Category: OSCAR

Blue Dog Bark: “God Talk” and Religious Cues by Centrist Democrats

Author(s): Drew Kolber

Mentor(s): Antti Pentikäinen, Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation, Carter School

The use of religious language by moderate Democratic politicians remains understudied despite extensive research on “God talk” among conservative Republicans. This gap is particularly significant for members of the Blue Dog Coalition, who represent constituencies with many “split ticket” voters; those who elected Democrats locally while voting Republican in the national election. Previous research has focused on coded religious cues in conservative political communication, primarily relying on media appearances and campaign rhetoric, while largely leaving House floor speeches unexamined. This study aims to analyze all 2,059 congressional floor speeches offered by the ten current Blue Dog Coalition members from the 116th through the 119th Congresses (2019-2025). It employs comparative content analysis alongside thematic analysis to capture both the frequency of religious language and the contexts in which it appears. Preliminary findings reveal that Blue Dog Democrats explicitly appeal to faith during commemorations of retiring or deceased constituents and colleagues, as well as when honoring mass casualty events. “God talk” – implicit, coded religious language – was found in references to community stewardship, heritage, and the value of “neighbors” in civic life. Blue Dog Democrats primarily deploy religious rhetoric during moments of change and loss, rather than in policy debates, suggesting a “Blue Dog Bark” focused on the virtue of associational life rather than partisan identity.

Hi there. My name is Drew Kolber, and today I’m so excited to share my research: Blue Dog bark: God Talk and Religious Cues by centrist Democrats. So what is God talk, and who are the Blue Dogs? So in the 1994 midterms, Republicans gained 54 seats in the house and eight seats in the Senate. It was the first GOP House Majority since 1952 and democratic moderates responded. Founding members of this caucus viewed the results of this election as a rejection of the Democratic Party moving too far left. And so in 1995 the coalition formed with 23 members and advocated fiscal responsibility, centrist values like pragmatism and really a dedication to the financial stability and national security of the country. Today, there’s 10 members of the Blue Dog caucus with a real local turn. There’s been a shift back to an emphasis on the specific values and needs the constituencies that these representatives represent. They focus on values like the right to repair, not taking money from corporate PACs and sometimes break party lines while holding to their espoused values, focusing on a place based politics, as opposed to a national one. What’s God talk? God talk is implicit, coded religious cues embedded in political communication, coded, particularly historically, for evangelical voters, without alerting out group members, is built on GOP operative David quo’s investigation in the 1980s into this strategy by conservative politicians to imbue subtle biblical references and hymn phrases and value statements which appeared innocuous to general audiences but really resonated with religious voters. And so this coded language relied on the receiver to infer political attachments. And as I shared, the predominant focus has been on the GOP and this evangelical constituency, but I feel that it’s obscured an important research gap, which is, how do Democratic politicians employ similar strategies? So these members of the Buddha coalition represent constituencies with many split ticket voters, people who elected Democrats locally while voting Republican in the national election, and this previous research was focusing on conservative political communication, and it didn’t look at the way that Democratic politicians were speaking. And so my study aims to analyze all the congressional floor speeches offered by the 10 current Blue Dog coalition members from the 116 to the 119th Congress is essentially the last five years, and employs comparative content analysis and thematic analysis to capture both the frequency of religious language and the context in which it appears, and I’ll share some of my preliminary findings later. So why is this question important? Church and State didn’t end their dialog at the establishment clause in the early years of our nation, the separation provided a mutual protection of each institution in which they weren’t held accountable for the failures or successes of each other, and provided distinct support systems for our country. And there’s a long lineage of thinkers and philosophers observing this rich tradition of associational life and religion in many different sects in the US, looking at Alexa de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America and the way that the Federalist Papers discuss the role of religion in the new nation, looking to more modern thinkers, Robert Putnam shared in 2000 that there’s a noticeable decline in social trust and associational Life. He talked about the Bowling Alone and people moving from bowling leagues to individual pursuits. And while I noticed this trend too, I also saw a prevalence in the collective social imaginary, this remaining presence of religion and religious language in politics. And I have my own experience with civil society and religion, as someone active in Jewish student life and Jewish community, and I was curious, how are politicians talking about religion? So to look at this question, I first had to determine my corpus. There’s a lot of different ways to look at political communication. You can look at tweets and newsletters. I wanted a really standardized way, and so I looked to ProQuest congressional and looked at the house floor speeches offered by this set of members of this Congressional Caucus. I also did some preliminary sense making using Max QDA, particularly content analysis, which tracked the frequency and context of key terms like biblical references and expressions of civil society and associational life, as well as thematic coding, identifying and interpreting patterns and then organizing around these themes, which is a prominent method of meaning making in conflict, analysis and resolution. So what did I find? The following are the word clouds of the most frequent terminology expressed by professor. Yes, by Representative Marie bus and camperez, Representative Jerry golden, Representative Lou Korea and Representative Adam gray. Each of these are current members of the House Blue Dogs and a really good start to my understanding of the Caucus’s way of speaking and their appeal to faith, because they really have this local turn this, this focus on the constituencies that they represent and their specific values, as opposed to a nationalized politics. And you can see community pops out even in the broader word cloud, representing the primary frequencies of the whole data set, there’s an appeal to associational life when it comes to service and honor and community and neighbors. These are terms that these representatives are using another way to visualize. This is their top most frequent words in this way. So what does this mean? Though, thematically, I noticed that the Blue Dogs appealed to faith when they were honoring retired or deceased colleagues or community leaders. I noticed that they appealed to faith in the response of mass violence or tragedy in their communities when they were expressing the value of religious freedom or honoring American culture. They also really appeal to faith when discussing military service and the notion of the ultimate sacrifice for those who died while in the service, and also, there was a prevalence of biblical imagery invoked in response to a perceived moral failing of their leadership. The following are some pulled quotes representing these various themes. Jared golden in remembering victims of a shooting in Maine in 2023 offered this daily devotional. Lou Correa and remembering the community member offered a prayer, may his memory serve as an example for all seeking to lead a happy and joyful life, may his spirit rest in peace. Marie Lucent kept Perez in honoring the survivors of a horrific fire in her district, talked about the strength of unity and community and neighbors. This term neighbors is a key term that I see over and over. Additionally, in referencing the impeachment of President Trump, Lou Correa talked about this idea of a shining city upon a hill, key biblical imagery and a call to
a greater America.
And these are, this is interesting. This is not how we might think moderate Democrats would speak. Then. This is pretty explicit, and yet, there’s also some of that coded God talk too. So there’s a combination of thematics and finds a really rich starting place to try to understand why did these politicians speak that way? And that’s what’s next, in order to understand why, we first had to understand how, how are they speaking? And that was the main object of this project. And I would be grateful to continue my research, to start to understand why, when it comes to the galvanization of voter constituencies when it appeals to faith are present or not,
and the ways in which these representatives speak.
So I’m so grateful to URSP, Oscar and Dr Karen Lee, my mentor, Antti, Professor Thomas Flores for his initial shepherding of my project. Professor Djupe for his guidance and language, and also Professor John Farina for his framing about the founders and their perception of faith in politics.
Thank you so so much.

