Category: Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) – OSCAR

Who are Insider Reconcilers? A Qualitative Investigation of Local Peacebuilders Engaged in International Reconciliation Processes

Author(s): Hannah Adamson

Mentor(s): Nicholas Sherwood, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Formal reconciliation processes often struggle to meet their aims due to a lack of ownership by the communities they seek to support. Insider reconcilers are individuals working to bring people together after violence has occurred who have connection to one or more parties in conflict and continue to live in the context following formal processes. While these individuals have a unique capacity to foster positive change through their deeper understanding of the conflict and existing trust built within the community, they face significant risks, notably being overlooked or disempowered by formal peace processes. Existing literature has explored insider-partials as a larger category, however, to date, no studies have directly connected with insider reconcilers to understand their experiences, insights, and challenges. To overcome this gap, I expanded an ongoing study I am involved in with the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation to connect with insider reconcilers to better understand this positionality in context of practitioner wellbeing and international reconciliation practice. Throughout this summer I a) conducted and transcribed three interviews, b) developed two participant profiles to highlight experiences and lessons learned on an online learning platform, c) critically reflected on personal travel, notably a fieldwork visit shadowing the Sami reconciliation process in Finland, and d) developed a policy brief offering recommendations on how policymakers and organizations can best support insider reconcilers. Some key lessons through this process include the need for trust-building prior to and within reconciliation processes and the need to offer support for insider reconcilers—especially technically, financially, and psychologically. In working to understand insider reconcilers, peacebuilding processes will be better able to champion insider reconcilers and their initiatives.

Keywords: reconciliation; peacebuilding; insider reconciler; insider partial

To better understand insider reconcilers, I had four key deliverables for my research. First to identify and interview three insider reconcilers and transcribe these conversations for further data analysis. Two, to develop participant profiles on insider reconcilers to highlight their experiences for an online learning platform. Three, to reflect on my travel over the past six months and put it in context of reconciliation practice and four, to develop a policy brief offering recommendations on how policymakers and organizations can better support insider reconcilers. I will now be diving into each of these deliverables in a little bit more detail.
During this summer I interviewed three participants, two virtually and one in-person. These interviews are semi-structured with a series of questions dedicated to three main sections. First their understanding of reconciliation, second their experiences of insider reconciliation, and finally wellbeing in reconciliation practice. After conducting these interviews, I completed transcriptions, touching-up auto-transcriptions generated by zoom and then formatting these transcriptions for data analysis.
Next, I developed two profiles of insider reconcilers which summarize their work, insights, and perspectives. These written profiles discuss key points identified in the interviews and include quotes from the insiders themselves. These profiles will be published on a public website primarily used by reconciliation scholars and practitioners to better inform peacebuilding practice and you can see below a quote from one of our insiders who speaks to the importance of breaking circles of violence through forgiveness and peaceful coexistence.
To compliment my research, I critically reflected upon my travel over the last six months. During the Spring Semester I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain and was able to visit nine other countries reflected in the map to the right. This experience allowed me to build cross cultural understanding which is critical to research and international reconciliation practice.
In May, I traveled to Northern Finland to shadow my mentor, Antti Pentikäinen, who leads the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation, as he worked with the Sami Indigenous community. During this time I had the opportunity to meet with community leaders involved in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning Sami People and the Sami Psychosocial Support Unit. I was also able to interview two of my participants and visit relevant sites such as the Sami Parliament and Sidda Museum and Nature Center in which documents Sami heritage and culture.
Some key reflections on reconciliation processes following this visit include the necessity of evaluating and building trust for reconciliation processes to be successful, the importance of not oversimplifying a conflict context, a need to create a comprehensive processes for diverse stakeholders, needing to develop psychosocial support mechanisms, such as mental health resources and psychotherapy, tailored to the context to support both practitioners and stakeholders, and finally the potential of a hybridized positionality that bridges outsiders and insiders through a “distant insider” or “trusted outsider” positionality.
Finally, to implement the lessons learned from my research, analysis, and travel reflections, I am leading the creation of a policy brief offering recommendations to policy makers on how to best support insider reconcilers. While still in development with two of my colleagues at the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation, this document proposed the following preliminary recommendations. First, identifying insider reconcilers and building peer support networks. Second, financially committing to insider reconcilers and their initiatives. Third, integrating trauma healing mechanisms in reconciliation practice and finally, fully funding training for insider reconcilers.
Before I wrap up, I would like to thank OSCAR for this unique opportunity to pursue action-oriented research. Thank my mentor, Nicholas Sherwood, thank Antti Pentikäinen for allowing me to shadow him in Finland, and for insider reconcilers sharing their insights with me, and for all of my peers for their support. Following this summer program, I will continue interviewing insider reconcilers with the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation’s Transformation and Reconciliation Lab to develop official findings and offer actionable support mechanisms.
If you would like to learn more about this topic, I offer the following list of references. Thank you so much for listening and I hope together we can transition this from research to action!

College of Humanities and Social Science College of Science Summer Team Impact Project Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Building Capacity for Indigenous Mapping & Data Sovereignty: In collaboration with the Chickahominy Indian Tribe and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe

Author(s): James Condo, Adam Edwards, Domi Hannon, Sara Jefferson, Brian Jimenez, Paloma Jimenez, Maiya Justice, Guadelupe Meza-Negrete, Jasmine Okidi, Patricia Troup

Mentor(s): Jeremy Campbell, Institute for Sustainable Earth; Tom Wood, School of Integrative Studies

The Indigenous Environmental Mapping and Resilience Planning Project has worked over the summer with two of the federally recognized Native American tribes of Virginia, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe. As mentioned in our first abstract, Western academia has participated in an exploitative, extractive relationship with Indigenous tribes. Our project challenges the structures of settler society by aligning our research objectives with goals and values provided by the Chickahominy and Upper Mattaponi. These objectives include building tribal capacity in mapping and data sovereignty to help inform tribal environmental decision making. Honoring Indigenous knowledge is key to our project’s overall goal of Indigenizing academia, including honoring Indigenous data sovereignty. Thus not all aspects or results of our project are shown in this video, in accordance with the wishes of the Chickahominy and Upper Mattaponi. Project deliverables include a GIS training workshop for Chickahominy tribal environmental managers, a preliminary GIS database of Chickahominy and Upper Mattaponi tribal land and bioculturally significant sites, a visualization of landscape change within Upper Mattaponi tribal lands, a literature review on Indigenous data sovereignty, and a preliminary data analysis of demographic and environmental questions from the Upper Mattaponi Tribal Wellness survey

[Two undergraduate researchers stand against a white wall, and assorted photos and video from Chickahominy and Upper Mattaponi fieldwork]
Maiya: Our project, the Indigenous Environmental Mapping and Resilience Planning Project, has been working over the summer with two of the federally recognized Native American tribes of Virginia – the Chickahominy and Upper Mattaponi Indian Nation. Our work with these two tribes has been to establish environmental data baselines, using specific guidelines given to us by the tribe’s environmental offices.
Paloma: As we’ve mentioned in our previous video, maintaining tribal sovereignty over their respective data and knowledge is key to our work. This video will focus primarily on Indigenous Data Sovereignty, the GIS Map training and work we’ve been conducting over the summer, and our time with the Upper Mattaponi Indian tribe.

[Footage and images from the Upper Mattaponi PowWow interspersed with images and footage from Upper Mattaponi lands as well as GIS footage]
James: Indigenous data are defined as any piece of information that impacts Indigenous people as a group or as individuals, Indigenous lives, Indigenous cultures, and Indigenous languages (NCEAS, 2021). For example, Indigenous data may include environmental data such as geospatial or watershed information, data regarding Indigenous nations as a polity, and data about individuals such as demographic or epidemiological data (ibid.). Indigenous data are especially relevant regarding Indigenous sciences that leave further room for subjectivity and qualitative data, as well as the dissemination of Indigenous knowledge through oral histories. Sovereignty is broadly understood as rights of self-determination and self-governance without outside interference. In the context of sovereign Indigenous nations, Indigenous Data Sovereignty refers to Indigenous ownership and control of data, rather than data being owned by an outside university or government. Indigenous Data Sovereignty is critically important to enabling Indigenous environmental stewardship, collective knowledge ownership, and non-extractive data collection (NCEAS, 2021). There are many methods through which Indigenous leaders and collaborating researchers have worked to ensure long-term Indigenous data sovereignty and governance of information about Indigenous lives. Our project this summer has worked to establish and maintain IDS by deferring to leadership for the Upper Mattaponi and Chickahominy tribes in regards to data that is confidential. This has involved flexibility with internal use and delivery of data in which control lies in the hands of tribal leadership. While our team has worked to collect data, tribal leaders are able to govern the data that is relevant to the lifeways of tribal citizens.

