Sugar pine and western white pine are widely distributed, economically valuable, and ecologically important native tree species in North America. However, white pine blister rust (WPBR), caused by a non-native fungal pathogen, Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch. in Rabh., has substantially affected populations of these species. Cronartium is an obligate parasite,...
LGBTQ+ young people experience oppression daily and these experiences
negatively impact their wellbeing (Hafeez et al., 2017; Kattari et al., 2016; Kulik et al., 2017; Movement Advancement Project, 2020a; Woodford et al., 2014; Young, 2014). How young people respond to oppression can have far-reaching implications for not only their own...
The climate of the Pacific Northwest is in flux, and existing forest ecosystems are stressed and poised to shift in fundamental ways, with or without human intervention. This dissertation probes the nature of forest responses to environmental change through investigations of morphology and genetics of three species of alder co-occurring...
Previous research on WWII veterans in their 70’s and 80’s has shown that positive and negative appraisals of military service mediate between combat exposure and PTSD symptoms in late life. This thesis extends this research in two ways, first by determining how these variables relate to functional health in later...
An estimated 5.7 million Americans are currently living with the dementia stage of Alzheimer’s disease, impeding health and wellbeing for individuals diagnosed, caregivers, families, and communities across the country (Alzheimer’s Association, 2018). Studying early indicators of age-related cognitive decline and pathological cognitive impairment (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease) is crucial to inform...
Floating guidance structures are intended to promote safe in-stream passage for juvenile salmon migrating downstream through reservoirs. However, the ability of an engineered structure to guide fish to safe passage has been primarily tested either after large-scale implementation in existing reservoirs or in laboratory studies and computer simulations without live...
Racial/ethnic minority individuals are unable to escape the realities of everyday discrimination in the United States: at least 87% of African American adolescents and 50% of Hispanic/Latinx young adults report experiencing discrimination within the past year (Neblett, Rivas-Drake, & Umaña-Taylor, 2012; Pérez, Fortuna, & Alegria, 2008; Seaton, Caldwell, Sellers, &...
The Southern Ocean plays an important role in the ocean’s uptake of heat and carbon yet the processes controlling this uptake are not well understood. To date, more than 100 biogeochemical profiling floats that measure water column pH, oxygen, nitrate, fluorescence, and backscattering at 10-day intervals have been deployed throughout...
Increasing numbers of individuals aspire to, seek out, and need a college degree in order to be competitive in the job market (Goyette, 2008; U.S. Department of Education, 2013). College degrees provide access to economic, social, and health benefits (Abel & Deitz, 2014; Autor, 2014). The United States also needs...
Decisions about college are significant in the lives of students and their families, especially since these are often the first major life-decisions that adolescents are able to make largely on their own (Galotti, 1995; Galotti & Mark, 1994). It is widely recognized that family history plays a role in whether...