Category: Honors College

College of Visual and Performing Arts Honors College

spider – EP

Author(s): Leigh Eggleston

Mentor(s): Jesse Guessford, Music Technology

Abstract

“spider – EP” is a series of four songs drawing from the breakcore, harsh noise, modern jazz, and early 20th century classical styles. I wrote “spider” to encapsulate some of my experiences with hallucinations induced by a schizoaffective disorder- both positive and negative- as well as the feeling of not being taken seriously or stereotyped because of my identity when I try to explain my experiences to others. In this video, I will show short demos of each track that are most effective at conveying their respective messages. The recurring use of bitcrush filters represents the need to filter my thoughts into words that cannot fully encapsulate my experiences when I talk about psychosis, and the heavy inclusion of breakcore elements throughout the EP is symbolic of the stereotyping I receive.

The first track, “spider,” evokes the tiny, fleeting hallucinations that I experience on a near-daily basis.

The second, “hooded,” is reminiscent of a particular time I hallucinated that someone was chasing me down the sidewalk at night.

The third, “gunplay,” is an auditory recreation of my sudden recollection of a particularly disturbing image, and a subsequent, even more disturbing hallucination.

The fourth and final, “horizon,” is meant to evoke the feelings caused by my more profound, grounding, and sometimes heartening hallucinations.

Enjoy.

Audio Transcript

This project is purely instrumental, with extremely limited visuals.

Technology of Tomorrow

Author(s): Alexia De Costa

Mentor(s): Kasey Thomas, University Life

Abstract

This project merges art and technology through an interactive installation that showcases innovations from the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC), including ground robots and computer vision. Created through interdisciplinary collaboration, the collection explores the relationship between creativity and technological progress. The first piece, Trailblazers, features ground robots navigating a maze of hedges that resemble the George Mason University logo, while The Digital Mirror reinterprets René Magritte’s The False Mirror to explore computer vision and machine perception. These immersive artworks invite viewers to engage with technology in accessible, thought-provoking ways to foster a deeper connection between people and the technology shaping our future.

Audio Transcript

Art and technology have traditionally been viewed as separate domains, but my project bridges these two areas through the creation of an interactive art installation. This installation showcases some of the remarkable innovations developed at the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC), where cutting-edge technology like blimps, ground robots, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and advanced algorithms come to life. By integrating these elements into art, the project aims to highlight the interplay between creativity and technological progress, fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of both.
The collection itself was developed with the help of students from diverse academic backgrounds. Our collective effort brings together expertise in robotics, computer science, engineering, and the arts, emphasizing the power of interdisciplinary collaboration in creating innovative experiences.
The first piece in the collection, Trailblazers, focuses on the ground robots developed at MARC and their interactions with their surroundings. This artwork features a maze of hedges inspired by George Mason University’s logo, symbolizing innovation and growth. The robots in this piece are equipped with LED-lit spheres that diffuse light, creating a visually captivating effect.
The panels of the piece were laser-cut to accommodate the embedded LEDs. As viewers approach, an ultrasonic sensor detects their movement, activating lights that trace a path through the maze. This interaction mirrors how the ground robots navigate and adapt to changes in their environment. By blending technical precision with artistic design, Trailblazers provides a dynamic sensory experience that showcases the advanced robotics research at MARC and how robots can engage with physical spaces in meaningful ways.
The second piece, The Digital Mirror, offers a contemporary reinterpretation of René Magritte’s The False Mirror which is a surrealist painting depicting a solitary eye reflecting a cloud-filled sky. In this piece, the eye is animated with a servo, camera, and linear actuator, allowing it to move left and right as it follows certain colors in its surroundings.
At the heart of this piece is an exploration of computer vision. The pixelated image within the iris represents how computer vision interprets the world in discrete pixels, while the more detailed background symbolizes the richness and complexity of real-world conditions. This contrast between clarity and abstraction reveals both the imperfections and the incredible potential of computer vision technology. Through its design, The Digital Mirror invites viewers to reflect on how machines perceive the world and the challenges of bridging the gap between digital interpretation and human experience.
These artworks go beyond static displays, they are immersive, interactive experiences that engage audiences on multiple levels. By integrating technology into art, the pieces invite viewers to explore the possibilities of robotics and computer vision in ways that are accessible and thought-provoking. This fusion of creativity and innovation not only highlights the groundbreaking work at MARC but also opens the door for wider conversations about how technology can shape our future.
Through pieces like Trailblazers and The Digital Mirror, this project aims to inspire curiosity and foster a deeper connection between people and the technologies transforming our world.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my mentor, Ms. Kasey Thomas, for her invaluable guidance. I am also thankful to Dr. Missy Cummings for her continued support of this project through the MARC. My heartfelt thanks go to the team of students who contributed, and to Dr. Lee, without whom this project would not have been possible. Thank you.

College of Science Honors College OSCAR

The Effect of Ethylene Glycol on Homomeric α1 Glycine Receptor Function in Xenopus Laevis Oocytes

Author(s): Fae Jensen

Mentor(s): Greta Ann Herin, Neuroscience

Abstract

Ethylene glycol is a common environmental contaminant, as it is a primary component of the solution used in fracking. It remains in the soil and groundwater of fracking sites, therefore causing it to have a sustained effect on both human and other biological life in these areas. Ingestion of ethylene glycol inhibits central nervous system (CNS) functioning, though the specific neuronal mechanisms of this depression are currently unknown. To address this gap in knowledge, this project seeks to determine if ethylene glycol modulates glycine receptor function in a concentration dependent manner. This will be done by microinjecting Xenopus Laevis oocytes with RNA of the α1 subunit of glycine receptors (GlyRα1). Once the receptors are expressed, Two Electrode Voltage Clamp (TEVC) electrophysiology will be used to record transmembrane current caused by Cl- influx through the ion channel pore of the receptors. As GlyRs are one of the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors of the CNS, these recordings will potentially identify a method by which CNS functioning is modulated by ethylene glycol.

Audio Transcript

Hello! I’m Fae Jensen and I am currently studying the effects of ethylene glycol on glycine receptors of the alpha1 subtype in Xenopus Laevis oocytes and I’m doing this in Dr. Herin’s lab.

The purpose of my experiment is to determine the effects of ethylene glycol on homomeric α1 glycine receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes and whether these effects occur in a concentration-dependent manner.

