The Sonoran Desert in the Southwest region of the United States and the Northwest corner of Mexico is defined by low precipitation rates that are episodal, oscillating between years of higher yields than average and then below average levels. Water is essential for life and in the region, the lack of water proves an obstacle for people that must be faced to live and thrive there. Yet, millions of people live in this desert region and more people are moving currently. As current water resources are straining not only under increasing population but also with higher frequency and lengths of droughts in the region, water is becoming an important topic for future plans in the Sonoran Desert. However, a vast array of plants and animals have lived under these conditions by adapting to the low precipitation rates. By looking at the common flora and fauna of the region, humans may learn how to better live in the Sonoran Desert through biomimicry, the imitation of life. The natural design and processes of life in the Sonoran Desert can be studied to find ways to conserve, store and collect water for human consumption ensuring longevity within the region and beyond as water insecurity increases globally.

Religion has a powerful influence on adherents' behaviors and beliefs. Harmful teachings about gender roles, sexual purity, and a lack of education surrounding sexual abuse have been shown to negatively impact members’ understandings of these topics. This study looks into these relationships in further detail by surveying adults who are either active and ex-members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about their recollections of religious principles they learned in their Young Men’s/Women’s classes, their behaviors as youth (ages 12-18), and their current beliefs. Findings indicate that teachings and cultural expectations in regard to gender roles exist in The Church, and many female members disagree with and refuse to comply with them. Purity culture impacted participants in differing ways, including their continued belief in sexual purity before marriage but their disapproval of shaming sexually experienced members. Findings indicate that The Church does not educate members on sexual abuse and consent, but participants still indicated knowledge of these topics. Implications include continued study into these topics to better understand conflicting responses and complicated relationships between members’ beliefs and Church teachings, and changes in Church doctrine to better support members and victims of abuse.

This research paper explores the effects of data variance on the quality of Artificial Intelligence image generation models and the impact on a viewer's perception of the generated images. The study examines how the quality and accuracy of the images produced by these models are influenced by factors such as size, labeling, and format of the training data. The findings suggest that reducing the training dataset size can lead to a decrease in image coherence, indicating that AI models get worse as the training dataset gets smaller. Moreover, the study makes surprising discoveries regarding AI image generation models that are trained on highly varied datasets. In addition, the study involves a survey in which people were asked to rate the subjective realism of the generated images on a scale ranging from 1 to 5 as well as sorting the images into their respective classes. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of considering dataset variance and size as a critical aspect of improving image generation models as well as the implications of using AI technology in the future.

Acrylic paint is one of the most prominent supplies in the art field as it has many qualities that make it the most desirable paint, including affordability, versatility, and a fast drying time. Despite acrylic paint’s great contribution to the art field and art history, its chemical makeup and ingredients damage the local environment and aquatic ecosystems. Acrylic paint is essentially liquid latex that, when it enters sewage systems, releases microplastics directly into the waterways as well as contains harmful chemicals such as heavy metals, benzene products, or vinyl chloride. The purpose of this project was to research the qualities of acrylic paint most important to users, as well as learn information regarding people’s current usage of paint and their perspectives on paint-related environmental issues. Furthermore, I have recorded my process and published videos on social media to gain insight and feedback. Using this data, I have experimented with making a sustainable version of acrylic paint that remains desirable. Throughout this project, I have used different natural materials to create pigments and an acrylic medium and contribute my perceptions on the desirability of each alternative in this thesis.

Golf courses require large amounts of water and other resources. The Southwestern United States has experienced rapid population growth, coupled with a dramatic increase in the built environment and golf courses. This paper aims to assess the environmental sustainability of golf courses in the Phoenix Metropolitan area at multiple scales in terms of water, ecosystem services and management practices. We report on the number and spatial distribution of golf courses, the amount of water used by them, the ecosystem services they provide, potential social injustice issues within the area, and the sustainability of management practices. There are 197 golf courses within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, which are composed of 465 patches covering an area around 57 square miles. The golf courses within the Phoenix Active Management Area use around 500 acre-feet of water per year. Golf courses are categorized as an industrial water user and account for roughly half of all industrial water use in the Phoenix Active Management Area. The primary water source for golf courses is groundwater, with effluent as their second most-used source. Most golf courses are located in areas with a median household income between $61,333-$90,185 and only one was located in an area with a median household income below $27,393. Golf courses in the region provide a number of ecosystem services and help the local economy in multiple ways. However, given the scarcity of water and the projected drier and hotter climate in the American Southwest, we suggest curbing the expansion of golf courses and implement more sustainable management practices.