. This technique was demonstrated with two lasers, with a total output of 340 mW, and is expected to be practical for up to about ten lasers. Thus with lasers of 310 mW, output of up to 3 W is possible. The chaining technique, if properly engineered, results in redundancy. The technique of resonant external modulation and doubling is designed to efficiently convert the continuous wave, infrared output of our lasers into low duty-cycle pulsed green output. This technique was verified through both computer modeling and experimentation. Further work would be necessary to develop a deliverable system using this technique

Bringing the Marginalized into Conversations about American Raciality

In this collection of analyses that explore the multi-faceted Asian American identity, we hoped to speak honestly about the Asian American condition. The Asian American condition is one of constantly being without a seat at the table of the American racial consciousness. This zine delves into Asian American identity through the lenses of history, psychology, and lived experience. The historical perspective of Asian American identity has been explored at the hands of the “benevolent” West. History is written by the victors. For Asian Americans, the victor has always been the United States meaning that the interpretation of their identity has been sculpted by those who single handedly erased it. In many accounts of history, Asian countries have served as a tool to either unite a country or was a manifestation of the inherent Western desire to paternalize. Countries have been invaded, colonized, or reduced to a device used to expand a country’s influence and power. The citizens of these countries are left to determine their fate. To either stay in their native country and rebuild or flee to America under the false pretense that the American Dream is the answer to their plight -- only to realize for racial minorities, it is unattainable.https://digital.sandiego.edu/ethn-zines/1009/thumbnail.jp

“To Wipe Out The Past”: Generational Trauma In Song Of Solomon And Housekeeping

In this project, I explore how generational trauma affects families as a whole, as well as the individual members. In order to accomplish this goal, I compare Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon (1977) and Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping (1980), two novels about traumas that pass through three generations by means of parenting and naming. These generational traumas culminate in third-generation protagonists who, in turn, have complicated relationships with their families and discordance between what is expected of them and what they want for themselves. Both novels explore the ways that storytelling works as a form of bearing witness, and the repercussions that the failure to bear witness to one’s trauma may have. Ultimately, I explore the process that the protagonists -- Milkman in Song of Solomon and Ruthie in Housekeeping -- go through to finally bear witness and begin the process of releasing themselves from their traumas. I focus on three main issues throughout the course of this thesis: how the families perpetuate these traumas, how various characters use transience and homelessness as a form of coping, and the effects of both the literal and metaphorical hauntings in order to show the similarities between the families across novels

Dating, dining, and ducks: Continued recovery of campus lakes after dredging

Proposed by Hannah Cohen, GS Student, and Drs. Emily Kane and Christian Cox , Department of Biology. ($19,000.00

Behavioral Performance and Evolution of Feeding Modes in Odontocetes

Vertebrate evolution has resulted in a diversity of feeding mechanisms. Cetaceans are secondarily derived tetrapods that have returned to a marine habitat. As a result, they display feeding modes that have converged with more basal aquatic vertebrates, but display a diversity of new solutions and adaptations. To begin to explore the diversity of feeding adaptations among odontocetes, kinematics of feeding modes and feeding adaptations for belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), and long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) were characterized. In addition, direct measurements of intraoral pressure were collected to determine maximum suction performance. Characters from these analyses were combined with data for other odontocetes, and were mapped onto a phylogeny of Odontoceti to begin to explore where changes in feeding modes took place. Feeding modes were diverse in belugas, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and pilot whales and included suction, ram, and a combination of both. In general, four phases were observed: (I) preparatory, (II) jaw opening, (III) gular depression, and (IV) jaw closing. Suction was a large component of the prey capture method in belugas and subambient pressures in excess of 100 kPa were generated. Belugas were also capable of lateral lip gape occlusion and anterior lip pursing to form a small anterior aperture. Pacific whitesided dolphins relied on ram to capture prey. However, some degree of pursing and resultant subambient pressure was observed that was likely used to compensate for high ram speeds or for prey manipulation and transport to the esophagus. Pilot whales were more similar to belugas in kinematics, but maintained high approach velocities and did not generate significant suction pressures; suction and ram were used in combination. Belugas and pilot whales appeared to employ hyolingual depression as a primary suction generation mechanism, whereas Pacific white-sided dolphins relied on fast jaw opening. Ancestral state reconstructions indicated that suction feeding capability evolved independently at least six times within Odontoceti. These results indicate the diversity of feeding behaviors in odontocetes and provide directives for future studies on the diversity of feeding in secondarily aquatic mammals

Ozempic (semaglutide) versus Nonpharmacologic Interventions For Weight Management in Overweight Individuals

Ozempic (semaglutide) is a medication prescribed for individuals managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus by mimicking the action of a hormone called GLP-1, helping to regulate glucose levels by stimulating insulin secretion and reducing glucagon secretion. Many patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus rely on Ozempic (semaglutide) as a weight loss aid as opposed to implementing healthy lifestyle changes. This information proposes the question: in overweight individuals taking Ozempic (semaglutide), a medication prescribed for those with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, for the management of weight loss, does the use of Ozempic (semaglutide) compared to non-pharmacologic weight loss strategies exaggerate the occurrence of adverse effects? A literature search was conducted using CINAHL and PubMed employing the following search terms: ozempic, semaglutide, weight loss, non-pharmacologic weight loss, adverse effects, and obesity. A total of 12 articles met the inclusion criteria. The research shows that Ozempic (semaglutide) is an effective but short-term weight management aid, as most individuals regain the weight lost within one year. Though Ozempic (semaglutide) demonstrated the highest percent weight loss achieved of any anti-obesity medication (11.85%), it also results in augmented adverse effects. Commonly experienced adverse effects of Ozempic (semaglutide) include vomiting, diarrhea, hypoglycemia, cholelithiasis, tachycardia, thyroid carcinomas, reproductive complications, and stomach paralysis. Nonpharmacologic interventions like diet and exercise were found to be sustainable and have significantly fewer adverse effects, with exercise causing on average a 20% weight reduction. Based on these findings, evidence exists to support implementing nonpharmacologic strategies over Ozempic (semaglutide) for weight loss in overweight individuals