Ethylene glycol is a widespread environmental contaminant due to its use in fracking solution. When ingested, it functions as a CNS depressant, though the mechanisms of this depression are currently unknown. Because of this, I’m studying its effects on glycine receptors. This is because when glycine binds to the two binding domains on glycine receptors it causes a conformational change in the receptor which allows the ion channel pore to open, thereby allowing Cl- ion influx into the cell. This Cl- influx brings a negative charge along with it, which can have a hyperpolarizing effect on the cell and overall causes a decreased likelihood for action potential generation, thereby causing CNS depression.

In order to do this I’m using Xenopus Laevis oocytes which are the preferred model system for the study of receptor and ion channel physiology due to their size and membrane durability.

My hypothesis is that Cl- influx through the ion channel pore will increase in a concentration-dependent manner upon exposure to ethylene glycol. I propose this will be the case because ethylene glycol and ethanol have a very similar chemical structure, as you can see here, and I believe this will therefore cause ethylene glycol to bind to the same domain on glycine receptors as does ethanol. And because ethanol is known to allosterically increase glycine receptor response when it binds to this domain.

In order to conduct my experiments, I first start out by checking my cDNA samples for quality assurance. I then replicate the DNA sample if need be, and then transcribe it into mRNA so that it can be translated into proteins once injected into the cytoplasm of cells.
Following this process, I then very controlledly inject 0.05 μL of GlyRα1 RNA into each Xenopus laevis oocyte. I allow the oocytes to incubate for 1-3 days to allow for GlyRα1 proteins to be expressed on the membrane.
I then record from the each oocyte using Two Electrode Voltage Clamping. By clamping this voltage, I am then able to record the actual ion currents which are flowing across the membrane through glycine receptors and other ion channels.

While recording I first begin by perfusing plain ND96 over my cell in order to obtain a baseline recording. I then perfuse my cells with 1 mL of each of my experimental solutions, washing the cell out with ND96 between each solution. This is completed in a randomized order and for sets of solutions consisting of a fixed amount of glycine and varied concentrations of ethylene glycol, as well as for solutions consisting of a set amount of ethylene glycol and varied concentrations of glycine. This allows me to observe how ethylene glycol modulates glycine receptor function in real time, as well as determine whether glycine receptors respond normally to increased concentrations of glycine when exposed to ethylene glycol.

Here are the results from my recordings studying the glycine receptor’s response to various concentrations of glycine while in the presence of 300 uM of ethylene glycol, with the concentration of glycine along the x-axis and the average normalized current from five cells on the y-axis.

And here is my concentration response curve for ethylene glycol recorded across five cells. All of these recordings were taken from cells from the same frog so endogenous ion channel expression may affect these results, but as of yet it is looking like ethylene glycol may in fact potentiate the glycinergic current at concentrations of 300 uM and higher.

Here are my references.

So, finally I would like to give a big thanks to Dr. Herin for her continuous support and mentorship throughout this project, and I would like to thank the OSCAR program for providing me funding in the form of URSP grants. Thank you!!

College of Science Honors College

Automation in Detecting and Localizing Diseased Kidneys in MRI Scans using Deep Learning

Author(s): Rushil Johal

Mentor(s): Suraj D. Serai, Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Abstract

Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), a rare genetic disorder affecting 1 in 20,000 children, leads to kidney failure by age 15 due to abnormal renal tubules forming fluid-filled cysts. Diagnosing ARPKD in adolescents prematurely is challenging, as they are in the early stages of kidney development. IMPAKT, a current IT database, helps clinicians identify and manage ARPKD patients early. Traditionally, MRI scans are manually analyzed to collect clinical data, a process prone to errors and inconsistencies. This study introduces a deep learning approach using digital image filtering and artificial neural networks to automate ARPKD detection in DICOMs (digital communication standard for MRI scans). The method accurately localizes cysts by applying spatial high-pass filtering and edge detection, overcoming previous manual detection limitations. This technique can integrate with existing medical records software to predict the likelihood of ARPKD and other genetic diseases at its early stages for risk patients, enabling earlier treatment.

Audio Transcript

Hello! This is a presentation on the Automation in Localizing and Detecting Disease Kidneys in MRI Scans using Deep Learning. My name is Rushil Johal and with the assistance of the University of Pennsylvania Health System or UPenMed and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Opening the successfully filed USPTO patent application was a tangible symbol of my biggest dreams. My journey began with sleepless nights, manually tracing and scanning MRI silhouettes of inflamed kidneys to gather vital biological data, such as water volume and iron content. This required drawing 10 outlines per MRI scan layer and each kidney having 40 layers. It’s a cumbersome process for physicians conducting genetic disease testing. I pondered: There must be a more efficient way.

Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) is a rare genetic disorder affecting 1 in 20,000 children. It’s caused by fluid-filled cysts in renal tubules, leading to decreased kidney function and eventual failure by mid-40s. Deep Learning (DL) can revolutionize early ARPKD diagnosis and transform the healthcare industry by collecting and analyzing data from MRI scans for various diseases, potentially saving thousands of lives.

I am studying Computational Data Science and have versatile programming experience in R, Java, MATLAB, and Python. Thus, I apply these hands-on skills in scientific research, specifically interning in MRI Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Summer 2022.

There, I evaluated how an image filtering, DL algorithm is controlled to detect and localize early telltale signs of ARPKD in adolescent patients by examining MRI scans, known as DICOMs.

We‘ll cover the current problems with diagnosing ARPKD and its data collection process, how this DL algorithm functions and its limitations, and the algorithm‘s implications and extensions throughout the medical industry.

To first understand why ARPKD is challenging to detect early and its problematic data collection process, we’ll cover its relevance with DL.

Dr. Anwar Padhani, spokesman for the 2016 International Conference on Radiation Medicine, describes DL branching from ML by utilizing neural networks, like a brain neuron, with many interconnected layers to automatically extract patterns from data, enabling high-level abstraction and complex tasks like image recognition.
ARPKD is difficult to diagnose early due to having no cure, no symptoms nor pain, and delayed development of cysts by the time the risk patient typically reaches 12-14 years old, where tissue trauma has already occurred. Furthermore, the symptoms of excess water retention simulate a steep exponential growth between the patient’s age and kidney size, almost indistinguishable from a healthy, linear-size kidney growth as the patient matures.

