May 2, 2025
Reception & Presentations 2pm to 5pm
Cal Poly Humboldt Library
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Presenters & Abstracts: Search
Resiliency of Homeless College Students in Humboldt County
Janette Mexicano
Social Work
Undergraduate Student
Wendy R. Choate
Social Work
Undergraduate Student
Haley Herren
Social Work
Undergraduate Student
Marissa L. O'Neill
Social Work
Staff
Pamela H. Bowers
Social Work
Staff
College of Professional Studies
The prevalent issue of students experiencing homelessness at Humboldt State University is addressed in our project. We found that students have the resiliency to stay in school and continue pursuing a higher education despite the insecurities of homelessness. We interviewed ten amazing students who gave testimony to the housing crisis affecting Humboldt County. These students found resiliency in their families, their community, their friends, and other effective resources. Their dedication to school was met with integrity, overcoming the barriers preventing them from housing all while pursuing a degree .
Balance and Wellness in First Responder Agencies
Catherine Munsee
Social Work
Graduate Student
College of Professional Studies
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.
Friendship Circles Curriculum for Blue Lake Community Resource Center
Emily Agredano
Social Work
Graduate Student
College of Professional Studies
The Blue Lake Community Resource Center (BLCRC) was approached by Blue Lake Elementary School with a request to facilitate friendship circle-type peer support groups for its students. The BLCRC Coordinator, citing a lack of a formal curriculum/training manual for use by its AmeriCorp worker in the facilitation of these groups, asked for a curriculum manual to be used as a guide for future years’ programs. The curriculum will be designed to align with the cultural and social makeup of this rural community with a focus on developing positive self images and social skills for girls in grades 4 through 6.
The Effects of Secondary Cognitive Tasks on Performance of the 3-Meter Tandem Gait in Concussed and Non-Concussed Individuals
Angel M Lomeli
Kinesiology & Recreation Administration
Graduate Student
College of Professional Studies
Identifying sport-related concussions occurs on the sidelines with tests utilized by athletic trainers and other field-side professionals. The Tandem Gait (TG) is a commonly used side line dynamic balance test that has only moderate sensitivity when used alone. Research has demonstrated that incorporating a secondary simultaneous task (i.e. dual-task) to amplify differences in TG performance following injury may amplify the difference due to a concussion. However, a dual-task TG has yet to be established as a clinical assessment of concussion. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of secondary cognitive tasks on performance of the TG in concussed and non-concussed individuals.
Traditional Storytelling
Callista Ruiz
Social Work
Graduate Student
College of Professional Studies
My community project addresses the tradition of oral history through storytelling. There are many families who do not have storytellers within them and can’t pass traditional stories on to their children. I have been working with an individual to create a Native American children’s storybook. I have gathered data through analyzing local transcripts, articles, and books. Traditional stories have a vital role in culture, community, identity, and wellness. Since time immemorial, storytelling has been a form of passing down traditions, values, and history. These stories not only provide education but is a coping mechanism to the changes that have come over the years. (Walter & Gearhart, 2008)
Too close for comfort: The impact of group entitativity on perceptions of group warmth and competence
Stephanie M. Byers
Psychology
Graduate Student
Benjamin P. Skillman
Psychology
Graduate Student
Mai Vue
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Dennis Estrada
Psychology
Graduate Student
College of Professional Studies
This research examines group type (intimacy, task, and social category) affect and its interactions with entitativity, the degree of cohesion between group members and their perceptual and cognitive bonds (Lickel et al., 2000; Campbell, 1958). Previous research suggests highly entitative groups are stereotyped differently based on their group membership compared with groups low in entitativity (Crawford et. al., 2002; Fiske, Cuddy, & Glick, 2007). We found that ratings of warmth and competence were similar for intimacy groups and social categories, but task groups were seen as more competent than warm. Overall, a group’s degree of warmth is perceived differently depending on its type.
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.
The Effect of Stride Frequency Variations on Running Performance at the Velocity of VO2max
Boram Lim
Kinesiology
Graduate Student
Boe M. Burrus
Kinesiology
Faculty
Justus D. Ortega
Kinesiology
Faculty
Youngsub Kwon
Kinesiology
Faculty
College of Professional Studies
Running economy(RE) is considered to be a critical factor to improve running performance. Stride frequency(SF) is an important variable for determining RE. However, no previous research has investigated the interaction between running performance and SF at the velocity of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of SF variations on running performance (duration/distance) at the velocity of VO2max. 14 male recreational runners completed total 7 experimental sessions with different SF conditions. The SF variations have a significant influence on running performance, especially 105% of preferred SF conditions revealed the best performance.
Police Officer Identification and Leadership Prototypicality
Berkeley Kijsriopas
Psychology
Graduate Student
Alexandra Cruz
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Haley Carter
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Dr. Amber Gaffney
Psychology
Faculty
College of Professional Studies
Survey data was collected from the CSU system’s 21 campuses’ police officers in June of 2017. We will be examining the extent to which officers’ perceptions of their leader's representativeness predicts their support for the leader, trust for the leader and the leader’s effectiveness, and how these relationships are affected by officer uncertainty.
When I Grow Up...
Carolina Arenas
Social Work
Graduate Student
College of Professional Studies
Rural communities often have a limited number of trained and certified healthcare professionals to serve the local population. Additionally, retaining healthcare professionals becomes an added challenge once recruited into the area. The purpose of this project is to create an inclusive and empowering curriculum in partnership with Del Norte Health Career Pathways, to introduce elementary school students to healthcare careers with the goal of promoting the development of local professionals in underserved communities. Each lesson is designed to promote self-reflection and provide age appropriate life skill tools, including mindfulness activities and a reflective journal.