May 3, 2024 | Digital Showcase | Humboldt Library
All Presenters & Abstracts
Utilization of the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary by North American River Otters
Presentation Year: 2022
North American river otters are a regular sight to see in the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary and have been observed to exhibit different behaviors and activities in various locations of the marsh. By using ArcGIS Pro, visual observations of river otters made by Jeff Black over the course of two years have been mapped out depending on their behavior and activity. I focused on mapping three main behaviors that otters exhibit in the marsh: fishing for fish or invertebrates, hunting for birds, or traveling to/from or through the marsh.
Validation of FLT3-ITD in CD34+ Human Cord Blood Cells using CRISPR-Cas9 editing to investigate pre-leukemic stem cells as therapeutic targets in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Presentation Year: 2022
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow that results from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) populations. The goal of this project is to characterize the mechanisms for the transformation of genetically engineered human primary HSCs to AML. My aim is to validate FLT3-ITD CRISPR-Cas9 reagents to contribute to the sequential editing matrix scheme of the larger project of investigating preleukemic stem cells as therapeutic targets in AML. Understanding the genetic components of preleukemia can help inform clinical decisions of which patients to provide transplants and in what stage of remission this therapy can be most effective.
Variation in Mallard Foraging Strategy in Relation to Group Size
Presentation Year: 2022
It is commonly believed that many animals, especially prey species, benefit from foraging while in a group. Using point-count surveys, I observed Mallard at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in an effort to determine their propensity for foraging at an increased rate while in a group. I also attempted to determine whether or not group size altered the preferred foraging strategy of mallard.
Water Temp. & Clarity Effects on Diving Duck Duration Under Water
Presentation Year: 2022
My research project took place at the Arcata Marsh looking at two diving duck species (Greater Scaups and Buffle Heads) and determining whether water temperature or water clarity effect the the duck's duration underwater.
Wellness Center at Eureka City Schools (ECS)
Presentation Year: 2022
We are developing and implementing a Wellness center in Eureka City Schools (ECS). The collaboration includes Two Feathers Native American Family Services, Open Door Community Health Center, Humboldt County Office of Education, Cal Poly Humboldt, various consultants, grant writers, and ECS students and employees. Student feedback identified the needs, health disparities, and gaps in wellness services and informed how to best support diverse student populations. We collected student feedback via a survey and feedback groups which were student-led and driven. The findings suggest the wellness center should be an inviting space, be a space to regulate, and offer clinical/non-clinical support.
A Dream Told Me to Be Here
Presentation Year: 2021
"But why should one consider dreams, those flimsy, elusive, unreliable, vague, and uncertain phantasms, at all?"
- C. G. Jung
A Hypothetical Experiment for The Relationship Between the Menstrual Cycle and FFA Release
Presentation Year: 2021
HYPOTHETICAL: Sex hormones estrogen and progesterone have been hypothesized to impact FFA release. While these two hormones fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, basal rates of FFA release are similar between menstrual cycle phases. Specifically, when looking at the early follicular (EF) and mid luteal (ML) phases, there is differences in plasma or intramuscular FFA release. However, the phase in which estrogen is at its highest and progesterone is at its lowest (late follicular [LF]) has been minimally studied. Additionally, the dynamics of FFA release might vary in non-resting conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in FFA release between the three phases
Abstraction
Presentation Year: 2021
Logline: An unknowing beachcomber begins to transform into an extraterrestrial being after discovering an otherworldly skeleton beneath the sand.
Synopsis: Tourist season has come to an end in the sleepy coastal town of Breaker’s Bay. The beaches are empty, but beneath the sand are treasures to be had. Items lost, forgotten by the past visitors of the sandy beaches of the North Coast, a beachcomber’s paradise. Molly Faye, a local beachcomber is about to wrap up her day of scanning the miles of endless beaches when she receives a faint signal on her metal detector. What she unearths at first appears to be a delicate piece of jewelry, but what it is attached to proves to be problematic...
Activity of Novel Cellulases from Cow Rumen
Presentation Year: 2021
Utilizing cellulase enzymes can enhance the production of biofuels. In this study, 14 cellulases identified through metagenomic analysis of cow rumen were expressed in E. Coli, purified using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC), and then assessed for enzymatic activity versus a control cellulase isolated from Aspergillus Niger. To do this, we evaluated the breakdown of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in a plate assay with Congo Red detection. 4 with high activity and 2 with low activity were selected for analyzing the effective pH on the enzymatic activity and expanding the research to kinetic analysis. Our results could inform new cellulase design and enhance biofuel production.
Analyzing Resistance in Carbon Nanotube Networks
Presentation Year: 2021
To inform the applicability of carbon nanotube networks for use as field-effect transistors or as biosensors, we have run computer simulations in order to characterize the electrical properties of these networks, and specifically, how the resistance of these networks changes with the metallicity, or the percentage of metallic to semiconducting carbon nanotubes. When running simulations over networks with varying metallicities, we find a trend where the resistance increases to a peak value then decreases.
