Achievements

Larry Fox

Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Emeritus Forestry Professor Larry Fox has completed a volunteer project investigating the death of more than 1500 people fleeing Libya across the Central Mediterranean using geospatial and remote sensing technology. Fox and researchers from the University of London produced a report on a particular case of migrants’ death involving 63 people, where the military and other actors failed to provide assistance to seafarers in distress.

The report was the basis for a legal case against France and may be used to file cases against other countries that participated in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The full report is available at: http://www.forensic-architecture.org/homepage/fields/investigations/sea. The project was supported by GISCorps, which coordinates short term, volunteer-based GIS services to underprivileged communities.

Micaela Szykman Gunther

Wildlife

Associate Professor in Wildlife Micaela Gunther co-authored a paper with colleagues from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute entitled, "Inbreeding Avoidance Influences the Viability of Reintroduced Populations of African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus)."

This research, published in the online journal PLoSONE, matched genetic data with behavioral observations to determine that African wild dogs employ a mechanism to avoid inbreeding. Combined with the isolation of wild dog populations, inbreeding avoidance can rapidly lead to the extinction of small and reintroduced populations of this endangered species.

Iris Koski

Environmental Science & Management

Iris is a graduate student (class of 2012) presenting her research on oak woodland restoration at the Society for Ecological Restoration conference at UC Davis, May 15-17. The title of the presentation is "Landscapes in Transition: Private Lands Oak Woodland Management in the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion." This research was a collaborative project between HSU, private landowners, and numerous agencies and organizations who are concerned about oak woodlands in this region.

Matthew Johnson

Wildlife

Wildlife Chair Matt Johnson was nominated by the California State University to be featured on its (STEM)2 website, which highlights the science, technology, engineering and mathematics service-learning work of California State University faculty members. Johnson's service-learning course engages students in a local wildlife research project relevant to local land managers. (STEM)2 is a grant-supported initiative in the CSU that promotes student success in STEM disciplines. For more information, visit http://calstate.edu/cce/stem/.

Matt Mitchell

Environmental Science & Management

Matt Mitchell is a winner of Patricia O. McConkey Award for outstanding graduate thesis: A Comparison of Invertebrate Communities Occupying Spartina Invaded and Restored Salt Marshes of Humboldt Bay, CA.

Sharon N. Kahara

Wildlife

Adjunct Wildlife Faculty Member Sharon Kahara co-authored an article in _Great Plains Research_ titled "Wetland Hydrodynamics and Long-term Use of Spring Migration Areas by Lesser Scaup in Eastern South Dakota." The research modeled spring wetland use based on surveys carried out over two decades. Results dispelled scaup preference for semipermanent wetlands and established the importance of permanent, hydrologically dynamic wetlands for long-term use and therefore conservation concern.

William Wood

Chemistry

Professor William Wood and student co-authors Jay A. Brandes, Brian D. Foy, Christopher G. Morgan, Thierry D. Mann and Darvin A. DeShazer published a report on the maple syrup odor of the candy cap mushroom. The project culminated 25 years of research, since identification of the chemical responsible for the unique odor has been elusive. The odor causing chemical, quabalactone III, is not present in living candy cap mushrooms. It is only found in dried mushrooms and likely results from the reaction of a rare amino acid on desiccation.

This research was published in Biosystematics and Ecology [Volume 43, 51-53 (2012)].

Kathryn Wiles

Biological Sciences

Kathryn Wiles, Ecology junior, has been selected to receive a 2012 CSUPERB Presidents’ Commission Scholar Award to fund her summer research project titled, ”Investigation of Horizontal Gene Transfer and Biogeography among Thermoacidophilic Isolates from Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, USA.” Wiles' faculty mentor, Dr. Patricia Siering, was instrumental in writing the proposal. Her adviser is Dr. Erik Jules. A committee of CSUPERB faculty and deans selected 25 proposals out of 67 submitted. The CSUPERB Presidents’ Commission will meet award winners and mentors in August 2012 at the CSU Chancellor’s Office in Long Beach.

Students

Environmental Resources Engineering

A team of HSU Environmental Resources Engineering students gained a meritorious score in the recent Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP) Mathematical Modeling Contest. HSU ranked in the top 11%, competing against more than 3,350 teams from the U.S. and overseas universities.

Only 27 schools received a higher ranking than Humboldt State. Each team prepared a report detailing its solution to one of three candidate modeling problems. HSU teammates Andy Harris, Craig Lorenc and Solomon Homicz addressed the problem of determining the best schedule for whitewater rafting visitors to a remote and scenic river.

Lonny Grafman

Environmental Resources Engineering

Lonny Grafman presented "Platforms Tackling Social Innovation and Global Development Challenges: Proliferation, Collaboration, and Coordination" at Scientists Without Borders with support from the Rockefeller Foundation Conference in New York on April 9, 2012.