Current data collection begins by extruding DICOMS from another picture archiving and communications system, PACs, to be mapped into a standard coordinate system. We collect data by free-hand drawing regions of interest (ROIs) as silhouettes of specific tumors within the kidney. According to nephrologist Dr. Charlotte Gimpel’s 2019 PubMed publication, this tedious methodology is time-consuming, susceptible to human error, unable to localize cysts in DICOMs with blurry qualities, and inconsistent among varying DICOM series.

Understanding DL’s relevancy in streamlining ARPKD’s data, we’ll focus on the algorithm’s operation and limitations.

Digital image filtering and artificial neural networks of multiple input and output automate localizing ARPKD in DICOMs. This steerable algorithm applies high radio frequency and edge detection of image pixels to detect abnormal cysts compared to the rest of the kidney structure. The same approach is applied for Snapchat filters detecting your facial features based on lighting. Once multiple DICOMs of the same patient study and date have been uploaded, the algorithm leverages prior pixel data to improve performance for the same repeated set of tasks.

However, the algorithm may initially experience difficulty differentiating ARPKD’s appearance from a healthy kidney in a DICOM or not generalize to different genetic variations of ARPKD. This can lead to misdiagnosis by false positives or negatives for ARPKD. However, Dr. Kouta Ito’s 2021 publication in the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s findings reveals this algorithm can replace the manual method by decreasing medical uncertainty and random error by 18% with an accurate detection success rate of 93%.

After comprehending the algorithm’s method, let’s focus on its implications and extensions in other fields within healthcare.

This algorithm can be implemented in various medical records software, such as Epic Systems, and includes Multi-Modal Fusion, combining information from multiple imaging modalities, such as CT and ultrasound, to improve localization accuracy. Lastly, the method may detect early patient liver and bile duct cancer risks.

For implications: the algorithm minimizes the time required for diagnosis and treatment planning. It also provides quantitative measurements of cyst size, distribution, and progression over time, helping track disease progression and evaluating treatment efficacy in real-time, not possible prior. Thus, we can tailor personalized treatment plans based on each patient’s severity or unique ARPKD characters. However, legal issues can be a barrier, such as using huge amounts of confidential patient data or a risky financial investment, inaccessible to many underfunded healthcare systems nationwide.

Overall, this image filtering, DL method can change the healthcare industry by diagnosing unaware patients at risk, not just in ARPKD, but any disease studied via MRI DICOMS, even if a cure does not yet exist.

We have covered DL‘s importance in solving ARPKD diagnosis and addressing ARPKD‘s concerns, the new methodology and its constraints, and its impact on healthcare.

Evaluate how you may incorporate DL into your everyday life. Allow an algorithm to teach itself and do the complicated, repetitive tasks for you better after each try. After all, ML is just a baby learning how to walk, but sooner than you realize, will drive a car.

Thank you so much for your undivided attention!

College of Visual and Performing Arts Honors College OSCAR

Fuyumi: An Exploration of a Modern Take on Japanese Classics Through the Lens of Humanity

Author(s): An Tran, Brian Vu, Kevin Vu

Mentor(s): Robert Gillam, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Abstract

Storytelling has existed since the dawn of human civilization. Across cultures, oral tradition was perhaps the most prominent practice in passing down tales. Especially in Japanese literature, oral traditions and storytelling through songs were best exemplified in traveling musicians and theater art, such as Kabuki and Noh through the utilization of ethnic instruments like the koto and biwa.
Storytelling since then has evolved and transitioned through many structures of methodology, techniques, and mediums. With today‘s popular media, Japanese storytelling can best be seen through cultural exports and online presentation of anime and manga. Yet, oral traditions of the past still have a historical significance and cultural impact on the Japanese world. Hence, with the modern development of Japanese storytelling and the existing art of oral tradition, a question arises on how these historic stories can be transformed and contextualized in a fashion such that Japanese oral traditional styles can be interpreted and cultivated in a modern perspective.
I aim to address that with the written work of Fuyumi and the musical and theatrical adaptation of the literature. The adaptation‘s goal is to develop insights and understanding into the traditional Japanese mediums of storytelling through a modern narrative inspired and based on those settings. Not only that, but the adaptation’s overarching goal is to offer a perspective of humanity through the connections that we make. Fuyumi‘s narrative is meant to be a reflection of the human experience. Oftentimes, there may be an invisible barrier in place between us and our ancestors, however, there may be more in common than we may first expect. Like a massive web of connections through interpersonal relationships, people are intertwined in a prevailing fact. To be human is to live.

Audio Transcript

“In the land of spirits and souls, it is the human realm that foretells histories and stories within fragmented visions and material pieces.
Though rivers retain the rush of flowing water and mountains harden in the midst of rock and soil, there remains a story of those without shape.
The wind, though important, saw no worth or control within itself.”
-Brian Vu

Hello everyone! My name is An Tran, I am a student of the Dewberry School of Music concentrating in Music Technology with a Minor in Audio Production. This semester, I am currently working on a music composition and stage play titled “Fuyumi”, roughly localized to “Wayward Wind”. The name and composition has been inspired by works from Joe Hisaishi and Hayao Miyazaki in their art of conveying stories. My goal with this project overall will be to produce a fully-realized stage play of a modernized take of Japanese Classics through multiple mediums.

Folklore and oral traditions have existed in human history for as long as we‘ve been around. Epics such as Heike Monogatari were orally passed down through generations of biwa performers. Hence, music has been intrinsically tied in the process of storytelling, creating traditions of folk tunes and dances that can be traced through lineages. Of the many differences that set humanity apart, stories and music reminds us of the shared human experience we all have.
Japanese storytelling has had its evolution throughout Japan‘s history. Whether it‘s through the form of Noh and Kabuki, or today‘s modern medium of Japanese Animations, stories are essential to how we can capture the perspective of humanity. The form of storytelling has come so far from what it has been in the past. The question is: How do we continue this “oral tradition” for our future generations?

Throughout this semester, my focus has been on the musical composition of Fuyumi. With the help of Dr. Gillam and Professor Dunayer, they guided me through the process of interpreting the original text provided for Fuyumi as well as what is thematically important. I researched and documented traditional Japanese folk tunes, including the music theory behind their melodies, rhythms, and usage. A big consideration that I accounted for was that I viewed much of these resources from a western lens of music. Inherently, Japanese traditional music is taught and notated differently than Western practices, in which I would need to carefully consider its adaptation. To gain experience in this, I joined a local taiko ensemble to further understand how music traditions would be taught in Japan. Finishing this semester, I was able to compose a short motif theme for Fuyumi using the experience that I have gained.

