Oral Presentation Session III- 4:00-5:00PM
Abstract Volume and Quick Reference Guide
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AF 209A
Communication Studies
4:00pm-4:20pm
Chatbot Tetanus Shot
Presenter(s): Malak Abulohoum, Audrey Shin, Nicole Yoo
Advisor(s): Dr. Austin Lee
With the decrease in HPV rates among men and women since vaccinations were introduced, the growth rate of vaccination is long-delayed in the US. Creating the chatbot helps encourage and persuade people through a user-friendly conversational agent with a computer program designed to simulate an intelligent conversation about the HPV vaccine. To answer the most common question and provide resources to receive the vaccine, the chatbot will use reliable sources such as the CDC as a reference. Its target audiences are teenagers and young adults under a the viable age to get vaccinated.
Health Sciences and Kinesiology
4:20pm-4:40pm
A community-based approach to advance access to healthy food in South Los Angeles
Presenter(s): Leilani Brown
Advisor(s): Dr. Jason Douglas
Low-income communities of color in South Los Angeles (SLA), California, bear a disproportionate burden of fast-food restaurant density compared to neighborhoods in wealthier areas such as West Los Angeles.1 This raises concerns for SLA residents, as food deserts have been found to contribute to racial and ethnic health disparities. Further, in 2018, the obesity rate among Black LA County residents was 32.5% compared to 21.9% among White residents.2 Obesity increases the likelihood of other health problems such as diabetes and hypertension. Thus, grass-roots actions to redress inequitable access to healthy food must be taken to advance health and well-being in underserved communities like SLA. To support these efforts, the current project proposes to utilize a participatory mapping approach with 40 SLA-based youth and adult residents to investigate two central research questions. (1) What healthy food options are currently available to South Los Angeles residents? (2) What social and environmental factors affect access to healthy food in South Los Angeles? The work will take place in the Westmont/West Athens community of South Los Angeles. Using large, table size maps of the surrounding community, residents will participate in 1) identifying social (e.g., crime, violence) and environmental (e.g., unequal access to transportation) factors associated with access to healthy food; 2) locating commonly visited food retailers; and 3) identifying grass-roots and policy approaches for improving access to fresh and health food. The results of this study have the potential to inform community- and policy-based approaches for improving access to healthy food in underserved communities. Resources: [1] “Food Environment Atlas.” USDA ERS - Food Environment Atlas, www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-environment-atlas/. [2] Rhone, Alana, et al. “Understanding Low-Income and Low Access Census Tracts Across the Nation: Subnational and Subpopulation Estimates of Access to Healthy Food.” United States Department of Agriculture, May 2019, https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/93141/eib-209.pdf?v=5719.8
Psychology
4:40pm-5:00pm
Sexual Education History and Sexual Attitudes
Presenter(s): Riley Murphy
Advisor(s): Dr. Desiree Crevecoeur-MacPhail, Dr. Tara Gruenewald
The present study evaluated the impact of sex education and sexual identity on various outcomes, such as sexual satisfaction, sexual esteem, and sexual communication with partners. Sex education has been a widely debated topic with limited understanding of the impact of sex education on sexual behaviors later in life. Previous research had not evaluated the link of comprehensive sex education and sexual self-esteem nor sexual communication. Studies have found that school-based and comprehensive sex education results in higher sexual satisfaction and the present study aimed to further solidify this claim (Evans, Widman, & Goldey, 2020; Farnaz et al., 2008). LGBTQ identity status and sexual esteem was also evaluated, and it has been previously found that LGBTQ identity status and facets of self-esteem to be negatively correlated (Yean et al., 2013). Participants were asked various questions including demographic questions, questions evaluating comprehensiveness and source of sex education, the Sexual Esteem measure, Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale, and the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results indicated interesting relationships between sexual education history and facets of sexuality and the results of the study were used to contribute research towards the sex education debate and inform further sexual health related curriculum. Evans, R., Widman, L., & Goldey, K. (2020). The role of adolescent sex education in sexual satisfaction among LGB+ and heterosexual young adults. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 15(3), 310-335. Farnaz F., Pakgohar, M., Mirmohamadali, M., Mahmoodi, M. (2008). Effect of sexual education on sexual health in Iran. Sex Education 8(2), 159-168. Yean C., Benau E.M., Dakanalis A., Hormes J.M., Perone J., Timko C.A. (2013). The relationship of sex and sexual orientation to self-esteem, body shape satisfaction, and eating disorder symptomatology. Front Psychol. 4, 887.