[Footage of the Chickahominy GIS training session interspersed images and footage from Upper Mattaponi fieldwork and GIS footage]

Adam: Using GIS can be difficult to use, because GIS software has many capabilities and numerous ways to navigate the many menu options. GIS is Important to learn, because so much data today has a spatial component, and spatial problem-solving can be used in nearly every field. GIS is an important tool for analyzing important issues facing the earth today. For the GIS training with the Chickahominy Tribal members, ArcGIS Pro was used. ArcGIS Pro is a GIS software that allows you to access, explore, visualize, create maps, and analyze data geospatially. The most enjoyable part of the GIS training is showing how maps can be used to explain spatial relationships.

[Leigh stands in front of a wooded ponded area interspersed with GIS time series analysis]
Leigh: My name is Leigh Mitchell. I’m the environmental and cultural protection director with the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe, citizen of the Cherokee Nation. It is up to the tribe, uh, themselves to to lead, um, lead a project in a way where again their control and their use of their identity is up up to them, um, to describe, disseminate, research, um, look into, um, so while an individual tribal citizen can, um, of course you know interact and create data and kind of the the tribal sovereignty aspect is a whole new layer, um, that’s really important. Like I said kinda every step of the way we are considering,um, you know are we putting information at risk are we ensuring that, um, the information we want to be out there is out there are we sharing too much, um, how do we keep, um, internal knowledge internal, um, so when looking at environmental restoration I can I can say you know this is a sacred site or um or I can say there’s a sacred relative or a species there that is important, um, but any more you know that’s really up to the tribe to say what they want to say, um.

[Footage from the Upper Mattaponi PowWow]

Sara: At the beginning of the summer, some of our members had the chance to attend Upper Mattaponi’s yearly powwow, which had not been held since 2019. Here are some of the team members pictured with Upper Mattaponi Chief Frank Adams, enjoying the Powwow.

[Footage of Upper Mattaponi lands interspersed with footage and photos of some of the team meeting with Upper Mattaponi members]

Domi: While we weren’t able to conduct a wildlife survey in a similar vein to the one done on Chickahominy lands, we were able to meet with Leigh Mitchell, Environmental and Cultural Protection Director of the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe, and Reggie Tupponce, Tribal Administrator of the Upper Mattaponi. We were able to view some of the Upper Mattaponi lands, as well as the environmental risks in the area, such as a kitty litter factor and extensive sand and gravel operations. Some of our members worked on doing a preliminary data analysis using data from a Tribal Wellness Survey conducted by the tribe in 2021; data from this survey contains valuable insights into Tribal Members’ observations regarding the increased intensity of storms and droughts in the region. Our team has also partnered with Upper Mattaponi on important mapping projects, including the documentation of recently reacquired tribal properties using ArcGIS and Google Maps. Some of the featured data that we’ve developed include images of landscape and watershed change over time, as well as changes in air quality from 1998-2020. We’ve worked with Tribal Members and administrators to integrate this information into an accessible and secure database that can inform tribal decision-making for years to come.

[Three undergraduate researchers stand against a white background, interspersed with footage from Chickahominy fieldwork]

Domi: The work we’ve been doing this summer is a part of efforts to decolonize our work here at George Mason. What we’re doing isn’t about controlling research objectives, data, or access to data, but capacity building with Native tribes of Virginia to assist them in managing their own lands and cultures.
Guadelupe: We hope you’ve gained an understanding on valuing Indigenous Sovereignty and knowledge in academia and building and maintaining a reciprocal, additive relationship with Native peoples across Turtle Island and the world.
Patti: The relationships we’ve been building with the tribes are just as important as the data we’ve been working on. We would love to expand our work to other tribes in the Chesapeake Bay area, and that this sets the foundation for future work between George Mason and the Native folk whose land we continue to occupy.

[Thanks and credits set against PowWow footage as well as team photos and footage of both Chickahominy and Upper Mattaponi lands as music from the Upper Mattaponi PowWow plays]

College of Engineering and Computing College of Public Health Summer Team Impact Project Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Personalized Intervention Using Personalized VR Recovery Rooms and Avatars

Author(s): Omar Alsuhaibani, Taylor Dinh, Elizabeth Kwari, Sara Razavi

Mentor(s): Nathalia Peixoto, Bioengineering

This project focuses on creating a personalized virtual reality (VR) safe space and avatar for individuals that are recovering from substance use disorder. HTC Vive (VR headset), Unity (Game engine), VRoid (Avatar assembly and characterization), and Blender (3D-design software) are used to create the VR safe space and avatar. The HTC Vive is calibrated and linked to Unity, and eye tracking scripts are implemented in Unity. To test the effectiveness of the VR safe space and avatar, an E4 is connected to the computer and to Unity to record the heartbeat in real-time. The heartbeat is then translated into the avatar’s animation using VRoid to simulate the emotion during particular heart rates as an indication of stress, anger, or fear.

(Slide 1)
Hello we are one of the groups taking part in the STIP program for the summer of 2022. The topic of our group’s project focused on creating a personalized VR recovery room and avatar for individuals that are recovering from substance use disorder (SUD).

(Slide 2)
And this brings us to our group’s overall goal statement, a reiteration of what was previously stated. Our group wanted to create a personalized VR safe space and avatar for individuals recovering from substance-use disorder.

(Slide 3)
The reason we decided to do more research pertaining to the topic of VR and personalized intervention has to do with the various forms of literature that are in support of VR technology as a useful method for recovery therapy.

For example, there was one study where VR was used on patients & healthcare providers in COVID-19 rehabilitation units. They found that VR helped them to cope with the isolation and loneliness they felt while quarantining during the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Another example can be seen when patients in mental health care faculties used VR technology. It helped individuals that experienced high levels of stress reduce their stress levels and maintain a calmer attitude in their daily life.

Finally, in a study that was conducted on drug abusers in a drug rehabilitation center in China, researchers found that after VR treatment, the participant’s craving for drugs was severely reduced.

For this reason, our group felt that looking more into and trying to personalize VR safe spaces and avatars would be a viable and useful method to assist individuals recovering from substance use disorder.

(Slide 4)
The design of this project was created in a temporary manner by using HTC Vive, Unity, and Blender for the development of the personalized recovery room.

(Slide 5)
Hi, my name is Taylor Dinh, I was the programmer on this project. The video you can see here is a recording of the viewport and project windows within Unity. I programmed in Unity, a game engine which runs off of C#, in order to create a VR room that can be viewed and interacted with through the HTC Vive and controllers. Our original intention was to make a therapeutic room where people with substance use disorder could go into the room and see an avatar that would mimic their heart rate using the animation controller and an Empatica. Unfortunately, we could not get this to work, however, we did make a VR room that the participant can interact with.

(Slide 6)
For the Empatica set-up, E4 streaming desktop app was used in order to keep track of the real time data streaming from the device attached to the participant using a bluetooth dongle connected to the computer
The BLE github code to connect Unity to the E4 was used in order to attempt to connect the two so that the player could see their metrics in real time

(Slide 7)
In terms of the personalized avatar, our team had initially started constructing the avatar using Blender. However, it proved to be much more challenging than what had initially been expected. While it is a viable solution, it would take time and a lot of effort to construct a model personalized to an individual’s preference.
Instead, our group looked into personalizing avatars using VRoid. This method proved to be much easier in terms of personalizing the avatar compared to building it from scratch in Blender. Creating the avatar proved to be a lot easier in VRoid as it includes several type of customizable features and can be easily imported into Blender and then Unity which is very helpful. If you are interested in learned more about creating your own personalized avatar and importing it into Blender, you can check out the full version of this video on our teams website.

(Slide 8)
In conclusion, the VR personalized intervention room and avatar that this paper has attempted to develop went successfully in building a minimal demonstration of the capabilities VR technology can have. The VR personalized intervention room model developed here integrates highly important aspects, such as head tracking and eye-tracking, to ensure that the user focuses on the intractable objects around them. In addition, the model developed had the ability to present generic soothing images in an act to calm down the users.
The purpose of this paper was to demonstrate an inexpensive method to develop a personalized recovery room and avatar with the use of VR based on heart rate.
The results were relatively similar where the personalized recovery room was able to become developed, albeit not personalized to particular users and their needs. However, the results prove that the ability to develop personalized recovery rooms that implement important personal variables (such as the users’ dogs, family homes, or family pictures) is a lot more difficult and requires a lot more time by trained professionals.

