The Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida), Washington's only native oyster, was brought to near extinction during the last century due to overharvesting and habitat destruction. Populations have failed to recover naturally leading to a need for active restoration. O. lurida provide ecosystem services including filtering water, providing habitat and food, and increasing the overall diversity of the ecosystem. In order to restore the Olympia oyster to healthy population numbers in Puget Sound, WA, spatial patterns and population connectivity of O. lurida veliger larvae need to be studied to provide efficient and targeted restoration for the species. It can be difficult to determine larval transport patterns due to high larval mortality, small size, difficult identification, and long potential dispersal distances. By following methods of Carson et al. 2010, using trace elemental fingerprinting, it is possible to trace veliger larvae back to predicted natal populations. This is achieved by comparing the chemical signatures of settlers, veligers and brooded larvae using analysis by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). During the 10-12 day brooding period, trace metals from larval bay of origin are embedded into the natal shell during early life, leaving a record of past locations in the shell. Analyzing samples collected at natural and restored sites of O. lurida in Puget Sound, WA allow us to compare site and spatial variability. These results will shed light on the dispersal and larval behavior of O. lurida which could inform restoration of native shellfish to create a network of self-sustaining sub-populations.

The Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) was built on Tacoma’s Commencement Bay-Nearshore Tideflats, a hazardous Superfund site containing arsenic, lead and other contaminates. A Superfund site is any land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a priority for cleanup because it poses grave risks to human health and/or the environment. While the area was only cleaned up to heavy industrial standards, the NWDC today is one of the largest immigration prisons in the country holding up to 1,575 people at any given time. Some people are held for many months or years, separated from their families and their lives, subjected to ill treatment, and forced to live on a Superfund site. How and why are immigrants fighting to stay in the US housed in an area that is not zoned for human housing? This study is a site genealogy using archival research, looking at environmental impact statements from the EPA, city land use permits, and other documents as well as in-depth interviews to map how this site came into being. Using critical race theory and abolition ecology, this paper explains how state actors subjected people of color to harm, in particular through their exclusion of the public comment and non-resident classification. It examines the planning and expansion of this facility, as well as the implications that neither state agencies nor community advocates can examine site conditions. Rather than signal a lack of a problem, this means that it is structurally impossible to know the depth of the problem. Study findings can inform advocacy work in how stakeholder communities are constituted and what role they can play in planning processes.

Nemerteans are a phylum of soft-bodied coelomate protostomes worms with specialized organ, the proboscis, that is used for prey capture and are known as voracious ambush predators on other marine worms and crustaceans. Several neurotoxins have been extracted from nemertean tissues, including tetrodotoxin (TTX), a paralytic neurotoxin, suggesting a potential role in both prey capture and predator deterrence. TTX is used by a variety of marine animals for defense and is produced by a symbiotic bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus. Past research has demonstrated the presence of TTX on the epidermis and lining of the intestine in several local species of nemerteans. This research examines the bacterial community of local nemertean species and attempts to identify the presence of Vibrio spp. through DNA barcoding.The process with which we analyzed the worms was to rub them onto highly selective agar media that selects for Vibrio species of bacteria. Then we tried to use PCR in order to amplify the barcoding gene 16S so that we could compare it to other species in the database.

Bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, is a dominant kelp forest species in the Salish Sea and plays an important role in the marine coastal ecosystem. The biogenic structure formed by N. luetkeana provides habitat for marine mammals, crustaceans, echinoderms, mollusks, fish, and other algae and increases the productivity of the ecosystem. Throughout its lifecycle N. luetkeana faces a variety of biotic stressors that impact its distribution and abundance. These stressor include competition, availability of sori, the reproductive organ of kelp, and herbivory. The relative impacts of availability of sori and competition on the abundance of N. luetkeana were explored through a subtidal experiment that examined how clearing and seeding impacted N. luetkeana settlement and growth. 40 subtidal plots were placed off of Point Caution, San Juan Island, at approximately 20 feet during a medium low tide. A treatment was then applied to each plot. 10 were seeded with ripe sori, 10 were cleared of vegetation, 10 were both cleared and seeded, and 10 were left undisturbed as a control. The site was monitored via SCUBA over the next 6 months and new recruits of N. luetkeana were recorded. Data suggest that competition between macroalga is the limiting factor in kelp settlement. Once the macroalga survives settlement it still faces other stressors, such as herbivory. Feeding trials with two species of kelp crabs, Pugettia gracilis and Pugettia producta, tested feeding electivity on N. luetkeana using a choice no choice method. Results suggest a preference in both species for juvenile stipe over juvenile blade, and sori over non-reproductive mature blade. P. producta also elected to eat mature blade over mature stipe. Identification of challenges faced by N. luetkeana has the potential to allow for more informed preservation and restoration of kelp beds in the Salish Sea and in other areas.

