Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Showcase Abstract 2020

Mobile Money for the Financially Underserved in the U.S.: How can this Socio-Technical System work?

Mobile Money for the Financially Underserved in the U.S.: How can this Socio-Technical System work?

Primary author: Carlos Torres
Faculty sponsor: Robert Crossler

Primary college/unit: Carson College of Business
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

In Forbes Technology Council, Toni Raval highlights that fintech is creating new alternatives addressing the unbanked /underbanked populations in developing economies by providing access to financial services, wherein three years (2014-2017) 515M adults obtained access to financial services unavailable before (Raval, 2019).
While this is happening in the developing world, and technology seems to be improving the lives of many people with no access to financial services, in the US CNN reported several cities and states banning cashless stores in order to prevent discrimination against unbanked people (Meyersohn, 2019). It seems contradictory that fintech can be seen as a mean for inclusion in many societies, but in the U.S., fintech is being used with the purpose of exclusion instead.
This in-progress critical research uses Bourdieu’s theory of practice (Bourdieu, 1977, 1990) to study the M-Money socio-technical system (Baxter & Sommerville, 2011; Bostrom & Heinen, 1977) addressing the financially underserved in the U.S. By using Values Sensitive Design (VSD) methodology considering human values of ethical import (Friedman & Kahn Jr, 2003), we offer initial theoretical insight and preliminary design principles for application providers developing technical solutions with the hope of preventing ongoing discrimination against financially underserved U.S. financially underserved.

Metallic Aerogel As Electrocatalysts In Oxygen Evolution And Hydrogen Evolution Reactions for Water Splitting

Metallic Aerogel As Electrocatalysts In Oxygen Evolution And Hydrogen Evolution Reactions for Water Splitting

Primary author: Hangyu Tian
Faculty sponsor: Yuehe Lin

Primary college/unit: Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

The emergent demands for a green and efficient energy resource driving the development of new energy conversion and storage systems. Among numerous energy resources, hydrogen is one of promising candidates for the next generation energy due to its zero carbon emission, high energy density and no pollutants. However, the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction that require a large overpotential over standard potential (1.23V vs RHE) has hindered water splitting for hydrogen production and made it hard to compete with fossil fuel in cost and efficiency. And due to its shortage, exorbitant price and poor durability, current commercial noble metal electrocatalysts still hindered the electrochemical production of the hydrogen. In past decades, significant efforts have been made on structure and composition design to improve the performance and efficiency of the electrocatalysts. Among various structure, Aerogel stands out for its ultra-high porosity, low apparent density and high specific area. We focus on the facile synthesis, composition optimization and defect engineering to increase both the number and activity of the reaction sites. By optimization of these parameters, our metallic aerogels exhibited excellent OER and HER performance.

Compared to C57BL/6J Mice, C57BL/6N Mice Exhibit Reduced Ethanol Consumption That Is Not Due to a Discrepancy in Sweet Taste Perception

Compared to C57BL/6J Mice, C57BL/6N Mice Exhibit Reduced Ethanol Consumption That Is Not Due to a Discrepancy in Sweet Taste Perception

Primary author: Talia Thuet
Co-author(s): Kevin Douglas

Primary college/unit: College of Veterinary Medicine
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