College of Engineering and Computing Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Prolonging the Rapid Antidepressant Effect of Ketamine

Author(s): Andrew Ramirez

Mentor(s): Nathalia Peixoto, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a debilitating psychological disorder characterized by symptoms such as low mood and fatigue. Although there are a variety of treatments for MDD, many of them are either ineffective or have a delayed effect. Ketamine, a drug, is commonly used as an anesthetic, but it can also be used as an antidepressant. What makes ketamine different than other treatments for MDD is that it is usually more effect, and the antidepressant effect works in a few hours instead of weeks or months. Many downsides, such as a transient antidepressant effect, make it inaccessible to many patients. The purpose of this project is to investigate a way to extend the antidepressant effect of ketamine by looking at the relationship between it and cortisol concentration, the chemical associated with stress. The hypothesis is that a higher stress level will extend the antidepressant effect since people can gain resilience after overcoming difficult experiences. A computer simulation was made to estimate how neuron firing rates, which is how depression is measured in this project, vary before and after applying ketamine under five different cortisol levels. The simulation results will be compared to the experimental results to see how well the simulation predicts neuron firing rates. Learning more about ketamine as an antidepressant is vital to making it accessible to more patients and to develop better treatments for MDD.

Transcript:

Hi, I’m Andrew and my project is called prolonging the rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine

So lets jump right into it

Depression is a psychological disorder characterized by symptoms such as difficulty concentrating and low self-esteem

Although many medications for depression exist, many of them are either ineffective or have a delayed effect

Ketamine, a drug, is commonly used as an anesthetic, but it can also be used as an antidepressant

What makes it better than other medications for depression is that it is more effective and works in a matter of hours instead of weeks or months

The downsides are that the antidepressant effect typically lasts only a few days, it has harsh side effects, and it has the potential to be abused which makes it inaccessible to many patients

Much research has been done on understanding how ketamine produces its rapid antidepressant effect, but not much has been done on extending it

The purpose of this project is to establish the relationship between the antidepressant effect of ketamine and cortisol concentration, the chemical responsible for stress

The hypothesis is that a higher stress level could lead to a longer antidepressant effect since people can gain resilience after overcoming difficult experiences

In this project, depression will be represented by a decrease in the number of hippocampus neurons spiking, or turning on, since patients with depression typically have low neuronal activity in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory

After applying ketamine, we would expect to see an increase in the number of neurons spiking since antidepressants can increase neuronal activity in the hippocampus for a period of time until the firing rate returns to baseline

This project consists of three parts, but because of many problems some parts were not able to be completed in time

(thinking) Just another thing I can’t do right

But I will talk about the model and simulation I developed to predict how different cortisol levels affect the duration of the increased neural spiking caused by ketamine

So for this project there is a grid with two types of neurons: a “normal” neuron that will spike at a normal rate with a resting potential of – 70 millivolts and a “depressed” neuron which will spike less often with a resting potential of – 90 millivolts. If the resting membrane potential reaches –55 millivolts, the neuron will spike. Otherwise, it will not.

Alongside this, ketamine will also be on a grid where it is administered in the center

As time passes, it will diffuse outward from the center until it’s completely gone

Ketamine will help the depressed neurons fire more while the normal neurons will be unaffected

Hi again. I thought we’d take a field trip to show how we can measure neuron firing rates in the lab

We can use one of these micro electrode arrays

We can plate hippocampus neurons on these, stimulate them with this machine, and the micro electrodes will be able to detect neurons spiking

Now, in order to simulate depression, a chemical called carbenoxolone will be applied to the experimental groups since it is known to cause neurons to fire less like that in depression

After that, ketamine, alongside one of five different concentrations of cortisol, will be applied to each dish in the experimental group

We’ll then record the neuronal activity for an additional two days

That’s the first part of this project

The second part has to do with this

This colorful image was produced using immunofluorescence, a lab technique used to image neurons

It will be performed on a group of neurons to see how ketamine affects dendrite length and number which are these branches

These are the two parts of the project that were not able to be completed in time due to complications, but they will be completed soon

(thinking) This project was a failure and this presentation isn’t going well either

Now that we have covered all of that, let’s get back to the simulation

In the actual experiment, the only variable that will change is cortisol concentration. In the simulation, alongside cortisol concentration, grid size, the drug dose and diffusion rate, and the level of depression, represented by what percentage of neurons on the neuron grid are normal or depressed can be changed

Also, since neurons spiking is somewhat random, there is an element of randomness

Let’s do the simulation with a 15 by 15 grid where 80% of neurons are depressed and 20% are normal with a 75 milligram dose diffusing at a rate of 6 micrometer squared per second starting with the lowest cortisol concentration.

We’ll see how the firing rate looks like before the drug is applied

It looks likes there are about 20 spikes at each time point

Now, let’s apply the drug

We see a sharp increase in the neuron firing rate which is expected since ketamine works fast with a max of around 60 spikes.

After that, we see a general decline back to baseline

One of the advantages of this simulation is that we can change the parameters to see how the firing rate changes

If we increase the dose to 150 milligrams, the effect lasts longer since there’s more ketamine available

If we increase the diffusion rate to 12 micrometer squared per second, the effect is shorter since ketamine is removed faster

If we increase cortisol concentration to the highest level, the effect is also longer which is the hypothesis for this project

We can also change the number of doses

If we give a patient a 75 milligram dose every 3 days, the simulation graph looks like this

It looks like the effect lasts longer with each additional dose.

This result agrees with the literature that with each additional dose of ketamine, the antidepressant effect is usually more effective

Now going back to one dose, we can use the simulation to develop a model equation depending on the cortisol concentration.

After collecting the experimental data, we want to compare how well the model fits it. We only get four data points from each microelectrode array and we need more to compare them so we can use interpolation to generate more data points like this

Now we can overlay the model and data graphs for that specific cortisol concentration and calculate S the standard error of the regression value which will tell us how well the model fits the data

For this sample data and model, we get an S value of 8 which means that on average the model and data differ by about 8 spikes

And now, the last part of this simulation has to do with efficacy and toxicity of ketamine and we’ll be looking at two variables: dose and diffusion rate

Starting with dose, too small of a dose will have no effect and a large dose will be more effective

However, like any drug, there is also toxicity we must consider which follows the same general pattern

Similar curves can be produced for the diffusion rate. A lower diffusion rate will be more effective and toxic, and a high diffusion rate will have little effect and toxicity

We want to find the dose and diffusion rate that maximizes efficacy and minimizes toxicity

Thus, we want to find the maximum of this net benefit equation shown on this graph. However, since many optimization algorithms are designed to find a minimum, we’ll have to flip this graph and find the minimum

From the graph, we can see the minimum occurs at a dose of 89.4 milligrams and a diffusion rate of 7.7 micrometer squared per second and if the graph is flipped back, we would see that this dose and diffusion rate maximizes net benefit

And that’s all for my project

But before I go, I want to address one final thing

Throughout this presentation, you have heard some of my depressive thoughts that I’ve had in the past

I’d be lying if I said that I still didn’t have them especially during this project

Is that a bad thing?

I don’t think so

It just reminds me of what I’m working towards and just in case I forget, I always carry this id badge with me

It represents three things: the past filled with many enduring hardships, the present filled with its ups and downs, and the future filled with unlimited opportunity

So, what’s next? The same thing that’s always next. I’m going to keep learning more and working hard so that I can work towards developing better treatments for depression

(thinking) Yeah, this project was a success and the presentation went well. I’m proud of it

College of Science Summer Team Impact Project Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Music and Emotions

Author(s): Omar Ahmed Alsuhaibani, Pamela Benitez, Cynthia Love

Mentor(s): Nathalia Peixoto, Bioengineering

https://youtu.be/oK0Bic28M-k

This study explored the efficacy of computer-generated music in comparison to human-composed (commercial) music among students and examined how music tempo and style related to changes in physiological signals such as heart rate and EEG signals from the brain. Participants were 6 students ranging from ages 15 to 22 years old, both male and female. During the time of testing, participants were given ten six-minute tests: one as a baseline reading of physiological signals, three tests involving commercial or human-generated music of varying tempos, and 6 tests involving the computer-generated music at different speeds and styles. Results suggested that computer-composed music is (a) positively correlated with a change in physiological signals, (b) more effective than human-composed music, and lastly that music tempo had a (c) positive correlation with gamma and beta brain waves. Results are discussed in terms of implications for students’ changes in heart rate and EEG/brain wave activity.