An estimated 1.7 million people in the United States suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. Depending on the location and severity of trauma, this injury to the brain may result in any number of seriously debilitating cognitive deficits, impaired physical functioning, mental health or behavioral problems. From the time an individual sustains a TBI, to the time of their discharge and/or referral to post-acute rehabilitative care, they will interact with many healthcare service providers, including social workers. Social workers are in a unique position to contribute to positive health outcomes for clients in many stages of recovery, provide mental health services, discharge planning, vocational rehabilitation and more. However, the prevalence of knowledge and training about TBI among social workers is not known. In order to assess the extent to which social workers serve clients with TBI, and to define their knowledge of TBI and assess training needs, I, in collaboration with my mentor developed an anonymous survey and distributed it to social workers in Washington State. Respondents were asked to rate their level of familiarity with TBI in practice, note sources of knowledge and other information. The survey was distributed by email to 7,394 social workers registered with Washington State Department of Health, and I recorded and analyzed responses using both qualitative and quantitative data processing tools. Survey responses will be used to add to the current body of data on the state of social work practice with clients with TBI (in Washington State), and to inform training approaches and continuing education on TBI for social workers.

Algal subsidies are extremely important to the success of the deep benthos where there is little to no primary productivity. Little research has been done on the nutritional value of detritus, such as pieces of kelp, that sink into deep habitats. Sea urchin feces, as a form of detritus, may provide an energetic link from shallow-water algae to these deep benthic communities. Urchins are known to have an inefficient digestive system which creates the potential for feces to be of high food value. In this study, relative caloric contents of algae and of feces of the red sea urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) were analyzed by chemical assay. Algal biomass consumed and feces egested by urchins were quantified, as were the caloric contents of fresh and aged urchin feces fed a diet of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana). In all cases, the caloric content of algal material increased after being consumed by urchins, and the longer the urchin feces aged, the higher the caloric value became. It is likely that microbiota inside urchin guts are driving these counterintuitive results. The creation of calorie-rich feces could add to the importance of urchins as a link to benthic communities that rely heavily on detritus for their success.

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) are important ecosystem engineers that provide food and habitat to diverse organisms. Some eelgrass beds are declining in locations around the Salish Sea, leading to a subsequent decline in biodiversity and productivity. One proposed restoration strategy is to transplant shoots from healthy to declining sites. Transplantation efforts, however, should consider the effects of desiccation on eelgrass during extreme low tides. Desiccation can decrease transplant success by decreasing photosynthetic rates and causing tissue damage in transplanted shoots. To understand how desiccation affects transplanted eelgrass performance, we conducted a mesocosm experiment that manipulated air exposure durations to simulate eelgrass transplantation between tidal elevations. Plants collected from three tidal heights in Ship Harbor, WA were randomly placed in tide tanks that mimicked the emersion periods of three different tidal elevations. We measured changes in eelgrass morphology, growth, and tissue damage throughout the experiment. We predicted that shoots in treatments with similar air exposure durations as their original locations would exhibit the highest growth rates and the least amount of damage. We found that eelgrass originating from a high intertidal zone that were exposed to a low intertidal treatment exhibited the least amount of bleaching damage. Neither origin nor treatment, however, affected eelgrass growth rates. Our findings suggest that transplanting shoots from the high to low intertidal zone is a useful strategy for eelgrass restoration.

Social media plays a significant role in the lives of college students today. Most young adults (82%) use Facebook while 59% use Instagram. Research has begun to examine the effects that social media usage has on mental health issues, but conclusions have been mixed. Anxiety is the most common mental health issue among college students, with 17% of undergraduates having been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in the past year. Few studies have focused on social media’s effect on anxiety in young adults. The purpose of this study was to produce a stakeholder-driven conceptual model of the relationship between social media and anxiety. This qualitative focus group study examined whether college students perceive a relationship between social media and anxiety and what factors play into the relationship. College students ages 18-22 were recruited through student organizations and class settings. Participants were asked questions about their perceptions of social media and anxiety and to construct a consensus-based conceptual model. During the conceptual modelling activity, participants arranged notecards representing factors derived from the literature, including social comparison and approval, self-esteem, stress, and idealized selves on social media. Participants also had the opportunity to write in additional factors on blank notecards. Then, participants collaborated with the other focus group members to construct a collective model on a whiteboard. Analysis included comparing models that the participants created and synthesizing them into one final model. Additionally, the themes and key points of the focus group discussions were analyzed using qualitative methods. The results of this study will inform future research by creating an innovative conceptual model of the relationship between social media and anxiety. Future studies will be able to form targeted research questions based on the model or more closely examine contributing factors and outcomes.

