This study focuses on how the global efforts of a politically active and increasingly visible movement of adult autistic activists are challenging the common framing of autism and shifting the contemporary autism debate. Common representations throughout the autism field contextualize the autistic experience through diagnostic categories of difference, constructed primarily by psychologists, neurologists, educators, and service providers. These characterizations are determined through observational criteria such as delayed communication, repetitive physical behaviors, and marked deficits in social skills. While the deficit mindset dominates the media and the public perception of autism, there is a lack of attention and research on how the social impact of these ‘perspectives from the outside’ influence the lived experience of autistic adults. This work counters the hegemonic deficit interpretation by investigating the multiple meanings of autism, and studying whether politicized tensions over autistic representations—and misrepresentations— influence public conversations surrounding service delivery, treatment design, and provisions of care. Drawing on qualitative cultural research methods including narrative, textual and image analysis, as well as ethnographic field notes, this study critically analyzes the lived experience of adult autistics and their efforts to re-humanize public assumptions about autism while living in a society, they suggest, that stigmatizes their experience as emotionally isolated, socially deficient, and mentally diseased. I analyze the socio-political discourse of autism and the conflicting representations put forth by medical professionals, mainstream media, institutions, scholars, and—autistics. These contradictory interpretations produce a cultural system of difference engaged in debate over autistic autonomy, self-determination, and justice. To critically engage this ‘culture war’ this inquiry considers who has the right to speak for the autistic community? Whose values are characterized as authentic by the public? Finally, this investigation asks, can autistics redefine autism and how will this definition reframe their position in political discussions about them? 

English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is an increasingly prominent invader of western Washington forests, yet little data exists on its effects on western Washington native flora. A population study of holly in a 15.9 acre study area in St. Edward State Park suggests that holly reduces the abundance and diversity of native vegetation. We hypothesized that these negative effects are caused by shading and/or litter fall from holly canopy. We studied native vegetation cover in four treatments (holly shade, holly litter, holly shade + litter, neither) to determine the importance of these two factors. We also contrasted photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD) under holly canopy with PPFD under native tree canopy and in full sun, and compared PPFD under holly canopy with existing data on compensation points for native plant species occurring in the park. If holly reduces native vegetation through shading, we expect to see reduced native vegetation abundance in our shade treatments and to find that PPFD levels underneath holly canopy are lower than required for some or all native plant species. If holly leaf litter is suppressing growth, we expect to see reduced native vegetation abundance in our litter treatments and to find that holly leaf litter is deep enough to negatively affect seed germination. Preliminary results suggest a significantly lower total vegetation cover underneath holly canopies compared with total cover outside of holly canopies, and we have recorded leaf litter depth as much as 17 cm underneath holly canopies. This study will provide quantitative data which can aid forest managers in assessing the threat holly poses to western Washington forest biodiversity. Results and implications will be discussed.

Inequitable distribution in environmental justice is defined as one group bearing an excessive burden of environmental hazards. This concept has been applied to large energy facilities such as waste disposal sites and nuclear power plants, but has not been used in reference to “green” renewable energy facilities such as wind farms. Large scale wind farms tend to be clustered in rural areas where wind potential is greatest. The goal of my research was to determine if there is a systematic implementation of utility scale wind development in small rural communities which are already bearing other environmental burdens. To answer this question I conducted a case study of the town of Arlington, Oregon which is home to two of Waste Management’s largest waste facilities and seven wind farms. After mapping the facilities and the areas of impact, I found a small community dealing with multiple risk burdens from these facilities. I then examined wind farm and waste site locations throughout the Pacific Northwest to determine if this occurrence was an isolated incident or was repeated elsewhere. If this process is systemic to the siting of renewable facilities, knowing what we know about the unjust distribution of large scale energy plants, why do we not have better siting policies concerning new, “green” renewable energy?