Hello, we are one of the groups taking part in the STIP program for the summer of 2022.
Our group consists of three members that worked on this research project over the summer. My name is Cynthia Love, serving as the project manager. I am also working alongside Omar Alsuhaibani and Pamela Benitez. The purpose of our group’s project was to explore how different styles, sources, and speeds of music affect physiological signals such as EEG signals from the brain or heart rate.
Some real life applications are to gain the ability to measure emotions, something that has not yet been easily quantifiable. Another application is to optimize an up and coming field of therapy known as music therapy, especially for those with auditory triggers. While music therapy has grown in popularity for its ability to effectively reduce feelings of anxiety and stress, it was unknown if computer-generated music was as effective as music composed by humans. This was another research question we had in mind during our experiments.
Our group hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between music tempo and beta and gamma brain waves. We hypothesized that fast music would enhance beta and gamma brain waves, while slow music would suppress them. Our last hypothesis is that computer-generated music would be less effective at influencing physiological signals.
Materials – The equipment used for our experiments is listed on the screen. The muse headband was used to take EEG brainwaves, while the empatica wristband was used to record heart rate. The mind monitor app allowed us to process the raw EEG data gathered from the experiments. The E4 connect software was used to process the heart rate data. The Interamusi Software is where we derived most of our music from. It is a website that composes custom music and allows it to be played on a loop.
Testing – this is the type of software that we used for each data processing. The one on the left is the empatica real-time app, which was used to process heart rate data. The app on the right is the mind monitor app, which was used to process EEG data.
Methods – For this experiment, we first started with a baseline test. In this portion, participants were instructed to sit in an empty room, with their eyes closed. Lights were turned off in the room to prevent any electrical interference with the equipment used. The Muse 2 headband was placed onto the participant, as well as the E4 on the participant’s wrist. Both devices were turned on and captured the participant’s readings for 6 minutes. The next portion involved the music tests. Participants listened to each of the 9 computer-generated songs for 6 minutes each. These songs were split into two categories, computer-generated classic music, and computer-generated modern music. There were then three subcategories, known as calm, stimulus, and focused. The order in which the music was played was randomized for every single participant.
For each stimulus, the Muse 2 headband and E4 were activated at the start of each 6-minute trial. Each six-minute session was recorded through the Mind Monitor app and labeled correspondingly to the stimuli played.
For the baseline test, the four different channels both dropped leading to a decrease in Power Spectral Density with no brainwaves appearing for delta from 0.5 to 3 Hz and theta frequencies from 3 Hz to 8 Hz. This confirms the accuracy of the results interpreted as delta waves are generated from the deepest form of meditation and dreamless sleep, while theta waves are generated from learning and intuition and can be thought of as generated from beyond a conscious level. We can see an increase in activity from 8-12 Hz which indicates that there is minimal alpha waves activity occurring. Alpha waves are the present resting state of the brain where wave presence indicates relaxation and mental coordination. Frequencies of 12 Hz to 32 Hz are considered beta waves which are indicators of normal brain activity such as having our eyes open and processing information on our surroundings. In regards to our baseline testing, there are some beta waves present in the different channels which can indicate that the test subject was processing the experiment and the environment during testing. The highest activity present in the baseline testing were gamma waves. Gamma waves occur at 32 Hz and above and are considered the fastest waves out of all the aforementioned waves. Gamma waves are associated, and mainly occur, with high levels of thought and focus when conscious. In this baseline test, there were high spikes of gamma waves which indicate most likely that the subject was focused on staying still and clear headed.
With an overlook of the slow commercial music channel spectra, we can see that there is much more activity in PSD and rise in waves for different frequencies. During 3 – 8 Hz, there is no noteworthy activity for theta waves from all channels. This indicates that there was little to no learning or intuitive activity beyond a conscious level during the listening to slow commercial music test. In the 8 – 12 Hz range, there is minimal activity for alpha waves for all channels. This indicates that there was minimal mental coordination and relaxation during testing. For the 12 – 32 Hz frequency range, there is significantly higher PSD and waves from one channel than the others for beta waves. This could indicate that one area of the brain picked up more beta waves than the other channels, which is an indication that there was higher level of concentration on processing the environment they were in. In the 32 Hz and above range, there is significantly higher activity for all channels in regards to gamma waves. This indicates that the slow commercial music resulted in a high level of conscious thought and focus.
At a first look at the classic calm computer-generated music channel spectra, we can see that there is a higher activity in all the channels throughout the frequency range and PSD. During 3 – 8 Hz, there is little activity for theta waves from half of the channels but the PSD does start at a lower value than the commercial music test for all channels. This could indicate that there little learning or intuitive activity beyond a conscious level during the listening to classic calm computer-generated test. In the 8 – 12 Hz range, there is the activity for alpha waves for all channels with some channels slightly dropping in PSD while other channels have alpha waves forming. This indicates that there was minimal mental coordination and relaxation during testing. For the 12 – 32 Hz frequency range, there is a rise in PSD and waves from two channels for the beta waves. The two areas of the brain picked up more beta waves than the other channels.
Specifically, for one of the channels at low Beta (at 12-15 Hz) there is a slight formation of low Beta waves that remained consistent until it reached Beta (15-22 Hz) and higher activity was detected through the appearance of multiple Beta waves. The same can’t be said for the other two channels, where when it reached Beta, there was no increase of beta activity due to no waves appearing and the PSD slowly decaying. This can be interpreted that there was thinking occurring during testing with an awareness of self and focus on surroundings during Beta frequency picked up in two areas of the brain [NHAHealth]. In the 32 Hz and above frequency range, there is significantly higher PSD and wave activity for half the channels that proceeded to all channels when it reached above 50 Hz, in regards to gamma waves. This indicates that the classic calm computer-generated test resulted in a high level of conscious thinking and a high level of processing that is more consistent and organized, due to the firing rate of gamma waves, in all areas of the brain during testing.
In conclusion, this project achieved to explore the efficacy of computer-generated music in comparison to human-composed music among students and examined how different music styles and tempos can relate to changes in physiological signals such as EEG brainwave signals. The computer-generated music had a random pattern of behavior on the brain with the four areas of the brain. With the computer-generated music tests, after analyzing the data acquired, the four different channels were picking up the same signal and matching each other in regards to activity. This happened with human-composed music, as well, but not as often or frequently as during computer- generated music. This gave more solidity to the findings and the interpretation of the graphs. It proved that there was higher and stronger activity during particular frequencies picked up from all areas of the brain that can determine how strongly the subject was feeling. The purpose of this project was to examine if human-composed music and computer-generated music can have the same implications on human emotions and physiological signals. The results proved that there is a difference based on signal activity, PSD, and frequency of waves but more testing and analysis are required to reach a fully-formed opinion.

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

Ideologies of Production and the Environment: A Case Study of Local News Coverage Surrounding Enbridge Line 3