Nearly 94% of adolescents report daily online smartphone use; thus, understanding specifics regarding time spent on smartphone apps is important. Self-reported time spent on apps has been shown to be unreliable. New methodology is needed to better understand app use among highly connected adolescents. The purpose of this study was to test a novel methodology to investigate smartphone application use among older adolescents. A sample of freshman at a large university was recruited through freshman interest groups and university forums. For 9 sequential weeks participants submitted weekly screenshots of their mobile application use showing their most-used apps including social media and messaging tracked by battery usage. Incentives were given at both week 5 and week 9. Analysis included paired t-tests. We evaluated a total of 134 screenshots (82.7% response rate) submitted by 18 participants who were age = 18 (SD=1.1), 72% female. The average number of apps listed on battery usage was 16.1 (SD=1.6). Average battery use of social media apps was 16% (SD = 6.2) and average battery use of messaging apps was 11.8% (SD =6.8). Among social media, Snapchat and Facebook were among the most popular apps used with all participants having both/one consistently in their top 5 battery usage for at least 8 weeks. A total of 9 participants had “home/lock screen” among their top 5 battery usage for 3 or more weeks. These 9 participants had an average of 30.2% of battery usage for their most used app on weeks when home/lock screen was among top 5 apps, compared to 18.2% on weeks without home/lock screen in their top 5 apps (p=0.01). Phone tracking and screenshot data collection offers a novel and feasible methodology to understanding app use among highly connected populations. Additionally, frequent home/lock screen may be an indicator of compulsive phone checking.

The Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) is the only native oyster along the west coast of the U.S. and has been commercially extinct in Puget Sound since the 1940s. Olympia oysters are a beneficial part of the ecosystem by increasing intertidal species diversity through construction of oyster reefs that provide filtration, habitat, and food. Within the last two decades, they have been the subject of restoration efforts in Washington State. It is important to track the oyster in its larval planktonic stage to aid in restoration of the species because, during this stage, bivalves may travel vast distances of coastline as veliger larvae. To better understand larval transport, plankton samples were collected from two bays in Western Washington during the summer of 2015, Fidalgo Bay to the north, and Dyes Inlet in central Puget Sound. Plankton samples were collected weekly for 5 weeks during ebb and flood tides from two different depths in the water column, one meter from the surface and 0.25m from the bottom of the bay at both locations. O. lurida larval abundance in plankton samples were hand counted and identified using microscopy. The results indicate a high larval abundance in the ebb tide at Fidalgo bay between June 23 and June 30. In Dyes Inlet there is an abundance peak of larvae in the ebb and flood tide on July 9 and larvae were found in both surface and bottom samples at each site. Looking at the densities of oyster larvae in two bays and different tidal conditions can suggest where larvae are dispersing within their natal bays.

Alcohol consumption among college students has been well documented to increase during school gamedays. While studies have focused on the effects of peer and event specific influences on college drinking, there remains a gap in understanding between behavior and social media content such as Instagram. Instagram’s unique lifestyle and filter driven platform have facilitated the glamorization of alcohol displays. The purpose of this study is to assess whether the use of Instagram and viewing school gameday content amplify the receptivity of alcohol behavior. Undergraduate students ages 18-25 were recruited from a Pacific Northwest University using a convenience sample. The survey was structured using a Likert-scale questioning pattern to assess attitude towards alcohol, and four distinct alcohol scenarios will be shown to participants. Responses were used to assess whether the variations in alcohol attitudes changed while school sports affiliation was present in some scenarios. Further questionnaire regarding past experiences of viewing alcohol displays and Instagram use were also included to support findings. This survey will then aim to capture whether undergraduates favor alcohol depictions on Instagram with greater probability when the school team is made visible. Findings could be used to spread social media messages in proximity with sporting events to prevent problematic alcohol behavior. Future studies could incorporate a multi-university study focusing on school sports polls to determine whether school rankings correlate with alcohol consumption.

