The abuse of opioids has become an epidemic in the United States. In 2017 the mortality attributed to opioid overdose was 70,237 individuals which is more than the death toll from the Iraq and Vietnam wars combined. Microdirect laryngoscopy (MDL) is a very common surgery performed among otolaryngologists with varying post-operative analgesia regimens. We aimed to characterize current opioid-prescribing patterns among otolaryngologists performing MDL by using a cross-sectional survey of otolaryngologists at a national meeting. Our eventual goal was to have a standard post-operative opioid prescribing protocol to improve safety and allow early identification of individuals that may be at risk of opioid misuse. We surveyed 57 practicing otolaryngologists: we found that 91% of surgeons routinely prescribed opioids, 84% of surgeons recommended non-opioid analgesics as adjunctive medications, and only 5% of surgeons report never prescribing opioids. When opioids were prescribed, patient preference, difficult exposure and a history of opioid use were the most influential patient factors. Concerns of opioid abuse, the physician role in the opioid crisis, and literature about post-operative non-opioid analgesia were also underlying themes in influencing opioid prescription patterns after MDL. Opioid stewardship should be a consideration for MDL. It appears that over 90% of physicians are prescribing opioids after MDLs, although many are also prescribing non-opioid analgesia. Armed with the knowledge of current practice and influences, otolaryngologists can work to decrease opioid prescribing patterns appropriately to improve patient safety and mitigate the contribution of post-operative prescribing patterns on the opioid epidemic.

Our project took place at the Wilson Botanical Garden, Las Cruces Biological Station, Costa Rica. The strata of the garden which were identified were sky, canopy, mid strata, low shrub and ground. Bird species and their behavior such as flying over, flying through, eating and perching were observed. Numerical field keys were developed for both strata and behavior. 96 species and 220 total number of birds were identified. There was a significant difference between the number of species and the total number of birds in the sky. This reflects the big flocks of vultures, parrots and swifts. The larger number of birds in mid strata correlates to the flowers and fruits there. The greatest family of birds in mid strata were the tanagers. The least number of birds which were observed on the ground correlates to no fruit or flowers there. Birds are often indicator species regarding changes in ecosystem or relating to climate change. This data can be compared to past studies and future stories to see any trends. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) can also be integrated with the research.

A declassified 1962 document shows that the Kennedy Administration considered “Operation Northwoods,” a plan to fabricate a terror attack and blame it on the Cuban government in order to legitimize an invasion of Cuba. The Northwoods plan was rejected by President Kennedy. This tactic of faking an attack for political purposes is called a “false flag” attack. Modern conspiracy theorists use Operation Northwoods as evidence that the American government fakes terror attacks in the 21st century, considering attacks such as the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2018 Parkland shooting to be “false flag” events. I engage with the Operation Northwoods document, detailing its contents and implications. I then analyze the impact of the document in the conspiracy fringe, looking at its reference in various new media spaces, such as the online conspiracy editorial InfoWars and the alt-right social media platform Gab. I find that the power of the Northwoods document is often overestimated and exaggerated on online spaces and that the conspiracy theorists use motivated reasoning to further their belief in conspiracy.  Online spaces allow for the spread of false conspiracy narratives by enabling people with fringe beliefs to connect with each other more effectively. The wide propagation of Northwoods as evidence that major contemporary tragedies are fraudulent is a supreme example of dangerous information which can be spread unchecked online.

My research is on the intersectionalities of racism and sexism as they apply to the healthcare of women of color, and specifically that of African-American women’s maternal mortality rate. African-American women die of after-birth complications at a rate that is three times higher than that of White women. I am using Critical Race theory and Intersectional Feminism to analyze how racism and sexism are interconnected, and how they together implicitly bias many healthcare professionals. I am working from the viewpoint that racism is widespread throughout American society, and highly influences the way that people of color, and white people, live their lives. However, I also believe that an intersectional approach is necessary to fully understand the influences on women’s healthcare, and that examining the sexism inherent in women’s care is vital to understanding the full extent of the bias society holds against Black women. I am creating a literature study on the history of bias in the medical system with a focus on historical methods of medicalizing racism, researching the explanation for Black women’s historical distrust for the white healthcare system, and a focus on current research on implicit bias among healthcare professionals. I am hoping to discover whether the underlining differences in Black women’s maternal mortality rate, due to their societal positionality, is being addressed by their doctors in their healthcare strategies. I am hoping to show that a healthcare system which addresses bias and the biological and psychological effects of racism and sexism rather than ignoring them and treating every woman the same is vital to ensuring every woman’s optimal health outcome.

The Internet fundamentally altered what copyright means and how it functions in society. Now anyone who downloads music or uploads videos to YouTube is deeply implicated in the complex set of laws known as copyright. Despite this daily interaction, the public at large is unaware of or even apathetic towards the current copyright system. The question then is why is there a gap between public opinion and understanding of copyright and the copyright legislation itself? To answer this question this research investigates the copyright discourse across time as the internet and thus digital copyright expanded. To do this a discourse analysis was conducted surrounding three different pieces of proposed copyright legislation: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the Stop Piracy Online Act (SOPA) and the EU Copyright Directive. The analysis included the bills themselves, congressional/parliamentary hearings, newspaper reporting, statements by supporters/opposition, and online discussion forums. These data were then coded to gauge what the public was informed of and how they were interpreting digital copyright legislation and the impact it would have. Preliminary findings indicate that public awareness of copyright and copyright violations has grown over time, as has concern and involvement by the public in copyright debates. These findings show that as the Internet became more ingrained in people’s day to day lives copyright or at least concern over copyright legislation and the impact it would have on the Internet also became more prevalent. Understanding this discourse and how various parties are interpreting copyright is important because in the digital age copyright is a fight over who gets to control, alter, create, and access content and information. In a world that relies on access to information, the importance of this decision should not be underestimated.