May 3, 2024 | Digital Showcase | Humboldt Library
All Presenters & Abstracts
Habitat Selection of Northern Harriers in Grasslands and Coastal Wetlands in Humboldt County, CA
Presentation Year: 2023
Riley
Sullivan,
Wildlife
Habitat selection is a well-studied behavior that strongly influences how a species interacts with the surrounding ecosystem. Countless studies address the habitat selection of raptors in the interest of conservation, but the habitat preferences and selection of the Northern Harrier specifically are poorly studied. I conducted a series of point counts between the Arcata Bottoms and the Arcata Marsh to compare the rate of Northern Harrier sightings between each zone.
HARNESSING THE POWER OF OPEN PEDAGOGY FOR COLLABORATIVE AND INNOVATIVE EDUCATION
Presentation Year: 2023
Juergen
Riedelsheimer,
Psychology
This presentation will explore how open pedagogy can transform students from passive knowledge consumers to active knowledge producers. The use of active learning approaches, which emphasize student-centered and collaborative learning, has been shown to improve learning outcomes and engagement. Project-based and experiential learning can equip students with critical thinking and problem-solving skills to apply in real-world situations. This presentation will provide examples of successful implementations and discuss the challenges educators may face when moving towards a student-centered, knowledge-producing model.
Honor Our Elders
Presentation Year: 2023
Josh
Ringland,
Social Work
Older adults are a growing population in the United States and many elders suffer from physical, sexual, mental, isolation and financial abuse without any obvious signs. Through the research and evaluation of a growing number of elder abuse cases, Humboldt County’s Civil Grand Jury issued a report, Silver Tsunami Warning, explaining the concerns of elder abuse. Through this community project, my community partner, Adult Protective Services and I will bring mindfulness of elder abuse through promoting World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, advocate prevention of elder abuse, and educate how to report elder abuse through a visual campaign of banners advertised throughout Humboldt County.
How Anthropogenic Disturbance Affects Terrestrial Wildlife Use and Presence in a California Coastal Dune Ecosystem
Presentation Year: 2023
Joshua
Zastrow,
Wildlife
My research looks at the influence of anthropogenic (human) disturbance upon the terrestrial mammalian community. The specific anthropogenic variables that I tested for against wildlife presence, use-rates, and species richness was human use intensity, human and domestic animal use intensity, building density (per mile), and distance to major roadway. The study area completed between February 20th and April 5th, 2023, within Humboldt County, California, USA. The transects were placed parallel to the coastline along an area of rural suburban, lite industrial, agricultural, and wildlands, within a coastal dune ecosystem.
Humboldt County GIS Data Archive
Presentation Year: 2023
Liam
del Aguila,
Computer Science
This project is a webpage and potentially touch-screen kiosk which displays GIS datasets currently held by the school. This includes student and faculty projects concerning a variety of geographic data about Humboldt County. The Alpha version of this website is currently in development in coordination with the library and geospatial faculty at Cal Poly Humboldt.
Humboldt County Homeless College Student - Photovoice Project
Presentation Year: 2023
Maia
Miglio,
Social Work
The Homeless College Student Photovoice Project unveils the resiliency of Humboldt students. From living in cars to showering at public campsites, learn about the challenges homeless students face. This digital gallery utilizes various mediums. Photos, recorded stories, and transcripts are available for interaction. Information is disseminated from 2018 research by Pam Bowers and Marissa O’Neill. A submission board for personal stories is available, in light of recent protests and events. This gallery of growth and strength hopes to inspire change within our community.
Humboldt County Postpartum Needs Assessment: Life After Birth
Presentation Year: 2023
Elisa
Miller,
Social Work
It is estimated that one in every five women experiences a mental health disorder like Postpartum Depression or Anxiety after giving birth. Humboldt County is one of the 35 out of 61 counties in CA that have recognized Perinatal Mental Health disorders as an issue. In order to improve postpartum care in Humboldt County a needs assessment was conducted of people who have given birth in Humboldt County over the last 10 years. Two Zoom storytelling focus groups of 6 people each and seven individual interviews were conducted. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted and presented in a report along with several recommendations.
Hummingbird Aggression and Use at Artificial Feeders with Varying Sugar Concentrations
Presentation Year: 2023
Aviva
Saadatfar,
Wildlife
Territorial hummingbirds often display aggressive behaviors to gain access to high-quality food sources. Previous studies have found that hummingbirds prefer to feed from feeders that have sugar concentrations that are slightly higher than regular flower nectar concentrations (20-25% sugar). However, to maximize their energy intake, hummingbirds may not always choose artificial feeders with the highest sugar concentration available to them. I used artificial feeders with varying sugar concentrations to determine if hummingbirds display more aggression and/or spend more time at feeders based on their sugar concentrations.
Identifying Pleistocene Ursus fossils from dental morphology analyses of American black bear (Ursus americanus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos) specimens
Presentation Year: 2023
Tananya
Alberts,
Wildlife
This project aimed to use black and brown bear teeth measurements in order to see if species identifications can be made for fossil bears.
Using specimens across four Californian natural history museums, we found that one tooth measurement was sufficient to identify between the two species.
Improved Measurement of the Newtonian Gravitational Constant
Presentation Year: 2023
Alexandra
Papesh,
Physics & Astronomy
The Newtonian gravitational constant, G, is one of the oldest known fundamental constants in nature, and yet it is known with the least precision of all other fundamental constants. The research group at IUPUI, in collaboration with Cal Poly Humboldt, will use multiple approaches within a singular torsion pendulum apparatus to precisely determine G. Specifically, measurements will be made using the angular acceleration feedback and time of swing methods in the same apparatus, which was carefully designed for reduced error in both techniques. We expect to obtain a measurement at the 2 ppm level using these new methods.