Alcohol is used among 45% of college students, and this behavior is associated with up to 1800 deaths per year. Social Media has been shown to influence student's alcohol use. Little is known about the role of alcohol-related Facebook events in promoting safe or problematic alcohol use. The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of safety messages in alcohol-related Facebook events, as well as students' perceptions of these posts. This mixed methods study involved content analysis and qualitative interviews. Researchers will use the Facebook Discover feature, which enables the user to search for events meeting given criteria, to identify events in the Seattle, Washington area categorized under "Nightlife". The search was be conducted at 4 time points 1-2 days apart, each weel, and the top 4 events will be included, yielding a total of 100 events for analysis. Researchers evaluated events for the following variables: alcohol-related public event, number of people attending, interested, and invited, and inclusion of alcohol safety related messaging. Then researchers identified ten 18-22 year old college students to participate in qualitative interviews by approaching them at popular campus locations. Interviewees viewed a slideshow of common themes present in alcohol-related Facebook events content analysis findings and answered questions about their attitudes about attending such events. These interviews were recorded, transcribed, and undergo thematic qualitative analysis. The results will quantify the proportion of Facebook events with alcohol-related content on Facebook events available under a specified public search. The results from this study can be used to consider ways that safety messaging can be improved on alcohol related Facebook events.

Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within the other person’s frame of reference. Empathy has been shown to be steadily declining in college students. Use of various types of media has been shown to increase empathy if the media is prosocial, relating to a positive behavior, while violent or antisocial media is shown to decrease empathy. College students are highly connected through social media. There has been little research on the impact of mobile app usage on empathy. The purpose of this study is to compare smartphone app usage to the Interpersonal Reactivity index, a measure of empathy. A sample of approximately 30 college students with iPhones from two universities were recruited through class Facebook pages and email listservs. The study was conducted through an online survey that uses an established measure (Interpersonal Reactivity Index) to determine perspective taking, empathetic concern, fantasy, and personal distress of each participant. Additionally, participants were asked to submit a screenshot of their weekly app usage that shows time spent on apps. A codebook was used to identify these apps as prosocial or antisocial. Analysis included comparing scores from the Interpersonal Reactivity Index to the amount of time spent on apps according to the screenshot. From these sets of data it will become more clear what kind of smartphone app usage is prosocial, what kind is antisocial, and the effects of app usage on perspective taking, fantasy, empathetic concern, and personal distress amongst college students.

Research has shown there are potential benefits to social media use in reaching underserved populations such as runaway homeless youth. Social media use in professional social service practice has often been seen as a taboo subject, and anecdotal reports suggest it is something to refrain from because of the potential for ethical dilemmas. However, studies have shown that many social work students feel the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics is vague in addressing correct professional social media use. The purpose of this study is to gain practitioner perspectives on professional social media use. The study recruited 20-30 practitioners working in youth-serving social service agencies who regularly come into contact with clients, using snowball sampling as the primary source of recruitment. A 10-20 minute phone or in-person interview was conducted with each participant gauging perspectives on social media use, agency policies on social media, whether ethical codes of the profession adequately address social media use, and how a practitioner would address an online ethical dilemma. The data included qualitative and quantitative components and was analyzed for differences of opinion regarding education level, years in the field, and familiarity with social media. The researchers anticipate that a majority of the participants will report inadaquate training on social media use and that a majority of participants will have encountered clients on social media networking sites before. Furthermore, the researchers anticipate a majority of participants will feel the ethical codes of the profession do not adequately address social media use. This study could inform further social work research into the efficacy of professional social media use as a benefit to the helping relationship.

A growing number of parents are opting out of vaccinations for their children, which presents a prominent public health risk. Studies have shown that parents are now more likely to look to Web 2.0 communities, such as blogs, than rely on medical expertise for health advice, especially on vaccination. However, there is scant literature outlining how parents contribute to online discussion of vaccination. The purpose of this study was to explore parent involvement in online vaccine communication, by analyzing content in a setting that is informal, unmediated, easily accessible, and intended to express vaccination opinions to the non-descript, lay, parent population. Content analysis was conducted to evaluate a sample of online comments on popular, parenting blog posts on vaccination. Investigators entered the search terms “top parenting blog vaccination posts” into the Google search engine, and included posts that met specified inclusion criteria, such as parent-focused and parent-written. This sample was analyzed using an adapted codebook, vetted through inter-rater reliability testing. The codebook included variables for participant discussion role, examples include providing information or asking questions; stance: pro, con, or neutral; and argument rhetoric, including emotionalization or fact-based. The comment dates were also mapped over a timeline of relevant, vaccine-related events (i.e. Measles outbreak at Disneyland). Investigator analysis compared types of rhetoric and content by stance of the commenter. Statistical and qualitative analysis of this data was performed to reveal trends towards better understanding of anti-vaccination sentiments, and inform efforts to improve vaccination coverage. A divergence is anticipated in the rhetoric and discussion contribution between the two sides of the conversation. Preliminary results favor a tendency of pro-vaccination comments to rely on scientific evidence, and anti-vaccination comments to rely of emotionalization.