Fuyumi is a story meant to reflect the human experience. Throughout our lives, we have the chance to connect with many people, each with their own unique stories and struggles. Like a massive web that weaves and pulls, we as people are instinctively intertwined. To answer what it means to be human, is to live.

College of Humanities and Social Science Honors College OSCAR

How Reactions to Feedback Impact Burnout

Author(s): Elene Lipartiani

Mentor(s): Lauren Kuykendall, Psychology

Abstract

Burnout is a prevalent and pervasive issue present among educators. In the context of the Job Demands-Resources Theory (JDR), burnout can be mitigated through job-resources. Traditionally, literature regarding feedback in the education setting focuses on how educators can provide feedback to students, as well as how educator‘s reactions to feedback influence their feedback acceptability and utilization. The present study is valuable since it expands upon the feedback literature by studying how reactions to student evaluation feedback influenced burnout in secondary and post-secondary educators. The study hypothesized that the relationship between job demands and burnout is moderated by feedback acceptability, such that the positive relationship is weaker when”¦
1A) “¦the confidence in the quality of the feedback is higher.
1B) “¦the source credibility is higher.
1C) “¦when organizational justice measures are lower.
Additionally, the study hypothesized that 2A) Self-esteem would be positively correlated with feedback acceptability and 2B) Self-efficacy would also be positively correlated with feedback acceptability. An online survey was distributed through the Prolific Survey software to recruit full-time, part-time or adjunct faculty who had taught for at least a year and had received student evaluations within the past semester. Multiple regression analysis was conducted through R (n=23) to find that of the job demands, only work-home conflict was a statistically significant predictor of burnout (p=.01), with no other interaction effects showing statistical significance. This may be do the limited sample size and lack of demographic representation in the current study’s sample and implies future studies may expand upon these limitations to make a more conclusive determination of the impact of different feedback acceptability components on the relationship between job demands and burnout.

Audio Transcript

Hello everyone, my name is Elene Lipartiani and my project looks at how reaction to feedback impact burnout. Burnout is the prolonged psychological exhaustion due to work-related stressors AKA job demands, of which there are many different kinds and I will run through the ones that were selected for this specific study at a slightly later time. Now certain occupations, um, are more susceptible to higher rates of burnout, specifically those involved in people work such as healthcare workers and teachers. Now, while there is some research already present about how burnout impacts research, there’s limited research on how the role of feedback impacts this dynamic and the available literature about feedback in education, tends to be student achievement centered or it looks at teacher feedback reactions to school inspection feedback. So the purpose of the study is expanding on this body of literature by looking at how high-school and college teachers react to their student evaluation feedback, and how their perception of this feedback influences their burnout, as well as how their perception of this feedback influences their self-esteem and self-efficacy influences this dynamic. And here I’ve provided a conceptual model to help illustrate that. You’ll notice in Job Demands there are three different kinds I specifically looked at which was Work Overload, where the responsibilities you’re assigned at work feel like they outweigh your ability to deal with them. Work Home conflict where your work and home responsibilities conflict with each other. For example if you had a baby at home to deal with on top of your work. And role conflict where you have multiple different roles or responsibilities you need to take on at work and they begin to feel overwhelming. All of these can lead to burnout. Now feedback acceptability is what we’re calling our reactions to feedback and the way that I measured that was Source credibility, in this case the students, are they considered credible and experts in the kind of feedback they’re providing, organizational justice measures aka the procedures involved in receiving those evaluations and the confidence in feedback quality. Meaning do teachers believe that the feedback that they are receiving is actually beneficial to them and of quality or not. The specific hypotheses of my study are listed here and the study itself was conducted through an online Qualtrics survey distributed through the prolific survey software, and of these there were 100 participants who were screened, and 23 met the eligibility criteria, which you can see listed here. These are the specific measures that I used for each of my variables and I conducted data analysis through Multiple Regression analysis through R. Now, my research actually showed that work home conflict was the only job demand who was a statistically significant predictor of burnout, which contradicts other studies that have found both work overload and role conflict are prevalent predictors of burnout and teachers, though this is possibly due to the limited sample size. Additionally if you look at the adjusted r squared value here, you’ll find that while the model I used was a relatively moderate predictor of these different interaction effects in the relationship that I was looking at, it wasn’t the best model due to the high standard error value that you can see. Furthermore, if look at the component + residual plots here, you’ll notice that some of them are nonlinear, suggesting there may be problems of heteroskedasticity, meaning this model may not be the most accurate for capturing the complex relationships of the influence of these job demands on burnout. And here I’ve also shown a table of the other different interaction effects that I had looked at , none of which unfortunately ended up being statistically significant. So to conclude, of the job demands, only work-home conflict was a statistically significant predictor of burnout in my study, none of the moderating variables had significant interactions which implies that the model might fail to capture the nonlinear relationship of feedback mechanisms on burnout rates, and other studies found different results with respect to the influence of these different constructs. However they were with a mixed methods design and they involved school inspection feedback. The limitations of my study were the limited sample size due to time constants and the eligibility requirements, the fact the study was not demographically representative since the majority of respondents were white males, as well as the presence of self-report bias when it came to the feelings about the student evaluations. In the future, I would repeat this study with a larger, more representative sample through stratified sampling or oversampling, a mixed methods approach to incorporate qualitative feedback from the teachers and explore influences of other job demands on burnout in this relationship. Thank you.

College of Engineering and Computing Honors College OSCAR

Privacy Concerns vs Product Desires: Unpacking Big Tech and the User Dilemma

Author(s): Mercy Wolverton

Mentor(s): Collin Hawley, Honors College

Abstract

Data privacy scholarship follows a historical trajectory mirroring the evolution of digital technologies. As technology became ubiquitous in households, studies explored the relationship between its integration into daily life and users‘ data privacy behavior. Researchers found that there was a “Privacy Paradox” where users understand risks associated with their behavior yet continue to behave in an unsafe way (Aivazpour 5).

