Capstone course
As a public policy master’s student, you’ll complete an 11-week policy lab capstone course online, in which students work in teams to conduct policy research and analysis for an OSU School of Public Policy client partner. This collaborative effort challenges you and your classmates to apply methods and theory knowledge to emerging and relevant policy topics.
The policy research skills and knowledge you gain will be broadly applicable toward your career. At the conclusion of the course, you will present your findings and be evaluated on your contribution and quality of work. Each student will be assessed individually.
Spring 2025
Offshore Wind and Oregon's Territorial Sea Plan
Client Partner(s):
Fall 2024
Vote Smart Member and User Survey & Qualitative Peer Organization Research
Client Partner(s):
Spring 2024
Community Benefits for Offshore Wind & Summary and Analysis of Oregon Offshore Wind Public Comments
Client Partner(s):
Previous Individualized MPP and Executive MPP student Capstones
- Mira Bartell, "The Mobilization of Graduate Employee Unions in Response to Police Brutality on US Campuses: The Case of Pro-Palestine Encampments"
- Emily Bradley, "Preparedness Gaps: Policy Communication and Disaster Preparedness in Rural Coastal Oregon"
- James LeBlanc, "Lessons from MOPR: Balancing Policy Tradeoffs in the New England Wholesale Electricity Market"
- Brodie McLaughlin, "Human Dimensions of Offshore Wind Development in Oregon: An Analysis of Public Comments in Oregon’s Offshore Wind Development Process"
- Allyse Waggener, "Unfolding Extremes: The Evolution of Abortion Rights Rhetoric within Congressional Press Releases"
- Ray Wolf, "Not Just for the Fire: Grassroots Resilience and Structural Barriers to Equitable Emergency Management "
- Kathleen Andrews, "Public Policy Barriers to Carbon Capture and Storage in California"
- Jessie Bailey, "Examining Community Narratives of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s “Green Grants” Initiative"
- Bella Bybee, "Navigating Healthcare Costs in Oregon: Medicaid and Commercial Insurance Plans for Informed Policy Recommendations"
- Grace Dearden, "Greening a Red State: Understanding the Complexities of Environmental Policy in Florida"
- Amanda Harmon, "Evaluating Post-Implementation Policy Narratives in Kern County California using the Narrative Policy Framework"
- Jennifer Kovitz, "Some Strings Attached: How Sources of Capital Influence Rural Community Land Trusts in the Pacific Northwest"
- Gabrielle Poccia, "A case for trauma-informed policy and a procedural justice approach to addressing families’ needs after police-involved killings"
- Carolyn Riemann, "ACEs and Rural Policymaking: An analysis of the intersections between trauma and equity"
- Emily Ringer, "The Circumpolar Action Plan for Polar Bears: A qualitative inquiry into implementation dynamics and international collaboration"
- Ryan Westman, "Electrifying Transportation in Rural America: Real and Perceived Barriers to Electric Vehicle Adoption Among Rural Residents"
- Sheila M. Bonkoski. "Homeless Policy in Eugene, Oregon: A critical examination of the West Coast from a Social Construction Framework"
- Ravyn A. Cervantes. "Managing Misconduct: Understanding the Role of College Hearing Officers in the University Academic Misconduct Sanction Process"
- Samuel L. Crispin. "Passing of the Torch: A Multiple Streams Approach Investigation into House Bill 2021 "100% Clean Energy for All""
- Matthew Easdale. "Digital Inclusion and Houselessness: A Qualitative Exploration of the Impacts of Internet Access on Low-Income Participants"
- Carly Trakofler Ferrone. "Medicaid Behavioral Health Service Utilization and Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Urban County Case Study"
- Tera R. Finley. "Determining the Superior Staffing Method in Assisted Living Facilities: Ratios versus Acuity-Based Staffing"
- Catalina A. Harmon. "Examining Permanent Supportive Housing on Chronic Substance Abuse Populations in Oregon"
- Abigail Miller. "Congress During COVID: A Content Analysis of Federal Legislators' COVID Policy Actions"
- Emily Mowers-Cervantes. "The COVID-19 Hunger Cliff: A Narrative Policy Framework analysis of the ongoing fight over pandemic-era universal school lunch policies"
- Trisha Patterson. "The hazards-housing nexus : adaptive capacity wheel analysis of coastal planning institutions"
- Daniel Sidder. "Microshelters, Macro Problem: Exploring How Tiny Home Villages Became a Popular Solution for Housing People Experiencing Homelessness"
- David T. Sweeney. "The effects of restrictive police pursuit policies in Washington State"
- Michael D. Terry. "PIOs and the Public: How Wildfire Public Information Officers View and Interact with the Public as Street-Level Bureaucrats"
- Solomon Allen. "Barriers to Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: A Case Study"
- Ross Barker. "Understanding Property Managers: The Perceived Benefits and Risks of Allowing Pets in Rental Units in Metro Areas of the United States"
- Kendra Beck. "Bullying Victimization and Substance Use Among Adolescents: Using Strain Theory to Examine Patterns Across Gender, Race, and Mental Health Status"
- Sabrina Beck. "A Closer Look into the Development of State Healthy Soils Policies: Network Building, Information Sharing, Policy Diffusion, and Innovation"
