Three distinctly different beach environments can be observed at Owen Beach in Tacoma, Washington; a natural beach environment, a partially modified beach environment and a fully engineered beach environment. Each part of the beach has a unique morphology and profile. This study was designed to analyze these differences and determine the effects, if any, that the anthropogenic modifications have on the slope, change in elevation and sediment characteristics along this beach over the course of a year. The beach slope and change in elevation were measured monthly starting May 2012 at three points along the beach face from each type of environment using a tape measure and Brunton compass. Sediment samples were taken from the same points and measured using a Particle Size Analyzer or grain size chart. Sketches were made of the beach profile that include tide line, landscape, data points, sediment deposition, high tide line, and modifications. Preliminary analyses of data shows that the anthropogenic modifications have a direct effect on the morphology and profile of the beach. The fully modified portion has been more static than the other two parts with larger particles and less change in slope. The modified portion has smaller particles along its shore and its slope has been more dynamic than the fully engineered portion of the beach. The natural portion of the beach is the most dynamic with much smaller particles along its shore and a larger change in slope throughout the year. It is important to study the effect that human engineering has on natural beach environments so that we can fully assess its impact on and applicability for managing coastlines for residential, commercial and recreational use in our communities.

Institutions employ various diversity efforts to promote inclusion of diverse members of society. Two dominant strategies for promoting diversity come in the form of multiculturalism (i.e., celebrating group differences) and colorblindness (i.e., ignoring group differences). The present research examines how multiculturalism's focus on group identities may ironically lead racial minorities to see themselves through the lens of group stereotypes. In two studies, racial minority participants read a multicultural or colorblind company recruitment brochure and then completed measures of self-stereotyping (i.e., describing stereotypes of one's group as self-descriptive) and racial identity (i.e., importance of racial group membership to one's sense of self). Weakly racially identified Black participants indicated that stereotypically Black traits were more self-descriptive when reading the multicultural brochure than when reading the colorblind brochure (Study 1). Strongly racially identified participants did not change their level of self-stereotyping. Likewise, we predict that weakly identified Asian American participants reading about multiculturalism will self-stereotype more than those reading about colorblindness or reading a control statement (Study 2). Despite its attempts to promote inclusion, multiculturalism may be limiting for minorities if it leads some to see themselves in terms of stereotypical expectations of their group. Because both positive and negative stereotypes can be threatening, this may further lead to decrements in minorities' performance in stereotype-related domains (i.e., stereotype threat).

Egalitarianism is a central value in the United States, with the strive for equal treatment for all individuals evident in law, policy, and education. In contrast, for East Asian cultures, which are deeply rooted in Confucianism, the existence of social hierarchy is seen as natural and justified, and more value is placed on harmoniously maintaining it than it is for achieving social equality. As biculturals, immigrants from East Asian cultures are socialized into both sets of norms, values, and behaviors, and can identify with both cultures. Given such incompatible values surrounding equality, how might experiencing discrimination affect feelings of conflict in an Asian immigrant's bicultural identity? In Study 1, first-generation Asian females completed scales of perceived sexism in the United States as well as the Bicultural Identity Integration Scale, a measure assessing the degree of compatibility a bicultural finds between their two identities. Results showed that the more participants perceived personally being a victim of sexism in the United States, the more conflict they felt between their two identities, even after controlling for perceptions of immigrant-related discrimination. In Study 2, female Asian immigrants were exposed to a scenario in which they anticipated receiving a grade that did or did not stem from sexism. Consistent with hypotheses, participants who considered experiencing sexism reported more cultural conflict between their Asian and American identities compared to participants who did not consider sexism. Together, these studies raise the possibility that differing cultural values placed on egalitarianism can create feelings of identity conflict for immigrants when they face discrimination.