May 3, 2024 | Digital Showcase | Humboldt Library
All Presenters & Abstracts
An Evaluation of the Blue Lake Biomass Plant Emissions: Air Quality and Health Impact on the Blue Lake Rancheria
Presentation Year: 2018
The Blue Lake Rancheria community has had visibly polluted air and matter emitted from the local biomass plant over the recent past. The Rancheria is concerned about the negative health impact the biomass plant could be having on the environment and community. This literary review hopes to establish an understanding of the impact of the Blue Lake biomass energy plant’s impact on air quality, determine standards of emissions which it operates and examine the gaps between current healthy standards of emission and that of the Blue Lake biomass plant. The findings will inform the Blue Lake Rancheria and will raise public awareness of the air quality and health impact of the biomass energy plant.
An Investigation into the Copper Toxicity of Anti-Fouling Paint
Presentation Year: 2018
The goal of our research is to analyze the effect of copper toxicity in anti-fouling paint on invasive bryozoan specie. The goal of this project is to determine the ideal concentration of copper in anti-fouling paint to prevent the ability of these invasive specie to attach themselves to ship hulls and be transported around the oceans.
Analysis of Herbicides on Culturally Significant Plants Throughout Yurok Ancestral Territory
Presentation Year: 2018
Use of herbicides by public and private entities throughout the Yurok ancestral territory, has raised concern for the health of Native peoples exposed to these organic residues on plant materials due to the significant roles that plants have within the Yurok culture (such as basket, medicinal and ceremonial purposes). The herbicides 2,4-D and Triclopyr are analyzed by using organic extraction followed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Additional research was also conducted such as computational calculations on 2,4-D and its derivatives along with more sampling sites added to this herbicide research.
Arcata Demographics
Presentation Year: 2018
This poster will look at the demographics of Arcata and how this effects the community. This would include students at HSU and also people out in the community of Arcata. Looking at the demographics of a community would be interesting in order to see what the population looks like. For many people that live in a community they do not know the demographics because the community is so large. Even though a city like Arcata is small to most it is still large enough for many people not to know one another. This would also help improve the relations between the students of Humboldt State Univversity and the community of Arcata.
Art Integration: Deepening Learning Through the Arts
Presentation Year: 2018
The North Coast Arts Integration Project (NCAIP) is a four-year federally funded project that seeks to integrate and strengthen arts instruction in eight rural elementary and middle schools with the goal of improving student academic performance, reasoning skills, creative thinking and engagement. NCAIP increases student exposure to the arts through field trips and in-school performances by local, national and international performing artists. In addition, our project builds community bridges by partnering teachers with local teaching artists and other local arts institutions. We will share examples of an arts integrated lesson and provide a chance for you to have a short arts experience.
Assessing BDNF Levels over 30 Days via Capillary Blood
Presentation Year: 2018
Brain health, and the benefits of physical exercise, have been linked to a biological signaling molecule called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Numerous studies have investigated BDNF levels before and after exercise. Some benefits of increased BDNF concentration have been associated eith better cognitive functioning, memory and neuronal support. Decreased BDNF levels have been linked to poorer cognitive functioning, poorer memory recall, and apoptosis (cell death). This study investigates BDNF variability over a longer duration (30 days) through capillary-drawn blood and will do a correlational analysis to see if recent physical exercise increases circulating BDNF concentrations.
Assessing The Effectiveness of Latinx Center for Academic Excellence & Cultural Space Model Mentorship
Presentation Year: 2018
We will be assessing the newly implemented programming model used by the LCAE in order to understand where improvements are needed and where we can identify strengths to establish best practices at the center. We will also be looking at how many people use the center and how we can focus outreach efforts in the future. This assessment is being done for internal programming purposes and to support HSU in its larger mission to improve outcomes for students of color, particularly Latinx students at HSU.
Assessing The Effectiveness of Latinx Center for Academic Excellence & Cultural Space Model Mentorship
Presentation Year: 2018
We will be assessing the newly implemented programming model used by the LCAE in order to understand where improvements are needed and where we can identify strengths to establish best practices at the center. We will also be looking at how many people use the center and how we can focus outreach efforts in the future. This assessment is being done for internal programming purposes and to support HSU in its larger mission to improve outcomes for students of color, particularly Latinx students at HSU.
Astronomy Education Research
Presentation Year: 2018
The basis of our research is to assess why learning gains are low within introductory astronomy courses and how scores can be improved. Examining pre and post scores from an Astronomical Diagnostics Test we were able to examine learning gains of fifty-six students. We used Hake’s normalized gain formula to quantify learning gains. The average learning gain found was 0.20 and the highest gains fell among questions such as phases and position of the moon, eclipses, and seasons on Earth, with gains between 0.5-.64. Because Hake’s normalized gain formula is biased, we are looking into other methods of quantifying our data.
Bake the World a Better Place: 501(c)3 Development
Presentation Year: 2018
Bake the World a Better Place is a non-profit organization based out of Denver, Colorado that aims to holistically improve the community. Presently, the organization engages in job training and job placement of marginalized populations such as those experiencing homelessness. Additionally, continuing collaborations are being made with local hotels to assist with housing individuals during the job training process. Products made during the classes are shared with individuals living on the streets. Through building community partnerships between business, social service agencies, and vulnerable populations, each entity is taking an active role in helping improve their community.