Cells, Individuals, and Community OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Eye health and phone screen time among college

Author(s): Akosua Mainoo

Mentor(s): Lawrence Cheskin, Nutrition and Food Studies

The purpose of this study is to research the correlation between phone screen time
and eye health among college students. I hypothesized students who have a longer
weekly average phone screen time durations will have an increase in negative eye
health symptoms. To assess if students with longer weekly average phone screen
time duration have an increase in negative eye health symptoms. An online survey
of 100 GMU students regarding their current eye symptoms and phone usage will
be collected. The eye health survey was partly modeled after the NIH National Eye
Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire – 25. Data collected will be analyzed in R
studio to find any correlations.. Students reported an average daily phone screen
time of 6 hours and 45 minutes, and higher screen use especially in dark or low-lit
rooms was significantly associated with increased eye symptoms such as dry, sore,
itchy, and blurred vision. Greater screen time was also linked to reduced sleep and
higher levels of doomscrolling, though sleep was not significantly correlated with
any specific eye symptoms.

N/A

College of Humanities and Social Science Making and Creating OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Fountain of Truth: Women Artists and Their Perspective on Aging.

Author(s): Silas Fransen

Mentor(s): LaNitra Berger, Department of Art History

The project is an art exhibit of women using art to share their experiences with aging. This project was greatly inspired by a paper titled, “Why Are There No Older Women in Heaven?” by Zirka Z.Filipczak. The article discusses an prevalent idea from the Renaissance and Baroque periods that chastity and virtuous women keep youthful appearances longer. This idea manifests and is kept alive through art of women saints being made young again in heaven, unlike their male counterparts. By linking a woman’s virtue to youth and beauty, age and undesirable traits become linked to sin. Older women become representatives of lust and envy. This obsession with youth and aversion of age continues into modern American culture and is kept alive through the beauty industry, Hollywood, social media and so on. The exhibit will display art by women in the NOVA area and will be displayed at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. In the art I am looking for a variety of experiences and honest depictions of what it means to age as a woman. The goal for this project is to inspire women to feel more open to talking about their own experiences with aging as well as expose the public to a variety of experiences and conflicting feelings about what it means to age as a woman.

I want to begin by thanking the OSCAR Undergraduate Research Program for the opportunity to work on this project. I also would like to thank The Hylton Performing arts center for agreeing to host the exhibit and to all the artists that have submitted their artwork. Lastly I would like to thank my mentor for this project, Dr. Berger for guiding me in this project and helping me in realizing my vision for this project.
The project I have been working on is Fountain of Truth: Women artists and their perspective on aging.
I began my research for this project with the article: “Why Are There No Older Women in Heaven?” by Zirka Z. Filipczak, this article begins by looking through depictions of the Last Judgement in Baroque art and discovering that woman saints were always depicted young, unlike the men saints. She then connects these depictions to the Renaissance, during this time there was a growing belief that a woman who retained her virginity would keep her youthful appearance. For this reason, women saints were consistently depicted as young, to contrast youth and virtue, older women in art became the personification of envy and lust.
Even today, our culture has an obsession with youthful appearances. I have seen ads for preventative botox for people as young as their early 20’s
[Methodology and results]
For this exhibit, I am looking for a variety of experiences and honest depictions of what it means to age as a woman and art that can give insight into how a person’s identity shifts due to age.
[describe results]
Currently I have 5 works of art between three artists. And I am still collecting art submissions until January 9th.
I do not want to announce any of the artists just yet… but In the artworks so far there is an overarching theme of age being something to celebrate. These artists talk about how their identity becomes less externally driven and based more in a thoughtful self reflection after rejecting how they have been told to identify.
Each of these works of art are just so beautiful and so well thought out. It’s been really really wonderful to see how each of these artists are taking my idea at the start and really turning it into their own. It’s been a really wonderful experience.
The exhibit will run for 8 weeks, February 24th to April 11th at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. It’s going to be a really wonderful experience, as I just stated and I hope to see you all there! Thank you so much, it’s been a really wonderful semester. Bye!

OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR US, Global, and Beyond Winners

Between the Nile and the silk Road: Rethinking global health for certain needs and Chinese traditional healing

Author(s): Hadil Ali

Mentor(s): Peiyu Yang, Department of Modern & Classical Languages

Traditional medicine continues to serve as a primary form of healthcare for millions of people worldwide, particularly in the Global South. In Sudan, traditional medicine encompasses herbal remedies, spiritual healing, and community-based practitioners whose knowledge is deeply embedded in cultural, religious, and historical contexts. Similarly, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) represents a highly systematized non-Western medical tradition grounded in holistic diagnostic frameworks and extensive herbal pharmacology.
This project investigates the historical and cultural intersections between Sudanese traditional medicine and TCM, with particular attention to educational exchange, medical diplomacy, and informal knowledge circulation between Sudan and China during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Drawing on Sudanese ethnomedical literature, TCM scholarship, World Health Organization policy documents, and studies of China–Africa medical cooperation, this research examines shared herbal practices, concepts of illness, and approaches to holistic care. The analysis is further informed by informal conversations with Sudanese and Chinese doctors and herbal practitioners, grounding the literature in lived experience.
Findings suggest that while both systems emphasize balance, harmony, and culturally embedded healing, they differ significantly in institutional power and global recognition. Whereas TCM benefits from extensive state support and international visibility, Sudanese traditional medicine remains under-documented despite its widespread use. By centering South–South medical exchange, this project challenges Western-centric narratives in global health and highlights the importance of recognizing indigenous healing systems in the development of culturally responsive health policies.

