May 3, 2024 | Digital Showcase | Humboldt Library
All Presenters & Abstracts
Restoration and Medicinal Plants: Ending the Negligence Towards Ethnobotany and TEK
Presentation Year: 2019
Our project focuses on the importance of ethnobotany with an emphasis on restoration and medicinal plant properties. Ethnobotanical studies fixated on traditional ecological knowledge have long been disregarded by western science; however, this information is crucial for the restoration of the environment, advancement of medicines, and cultural revival of the Native people. Due to colonization and westernization, the continuation of knowledge throughout generations along with the vast ecosystems that once thrived has depleted. Conversely, through the expansion and shared education on plants and restoration processes long known by Natives, the gap between western science and TEK will degrade.
Reusables for Waste Prevention
Presentation Year: 2019
Seeking to address zero waste and upstream waste reduction by increasing awareness, and providing access to reusable cloth produce bags made from donated and upcycled materials. By volunteering time to handcraft bags and distribute them at farmer's market, engaging shoppers and vendors to collect and disseminate information regarding our relationship to waste. With the support of the North Coast Grower's Association, I hope to reach a better understanding of what we can do as a community to reduce our dependence on single use plastics.
Rhetorical Genre Theory and Whiteness
Presentation Year: 2019
Whiteness is the foundation on which academia is built. It shapes the institutions and methods of knowledge making that form what we call education. If we hope to make radical, meaningful change to our systems of learning and knowledge, a critical step will be decentering whiteness. This project uses the work of James Baldwin to conceptualize whiteness and examines rhetorical genre theory as an example of the ways academia's systems of knowledge making are based in the assumptions of whiteness.
Sacramento Pike Minnow in the Eel River
Presentation Year: 2019
In our presentation, we will be researching and presenting the historical, and current effects in the Eel River regarding the invasive Sacramento Pike Minnow. This fish was introduced into the Eel River watershed in 1962 and has been an issue for people who depend on the river for the past 45 years. The pike minnow is a species that eats juvenile salmonids (salmon, trout, steelhead). Salmonids are extremely important to the eco-system as well as the people who rely on it. The Wiyot people depend on healthy salmon runs each and every year as a source of food, and more importantly in today's day and age, a source of income.
Save the Bison
Presentation Year: 2019
For ideafest we plan to enlighten our fellow Humboldtians on how Native tribes are helping to save the bison from extinction. Bison have played a key role in Native culture especially in the great plains . Their bison are like our salmon. The Sioux and Assiniboine tribes of Fork pecks currently have the largest restoration herd, with up to 340 bison living and thriving on their lands. We major in zoology and we decided to focus in on this subject because it is a clear bridge on how Indigenous people make connections between animals and their culture. Thereby, a connection between NAS and Zoology is born and recognized :) .
Self-Harming Practices from the Perspective of Forensics: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Anthropologists.
Presentation Year: 2019
This paper explores the ways in which forensic anthropology can utilize other forensic disciplines (psychiatry and medicine) when analyzing remains for medico-legal purposes, specifically when determining manner of death. Forensic anthropologists need not just extensive knowledge on the trauma’s morphological differences, but also the reasons behind the actions that lead to suicide or homicide. Death prevalence, the physical differences between suicide and homicide, and the psychology of those actions is extensively looked at. The author finds that there are distinct patterns in the physical remains that can be corroborated with psychological evaluations and documented prior behavior.
Should Democracy be Constrained to Address Climate Change?
Presentation Year: 2019
My research analyzes the implications that climate change has for democracy. Recognizing that climate change presents unique challenges to our political system, I search for a healthy balance between democratic means and necessary, urgent ends. To do so, I compare the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of democracy, i.e., representative versus deliberative, ultimately concluding with the need for more research and collaboration.
Snake River Basin Adjudication
Presentation Year: 2019
This poster will display the process and implications between the Nez Perce Tribe, state and federal government agencies in dealing with the settlement process of the Snake River Basin Adjudication (SRBA). The SRBA can serve as an opening to discussing the relationship between the Nez Perce with the state and federal governments, particularly the U.S. serving as a trustee for the tribe and is suppose to protect the Nez Perce tribal treaty-based fishing rights. We will discuss the basis for their claims is within the fact that in stream flow is necessary for the salmon survival. Based within the treaties with the U.S., the Nez Perce holds the exclusive right to fish within the streams.
Social Status and Gender: Burial Reflection in Viking Culture
Presentation Year: 2019
Burials excavated at the Birka, Sweden archaeological site, which was under Viking occupation from 750 to 950 CE, provides a cultural snapshot of gender and social status. Previous studies make inaccurate assumptions of gender based on types of tools found. In addition, there has been limited research linking osteological analyses with artifact analysis, which has also led to inaccurate assumptions regarding gender and social status. This work, which expanded and revised our understanding of gender expectations and social differences in Viking society from this time period, can be used to also further our knowledge of other societies.
Society’s Way of Making Women Fade
Presentation Year: 2019
The Giving Tree is a children’s story where a personified tree gives away pieces of herself to a boy whom she loves. She gives him her apples and branches as a means of further his prosperity, never taking into account her own happiness. In this project, I analyze it as a reflection of society’s view of women’s bodies. The tree in the story needs to be seen as their own character; she is a woman is a state of suffering and abuse.