Author(s): Elizabeth Fortson

Mentor(s): Richard Stafford, Cultural Studies

Decisions about the development of societies are shaped by ideologies surrounding production, specifically in relation to the environment. As the climate changes, so does the literature examining our relationship with the world. One new idea is the Rights of Nature (RON), which grants legal personhood to a natural feature. These new frameworks necessitate deeper investigations into our current ideologies surrounding production and the environment and how they interact with alternate ideologies.
A recent and relatively well-known case of the intersection between dominant and alternate ideologies is the battle concerning the construction of Enbridge Line 3. The pipeline was opposed by the White Earth Nation (WEN), a Native American tribe indigenous to the region. The tribe grows wild rice, which was recently granted legal personhood, near the pipeline’s route. This was one of the first major examples in America of RON being used.
I conducted a systematic content analysis of a local newspaper, the Star Tribune (n>1470). I compiled articles published between 6/28/2018 – 10/31/2021 and contained the words “production”, “productivity”, or “environment”. I contextualized these articles with press releases from Enbridge and WEN. I coded these articles using NVivo with a codebook of my own design, focusing on contrasting ideologies.
There are <700 articles remaining which have not been coded. So far, the newspaper prioritizes production and growth over everything else. The environment is viewed as passive and frequently seen as something to be managed by humans. Mentions of the environment as an agent, such as through legal personhood, were rarely mentioned and the newspaper distanced itself from these views.[/expand] [expand title="Audio Transcript"]Hello my name is Elizabeth Fortson and this summer, I worked with Dr Stafford to conduct a URSP project on the ideologies of production in the environment specifically, surrounding Enbridge Line 3, as presented by a local newspaper. Our current way of life relies on very strong underlying assumptions about production and the environment and our place in it. However, these assumptions are being challenged as people are beginning to believe that we need to change in response to environmental degradation and climate change. Questions of how to develop in a world increasingly affected by climate change are coming to the forefront of many different fields. In my research, I wanted to examine these underlying assumptions and ideologies about how we conceptualize these ideas of production in the environment both individually, and in relation to one another and ourselves. A recent example of when these ideologies were made more explicit and came under more scrutiny was the controversy surrounding the construction of Enbridge Line 3, a pipeline which transports crude oil from Alberta to Lake Superior. The original pipeline was degrading and so Enbridge proposed a new route for a new pipeline. However, this came under a lot of indigenous and environmental criticism. There were a lot of legal battles surrounding it and it gained national attention. The pipeline was completed as of October 1st 2021 however there was a very long period of time where Line 3 was under a lot of national focus. Something even more interesting about this case was that it popularized the idea of Rights of Nature, in which a natural feature or crop is given legal personhood and the state is then obligated to protect it the same way that they would protect a human's rights. In this case it was Manoomin, which is a wild rice grown by the tribes indigenous to the region, and they felt that this pipeline would endanger the crops and open the waterways to pollution and this was a violation of the rights of Manoomin. Since the dominant ideologies, as well as opposing and alternate ideologies were very present and explicit during this time period, I conducted a systematic content analysis of articles from a local newspaper called the Star Tribune. I took them from within the date range where the Line 3 project was most relevant and it was concrete and it gained the most controversy and criticism and I searched using terms "environment", "production", and "productivity" and then I contextualized this database with press releases from Enbridge and the White Earth Nation from within the same time frame. I coded these articles using a code book that I designed myself, which was made specifically to focus on these contrasting ideologies. It focused on how people view nature, the different ways that people can view nature, and their relationship to it the different ways that people can view production and what production ought to do; should it ought to increase, should it decrease things like this. This is an example of an article that I coded. It has codes for the different topics, such as solar energy or pollution, for relationships such as if the state government is supporting renewable energy, and I did this for every article to about halfway through the database and I'm still working on coding the rest. So I found that the newspaper presented production as the most important thing. In most cases, production was presented as it should always grow. Anytime something was going wrong with the workers or the environment, it was an issue because productivity was suffering. The main goal was always productivity and productivity should always increase and everything else just needs to be managed to achieve this goal. Nature was seen as something passive that people needed to act on behalf of because it wasn't an agent and of itself. However, the idea of Manoomin as a legal person directly challenges this ideology, while it was still presented as being a fringe idea that the newspaper distanced itself from. There are also four main views of nature which were popularized by Jedediah Purdy who was one of the major lawyers behind the push for the Rights of Nature. This was the providential vision, which is manifest destiny, we need to work the land type of view of nature. The romantic view, which prioritizes the spiritual and aesthetic values of nature. The utilitarian view, which sees nature as a resource warehouse that we need to properly manage. An ecological view, which sees nature as a larger system in which we are a part and we need to be more connected with nature and kind of focus less on this divide between us and our way of life and nature. However, Manoomin doesn't really fit easily into any of these categories. Overall, this was a really interesting project. I really have enjoyed working on it and I'd like to thank Dr. Stafford, and I look forward to continuing to code all of the rest of the articles and seeing what I find.[/expand]

College of Science Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Assessing Habitat Preferences of Urban Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys Volans) in Washington D.C.

Author(s): Faith Kruger

Mentor(s): Travis Gallo, Environmental Science and Policy

The field of urban ecology has gained attention as urban areas increase. Cities are not often considered priorities in regard to wildlife conservation. However, many wildlife species persist, and thrive, in urban environments. Habitat usage of urban flying squirrels is poorly understood. This project used remotely triggered wildlife cameras and a suet cake bait system to detect southern flying squirrels in urban green spaces throughout the Washington D.C. area. Flying squirrels were detected in three out of twenty sample sites. Considerations for future research could be baiting higher up on trees, adding more sites, and comparing baited sites to non-baited sites.

My name is Faith Kruger, and I am a senior majoring in environmental science. This presentation today is on assessing the habitat preferences of urban southern flying squirrels in Washington D.C. According to the World Bank by 2050, the number of people living in cities worldwide will double. Cities are not often considered priorities in regard to wildlife conservation. However, many wildlife species persist, and in some cases, thrive in urban environments. While this field of urban ecology has gained increased attention more research is needed to understand habitat requirements to promote coexistence and wildlife conservation in urban areas. In Washington DC, the Department of Energy and Environment lists the southern flying squirrel as a species of greatest conservation need. Southern flying squirrels are arboreal, nocturnal mammals found throughout the eastern United States. Studies focusing on southern flying squirrels in more natural habitats are numerous. However, there are few studies that have examined populations of southern flying squirrels within urban habitats. Since flying squirrels may have different habitat needs within urban environments, specific studies on urban flying squirrels are needed for effective and economical management and conservation of the species. This summer project used remotely triggered wildlife cameras to detect southern flying squirrels in urban green spaces throughout the Washington D.C. area. Southern flying squirrels rarely appear on traditional camera setups because they rarely come down from the tree canopy to be captured on camera. Therefore, a novel bait system of suet cakes and cages attached to trees was used in attempt lure the squirrels into the targeted camera range. Cameras and bait were deployed at 20 sample sites for an average of 33 days, and sites were visited midway through to replace bait. Occupancy models were used to analyze the data collected, estimate flying squirrel distribution throughout the study area, and identify environmental parameters that may predict the presence of flying squirrels. Flying squirrels were detected at three out of the twenty sites. Covariates used were canopy height, tree cover, distance to road, human population density, and impervious surfaces After running occupancy models for each, the null model was the model with the lowest AIC and was therefore the top model, this means that variables did not add any information. This is likely due to lack of detection of flying squirrels for various reasons such as non-target animals eating bait, few sites, and possibly placement of bait. We can still interpret our null model to see what the average occupancy of flying squirrels around D.C. would be, and we get a 0.15 probability of a flying squirrel being present at a given site based on the data that we have from the summer. As mentioned, an obstacle encountered was non-target species eating the bait, even though the suet cakes were wrapped in wire mesh before being placed in the cage and being wired shut in an attempt to prevent this. It is possible that the bait actually deterred flying squirrels by constantly attracting other species, mainly racoons. Other considerations for future research could be baiting higher up on trees, where the squirrels may feel safer, and not at eye level, as well as adding more sites. This was partially a test of a novel bait system, so future questions include does baiting trees increase detection of flying squirrels? Which would be comparing baited sites to non-baited sites. Continuing to study flying squirrels will give land managers information about urban flying squirrels to guide habitat management and flying squirrel conservation. Something I enjoyed about his project was being able to be in the field and see on cameras multiple species, from turkeys to mice, that were curious about the bait. There is truly an impressive amount of wildlife in this, and all urban areas.

College of Science Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Deforestation, Land Cover Change and Economic Development.

Author(s): Ulas Qazi

Mentor(s): Edward John Oughton, Geography and Geoinformation Science

It is estimated that more than 10 million hectares of forests are lost each year, which contribute to between 12 and 20% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. It is also theorized that a relationship exists between early economic growth of a nation and degrading environmental quality, though this is expected to balance at some tipping point. The goal of this project was to understand the relationships between deforestation, land cover change and economic growth, by seeking to determine what areas of former forests are converted to, if a correlation between deforestation and economic growth exists, and whether or not land use change can be a determinant for economic change . Analysis was conducted for three years, 2005, 2010, and 2015, using publicly available data for 20 countries selected at random to represent regional and income groups, defined by the World Bank. Initial findings suggest a correlation between rising economic prosperity and expansion of Croplands and Woody Savannas, while Barren areas dwindled when grouping data by income classes. When observing the data by region, more prosperous countries tended to see regrowth of forested areas, while less prosperous nations faced grassland expansion . To truly draw a correlation between economic growth and deforestation, and land change as an economic indicator, further analysis is needed on a global scale, though this project serves as a proof of concept to be scaled up.