Improving Quality of Care for Advance Cancer Patients in Rural Communities
Presentation Year: 2023
Robyn
Jensen,
Nursing
Numerous obstacles prevent rural residents from accessing high-quality cancer treatment, such as long distances to treatment centers, a shortage of specialized medical professionals, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
To address the challenge of advanced cancer care in rural areas, a comprehensive approach is required that includes improving access to specialized medical professionals, investing in healthcare technology, and prioritizing palliative care services. Palliative care is a critical element of cancer care that focuses on symptom management, enhancing quality of life, and providing support for patients and their loved ones.
Influence of Urban Land Use on Avian Diversity in Eureka, CA
Presentation Year: 2023
Emma
McGraw,
Wildlife
The objective of my research is to test if there is any correlation between avian diversity and preserved green areas in Eureka, CA. Additionally, how does the vegetation composition of these parks compare to the avian diversity. I visited a total of 30 sites including 15 urban parks or green areas, and 15 urban sites paired with each of the green sites, to see how diversity compared in the surrounding urban habitat. Using avian abundance and species richness data I collected, I calculated the Shannon Diversity Index (H') of each site. Overall, I observed significantly higher avian diversity at green sites and found positive correlation between avian diversity and plant species richness.
Invasive Plant Species Removal: Volunteering with Sue-Meg State Park
Presentation Year: 2023
Mason
Gardner,
Politics
Non-native species come to Humboldt county when small patches are washed up on beaches, hitch rides on ships and cars, or escape from someone's garden. Some of these species are considered invasive, and rapidly take over the landscape. Once they establish, they starve native species of resources like light and water, and out-compete them for surface area on the ground. They also harm native animals by replacing their food sources, harming them, or changing the landscape in which they live. Volunteering with the Invasive Plant Removal Team at Sue-Meg State Park, I had firsthand experience examining and removing these species across Humboldt County.
Invertebrate Biomass Effects on Abundance and Foraging Behavior of Dabbling Ducks
Presentation Year: 2023
Mary-Kate
Reed,
Wildlife
My study assessed how invertebrate biomass effects the abundance and foraging behavior of the American Green-winged Teal and the Mallard in the restored Tidal habitat of the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.
Land-Based Healing Toolkit
Presentation Year: 2023
Sara
Goodrich,
Social Work
The land-based healing toolkit contains 16 therapeutic interventions, written in service of Sorrel Leaf Healing Center’s vision of serving young people and their support people towards healing. The toolkit draws on ecotherapy, dialectical behavioral therapy and the Work that Reconnects. Its purpose is to connect young people and their support people to themselves, the earth, and each other. The project is space-specific, drawing on the ecosystems and seasons of Humboldt county. The toolkit is an open resource available to the community via Sorrel Leaf Healing Center (SLHC).
Likelihood of agonistic behavior by gull species in Humboldt County based on relative body size
Presentation Year: 2023
Conor
Somerville,
Wildlife
This project is a behavioral study on 4 gull species of Humboldt County. Their agonistic behavior was studied, comparing the frequency of agonistic behavior toward members of other species based on relative body-size. This value was compared with the number of birds of each relative size they had access to. I found that most gulls tended to target members of their own species disproportionately, but Western gulls disproportionately targeted members of other species that were larger and smaller in size. This may have implications on gull behavior and management.
Lost Luggage and Lost Memories: The Southwest Airlines Meltdown of December 2022
Presentation Year: 2023
Ara
Pachmayer,
Kinesiology & Recreation Administration
- JoeWatsonKinesiology & Recreation AdministrationUndergraduate Student
- BillySalazarKinesiology & Recreation AdministrationUndergraduate Student
- BrendenBarryKinesiology & Recreation AdministrationUndergraduate Student
- SkyeMacLachlanKinesiology & Recreation AdministrationUndergraduate Student
- JoshMartinKinesiology & Recreation AdministrationUndergraduate Student
- AlexandriaMonneyKinesiology & Recreation AdministrationUndergraduate Student
- ArisValerioKinesiology & Recreation AdministrationUndergraduate Student
In this joint project, students from REC 315 Travel Industry Management researched the Southwest Airlines (SWA) flight disruption that happened in December 2022. Considering both the causes and the outcomes of the event, a variety of issues are explored including lost luggage liability, antiquated technology used by SWA, airline structure, customer sentiment, economic impacts, human resources and steps to take to avoid in the future.
Lunar Illumination as an Indicator for Black-tailed Deer Activity
Presentation Year: 2023
Austin
Nolan,
Wildlife
This is a study that aims to test a widespread local theory that Black-tailed deer are more active on nights with a full moon.
Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.
Presentation Year: 2023
Raul
Roman,
Politics
My presentation is regarding the 1st Amendment, in which a student expressed her frustration on social media off campus regarding the selection of the varsity cheer team. She sued the school after the coach suspended her from the team for a year due to her post on social media. Case brief regarding the extend of the 1st amendment and regulation a school may do.
Managing Pain to Avoid Opioid Misuse
Presentation Year: 2023
Nicholas
Terrill,
Nursing
This Capstone research project dissects the complexities of chronic pain management and pushes for a system wide move aware from opiate dependency. This project proposes interventions such as CAM therapy, ERAS and PPACT to battle chronic pain, avoid opiate misuse and over prescription within the healthcare system.