Studies such as Heinrich and Gerhart‘s found that “while students express concern for their privacy when using mobile devices and express an intent to use additional privacy-enhancing technology, their behavior using mobile device protections does not change, even after an educational intervention” (1). Aivazpour‘s study found that “both the Big Five variables and the impulsivity variables are significant predictors of information disclosure independent of each other” (1). Additionally, research pursues social theories such as the “lemming effect”, investigating how social and peer pressures shaped individuals’ conformity to data-protection norms (Synman et al 1).

However, Synman‘s research has only taken place in Australia (1). Furthermore, the “lemming effect” is not the exclusive social theory to possibly explain the influence of a group on an individual and future research should also be done regarding other social theories (Synman et al 1). My research is dedicated to unraveling the complexities of data privacy behaviors within the broader societal context. Employing a quantitative approach, I utilized a modified Likert scale-type questionnaire, drawing from the Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire (HAIS-Q), to gather insights from random GMU students. Through surveys and data analysis, I seek to uncover patterns and predictors of data privacy behaviors, with a particular focus on understanding the enduring ‘Privacy Paradox.’ Preliminary findings suggest a significant disparity between users’ stated concerns about privacy and their actual behaviors, highlighting the need for further exploration into the factors driving this phenomenon.

Audio Transcript

Have you ever stopped to think about the sheer volume of personal data generated by your online interactions? Think about it. Every search query, every post, every click contributes to a treasure trove of personal information. From our preferences and habits to our locations and interests our digital footprint tells a detailed story about who we are. But who’s collecting all this data? Big tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon are constantly harvesting our information to tailor advertisements, improve user experiences, and even influence our behaviors. In fact, Big Tech enjoys the benefits of network effects, where each additional user improves the value of the product. With this phenomenon, users aren’t paying in monetary values instead users attention funds Big Tech fueling the expansion of their data empires. However amidst this data driven landscape there’s a glaring lack of regulations in place to protect users with current regulations like the FTC Section 5 focusing primarily on antitrust indirectly and unreliably managing the implications of big data and data privacy. This leaves the role of protecting personal data in the hands of the user. Yet amidst growing concerns about data privacy there’s a fascinating paradox at play. While many express apprehensions about the extent of data collection, our actual behaviors often contradict these sentiments. This phenomenon, known as the Privacy Paradox, highlights the complex contradiction between our knowledge and actions in the digital sphere. The question now is why? Research suggests that our peers can play a significant role in shaping our actions. So whether it’s through social norms or direct influence could the choices of those around us impact our own decisions regarding data privacy? Through surveys and data analysis my research this spring at George Mason University delves deep into the Dynamics of data privacy. Utilizing a quantitative approach I designed a modified Five Point Likert scale questionnaire based off the human aspects of information security questionnaire. The questionnaire focuses on key areas such as password management, email use, internet use, social media use, and mobile devices. Data was gathered from a diverse sample of GMU undergraduate students with particular attention to possible social influences from their peers data privacy behaviors. Upon conducting quick analysis of survey responses intriguing disparities emerge. For instance when asked about accessing dubious or suspicious sites 98% of respondents correctly identified the associated risks. However when presented with scenarios related to peer Behavior the disparity between knowledge and actual behavior became evident. For instance when asked about visiting questionable websites for free resources given that their peers do a significant portion of respondents indicated agreement despite potential concerns about safety and legitimacy. These findings underscore the complex interplay between individual knowledge, peer influence and actual behaviors when it comes to data privacy. But an unexpected complexity also introduced itself when looking at the data safe behaviors related to internet use compared to that of mobile devices there were greatly varying extents of the Privacy Paradox effect. While the majority of respondents would contradict their knowledge when it comes to internet use, considerably less would do so when it comes to mobile device security. By unpacking these nuances my research while just in the beginning stages aims to provide information so that we can better understand how to mitigate the risks posed by the ever evolving landscape of data privacy. Moving forward I will continue to analyze survey data conduct further tests to further explore these dynamics specifically pursuing the influence of peer behavior as well as other possible subtopic specific influences. By identifying patterns and trends we can develop targeted interventions to bridge the gap between awareness and action in the realm of data privacy. Ultimately my goal is to contribute to a more privacy conscious society where individuals are empowered to protect their digital identities and navigate the digital landscape with confidence.

College of Humanities and Social Science Honors College OSCAR

RISE-ing to new heights

Author(s): Ayman Habib

Mentor(s): Michelle Dromgold-Sermen, Institute for Immigration Research

Abstract

This research examines a part of the SOAR Initiative, a holistic model for small business development specifically tailored to individuals belonging to underserved communities. The specific program that it is focused on is the RISE program. Refugee and Immigrant Success through Entrepreneurship (RISE) program is focused on training, mentoring, and providing access to networking opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs from refugee and immigrant backgrounds. The program aims to facilitate the transformation of individuals, families, and local economies to enable them to move from a survival-focused lifestyle to thriving at all levels.

This research will highlight the practical and research best practices, opportunities, and challenges of establishing, evaluating, and sustaining an incubator-style program based on experiences and research findings from the first cohort of refugees participating. The research will contextualize how entrepreneurship”“ along with other alternative career pathways ““ offers a unique opportunity and an important alternative model for workforce development for this group to address income and social inequality for refugees resettled to the United States. Moreover, entrepreneurial investment in refugees and immigrants, such as through incubator models, offers a unique means of expanding both individual integration pathways and the visibility of opportunities for immigrant communities.

Audio Transcript

Hello everyone my name is Ayman Habib and I’m a sophomore majoring in Global Affairs. I have had the privilege of working as a research assistant at the IIR, the Institute for immigration research this school year, and today I will be going over the research that I’m working on. The research is called RISE-ing to new heights and it examines the Rise program initiated by the Costello College of Business. A little bit more about the Rise program it is focused on training mentoring and providing access to networking opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs from refugee and immigrant backgrounds. You can learn more about the initiative by visiting the website on this slide. When it comes to the research aspect of things there were several research questions that we had to refine. In the end, I ended up focusing on the question that was bolded on the slide: “How do refugees come to be involved in entrepreneurship following resettlement in the United States.” As for the literature review, there was a clear gap in the research on Refugee entrepreneurship and resettlement contexts. Some of the studies were on immigrant entrepreneurship but I still chose to review them since there’s a lot of parallels with immigrant and refugee entrepreneurship. Some of the studies shed light on the challenges faced by refugee entrepreneurs and other studies focused on the integration aspect of refugee entrepreneurship and how it can facilitate the process.

