Coast redwood-Douglas-fir forest hold important economic, ecological, and cultural values which will likely be threatened by changing climate and increased drought stress. Restoration thinning has been used by forest managers with the goals of decreasing stand competition and accelerating maturation to old-growth conditions. However, uncertainty still remains on whether restoration treatments provide forests with increased resiliency to disturbances such as severe drought. The aim of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of different restoration treatments in improving second-growth forest resiliency to drought stress in coast redwood-Douglas-fir forests of Redwood NP.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a mentoring non-profit that fosters one-to-one relationships between local youth and adult volunteers, supporting academic success and emotional well-being. Drawing from our academic backgrounds in kinesiology and business, we contributed by organizing mentorship events and leading community outreach efforts, which strengthened youth-adult connections. This experience highlights the importance of consistent support and positive role models. Through kinesiology, we explored the vital role of physical and mental health in fostering well-rounded growth, while business principles illuminated ways to create sustainable and impactful programs that serve the community.

This study investigated the effect of four supramaximal intensities (110%, 130%, 150%, and 170% of VO2max) on number of Tabata bouts performed by recreationally trained men (mean age = 22.27 ± 1.74 years, height = 1.72 ± 0.07m, mass = 78.74 ± 15.77kg) were assigned the four intensities in a counterbalanced order. HR, stride frequency, and number of bouts were measured during each testing session. Given that ideal number of Tabata bouts is ~8, results suggested that intensities ranging between 130% and 150% were optimal. The number of bouts outside this range were found to be too high or too low what is deemed normal.

Rhodopsins are light-sensitive proteins within the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family that convert photons into intracellular chemical signals that perform downstream biological functions. Anabaena sensory rhodopsin (ASR) with a 6x-His tag was isolated and purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography after evaluating clones of induced E. coli transformed with a pET15b plasmid. The most viable clones discovered from this study were BU3E and Box A. SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis confirmed the protein size of 20.65 kDa. These results indicate that these 2 strains can be utilized for further studies on ASR function in nanodiscs.

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)

Kindergarten reading habits are expected to persist into adulthood; however, for many adults in Washtenaw County this is not the case. This population will rise as half of their children will become illiterate themselves. Survey responses of 76 teachers regarding selection of reading materials based on grammar, syntax, and reading topics were collected in the fall of 2018. Teachers commonly selected pre-leveled reading materials regarding grammar with minor focus on topical matter. These materials did not correlate with topical-matter focused adult reading materials. This study suggests renovation of adult reading materials to help combat the ongoing cycle of illiteracy in Washtenaw County.

We are supporting the Youth Developmental Program research and outcomes at Captain John Continue High School in Hoopa. Two Feathers provides and funded these Native American Family Services located all over Humboldt County schools and systems utilizing tribal best practices as their main guidance to a balanced community. This program runs work pods, weaving circles, drumming circles, and LGBTQ+2Spirits talking circles. They advocate and collaborate with all Two Feathers clinicians, school administrators, school counselors, programs, and resources that provide share career & college opportunities, cultural interventions, and lastly expand the connection to nature and community. For the youth!

People support leaders who embody the traits of their group (Hogg, 2001). However, previous research suggests that non-prototypical political leaders can also gain support when constituents are uncertain about their identity (Gaffney, Rast, Hogg, 2018; Rast, Gaffney, Hogg, & Crisp, 2011; Hogg, 2001). This can be problematic as identity uncertainty predicts support for autocratic leaders (Rast, Hogg, Giessner, 2013). Therefore, further understanding of the factors involved in support for leaders under conditions of uncertainty is important. The present study attempts to extend previous research by examining support for leaders under conditions of uncertainty.

Heavy metal contamination of soils and waterways due to industrial processes, such as mining, continues to be a problem in the U.S., such as Flint Michigan. Microbial surface layers (S-layers) have shown promise for binding and sequestering heavy metals. Modifications to the S-later protein (RsaA), in C. vibrioides, could increase this efficiency. Our modified strains absorbed more lead per cell mass. Strains HCm 021, 027, 028 absorbed 197.78 ±2.14, 231.32 ±3.10, and 168.69 ±22.65 (ppm Pb+2/g cells) versus 90.55 +/- 1.07 (ppm/g) for the wild-type. Future goals of this project include determining association constants of lead to cells, and construction of a bioremediation filter.

Currently food crops are used to produce bioethanol production, while plant waste cellulose could be used. However, cellulase enzymes are a limiting factor. We sought to characterize a novel cellulase identified by metagenomic analysis of bovine rumen by the JGI and Hess et al. We performed protein expression, genomic analysis, and characterization by SDS-PAGE, CMC and DNS activity assays, and electron microscopy of cellulose degradation. Our data indicates the cellulase is an endoglucanase with an activity of 6.27 cm2/ug, or 6x higher than commercial cellulase enzymes. These results have implications for creating efficient biofuels from agricultural waste products versus the current methods