Hello, my name is Hadil Ali, and I’m a student in the Department of Biology at George Mason University.
My research project is titled “Between the Nile and the Silk Road: Rethinking Global Health through Sudanese and Chinese Traditional Healing.”
This project was completed under the mentorship of Professor Peiyu Yang.
This research explores how two long-standing non-Western medical traditions—Sudanese traditional medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine—intersect through history, education, and cultural exchange.
Slide 2 – Background
Traditional medicine remains one of the most widely used forms of healthcare worldwide, especially in the Global South.
In Sudan, traditional medicine includes herbal remedies, spiritual healing, and community-based practitioners whose practices are rooted in ancient Nile Valley civilizations and Islamic traditions. These methods are not viewed as alternatives to medicine, but as trusted and culturally grounded healthcare systems.
Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, developed into a highly structured medical system centered on holistic diagnosis, herbal pharmacology, and balance within the body. Today, TCM also plays a role in China’s global health diplomacy, particularly in Africa.
Despite extensive research on each system individually, little attention has been given to how Sudanese and Chinese traditional medical systems may have interacted through education and medical exchange.
Slide 3 – Research Question
This gap in scholarship led to my core research question:
How did Sudanese and Chinese traditional medical systems interact through educational and cultural exchange, and what does this interaction reveal about non-Western approaches to global health?
Rather than framing Sudan as a passive recipient of medical aid, this project explores how medical knowledge circulated between two non-Western traditions through lived exchange.
Slide 4 – Methods
This project uses a qualitative, document-analysis approach.
I reviewed literature on Sudanese traditional medicine, including studies of herbal pharmacology, spiritual healing practices, and the social roles of local healers.
I also analyzed scholarship on Traditional Chinese Medicine, focusing on its diagnostic frameworks and theoretical foundations.
In addition, I analyzed research on China–Africa medical cooperation, including medical aid programs, educational exchanges, and policy documents from the World Health Organization.
This work was complemented by informal conversations with Sudanese and Chinese doctors and herbal practitioners, which helped ground the academic literature in real-world practice and contemporary experience.
Using a comparative framework, I examined shared herbs, health beliefs, and diagnostic logics across both systems.
Slide 5 – Key Findings
Several key themes emerged from this research.
First, there is significant overlap in herbal practice, including the shared use of herbs such as ginger, galangal, gum arabic, and senna. These herbs are commonly used to address digestive, respiratory, and inflammatory conditions.
Second, both traditions emphasize holistic concepts of health, where illness is understood as an imbalance involving physical, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions.
Third, there is a clear imbalance in visibility and institutional support. Traditional Chinese Medicine benefits from state backing, formal education systems, and global recognition, while Sudanese traditional medicine remains under-documented and marginalized in academic and policy discourse.
Finally, the literature reveals a notable absence of grassroots perspectives from Sudanese healers and Chinese students, leaving many lived experiences unrecorded.
Slide 6 – Why This Matters
This research challenges Western-centered models of global health that privilege biomedical knowledge while sidelining indigenous healing systems.
By focusing on Sudan–China exchange, this project highlights South–South medical interaction and the ways healing knowledge circulates outside dominant Western frameworks.
Recognizing traditional medicine as legitimate and culturally meaningful has implications for global health policy, medical education, and patient care—especially in culturally diverse settings.
Slide 7 – Conclusion and Acknowledgements
In conclusion, Sudanese and Chinese traditional medicine share overlapping herbal knowledge and holistic approaches shaped by centuries of cultural exchange, trade, and diplomacy. Yet the contributions of Sudanese traditional medicine remain largely undocumented in global health narratives.
Future work will expand this project through oral histories and digital storytelling to better capture these underrepresented perspectives.
I would like to thank Professor Peiyu Yang, George Mason University, and the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program for supporting this research.
Thank you for listening.

OSCAR US, Global, and Beyond

Mapping Sino-Arab Solidarity: Cultural Exchange and Decolonization, 1949–1969

Author(s): Reel Eltayeb

Mentor(s): Peiyu Yang, Department of Modern & Classical Languages

https://youtu.be/

Title: Mapping Sino-Arab Solidarity: Cultural Exchange and Decolonization, 1949–1969
Abstract:
This project explores the cultural and political dimensions of Sino-Arab solidarity from 1949 to
1969, a period marked by global decolonization and shifting alliances. While most existing
scholarship focuses on China’s contemporary role in the Middle East, this research highlights
earlier connections through literature, journalism, and cultural diplomacy. Drawing on
multilingual sources in Arabic, English, and Chinese, the project examines how state and popular
voices represented solidarity across political, literary, and visual media.
Using a digital humanities approach, I am building an interactive ARCGIS story map that
visualizes key exchanges between Arab and Chinese intellectuals, writers, and leaders. The
methodology includes archival research at the Library of Congress, OCR text recognition, and
text mining (RegEX) to identify recurring themes such as nationalism, gender, and postcolonial
identity. Each archival entry is annotated and linked with historical metadata to show how
narratives of solidarity evolved across regions.
This project not only reconsiders Cold War history from a South–South perspective but also
combines technology and humanities to make these narratives accessible to a wider audience. It
reflects my broader interest in connecting cybersecurity, digital tools, and global history to better
understand how technology shapes the way we preserve and share transnational memory.

College of Science OSCAR US, Global, and Beyond

What Makes Dark Matter Halos Dark

Author(s): Omar Aljebrin

Mentor(s): Ferah Munshi, Physics and Astronomy

H

We investigate the factors that determine whether dark matter halos form galaxies using the Marvel-ous Dwarfs and DC Justice League zoom-in simulations. By analyzing halo occupation fractions, mass accretion histories, halo concentrations, and gas properties, we find that halo mass alone is insufficient to explain why some halos remain dark. Luminous halos grow faster, achieve higher concentrations, and retain dense, cool gas, enabling star formation. Dark halos grow more slowly, remain less concentrated, and have lower gas densities and higher gas temperatures, preventing efficient cooling after reionization and leaving them dark. These results highlight the interplay between dark matter dynamics and baryonic physics in shaping galaxy formation, demonstrating that mass growth, halo concentration, and gas content collectively determine whether a halo hosts a galaxy.

17:37:02 Hello, everyone. Today, I’ll be talking to you about what makes some dark matter halos dark.
17:37:07 So, first of all, what is dark matter? Dark matter is like any other matter, but…
17:37:13 It’s invisible, it cannot interact with normal matter that we see and touch,
17:37:18 Like, it can’t bump into it, or you can’t feel it.
17:37:23 Um,
17:37:25 And it only interacts through gravity.
17:37:28 So, it can only pull things
17:37:30 using gravity.
17:37:32 And…
17:37:34 Dark Matter Halos is just a clump of dark matter that has collected together.
17:37:40 And from now on, I’ll just call it Halos.
17:37:46 And these halos is…
17:37:48 is the environment where galaxies are made.
17:37:52 But… sometimes galaxies aren’t made.
17:37:56 In those halos, and those are called dark halos. Dark Halos. And for the ones…
17:38:02 that galaxies do form in, those are called luminous halos.
17:38:06 So, the goal of my research is to figure out
17:38:09 what leads to these halos?
17:38:12 not forming any galaxies? What properties, what events?
17:38:17 created? Like, why…
17:38:19 Do these halos have galaxies, and these don’t?
17:38:23 And…
17:38:25 my method to look at… to do that is using, um…
17:38:30 large cosmological simulations.
17:38:34 simulations, uh, that are called
17:38:36 marvelous dwarfs and DCGL.
17:38:39 DCJL standing for DC Justice League.
17:38:46 These were made by…
17:38:49 Dr. Munshi and her colleagues.
17:38:52 Um…
17:38:54 using the simulation, it provided various datas about dark matter halos, their properties,
17:39:01 And I was able to utilize this data to track certain, um,
17:39:07 patterns of dark matter halos.
17:39:10 So, for my first plot,
17:39:12 I’ve calculated the halo occupation fraction versus the maximum
17:39:19 mass, a halo has ever had.
17:39:21 So the Halo occupation fraction is basically saying, okay, for this amount of halos,
17:39:26 Um, how many of them are luminous divided by the total
17:39:30 amount of, um, halos.
17:39:33 And from what you see is…
17:39:34 From the right end… from the right end, from the large end of the mass.
17:39:41 It’s 100%, one, at the top, and then…
17:39:46 Uh, some of… they… they begin to decrease.
17:39:50 And the decrease is gradual, but…
17:39:52 you’ll see that all these simulations have different…
17:39:56 point of mass where that halo occupation decreases.
17:40:00 Which tells us that because their masses
17:40:04 vary for that critical point. That means that halo mass, or halo peak mass, isn’t enough to tell us.
17:40:10 About why some dark… some…
17:40:13 halos don’t form galaxies.
17:40:17 So then, uh, I look at the mass assembly history of the halos, how fast they gain mass.
17:40:24 And what I find that luminous halos
17:40:27 were… or the one that made Galaxies gain mass really fast. Faster than dark halos.
17:40:33 And, of course, the Dark Hills.
17:40:35 didn’t gain mass as fast.
17:40:37 Which could explain why
17:40:40 Dark Halos are… don’t make any galaxies, because they couldn’t accumulate…

