Currently, southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) comprise a population of eighty-seven individuals. It is believed that disturbance by vessels may affect key behaviors and mask echolocation, which is critical for foraging and communication. Within the Puget Sound, Southern Residents are exposed routinely to commercial whale watching, and vessel interaction has been listed as a contributing factor to their endangered status. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are currently implementing vessel guidelines to decrease anthropogenic influences on this population. Beginning in summer 2011 these federal laws came into affect. Understanding boater behavior on the water is essential for federal enforcement and revision of current laws. By working with Soundwatch, an organization that has been documenting vessel interactions for 18 years, I assisted in data collection, entry, and analyzing boater density and trends. In the summer of 2011 2,500 incidents were observed including violations of federal law and voluntary guidelines. The top incidents that were observed were being within 200 yards of a whale, being inshore of whales, and parking in their path. On average 12 vessels were surrounding this population on a daily basis, with the majority being whale watch boats. Private vessels, generally due to their irregularity on the water, do not generally know about the new federal law or guidelines. Resulting in private boats accounting for 58% of the observed incidents. In addition to assisting with data gathering and analyzing I will compare the 2011 results to 2010 report. Providing a summary of themes observed on the water and future recommendations for federal law revision. Moving forward it will be critical to enforce current laws, and understand the dynamics between vessels and whales. My project will provide a succinct summary of 2011 trends and compare them with previously observed boater interactions.

This project explores whether steady increases in inequality; the neoliberal retreat of the State from social protection; and the Great Recession of 2008 produce new forms of cross class interaction, identity formation, and action around the themes of poverty and inequality. Specifically, we are interested in studying the production, maintenance, and renegotiation of middle class-ness in the context of rising inequality. Using a variety of qualitative methods including, but not limited to, ethnography, archival research, PAR, and critical GIS, we hope to investigate a series of questions on middle class responses to and involvements with poverty. What are the sites at which these interactions can be studied? What sorts of ideas about poverty and inequality are produced in different 'sites of governance' and 'zones of encounter'? Through this research, we'll investigate potentials for social alliance around poverty in the Seattle region, as well as spaces of increased difference and class-based tensions.

The magnitude of trade in food within an increasingly globalized world has contributed to a situation where the populations that produce food often do not receive the ultimate benefits of their labor. For example, food production in one place might primarily support the production of manufactured goods and services that benefit people in distant places. The degree to which agriculture in a certain region supports economic activities abroad varies enormously across the globe. This study aims to understand how food production supports flows within the global economic system and contributes to unequal relationships between different regions of the world. To do this, global economic flows are modeled by entering production and consumption data into an interregional Social Accounting Model and analyzed within a geographic information system. From this, we have been able to identify the most important globalized croplands and categorize regions by the “function” they serve in global webs of production and consumption similar to an ecological trophic level analysis.  These results suggest that uneven flows of embodied food production between regions may be related to global patterns of poverty and health, as well as to the prospects for a more sustainable human ecosystem.

This research discusses healthcare accessibility issues among the Hmong ethnic group in the Twin Cities metropolitan area located in Minnesota. Research was based on the geographical access to healthcare in the Hmong community. Through the Geographical Information System (GIS), I predict that the Twin Cities’ Hmong community lacks access to healthcare. The Hmong community, when mapped, was concentrated in two particular locations in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The use of GIS helped to project statistical analysis of different aspects concerning healthcare such as healthcare facilities, healthy and affordable food, and public transportation. These were analyzed by mapping their distances from the Hmong community. Statistical analysis was examined by scatter plots were the correlation between the Hmong community and where healthcare, food sources, and public transportation was located were weak. Statistical analysis showed that the Hmong community of the Twin Cities metropolitan area is centrally located. Given the study area at the scaled researched (1km), the Hmong were not especially isolated from healthcare, food, and public transportation. This showed that this community is isolated but isolation is not a major factor shaping healthcare outcomes. Since isolation would not be a major factor of access to healthcare other factors may contribute to the limitations in this community such as cultural and language barriers and health literacy. More studies about the Hmong would be beneficial in order to examine the gap in health and healthcare in the community.

Since political violence first broke out in 1999, Côte d’Ivoire has experienced a drastic loss of medical equipment, drugs, and skilled health personnel. Two civil wars in the past decade have posed significant challenges to outside intervention from international NGOs, and the weakening economy has provided little support for a state-funded health system. Currently, Côte d’Ivoire suffers from some of the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the world, resulting from problems ranging from infection and hemorrhages to the compound effects of malaria, malnutrition, and HIV/AIDS. My research responds to these challenges by exploring what would be needed in a grant proposal to The Global Fund, a global funding agency that supports the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis in developing countries. Of the thirteen Global Fund grants approved for Côte d’Ivoire in the past, none specifically address the problems of maternal and neonatal mortality. This project aims to understand why this gap in maternal and neonatal care persists and how it can be diminished in the context of political instability. To assess the efficacy of attempts to address health care gaps in Côte d’Ivoire, I analyzed the interventions currently in place to see if they were meeting their established goals and if not, why. Building upon this data and development theory, I created a proposal for improving maternal and neonatal mortality through a self-sufficient system that can remain in place should political violence persist. Preliminary research suggests that weak medical assistance is a leading cause of birth complications. Increased health monitoring during and immediately following pregnancy, as well as greater education for mothers on the crucial steps during this time period are vital to reducing mortality. Establishing self-sustaining health systems that are resilient in the face of violence and political uncertainty is invaluable across the developing world.

Food desert research is filling journals across academic disciplines. Food deserts refer to urban and rural areas, which lack easy and affordable access to healthy, nutritious foods. These studies emphasize the influence of inequality in relation to poor access to healthy food as well as the political and social processes that limit the diet of low-income areas. Food desert research has not explored the importance of age on food choice or how and if college campuses can and should be defined as food deserts. Poor diet habits cemented in the emerging adult phase, age 18-25, are indicative of future adult decisions. The habits of this age group should therefore be identified in order to understand and create programs that insure healthy habits among this age group. This approach will reduce unhealthy lifelong habits that contribute to rising obesity rates and chronic disease. My research examines available food choices on college campuses. My research reveals that food choices are severely limited, and the students are vulnerable to forging non-nutritious diet patterns. Students responding to a survey administered in a sample of the University of Washington's cafés, dining halls, and markets provide the basis for my findings.