Student: Samantha-Lynn Martinez

Course: FISH 311

Project Summary:

My Ad Hoc project has three components: video, accompanying reading, and collaborative assignment, all highlighting the subject of how fish hear via various “deep dives” and case study presentations. Below are the details about each component and their roles in the project as a whole.

VIDEO: After a brief overview of the basics of fish hearing anatomy, I will present species that have unique anatomical features related to their hearing, and provide some commentary on these anomalies I’ve run into during my research for this project. The video will be around 12-15 minutes long. Since research is a necessity for the scripting and production of the video and animation/diagram elements, I’ve already garnered a library of 10+ scientific articles and 20+ general resources on my own and from the introductory fish hearing content presented in this course. I anticipate gathering many more as scripting continues and corrections are made.

READING: This project will include my own version of an abridged/summarized study I found on the Melamphaidae family of fishes. This family of deep-water fishes has a vastly different lifestyles to the pelagic/shallow-dwelling species covered in my general overview of hearing anatomy basics, so that niche difference makes them a great option for the accompanying text (will also eventually tie into the collaborative assignment).

COLLABORATIVE ASSIGNMENT: In the description of the video or Canvas module, there will be a google document AND PDF format of the additional collaborative assignment designed around the images and figures from this study of the Melamphaidae. The assignment is meant to take up 35 minutes of collaborative groupwork time during lecture. The assignment will encourage students to draw conclusions and make predictions on Melamphaidae life history based off of the figures from the study provided in the additional reading, overall, around 5 short answer or sketching questions.

Project Schedule:

Tornabene and I have developed a timeline spanning all the way back to BEFORE the Ad Hoc application deadline and Autumn quarter in general to the final submission of the project. Our plan consists of my preliminary and ongoing research, scheduled email check-ins, draft delivery to Tornabene, and in-person meetings where feedback on my project (primarily the video component) may be exchanged and discussed. Here is summary the extensive timeline we have developed:

9/21 – Initial Meeting with Samantha and Luke – Overview of project proposal
9/22-25 – Luke Provides course content on subject whilst Samantha conducts preliminary research outside of course content
9/27-30 – Luke confirms final calendar and provides any additional comments on project deliverable format
10/6 First draft of project due (general script for video, outline of learning materials)
10/7 Luke and Samantha meet to discuss first draft (Feedback Session, aka FS)
10/7 Samantha submits the Ad Hoc Application to Honors
— We are here!—-
IF APPROVED, CONTINUE! Go through revision process 10/12-10/17 if needed)
10/12-10/20 – Production Period 1
10/20 Second draft of project due (Actual video and complete learning material aids)
10/21 Luke and Samantha meet to discuss second draft (FS 2)
10/21-11/3 Production Period 2
11/3 Third draft of project due
11/4 Luke and Samantha meet to discuss third draft (FS 3)
11/4-12/13 Production Period 3 and Post Production
(Another check-in if needed – to be scheduled during the first week of DEC)
12/14 Samantha emails Luke Final Draft
12/15-17 Luke Completes final Ad Hoc evaluation

Student: Tom Mikolyuk

Course: M E 356

Project Summary:

Mechanical heart valves are built to replicate the unidirectional blood flow patterns in and out of the heart, and have historically been composed of a high-strength metal leaflet valve with a flexible suture ring. Past designs have been prone to failure and more costly to manufacture, so in recent decades, the focus has shifted to flexible, mass-produced bioprosthetic valves and bespoke 3D-printed biomimetic valves. The goal of this project is to create my own to-scale 3D-printed mechanical heart valve through an exploratory and iterative process, including a market research process acquainting myself with the history of mechanical heart valves, biweekly meetings with Prof. Sniadecki, and at least three rounds of prototyping where improvements are made on computer-aided design models and manufacturing process parameters each time. Resources to be used include, but are not limited to, the class notes and textbook, TA presentations on FEA, patent filings, scientific journals in biomechanics and biomedical engineering, UW College of Engineering remote desktop systems, and on-campus makerspaces.