0:00
Hello
0:01
my name is Ulas Qazi
0:02
and this my summer research I conducted with Dr. Oughton
0:05
A spatio-temporal analysis of Deforestation
0:09
Land Cover Change and Economic Development
0:13
The key goals of the research were to:
0:15
Identify what deforested lands are converted too, and whether there is a primary type of conversion?
0:22
To Determine if there is a relationship between deforestation and economic growth.
0:27
It is often theorized that the quality of the environment degrades in early stages of economic growth/development,
0:34
though it reaches a tipping point and begins to improve
0:37
Lastly, whether or not land use change, can be an indicator for economic growth
0:44
I should mention now, that only 20 countries were studied during this period, to serve as a proof of concept,
0:49
as there is still some work to do before scaling up to a global level, but more on that later
0:55
To conduct this research, 4 sets of data were used.
0:59
Shapefiles of national and administrative boundaries,
1:02
Population
1:03
GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity
1:07
and land cover datasets.
1:10
Population and GDP data came as global coverage Tiff files
1:14
which were clipped by national boundaries, and then statistics, such as population sum
1:19
and mean gdp ppp were taken for each region within a desired nation.
1:25
The land cover dataset had a similar process though one extra step as the data came in tiles for each year covering the world.
1:32
National boundaries were compared to the bounds of rasters until an overlap was found.
1:37
Overlapping rasters were then merged and clipped to a nation, for counts of land cover type to be taken.
1:43
Results were then grouped by world bank income groups, and world bank regions in order to see if correlations existed between the variables.
1:51
Here is a description of the land cover types, feel free to pause and read over.
1:58
Results by World Bank Income Group
2:01
Every income group saw continuous growth in GDP PPP except for low income countries,
2:08
though they did have the highest percent change of any region at 43% between 2005 and 2010.
2:16
Interestingly, the extent of barren areas mimicked economic growth in low income countries, with the areas either converted to grasslands or woody savannas.
2:25
Additionally savannas, closed shrublands and evergreen broadleaf forests saw a decrease, which may suggest reliance on shrubbery and lumber (natural vegetation) for fuel.
2:35
Lower Middle Income countries saw a reduction of grasslands, though this also depended on the region.
2:41
Both Barren areas and Savanas also saw reductions while croplands rose.
2:47
Upper middle income countries had the highest rate of deforestation, as areas of evergreen broadleaf forests were lost, and woody savannas expanded
2:56
Croplands also saw expansion as grasslands reduced
2:59
This coupled with the GDP and Population increase may indicate that the countries are planning for continuous population growth, by expanding food supply, and collecting lumber for homes
3:09
High income countries had significant reductions in their two most prevalent classes Savannas and Grasslands
3:15
Savannas appear to be transformed primarily into woody savannas in Panama, while in Croatia and Portugal, the land appears to convert back and forth.
3:23
Savannas in the Netherlands continued to shrink, but further validation is needed due to the resolution error in the image, but that will be later.
3:32
Results by World Bank Regions
3:35
GDP PPP continuously grew in every region except the Middle East and North African regions,
3:42
which also contains Afghanistan and Pakistan.
3:45
Population grew in every region except Emerging and Developing Europe
3:49
Advanced economies had continuous reductions in grasslands and savannas, while woody savannas grew.
3:55
Evergreen Needleleaf forests also grew though were not a dominant class, which indicates a later stage of forest transition for the selected countries.
4:04
The Caucasus and central Asian region primarily converted grasslands to croplands.
4:09
Barren areas also reduced, and usually converted to savanas or woody savannas.
4:15
Areas with permanent snow or ice seemed to replace small patches of croplands, which may also explain the rise in croplands.
4:21
Between 2005 and 2010, the region had the highest percent change in mean GDP PPP, at 83%.
4:29
The results of Emerging and Developing Asia are slightly skewed due to only two countries falling into this region,
4:36
though we see conversion of Evergreen Forests to Woody Savannas in Malaysia and expansions of Grasslands in Bhutan.
4:42
This region is also skewed due to the water class, though that will be discussed later.
4:47
Emerging and Developing European countries had reductions in savannas and woody savannas while the extent of croplands fluctuated
4:54
There was growth in some non dominant land classes such as, Mixed Forests, Deciduous Broadleaf forests, and Evergreen Needleleaf forests which indicates that this region is past its tipping point.
5:06
Latin America and the Caribbean lost Evergreen Broadleaf Forest coverage by an average of 1.75% over each time period
5:14
Woody Savannas appear to make up the majority of converted land, though tend to border between savannas and the forests, which may be indicative of poor forest health overall.
5:24
There was a higher percent change in GDP PPP between 2005 and 2010, which coincides with greater loss of Evergreen Broadleaf forests
5:33
in the earlier period as well. Considering Honduras is included,
5:36
which is a low income developing nation, this indicates that the region has yet to reach its tipping point.
5:43
The Middle East and North African region was mostly barren, though amounts receded with each time period, and the class still covered 41.5% of the region’s total area.
5:53
Grasslands had the largest increase between each time period and appeared to most occur in areas with open shrubland.
6:00
Given the low amounts of forests and lumber in the area, open shrublands were likely stripped of small trees over time.
6:07
Grasslands and Croplands both saw growth in the sub Saharan African region, though grasslands had a greater rate over each time period.
6:15
Grasslands tended to bleed into areas of open shrubland, similarly to that in the Middle East and North African Region, indicating that lumber was once again extracted from open shrublands
6:27
Errors
6:28
As mentioned earlier, there are two errors encountered that still need solutions prior to scaling up.
6:34
Both the inclusion of water in Malaysia, and coarse resolution in the Netherlands are likely due to an issue when merging.
6:42
Islands and some nations with a coast line seem to be affected by the water issue, as a region will shift slightly.
6:49
The degradation of resolution is more random and we are still looking for a solution.
6:55
Conclusions
6:57
Based on this initial testing, Land Cover type in general, seems to have a greater influence on economic growth, rather than deforestation.
7:05
Converted cover type of deforested land is region specific naturally, though woody savannas and savannas were a common cover in all regions except for the Caucasus and Central Asian region.
7:16
However further work is required to identify regions of change within a nation and the correlation between GDP PPP.
7:24
Based on the current findings, expansion of croplands and decreasing Barren areas seem correlated to increasing GDP PPP.
7:32
Similarly, reduction of open or closed shrublands in regions where either class is a primary wooded area, may also be an indicator of economic development.
7:41
Increases in a forested land category seemed to result in slower GDP PPP growth
7:47
though those countries that had regrowth, also typically had a higher mean GDP.
7:52
In order to truly find a correlation between deforestation and economic growth, a global analysis is necessary.
7:59
While there is still work to do, we are excited about what the next few months might bring us, as the intersection of land cover changes and GDP data with a focus on deforestation is a unique problem.
8:10
Despite the inconclusive results, a lot of the groundwork has been laid, and the code created to do this processing will be released as an open source repository.
8:19
Thank you
8:27
Um, if you guys want the code right now
8:29
it’ll be right here!

College of Science Honors College Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Effects of Anthropogenic Noise on Vocal Communication in the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus), Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus), and Thrush-like Wren (Campylorhynchus turdinus)

Author(s): Anna McElhinny

Mentor(s): David A. Luther, College of Science

Urban ecosystems and landscapes have increased in size and range since the 20th century, and it is expected that many countries will continue to experience such spikes in the future. With more nations shifting to urbanization, this has become a more significant factor leading to the loss in biodiversity, especially birds. Bird species have been declining since the mid-20th century, and one large reason is through urbanization and the challenges they bring.

One of the main challenges is noise pollution, produced from traffic, aircraft, and construction noise. This negatively impacts birds by inhibiting effective transmission of vocalized songs and calls to potential receivers. In turn, this may lead to reduced reproductive success as vocal communication is essential for protecting territories and resources, for predator awareness and to attract mates. Thus, hampering vocal communication increases vulnerability to more risks, which leaves birds with an ultimatum: adapt or move elsewhere.
To understand how birds are adapting to noise, I examined the effects of noise on song and call characteristics in the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus), Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus), and the Thrush-Like Wren (Campylorhynchus turdinus) at 20 study sites. The research took place in Santa Cruz in Bolivia, where recordings began from 7:00 to 9:00 AM. My research predicts that noise will induce changes made to song and call characteristics, indicating that these birds are adapting to noise. By continuing to analyze these effects, this study will not only address a key gap in evidence, but also provide more means to expand our understanding of noise and vocal communication in areas less-documented like Bolivia.

Hello, my name is Anna McElhinny and I will be a senior biology student at George Mason University. I worked with Dr. Luther, my mentor, for this project, in which I assessed the impacts of anthropogenic noise on vocal communication in the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus), Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus), and Thrush-like Wren (Campylorhynchus turdinus). All are species commonly found in piedmont and lowland forest near Santa Cruz, Bolivia – where I am doing my research.