As mentioned earlier Duncan was one of the studies that focused on challenges. This slide details the challenges of starting a new business for refugees. Khademi et. al divided integration and concluded that entrepreneurship can help the integration of refugees in several ways such as increased awareness of the host country, improved language proficiency, and the expansion of social capital, and more. The methodology that I used for this research is divided into three parts. I started off with the administrative data analysis and the next step was the interviews. These include both entrepreneurs and mentors. These interviews will be semi-structured and will include questions about the subject’s entrepreneurial motivations the last data collection is from Qualtrics surveys. These will entail a baseline and a follow-up survey for both the mentors and the entrepreneurs. The interview questions were divided into five sections. The first one was entrepreneurial motivation where questions about their background education and interests were asked. The second section is questioning them about their entrepreneurial experiences and the challenges that they have faced. The third section is about the impact of their social networks on their business and this section also goes into mentorship. The fourth one is taking a deeper look into the details of their business and the last one evaluates the Rise program that they participated in. The next steps of the research are starting the interview phase once the IRB gets reapproved with the edits that we have made and secondly working on the grants for the project. Then sending out surveys. Then analyzing data and drafting research with the findings and finally publishing the research. Thank you for listening and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

College of Humanities and Social Science Honors College OSCAR

Role of Place Attachment in Adapting to Climate Change Through Insurance

Author(s): Jordan Bertaux

Mentor(s): Ted Hsuan Yun Chen, Environmental Science and Policy

Abstract

Insurance uptake for natural disasters is decreasing even in the face of severe weather events due to climate change. The Hampton Roads Region of Virginia is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters due to climate change. Therefore, migration sometimes becomes a threat to people if they do not have insurance to protect themselves against climate change induced events. Conveying to people that purchasing natural disaster insurance is important is necessary which is why looking at reasons why people do or not purchase it must be evaluated. Looking at how place attachment can make people more aware and more interested in different types of insurance mechanisms that are offered in other parts of the world or also in the United States will be necessary to show what people want. Also looking at how place attachment affects the uptake of natural disaster insurance will be important in order to effectively communicate to people why natural disaster insurance is a viable option to adapt to climate change. Therefore, we will be able to see if strong place attachment will correlate into stronger adaptation choices like choosing insurance, even different types of insurance. In order to find this out, surveys will be administered to residents of Hampton Roads, Virginia. This will get results about how people feel about their residence and natural disaster insurance. With this information, more knowledge about people‘s preferences and desires can be used to try and change the role of insurance in adaptation to climate change.

Audio Transcript

Hello my name is Jordan and for my project I will be talking about place attachment and its role in insurance for natural disasters due to climate change. I would like to thank my mentor Professor Ted Chen from the Environmental Science and Policy Department for his help throughout this project and I would also like to thank the Oscar office for this opportunity to complete this research.

First we are going to look at some definitions to put some things for this project into context. Climate adaptation is the adjustments that can be made by any individual in an effort to prepare for the expected damages that may occur from an event related to climate change. Place attachment is going to be an emotional bond that a person develops with their setting. So in the context of this project, it is going to be the person‘s home. Insurance mechanisms are going to be different ways with which to receive coverage if a natural disaster were to occur. So these are going to be types of insurance for natural disasters that are either not offered in the United States, or they are offered in the United States, they are just not as popular, or they are newer.

Previous research has shown us that people with high place attachment will have a harder time moving away from their home. It also shows us that individuals with high place attachment want to build the resilience of their communities more and this can be through various adaptation measures. Place attachment can affect the adaptation decisions of an individual which can include insurance and other ways of adapting to climate change. It is also known that people do not want to purchase conventional natural disaster insurance due to resources or financial constraints.

The research questions for this project are going to be: does place attachment have an effect on insurance as an adaptation option? So how does place attachment play a role in the decision of whether to buy or not buy insurance for natural disasters. Next is going to be: does place attachment, purchasing insurance, and migration create a feedback loop? So does place attachment create a desire to invest in natural disaster insurance and then does that create an incentive to stay and not migrate from your home and then does place attachment create a desire not to move away and does that create an incentive to purchase natural disaster insurance? Finally, how does place attachment create variances across different insurance mechanisms? So the different insurance mechanisms that are going to be looked at that differ from conventional natural disaster insurance offered in the United States how does place attachment of an individual affect their choices about those different insurance mechanisms?

This is necessary to learn because it will show us whether there are instances where there is more incentive to buy insurance or not and instances whether to migrate or not. We will also be able to learn about the choices that people make and why they do so. With this information, it can show what needs to be changed about the current system. It will show us how barriers that are created by conventional natural disaster insurance like financial constraints can be erased. It will also give way to show people that there are different ways to adapt to climate change such as insurance. All of this will show us how we can help people to adapt more to climate change especially through insurance and how current policies should be changed so that more people are able to and want to purchase natural disaster insurance.

The process of this project is going to be a survey-based project. The survey will be administered to people of the Hamptons Roads Region of Virginia because this area is extremely vulnerable to severe weather events exacerbated by climate change. In the surveys, people will be asked questions about their personal demographics and then they will be asked questions in certain categories like place attachment and natural disaster insurance. This will give us the direct answers that we need from people to learn more about what people are currently doing compared to what they actually want to do if they had the options. From there, we can see if there are any correlations between place attachment and the insurance that people will choose for natural disasters due to climate change.

Finally, here is a list of my references used for this presentation. Thank you for listening.

College of Visual and Performing Arts Honors College

Closing the Gender Gap in Music Technology at the Undergraduate Level

Author(s): Theo Cobb

Mentor(s): Jesse Guessford, Music Technology

Abstract

The world of music technology is constantly changing and adapting. However when it comes to gender equality, the world of music technology is far behind. Men have dominated the industry of music tech since its dawn until today. There are many obstacles that keep women and nonbinary people from being successful in music technology. A part of the problem is just how staggering the numbers are, some statistics estimate that 98% of producers are men. However, too much focus on the numbers only further cements how out of place women are in music tech. Now that there is widespread knowledge of the issue, attention must be shifted towards how to solve this problem. Martial changes can be made, and many have already been proven to dramatically help the issue. In this presentation I will be addressing how we can help solve problems women face in music tech at an undergraduate level. I have drawn my research from previous efforts to diversify various STEM fields, and from efforts already made within the field of Music Tech itself. I will be making suggestions for changes that undergraduate programs can make to help combat the problems that keep women out of tech. The three issues I will be focusing on are the pipeline problem, a lack of mentorship, and a lack of education geared towards women‘s specific needs.