Cells, Individuals, and Community College of Humanities and Social Science College of Science Honors College OSCAR Winners

Women’s Perception of Safety as Demonstrated in Tiktok Trend Man Vs Bear

Author(s): Devyn Wilson

Mentor(s): Collin Hawley, Honors College

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Stemming from the 2024 TikTok trend asking women if they would rather be stuck in a forest with a man or bear, this study seeks to answer what the internal discourse of women is when choosing a man over a bear, in order to assess their values and perceptions of safety. Early research on this subject focused on crime statistics and victimization rates. As feminist theory developed, researchers began to explore broader contexts, including public spaces, urban design, and societal norms that influence women’s feelings of safety. This transition showcased that women’s safety perceptions are often shaped by societal norms, cultural narratives, and lived experiences. However, this proposed research question explores how women assess and investigate the intersection of physical, emotional, and social aspects of safety. To explore the decision-making process of women, mixed methods including, Critical Technocultural Discourse analysis of social media posts (Brock, 2016), bear attack statistics, crime analysis, and survey analysis of women in the DMV area will be used. Critical Technocultural discourse analysis used to analyze social media discourse to find what women are saying regarding their perceived safety in either scenario, a man or a bear appearing. Bear attack analysis and crime analysis can compare the relative risk of damage if a bear or man appears. Surveys of women in the DMV area allow for a conversational component in which women will be able to express safety in their setting. The findings contribute to broader conversations around safety, risk assessment, trust, and gender in contemporary society.

Imagine walking on a trail much like this one. While walking you hear leaves rustling, would you whether the rustling be due to a man or a bear. This question was presented to TikTok users in 2024. What was supposed to be a quick, simple, easy-to-flow trend turned into discussions about women’s safety and how they perceived the world around them. It has been a little over a year since this question first appeared, allowing many people to answer it. But what does this question demonstrate about women’s perceptions of safety? What does this question demonstrate about the perceptions of safety of women. What kind of improvement and conclusions can we draw from this trend to make women feel safer. Furthermore, the project wanted to explore the intersections of social media and outlook on safety.

Academic conversations have yet to cover these discussions. Early research on women’s perception of safety focused on crime statistics and victimization rights. As feminist theory developed, researchers began to explore broader contexts, including public spaces, urban design, and societal norms that influence women’s feelings of safety. Furthermore, safety is grouped into other discussions including MeToo, Not all men, LGBTQ+, and family disputes, among others. While these papers provide context to safety, they fail to capture the true fears and realities of women, in their everyday life. The shift from victimization rates to broader contexts marked the understanding that women’s safety perceptions are shaped by societal norms, cultural narratives, and lived experiences. Despite this shift, academic papers have yet to capture the nuanced discourse of women in everyday life. This disconnect raises important questions about whose experiences are prioritized in academic discourse — and why moments like the “man or bear” debate remain outside scholarly engagement. This project seeks to highlight the internal dialogue of women set upon by this trend Man Vs Bear, exploring how women assess and investigate the intersection of physical, emotional, and social aspects of safety.

This semester primarily focused on IRB approval and gathering survey responses.

Before examining the responses, it’s important to note the inclusion criteria. Respondents had to be women or nonbinary, between 18 and 25 years old, and currently attending a university or college in the DMV area. A total of 70 participants met this criteria.

When asked whether they would rather be in a forest with a man or a bear, responses were as shown in the graph:

Most participants felt confident in their choice. Those who were uncertain said they wanted more context—such as the type of bear, the exact setting, or the man’s behavior—because these factors would meaningfully shape their decision.

Since the purpose of the study was to understand why participants made this choice, the explanations are central to the findings. Common themes included:

Fear of men: This appeared on both sides. Many respondents felt they could more easily predict a bear’s behavior compared to a man’s intentions. Participants mentioned strategies for avoiding bear attacks or managing the situation, while expressing concern about men having hidden motives or personal gains. Several respondents noted that some potential outcomes with men—such as assault, or not being believed afterward—felt “worse than death.”

Some pointed out that they see men every day and have survived those encounters, implying that men may not be as dangerous as perceived. Others emphasized that bear attacks are statistically less common than violent crimes committed by men.

Later questions provided broader context for these choices: 93% of respondents felt that women are conditioned to be more alert or afraid in public spaces than men. No one said “no.” 80% reported they have pretended to talk on the phone, changed direction, or taken defensive actions when encountering an unknown man in a quiet area. These behaviors highlight the role of social conditioning and hypervigilance in shaping perceived safety.

Across responses, control emerged as a major influence. Participants expressed more fear of threats whose motives could be hidden—such as a man who appears helpful but becomes dangerous.

Many respondents also said they would trust their instincts over statistics, suggesting that cultural narratives and personal experience strongly shape safety judgments. For some, choosing the bear aligns with worst-case-scenario thinking, especially for those who stated that certain outcomes with men would be worse than death.

Respondents tended to classify their fear of bears as primarily rational—based on a known, identifiable physical threat.

Fear of men, however, was described as both rational and emotional, rooted not only in real statistics but also in lived experience, cultural conditioning, and emotional memory.

indicating that fear is shaped by:

lived experience,

repeated warnings,

cultural narratives, and

observed stories of harm.

The data shows that young women and nonbinary students interpret safety through a blend of emotion, lived experience, social conditioning, and perceived controllability. The surprising preference for being with a bear over a man is not about the bear itself—it is a reflection of deep concerns about male unpredictability, cultural warnings, and threats to autonomy.