What is anthropogenic noise? It is produced through human activities such as through cars running on roadways, construction noise, flying aircraft, and other means of transportation. In this table here, explains the different types of noise I observed during my data collection period in Samaipata and Santa Cruz in Bolivia. 4 noise sources came from buses or large trucks, small trucks, cars and motorcycles. The two upper right headers show the minimum and maximum noise level for each category, which is measured in decibels using my sound meter. Throughout much of the data collection, the noise levels for buses and large trucks ranged from a minimum of 65 decibels to 80 decibels. For small trucks, this range was from 60 to 70 decibels. Cars had a range of 55 to 65 decibels and motorcycles ranged from 80-95 decibels.

So how does anthropogenic noise impact vocal communication? The main issue is that noise can mask or block effective transmission of songs or calls, preventing birds from hearing the information that a vocalization contains. Thus, birds are left with an ultimatum: either adapt or not. For this study, I wanted to assess how birds are adapting to noise, and thus I am predicting that my study species, the Great Kiskadee, Rufous Hornero and Thrush-like Wren will alter their song characteristics in response to noise. Whereas the null hypothesis will demonstrate that there will be no change to song/call characteristics, my study favors the alternative hypothesis, that there is change in order to be heard.
Before we continue, I also wanted to discuss the importance of vocal communication. Since noise acts as a barrier to effective transmission of songs and calls, this can negatively impact all birds involved. Vocal communication is key to assessing quality of territories, to protect food and resources, for predator awareness and to attract mates. Essentially, vocal communication is necessary for survival and to achieve reproductive success, and with noise involved, can make communicating much more difficult.

To show what my study species look like, here are some pictures I took while at the field. This is the Rufous Hornero, which is a type of ovenbird. This is a very common bird in both areas of Samaipata and Santa Cruz. This is the Great Kiskadee and is also a common bird species in these areas. Lastly, I decided to study a third species, such as the Thrush-like Wren since this bird was found in most of the sites that I was analyzing.

To collect the songs and calls, I traveled to the study sites located around Santa Cruz and Samaipata. 9 study sites were located around the area of Santa Cruz. 11 study sites took place in Samaipata.

Recordings began in the morning at each site, from 7:00 to 9:00 AM. I used a camera for all recordings, as well as a shotgun microphone. Noise levels were measured using a sound meter and I recorded for 3-4 weeks consecutively. After recording each day, I would spend a few hours adding data to my database. To analyze the songs and calls for each species, I used RavenLite 2.0, a program that helps to construct spectrograms or visualizations of what each song looks like, which I will show more later in the video.

I’ve included some recordings of each study species. Here, this video was captured at Laguna Guapilo, on an electrical post. From there, you can see a Rufous Hornero building its nest, as it’s applying dirt/clay and some twigs to its dome-like nest. In studying this species, I’ve learned that Rufous Horneros have a diet mainly of insects, but mainly prefer ants and termites. Their habitat range is mostly lowland valleys, especially in areas filled with agriculture and open fields of Samaipata, as well as urban parks in Santa Cruz. Additionally, they are monogamous, meaning they stay with their partners throughout the seasons and even years, which was why they were almost always seen together. One aspect that strengthens their bond is making duets, which are two songs sung at relatively the same time, and I’ll show what it looks like soon as well.

The next recording shows the Great Kiskadee. This was also taken at Laguna Guapilo, where I found this bird sitting on a tire piece near the lagoon. Regarding the life history of the Great Kiskadee, its diet is very generalized. They can eat meat, fruits, insects, mollusks, and even small fish, which is what you can see now. Great Kiskadees prefer habitats such as rural and suburban areas, open fields, and even forest edges. They prefer lowland valleys as well, especially in areas with water. They are also monogamous.

Finally, in the third recording shows a Thrush-Like Wren. Their diet mainly comprises of insects and fruits, though I am not sure what types they prefer. Thrush-Like Wrens vary in habitat, but mostly prefer humid forest and forest edges, pastures and parks. And the pair-bond, I am not quite sure of.

Now, next I will show spectrograms produced from the RavenLite program for each species, to show what each song and call looks like. For the Rufous Hornero Song Duet, it will show two songs from two individuals. The lower portion of the duet, with the lower pitch and frequency from the male. The higher pitched and higher frequency is from the female. Next is the call from the Rufous Hornero as well.

For the Great Kiskadee, these are what the song and calls look like.

And then for the Thrush-like Wren, this is what the song looks like. It was difficult to find a good spectrogram for a call from this bird, so I will only show the song for now.

While I do not have the full results from my project, I do have the estimated count of songs and calls for my sites so far. I have 131 songs from the Rufous Hornero and 26 calls. For the Great Kiskadee, I have 129 songs and 71 calls. And for the Thrush-like Wren, I have 48 songs and 11 calls. This data is only from 10 of the 20 sites I have so far.

Because I am still collecting all of my data into my database as it will take time to perform statistical analysis, I decided to present what I had so far. I will continue to analyze this data during the upcoming semester and hopefully the spring semester as well. I have enjoyed conducting this research in Bolivia and I look forward to continuing this study, and further understanding the impacts of noise on vocal communication in these bird species.

Summer Team Impact Project Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

EKG based Heart Rate Monitoring and Reliability with Arduino

Author(s): Omar Alsuhaibani, Cynthia Love

Mentor(s): Nathalia Peixoto, ECE

We built a heart rate monitoring system with an Arduino microcontroller and ADS1292r analog-digital converter, that would allow real time monitoring of user heartbeat in a computer program. This computer program would also present live feedback to the user about their heart rate. One of the main aims of this project would be to explore if live biofeedback would help the user of the program control their breathing or heart rate, as well as test the reliability of the monitoring system, especially in comparison to the Empatica E4 wristband. Results suggested that the computer program monitoring heart rate in real time is similarly reliable to proprietary commercial monitors such as the Empatica E4 wristband.

Hello, we are one of the groups taking part in the STIP program for the summer of 2022. Our group consists of three members that worked on this research project over the summer. They are me, Omar Alsuhaibani, the group’s project manager German Kuznetsov, and Cynthia Love. The topic of our group’s project focused on attempting to use an Arduino microcontroller and an ADS1292r to create a system where a computer program can monitor the heartbeat of a user in real-time, and evaluate its effectiveness when the user is playing a video game.
Computer programs typically use devices like keyboards and mice to get input from the user. In our project we explore another form of input – biofeedback, primarily heart-rate, and test its reliability in different environments – such as when the user is sitting still, or playing a game on the computer.
While devices to get user heart rate in real time already exist, such as the E4, they do not provide direct access to the data. Because of this we chose to use an arduino with a ADS1292r sensor shield to monitor the user’s ecg signal and calculate their heart rate from the signal. The user will have two electrodes placed on their wrist, which will be connected to the ADS1292r sensor and arduino. The arduino will read the raw data from the sensor and send it to a PC for processing. The raw data signal goes through multiple filters in the computer program, which help remove noise from the signal and make it easier for the code to detect the heartbeats.
The result we reached is that the process is not 100% reliable. Even small movements by the user can disrupt the signal enough to where the computer program can no longer correctly identify heartbeats. Incorrect electrode placement or inadequate adherence can contribute to weakened connectivity.
However, since heartbeats are periodic and happen from around 40 to 200BPM, we can analyze the acquired heartbeats and make assumptions and conclude if they were detected correctly. By comparing the number of heartbeats detected correctly to those incorrectly, we can estimate the reliability of the acquisition method.
Using this setup, games and other computer programs will be able to incorporate biofeedback to measure the heartbeat and stress of the user. This can potentially be
used as a biofeedback visual that can aid the user in analyzing their heart rate and detect stress throughout a video game, VR simulation, or any other related activities.

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

Parents in the 19th Century Romance Novel

Author(s): Elise Mertz

Mentor(s): Peter Stearns, History and Art History

The connection between romance novels in the eighteenth and nineteenth century and the new importance in romantic love as a reason for young people to get married has given rise to a great deal of scholarship in the history of emotions. However, parental consent still played an important role in adolescent marital decisions, and research has not deeply examined the way in which novelists portrayed the impact of parents on their daughters’ lives and marital decisions. By examining five romance novels from the nineteenth century in which one or more parents play a critical, plot-relevant role in the romantic storyline of the heroine, this paper seeks to describe the ways in which parent-daughter emotional relationships shaped the romance novels’ narratives, and in turn, what this might tell us about the broader emotional climate of romantic and parent-child love in the nineteenth century.