On Twitter, there are over 52,000 tweets containing the word “antibiotic”, many of which portray inaccurate information. Young adults are social media’s most avid users and may view such content. It remains unclear if and how college students decipher information in inaccurate tweets. The purpose of this study is to investigate how youth perceive and assess the accuracy of Twitter posts about antibiotics. College students were recruited from the Seattle area through snowball sampling and participated in focus groups. Four focus groups were conducted with a range of 3-5 students in each group. Researchers developed a mock Twitter feed composed of real tweets discussing antibiotics. The tweets chosen conveyed accurate information (e.g., “Antibiotics don’t help viral infections…”), made inaccurate claims (e.g., “Doctor gave me some antibiotics for my flu…but a least I’ll recover”), or embodied disconnect from health assertions (e.g., “Finished antibiotic Tue...”). The facilitator read a vignette about being a college student, sick during finals weeks, who turned to Twitter, and searched “antibiotics”. Students were asked to imagine that they are this person when answering questions throughout the focus group. The mock Twitter feed was presented. Students discussed initial perceptions of the tweets, followed by being asked to group the tweets in any way they saw fit. Then students were asked to categorize the tweets again, but this time into accurate or inaccurate claims about antibiotics. After, a discussion was held about the categorizing processes. The focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for reoccurring themes throughout the discussions and categorizing process. This study helps inform health professionals of a need to improve education about antibiotics particularly around evaluating the accuracy of social media content.

The Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, benefits the ecosystem for the health of marine environments. Olympia oysters provide natural filtration and restore complex nearshore habitats. Along the estuarine habitats of Washington State, native oyster populations have been declining. Invertebrates reproduce by producing thousands of larvae to ensure survival of a few. Most larvae will not survive due to natural causes such as predation or advection, or human causes such as poor water quality or ocean acidification. The larval stage is the most mobile form of development, and it determines whether they settle away from where they were reproduced or remain in the same area. Larval identification allows for the study of larval behavior and provides data for environmental organizations as to whether restored populations self-sustain or export new offpsring. In this study, we collected samples from Fidalgo Bay, WA from eight stations: five intertidal and three subtidal including three replicates of each sample. Larval samples have been quantified by microscopy and visual identification to describe spatial and temporal distribution of O. lurida larvae. Although the results are pending, data is being collected to find out if larvae will be found in intertidal sites near suitable substrate for adult settlement and adult populations. Results will also indicate if their narrow band as adults is due to their settling everywhere and then die when they get bigger, or if they settle only in their narrow band. If successful, restored populations of Ostrea lurida will attract fish, invertebrates and other marine organisms throughout Fidalgo Bay and therefore prevent these species from going extinct.

Adolescents without college attending parents and from minority communities have lower post-secondary enrollment rates. Non-profit college preparedness organizations targeting these adolescents can provide support to help increase these enrollment rates. An important aspect of reaching adolescents is outreach through social media, given its prevalence among this population. However, pilot evaluations show infrequent social media use by college preparedness organizations, and it remains unclear which online outreach approaches yield the highest user engagement. The purpose of this study is to understand approaches used by college preparedness organizations in social media outreach, and which factors are associated with user engagement. In this content analysis study, seven college preparedness organizations listed as partner organizations on the Seattle government website were randomly selected. A codebook was developed to evaluate outreach approaches using components derived from the Facebook Influence and non-profit organization models, which will use variables for how organizations communicate information, build communities, create immersion, and facilitate action in their social media posts. The codebook was used to evaluate each organization’s posts from their Facebook and Twitter profiles for a period of a year. Likes, Shares, and Retweet totals were also collected for each post. Associations between social media outreach approaches and user engagement were examined. Organizations may use more community and immersive orientated posts to generate more likes and followers. The results of this study could potentially be used to develop strategies that will allow other college preparedness organizations or organizations in other outreach based fields to increase their user engagement.