The bear becomes a stand-in for a danger they feel they can understand, while men represent dangers they feel they cannot read or control.

Looking into the coming months, Critical Technocultural Discourse analysis, bear attack statistics, and crime analysis will be put into conversation with the survey results. Together, they will uncover more about perceptions of safety and where gaps can be filled through societal shifts. Ultimately, my work contributes to a broader conversation: how gender, safety, and culture shape the way we move through the world.
The “man or bear” question may sound simple — even silly — but it reminds us that women’s fears are not irrational. They are reflections of real, lived experiences in a world that too often asks them to be cautious — even in the forest.

Cells, Individuals, and Community OSCAR

Cholinergic tone and microglial dynamics in aging

Author(s): Sajud Aladhab Aladhab

Mentor(s): Nadine Kabbani, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN)

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Microglia are the resident immune cells of the CNS involved in the regulation of synaptic development and function through neuroimmune signaling. Microglia express receptors for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh), which is known to directly impact their inflammatory activity. Changes in ACh levels occurring during aging may contribute to neurodegenerative disease. We hypothesize age-related changes in ACh transmission and microglia number in the primate brain. Specifically, we predict interaction between ACh and microglia within the dentate gyrus (DG), a region critical for learning and neurogenesis. Using high-resolution images of brain sections of the DG from Macaca mulatta (Macaques), we quantified changes in ACh and microglia expression based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and ionized-calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA1) immunolabeling, respectively. We conducted analysis across DG subregions: granule cell layer, GCL; Hilus, Hil; inner molecular layer, IML; outer molecular layer, OML. Our results indicate an effect of age on AChE and microglial marker expression suggesting a role for cholinergic neuroimmune modulation in memory decline.

Hi, my name is Sajud Aladhab and I’m a senior at George Mason University majoring in neuroscience and my projects on cholinergic tone and microglia dynamics in aging. So some background about my project. My project focuses primarily on the hippocampus which is a region in the brain located in this area and the hippocampus is essential for learning and memory and is one of the first regions affected by aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. As humans age, acetylcholine signaling declines which causes a weakening of synaptic plasticity as well as connection between neurons. As this occurs, it has been seen that microglia the brain immune cells become more active which causes an increase in neuroinflammation. This may be due to microglia containing acetylcholine receptors such as alpha 7 which allow acetylcholine to directly influence their activation and inflammatory state. So some context about my project. So my project uses two key markers in the hippocampus. The first being IBA1 which is this lighter stain here and that labels microglia, the brain immune cells and acetylcholinesterase which is cholinergic marker which is this dark stain here and it determines where acetylcholinesterase which is an enzyme breaks down acetylcholine. The region that I chose to parcellate and quantify in the hippocampus was the dentate gyrus. The reason as to why I chose this region in particular is because it’s crucial for memory encoding as well as being extremely sensitive to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. So my hypothesis and goals. So my goals are to compare the dentate gyrus across infancy, adulthood, and aging to see how cholinergic and microglia signalings change over the lifespan and to track cholinergic changes across the macaque ages and to determine whether or not there’s a correlation with microgilla density. And my hypothesis is as aging occurs, it should produce a significant change in acetylcholinesterase and microgilla density and the patterns should suggest an interaction between cholinergic tone and microglia activity in the dentate gyrus.

So methods and how my project was done. So my project included the use of macaque hippocampal sections which were stained for AChE and IBA1. The dentate gyrus was then parcellated into its sub regions which included the granule cellular layer, the hilus, the inner molecular layer and the outer molecular layer. ImageJ and QuPath paths were then used for thresholding, normalization and quantification of the marker intensities for AChE and IBA1 across their ages respectively.

So my results so in the IBA1 stain across ages there seemed to be fluctuations which suggested microglia remodeling in early development and then a drop in density in aging in the aged groups. In the hilus there seemed to be variable microglial levels throughout the whole lifespan which reflected how dynamic this region was and in the molecular layer it seemed to be stable throughout which suggested that microgilla had low structural or immunity demands here. In AChE across aging the granule cellular layer, the hilus and the outer molecular layer had similar results where cholinergic tone slowly rose during development and peaked in adulthood and then dropped to lower levels in the aged groups. In the inner molecular layer it was a bit different where there wasn’t any early developmental significance but it did peak in adulthood like right here and once again it dropped in cholinergic tone when it when it reached the aged groups. So implications and what this means so in development AChE increased across the entire dentate gyrus while microglia changes were subregional specific like in the granule cellular layer and in the hilus. In aging AChE declines were in aged groups and correlated to microgilla declines mainly in the granule cellular layer. Overall, these different aging patterns suggested interacting changes that may contribute to dentate gyrus vulnerability and memory decline. And I would like to acknowledge the OSCAR undergraduate research program at George Mason University for funding this project.

Cells, Individuals, and Community OSCAR

Repurposing Ivermectin to Halt Lung Cancer Cell Migration

S

Author(s): Alaika Sridhar

Mentor(s): Geraldine Grant, College of Science

Ivermectin, a novel antiparasitic, has recently emerged as a candidate with unexpected anti-cancer properties. Some studies report that ivermectin suppresses tumor cell proliferation and migration by regulating signaling pathways linked to cytoskeletal remodeling and disease progression. Lung adenocarcinoma, represented by the A549 cell line, remains difficult to treat due to its capacity for invasion, therapeutic resistance, and poor long-term outcomes. This project investigates whether ivermectin can reduce A549 cell migration through modulation of α-SMA associated contractility and related pathway activity. The proposed methodology includes scratch assays to quantify changes in motility following treatment, and molecular analyses to evaluate shifts in expression of migration-linked markers. These findings aim to clarify ivermectin’s mechanistic impact on lung cancer cell movement and offer insight into its potential relevance as a repurposed therapeutic strategy for limiting tumor progression.

My name is Alaika Sridhar, and today I’m going to be talking about my project exploring the effect of ivermectin on A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells.

For context, A549 cells are a non–small cell lung cancer line, a clinically significant cancer type known for its aggressive behavior, high metastatic potential, and resistance to conventional therapies. Because of these challenges, identifying affordable and accessible agents that can reduce cell migration or proliferation is extremely important.

Although ivermectin is well-known as an antiparasitic drug, emerging studies show that it can inhibit proliferation across several tumor types by regulating key signaling pathways. This has generated growing interest in repurposing ivermectin as an anticancer agent.
However, its effects on A549 cells, particularly through cytoskeletal and migration-related pathways, are still not well understood. That gap is what this project aims to address.

Hypothesis

I hypothesize that ivermectin will inhibit pro-migratory pathways in A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells, specifically through modulation of the TGF-β1 / α-smooth muscle actin signaling pathway, ultimately reducing motility. The primary marker I’ll be examining is α-SMA, which is tied to cell movement and cytoskeletal remodeling.

