Mountain Scholar

Mountain Scholar is an open access repository service that collects, preserves, and provides access to digitized library collections and other scholarly and creative works from Colorado State University and the University Press of Colorado. It also serves as a dark archive for the Open Textbook Library.

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Colorado State University, Fort Collins 28195
Explore the Colorado State University community’s scholarly output as well as items from the University at large and the CSU Libraries.
Open Textbook Library Archive 25
A limited number of titles are available here. To see all OTL titles, please visit the Open Textbook Library at https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks. Only Open Textbook Library staff have access to all OTL Archive titles held in Mountain Scholar.
University Press of Colorado 1088
Access is limited to University Press of Colorado members. Non-members: to purchase books, please visit https://upcolorado.com/.

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
Social and psychological consequences of radiological misconceptions following the Fukushima disaster
(2026-05) Morris, Ashley, author; Johnson, Thomas., advisor; Gardner, Danielle., committee member
Numerous studies have been conducted regarding the somatic effects of radiation, but the social and psychological impacts remain less studied. The societal and psychological impacts on the residents and evacuees following the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and resulting explosion involving the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors is seldom emphasized in non-scientific literature. No somatic effects of radiation from the accident have been reported, but communication regarding this has not been effectively disseminated to the public. Radiation can be dangerous, but there are known parameters which must be exceeded to express cellular damage, as well as regulatory limits, shielding and proximity. Additionally, non-scientific media tend to exaggerate radiation dose effects, even when radiation doses are indistinguishable from natural background radiation levels. However, the social and psychological effects of radiation in Japan after this accident have lasted into the present day. Social effects can include ostracization and discrimination from the general populus as well as the individual. Psychological effects tend to be rooted in mental health disorders, extreme fear of radiation, and other, less visible conditions. Research indicates both psychological distress following the incident and a harmful misunderstanding of radiation stemming from the belief that individuals exposed to radiation are radioactive, damaged, or infectious. Psychological and social effects have been measured through the use of surveys of the general populus, as well as interviews, focus groups, and longitudinal studies including those directly affected. Contrary to popular belief, the somatic effects of radiation from this incident are non-existent compared to the social effects that remain to this day. Exposure to radiation and the resultant evacuation changed Fukushima Prefecture lives forever. The majority of lingering effects stem from scientifically unsubstantiated fears regarding radiation, and the evacuation itself, impacting individuals and communities.
Access status: Open Access ,
Engineering a UV illumination device for decentralized autologous cancer immunotherapy
(2026-05) Endean, Delaney, author; Brennan-Pierce, Ellen, advisor; Parada, German, committee member
Autologous cancer immunotherapy offers a promising approach to treatment by utilizing a patient's own tumor cells to stimulate an immune response; however, current implementations rely on cleanroom dependent transfer steps that limit accessibility and scalability. The Innocell process, developed by PhotonPharma, employs riboflavin and ultraviolet (UV) light to inactivate tumor cells while preserving their antigenic structure for personalized therapeutic use. This senior design project focused on the design and development of a benchtop UV illumination device incorporating a closed, single-use containment system to enable tumor cell inactivation within a sealed environment and eliminate open aseptic handling. Ultimately, the device will incorporate all steps of the Innocell process, including tissue dissociation, UV illumination, and final dose aliquoting. The system currently integrates controlled UV exposure and agitation while minimizing operator interaction to a single operational step, addressing risks associated with manual processing and contamination. The engineering approach emphasized iterative prototyping of containment systems, evaluation of material compatibility under UV exposure, and development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for device operation, cell culturing, and analytical assays. A primary design challenge was achieving consistent and reliable sealing of the containment system, which limited the ability to produce a fully functional prototype and prevented completion of experimental validation. Despite this limitation, a comprehensive validation framework was established, including proposed burst testing for seal integrity, sterilization validation using biological indicators to confirm autoclave effectiveness, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to assess mixing behavior and uniformity of UV exposure. These strategies were designed to quantify mechanical performance, sterility assurance, and treatment consistency within the system. Overall, this work demonstrates both the feasibility and key engineering challenges associated with developing a closed-system, decentralized immunotherapy device, highlighting the critical roles of manufacturability, material behavior, and seal reliability in advancing accessible autologous cancer treatment technologies.
Access status: Open Access ,