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AF 209C
Philosophy
4:00pm-4:20pm
A Free Relationship to Technology
Presenter(s): Haley Lilla
Advisor(s): Dr. Robert Allison
What is the difference between pre-modern technology and modern technology? The windmill, one of man’s oldest machines, and the modern wind turbine generate power in different ways: one catches and transforms energy while the other extracts and stocks energy into standing-reserve, something waiting for technical application. One works in accordance with nature, while the other withdraws, stores, and wills nature into supply. The danger of humanity’s tendency to use technology to position things into standing-reserve, a mere resource waiting for production, is the possibility that humanity will gradually view itself as standing-reserve. People will be seen merely as inventory in a factory that can be managed and disposed of in the same way raw materials currently are. In 1954, Martin Heidegger wrote “The Question Concerning Technology,” a philosophical work that asks how humans can prepare themselves for a free relationship with technology. Arguing that the essence of technology is not technological, breaking away from its common conception as merely an instrument, Heidegger seeks out the true essence of technology. Drawing from Aristotle’s theory of causation, Heidegger attempts to bring man into a proper relationship with technology: one that doesn’t rebel nor condemn technology as the enemy. In this project, I aim to first account for Heidegger’s understanding of the essence of technology. Then, I will explore what a free relationship to technology means and how one might practically prepare oneself for it.
Political Science
4:20pm-4:40pm
Wealth v. Partisanship: Measuring Perceptions of the Future and Happiness in Orange County
Presenter(s): Hawk Ohannessian
Advisor(s): Dr. John Compton
What factors drive the decline of the perceptions of the future and happiness in Orange County (OC)? Are negative views of the future better explained by economic factors or by fear or dislike of the opposing party in power? Existing literature offers a few theories that attempt to explain the level of happiness and thus the perception of the future, such as comparison theory, cultural theory, livability theory, and lastly, Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption. This paper argues that cultural theory and livability theory explain the negative views of the future. The issues OC is facing, such as housing shortage and high cost of living, can be argued under the livability theory. Cultural theory references the changing demographics both in the party makeup and growing diversity in the county. Using public data from the 2021 Orange Country Annual Survey (OCAS), I will evaluate the influence of economic variables such as income and demographic variables such as party identification or cultural identification on perceptions of the future and happiness. The findings show that livability theory and cultural theory best explain the current situation of OC and that the issue is both economic and cultural. Additionally, the county can best improve whether that may be in more investment in general infrastructure and economic growth, affordable housing, “civic infrastructure,” or community-centered programs to create a more connected community amongst a diverse atmosphere.”
Sociology
4:40pm-5:00pm
Dress Coding Latinidad: Color-Blind Sexism in School Dress Code Policies
Presenter(s): Marisa Quezada
Advisor(s): Dr. Lynn Horton
Whether dressing for the private or public, clothing is an essential aspect of the human experience. Dress code policies have been a point of contestation for many students for centuries, dating back to Native American boarding schools limiting certain types of clothing or the landmark Tinker v Des Moines case of 1969. Even through the courts at the time argued that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate” in regards to their political expression, dress codes continue to persist in American schools (ACLU). However, students of color, particularly girls of color, have differing experiences from White students in terms of who is being reprimanded for a dress code infraction (NWLC, 2018). Researchers have studied the relationships of Black girls with dress code policies, but less research has investigated the experiences of Latina/e/x identifying girls and how their race and gender intersect to create their specific lived experiences. Through expanding on research conducted on the experiences of Black girls and incorporating theories of color-blind racism, intersectionality and working class femininity, this research examines the experiences of high school aged Latinas with dress code policies. Through semi-structured interviews with six participants who recently graduated high school, themes of color-blind sexism, curvy bodies as hypersexual, and the limitation self and cultural expression emerged. For high school aged Latine girls, the dress code is yet another way for color-blind sexism to manifest itself in their lives and the institutions they belong to. By viewing the young Latinas’ experiences through color-blind and intersectional lenses, we can better understand the experiences of Latina girls with dress code policies, how it impacts their lives, and how their identities were formed around and in conjunction with these experiences.