The final deliverable will consist of not only a physical prototype judged on its cost and quality (to an extent appropriate for an undergrad having his first go at this), but also a comprehensive entry in my portfolio website, tommikolyuk.com (which serves as both my design/engineering portfolio and my Honors portfolio). This portfolio entry will include CAD renderings, generated technical drawings, a manufacturing process plan (with a format similar to ones developed in M E 355), screenshots of FEA results, a short (1-2 min) demonstration video, and concise yet informational descriptions of my choices in research, design, materials, and manufacturing processes tying all of the other content together.

Project Schedule:

To facilitate an iterative research and design process, Prof. Sniadecki and I have agreed to meet biweekly on Monday afternoons for 30 minutes on weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 (finals week) of spring quarter. The first meeting occurred on the first day of classes and constituted a project brainstorming session, attempting to align my interests and desires for this project with the course content and existing medical device innovations before I submitted this application on Monday of week 2. Beyond that, I’ve found that I work best in sprints, so I’ve broken up the project timeline into five two-week sections within which Prof. Sniadecki and I can discuss three to four prototyping rounds. These sprints also serve as a way to pace my learning and experimentation over the entire quarter.
Week 3: discuss market research & design proposal
Week 5: discuss first round of prototyping and CAD modeling
Week 7: discuss second round of prototyping and CAD + FEA + mechanical analysis
Week 9: discuss third round of prototyping and CAD + FEA + mechanical analysis + project communication
Week 11 (Finals): review – if Prof. Sniadecki likes the final deliverables here, the project is done. Otherwise, make revisions ASAP.

Student: Dylan Strauss

Course: FRENCH 302

Project Summary:

For my ad hoc project, I aim to create a website (completely in French) that describes the biology of coral reefs, unpacks the threats they face, analyzes francophone management strategies, and considers the cultural importance of reefs in francophone nations. I will conduct research both in French and English with the goal of developing a French vocabulary that allows me to discuss the science I’m interested in.

In terms of deliverables, I aim to have at least 5 site pages. Each one would have at least 2 paragraphs synthesizing information from 3+ sources, at least 1 of which would be in French. I plan to draw from a variety of French and English sources, including government sites, scholarly articles, documentaries, and other credible sources. So far, I’ve decided on the theme of four of my pages: biology/overview, threats, management, and cultural importance. However, I wanted to leave the remaining 1+ pages open because there are many additional avenues I may explore. For example, I could contextualize francophone reef management strategies by first exploring the relationship different cultures have with the environment. Since I’m currently dissecting corals in the Padilla-Gamiño lab this quarter, it might also be cool to add a page about the research I’m involved in. Building on that theme, I could also spotlight different coral research projects around the world. I like the format of a website because it lets me add in new topics without disrupting the rigid organization of an essay or video.

Project Schedule:

Week 1:
Draft application

Week 2:
Mon (due): project application
Research/notes for overview/biology page

Week 3:
Mon (due): drafted overview/biology page
Mon or Wed (meeting): feedback, questions, etc.
Research/notes for threats page

Week 4:
Mon (due): drafted threats page
Mon (due): revised overview/biology page
Mon or Wed (meeting): feedback, questions, etc.

Week 5:
Mon (due): revised threats page
Research/notes for management page
1+ paragraph reflection on research process so far for honors portfolio

Week 6:
Mon (due): drafted management page
Mon or Wed (meeting): feedback, questions, etc.
Research/notes for cultural significance section

Week 7:
Research/notes for cultural significance section

Week 8:
Mon (due): drafted cultural significance section
Mon or Wed (meeting): feedback, questions, etc.
Research for topic 5 page
Begin designing website

Week 9:
Mon (due): revised cultural significance section
Research for topic 5 page
Continued website development

Week 10:
Mon (due): drafted topic 5 page
Mon or Wed (meeting): feedback, questions, etc.
Continued website development

Week 11:
Tues, Wed, or Thurs (final meeting): final feedback, last questions, etc.
Fri, June 9 (due): final project completed!
1+ paragraph reflection on project as whole for honors portfolio