DBA/2J (D2) and C57BL/6J (B6J) mice are widely used as models for low and high ethanol (EtOH) consumption genotypes respectively. However, a key determinant of low EtOH consumption in D2 mice is taste-aversion to EtOH, which precludes voluntary consumption to neurologically active concentrations of EtOH. This phenomenon is explained in part by D2 mice having an allele of the sac locus which encodes a sweet taste receptor with reduced responsivity to sweet compounds like saccharin, sucrose, and EtOH. Furthermore, vast genetic differences between B6J and D2 mice make it difficult to identify key underlying neuro-molecular-genetic factors that contribute to their respective drinking profiles. To address these complications, we studied EtOH and sucrose reinforcement in C57BL/6N mice (B6N), a substrain of the original C57BL/6J line, distinguished by only five small nucleotide polymorphisms, that exhibits significantly reduced EtOH consumption. To determine whether taste-aversion to EtOH is a primary determinant of low EtOH consumption by B6N mice, we subjected animals to a modified sucrose fade procedure using a drinking in the dark, two-bottle-choice paradigm. We determined that; 1) B6Ns consume the same amount of a 10% sucrose solution as B6Js, 2) B6Js consume significantly more of a 10% EtOH/10% sucrose mix than B6Ns, but both achieve physiologically relevant blood alcohol concentrations (15-219 mg%), and 3) B6Js consume significantly more 10% EtOH than B6Ns upon removal of sucrose. Taken together, these results suggest that genetic differences in neurological response to EtOH contribute to differences in EtOH consumption between genetically similar B6J and B6N mice.

Strategic Planning in 4-H Youth Development Meaningful Change and Continuous Improvement

Strategic Planning in 4-H Youth Development Meaningful Change and Continuous Improvement

Primary author: Dan Teuteberg
Co-author(s): Missy Cummins; Gary Varrella

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Extension

Abstract:

Land Grant Universities are dynamic and engaging workplaces. They are active, changing, and adaptive to stakeholder needs and emerging opportunities and breakthroughs. Administration provides the requisite focus and direction. Administrative priorities ripple throughout the University and out to the local programmatic level. As priorities and direction filter throughout the organization, county-based Extension staff may feel disconnected from the university level plans.

Extension professionals are at the forefront of the interactions in this evolving and adaptive environment remaining responsive to local demographics, opportunities, and engage in continuous improvement guided by institutional priorities. This article provides an example of a strategic planning process that references and is directed by broader university priorities and is attainable at the field and community level. Borrowing from Posner, Strike, Hewson, & Gerzog’s theory of conceptual change (1982), creating ground-level strategic planning is plausible, attainable, and fruitful. Washington 4-H Youth Development highlights a strategic plan to keep a statewide 4-H Youth Development program relevant to the ever-changing University system.

Location, year and tree age impact near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy-based postharvest prediction of dry matter concentration for 58 apple accessions

Location, year and tree age impact near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy-based postharvest prediction of dry matter concentration for 58 apple accessions

Primary author: Soon Li Teh
Co-author(s): Jamie Coggins; Sarah Kostick; Kate Evans
Faculty sponsor: Kate Evans

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Wenatchee

Abstract:

In apple breeding, development of cultivars with desirable eating quality and postharvest characteristics is of paramount importance. During each season, fruit are destructively sampled and evaluated for various fruit quality traits. This presents a challenge when young seedling trees do not bear sufficient fruit for destructive sampling. Alternatively, a non-destructive tool can enable prediction of fruit quality indices regardless of fruit count, thus increasing selection efficiency. In this study, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was used as a non-destructive tool to correlate with destructively-derived measurements of dry matter concentration (DMC), a trait touted to be highly linked with fruit quality. The study was aimed at evaluating NIR prediction accuracy for DMC of 2,252 fruit from 58 diverse accessions at three orchard sites belonging to the Washington State University apple breeding program. Results showed that DMC values were generally predicted at high accuracies. In characterizing DMC predictive performance of within- versus between-years, both models were highly predictive and comparable, albeit slightly higher for the former. Further analysis of location × year effects revealed that location was a more important factor than year in influencing predictive performance. Finally, in cultivar-specific models, prediction made using fruit from more established trees as a calibration set consistently yielded higher prediction accuracy. This study provides a framework for understanding the impacts of location, year and tree age on NIR prediction accuracy of DMC in diverse apple breeding accessions. In addition, this work demonstrates the importance of assessing predictive performance using multiple statistical metrics.