Methods Overview

Due to delays in obtaining materials, this project was not fully completed during the semester, but the proposed methodology is as follows:

Toxicity Testing
A549 cells will be treated with increasing concentrations of ivermectin to determine a non-lethal dose, one that affects motility without compromising viability. This ensures observed effects reflect pathway regulation rather than cell death.

Scratch Assay
A wound will be introduced into a confluent monolayer of cells, followed by ivermectin treatment. I will measure rate of gap closure to assess whether cell migration is slowed.

qPCR Analysis
Gene expression of α-SMA and other motility-associated markers will be quantified. Reduced expression would suggest suppression of cytoskeletal pathways.

Western Blot
Protein abundance will be assessed to determine whether transcriptional changes translate to functional protein-level alterations.

Data Analysis
Imaging and quantification will be performed using ImageJ, followed by Tukey’s post-hoc statistical testing to determine significance.

Significance and Future Directions

A549 cells represent an aggressive cancer subtype that remains difficult to treat.
If ivermectin reduces their migration, it may offer a promising low-cost avenue to limit metastasis which is one of the leading causes of mortality in lung cancer.

Once I complete the experiment, I plan to:

• explore additional pathway targets,
• investigate time dependent responses, and
• extend findings into in vivo models.

This work contributes to growing interest in drug repurposing, which offers inexpensive and accessible strategies to improve cancer treatment.

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank the OSCAR Office at George Mason University for funding this research and Dr. Geraldine Grant and everyone in the Grant Lab for their support and guidance.

Thank you.

Cells, Individuals, and Community College of Humanities and Social Science OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Elementary School Gifted Program Identification and Secondary School Academic Outcomes for Black Students

Author(s): Ezra Lynch-Holland

Mentor(s): Adam Winsler, Psychology

Gifted children show high potential to achieve but need specialized services to develop their capabilities. Black students specifically have been persistently under-identified as gifted and the efficacy of gifted programs for Black children is unknown. This psychology honors thesis will explore the impact of gifted identification on secondary school outcomes (6th through 12th grade) with data from the Miami School Readiness Project, a longitudinal study of students that attended Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Research questions include (1A) To what extent does being identified as gifted in elementary school contribute to secondary school academic outcomes for Black students?, (1B) Are positive effects mediated by elementary school academic performance?, and (2) Are the observed differences between gifted and not gifted Black students in secondary school the same for students in poverty vs. not in poverty, and for boys vs. girls?
The sample for this study includes Black students that had data for at least one year of high school (n ≈11,198). Of the sample, ~13% were identified as gifted in elementary school. Outcome data include cumulative high school GPA, standardized math and reading test scores in 8th and 10th grade, grade retention, attendance from 9th and 12th grade, school suspension, and on-time graduation. Multiple regression and logistic regression analyses will be done, controlling for initial child cognitive skills and social skills at age 4, gender, English language learner (ELL) status, poverty status, and early school performance. Results are expected to show gifted identification to be correlated with positive secondary school outcomes when compared to non-gifted students. It is expected that gifted education will show stronger positive effects for students in poverty and for boys.

Hello, my name is Ezra Lynch-Holland, and my Oscar URSP project is entitled, Elementary School Gifted Program Identification and Secondary School Academic Outcomes for Black Students. This project was done under the mentorship of Dr. Adam Winsler.
Federally, gifted children are those that display high potential for success intellectually, creatively, in a leadership capacity, or in a specific discipline. The federal government also acknowledges they need services not ordinarily provided by the school to develop these capabilities, and requires identification of gifted children. School districts tend to disproportionately over-identify students with higher socioeconomic statuses and under-identify those in poverty. When it comes to race, Black students are persistently under-identified nationally, even when they make up larger parts of the district’s population.
Black students’ education is particularly impacted by their relationships, where positive ones can act as a strong buffer against negative experiences. However, gifted Black students face isolation in gifted spaces from their non-gifted Black… and from their non-gifted Black peers, with T’s and being common in the latter. Microaggressions from both other students and teachers are present in gifted spaces in the form of underestimating their intellectual ability or belittling their interest in Black history and topics.
Black and Hispanic students tend to spend less time in gifted programs, and the improvements giftedness typically has on academic achievement are somewhat diminished in Black comparisons. Even so, it has been shown that the self-esteem of gifted Black students benefits more from gifted programs than their non-Black peers.
This study will derive from the Miami School Readiness Project dataset, or MSRP. It was a cohort sequential longitudinal study where data was collected from 2002 to 2020. Students included in the study are those that received subsidies for community-based childcare or public school pre-K, and then went on to attend Miami-Dade County Public Schools. In the larger study, the total number of students included that have data for at least one year between grades 6 and 11 is 32,885. 82% are on free and reduced lunch, and 52% are male. This study seeks to investigate if being gifted has positive academic impacts through secondary school by controlling for prior achievement and cognitive skills using school… administrative school data.
To be included in the study, a student will have had to be present for at least 8th grade and identify as Black in administrative school data. Bicep sample from the MSRP consists of 11,198 students that identified as Black, including Afro-Latina students. Around 13% of them were identified as gifted according to administrative school data. Outcomes that will be analyzed include cumulative high school GPA, standardized test scores in 8th and 10th grade, and school attendance, as well as grade retention, school suspension, and on-time graduation. Multiple regressions will be used for continuous outcomes and logistic regressions for categorical outcomes.
My research question 1A is to what extent does being gifted identified in elementary school contributes to secondary school academic outcomes and school engagement for Black students. I hypothesize that being identified as gifted in elementary school will be correlated with greater academic achievement and engagement outcomes when compared to non-gifted students.
My 1B question asks if positive effects are mediated by school, elementary school academic performance. My hypothesis is that after considering elementary school performance, being identified as gifted in elementary school will still have a higher correlation with those greater academic achievement and engagement outcomes. These mediators will be matched with their resultant outcomes for the regression models.
The research question 2 asks if the observed differences between gifted and not gifted students in secondary school are the same on the basis of poverty status and gender, as well as English language learner status. I hypothesize that boys, those in poverty, and those that aren’t English language learners will benefit more from gifts programs than their counterparts. And here are my references. Thank you.

College of Visual and Performing Arts Making and Creating OSCAR

I’m 43 and I Still Live with My Mom

Author(s): Shahroze Malik

Mentor(s): Gail White, CVPA

This is our guiding question: Does the life of a man who knows nothing but pain and suffering hold more value than the life of a man who has known nothing but ease and bliss? Is there some vindication, some earned respect, some power or insight into the life spent in hardship over the life spent in clemency? Or is nature completely indifferent to whoever gets to live happily ever after and who gets to suffer? Does anyone even care if you lived a hard life? Can the man dying alone find contentment through all his struggles knowing the man in the room next to him has been given all the money, good looks, and talents at birth, and has his family by his side? What did the lonely man do to deserve this constant strife and what did the happy man do to deserve coddled love and blessings?

