From steps seen on TikTok to Youtube, when examining the styles of trending current dances, it can be noted that there is a blend of different forms including modern and hip hop, the two most commonly seen styles in current pop culture. However, as the line between the two dance forms are often blurred, it can be difficult to identify the styles involved. To understand the two most seen styles in pop cultures - the qualities that distinguish them, and the qualities that allowed for the two dance styles to be smoothly integrated - a brief literature review along with an observational learning method involving courses and events focused on hip hop and modern class was conducted. It was found that despite the different backgrounds and techniques involved in both modern and hip hop, both dance styles embrace similar values of freedom, self-expression, and individuality. Since both dances embrace improvisation and freestyling with a de-emphasis on the costume or other structural restraints, they can be smoothly integrated and combined into a choreography.

Our thesis revolved around the Maryvale community and was centered by a Photovoice project that was a Youth Participatory Action Research method. Being a project led by the youth we continued their stories and expanded off of the topics that we discussed in our Photovoice meetings. In our thesis podcast we discussed the expectation and reality of moving to a new country, the colorism our community as well as other communities face, and the health disparities that are present within underrepresented communities. We were able to expand on these topics and tie it back to the conversations we had with each other four years prior to doing our podcast and how little or how much these topics have changed and evolved.

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) populations are being threatened by several environmental stressors. Climate change induced temperature extremes pose a high risk to agriculture and terrestrial ecosystems. Specific threats of climate change affect honey bee brood rearing because honey bee brood need narrow ranges in temperature otherwise there can be negative effects posed on development. Throughout this experiment we tested whether colony size affects thermoregulation. We hypothesized that smaller colonies would struggle to regulate in-hive temperatures in comparison to larger colonies. To test this, temperature loggers were placed in each hive at the brood center, brood edge, and periphery to log temperatures in the summer months of May to September in Arizona. Day and night temperatures were separated for each logger and the average, median, max, and min temperatures were taken for every two-week period wherein the colony population was assessed. For this experiment, we subtracted the min temperature from the max temperature of the final two-week period to assess differences in colony thermoregulatory capability. Overall, smaller colonies struggled to maintain in-hive temperatures in all three areas measured.

The Healthy Pregnancy Summit is a collection of videos from a variety of specialists detailing how to have a healthy pregnancy and healthy child, based on the latest scientific and medical information. This project summarizes each presentation, and compares to the Healthy Child Guide, a document supplementary to the summit. Finally, this project analyzes the overall usefulness of the summit and each presentation, and suggests areas for improvement.

This project is an investigation of the gene by environment (GxE) interactions’ effect on substance use outcomes among refugee communities. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a major public health concern, affecting individuals and communities worldwide. The etiology of SUDs is complex, involving a combination of genetic, environmental, and social factors. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the role of gene by environment interactions in the development of SUDs, particularly in vulnerable populations such as refugees. Refugee populations are exposed to a range of environmental stressors that may interact with genetic factors to increase their risk of SUDs. However, a number of studies describe a “refugee paradox,” where despite having been exposed to risk factors that can lead to SUDs, they are less likely to develop SUDs. Understanding these gene by environment interactions in refugee communities is crucial for not only understanding this phenomenon, but developing effective prevention and treatment strategies for this population. This thesis aims to investigate the gene by environment interactions underlying substance use in refugee communities and to analyze different methods for gene by environment analyses, ultimately determining which method is best suited for this population.

With recent reports indicating that there is a relatively low number of pregnant people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States (~30% per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October, 2021), this study aims to understand the reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the pregnant population in the state of Arizona. Using a mixed-methods approach, this cross-sectional study employs both semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 40) and a quantitative survey instrument (n = 400) to better understand the reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant people, with data collected over the course of a few months. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression are employed to analyze the quantitative data and the semi-structured interviews are inductively coded to analyze themes across participant interviews. The results from this study are not only able to help better address disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations among pregnant people, but they also provide implications for vaccine hesitancy overall in order to develop interventions to address vaccine hesitancy. Future research is warranted to better understand regional differences in vaccine hesitancy and differences across populations.