Priming the paradox: food allergen exposure & intervention
(2026-05) Recker, Emma, author; Clark, Alena, advisor; Wilson, John, committee member; Hyatt, Doreene, committee member
Priming the Paradox: Food Allergen Exposure and Intervention. Context: Food allergies are immunological reactions triggered by allergen proteins, which can elicit symptoms ranging from mild oral irritation to life-threatening anaphylaxis. There is currently no official cure for food allergies. However, allergists can alleviate symptoms with allergy management plans and emergency medications, like epinephrine injectors. Purpose Priming the Paradox: Food Allergen Exposure & Intervention comprehensively examines the "Big Nine" food allergens, which include cow milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, and shellfish. In addition, this literature review analyzes how food allergies are diagnosed, treated, and how molecular alteration impacts immunology. IgE-mediated reactions result in immediate physical symptoms; meanwhile, IgG-mediated reactions are chronically underdiagnosed due to delayed symptoms. Methods: To write this literature review, a comprehensive search was conducted using platforms like PubMed and Science Direct. Key search words included, "Big Nine" food allergens, immunoglobin, epitope, gut microbiome, hygiene hypothesis, oral allergy, and oral food challenge. Treatments researched to alleviate food allergies were oral immunotherapy, subcutaneous immunotherapy, epinephrine injectors like EpiPen, and biologic injections, like Omalizumab. This literature review analyzes how socioenvironmental and immunological frameworks can be used to differentiate IgE-mediated, immediate allergies from IgG-mediated, delayed adverse reactions. Findings Food allergen structures differ greatly in heat-resistance and enzymatic hydrolysis. Heat-labile allergens are prominent in cow milk, hen egg, wheat, and soy, but their conformational epitopes are denatured in baking. This structural change is significant and can reduce allergenicity, which is why heat-labile allergenic foods are used for oral immunotherapy. Meanwhile, heat-resistant allergens are prominent in peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, and shellfish, but their structures persist through food processing and digestion. By analyzing antibody mechanisms, oral immunotherapy is vital for IgE-mediated allergy management. Significance: With newer studies and previous claims supporting the hygiene hypothesis, modern allergy research is shifting from strict allergen avoidance toward a proactive immunological intervention, which can be known as immunotherapy. An early allergy diagnosis is critical, because children's immune systems are the least primed and most responsive to intervention treatments. Allergy immunotherapy involves an allergist dosing known concentrations of an allergen to build patient tolerance. Furthermore, researchers are investigating how to personalize immunotherapy to treat multiple allergies in a patient to promote long-term success.
Access status: Open Access ,
Lauren Holliday: capstone
(2026-05) Holliday, Lauren, artist
The artist's statement: My work is rooted in storytelling, with every piece designed to communicate emotion, meaning, and ideas that extend beyond what is immediately visible. I aim to create visuals with purpose, where each composition carries a narrative and invites viewers to engage with its intent and message. As a graphic designer and traditional artist, I work across both digital and physical mediums using Adobe Creative Suite, Krita, and traditional materials such as graphite, ink wash, colored pencil, chalk, and pen. My process begins with rapid sketching with Sharpie or pencil, allowing me to freely explore concepts before refining stronger ideas through research, observation, and a deeper investigation of the subject and its context. I focus on clarity, color-theory, balanced compositions, and a strong visual focal point, often leaning toward clean, minimal, and realistic aesthetics. I am inspired by growth, creativity, and the discipline of continually improving my skills. I strive for versatility in style to allow each artistic approach to suit each project's needs, ensuring the outcome aligns with the concept and audience. As a designer, I prioritize the client's vision and goals, aiming to translate their ideas into intentional, effective, and visually engaging solutions. My work reflects a commitment to hard work, thoughtful problem-solving, and developing designs that are both meaningful and functional.
Access status: Open Access ,
Empowering new voices in the outdoors - a series of workshops to educate, excite, and engage young women in outdoor recreation
(2026-05) Dashe, Juliette, author; Stafford, Nicole, advisor; Nichols, Melanie, committee member
The discrepancy between participation levels of men and women in outdoor recreation is becoming well-documented. The goal of this honors thesis is to address this inequality by leading workshops that educate and empower young women to pursue outdoor adventure. Systemic issues such as sexism, lack of opportunity and fear of violence, as well as issues such as lack of representation of women in outdoor spaces, failure to include girls from a young age in adventure sports, and a disconnect in wilderness courses to address women-specific topics (e.g., menstruating in the outdoors) can be found in literature about this gender-gap in outdoor recreation. The three workshops addressed how to navigate snow sports, hygiene and menstruating in the wilderness, and how to plan a trip. By creating a safe-space to discuss previous obstacles, talking to women who have similar experiences, and taking before and after surveys of participants, the results of my honors thesis demonstrates that these workshops are an effective method to address the disparity between men and women in the outdoors that other communities can harness going forward.