Aviary
Presentation Year: 2021
Aviary is a short film, made during the fall of 2020, in a film three production class. The story is about a woman dealing with agoraphobia (the fear of leaving one’s house), who must conquer her anxieties when her grocery delivery is placed too far from her comfort zone of reach.
Black Lives Matter: The Digital Mobilization of Citizen Journalists
Presentation Year: 2021
Osprey magazine reporter and photographer Julie Navarro won the prestigious Society of Professional Journalists Feature Photography award for her story, “Black Lives Matter: The digital mobilization of citizen journalists.” Navarro is a critical race and gender studies major and this was her first time working on student journalism Osprey magazine. “I really wanted to share something that would be meaningful for all to see,” Navarro said. “It means a lot to me being part of documenting history.”
Comparative Analysis of Anabaena Sensory Rhodopsin in Nanodiscs Containing Various Lipids.
Presentation Year: 2021
Membrane proteins (MP) are crucial for cell pathways, but are difficult to study due to hydrophobicity. Nanodiscs (ND) provide a lipid bilayer mimetic enabling MP studies. To improve efficiency, we compared two ND assembly methods for detergent removal, and evaluated how lipid affects the MP, Anabaena Sensory Rhodopsin. ND were assembled with purified ASR, various lipids, Sodium Cholate and Apolipoprotein AI. Electrophoresis was utilized to evaluate complex formation. ASR was successfully isolated and assembled into ND. We found that the biobead method was faster and had less risk of loss, showing it to be the better method. ND provide a promising approach to therapeutics affecting MP.
COVID-19 in Prisons
Presentation Year: 2021
This presentation was made and presented by the Members of the Formerly Incarcerated Students Club. This presentation brings awareness to how prisons and jails are being handled (or not being handled) for COVID-19. We discuss the rates of COVID-19 inside prisons and jails, what prisons are supposed to be doing to abide by COVID-19 Guidelines outlined by the CDC, why they cannot and are not implementing most of them, and what needs to happen to lower these rates.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and Different Recovery Methods for Decreasing DOMS
Presentation Year: 2021
In this fictional study, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is explained, and different recovery methods are investigated in order to research the decreasing effects of DOMS. Methods that are explored include different types of cool down recoveries such as a cool down with static stretching, a cool down with a combination of static stretching and foam rolling (a type of massage), or no cooldown performed at all. This study demonstrates how a combination of static stretching and foam rolling could be major factors in decreasing the effects of DOMS and perceived effects of DOMS. This presentation is in regards to the KINS 379 class assignment.
Design of Possible Organic Photovoltaic Compounds and Their Initial Computational Assessment
Presentation Year: 2021
The excessive use of fossil fuels has surged the need for alternative energy sources, such as solar energy. Here, possible organic photovoltaic (OPV) compounds were designed and their initial computational assessment was done. Density Functional Theory was used to calculate the HOMO-LUMO gap of the 26 compounds designed. Semiconductors such as naphthalene, 1,1’-biphenyl, and ɑ-septithiophene were used as the backbone and the main electron-withdrawing group (EWG) used was thien[3,4-c] [1,2,5]thiadiazole-2-sIV(8CI,9CI), among other thieno-thiadiazole derivatives.
Effect of Channel Size on the Development of Resistance in a Carbon Nanotube Network
Presentation Year: 2021
The burgeoning demand for nanotechnology presents a specific issue in that it requires the production of electronic components at a physical scale that is difficult and costly to achieve. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have potential in a wide range of electronics applications (1), but there are many lingering questions about their behavior. This project seeks to use computational modeling to propose a relationship between the number of CNT-on-CNT contacts and the effective resistance of a CNT network as the physical parameters change.
Effects of Visual and Verbal Prompting on the Badminton Overhand Swing
Presentation Year: 2021
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of verbal and visual prompting during balloon badminton on the number of correct overhand badminton swings (OBS), also known as clears, of an 8-year-old female subject with spastic cerebral palsy. Using a 4-week ABAB design, the intervention was found to be effective at improving the rate of correctly performed OBSs by as much as 30% on a weekly average between baseline and intervention phases and by as much as 37.5% overall.
Exultate Jubilate
Presentation Year: 2021
I will be performing a mozart aria.
Fungi Decomposition Rates in Relation to Growth Rate and Moisture Tolerance
Presentation Year: 2021
Researchers found that fungi that grow faster tend to be less resistant to changes in temperature and moisture. Exploring the relationship between a fungus’s growth rate and moisture tolerance, our team used a system of differential equations to model the decomposition rates of woody material by different fungi to understand how decomposition would be affected when the species are in competition.