Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Smart Home Simulation In The Virtual World, Thomas Jones-Moore, David Son

Scholars Week

The goal of this project is to produce a 'smart home' by using IoT and RFID like things in the virtual world to help solve problems. Some of these problems can be CPR training, etc. Used as an evaluation platform of suggested hardware to get a desired (or best fit) set of smart objects, or combinations with computer vision. Cost model to determine best fit based on: accuracy, lowest cost, easiest deployment, etc.

A Day In The Life Of A Supercomputer, William Clem, Sean Mcculloch

Scholars Week

We are developing an interactive dashboard for visualizing the statistics of how users interact with nodes of a supercomputer. The intended purpose of the dashboard is to periodically provide with the overview of the load and bandwidth utilization of the nodes of a large supercomputer and details of each node and job as selected by the user. The dashboard will be interactive which will enable users to zoom in on interesting parts of the visualizations to investigate in details.

Bottom-Up Shape Engineering Of Organic Molecular Single-Crystals, Griffin Reed

Scholars Week

The ability to fabricate complex submicron-scale components from inorganic crystalline semiconductor materials such as c-Si enables countless modern technologies, from microelectromechanical systems to integrated circuits. For single-crystal molecular materials on the other hand, comparable approaches to defining micron- and submicron-scale structure are much less well developed, in part because weak intermolecular binding forces make molecular crystals vulnerable to damage by conventional techniques such as reactive ion etching, wet etching, and energetic beam milling. Here we show how the same weak forces that are problematic for top-down patterning of molecular crystals can be exploited to enable controlled bottom-up growth, by leveraging …

Isolating And Quantifying The Role Of Developmental Noise In Generating Phenotypic Variation, Maria Kiskowski, Tilmann Glimm, Nickolas Moreno, Tony Gamble, Ylenia Chiari

Mathematics Faculty Publications

Genotypic variation, environmental variation, and their interaction may produce variation in the developmental process and cause phenotypic differences among individuals. Developmental noise, which arises during development from stochasticity in cellular and molecular processes when genotype and environment are fixed, also contributes to phenotypic variation. While evolutionary biology has long focused on teasing apart the relative contribution of genes and environment to phenotypic variation, our understanding of the role of developmental noise has lagged due to technical difficulties in directly measuring the contribution of developmental noise. The influence of developmental noise is likely underestimated in studies of phenotypic variation due to …

The Planet, 2019, Spring, Emily Dietzel, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Equity In Stem: Utilizing Student Experience To Better Inform Policy And Practice, Natasha Hessami

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

As women and people of color continue to pursue higher education and other advanced degrees, the STEM field consistently lags behind in diverse representation and leadership. There is a critical need to address the structural barriers marginalized groups face to accessing and succeeding in STEM and invest both time and money into innovative student-centered solutions. This project outlines the development of the CSE Student Ambassador program and implementation recommendations, the development and presentation of seminars focused on equity in the Biology and Chemistry departments, and general recommendations for faculty to make classroom and lab spaces more inclusive.

Quick Guide To Plant Families Of Western Washington, Maggie Hayward, John D. Tuxill, James M. Helfield

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This guide is an expanded version of a booklet designed to help students identify native plants in western Washington. It has been expanded to include invasive and ruderal taxa commonly found in riparian areas. The purpose of this guide is to provide practical help for identifying plant families, and to facilitate a basic understanding of plant morphology. By observing morphological characteristics such as leaf arrangement and structure, the user can narrow an unidentified species down to the family level. Because this book does not go to the species level, it is meant to be used as a companion to other …

Preliminary Impacts Of Constructed Log Jams On Streambed Topography And Bed Temperature On The South Fork Nooksack River, Sam Kaiser

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Salmon are an essential part of the culture, ecology and economy of the Pacific Northwest region of North America, but populations of some ecotypes are declining. One specific population, the Puget Sound chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), is listed as threatened under terms of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The decline of this ecotype has implications not only for humans but also for all links of the ecosystem such as the populations of southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) which prey predominately on chinook salmon. Major threats to these fish include overharvest and habitat degradation due to …

Do Men Matter? In Statistics, Probably, Michael Kelly

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In statistical genetics, there are several parameters of a dataset which a researcher might, but which are difficult to estimate in practice. In this paper, we will be focusing on allele frequencies, null alleles, inbreeding coefficients and, to a certain extent, beta values. A common technique for obtaining these values, developed by Amy Anderson and her co-workers, is to jointly estimate all of them using an EM-algorithm and the method of maximum likelihood. Despite this technique being effective in general, it is currently unable to deal with males at X-linked markers. The purpose of this project is to modify the …

Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project 2017/2018 Report, Robin A. Matthews, Michael Hilles, Joan Pickens, Robert J. Mitchell, Geoffrey B. Matthews

Lake Whatcom Annual Reports

This report describes the results from the 2017/2018 Lake Whatcom monitoring program conducted by the Institute for Watershed Studies at Western Washington University (www.wwu.edu/iws). The major objectives in 2017/2018 were to continue long-term baseline water quality monitoring in Lake Whatcom and its major tributaries; collect storm runoff water quality data from representative streams in the watershed; and continue collection of hydrologic data from Austin and Smith Creeks.