 Wind power is currently the fastest growing source of energy in the Pacific Northwest. In order to facilitate the rapid expansion of wind energy in the region, a development-friendly siting and permitting structure has been established. Using the framework of environmental justice, I examine the ability for local citizens to participate in the decision-making processes of recently approved industrial-scale wind farm complexes in Kittitas County, Washington. Of particular relevance is the lack of local control and the protracted time frame of the process which can extend upwards of 7 years before a final siting decision is made. An analysis of resident interviews and public comments highlight how the current process contributes to feelings of frustration and disappointment among participating stakeholders. These factors ultimately point to an environmental injustice where the communities most affected by utility-scale wind development are not able to participate meaningfully in decisions regarding it.

Since 1986, Bolivia has experienced a wave of International Monetary Fund imposed privatization. The breaking point occurred during the Cochabamba Water War. Over a period of months, citizens of Cochabamba took to the streets to protest the sale of their state water utility, SEMAPA, to international consortium Aguas del Tunari, and the resulting 150-300% rate hikes. This research asks this question: to what degree has indigenous culture helped to shape such anti-privatization movements in Bolivia? This research argues that the anti-water privatization movement fostered a reclamation of indigenous identities by Bolivian indigenous peoples who felt detached from their traditional roots. Indigenous groups such as the Aymara and Quechua historically have been socially, politically, and economically excluded from the Bolivian nation, which has been dominated by a white/Mestizo elite. While Bolivian social movements in the past have been formed along union lines, contemporary movements have seen indigenous groups rally around their unique indigenous identities. This research shows how cultural elements such as collective memory and dance have been used as rallying points for protestors who feel denied full citizenship, giving scholars a better understanding of how social movements achieve success. In Cochabamba, the tradition of the Fiesta, practiced annually by the city's indigenous inhabitants, served as a focal point for collective action which united participants under their own definition of "Bolivian" culture. Bolivian indigenous social movements additionally serve as a model for further reversals of IMF imposed economic policies. Such movements indicate a desire for increased representation of the indigenous majority, as well as alternatives to the capitalist system of economic development. This study is based on analysis of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources include: published interviews with activists, media coverage of their actions, and economic reports regarding privatization plans. Secondary sources include multidisciplinary analyses of the movement in question.

The Fourth Amendment requires police officers to obtain probable cause before conducting search and seizures. In Terry v. Ohio (1968), the Supreme Court held that reasonable suspicion—more than a mere hunch, but less than probable cause—was enough to justify a temporary street stop and a pat-down for weapons. This article identifies the Terry (1968) case as a landmark turning point in the history of American criminal justice. The reduced standards of the Court's 1968 ruling directly resulted in an unparalleled increase in incarceration and set precedent for the following half-century of pro-police jurisprudence. This article coins the term “Terry umbrella” to refer to the kit of Terry-inspired tools that subsequent cases either revamped or established from scratch. The surge in proactive policing has disproportionately affected people of color, particularly young black and Latino males. This article refers to this unequal enforcement as Terryism, as it was made possible by the Court's 1968 ruling. The recent rulings of the Roberts Court in particular are examined. 

"The S.P.O.T.", which stands for Students in Partnership for Organizing Transformation, began constructing a physical space on the University of Washington Bothell (UWB) campus in the fall of 2011. This space is meant to serve as a multipurpose room for recognized student organizations (RSO) to collaborate in creating a campus culture inclusive of diversity, representation and open dialogue. The purpose of this study is to critically analyze how The S.P.O.T. exists as a site of struggle, produce by the complex interplay of passionate and influential social actors including The Office of Student Life, RSO leaders, and dedicated faculty. I also document how RSO leaders negotiate public space on campus in an effort to mobilize the wants and needs of their organization. I have conducted a series of in-depth interviews with RSO leaders, participated in several UWB Club and Innovation Forums, and spent months directly observing how students attempt to understand public space on campus. Through this research I argue that The S.P.O.T., designed with the purpose of igniting social change, has itself become a powerful social actor in shaping students understanding of UWB initiatives and policies. RSO leaders must continually employ a series of strategies to maintain visibility and legitimacy in a constantly shifing sociopolitical landscape. By unraveling the unseen forces behind the creation of student spaces, such as The S.P.O.T., and exposing the limitation, as well as the potential, we can better understand how students make sense of complex social issues. This research is necessary if students, RSO leaders, and faculty are committed to increasing awareness, respect, and understanding by transforming physical space on campus.