Hi, my name is Elise Mertz, and I did the intensive URSP program with OSCAR this summer, doing research into how parents get portrayed in romance novels in the nineteenth century. I first got interested in this sort of project when I took a history of emotions class with Dr. Peter Stearns, who was my faculty mentor this summer, where we learned about the rise of romantic love as a reason to get married. It became much more important in the 1700s and 1800s to marry for love, instead of marrying for practical reasons and then having love grow out of the match, and novels from this time period also reflect that shift. There’s certainly a lot of famous novels from the 1700s and 1800s that deal with falling in love – Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and lots of other famous examples – and so I started wondering how these novels would portray parents, because a lot of research on parent-child relationships has focused on how parents have interacted with younger children.

In this time period, what that generally looked like was the “cult of motherhood,” which was the beginning of this notion that mothers were meant to be a very pure, self-sacrificial being that was only looking out for the well-being of their children and their husband and not really worrying about how that might impact themselves. And then fathers were generally seen to be the protectors and the providers. They were allowed to have an emotional role in the family. They were actually encouraged to, so they weren’t necessarily the stiff robotic figures that are stereotypically seen, but it was much less important than for mothers, and fathers were really much more focused on the practical aspects of their family’s well-being.

So when looking into how romance novels specifically portray it to try to learn more about how parents were meant to interact with their children once their children were older and starting to branch out into starting their own families and making their own decisions more, I found that a lot of novelists actually totally sidestepped the question and just made their characters orphans, or at least made the heroine’s mother dead, which is interesting in and of itself. But I did find five novels that have really interesting portrayals of parents and their daughters as their daughters are growing up and falling in love.

So what these novels revealed is that certainly the idea of the cult of motherhood and the practical, down-to-earth father continue once the children are older. Mothers are still supposed to be self-sacrificial and forgiving and loving, and fathers are still much more focused on material providing, and if they fail to provide materially for their children, that is seen in a very negative light. For example, Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice has not successfully taken care of the estate and made sure that his family will have money to survive after he dies, and that’s seen in a very negative light. On the other hand, in Lodore, the main character’s mother, even though she doesn’t really even raise her daughter in this story, she still chooses to sacrifice all of her money and social influence to get her daughter’s husband out of debtor’s prison even though she’s not close with her daughter, and this decision gives her so much peace and joy and is really seen as a very positive thing. And it does ultimately lead to a reconciliation between mother and daughter.

So overall, this time period definitely shows that those traditional mother-father roles that were established for younger children continue for older children, but there were still more intricacies as the children themselves figure out when they have to listen to their parents, when they can do their own thing. For example, elopements are almost never viewed positively. That’s when the children run away usually to Scotland to get married without parental permission. Those usually either end badly or at the very least they’re seen as sort of a scandal, like it’s brushed under the rug later. So the parent-child relationship is still certainly very important in children’s romantic decisions in this time period. And there’s a lot of opportunities for further research, looking at for example the impact of social class. All of the novels I looked at were from Britain, so it’d be interesting to see if America had similar trends. Looking at the parents of the groom, since all of these novels focused on brides. Like I said looking more at elopements. And then trying to find further primary sources that can corroborate some of this and expand it beyond literature. But I really enjoyed this project and I hope to continue research in this vein in the future, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them below.

Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution College of Humanities and Social Science Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

The Impact of COVID-19 on Religious Leaders and Communities: Challenges, Sources of Resilience & Unmet Needs

Author(s): Greta Roberson

Mentor(s): Nicholas R. Sherwood, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented challenges on religious communities around the world and many have turned to their religious leaders (RLs) for guidance but this places RLs at a greater risk for stress and challenges. The research demonstrates that RLs are facing universal challenges, such as amending traditions to adhere to COVID policy and regulations, and specific challenges that derive from their religious denomination and the cultural circumstance of where they live.

Our data collection comes from a series of interviews with religious leaders from around the world with various religious backgrounds. In order to qualify, they need to have some responsibility for a congregation or community during the height of the pandemic (March 2020 – December 2021). During the interview process, we ask questions about their challenges, their families and loved ones, and their communities. Next, we ask about their sources of strength and coping mechanisms. Finally, we are left with unmet needs and ask how they could have been better supported.

From the data analysis, we found that participants frequently mentioned financial hardships, feelings of loneliness, and increased demands from congregants. As sources of resilience, they often mentioned deeper religiosity, and the pandemic often allowed them an opportunity to grow and serve as well as spending time on meaningful projects. Finally, religious leaders mentioned the need to adapt to online spaces and their communities were at greater risk needing more financial assistance and additional support.

SLIDE 1
Good day. My name is Greta and my URSP Summer 2022 project is understanding the impact of COVID-19 on an international sample of religious leaders: specifically their challenges, sources or resilience, and unmet needs. I started this project with the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation since they were originally commissioned to perform this research but after receiving the URSP award, I was able to come along and finish wrapping up this project.

SLIDE 2
A little bit about the project: it was drafted and initially funded by the Al Amana Centre, an interfaith organization based in Muscat, Oman. They saw the need to understand what the experiences of religious leaders during the pandemic are. After the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation picked up the project, we began reaching out and interviewing religious leaders around the globe. The only requirements were that they must be above the age of 18, speak English, assumed a level of responsibility for a minimum of one congregant and served during the height of the pandemic from March 2020 to December 2021. The project is currently in its final steps and within the next weeks we will deliver our report to the Al Amana Centre and I have constructed a policy brief to send to the United States Institute of Peace. There will be more on that later.

SLIDE 3
During the interviews we asked a series of questions divided into four sections. First, basic demographic questions to understand the background of our pool of participants. These questions included asking about where they are from and where they served during the pandemic, their religious denomination, gender, age, and what they do to serve their community. We identified religious leaders as not only priests, rabbis, imams, but also youth pasters or working an administrative role in in their organization.
Then we asked about the challenges they experienced, sources of resilience or strength they used to overcome these challenges, and what type of support would have been helpful. Through each section we asked about their personal experience, their families and loved ones, then their congregation or larger community. Then, since some interviews were conducted recently, we could ask how things have improved, worsened, or remained the same over time.

SLIDE 4
After interviewing 11 participants, here is what we found among their challenges: First and foremost was financial hardship. Sometimes they and their loved one were affected but more often. Their center of worship and congregations faced financial difficulties from a loss of income. Since many individuals were no longer attending in-person service, donations tended to drop. Next, religious leaders faced increased demands. Moving online meant that they could be contacted more frequently, and individuals could stay longer for prayer, advice, or council. Next, we found that leaders felt they had to keep reassuring their community to take the pandemic seriously or to relieve congregants of unnecessary fears. And finally, several leaders mentioned a feeling of loneliness from being away from friends, families, loved ones, and even away from their congregation.

SLIDE 5
In terms of sources of resilience, we found that nearly all participants mentioned they fell deeper into scripture, prayer, religious thought, reflections, and practice. They also mentioned that the support from and between the congregation members lifted their spirit. Some mentioned how they never felt so close to members of the community and never or rarely seen such support from one another before. Additionally, with lockdown and social distancing measures, many decided to spend time doing meaningful activities such as reading, walking in nature, or picking up old projects. Lastly, we had many responses about how they took the opportunity to grow and serve others.

SLIDE 6
After a quick data analysis, we discovered how there were many unmet needs and missing pillars of support. First, there were many costs that worship centers were recovering from. With the loss of in-person attendance and refusal to take loans, combined with the increased costs and attention to programs, buying masks, sanitizer, gloves and other equipment, they are still in a state of financial recovery. Few leaders mentioned that they felt a “double loss” from losing a loved one or congregation member, then because of safety measures, were not able to hold a proper burial to pass from this life to the next. Third, several mentioned how members of the congregation lost their jobs, homes, took loans to cover costs or needed help from the community to purchase groceries because they were quarantining or did not want to risk infection. Lastly, participants mentioned that there needs to be a better way of switching to online formats to adapt to the demands of current events and the needs of the congregation.

SLIDE 7
Finally, we come to future recommendations. The pandemic is still not over and many are recovering while others still face challenges. The recommendations are also useful to consider for the future when communities face hardship from similar circumstances. First, involve more culturally and religiously sensitive mandating that safely restricts individuals and families and lessen risks and hardships. Second, from the literature review and participants’ responses, there was considerable collaboration between groups and organizations so there could be incentive programs to gather together as a larger community and help another. Third, provide subsidize resources and materials so they do not become an obstacle. Fourth, institutions should propose grants or specialized loans for religious centers. Such as, one participant mentioned how their center would have taken financial assistance but it against their belief to take loans that have interest rates.