- Erik Chi. "Examining China's Cross-strait Economic Statecraft in the Mid-2000s"
- Michael Eilers. "Transboundary Water Management Among the Riparian States of the Mekong: Using the Water Governance Reform Framework to Prevent Conflict"
- Emily Griffith. "Institutional Adaptive Capacity and the California Abalone"
- Nahuel Guaita. "Economic Growth and CO2 emissions in Idaho: Energy, Technology, and Hidden Networks in the U.S. energy transition"
- Jeanette Hansen. "Starting Out Equal? The Impacts of Child Care Access on Kindergarten Readiness in Oregon"
- Alfredo Haro. "Changing Wildfires, Evolving Policy: Integrating Vulnerable Communities in Central Oregon"
- Ryan Hasert. "A Deep Dive into Ocean Acidification: Policy Priorities in Oregon and California"
- Robert Horton. "Applied Behavioral Insights for Wildfire Preparedness in the Wildland-Urban Interface of Jackson County, Oregon"
- Deeann Hui. "Be Careful What You Tweet: An Investigation of Anti-Asian Tweets and Anti-Asian Hate Crimes during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic"
- Dante Luongo. "Collaboration on the Columbia River: How the Narrative of Environmental Justice and Management Affects Renegotiation"
- Natalia Ojeda León. "Lake County Renewable Energy Transition: An Assessment from the Energy Justice Framework"
- Matthew Pennon. "Resource Family Approval Process and the Effects of COVID-19"
- Leah Pratt. "K-12 school finance reform : an Idaho case study"
- Sana Safdar. "Relationship Between Education and Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan"
- Melissa Symmes. "Non-lethal Wolf Management Perceptions Impact on the Willingness to Ranch Alongside the Presence of Wolves in Washington State"
- Megan Wai. "Narratives Surrounding Dam Removal Along the Lower Snake River"
- Fatuma Mohamed Ali.“Experiences of Black Domestic and Black International Students in Predominantly White Institutions (PWI)”
- Ingrid Banshchikova "International Environmental Treaty-making. Evaluation of the Text of an Upcoming United Nations Treaty Aimed to Protect Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)"
- Shahinur Bashar. “The Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh: Environmental Impacts, Policies, and Practices”
- Dustin Bishop. "The Politics Expansion Makes: A Multi-Method Analysis of the Electoral Impact and Policy Advocacy of the ACA's Medicaid Expansion in the States"
- Diane Brandt, “A Current Look at Marine Renewable Energy in Oregon: Oregon MRE Policy and the role of Public Perception and Participation in Oregon’s MRE Future”
- Michelle Francis, “Could Oregon Replicate Finland’s National Housing First Program?”
- Alexis James, "An Empirical Analysis of Religion and Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest"
- Ennada Lagouit. “In the Name of Human Capital: Navigating the Licensing Requirements of a Regulated Occupation as a Foreign Trained Pharmacist"
- Marissa M. Song Mayeda. “Examining the Parallels of Race, Ethnicity, Language, and Disability (REALD) and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Question Implementation During COVID-19”
- Rachel Loraine Mooney. "Public Perception of Natural Gas Export: The Jordan Cove Energy Project"
- Ariel Orr. “Developing a Climate Resilience Scorecard for Marin County, California”
- Ava Gentilcore Ryan. “Community Visioning in Chaotic Times: Lessons Learned from the 2020 Tillamook County Community Visioning Project”
- Victoria Venable. “Evaluating the Social Equity Implications of Green Infrastructure for Urban Resilience”
- Meagan Consedine. “Influencing State Policies Supporting Farmers’ Markets: How States Increase Access to Farmers’ Markets for Low Income Households”
- Alexa Diaz. "Making Electric Vehicles Accessible: A Program Evaluation of California's Clean Vehicle Assistance Program"
- Maryam S. Elmahdy. "Coronavirus Narratives: Drawing Lessons for Effective Crisis Management"
- Erin Kanzig. "Environmental Justice Policies at the State Level: Symbolic Rhetoric or Tangible Impacts?"
- Jasmine King. "The Shades of Participation: Assessing the Barriers to Community Participation in Land-Use Decision-Making Processes That Address Environmental Injustices For Low-Income Communities of Color"
- Zach Koutnik. “Catastrophic Wildfire in California's Wildland Urban Interface: A Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team Case Study”
- Jordan Laine Monyhan. "Public Perception of Police Responses to Homelessness: Results from a Factorial Survey"
- Keenan Lindsey. “California Energy Policy and Public Perceptions in the 21st Century”
- Rafiiuddin Najam. "Financing of Public Higher Education in Afghanistan: Public Opinion and Information Effects"
- Bianca Llamas. “Child Welfare: Determinants of a Child’s Length of Stay in the System”
- Harry Noone. "Soundscape Policy: Noise Pollution as an Issue in Oregon Municipalities"
- Matthew Perreault. "Revitalization or Gentrification?: An Examination of Urban Renewal Areas and Housing Instability in Oregon"
- Michelle A. Steinhebel. "An Examination of How Family Structure and Support Affect a Woman's Candidacy for Public Office"
- Alicia Ward. "Finding a Reason to Run: Examining Women's Experiences with a Running Program at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility"