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
Captain Paul C. Golden, U.S. Coast Guard Ret.
Fisheries Biology, 1970
Paul joined the Coast Guard, with his marine environmental background was assigned to the White House to draft the first Federal Environmental Impact Statement, for the TransAlaskan Pipeline. He spent two years patrolling the Bering Sea protecting the “Deadliest Catch” fishing fleets. A second White House tour coordinated Pacific Basin interagency drug interdiction operations. Two years in the Persian Gulf/Africa dealing with Pirates, Smugglers & Terrorists. Retired from the Coast Guard, the next 14 years were with the Intelligence Community. Four Masters: Univ. Michigan-Environmental Management, Naval War College-National Security Planning & Risk Management, Salve Regina-International Affairs, CalState Hayward-Government Pandemic Management.
Barry k Avery
Biological Sciences, 1975
Barry became a UCONN Master Gardener after I retired about 25 years ago. Barry says his Humboldt State education was very valuable in obtaining the certification. He has used his Degree in Biology and the MG certification to teach classes for the State of Connecticut and Northeast Organic Farmers Association, and is also one of the three Founders of "The Holcomb Tree Trail, a 120-acre Arboretum here in his hometown, Granby Connecticut. He says his HSU education served him well and has been invaluable to me since his graduation in 1975.
Bill (William) G. Ramos
Forestry & Wildland Resources, 1980
Bill lives in Issaquah, Washington. He has worked for the U.S Forest Service for 30 years and 8 more years with the U.S. Department of Transportation. He was elected to Issaquah City Council in 2015. Then elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 2018, 2020, and 2022. This year, 2024, He was elected to the Washington State Senate.
Achievements
Find out what our students, faculty, and staff are being recognized for.
Dr. Sarah Jaquette Ray
Environmental Studies
Dr. Ray joined grief scholars and movement leaders Breeshia Wade, Yolanda Sealy-Ruiz, Myrtle Sodhi, Jennifer England and host Viyda Shah on the podcast, Hospicing Leadership. This episode focused on questions such as "How do leaders create a vision for hospicing grief in the midst of crisis?" You can listen here: https://www.yorku.ca/edu/unleading/podcast-episodes/hospicing-leadershi…
Jeff Kane and Pascal Berrill
Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management
Drs. Jeff Kane and Pascal Berrill received a $144,000 grant from the USDA Forest Service to support a study that will examine the effectiveness of variable tree thinning and prescribed burn treatments to promote fire and forest resilience in mixed-conifer forests of California. Research has consistently shown thinned tree stands to be more resilient to drought and wildfires, however, much remains to be learned about tree regeneration and growth in landscapes experiencing frequent low-to-moderate severity fires. This work will help to fill information gaps on interrelationships between prescribed fire dynamics, forest structural diversity, fuels, and vegetation response.
Kay Vargas and Dr. Sherrene Bogle
Computer Science
The NSF funded ACOSUS project has received another peer reviewed acceptance to present their findings in Phoenix Arizona at the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Conference. This publication includes Kay Vargas, a recent CS graduate now pursuing a PhD at University of California, Santa Cruz and research assistant of Dr. Sherrene Bogle.
The citation is below:
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 Status = ACCEPTED
CNRS News
- How to Prepare When Natural Disasters Strike
- Geography Professor Co-Investigates $1 Million NSF Initiative to Support Foreign-Born Women Faculty in Geospatial Sciences
- Cal Poly Humboldt Officially Names New Research Vessel
- Cal Poly Humboldt Researcher Collaborates with NASA on Novel Gravity Gradiometers
- Cal Poly Humboldt Celebrates Beginning of Construction of the Engineering & Technology Building