 “The Right to Recover Their Roots: Women, Memory and Identity in Postdictatorship Argentina and Chile” investigates the gendered division of memory and the ways women survivors of repressive governments construct a collective memory and identity. The Pinochet dictatorship in Chile (1973-1990), and the Dirty War in Argentina (1976-1983) were responsible for hundreds of thousands of victims subjected to detainment, torture, death, disappearance, and exile. Additionally, these regimes severely limited, if not altogether destroyed artistic freedom in both nations. The post-dictatorship era (beginning in Argentina in 1983 and Chile in 1990) allowed for, and in some cases encouraged the documentation of memories conveyed through cultural production. However, lingering fears of censorship and contradictions with institutionalized narratives of the past oftentimes prevented the effective creation and communication of these traumatic memories. This paper examines theories on collective memory, history, identity, and gender with particular attention to the ways in which they intersect, influence, and depend on one another. Recovering identity is particularly difficult while a populace seeks to rebuild civil society, and becomes even more laborious when identities are located within memories that contradict the dominant narratives of history. I argue that women, who were excluded from civil society long before the state implemented terror, assume crucial roles in defining personal, political, familial, and national identities while narrating their memories of trauma and loss. Further, because women’s memories rely on collective rather than self-identification, they are able to articulate a collective memory. Research for this paper is based on the analysis of primary sources, including: novels, letters, documentaries, films, memorials, parks, street art, and blogs. These testimonials are analyzed through a gendered lens, arguing that memory is a gendered process operating to serve innumerable cultural, political, and social purposes.

The modern United States military is an all-volunteer force and the men and women who enlist or commission are subjected to multiple combat deployments. Many veterans have spent more than five years in a hostile fire zone. This means that the current generation is spending more time on the battlefield than any American generation before it. Methods of Traumatic Event Management (TEM) are employed by the Armed Forces to increase protective factors for servicemembers against the traumas of war. Despite these efforts, the veteran population continues to exhibit a high prevalence of military trauma disorders to include post-traumatic stress, post-traumatic epilepsy, post-war depression, and military sexual trauma. Furthermore, TEM indoctrinates servicemembers with new social regularities, traditions, and norms; combat deepens the meaning of all of these and results in a profound cultural shift. Combat culture stands in stark contrast to civilian and academic culture and includes stigmas which impede returning veterans’ ability to adapt to a peacetime environment. Through phenomenological interviewing, participant observation, and archival research, this qualitative study focuses on the lived experiences of returning veterans in the academic setting and seeks to understand how the presence of combat culture, military trauma disorders, academic culture, classroom pedagogies, and university policy all interact to affect veterans’ ability to adapt to the social environment of the college classroom. Specifically, this research develops a case study on the dynamics of the reintegration process of combat veterans who are returning to college at the University of Washington Bothell. Furthermore, this project demonstrates the integration of community, state, and federal services to meet the needs of readjusting veterans and their families. The transferability of this work is evident through recent interest and attention from leaders of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.

For controversial subjects like evolution, language used by experts can actually reinforce naïve conceptions held by students. For example, students interpret the word “purpose” to mean that traits evolve to serve an immediate function, but experts mean that a trait increases reproductive fitness. Students also often incorrectly assume that evolution follows a predetermined goal, that individuals choose to evolve in a certain direction, and that fit individuals are stronger, bigger, or faster. In this study, I tested the hypothesis that an upper division biology textbook includes some naïve conceptions and unintentionally reinforces others. I analyzed nine chapters of Biology of Microorganisms (13th Ed) by Brock et al., a standard text for teaching microbiology. In my preliminary analysis of these chapters, I found 15 statements that seemed to imply or promote misconceptions. For example, Brock et al. stated that “[e]volution selected for improvements and diversification of these early cells…” (34) which could be misconstrued by students to mean that cells evolve towards a predefined, yet unspecified, improvement. Students may interpret this quote as supporting the inaccurate idea that evolution has a goal in mind and that individual organisms can choose to adapt. Only four chapters discussed evolution as a process, and the others talked about evolutionary patterns. Understanding the patterns is an essential component of evolutionary thinking, for example, interpreting how different lineages are related to each other. However, the text did not explicitly describe the process through which different species diverged from their most recent common ancestor. This result confirms what has been found in other studies, that even though evolution is a central theme in biology, discussion of evolutionary process is often restricted to only a few chapters in textbooks. By being aware of potentially negative impacts behind ambiguous words, educators can address common misconceptions and clarify existing naïve conceptions.