Audio Transcript

Women are vastly underrepresented in the field of music and technology. In this presentation I’ll be addressing how we can help solve the problems that women face in music tech at an undergraduate level. My research will be drawn from previous efforts to diversify fields in stem and previous efforts in the field of music and Technology itself. I’ll be making suggestions for changes that undergraduate programs can make to help combat the problems that keep women out of tech. The three issues that I’ll be focusing on are the pipeline problem a lack of mentorship and a lack of Education geared towards women’s specific needs. Where we currently stand is a pretty bad spot. As of 2022 only 2% of producers aren’t men and only 12.9% of songwriters aren’t men. No woman has ever won producer of the earth Grammys and no woman was nominated this year either. The first issue that women in music technology face starts at a really young age, it’s called the pipeline problem. It stems from run-of-the-mill sexism that convinces women that their place is not in stem Fields, especially technology. Most music tech programs focus on the technological aspect when advertising their courses and programs instead of the aesthetic aspects of Music Technology. This steers women away from enrolling in these courses and programs. Here at GMU a way that we can help this is by offering Outreach programs for high schoolers and middle schoolers. The College of science here alone has four different outreach programs for underrepresented groups. These have proven to be incredibly successful. The University of Michigan was able to raise their incoming freshman class in the College of per Performing Arts Technology (PAT) from 20% female to 40% female after offering a summer outreach program called girls in music and Technology. Our next issue is lack of mentorship most college professors are CIS white men and the field of Music Tech is no different. An excuse often given for why there are no female instructors is a lack of qualified candidates and while this is true it speaks to the bigger issue at hand and should not be the end of the conversation but the beginning of one. In the meantime a way to give women role models at the educational level is by bringing in guest speakers and peer mentorship programs. Peer mentorship programs have proven very successful. There is a peer mentorship program at Berkeley called she knows Tech in which five graduate students agreed to Mentor four undergraduate students each for a total of seven mentoring sessions. A year later almost half were in Tech related Majors. My final Focus will be on how we can change the education itself that is offered to help combat issues that women specifically face. A thing that I found particularly compelling was how much the language around how we advertise courses affects women’s enrollment in them. I like to think of it as purpose versus tool language. Women are more likely to be interested in courses that emphasize the purpose of what they are learning rather than the literal tool itself. A computer science program saw a massive uptick in female enrollment when they changed the course title from intro to HTML to building socially responsible websites. This could be implemented in music and Technology by instead of naming courses things like “introduction to Protools” naming them “independently record and edit a song.” Another positive change would be doing away with weed out courses. Women are already taught that they do not belong in music and technology and they do not need to be met first thing with courses that are specifically designed to push people away. Another thing that has been proven successful in stem field is by having introductory courses split up by different experience levels. This could be particularly effective in music tech considering the wide range of experience that students come in with. While all of the statistics can be disheartening they should not be the focus. We know that women are underrepresented in music and Technology but focusing on how wildly large the gender gap is only reinforces the idea at the end of the day that women do not belong in Tech. These are real problems with real solutions, however diversity does not happen by accident but instead through real concerted efforts. If institutions are serious about making changes they should make their efforts known and public. there are many resources to find out about successful women in music technology such as Sound Girls and the Women’s Audio Mission. They provide databases of vetted and experienced female audio Engineers so no one has the excuse anymore that they just don’t know any women audio Engineers. Undergraduate programs are in a unique position to affect the industry as a whole because they are the final stop for many of us before we enter our professional careers. The values that students learn in undergrad they will take with them for the rest of their careers. If these programs show that they do not value women neither will the engineers that leave them.

College of Humanities and Social Science Honors College OSCAR

Race and Income Differences in Primary Exceptionality Status Over Time

Author(s): Ben Gallimore

Mentor(s): Adam Winsler, Psychology

Abstract

There has been very little research on the change in disability status (referred to as mobility) over time for students in public schools. Past literature on the impact of race and income on disability status has focused on disability placement at fixed points in time, though there has been no research on how race or income impact mobility. High mobility overall and between specific disability categories, as well as the potential impact of race or income on mobility could suggest flaws in the administration of disability assessments. Any flaws in the administration of disability assessments would suggest students are being misdiagnosed for disabilities and therefore risk spending more time without the proper disability services they may need to be successful in school. The current study will examine potential race or income differences in exceptionality status using pre-collected data from the Miami School Readiness Project, which followed five cohorts of students from subsidized public, family, and center-based schools starting in preschool between 2002-2006 in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The majority of students from the MSRP were in poverty, Black, and/or Latino. The current study will use data from ~7,000 of these students who have an exceptionality status, and will focus on the grade levels of kindergarten through fifth grade. Findings from the present study could hint towards the accuracy of disability assessments or their administration within Miami-Dade County, Florida, and suggest ways to ensure students are receiving appropriate disability services.

Audio Transcript

My name is Ben Gallimore and I am examining the race and income differences in primary exceptionality status over time for my psychology honors project.

A primary exceptionality refers to a disability or the gifted status, which has the most significant impact on academic performance. A primary exceptionality placement is required for a student to have an individualized education program, or IEP, which would then allow them to receive disability services. The change in primary exceptionality status is also referred to as mobility, which occurs when a student no longer meets the diagnostic criteria for a disability, has other disabilities that have taken priority, or was initially misdiagnosed with a disability and has since moved to hopefully the correct disability status.

Past literature on race and income on exceptionality status has focused on racial disproportionality at fixed points in time. While there has been conflicting research on the direction of racial disproportionality, such as whether minoritized students are over or under-represented in special education, the general consensus is that both race and income have an impact on disability placement. Additionally, the degree to which income impacts disability placement is suggested to differ by race. There has been no research on how race or income impact the mobility of disability status for students in public schools, and there is very little research on mobility overall. Past literature on overall mobility suggests around 40% of students change exceptionality status, though this research used indirect measurements of disability status through parent/teacher surveys instead of a student‘s IEP, and was not able to examine mobility frequency since it examined disability status at 2001 and then again in 2004. In other words, mobility was not measured continuously, meaning research must still be done on overall mobility with direct measurements of disability placement as well as examining mobility frequency.

