Pilot suicide has been a topic that has seen increased discussion in the past decade, Aviation regulating bodies have introduced antidepressant programs to aid in reducing the harm depression and other mental illnesses cause pilots. These programs are varied in their structure however they all revolve around SSRI medications. The FAA HIMS SSRI program for American pilots issues a pathway that is long in duration and can place undue stress on pilots that choose to participate. This has led to high rates of under-reporting and non-treatment of mental illnesses in pilots.

Visualizations can be an incredibly powerful tool for communicating data. Data visualizations can summarize large data sets into one view, allow for easy comparisons between variables, and show trends or relationships in data that cannot be seen by looking at the raw data. Empirical information and by extension data visualizations are often seen as objective and honest. Unfortunately, data visualizations are susceptible to errors that may make them misleading. When visualizations are made for public audiences that do not have the statistical training or subject matter expertise to identify misleading or misrepresented data, these errors can have very negative effects. There is a good deal of research on how best to create guidelines for creating or systems for evaluating data visualizations. Many of the existing guidelines have contradicting approaches to designing visuals or they stress that best practices depend on the context. The goal of this work is to define the guidelines for making visualizations in the context of a public audience and show how context-specific guidelines can be used to effectively evaluate and critique visualizations. The guidelines created here are a starting point to show that there is a need for best practices that are specific to public media. Data visualization for the public lies at the intersection of statistics, graphic design, journalism, cognitive science, and rhetoric. Because of this, future conversations to create guidelines should include representatives of all these fields.

In intracranial aneurysms, multiple factors and biochemical pathways are believed to be involved in the event of a rupture. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation pathway is of particular interest as a way to understand and target the mechanism of rupture due to its established role in cellular proliferation and inflammation. Furthermore, unfolded protein responses in vascular cells’ endoplasmic reticulum (ER), known as ER stress, have emerged as a potential downstream mechanism by which inflammatory EGFR activation may lead to aneurysm rupture. The purpose of this project was to investigate the role of EGFR inhibition on the aneurysm rupture rate in a preclinical model, investigate the role of ER stress induction on the aneurysm rupture rate, and confirm which cellular phenomenon lies upstream in this mechanistic cascade. Based on analyses of aneurysm rupture rate and gene expression in the Circle of Willis, ER stress and inflammatory unfolded protein responses were found to be downstream of initial EGFR activation, which may be an effective therapeutic target for preventing aneurysm rupture in a clinical setting.

The 1970’s was an exciting time for those interested in avian navigation and magnetoreception. In the mid 1970’s, it had been scientifically proven that birds utilized the Earth’s magnetic fields as a means for orientation. However, while scientists now knew that birds could detect geomagnetic fields, a major question still remained: how? Several years later, physicist Klaus Schulten would bring the world much closer to an answer with the introduction of the radical pair model. With an extremely firm grasp of quantum mechanics, Schulten was able to make an amazing connection between the magnetically sensitive “radical pairs” and magnetic sensing in organisms (such as birds). The goal of this thesis is to explore this intersection of quantum mechanics and biology first illuminated by Schulten, through providing an in-depth explanation of the radical pair model itself, the quantum mechanical concepts that allow it to exist, the possible biological structures involved, and a small exploration of where the theory stands today, all to better understand the fascinating phenomenon of avian magnetoreception.

Sacred plant medicines and psychoactive compounds have been used globally throughout indigenous cultures for spiritual and medicinal purposes as early as 3500 BCE. In 1970, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration criminalized entheogens, claiming they had no medical benefit whatsoever and that they were dangerous to the population. Scientific research over the past 60 years has demonstrated the therapeutic potential of entheogens in relation to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, autoimmune disease, analgesia, and more. With this new research and the demonstration of entheogens' safety in clinical settings, the U.S. DEA needs to reevaluate their 50-year-old classification of entheogens. This reclassification does not necessarily designate entheogens as recreationally legal for all to use, but rather should allow for further medical research and experimentation to improve understanding of these substances' mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential for a multitude of psychiatric and physiological diseases and disorders.

Our work explores a fascinating experiment in physics and science, the Double-Slit Experiment. We cover the mystery of this experiment, representing the wave and particle nature of photons, electrons, and quantum elements. We recount the history of quantum physics, an unknown field for most people due to its detachment from the world we see. Finally, we explore the capability of the human eye to detect light in its quantum state, closing the gap between us and quantum physics.

Our work explores a fascinating experiment in physics and science, the Double-Slit Experiment. We cover the mystery of this experiment, representing the wave and particle nature of photons, electrons, and quantum elements. We recount the history of quantum physics, an unknown field for most people due to its detachment from the world we see. Finally, we explore the capability of the human eye to detect light in its quantum state, closing the gap between us and quantum physics.

Anyone can be a leader, and this thesis project will be your guide to becoming a better leader in any aspect of your life! This project listens to the words of wisdom from leaders and compares those against the advice from scholars. From this discussion, a collection of traits emerge which can be built upon to become a better leader.