Oil operations that took place in the Northeast Ecuadorian Amazon between 1964 and 1992 have altered the ecological functions of thousands of acres of land by dumping crude in open pits, burying oil extraction byproducts, and burning unwanted oil without proper treatment. Many people in the area experience a number of health issues including flu, respiratory problems, skin issues, stomach aches, and headaches possibly associated with air and water contamination. My research focuses on the analysis and mapping of water quality, specifically of 5 parameters: temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, and pH. My colleagues and I collected 55 geo-referenced water samples within the Pacayacu and Sacha River watersheds, where oil operations have taken place. Preliminary data shows extremely acidic drinking water (pH<5.0) along with decreased oxygen levels means of 1.9 mg/L. My hypothesis is that sample sites such as wells and streams that are closer to oil production features such as residual pools, pumps, and oil refineries have inferior water quality to those located further away. I used geographic information systems to map and operationalize spatial variables such as path distance from the sites to oil operation features among other topographic factors. I will test the hypothesis using ordinary least square regression analysis. The results of this study will inform local organizations about the direct impacts on water quality and public health of oil operations in the area. We hope this study will help direct conservation and restoration efforts towards reversing anthropogenic environmental degradation in the area.

Vashon-Murray Island boarders a bay called Quartermaster Harbor which has many pollution problems including periodic algal blooms and chronic hypoxia events. It also has notably high nitrate levels. King County reports one creek that feeds Quartermaster Harbor, Mileta Creek, also has high nitrate levels: between one to two orders of magnitude higher concentrations than what would be typical for such as stream. These levels tend to peak during the late fall and early winter and drop off during the rest of the year. To better understand when and what is happening, we took nitrate samples more frequently and in at more sites than previously tested. This data was collected using a Satlantic SUNA ultraviolet absorbance nitrate sensor from samples taken along Melita Creek at eight sites between November 6th, 2011 and January 8th, 2012. Because we used the SUNA device, we were able to see results instantly and pinpoint these high nitrate levels while still on-site. The results showed elevated nitrate levels as high as 16.25 mg/l. The source is still unknown. We would like to continue our research to gather more data over a longer period of time at the same site to pinpoint when these levels reach their peak.

Insect-eating animals like birds are considered to be beneficial to farmers, since they help control insect pests. However, it has often been difficult to determine the extent to which agricultural pests make up the diets of predators like birds, since it can be difficult to actually observe them feeding on harmful insects. However, if we collect samples of feces from birds captured in farms, we can use molecular methods to look for the DNA of insect pests in these samples, a method that has been successfully used to study the diets of bats in agricultural areas. We extracted DNA from approximately 200 samples of bird feces and bird stomach contents form birds captured in coffee plantations in 2000 and 2001 as part of a study on the diversity of birds in coffee plantations. However, it has proven difficult to recover amplifiable insect DNA from these samples, possibly due to their age (the DNA is probably degraded). Of the over 200 samples, fewer than 20 have yielded insect DNA. Of these, none have tested positive for DNA from any of the insects that are the worst pests of coffee in our study area. This is in contrast to bats from the same study area; over 10% of fecal samples have DNA from one of these three coffee pests. There are a number of reasons why this might be. First of all, the bird samples were all collected in the dry season (our winter) when there are fewer insect pests. Also, the bird samples were collected in a different year, so there might not have been many pests at that time. Finally, the migratory songbirds might not be the birds that most feed on insect pests.