Modeling Brook Trout carrying capacity in Owhi Lake, Washington using bioenergetics

Modeling Brook Trout carrying capacity in Owhi Lake, Washington using bioenergetics

Primary author: Timothy Taylor
Co-author(s): Benjamin Cross; Barry Moore
Faculty sponsor: Barry C. Moore

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

The management of fish populations often requires an understanding of how density-dependent effects influence population dynamics. In systems where natural populations are supplemented with stocking, the question of ‘how much food is available’ becomes increasingly important. One typical approach for assessing density-dependent interactions is to identifying disparities between fish consumption rates and food availability. The objective of our study was to determine if seasonal lake prey production could support Brook Trout consumption demands in Owhi Lake, Washington at observed abundances. Brook Trout were collected seasonally from 2015 to 2017 to obtain information on length, weight, age, diet, growth, and mortality. Population abundance was estimated in summers using hydroacoustic surveys. Littoral invertebrates and pelagic zooplankton were collected concurrently with fish to enumerate biomass and production. Bioenergetics modeling was used to estimate prey consumption for Brook Trout. In conjunction with supply-demand comparisons, we used growth efficiencies and maximum consumption rates to further identify potential season and annual food limitations. Our results suggest that prey production could support Brook Trout consumption demands for all years, but littoral invertebrate consumption was near to, or exceeded, prey production in summer and fall 2017. Growth efficiency was lowest and maximum consumption rates were highest in summer 2017 compared to all seasons and years. In addition to observed diet switching in summer 2016 and 2017 from littoral invertebrates to zooplankton, we concluded that lower growth efficiencies, lower annual survival rates, and increased consumption rates were influenced by littoral invertebrate production.

Exploring the Logo Evolution and Fashion Brand Discourse of Luxury Brands through Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar magazines

Exploring the Logo Evolution and Fashion Brand Discourse of Luxury Brands through Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar magazines

Primary author: Yi-Ning Tai
Co-author(s): Yuh-Fen Yu
Faculty sponsor: Jihyeong Son

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

Brand logos play a huge role to enhance consumer brand loyalty and the overall performance of a company (Park, Eisingerich, Pol & Park, 2013). The present study tried to investigate the patterns of the logo evolution of luxury fashion brands and how these brands use the logo as a key for successful communication with consumers. A visual content analysis was conducted with the top seven luxurious brand logos, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, Dior, Burberry, and Prada, presented on advertisements in Vogue and harper’s Bazaar magazines through 1930 to 2019. The shape, color, and font of each brand’s logo were examined. The results revealed that Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, and Hermes have not changed their logos since 20 century. Only, for Burberry, the brand has changed its logo four times. It eliminated the symbol and altered the font of the logo gradually to fit the brand image. There are patterns in their successful logo design: First, luxury brands tend to simplify their logos. Secondly, the structures of logos tend to be in rectangular figures. Third, the logo design needs to align with brand characteristics. Lastly, the logo is a powerful marketing tool to enhance brand awareness and it is also a key to change the brand image. We concluded that every change or adjustment for a brand logo is to pursue higher visibility, which means to have distinctions between different brands (Adîr, Adîr & Pascu, 2012). A successful logo design aims to imprint on people’s minds.

Promoting Experiential Learning to Strengthen Growth and Retention

Promoting Experiential Learning to Strengthen Growth and Retention

Primary author: Samantha Swindell
Co-author(s): Katie Forsythe; Jon Walter; Diana Baldovinos

Primary college/unit: Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

The LAUNCH (Into Experiential Learning) Program facilitates students’ participation in a wide range of co-curricular learning experiences (e.g., research participation, civic engagement, internships, global education, entrepreneurial competitions). It does so by connecting students with opportunities that fit their unique profiles (i.e., align with their personal values, play to their strengths, and move them toward their post-graduation goals), extend their training beyond the classroom, and support the development of transferable skillsets that transcend disciplinary boundaries.

