Breadcrumb
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Get Your Hands Dirty Studying Science on California’s North Coast
There’s no better place to study science than at Cal Poly Humboldt. Our community is a living laboratory with the Pacific Ocean, ancient redwoods, and other diverse ecosystems for you to explore.
The College of Natural Resources & Sciences boasts a wide variety of science-focused areas of study, from biochemistry to zoology. Our multiple fieldwork opportunities, Place-Based Learning Communities, and extensive research faculties paired with our stellar faculty and staff create an environment for you to feel inspired, challenged, and engaged with the science all around you.
Undergraduate Research
Many universities reserve research experience for graduate students. At Cal Poly Humboldt, you may conduct your own research or assist professors with their projects as early as your freshman year. Either way, you’ll put theory into practice, building a fundamental understanding of concepts and methodologies. With opportunities to present at local and national conferences, you’ll learn how to explain your findings, too. Experiences like these offer a glimpse of what it’s like to be a professional scientist and will help you discover your passion.
Fieldwork
Located on the North Coast of California, Humboldt is surrounded by ancient redwoods and close to the Pacific Ocean, mountains, and rivers. You’ll find the region’s natural environment is the perfect outdoor classroom where learning happens through real-world experience. Track elk, hike through forests to measure redwoods, or take water samples from California’s second largest river—Humboldt provides a wide range of opportunities for fieldwork, which helps develop critical thinking and collaboration skills, and a passion for learning that will take you far in life.
Personal Attention
College is a time to expand your horizons and find out who you really are, and our attentive faculty are here to support you every step of the way. From the moment you begin your program, you won’t be just another face in the crowd. You’ll be part of a community as you get to know your professors. They’ll challenge you, but they’re accessible, too. Whether through mentoring or one-on-one feedback, they’ll help you build the knowledge and skills to be successful at Cal Poly Humboldt.
Undergraduate Programs
Cal Poly Humboldt offers a wide array of science majors and programs, led by highly skilled faculty who foster a supportive environment. You will develop the critical thinking skills needed to solve complex problems in science, engineering, and natural resources, leaving you well-prepared for professional careers and higher levels of study.
Graduate Programs
Cal Poly Humboldt has an established reputation for its graduate programs in the biological, environmental, engineering, and natural resources sciences, which provide the knowledge and experience necessary to address today’s scientific problems.
Equipped for Excellence
Cal Poly Humboldt has a diverse range of research facilities, labs, and special collections as essential tools for conducting research and gaining real-world experience. Utilizing a renewable energy technology research center, a marine laboratory, and the largest botanical collection in the CSU system, you will actively engage with research during your undergraduate years.
Place-Based Learning Communities
Learning goes beyond the classroom at Humboldt—we learn from the environment we are in. Our Place-Based Learning Communities provide you with a tight-knit community of like minded peers before classes even start.
We start right away—you’ll be immersed in major-related fieldwork, seminars, and classes with students like you before the semester even begins. These connections will help you navigate college life, gain confidence, succeed academically, and gain a sense of belonging within the Humboldt community.
Alumni Updates
Stephen Lenzo
Forestry & Wildland Resources, 1980
Steve started his career with the U.S. Forest Service while still a student at Humboldt and retired in 2018 after 40 years. Along the way he worked in five regions, served two years in the Peace Corps, and taught high school in NYC while completing a master's degree in bilingual science secondary education. Steve worked in both National Forests and at Job Corps centers finishing his career in the National Office of Job Corps. Since retirement, Steve has worked as a consultant helping to start Youth Conservation Corps programs in Honduras, Colombia, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Morocco, Guinea, Egypt, and Congo.
Daniel DeArmond
Forestry & Wildland Resources, 2004
After graduating, Daniel worked in the California timber industry as a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) preparing timber harvest plans (THPs). In 2015, he moved to Manaus, Brazil, and studied Brazilian Portuguese to prepare for the entrance exam at the National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA). Once successfully passing the exam, he entered the postgraduate program for tropical forest science (CFT) and completed all requirements to receive an MSc (2018) and Ph.D. (2023). His Ph.D. thesis is titled "Impacts and Recovery after soil compaction from logging machinery in Central Amazonia."
Aaron Jensen Murphy
Environmental Science & Management, 2017
After graduating, Aaron worked on campus for Facilities Management as a groundsworker. In 2021, he moved from Arcata to Salt Lake City, Utah, to work as a Senior Natural Resource Technician for the Salt Lake City Public Lands Department. For the last two years, Aaron has worked for Salt Lake County Flood Control as a Permit Review Specialist. In his current position, he regulates all aspects of floodplain development within the county, including the installation of structures, channel realignments, and watershed restoration. He has remained passionate about environmental stewardship, professional development, and fostering successful partnerships with state and federal agencies.
Achievements
Find out what our students, faculty, and staff are being recognized for.
Sherrene Bogle, Marjan Asadinia
Computer Science
Dr. Sherrene Bogle and collaborators from CSU Northridge including Dr Marjan Asadinia and graduate students Desai, M., Rumale, A. will present findings on their NSF-funded research "Improving Reliability and Durability in Phase Change Main Memory (PCM)" at the Future Technologies Conference in November 2024. The work is published in Proceedings of the Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2024, Volume 3. FTC 2024. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 1156. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-73125-9_38
Sherrene Bogle, Kay Vargas
Computer Science
The NSF funded ACOSUS project has also received another peer reviewed acceptance to present their findings Saturday 11/23 in Phoenix Arizona at the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Conference. This publication includes Kay Vargas recent CS graduate and Dr. Bogle
Standfast*, J., Franco*, J., Carabello*, R., Vargas*, K., Wan, Y., Wang, X., Bogle, S., Aggarwal, P., & Rayana, S., (2024) Deciding on a College Transfer: Uncovering Transition Queries and Concerns via Reddit Topic Modeling, DSI Annual Conference November 2024 To be published in Decision Sciences Institute Annual Conference Conference Proceedings
Sherrene Bogle, Cheyenne Ty, Kay Vargas
Computer Science
Cheyenne Ty, a Computer Science Senior/Research Assistant, and Dr Sherrene Bogle and presented findings on their NSF funded research "CISE-MSI : Building an AI Counseling system for Underrepresented CS transfer students: ACOSUS” at the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC) Northwestern Regional Conference in October 2024. The citation for the published work is below:
Ty*, C., Vargas*, Wan, Y., K., Wang, X., Aggarwal, P., Rayana, S., & Bogle, S., (2024), Investigation of Computing Transfer Students Success, CCSC Northwestern Regional Conference 2024. Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges 20(1)
CNRS News
- Cal Poly Humboldt Researcher Collaborates with NASA on Novel Gravity Gradiometers
- Cal Poly Humboldt Celebrates Beginning of Construction of the Engineering & Technology Building
- Honoring Distinguished Faculty 2023-24
- Exciting Lineup for Lumberjack Weekend 2024
- $4.4M Grant to Foster Collaboration for Stem Cell Research