Medical institutions have been found to underestimate women's experiences with pain, consequently limiting the medical pain treatment which is available to them. This inequity poses a real threat to the health and wellbeing of women across the globe, restricting their access to adequate and ethical healthcare. Research has concluded that the only way to dismantle implicit biases on a broad scale is by instituting standardized measures which enforce the repeated reflection and correction process necessary to change the biases and stereotypes assumed by each individual. As a result, it becomes clear that such measures must be implemented into the curriculum of medical education, to train healthcare professionals out of unconsciously biased thought processes and improve healthcare quality across the United States. The project aims to develop a standardized curriculum to be implemented parallel to implicit racial bias measures within the medical system. It will include a qualitative exposition of women’s reported experiences, and a quantitative analysis of inequities in research, treatments, and prescriptions allocated to the health of men and women.

Action Research Project through ChangeMaker. During the last school year, Kirsten founded Ate (ah-teh: Tagalog word for Big Sister), an all-girls mentoring program in which high school girls offered virtual courses to middle school girls in a range of interest areas. Ate’s goal is to build leadership skills and support girls’ confidence. This year, Adrienne joined while Ate began pivoting by building a buddy system between 3rd graders mentoring younger school girls at the Mitchell Park Library. We hope to incorporate a buddy system with the 3rd graders to provide leadership and interest exploration to influence young girls' curiosity and confidence.

The environment's welfare has been a topic of controversy over the years, and despite the proven evidence that our natural world is severely declining in health, we continue to let it deteriorate, whilst contributing to its deterioration. Regardless, outreach programs try to support the natural world through environmental education. This study will encompass the recent effects of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 virus) on Environmental Education, and its outreach during the pandemic. This project will be a case study run through interviewing specialists in environmental education in order to determine how environmental education can be practiced more efficiently and effectively.

An additional perk to being a teacher is that the school district offers health care coverage, in addition to the salary. However, not all healthcare coverage is the same as demonstrated through the lack of a local school district’s coverage of hearing aids. This local school districts does not cover the full cost of aids, despite the effect on education if a child is unable to have full access forcing an employee to pay this expense out of pocket. This project is a case study about the effects of healthcare coverage for employees that have a child with hearing loss; and after interviewing an employees of a local school district, and will share the personal perspective with reasons for how a school district can improve their healthcare coverage practices.

LGBTQ individuals are at serious risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), but little research has been done on LGBTQ IPV. Out of the sparse research that has been done, even fewer have addressed therapy and its crucial role in the treatment of LGBTQ IPV. Additionally, while there are guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association on treating LGBTQ IPV, little to no research has been done on them, leaving a large blind spot in LGBTQ IPV research. This study aims to tackle both of these problems through a survey distributed to therapists in the San Francisco Bay Area assessing therapist perceptions on LGBTQ IPV and adherence to treatment guidelines on LGBTQ IPV.

There is a substantial problem regarding systemic racism against Black people in the United States. In our day and age, technology is improving and developing at a rapid rate. New facial recognition/scanning technologies are being utilized by the police forces in the United States, but the accuracy of the scans is not consistent between races. Not only are Black people stopped by the police at an alarmingly high rate compared to white people, but now they are put at an even greater disadvantage and danger. This paper examines the drawbacks of the recent implementation of facial recognition technology in law enforcement. This research will provide clarity on the main issues and injustices caused by this technology. A Public Service Announcement will then be formulated (letter format) for the Palo Alto Police Department stating final thoughts and opinions on whether this technology in its current state is suited for usage by law enforcement.

Water is the essence of all life, and yet, vulnerable and marginalized communities don't have the same access to clean drinking water as wealthier and more privileged communities. This lack of water availability and quality leads to arrested economic and infrastructural development. A prime example of this is Palo Alto and East Palo Alto, two neighboring cities that have a great difference in water allocation and quality and a great difference in their economic makeup. Through interviews with city council and water rights organization representatives, as well as research from documents and studies, this project aims to examine the effects that a difference in drinking water quality and allocation has on the economy and health of these two cities.

Bias is everywhere in the workforce recruitment process, whether it is discriminatory or in another form: confirmation bias, beauty bias, halo and horns effects, comparisons, etc. In fact, 59% of U.S. companies are committing to increasing diversity but struggling and 57% of employees believe that their company should be more diverse. The Anonym Project focuses on delving deeper into and solving these specific pain points during the recruitment process on both the recruitment and candidate sides in order to ensure a more efficient onboarding process for cultivating a better company culture. The Anonym Project next steps are: surveying more recruiters, applicants, & others involved in the process in a second round of user research, performing two separate application experiments, one with a blind application and one with the bias reducing recruitment platform, and finishing the clickable prototype of the Anonym platform.

In a nationwide study of Americans’ attitudes towards Indigenous Peoples, Reclaiming Native Truth found that “Contemporary Native Americans are, for the most part, invisible in the United States” (Reclaiming Native Truth, 2018). Indeed, Indigenous voices are frequently missing or misrepresented in American society—especially in education. Such lack of accurate education on the history and modern life of Indigenous communities fosters a breeding ground of misconceptions and stereotypes that hinder support for Indigenous issues. Accordingly, this research project seeks to understand how Indigenous Peoples are represented within the K–curriculum of a local school district. Through analysis of social studies textbooks and interviews with district teachers, the study aims to reveal areas of growth to ultimately expand students’ awareness of the historical and contemporary experiences of Indigenous Peoples.

Is success truly built from the foundation of hard work and persistence, or is it simply a result of privilege? It seems as though we live in a world where no matter the work or dedication you devote to a particular area, there will always be someone who can easily buy their way to the top. it is apparent that there simply is not enough support, resources, or opportunities for people who do not enter the ring with concrete financial backing. Through the creation of The Chester Project, a riding program within BOK Ranch, funded by Portola Valley Pony Club and approved by the United States Pony Club, this project studies how horseback riding can be made, accessible, and achievable for children of color coming from low-income areas. This projects collect both quantitative and qualitative data regarding the age group (9-14), ethnicity, current demographics of the mid-California region of the club, and the characteristics of people inside the equestrian community.