Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Ocean conservation films: connecting the viewer
    (Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2020) Lanier, Sarah Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis Aig
    Documentaries about ocean conservation have relied on the model of conventional environmental science documentaries with their use of expository film techniques. Ocean conservation films of this kind follow traditions of objectivity, authority, pressure for change, and placing the audience in the uncomfortable role of acting as an antagonist to aquatic life. By examining a new model for ocean conservation films in which audiences feel connected to the ocean instead of alienated from it, we can create more profound stories as well as emotional connections with the viewer. My film, 'The Crab Man of Kodiak' (2020), utilizes a localized portrait film format to engage the viewer in a discourse about ocean conservation without vilifying them, creating a balance between advocacy, science, and emotion.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Organic enrichment at aqueous interfaces studied with non-linear spectroscopy: cooperative adsorption of soluble saccharides to lipid monolayers
    (Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Link, Katie Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert Walker; Chia-Yun Hsieh, Aashish Tuladhar, Zizwe Chase, Zheming Wang, Hongfei Wang and Robert A. Walker were co-authors of the article, 'Vibrational studies of saccharide-induced lipid film reorganization at aqueous/vapor interfaces' in the journal 'Chemical physics' which is contained within this thesis.; Gabrielle N. Spurzem, Aashish Tuladhar, Zizwe Chase, Zheming Wang, Hongfei Wang and Robert A. Walker were co-authors of the article, 'Organic enrichment at aqueous interfaces: cooperative adsorption of glucuronic acid to DPPC monolayers studied with vibrational sum frequency generation' submitted to the journal 'Journal of physical chemistry B' which is contained within this thesis.; Gabrielle N. Spurzem, Aashish Tuladhar, Zizwe Chase, Zheming Wang, Hongfei Wang, and Robert A. Walker were co-authors of the article, 'Cooperative adsorption of trehalose to DPPC studied with vibrational sum frequency generation' which is contained within this thesis.
    Field measurements of sea spray aerosols have reported high concentrations of soluble organic material that are in excess of the concentration of soluble organics in the ocean. The studies described in this dissertation investigated a possible mechanism for this increase deemed cooperative adsorption. The cooperative adsorption mechanism describes an interaction between an insoluble Langmuir monolayer at the aqueous/vapor interface and soluble organic molecules that would not normally be enriched at the surface. In this model, the soluble organics are drawn to the surface through non-covalent interactions with the lipid surfactant. This mechanism was investigated with the surface specific nonlinear optical technique, vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy. These optical measurements were coupled with surface tension measurements and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. To study cooperative adsorption, model systems were used; these were composed of a phosphatidylcholine lipid surfactant, DPPC, and soluble saccharides including glucosamine, glucuronic acid, and trehalose. Glucosamine, in both a positive and neutral state, induced ordering in both expanded and condensed DPPC monolayers, supporting cooperative adsorption as a mechanism. Glucuronic acid, an anion, ordered lipid monolayers in the limits that the lipid DPPC was moderately packed and there were no competing ions in solution. Trehalose, a larger, uncharged saccharide showed, through ordering the DPPC monolayer, indications of cooperative adsorption in moderately packed DPPC when the trehalose concentration was sufficiently high. These results support cooperative adsorption as a mechanism for the accumulation of soluble organics in sea spray aerosols with some limitations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Our storied sea: crafting a collective narrative of the ocean through accompaniment
    (Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Savoie, Gianna M.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Michael Reidy
    Never before have we had such broad access to scientific information about the sea, yet as the world's oceans slip into a state of crisis, the American public's grasp of the issues is far from firm. But how do we begin to understand something as vast as the ocean, an area that covers more than two-thirds of our planet, when less than ten percent of it has been explored? The ocean we "know" represents many things to many people; for some, it is a realm to be feared, for others, it is a resource to be exploited, and yet for others, it is a home to protect. This dissertation tracks an ever-evolving narrative of the ocean and examines how we come to infuse it with meaning. I contend that many Westerners relate to this space that we call the sea as a place not through a personal history, but via a translated history by those who have conveyed that experience to the public through visual storytelling. As we have been primarily on the receiving end of narratives "owned" and dictated by select voices, I argue there has remained a disconnect with the sea that has troubled our relationship with it. In today's rapidly expanding media landscape, we now have the opportunity to participate in the ocean's story as never before. I propose we disrupt the notion of "narrative ownership" as it may serve to limit understanding, and turn instead to a shared narrative that embraces diverse perspectives in order to broaden our depth of knowledge and our relationship with the sea. Further, this work examines the ways in which the shifting digital and social media terrain is enabling ocean scientists to blur the lines between science and advocacy in order to invest the public in stewardship. I argue that in order to be effective, the science narrative can no longer simply inform; it must engage the public by incorporating human agency into the story of the ocean. Only when we share a collective narrative of the ocean, will we be able to fully invest in its protection. To that end, I explore how the confluence of science, storytelling and the human experience has culminated in my establishment of the non-profit organization, the Ocean Media Institute which serves to expand the public's understanding of ocean science through the collaborative creation and open distribution of innovative visual media and artistic approaches to ocean literacy.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Defining fishermen with undersea rhetoric
