The species compositions and densities of the littoral and pelagic zooplankton assemblages in Crater Lake were compared. The littoral and pelagic zooplankton assemblages of most lakes are typically different due to different habitat conditions in the two zones. The littoral zone of Crater Lake lacks many of the habitat characteristics, which distinguish a typical littoral zone from the pelagic zone. In fact, none of the water quality variables measured differed significantly between the littoral zone and epilimnion of the pelagic zone in Crater Lake. The littoral and pelagic zones of Crater Lake were sampled with twelve paired sites in August and again in September of 1995. For the purposes of this study, the littoral zone was defined as lakeward from the shoreline to the 10m depth contour. At each paired site the pelagic assemblage was sampled to a depth of 120m at the 200m depth contour. Despite the almost identical water quality between the pelagic and littoral zones of Crater Lake, lack of vascular macrophytes in the littoral zone, and well-mixed epilimnion, the littoral zooplankton assemblage differed from the pelagic assemblage in both species composition and density. Several ubiquitous zooplankton taxa dominated both the littoral and pelagic zooplankton assemblages, although the density of these taxa as well as the relative abundance of these taxa differed between zones. These ubiquitous species reached their maximum densities in the metalimnion of the pelagic zone at a depth range of 10 to 60 meters below the lake surface and were considered primarily pelagic. A shift in wind direction between sampling periods influenced the distribution of pelagic zooplankton taxa in the littoral zone. Twenty-four taxa were recorded in the littoral zone, and aside from infrequent exceptions, none of these taxa were found in the pelagic zooplankton assemblage. Most of the littoral taxa were primarily adapted to the benthic zone. / Graduation date: 1999

This study explored lesbian identity development and the relationship between Oregon State University campus climate as reported by 35 lesbian students. Identity development was measured by using Cass's (1984b) Stage Allocation Measure (SAM) which is a self-select tool for determining stage of lesbian identity development. The SAM was then used to create a three stage identity development model. Herek's (1986) Sexual Orientation Survey (SOS) was used to examine the campus climate as experienced by lesbian students. Findings showed that 63% of the participants felt it was important to disclose their sexual orientation to members of OSU's campus. Yet, 69% of the respondents did not feel comfortable doing so. Also, 51% of the respondents reported fearing for their safety, and because of this, 47% of all respondents modified their behavior. The results of this study indicate there are additional factors that contribute to these findings. For example, 89% of the participants reported hearing disparaging remarks; 94% felt the possibility of harassment, violence or physical attacks was likely; and 91% believed discrimination and unequal treatment towards lesbian, gay or bisexual persons at OSU was very likely. These findings were reported by equal numbers of individuals in each stage of their identity development. The results of this study indicate that lesbian students at OSU suffer from similar negative experiences as students who attended Emory University (1987), Pennsylvania State University (1987), Rutgers University (1987) and Yale University (1986) where the SOS was also used to measure campus climate. Recommendations for changes at Oregon State were creation of a "safe zone" and programs for retention of lesbian students, increasing visibility of the President's Commission on Hate Related Activities, and making the OSU community a safe place for women administrators and faculty role models to come out. Additional research was also recommended to examine the OSU campus climate as experienced by gay male students and lesbian and gay faculty members. / Graduation date: 1998

Graduation date: 1983 / Best scan available for p.26, 111. Original is a copy of a copy. / For master (tiff) digital images of maps contained in this document contact scholarsarchive@oregonstate.edu

