May 2, 2025
Reception & Presentations 2pm to 5pm
Cal Poly Humboldt Library
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Presenters & Abstracts: Search
Poetic Persons Preventing Problematic Principles
Sophia Effa
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Artistic communities can be problematic, as any community can be. One aspect of activism is working from within, and poetry communities are a great way to do this. It allows for people to communicate in an artistic manner, and communication is the best way to resolve conflict/differences. By taking a stand against violence through poetry, the communities hearing these poems will be open to taking in this vital information because it’s within their own community.
Pre Counseling for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery
Ana Lilia
Alaniz
School of Applied Health
Undergraduate Student
College of Professional Studies
Following the plan for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) has many benefits for the post-operative patient. Pre-surgery counseling helps overcome some barriers that can prevent the ERAS pathway from being implemented. Addressing and including the patient in their post-operative care will increase the likelihood that patients will be compliant with the pathway. The ERAS pathway is designed to standardize and optimize post-operative care. Education during the preoperative period is essential to increasing the success and implementation of the protocols.
Art of Sustainability - UN Sustainable Development Goals Coloring Poster (English)
Morgan
Barker
Art + Film
Faculty
Library
Art of Sustainability - color, relax and learn - using the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These critical call-to-action elements represent sincere ways that we all can advocate for social, environmental and economic issues. Whether you are interested in climate change, working on inequality and injustice, reducing poverty, developing clean water and more - this coloring page will allow you to see these topics in new ways. What are the intersections you see in life, work and your university projects?
Coloring page - created by Angela Lukanovich and Jen Panaro
https://www.raisingglobalkidizens.com/united-nations-sustainable-development-goals-coloring-poster/
Do bears know when trash pickup day is?
Amber
Elving
Wildlife
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
This project aimed to answer whether or not bears frequented homes more often on trash pickup day. I placed 20 trail cameras around Humboldt County and was able to capture thousands of photos. Through the collaborative efforts with homeowners and myself, I was able to capture seventy photos of bears, of which 42 were independent events and 48% of the bears were actively foraging on trash.
Vigilance Rates in Shorebirds in Marsh and Beach Habitat During the Non-Breeding Season
Jennifer
Alvarado
Wildlife
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
A behavioral study on 5 common shorebirds of Humboldt County, California; primarily their vigilance responses in relation to different habitat types and disturbance categories. Primary habitats of interest were marshlands and beaches with 3 sites chosen from the Arcata Marsh in Arcata and two beach locations: Mad River Beach of Arcata and Centerville Beach of Ferndale. Shorebirds observed were Dunlin, Western Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Least Sandpipers. Disturbance categories included weather, tide height, pedestrians, bikers, vehicles, dogs, and raptors. Focal studies of 2 minutes each were conducted for a total of 370 individual shorebirds.
Preparation and Evaluation of Polylactic Acid-Quinoa Composite Films
Rafael
Bernard
Chemistry
Undergraduate Student
Priscilla
Gamez
Chemistry
Undergraduate Student
David
Schmitz
Frank
Cappuccio
Chemistry
Faculty
Jenny
Cappuccio
Chemistry
Faculty
Christopher
Harmon
Chemistry
Faculty
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Biodegradable composites were developed by incorporating quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild.) into polylactic acid (PLA), with varying ratios. The resulting films were characterized using melting points, bomb calorimetry, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, water uptake, water permeability, water contact angle, antioxidant assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of differing quantities of quinoa fiber affected the properties of the composites. hese initial studies show quinoa/PLA composites have potential in the development of bio-renewable and biodegradable materials for active food packaging.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Models of RO-PRO and FO-RO Hybrid Processes
Lori Jones
Environmental Resources Engineering
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
To address the two main issues of using reverse osmosis (RO) for desalination purposes (high energy demand and brine disposal), two hybrid systems have been proposed. One uses forward osmosis (FO) as pre-treatment while the other augments the RO step with pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO). To meaningfully compare the energy reductions from both systems, computational fluid dynamics models of the PRO and FO processes are being developed to encapsulate the complex geometries of the membrane modules and the system response to these geometries.
Deconstructing political morale: The development of the political demoralization scale (PDS)
Stephanie M. Byers
Psychology
Graduate Student
Nicholas Ortiz
Psychology
Graduate Student
Lily Syfers
Psychology
Graduate Student
Karla Moreno
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
College of Professional Studies
Minimal research combines the dimensions of political morale to develop a scale that broadly measures political demoralization. Political demoralization can be described as experienced discontentment and distress within the current political system, wherein some people may feel powerless to enact change. (Clark & Kissane, 2002). The current study is the development of a scale of political demoralization, which tests its relationship between political hopelessness, political efficacy and social desirability. Analyses of the PDS demonstrate the scale's reliability and validity.
Humboldt Energy Independence Fund: Heat Pumps as a Means to Transition Away from Natural Gas
Aneika Perez
Social Science- Environment and Community
Graduate Student
Melissa Savage
Environmental Resource Engineering
Undergraduate Student
Alex Eckert
Energy Technology and Policy
Graduate Student
Other
Humboldt State University current HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system relies on the use of natural gas boilers. This project proposes to switch HSU's current HVAC system to electric air source heat pumps. Unlike natural gas broilers, electric heat pumps do not burn fuel onsite to generate and move heat. Transitioning building heating systems from natural gas to electrically powered systems would reduce the GHG emissions for HSU. In the HSU Climate Action Plan, it was reported that natural gas usage contributed to at least 60% of HSU’s 2014 carbon emissions.
How Traditional Ecological Knowledge Informs Scientific Research
Lauren Palmer
Zoology
Undergraduate Student
Shea Daly
Wildlife
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Traditional ecological knowledge has great potential with regard to its ability to inform and direct scientific research. We will be exploring various aspects of traditional ecological knowledge for the purpose of pinpointing and observing important changes in -- and uses for -- native plant and animal species over time, in order to find areas that would benefit from greater scientific attention or conservation efforts.