When one searches up on YouTube: “I’m 43 and I Still Live with My Mom,” thousands of search results come through of men and women voicing their struggles in their childhood bedrooms, feeling trapped in an endless cycle of self-loathing. There are so many men and women out there in the farthest corners of the internet feeling desperately behind, alone, and unwanted. These are videos of men and women who feel they can’t get ahead in life. These are people who have never won an award, never had a girlfriend/boyfriend, and never been complimented for any reason. I’m 43 and I Still Live with My Mom creates a mirror of empathy through an animated documentary, inspired from the testimonies of these people from their YouTube videos.

00:00:00:05 – 00:00:01:22
Hey, guys. My name is Rose Malik.

00:00:01:22 – 00:00:06:04
I’m working on an animated short
film funded by Oscar and it is titled.

00:00:06:04 – 00:00:09:04
I’m 43 and I still live with my mom.

00:00:09:06 – 00:00:11:09
Now, right off the bat,
you can already kind of

00:00:11:09 – 00:00:15:09
get an idea that this isn’t
the run of the mill, innocent,

00:00:15:18 – 00:00:20:02
cute, affectionate type of short film,
like probably done by a Pixar short.

00:00:20:03 – 00:00:23:05
No, this is a dark short film,

00:00:23:05 – 00:00:26:05
and it tackles really heavy subjects.

00:00:26:10 – 00:00:30:06
Now, when you search up this title, I’m 43
and I still live with my mom.

00:00:30:06 – 00:00:34:20
On YouTube, on Instagram, on TikTok,
on any video sharing service out there,

00:00:35:15 – 00:00:38:15
you will find a boatload of men and women,

00:00:39:05 – 00:00:43:02
a sea of people feeling desperately alone
all the way

00:00:43:02 – 00:00:47:15
from any corner of the internet,
uploading stories of their lives, rants

00:00:47:15 – 00:00:51:12
from their lives, talking
to anyone out there who’s willing to

00:00:51:12 – 00:00:56:07
listen about their conditions, about why
they feel so desperately behind in life.

00:00:56:07 – 00:00:57:03
Right.

00:00:57:03 – 00:01:00:22
So there’s like a serious this guy saying,
I likely die alone and angry.

00:01:01:03 – 00:01:04:02
This lady is saying 32 years old,
unemployed, single, living,

00:01:04:04 – 00:01:05:14
living with my parents.

00:01:05:14 – 00:01:07:16
This this guy is saying 35 years old.

00:01:07:16 – 00:01:10:16
Failed life over, over emotional
and socially anxious.

00:01:10:22 – 00:01:12:09
I’m 31 and have no friends.

00:01:12:09 – 00:01:14:10
I’m 23 and never had a girlfriend.

00:01:14:10 – 00:01:16:12
It’s not your fault
you’re falling behind in life.

00:01:16:12 – 00:01:18:20
I’m a 38 year old introvert
with no friends.

00:01:18:20 – 00:01:22:04
I’m 38 and most of society
would probably consider me as a failure.

00:01:22:16 – 00:01:26:01
Millions of people on this
on the internet,

00:01:26:07 – 00:01:30:09
talking and ranting,
decompressing to a camera

00:01:30:19 – 00:01:33:21
about all the all
the problems in their life that make them

00:01:33:21 – 00:01:36:21
feel worthless,
that make them feel like they’re losers.

00:01:37:05 – 00:01:37:20
Right?

00:01:37:20 – 00:01:43:11
And this person right here being ugly,
my experience has over 25 million views,

00:01:43:11 – 00:01:47:11
and it’s a cornerstone
about this type of experience

00:01:47:15 – 00:01:49:20
where people feel like
they don’t meet the standards

00:01:49:20 – 00:01:52:20
of what it takes to feel loved
or what it takes to feel valued.

00:01:52:22 – 00:01:55:16
And so they’re feeling so
alone and so behind, right.

00:01:56:21 – 00:01:57:10
As a part of

00:01:57:10 – 00:02:01:04
my research for Oscar,
I have watched all of these videos.

00:02:01:04 – 00:02:06:04
I have watched over 200, over 200 videos
and three things.

00:02:06:16 – 00:02:09:16
Three themes are mentioned by each
and every individual,

00:02:10:04 – 00:02:12:03
and that is the genetic lottery.

00:02:12:03 – 00:02:14:15
Most of these people feel horrendously
ugly.

00:02:14:15 – 00:02:17:21
They feel like
they’ve lost the gifts at birth.

00:02:18:23 – 00:02:21:23
The gifts that make you attractive, that,

00:02:22:03 – 00:02:25:16
make you feel, you know, valued
and romantic relationships.

00:02:25:16 – 00:02:28:09
They feel like they’ve lost this lottery,
right?

00:02:28:09 – 00:02:32:08
Another thing is that they feel completely
and totally isolated.

00:02:32:17 – 00:02:34:01
They feel very alone.

00:02:34:01 – 00:02:35:17
They have no friends to talk to.

00:02:35:17 – 00:02:39:00
This, to talk to about this,
no family that they can trust.

00:02:39:05 – 00:02:42:08
So they turn to YouTube
to express their darkest,

00:02:42:08 – 00:02:47:00
most vulnerable parts of themselves,
and they find almost more relief

00:02:47:11 – 00:02:51:04
and having strangers support them
than their own friends and family.

00:02:51:23 – 00:02:55:19
And the last thing is, they all, all of
these people feel like they’re outcasts.

00:02:56:05 – 00:02:59:06
All these, these were not the popular boys
and girls at school.

00:02:59:13 – 00:03:03:07
These people were not valued because
of their looks, because of their talents.

00:03:03:12 – 00:03:06:11
They were relatively ignored
pretty much all their lives.

00:03:06:11 – 00:03:08:06
And they’ve always felt like there

00:03:08:06 – 00:03:11:01
they were different,
that there was something wrong about them.

00:03:11:01 – 00:03:13:20
And they had no shelter.
They had no people.

00:03:13:20 – 00:03:16:00
They had no tribe to go to. Right?

00:03:17:08 – 00:03:17:23
So our

00:03:17:23 – 00:03:20:23
our short film tackles all of these themes

00:03:21:20 – 00:03:24:19
and what it is in a synopsis,
in a sentence.

00:03:24:23 – 00:03:27:18
Our short film
is this and his last attempt

00:03:27:18 – 00:03:30:22
to feel loved, a hopeless romantic builds

00:03:30:22 – 00:03:34:19
a life size wind up doll to dance with
for the rest of his nights.

00:03:35:07 – 00:03:37:06
And that’s the project we are pursuing.

00:03:37:06 – 00:03:41:06
That’s what we’re animating in 3D
animation based on original 2D

00:03:41:06 – 00:03:42:06
concept art.

00:03:42:06 – 00:03:45:06
And that’s what we’re going to do
for this project.