In terms of production forestry, more often than not any species that is not the crop species is considered a competitor as they are using finite growing resources that would otherwise be available to the crop species. With specific regard to Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) production in the Pacific Northwest, this study evaluated an array of morphological and physiological plant attributes to discern the relative competitive abilities of several common forest species and planted Douglas-fir in western Oregon during the first year of plantation establishment in the presence and absence of vegetation management treatments. The competitive ability of a species refers to the morphological and physiological characteristics associated with resource acquisition and internal allocation; a concept lacking a specific metric for evaluation. A conceptual model of plant resource utilization including proxy metrics for key aboveground plant-environment interactions was used a framework for synthetic assessment of species relative competitive ability. The relative competitive abilities of species were evaluated over a summer growing season with assessments of saturated specific leaf area (SLA[subscript SAT]) and saturated leaf dry matter content (LDMC[subscript SAT]), diurnal and seasonal leaf-level gas exchange (net photosynthesis (P[subscript n]), stomatal conductance (G[subscript s]), and derived instantaneous water-use efficiency (WUE)), midday leaf xylem pressure potential (��[subscript md]), aboveground proportional allocation of biomass into stem, leaf, and reproductive body components, leaf area index (LAI), and morphological development and growth (height, crown radius, and diameter and bud density for Douglas-fir). The study employed a complete randomized block design (RCBD) with four replicates (blocks) and three vegetation management treatment regimes: untreated control (C), site preparation only (SP), and site preparation with a spring and summer release (SP+R). The relative competitive ability of all species was evaluated in the C, whereas only dominant competitor species remained for evaluation in the SP treatment. Vegetation treatment effects were evaluated among remaining competitor species and Douglas-fir in the C and SP treatments, whereas the response of Douglas-fir was assessed across all three vegetation management treatments (C, SP, SP+R). Selected forest competitor species included two woody perennial shrubs, two ferns, one herbaceous dicot, and two herbaceous graminoid species: trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus Cham. & Schlecht), snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus (L.) Blake), swordfern (Polystichum munitum (Kaulfuss) K. Presl), bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn), woodland groundsel (Senecio sylvaticus L.), California brome (Bromus carinatus Hook. & Arn.), and false brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum (Huds.) Beauv). Forest competitor species evaluated in the SP treatment were limited to trailing blackberry, swordfern, woodland groundsel, and California brome. Species relative competitive ability varied dramatically. However, similarities related to herbaceous and woody life forms were observed. Based on both univariate and multivariate response variable analyses, the relative competitive abilities of species examined in the study were ranked as follows: woodland groundsel > false brome > California brome > trailing blackberry = bracken fern > snowberry > swordfern > Douglas-fir. Although vegetation treatments effectively reduced total cover below 20%, a threshold of putative importance, with observed effects on soil moisture content and species performance, species relative competitive ability remained unchanged. Physiological responses were more variable than morphological responses for species performance and expressed greater sensitivity to vegetation treatment. Vegetation treatment effects were most pronounced for Douglas-fir in the SP+R treatment where mean total cover was 6.5%. In the SP+R treatment Douglas-fir exhibited decreased moisture stress coupled with significant increases in both diurnal and seasonal P[subscript n] and G[subscript s] rates and patterns. / Graduation date: 2013

The purpose of the study was to profile perceptions and beliefs of Oregon State University international student parents who have children in area public elementary schools. The research methods included a survey to 26 self-selected participants, and seven tape-recorded interviews with volunteers from the survey sample. These study subjects displayed a large range of origin, cultural backgrounds, seniority in the area, family size and views towards their children's education. Data collected were categorized and interpreted with reference to the current theories in education. The study findings included the international parents' domains of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their children's education in the area schools, the parents' goals for their children's elementary education and the parents' opinions and suggestions regarding parent involvement and elementary education reform as related to improving elementary education for international children enrolled in American schools. The domains of parents' satisfaction with their children's education were analyzed in three major groups: educational outcomes, skills and subjects offered by schools. It also described the domains of the international parents' dissatisfaction and their criticism about school activities and their organization. The international parents' goals for their children's elementary education were analyzed into five groups: Intellectual knowledge, personality development, acquisition of life skills, preservation of parents' cultural values and education for a multicultural life. The parents' involvement in their children's education at home and at school was analyzed concerning parents' comprehension of its necessity, initiatives, helpers and barriers for involvement, and suggestions to improve their children's learning. Recommendations for further research into international children's education were presented. They were oriented towards replication of the study to an extended population nationwide in different schools and at different levels. They also suggested widening the research methods and categories of parents, and matching parents' views with that of school agents to coherently reform education in its complexity involving the whole community of educators. / Graduation date: 1998

