Multilinguals can differ in their level of proficiency for each language they speak. Factors that can impact one’s language proficiency include age of acquisition (AoA), which refers to the time point when beginning to learn a language and exposure, which refers to the amount of contact a person has with the language. Proficiency is often assessed subjectively, via one’s self-report of one’s perceived proficiency level and less often objectively, via observed and/or measured performance on proficiency tests. This study investigated the relationship between subjective and objective language proficiency as impacted by age of acquisition and exposure.

Myxobacteria are a large family of bacteria, of which some have proven to contain antibacterial and antineoplasticity secondary metabolites. These bioactive secondary metabolites have been the basis for new analog drugs approved by the FDA in the treatment of different cancers. This research focuses on finding and isolating myxobacteria strains from local soil samples, fractionating these isolated samples, then determining structure and bioactivity through Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and bio-assays, respectively. This is to gain a better understanding of the conditions that spawn wild myxobacteria colonies and any possibly new bio-active compounds.

Through discussions had between Grant Elementary school Staff and myself, it was established that Grant Elementary’s nature trail, which is located on school grounds was being underutilized in regards to the emotional regulation techniques that were being implemented. In response to this I created a guide sheet grounded in mindfulness through reviewing literature pertaining to forest bathing and the effects of nature exposure. Through discussions had with campus staff I formulated activities that would best support differing behavior and personality types. I then began implementing the guide sheet with small groups of students on the nature trail and on April 6th I lead a staff training.

This project promotes freedom of expression in today’s world by demonstrating advocates in a hostile society creating a movement to show women can be just as competent as men. It is important to acknowledge women are still fighting to receive the benefits of equality in other countries. Women in all parts of the world should be able to engage and contribute within any given community to enhance the quality of society. I find it amazing that women advocates in Saudi Arabia risked their lives, ruined their reputation, and even lost their jobs in order to support the movement by demonstrating their freedom of expression.

Twitch.tv is an online streaming platform where gamers can record their game-play and commentary in a live setting, while interacting with their viewers. Streaming has the potential to create an intimate setting where people who enjoy videogames can come together to share their interests. How much of that social interaction, though, is directly linked to users spending their money? This ongoing research project investigates the ways in which Twitch uses the appeal of social rewards (such as friendship, happiness, and community bonding) to promote the spending of economic capital.

Studies show that knowledge of atrocities in history such as the Holocaust is rapidly declining. Fewer people are searching these topics or reading related articles, and evidence shows there is a significant decline in the reading of literature altogether. To address these issues on a small scale, I created an interactive digital platform using geographic locations to share the various literary narratives of those who have experienced genocide first hand. I examined the impact of transformative approaches, such as GIS software, to provide a new method that actively engages and directs readers to books from a geographic perspective.

This project is led by David Marshall and Tamara Barriquand with the help of HSU student facilitators. The project is a Native American youth outreach program designed to encourage STEM through the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), known as drones. This four week summer program guides high school students through a ground pilot school that will earn them a FAA UAS Pilot's License, while also providing presentations, tutorials and activities related to aviation, environmental and applied sciences, and GIS. One goal of the program is to help underrepresented communities earn a pilot's license that can introduce them to new career opportunities in a variety of fields.

In this project, GSP 330 (Mobile Mapping) students evaluated 3 methods of collecting three dimensional (3D) data at Ma-le'l Dunes Park in Arcata, CA. Data was collecting using 1) Autolevels, 2) Total Stations, and 3) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The XYZ data collected by the first two methods were converted to GIS data and then modeled into a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Aerial images from the UAV were processed with Photoscan's Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithm to generate a point cloud and DEM. The point clouds from all methods were then processed into cut-fill rasters and Triangulated Irregular Networks (TINs) for visualization and comparison.

Previous research has suggested that the use of hormonal contraception affects women’s feelings of relationship jealousy. Combined oral contraceptive use, in partnered women, has been linked to an increase in reported feelings of relationship jealousy, especially among women using a high-estrogen dose pill formulation. While the pill is one of the most widely used forms of hormonal contraception, many health care professionals now encourage young women to use progesterone-only contraceptives. This study compares reported relationship jealousy in women using the pill and women using long lasting, progesterone-only contraceptives using Buunk’s (1997) relationship jealousy scale.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is associated with CAG trinucleotide repeats in the HTT gene, which encodes the huntingtin protein. Our central hypothesis is that overexpression of normal huntingtin, with the eventual inhibition of cells’ autophagy pathway or other route of clearance, will lead to a disease-like state. In order to address this hypothesis, we are developing a novel human cell model that will allow us to assess how excess huntingtin is managed and/or cleared by cells, and precisely how cell death occurs upon buildup of huntingtin protein. Using this model as a starting point, it is possible to study the response of human cells to huntingtin overexpression.