Subduction Initiation And Early Evolution Of The Easton Metamorphic Suite, Northwest Cascades, Washington, Jeremy L. Cordova, Sean R. Mulcahy, Elizabeth R. Schermer, Laura E. Webb

Geology Faculty Publications

The Easton metamorphic suite, in the northwest Cascades of Washington State, preserves an inverted metamorphic sequence with ultramafic rocks underlain by amphibolite and high-temperature blueschist juxtaposed above low-temperature blueschists. The sequence is interpreted as a metamorphic sole and younger accreted rocks that formed during and after the initiation of Farallon plate subduction beneath North America in Jurassic time. Two high-temperature deformation events are recorded in the metamorphic sole at ∼10 kbar and ∼760 °C to 590 °C between >167 and 164 Ma. High-temperature blueschist partly overprints the amphibolite but may have accreted separately at ∼530 °C between ca. 165 and …

Particle Size Specific Magnetic Properties Across The Norwegian‐Greenland Seas: Insights Into The Influence Of Sediment Source And Texture On Bulk Magnetic Records, Robert G. Hatfield, Benjamin H. Wheeler, Brendan T. Reilly, Joseph S. Stoner, Bernard A. Housen

Geology Faculty Publications

We make fundamental observations of the particle size variability of magnetic properties from 71 core tops that span the southern Greenland and Norwegian Seas. These data provide the first detailed regional characterization of how bulk magnetic properties vary with sediment texture, sediment source, and sediment transport. Magnetic susceptibility (MS) and hysteresis parameters were measured on the bulk sediment and the five constituent sediment particle size fractions (clay, fine silt, medium silt, coarse silt, and sand). The median MS value of the medium silt size fraction is ~3–5 times higher than that of the sand and clay size fractions and results …

Moses Lake Algae Monitoring Project 2018 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Pickens, Eric J. Lawrence

Moses Lake

Moses Lake is a shallow, hypereutrophic lake in Grant County, Washington (Carroll and Cusimano, 2001), with a surface area of 6,800 acres (27.5 km2 ), total volume of 130,000 acre-ft (160.4 × 106 m3), average depth of 19 ft. (5.8 m), and maximum depth of 38 ft. (11.6 m; Dion, et al., 1976). The lake is situated adjacent to the city of Moses Lake and drains into Crab Creek, a tributary of Columbia River. The lake is a popular recreational destination for fishing, boating, swimming, and camping.

Moses Lake develops nuisance blooms of cyanobacteria during the summer and fall. The …

Heart Lake Monitoring Project 2018 Final Report, Michael P. Lawlor, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Pickens

Heart Lake

Heart Lake is a 61.4 acre lake (0.248 km2

) located about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Anacortes off of Heart Lake Road (Table 1; Figure 1). Heart Lake is separated into two basins and has a total shoreline length of 1.64 miles (2.645 km). The western basin is slightly larger and deeper that the eastern basin, but the maximum depth and average depth of the lake is only 5.8 and 2.7 meters, respectively. There are six seasonal sources of water flowing into the lake, including streams, wetlands, and runoff. The lake is situated at the headwaters for the …

Occam's Razor Vol. 9 - Full (2019)

Occam's Razor

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2019, Winter, Emily Stout, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Carbonate Chemistry In A Tillamook Bay Tributary: Tracing Acidification From The River To The Bay, Abigail Ernest-Beck

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Coastal acidification from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide can be exacerbated by local factors such as land inputs of inorganic carbon and nutrients. In Tillamook Bay, OR, the possibility of local factors enhancing acidification and impacting oyster aquaculture in the bay is a concern due to extensive agriculture in the watershed. The US EPA has been monitoring water conditions in Tillamook Bay tributaries since the summer of 2016, and preliminary findings showed increased dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) downstream of agricultural areas. To determine the causes of elevated DIC, changes attributed to land-based inputs must be distinguished from natural temporal variability and …

A Needs Assessment Of The Perceptions And Opportunities To Enhance Nature Exploration At Publicly Funded Preschools, Naomi Liebhold