Stayin' Alive! How black Grama and Soil Stability Respond to Desert Stressors
Presentation Year: 2019
Global climate models predict a more variable climate in the future through increased frequency of extreme wet and dry years. Since water is the most limiting resource in the Chihuahuan desert, investigating how semi-arid plants respond to precipitation extremes is pertinent to understanding how desert ecosystems will be altered in the future. To study these responses, I experimentally applied an extreme precipitation treatment to black grama, a dominant desert grass, during June and July 2018 in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge before the monsoon season. This experiment supports black grama's ability to survive in the desert with few precipitation events due to its growth response.
Stop Daming Native Lands
Presentation Year: 2019
The effects on local Native Tribes from the construction of thw Shasta Dam.
Stress and the Oral Microbiome
Presentation Year: 2019
The microbiome is many single celled organisms, which play an essential role in protecting the body against pathogens. Studies show that stress decreases microbial diversity, and thus negatively impact the body’s immune defenses. This study explored relationships between stress, cortisol levels, and the oral microbiome. Daily questionnaires and biweekly salivary tests assessed stress levels and microbial diversity. Data collection was conducted the first and second week of December 2018. Stress plays a significant role in the experience of college students. Understanding how stress impacts what microbes are in the mouth could lead to the development of better stress management strategies.
Structural Determination of the Olfactory Epithelium in Terrestrial Adult Rough-Skinned Newts (Taricha granulosa)
Presentation Year: 2019
Taricha granulosa (rough-skinned newt) uses olfaction for feeding, migration, and mate choice. In this study, we are examining the olfactory epithelium with scanning and transmission electron microscopy to determine whether variation in cellular morphology exists amongst seasonally terrestrial adults and aquatic larvae.
Student Satisfaction with Technology
Presentation Year: 2019
The purpose of this research is to assess HSU students’ satisfaction with the various services provided by the Information Technology Services department. The services that are being assessed are computers labs, on-campus printing, technology in the classroom, on-campus wi-fi, myHumboldt, HSU Gmail accounts, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Canvas, ITS Support, online classroom scheduling (via 25live), and the virtual labs (vlab.humboldt.edu). After completion of the survey, we hope to use the data to implement changes within the department in order to increase student satisfaction with the services mentioned above.
Supporting Social Workers: A Manual Promoting Sustainability & Wellness in Social Work
Presentation Year: 2019
The community project will consist of a manual that addresses the wellness and sustainability of social workers. Our community partner is Liora Levenbach and the finished project will be applicable to all social workers and supervisors, regardless of placement or role in the community. We are looking at how to decrease burnout and improve retention rates of social workers. We would like to take a strengths based approach by researching the effects of resiliency on social workers and their organizations.
Surface Ocean Distribution of Trace Metals in the California Current System During a Year of Anomalously Low Upwelling
Presentation Year: 2019
Upwelling in the California Current System (CCS) brings nutrient rich water to the continental shelf. Included with these nutrients are some trace metals. Trace iron (Fe) has been shown to be a control on primary productivity in the CCS. 2014 marked a year of low upwelling along the CA coast. This anomaly provides an opportunity to assess annual variability in processes affecting micronutrient distributions here. In 2014, the IRNBRU research cruise measured surface macronutrient and trace metal distributions in the CCS. Their results show lower nutrient concentrations than found in previous studies, and suggest an unusual uptake ratio of macronutrients by microorganisms in the area.
Taphonomic Bone Shrinkage: A Study on the Effects of Wet and Dry Climates on Postmortem Bone Shrinkage
Presentation Year: 2019
In forensics, stature estimation is a key component of the assessment of skeletal remains. Estimating stature involves extrapolation from the length of long bones. Previous research has indicated environment can result in postmortem shrinkage of bone, and therefore affect stature estimates. This research project examines the extent of bone shrinkage that occurs when bones are exposed to the elements, dried out in a fume hood and submerged underwater. Measurements of bone length were taken at regular intervals. Preliminary analysis indicates a relationship between precipitation and postmortem shrinkage. This study has the potential to aid in assessing the accuracy of stature calculations.
Tattoos as Rhetoric
Presentation Year: 2019
American tattoos are no longer considered counter-culture. Dominant ideologies that once reserved tattoos for bikers, criminals, and sailors now consider tattoos as highly popularized and commonplace. This prospectus will not look at the history of tattooing so much as it will explore the acts of getting, maintaining, and displaying tattoos as rhetoric. I explore the relationship between modern body art and rhetoric and argue that tattoos are persuasive and contextually meaningful. Tattoos function as a personal narrative and a social artifact fixed in time.
Ten Plus
Presentation Year: 2019
This is a video showcase by students in ITS Media Production called "Ten Plus." Ten Plus means that more than one in ten students on the HSU campus has a disability and requires some form of accommodation. These videos aim to build awareness as to what is currently being done and what steps we need to take in order to create accessibility on this campus through the use of Universal Design, accessible documents and more. It includes interviews by faculty, students and staff who are familiar with these issues and work with them everyday. This project is funded through the GI 2025. Its purpose is to "remove obstacles and support innovation to increase student success in graduating on time!