Through partnerships with Student Affairs and academic programs, 1529 undergraduates at WSU have participated in the LAUNCH program to date. Pre/post assessments have revealed significant increases in personal growth as a function of participating in LAUNCH. Depending on the format of the programming (interactive workshop or solitary worksheet exercises), participants show significant increases in behavioral intention, openness to change, planfulness, and use of resources – all dimensions of growth defined by the Personal Growth Inventory II (a validated measure of personal change). Post-assessments confirm positive evaluations of the program by participants and initial indications to engage in experiential learning opportunities following workshop completion. Logistic regression conducted on first-year freshman suggests that students who complete LAUNCH are more likely to be retained from first-year fall to second-year fall relative to matched controls (i.e., undergraduates who did not participate in the program).

This poster will highlight the details of these findings and LAUNCH’s potential as a program to promote student engagement, success, and retention at WSU.

razing Impacts of Rotifer Zooplankton in a Seasonally Cyanobacteria-Dominated Lake

Grazing Impacts of Rotifer Zooplankton in a Seasonally Cyanobacteria-Dominated Lake

Primary author: Kathryn Sweeney
Co-author(s): Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens
Faculty sponsor: Dr. Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Vancouver

Abstract:

Vancouver Lake in western Washington is one of many lakes characterized by annual and often toxic cyanobacteria (harmful algae) blooms. Phytoplankton and cyanobacteria are the primary producers of lake systems, and the foundation on which zooplankton grazers, like copepods or rotifers, are able to survive. Thus, toxic blooms may be controlled top-down by these micrograzers, which is information relevant to resource managers and the public alike. Previous studies have shown copepod grazing to influence bloom formation, and bloom decline to be driven in part by microzooplankton community grazing. However, we don’t understand the individual roles of particular micrograzers such as rotifers. To address the role of rotifers, we are conducting feeding incubations with water collected from Vancouver Lake. Preliminary results show that rotifers have a mild grazing effect on phytoplankton and cyanobacteria only after the peak of a bloom, while the whole microzooplankton community has a large impact both before and after the peak. This seems to suggest that other non-rotifer microzooplankton such as ciliates or dinoflagellates may be responsible for the majority of bloom suppression in both spring and fall. Further microscopical analysis of samples will elucidate which plankton species were present in the lake during each experiment, and which phytoplankton taxa rotifers had been preferentially feeding on. Additionally, due to an unexpected shift in the timing of the 2019 bloom cycle, supplemental experiments will be performed during spring 2020 to complete our understanding of seasonal dynamics related to cyanobacteria blooms.

DOUBLE CROSSED: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War

DOUBLE CROSSED: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War

Primary author: Matthew Sutton

Primary college/unit: Arts and Sciences
Campus: Pullman

Abstract:

In DOUBLE CROSSED: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War (Basic Books 2019), historian Matthew Avery Sutton draws upon never-before-seen archival materials to show how missionary activists proved to be true believers in Franklin Roosevelt’s crusade for global freedom of religion. Sutton focuses on four missionaries, William Eddy, a warrior for Protestantism who was fluent in Arabic; Stewart Herman, a young Lutheran minister rounded up by the Nazis while pastoring in Berlin; Stephen B. L. Penrose, Jr., who left his directorship over missionary schools in the Middle East to help build the American intelligence apparatus; and John Birch, a fundamentalist missionary in China. Working for eternal rewards rather than temporal spoils, they proved willing to sacrifice and even to die for their country during the conflict, becoming some of the US’s most loyal secret soldiers.

Acutely aware of how their actions conflicted with their spiritual calling, these spies nevertheless ran covert operations in the centers of global religious power, including Mecca, the Vatican, and Palestine. In the end, they played an outsized role in leading the US to victory in WWII. After the war, those who survived helped launch the CIA, so that their nation, and American Christianity, could maintain a strong presence throughout the rest of the world.

Surprising and absorbing at every turn, DOUBLE CROSSED is an untold story of World War II spycraft and a profound account of the compromises and doubts that war forces on those who wage it.