WWU Graduate School Collection

Extensive research supports the benefits of nature exploration in children’s lives. Research also suggests, however, that low-income families and other historically marginalized groups experience multiple barriers to accessing green spaces. In an attempt to counteract this inequality, a needs assessment was performed to understand the challenges and barriers public preschool providers face in regularly leading their children in nature exploration. The target audience of this evaluation was Head Start and Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program [ECEAP] teachers and parents. Along with measuring the challenges and barriers at these centers in regard to nature exploration, this evaluation assessed the resources …

Photometric Investigations Of Weathering Rinds And Coatings With Implications For Mars, Kathleen Hoza

WWU Graduate School Collection

Reflectance spectroscopy is a major technique for characterizing the composition of planetary surfaces, and has led to many key findings in planetary geology. In laboratory measurements, reflectance spectrometers typically acquire data using a standard, fixed viewing geometry. Measurements from spacecraft, however, may be acquired at a wide range of viewing geometries, depending on the orientation of the instrument relative to the target surface and the Sun. For many materials, the impact of viewing geometry on reflectance is minor; however, some materials’ spectral signatures can be influenced by these photometric effects. In particular, spectra of weathering rinds and rock coatings are …

Structural Studies On The Mechanism Of Argyrin B And The L12 – L11 Ribosomal Protein Interface, Christopher Swanson

WWU Graduate School Collection

The mechanism of action of argyrin B and the molecular interactions of L11 and L12 has been undetermined and underrepresented in the research of bacterial translation. This work seeks to examine the mechanism of action of argyrin B by performing in vitro structural studies of its interaction with its specific target protein elongation factor-G. We demonstrate that argyrin B inhibits translation, and allows GTPase activity to proceed, contrary to assumptions made in prior research. We determine that ribosome recycling is the likely step through which argyrin B acts as an antibiotic, since translocation is unaffected by argyrin B and association …

Seismic Structure Of Tanaga Island, Alaska, Kevin F. (Kevin Francis) Lally

WWU Graduate School Collection

Tanaga Island is located in the Central Aleutian Islands and includes four stratovolcanoes: Sajaka, Tanaga, and East Tanaga in the northwest, and Takawangha in the central part of the island. Of these volcanoes, only Tanaga has a record of historical eruptive activity (in 1914). Over 3,000 earthquakes have been recorded beneath the island and the surrounding offshore region since the six-station seismic network was emplaced in 2003. The origin of these earthquakes is not completely understood, and to arrive at this understanding, more accurate hypocenter locations and power spectra need to be determined. A better analyses including improved locations of …

Using Bayesian Networks To Predict Risk To Estuary Water Quality And Patterns Of Benthic Environmental Dna In Queensland, Scarlett E. Graham, Anthony A. Chariton, Wayne G. Landis

Institute of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry Publications

Predictive modeling can inform natural resource management by representing stressor-response pathways in a logical way and quantifying the effects on selected endpoints. This study demonstrates a risk assessment model using the Bayesian network-relative risk model (BNRRM) approach to predict water quality and; for the first time, eukaryote environmental DNA (eDNA) data as a measure of benthic community structure. Environmental DNA sampling is a technique for biodiversity measurements that involves extracting DNA from environmental samples, amplicon sequencing a targeted gene, in this case the 18s rDNA gene which targets eukaryotes, and matching the sequences to organisms. Using a network of probability …

A Multivariate Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Water Quality Conditions And Algal Species Composition Of Six Mountain Lakes In The North Cascades, Wa, Usa, Michael P. Lawlor

WWU Graduate School Collection

The objective of my study was to characterize the water quality conditions and algal species composition of six mountain lakes in the North Cascades of Washington, USA. Exploratory data analysis examined water quality conditions and algal species composition separately, then determined if they were related. The lakes exhibited median temperatures from 13.3 °C to 20.8 °C, had nitrate and soluble reactive phosphate concentrations below 100 µg/L and 6 µg/L, respectively, were slightly acidic (pH 5.1-6.9), and had median dissolved oxygen concentrations ranging from 6.7 mg/L to 10.6 mg/L. Over 340 non-diatom algal taxa were identified. Algal species richness was positively …

Impacts Of Major Freshwater Ions On The Acute Toxicity And Chemical Behavior Of Silver Nanoparticles, Claire A. Walli