It is important to examine the mobility of disability categories and the possible impact of race or income on mobility because it would suggest flaws in the administration of assessments or the assessments themselves which then leads to potential misdiagnoses for students. Furthermore, if a student is being misdiagnosed for a disability then they are spending more time without the appropriate services they may need to be successful in school. My findings could suggest ways to improve disability assessments or the ways in which they are administered. For example, if there is high mobility between specific disability categories, then the diagnostic criteria for those disabilities may not be distinct enough between one another. Additionally, my research could suggest risks of bias based on race or income if either has an affect on mobility.

I will use pre-collected data from the Miami School Readiness Project, or MSRP, which followed 5 cohorts of students from subsidized public, family, and center-based schools. The MSRP initially followed students starting in preschool between 2002-2006, though my study will take place from kindergarten to fifth grade. My sample will have around 7,000 students with an exceptionality. 78% are low income, 58% are Latino, 34% are Black, and 7% are White/Other. I will use five types of analyses. I will use Logistic regression, analysis of variance, frequency distributions, descriptive analysis, and Chi-square tests of independence. Logistic regressions will have both polynomial and dichotomous logistic regression to examine race and income on mobility simultaneously. I will use ANOVA and frequency distribution to look at the impact of race and income on the frequency of which students experience mobility. I will use descriptive analyses and Chi-square tests of independence to examine overall mobility as well as the disability categories a student had and then changed to.

I want to acknowledge my thesis advisor Dr. Adam Winsler, as well as Dr. Karen Lee and the entire WINSLAB Team! Thank you for your time, here are my references.

Honors College OSCAR

The Diasporic Narrative: Palestinians Worldwide

Author(s): Ayham Elayan, John Woolsey

Mentor(s): Collin Hawley, Honors College

Abstract

Following the Palestinian mass exodus of 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes and land. Now, they amount to nearly 7 million descendants worldwide. Interestingly, however, there is a strong sense of Palestinian identity and pride within these new generations, despite living in diaspora and many of whom having never visited Palestine. In order to determine the rationality behind this occurrence, this study observes the research question: To what extent has the Palestinian diaspora affected its descendants‘ ties to their home country? Palestinians attending colleges or universities within the DC-Maryland-Virginia region were recruited to complete a survey collecting demographic and quantitative information as well as thoughtful and prosaic responses on factors that may have influenced one‘s connection to Palestine, such as travel history, citizenship, and language skills, for example. From the results, it was concluded that regardless of many different factors and personal circumstances, nearly anyone of Palestinian descent signify strong ties and pride in their culture and where they have come from. These findings are incredibly beneficial when studying the effects of any diaspora on its people, but especially useful in highlighting why the Palestinian diaspora is particularly unique in instilling a sense of identity into its descendants like no other diaspora does, which many respondents claim is due to the difficult, unjust experiences within the history of their ancestors that they learn of.

Audio Transcript

This past summer, I spent about a month or so in my family home back in Palestine. And upon leaving, even though I was super excited to be coming back home, returning to my studies, returning to my life here in America, I was also so heartbroken at the fact that I had to leave behind so many relatives and family members back home, even though I had only seen them a couple times in my entire life. So as we left, I began to wonder whether I was coming back home or if I was actually leaving it.

My name is Ayham Elayan, a student at George Mason University‘s Honors College, and this dichotomy and challenge I faced just last summer, is the same that millions Palestinians worldwide living in the diaspora face today. Having coming from ancestors who were forcibly removed from their home ages ago upon their timeline, these second-generation Palestinians are being raised and brought up in entirely different countries with entirely different cultures. Thus, as described by Fawadleh in the Journal of International Migration and Integration, the result seen is a development of a sort of hybrid identity, an integration between their Palestinian identity and that of their host society. For example, a “Palestinian Americans”. And many of these Palestinians, in fact, have never even stepped foot within the land of Palestine. Yet, nonetheless, as I‘m sure you‘ve seen within the past month, these many Palestinians all across the world have a sense of connection, identity, and culture so strong that only so few nationalities could match its strength in pride. Which begs the question, as to how? How exactly are they able to do that if they‘ve never been to the country for example? How can they find that connection? To what extent does living within the diaspora affect one‘s connection to Palestine?

To address this question, I conducted a study titled the “Diasporic Narrative: Palestinians Worldwide,” which collected a sample of Palestinian college students, focusing in the DMV region, and were requested to complete a survey. This survey collected: firstly, objective data such as their demographics and logistics, for example, whether they have ever been to Palestine, whether they speak the language, whether they have legal status, and then secondly, subjective data, primarily being how the respondents felt connected to their Palestinian identity, but also how much they feel they belong on their college campus.

There were a number of clear trends found within the data. Firstly, the results of the diaspora were clearly evident. For example, 42% of respondents mentioned countries other than Palestine when they were asked “where they were from”. 63% said they had Palestinian relatives who no longer lived in Palestine. Some even had no relatives remaining in Palestine whatsoever.

In terms of connection, however, 55% stated they felt very connected to their Palestinian identity, whereas the remaining felt somewhat or neutrally connected. It was found that the more Arabic a respondent spoke, whether they had legal status there, if they had family there, or if they had visited Palestine more times in their life, then that respondent was generally more likely to have a higher sense of connection to their Palestinian identity than those who had not.

In fact 70% of respondents had no legal status in the region whatsoever and 38% had never actually visited once in their lifetimes. Some respondents provided reasonings for the sense of connection they provided, and those who had lower senses of connections mentioned things like language barriers or having never lived or even visited Palestine made them feel unable to choose a higher rating, even though they wanted to.

However, putting connection to Palestine aside, respondents were also asked how proud they were of their identity. And nearly 100% of respondents stated that they felt very proud of their Palestinian identity. In fact, almost every single respondent was able to pinpoint exactly what towns and villages they originated from. And those whose families were removed from the land were able to indicate at what point upon their timeline that their family was removed.

Thus, the more prominent discovery within these findings is that regardless of connection, any single person of Palestinian descent, whether fully, partly, or even just by having an ounce of Palestinian blood, is aware of their roots and culture, and is sure to represent that identity unapologetically and proudly for their entire lives.

A special thanks to the GMU OSCAR department for providing the funding for this research, and to those who guided me along the way, including my mentor Collin Hawley. Thank you guys.