    (Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2016) Glasmann, Hans Peter; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Theo Lipfert
    Depictions of fishermen in marine filmmaking have varied widely depending on the rhetoric of the filmmaker. As filmmakers apply terrestrial logic to aquatic environments fishermen are subject to the film's cultural and personal perspectives. Because of this fishermen are portrayed as scientists, necessary to understanding aquatic sea life; stewards, necessary for protecting and maintaining the ocean; and predators, preying on the ocean's resources. Although films define and redefine anglers into different political spheres, fishermen are important to understanding the ocean. They are an invaluable resource for first-hand contact with aquatic environments. Utilizing anglers to construct the filmmaker's argument will only benefit films trying to describe the ocean as a space connected to and defined apart from terrestrial beings. I use my film, 43 and 80, as an example of a film that allows its fishermen to be the primary source of information about one species of marine life, namely pacific halibut. Because of their proximity and reliance on the fishing industry, I portray the fishermen of 43 and 80 as instrumental to understanding the need for halibut conservation and the regulations surrounding the pacific halibut industry.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Exploring the effects of fiber angle and stacking sequence on the static strength and acoustic emission signature of epoxy-fiberglass composites in marine environments
    (Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2017) Nunemaker, Jake Douglas; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David A. Miller
    Marine Hydro-Kinetic (MHK) devices encompass promising new technologies designed to harness energy from ocean currents and tides. However, there are unique challenges to successful implementation of MHK devices. Material selection and characterization are crucial steps in the design process as the marine environment can be extremely detrimental to many materials systems. Epoxy-fiberglass composites, the premier material in wind turbine blades are being studied for use in MHK due to desirable price and durability. Preliminary research has shown a significant drop in ultimate strength due to moisture absorption in unidirectional laminates. This research extends these studies by exploring these effects on balanced and unbalanced off-axis fiber angles for a common epoxy-fiberglass material system. Ply by ply analysis is completed to explore the efficacy of a strength reduction prediction method for off-axis laminates. It also extends the study to include acoustic emission analysis to further investigate the material degradation at a micromechanical level. Partial saturation strength reduction in symmetric laminates is also studied.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Coloring science outside the lines : the poetry and passion of Jean Painlevé
    (Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Frostic, Maria Tucker; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William Neff; Paul Monaco (co-chair)
    The majority of current science films for popular audiences follow a formula that can best be described as conventional journalism. Artistic science films are rare, and historically they have generated outrage and distrust by the scientific community. In this paper, I explore the possibility that artful science films are a valid method of conveying the wonders of science to an audience. Underwater French filmmaker Jean Painlevé made films that strike a clever balance between art and science, and this unique fusion of divergent parts results in moving vignettes on the astonishing surreal beauty of the marine world. By considering the origin of the science film, by examining Painlevé's films and philosophy, and by investigating the role of art and science in society, I argue that artistic science films are valid educational tools that should be used to communicate the wonders of science.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Ocean Pictures : the construction of the ocean on film
    (Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2008) Kennerson, Elliott Doran; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias.
    Common filmic tropes of the ocean draw upon ideas that go back to the novels of Herman Melville and Jules Verne, who constructed the ocean respectively as a hostile wilderness and a watery Eden. Two of the earliest and most influential underwater filmmakers, Jacques Cousteau and Jean Painlevé, employed these tropes, as have subsequent filmmakers, especially in their depictions of charismatic ocean fauna. The power of the Eden/wilderness dichotomy of the ocean has spilled over not only from novel to film and from fiction to non-fiction, but into the socio-political sphere of ocean-related controversies like the one that is the subject of my film, Sealed Off!!!
Copyright (c) 2002-2022, LYRASIS. All rights reserved.