Program Date: May 14, 2021
Air Date: May 17, 2021
From the City Club of Eugene:
Near the end of every school year, the University of Oregon showcases the work done by undergraduate scholars with the support of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement (CURE) in a public research symposium. We often think of a university as a place where a community hands down the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. In this program, we are reminded that knowledge creation is (and always has been) also the mission of universities. Even the undergraduate can participate. In this third annual celebration of their remarkable achievements, City Club of Eugene presents a sample of young researchers’ work. Their presentations are a parting gift to us, as they graduate and head off to change the world.
Speakers:
Anastasia Browning (Psychology) works as a research assistant at the Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab and Cognitive Dynamics Lab in the department of psychology. She is “interested in the intersection of self-regulation and the psychosocial determinants of health and disease outcomes. Her research interests center around the intersection of self-regulation and the social determinants of health and disease outcomes.” She wondered what kind of public health messages would increase willingness to follow COVID-19 mitigation procedures. Does approach message framing work better than avoidance? Does altruistic goal orientation work better than self-protective? Anastasia will tell us what her study revealed.
Jyhreh Johnson (Anthropology and Linguistics), winner of multiple scholarships, is a research assistant in the Primate Morphometric Lab. She was curious about whether the adult cranium changes shape as it ages, much in the ways we see it happening in babies and young children. Are there quantifiable patterns of shape change? If so, what do the changes tell us about human development?
Minh Nguyen (Human Physiology, Neuroscience) works as a medical assistant at the Occupy Medical Alternative Care Center, serving homeless individuals with COVID-19 diagnoses. She is also a research assistant in the McCormick Lab at the Institute of Neuroscience at UO, a science tutor, a crisis counselor, and a contact tracer for the UO Corona Corps. She has been studying the mechanisms of vagus nerve stimulation in mice and will explain what she learned and how it helps answer important questions.
Jude Stone (Political Science) has spent the last couple of years working as an administrative assistance in Clark Honors College and an Education and Activism Coordinator for LGBTQA3 Alliance at UO. His study examined how race and Queer identities interact in courts of law. Does race impact the degree of conviction? Are hate crime charges applied to violence against Trans-femme people in correlation with the races of the victim and perpetrator? Could it be that hate crime charges actually benefit advocacy and make clear the inadequacy of the US criminal justice system in rehabilitating convicted perpetrators?
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