Student: Makenna Schwab

Course: COM 444

Project Summary:

My proposed ad hoc Honors Project is to produce a podcast interviewing local Public Relations professionals here in the Pacific Northwest that work in the different professional fields where PR professionals usually work. I’ll dedicate an episode to each corporate, non-profit/foundations and associations, healthcare, government, and independent practitioners. Working with my instructor, I’ll reach out to PR professionals, prepare sets of questions, and organize times to talk. Each set of questions will have a foundation of the same few questions, but then go to more specific fields. There will be five podcast episodes, each roughly 30-45 minutes in length. The goal of the project is to allow professionals to explain what Public Relations really is. Often, PR gets a negative reputation as ‘fact-spinners’ or ‘alternative truth givers’, and that’s not the reality of the profession. By having the opportunity to talk with accomplished PR professionals, I hope to not only learn myself a deeper understanding of the realities of public relations, but also know how to go forward and explain the field beyond just a project for class.

Project Schedule

Question Sets Due: Wednesday, January 17
Decide on Podcast Guests: Monday, January 22
Determine Platform for Podcasting (Zoom, SquadCast, OUG Studio, etc.): Monday, January 22
Meet In Person: Thursday, January 25 at 9am in CMU 120
Podcast Episode #1: Wednesday, January 31
Podcast Episode #2: Wednesday, February 7
Meet In Person: Thursday, February 8 at 9am in CMU 120
Podcast Episode #3: Wednesday, February 14
Podcast Episode #4: Wednesday, February 21
Meet In Person: Thursday, February 22 at 9am in CMU 120
Podcast Episode #5: Wednesday, February 28
Meet In Person: Thursday, March 7 at 9am in CMU 120

Student: Varsha Mantravadi

Course: BIO A 450

Project Summary:

breastfeeding and withhold colostrum, providing supplementary foods to newborns instead. Colostrum, the first thick yellowish breast milk released after childbirth, supports the development of a newborn’s gut lining, muscles, and immune system due to its high concentration of antibodies. However, some tribal societies view colostrum as impure and difficult to digest, choosing honey, sugar water, or animal milk to provide nutrients to infants instead. But these alternatives come with public health consequences like increased risk of neonatal infections due to contaminated foods and utensils and the loss of passive immunity normally provided by colostrum.

To complete this project, I will first conduct a literature review of a minimum of 15 peer-reviewed sources including health and anthropology journals and data from India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This review will focus on early breastfeeding practices, colostrum, neonatal morbidity and mortality, and tribal health disparities in India. The next step will be to do a cultural analysis (using both news articles and peer reviewed sources) of tribal health practices, beliefs, and how community health workers currently address practices like newborn feeding in tribal areas. This will culminate in a final deliverable of a 6-8 page culturally relevant information campaign packet on the topic catered towards community health workers working with tribal populations. This packet will include an educational guide on the benefits and importance of early breastfeeding and why colostrum shouldn’t be seen as “dirty,” including simple language and captioned illustrations and diagrams. In addition to emphasizing colostrum feeding, the packet will also discuss other ways to prioritize newborn and infant health in a culturally sensitive way.

Project Schedule

My project has three major steps: a background scientific research review, a cultural analysis, and the development of an information campaign packet. I plan to work closely with Professor Holman on all three steps, considering that his previous research on populations in Bangladesh informs mine. Given that this ad hoc project will span the entire quarter, I aim to have my preliminary research finished by the end of January, at which point I will meet with Professor Holman for feedback and any additions. After this is complete, I will aim to have my cultural analysis done by mid-February, with weekly meetings with Professor Holman throughout to ensure I am seeking out the correct information regarding cultural nuance and sensitivity. When this is complete, I aim to condense my research review and cultural analysis into the first draft of the information packet by the end of February. I will then meet with Professor Holman for feedback, make revisions, and continue weekly meetings for each new revision for the rest of the quarter, ensuring I am maintaining sensitivity and accuracy throughout.