00:03:45:07 – 00:03:49:00
Over the past few months,
I’ve worked on creating a Polish script

00:03:49:02 – 00:03:53:13
for this short film, and we have tested
the script at various writing classes

00:03:53:13 – 00:03:56:14
at George Mason University and writing
groups at George Mason University.

00:03:57:05 – 00:04:03:01
From the script,
we have created a series of original rough

00:04:03:01 – 00:04:06:16
concept art, and it starts off

00:04:07:00 – 00:04:11:11
very rough with various rough drawings
trying to, execute the idea,

00:04:11:21 – 00:04:14:22
trying to get a sense of the character,
trying to get a feel

00:04:14:22 – 00:04:18:21
for all the moods
and themes of of the short film.

00:04:19:00 – 00:04:25:01
And then from this rough concept art,
we have created final, beautiful,

00:04:25:05 – 00:04:28:11
gorgeous
sketches for our final short film,

00:04:28:11 – 00:04:32:04
and we are going to take these sketches
and animate them in 3D.

00:04:32:14 – 00:04:37:20
Now, as you can imagine, all of this work,
this is three months of original,

00:04:38:01 – 00:04:41:01
hard human talent at work.

00:04:41:02 – 00:04:45:00
No AI is used in any of these designs
in any of these drawings.

00:04:45:00 – 00:04:49:13
This is all original ideas
at full display,

00:04:50:05 – 00:04:54:14
and we are proud of all the ideas
of all the conclusions that we’ve reached

00:04:54:14 – 00:04:58:22
from the script in order
to start production in the 3D side.

College of Humanities and Social Science OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR US, Global, and Beyond

When No Response is a Response: Predicting Survey Non-Compliance in Isolated, Confined, Extreme Analog Space Missions

Author(s): Amber Bartlett

Mentor(s): Lauren Kuykendall, Psychology

Long-duration space exploration will place small, interdependent teams in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments, where they will face risks including communication delays, high autonomy, increased workload, team tension, and intense stress. All of these risks require research studies aimed at mitigating them, many of which take place at analog space stations. However, these analog missions, which aim to study human behavior in ICE settings, suffer from chronic survey noncompliance, which threatens data integrity and reduces the accuracy of crew monitoring. This project examines which individual characteristics predict who completes research surveys during missions at the Mars Desert Research Station, a Mars-analog habitat in Utah. Before their missions, crew members completed questionnaires assessing personality (with a focus on conscientiousness), their identification with their team, their cultural values (especially collectivism, or putting the group before oneself), and their difficulties with emotion regulation. During the mission, they were asked to complete brief daily and weekly surveys. For each person, I will calculate survey compliance as the percentage of assigned surveys completed, and I will use regression models to test whether conscientiousness, emotion regulation, team identification, and collectivism predict higher compliance. I will also test whether collectivism strengthens the link between team identification and survey completion, such that highly collectivistic crew members who strongly identify with their team are especially likely to respond. I expect that crew members who are more conscientious, better at managing their emotions, more strongly identified with their team, and more collectivistic will show higher survey compliance. The work integrates literature on ICE stressors, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), survey methodology, and individual differences to generate actionable recommendations for designing analog-station research protocols and for operational monitoring in deep-space missions.

Hi, my name is Amber Bartlett. I’m an honors psychology student at George Mason University. My project is called “When No Response Is a Response, predicting survey non-compliance in isolated, confined, extreme, analog space missions”

My mentor is Dr. Lauren Kuykendall in the Industrial Organizational Psychology Department. So what is the big picture of my project? Long duration missions to Mars and to the moon will place very small crews into what we called isolated, confined, extreme, or ICE environments. These missions will involve tight living quarters, high workloads, autonomy, communication delays, and one of the tools we can use to track how these people are doing is through self-report surveys.

But the issue with doing research on ICE teams is the fact that the sample sizes are incredibly small, so when people skip surveys, we lose statistical power and increase the risk of error in our findings, and missingness is often not random. The people who stop answering might be the ones who are most stressed out, which means that things can be biased. So this leads to my core question, can we predict who complies with surveys before a mission? If we can identify likely non-responders ahead of time, then we can actually anticipate, model, and design around that.

So this project is a part of a collaboration between the University of Central Florida, where we’ll be using UCF’s IO Psychology PhD student Andres Käosaar’s data set from the Mars Desert Research Station. So MDRS is a Mars analog habitat where small crews simulate living on Mars. They’ll be conducting EVAs, conserving resources, and living in a confined environment.

And for this project, I will be using the data set that includes 99 individuals, 16 crew members, and a total of 761 habitat days. Most of the missions had teams of about six to eight members, and participation in Andres’ study was completely voluntary. Now because it was voluntary, I treat filling out these surveys as a type of organizational censorship behavior, and this is when people are doing small extra things at work that help their team organization, because doing his research survey was completely just to help his research.

So to understand why some people keep doing this extra work and why others don’t, I focus on four key constructs from the literature. So that’s including conscientiousness, emotional regulation difficulties, team identification, and collectivism within someone’s culture. So the knowledge gap is that analog space research already acknowledges chronic survey non-compliance and missingness.

However, individual level predictors or survey compliance and ICE teams remains undermodeled. We don’t have a clear guidance on what type of people are most likely to disappear from the data set, so my project is designed to help close that gap. So within this data set, participants completed pre-mission surveys which included measures such as conscientiousness, emotional regulation difficulties, team identification, and collectivism.

So during the mission, they received daily and weekly self-report surveys about their experience and well-being, and my main outcome is survey compliance, so this is defined as the percentage of assigned surveys each person completes over the mission. So based on this, I have five different hypotheses. First is higher conscientiousness will predict greater survey compliance.

Second, better emotional regulation will predict greater survey compliance. Stronger collectivism, stronger team identification, and collectivism moderates team ID compliance. All of this, I’m going to assume it will increase greater survey compliance.

Now with OSCAR’s help, I was able to visit MDRS in person, and these photos here show the habitat. It shows the people that I was with out there, and it really helped me understand what it’s like to be living in one of these space analog stations. So my next step is to run descriptive analysis on all of the hypotheses that I just showed you, and so that will be what I’m doing next semester.

The expected implications is that if my hypotheses are supported, this work suggests that voluntary survey compliance in ICE analogs is not random. It’s a predictable citizenship-like behavior rooted in personality, emotional regulation, and how people relate to their teams and groups. So this has several implications such as pre-mission screening, low burden monitoring, and then just identifying patterns of non-response, but also if my hypotheses are not supported, it means we should be looking somewhere else other than the OCB literature, which right now is where the main source of research is coming from when it comes to non-response and surveys.

So I want to thank my mentor, Dr. Lauren Kuykendall, Andres Käosaar, Dr. Seth Kaplan, Dr. Brielmaier, my psychology honors cohort, the MDRS director, and of course OSCAR URSP. If you would like a link to all of my resources that I’ve used, here’s a QR code for that. Thank you so much for listening.