Balance and Wellness in First Responder Agencies
Presentation Year: 2018
This project fulfills the requirements for the Masters degree in Social Work. The design of the project is informed by a relational worldview, specifically the work of Terry Cross who suggests that a circular experience of the world intersects with more linear representations of reality. It is at the places of intersection that opportunities for dialogue occur and the intent of the project is to make the experiences of first responders visible to those who do not have access to this knowledge and experience. The creative work is the construction of an empathic bridge between the community and first responders through poetry in honor of the belief that we are all connected.
Balance, Mobility, and Fall Risk in Indigenous Rural-Dwelling Older Adults and Urban Dwelling Older Adults in Humboldt and Del Norte County
Presentation Year: 2018
By 2030, 20% of the U.S. population will be over the age of 65. Among this age group, falls are the leading cause of injuries, hospitalizations, and fatalities in the United States. Within California, rural community dwelling communities have higher rates of falls than urban. Indigenous populations fall more than the national average (34-40.3% vs. 30%), suggesting the rates of falls, and thus physiological declines, may be greatest among Indigenous rural community-dwelling populations. The purpose of this study is to examine intrinsic, extrinsic, and the incidence of falls among rural dwelling Indigenous older adults and urban dwelling older adults in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.
Bio-Renewable Hydrogel Polymers from Modified Chitosan: Progress Toward Three Dimensional Cell Growth Scaffolds
Presentation Year: 2018
Hydrogels are water-containing gels that have a hydrophilic polymer network and can absorb a large quantity of water without the dissolution of the polymer network. The current research focuses on producing hydrogels from chitosan, a bio-renewable polymer, and trans-cinnamic acid. The resulting solutions are photo-crosslinked in a catalyst-free environment under broad band ultra-violet (UV) radiation to produce hydrogels. The hydrogels show an average 75% swelling capacity in H2O. Initial cell growth studies have been carried out on sterilized hydrogels. Current efforts are being directed towards optimization of gels towards cell growth.
Bones Grow, but Do They Shrink: A Taphonomic Study on Postmortem Bone Shrinkage
Presentation Year: 2018
An important aspect in biological anthropology and forensic cases is determining an individual’s stature in life. Stature estimation involves the use of formulas that have been derived from measurements taken from an individual’s bones. Bones, in life, are encased in the body, which is a wet environment. Our research looks at the postmortem taphonomic processes which may lead to the bone shrinking after death, in the relatively dryer outside environment. Bone shrinkage could have an impact on stature estimations in forensic and other anthropological cases. Our preliminary findings indicate that environment and time affect bone shrinkage rates.
Bridging the Gap in Education: At-Risk Students in Court Community Schools
Presentation Year: 2018
This project aims to demonstrate to educators about students being a product of their own environment by observing the Humboldt Office of Education’s-Court Community Schools’ classroom environments. These observations will be compared to a variety of different learning styles that work best with at-risk youth. These learning styles would be recommended ways for educators to help bridge the gap between at-risk students’ academic and social skills in traditional-learning classroom settings.
Cannabis Carbon Accounting Model
Presentation Year: 2018
Humboldt County is home to a uniquely large and diverse Cannabis industry comprised of a variety of operation styles, leading to different associated energy intensities and carbon emissions. This project aimed to deploy a detailed, accessible carbon accounting model for Cannabis operations - one which is adaptable to various operation styles and industry practices. Our Cannabis Carbon Accounting Model, is a fully-functional user-friendly tool for the rapid assessment of Cannabis operations carbon footprints. Understanding the extent of Cannabis operation emissions and their source will allow governments, businesses, and the general public to find ways to lower their environmental impact.
Charity Over Corrections
Presentation Year: 2018
Youth programs like the Boys and Girls Club of America are important institutions that help the communities youth more rather than Governor Brown's proposal to increase the spending across the state’s youth correctional system.
Chemical Fingerprinting of Sanidine from Long Canyon Dome, Sierra Nevada, California
Presentation Year: 2018
The Long Canyon Dome (LCD) is a 185 ka rhyolite dome in south-central Sierra Nevada, California. The rhyolite pumice from the pre-eruption contains less SiO2 and a different mineralogy, than the rhyolite magma erupted from LCD. This suggests the dome was tapping into two different rhyolite magma bodies during one eruption, or a hotter rhyolitic magma intruded into a cooler magma, triggering the eruption. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy’s (EDS) point and shoot method was used to measure the chemical signature of sanidine crystals in pre and post eruption sample. The rhyolite pumices’ at LCD represents similar but slightly different magmas compositions.
Cohort Effectiveness Amongst Criminology and Sociology Freshman
Presentation Year: 2018
Research presenting the effectiveness of cohorts as a means for improving freshman retention and academic performance amongst Sociology and Criminology courses.
Combining Environmental Education with Music at Sunnybrae Middle School
Presentation Year: 2018
My service learning project is with Sunnybrae Middle School at the after school program. I have spent the duration of the semester tutoring children in grades 6-8 and planning my activity. I am combining environmental education with music by obtaining a group of children in order to a discuss environmental topics and creating musical lyrics using that dialogue and an arrangement of instruments. The goal of this project is the inform the next generation about the importance of planetary health as well as human relationships to nature by touching on subjects such as pollution, oppression and ways in which one can make differences that will contribute to the creation of a more just world.