The purpose of this study was to understand the individual experiences of four adult literacy practitioners, Anne, Bill, Candy, and Emily, in the first cohort of the Oregon Field-Based Cohort Master's Program. This program, which Oregon established in 1993 as one venue of professional development for adult literacy and English as a Second Language practitioners, was developed jointly by the Office of Community College Services of the state Department of Education and Oregon State University. The inquiry proceeded from three assumptions. First, effective professional development must be grounded in understandings about how practitioners learn. Second, an understanding of practitioners' learning is attainable only through intensive examination of individual experiences. And third, practitioners' accounts of their learning experiences are legitimate sources of knowledge; they are, in fact, the only accessible avenues for investigating individuals' learning. Transcripts of in-depth interviews and participants' cumulative portfolios were coded and analyzed in the first phase of data analysis to produce stories which integrated Anne, Bill, Candy, and Emily's own words with metaphors they created to frame their experiences. Each story reconstructs a practitioner's construction of the emotional, intellectual, and material experience of learning in a cohort. Together, they represent the uniqueness and complexity of adults' learning. In the second phase of analysis, the stories were compared to reveal relationships of similarity and difference among them. The cross-case analysis generated five themes around the self as learner, the contribution of dissonance to reconstruction of meaning, personal transformations in an academic setting, increased confidence as an outcome of graduate study, and stance as a contributor to the variability and complexity of adults' experiences of learning in a formal setting. The final chapter drew directly on the themes to make suggestions for planning and practice and pose questions which might be used to focus conversations or frame future research about adult learning, graduate programs, or staff development for adult educators. Specific topics included authentic learning situations, reflection, graduate cohorts, collaborative learning, adult learners' stances toward learning situations, distance delivery and professional networks for adult literacy practitioners, and evaluation of professional development programs. / Graduation date: 1998

Graduation date: 1998

Graduation date: 1998

Authentic assessment of visitor learning in museum settings is a challenging endeavor. Evaluation literature includes very few studies that link adult visitors' behavior to their learning. Multiple data collection methods in a naturalistic environment hold great promise for increasing understanding of informal public education. In 1997, Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) in Newport, Oregon, opened a new visitor center. This unique science museum was designed with strong educational goals in mind. The first gallery, the Pattern Garden, was intended to provide a framework of understanding that visitors would build on during their journey through the museum. The three main exhibits in this gallery include a touch pool with live tidepool animals, a sound exhibit with listening stations, and a water wheel that demonstrates chaos theory. This study is a summative evaluation of these three exhibits and their educational effectiveness, both individually and as part of the overall gallery. Data on exhibit holding power and visitor behavior were collected for this evaluation. The touch pool and the sound station were videotaped, while field notes were used to document holding power at the water wheel. In addition, a wireless microphone was mounted at the touch pool to document discussion between visitors and docents. Visitors who spent a minimum of ten seconds at each of the three exhibits were interviewed as they prepared to leave the museum. The interviewer asked the visitor to recall the Pattern Garden exhibits, with special attention to things they learned and associations they made to their daily lives. Both holding power and learning proved to be the greatest at the touch pool. Further investigations are indicated to isolate whether it was the content of the exhibit, the presence of a docent, or other factors that made it particularly effective. The water wheel's holding power was nearly as high as that of the touch pool, but visitor learning scores were lower. Interview data indicated that the complex, difficult nature of the chaos concept was partly responsible for the low educational results. The sound station resulted in moderate holding power and moderate learning. Difficulties and successes in the research design indicate important factors to consider for future evaluation studies at informal science learning centers. / Graduation date: 1999

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of participants involved in one community college's strategic planning process in which faculty, administrators, and staff at all levels of the organization were encouraged to participate. Data were collected through direct observation, focus group interviews, analysis of institutional documents, and a pen and paper questionnaire. Data were analyzed through a constant comparative method. Reduction of the data produced themes exploring the reaction of participants to the new strategic planning process. This qualitative study generated four hypotheses that relate to these research questions: 1. Staff participation in an organization's strategic planning process results in a deeper staff understanding of the organization's mission, a higher staff commitment to the organization's goals, and a demonstration of greater staff energy and vitality. 2. Community college departments will interpret and implement institutional strategic planning processes in ways that are unique and congruent with their academic discipline; a single process cannot be successfully dictated. 3. When managers serve as facilitators or use others to facilitate strategic planning processes, staff will self-organize, a process will emerge, and leadership will take a variety of forms. 4. Community college staff who encounter change in strategic planning processes can be categorized as Guarded Optimists, Curmudgeons, Crusaders, or Along for the Ride, based on levels of frustration and optimism. Recommendations for Practice: 1. Obtain acceptance of terminology from all units before beginning the participatory strategic planning process. Use acceptable terms in form/templates and in facilitation. 2. Do not dictate a single process for strategic planning across all disciplines. Design forms and processes that are adaptable to differences in styles of critical thinking. 3. Use facilitators to assist units in the participatory strategic planning effort. Train the facilitators to work in ways that empower participants. 4. Reduce participant frustration and increase optimism by providing sufficient time, creating sustainable feedback loops, both of which demonstrate that the unit manager has thought through the process. 5. Increase participation in strategic planning processes to gain deeper understanding of the organization's mission, higher commitments to organizational goals, and a demonstration of greater energy and vitality. / Graduation date: 1998