Human biospecimens have undeniably paved the way for medical progress, but historically also surfaces problematic ethical considerations around consent, compensation, and privacy. Marginalized communities have been historically exploited as test subjects and sample sources; unknowingly or unwillingly playing a lead character role in scientific research. This results in a legacy of distrust in science and medicine as well as health disparities. Broadly, I hope to examine cultural impacts and health legacies that result from exploitive research practices, specifically examining biospecimen collection from the Rongelap people during Project 4. in the Marshall Islands during the 1950's and other examples, such as Henrietta Lacks, and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. By comparing these case studies, I endeavor to interrogate historical discourse around biospecimen collection in research to inform the relationship between scientific exploitation and population health disparities in marginalized communities today. In doing so, I hope to broaden the space for amplifying Marshallese voices and incorporating the population health impact of Project 4.1 into current dialogue around issues in scientific research.

Throughout Washington, there is a lack of awareness about the Hanford nuclear site and its impacts on Native American tribes. Since 2015, teaching of Since Time Immemorial (STI) - a tribally developed curriculum covering Hanford and other issues - has been required throughout Washington schools.Yet, there is a lack of information on how this curriculum has been implemented and to what extent Hanford is being taught about. Thus, this research project aims to gather data on current teaching practices on the Hanford site as well as general tribal education throughout Washington schools. We also attempt to understand what measures can be taken to help teachers implement native centered curriculum, especially about Hanford. Initial research was conducted through semi structured interviews with stakeholders about current education practices and efforts to implement education about Hanford. This preliminary research was used to develop a survey for middle and high school teachers across Washington. The survey contained 15 multiple choice and short answer questions addressing the STI curriculum and education on Hanford. The survey also included an educational research guide for teachers who were interested in learning more about STI or Hanford. The survey was administered to 234 districts by emailing school administrators with the request that the survey be forwarded to teachers in their school; contact information for administrators was gathered through the WA OSPI website. Based on current data, it’s anticipated that there is very limited coverage of Hanford in schools due to time constraints, lack of interest, and omission from standard curriculums, suggesting a need to ensure that existing tribally developed curriculum is taught in classrooms. This is an urgent matter because lack of public awareness about the history and impacts of the Hanford Site on Native Americans allows for the harms to continue to be perpetrated. 

Talanoa (Tongan compound word—tala meaning to talk and noa meaning balance: form of conversing in a relational learning space) has been used within Pasifika cultures to engage with each other in respectful and balanced ways. This research not only acknowledges the importance of talanoa (and its analogous forms throughout the Pacific Islands) within the context of schools, but also reveals the possibilities of dismantling the power dynamics that occur within Western educational institutions and settings through conversations and classroom discussions. The following research question: “Does talanoa within a relational learning space impact Pacific Islander (PI) and non-PI learners?” We have observed and conducted conversations with PI and non-PI students in the ANTH 306 - The Power of Representation: Pacific Islander Voices course which centers the talanoa framework. Additionally, we will be using Indigenous decolonizing methodologies by Tuhiwai-Smith (1999), Wilson (2008) and more to critically analyze discourse used throughout our observations. Our anticipated research results will highlight the significance of talanoa to educators and learners who have been introduced to and/or adapted to this framework. Talanoa being a space where relationships and connections are of value and emphasized—creating transformational learning environments for, but not exclusively to, marginalized communities. As Pacific Islander students, we bring awareness to our ways of sustaining and supporting our knowledge-making dialogue. Talanoa is one of many Indigenous tools for understanding how we, Pacific Islander students, are able to communicate more meaningfully and beyond traditional discussions.

Research Family (R.F.) is a student led group focused on Pacific Islander (P.I.) culture, diasporic identity, policy issues, and educational upbringing- to name a few. In this learning space, we emphasize relationship building and discourse within a safe space. We develop weekly curriculums; responsible for gathering resources, media, and often finding guest speakers. The purpose of our research is to reframe the narrative behind “research” from the Western notion of individualistic learning to a shift towards collaborative collective learning. Research should not be extractive, knowledge should constantly be moving respecting where, and whom, it comes from; research should value reciprocity, respect, and relationships. We ask the question, “does R.F. impact P.I. learning and representation within traditional education systems?” To reflect on R.F. impacts, we turn to our own community to learn about the experiences of past, and current, R.F. members. Interviews are conducted to answer this question. We find that R.F. helps students utilize their resources in our educational system creating space for our community and help build our capacities to further beyond the school grounds. Being in this position promotes strong leadership, communication, and collaboration that will greatly benefit members long past their time at the University of Washington.

Recent studies have indicated that some patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experience undetected focal seizures, which could contribute to and/or worsen overall disease burden (e.g. cognitive function and neuropsychiatric comorbidities). Genetic variants in presenilin 2 (PSEN2) are associated with early-onset AD and result in a loss of normal PSEN2 function. Patients with PSEN2 mutations also experience seizures more frequently than age-matched individuals without AD. There are over 30 clinically approved antiseizure drugs (ASDs), which have been proposed to be effective in controlling these seizures, and thus reducing disease burden. ASD efficacy and tolerability is not, however, frequently determined in aged rodent seizure models nor in rodent models with AD-associated genotypes. This project thus aimed to establish the dose-dependent efficacy of mechanistically-distinct approved ASDs in the well-established mouse 6 Hz model of focal seizures, using both female and male PSEN2 knockout (KO) mice. Seizure susceptibility in PSEN2 variant mouse models of AD is generally understudied; most work previously has been conducted in amyloid precursor protein-overexpressing models. We thus first quantified the median convulsant current (CC50) in the 6 Hz model of focal seizures with male and female PSEN2 KO mice aged 3-4 months. The CC50 of female PSEN2 KO mice was 34.4 mA [95% confidence intervals 30.4-38.5]; in males it was 41.9 mA [39.3-46.9]. Candidate ASDs (valproic acid, lamotrigine, carbamazepine, levetiracetam, and perampanel) were then administered via intraperitoneal (IP) injection in a dose-related manner to assess dose-related seizure control in the 6 Hz test. Preliminary results indicate that PSEN2 KO mice may be more sensitive to administration of valproic acid than wild-type mice. This study is definitively addressing whether loss of normal PSEN2 function promotes any overt changes in the anticonvulsant efficacy of clinically-approved ASDs to better inform management of focal seizures in patients with AD.