WWU Graduate School Collection

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasing in presence in commercial and medical products due to their bactericidal properties and can be transported into the environment during the laundering, use, and waste of those products. Strong evidence suggests aqueous silver (Ag⁺) dissolved from the AgNP surface is the toxic component of AgNPs but there is no consensus on the possibility of additional nanoparticle-specific properties that elicit toxicity. Ag⁺ toxicity to freshwater organisms has been well studied using the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM), which describes how water quality conditions, such as the concentrations of certain freshwater ions, affect the toxicity …

Clinopyroxene Trace Element Chemistry As A Proxy For Magma Compositional Variations In The Izu Bonin Rear Arc Over The Last 15 Million Years, Kimberly N. (Kimberly Nicole) Wurth

WWU Graduate School Collection

This study presents major and trace element chemistry of clinopyroxene (CPX) in 0-15 Ma core material recovered from Site U1437 during IODP Expedition 350. Because no fresh glass is present in the core samples older than 4.4 Ma, and hence there is no way to directly determine magma compositions, my study presents the development of a novel method for calculating liquid compositions from CPX grains in volcaniclastic sediments using distribution coefficients and trace elements measured in CPX.

Geochemical data from CPX grains was acquired using a laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS). These data were used to calculate trace element …

Structural Studies Of Complexes Of Blood Coagulation Factor Viii, Joseph S. Gish

WWU Graduate School Collection

Factor VIII (FVIII) is a 2332 amino acid glycoprotein with domain organization of A1-A2-B-A3-C1-C2 which is a crucial component of the blood coagulation cascade. After secretion, FVIII circulates in the bloodstream at a concentration of one nanomolar bound to von Willebrand Factor (vWF) which protects FVIII from clearance. In the event of an injury to the bloodstream, FVIII is proteolytically cleaved, releases from vWF and binds to both activated platelet surfaces and activated Factor IX with nanomolar affinity. These interactions increase the rate of blood clot formation 100,000 fold. Hemophilia A is an x-linked recessive disease affecting 1 in 5000 …

Paleomagnetic Results From Upper Triassic And Middle Jurassic Strata Of East-Central New Mexico, And Implication For North American Apwp, Masoud Mirzaei Souzani

WWU Graduate School Collection

Two contradictory apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) of North America (NA) for most of Jurassic time have been the subject of many studies since the 1990s, and are important to rectify if in order to constrain the tectonic evolution of the continent. Among various efforts to resolve this persistent issue, additional results from well-dated kimberlite volcanics have been used to support a higher-latitude APWP (Kent et al., 2015), and the controversy was blamed on inclination error (IE) in paleomagnetic results of sedimentary units, most of which are from the U.S. South Western interior. Those paleomagnetic poles define the other, lower-latitude …

Modeling The Effects Of Climate Variability On Hydrology And Stream Temperatures In The North Fork Of The Stillaguamish River, Kyra Freeman

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Stillaguamish River in northwest Washington State, USA, provides water resources to local agriculture, industry and First Nations Tribes, and provides crucial habitat for several endangered species of salmonids. The watershed experiences a mild maritime climate and high relief, with rain and snowmelt dominating the streamflow. In anticipation of shifts in snowpack, streamflow, and stream temperature, I use projected global climate scenarios and numerical models to examine future climatic variability on streamflow and stream temperatures in the snow-melt dominated North Fork of the Stillaguamish River. I calibrated the physically based Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) and River Basin Model …

Everyone Can Grow! Winter Programming Using An Indoor Horticulture Environmental Education Program To Benefit Military Veterans, Rachel Elam

WWU Graduate School Collection

Working with plants has numerous physical, mental health and well-being benefits for people, and military veteran farming programs have been started to provide these benefits. However, these programs lack activities outside of the Washington State growing season which is approximately May to October. Since these programs are largely meant as ways for veterans to engage in community and peer support, the gap over winter is unacceptable for the purposes of supporting mental health. This project produced a winter environmental education curriculum for military vets, titled Everyone can Grow! (ECG!), and is designed to provide peer support and psychological …

Quantifying The Magnitude And Spatial Variability Of Bedrock Erosion Beneath The Sisters Glacier, Washington, Using Cosmogenic 3he Concentrations, Sarah W. Francis

WWU Graduate School Collection

Cosmogenic ³He analyses provide a tool to infer spatial variation of cirque-glacial bedrock erosion. ³He accumulates in bedrock exposed at the surface as a result of cosmic ray bombardment; the concentration of cosmogenic ³He increases with exposure time as well as proximity to the surface. The Twin Sisters range, North Cascades, WA is an ideal location to use cosmogenic ³He to infer cirque-glacial erosion depths and rates, due to the dunite bedrock and the detailed record of Holocene glaciation from the nearby Mount Baker. We used field mapping, lidar data and aerial imagery to identify bedrock …