May 2, 2025
Reception & Presentations 2pm to 5pm
Cal Poly Humboldt Library
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Presenters & Abstracts: Search
Timber Harvesting Effects On The Environment and Wildlife
Eddie Sanchez
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
This GIS research project provides info how clear-cut logging effects humans relationship to the forest and is threatening the Humboldt Marten. The Humboldt Marten, Martes caurina humboltensis, is historically found exclusively in Humboldt County and is currently registered as a “species of concern” or "threaten species" in the State of California and does not have an official “endangered species” status. As unsustainable timber harvesting continues, the Marten species faces threats to their home range and the impacts of logging include environmental, economic, and social aspects. This project is in support of the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) located in Arcata, Ca.
Pursuing Perfection: Social Media and the Ideal Self
Kaitlin Simpson
Anthropology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Due to the rapid changes to social media studies, I conducted analyses of relevant literature to explore Instagram (IG) users’ motivations and methods used project images of themselves to the world that are seen as ”ideal”. The existing literature suggests IG users’ motivations for cultivating and maintaining online personas correlate with an overall trend of commodification of “self”, and data show that IG users use the platform to manage relationships online and in “real life” (face to face). IG usage highlights changes in ourselves as a result of our choices involving self-identity online, and the ways in which maintaining an IG profile changes the way we perceive and engage with others.
Embodied Liberation: Somatic Tools for Metabolizing White Fragility
Shanti Belaustegui Pockell
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
This poster draws from various studies and writings to provide tools for white bodies to metabolize their false sense of fragility around race related topics. Conversations around dismantling white body supremacy are often limited to addressing racism in a purely rational, intellectual manner. But white body supremacy is anything but rational. The symptoms of living in a racialized society accumulate within the body, often leading to unmetabolized pain, fear and/or conflict. This gives way to trauma associated with white supremacy, which often perpetuates racism while degrading our bodies and inhibiting our collective liberation.
The Anti-Violence and Comics Project
Henry Solares
Anthropology
Graduate Student
Alison Pitts
Art
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The project presents a strategy to address the question of how to best support marginalized survivors. Through translating academic and practical knowledge into a visual resource, “(in)difference to survivors”. It brings marginalized voices up front without putting them at risk. It is the ultimate hope that the project influences policy makers, Title IX professionals, applied anthropologists, and survivor support organizations. This is a project by and for survivors of sexualized violence.
The Northcoast Environmental Center
Reanne Lopez
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The Northcoast Environmental Center is one of the oldest non-profit organizations in Northern California that has been protecting and conserving marine ecosystems since 1971. As a special project intern, this project focuses on the contributions of the Northcoast Environmental Center and how they’re volunteer events and ideas towards removing plastic waste have impacted beaches worldwide . The Coastal Cleanup Day was first established in 1979 through the Beach Beautification project, which is now practiced internationally every year.
Advocacy Through Art
Kaitlyn Daggett
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
In this service learning experience I worked along side the students at the Eel River Community School in Fortuna. Here, I led students in creating murals throughout their facility. When I began most had admitted to never having engaged in some sort of arts and crafts activity. I observed how impactful artistic expression is to the youth and helps aid in stages of development. Having an interdisciplinary education I was able to consider a variety of lenses that play into the importance of creative outlets in the youth. Knowing this, I focused my attention to point out that at risk youth do not receive these crucial oppurtunities and how that perpetuates inequality issues from a young age.
The Effects of C-Tactile Afferent Stimulation on Orgasm
Yacoub Innabi
Psychology
Graduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
This study aims to test the possible effects of naturally-released oxytocin on aspects of the male orgasm. In two trials, the participants utilize an FDA-approved clinical vibration device to induce orgasm in the absence of any audiovisual stimuli. During one of these trials, the participant is brushed on the forearm to release endogenous oxytocin (via C-tactile afferent activation), at the other they are tapped on the hand with the end of the brush to act as a placebo. Given the role of oxytocin in hedonic (pleasure) responses, it is predicted that oxytocin will significantly increase subjective orgasm intensity and ejaculate volume and decrease ejaculation latency.
Motion Sickness: An Evolutionary Analysis
Justin Ordonez
Anthropology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Motion sickness is a condition that has no apparent evolutionary advantage, yet it persists in many species. Research has revealed the mechanisms that cause motion sickness, but there is no consensus or agreement in the scientific literature regarding its evolutionary origins. Some research suggests that motion sickness is an evolutionary byproduct of our biological response against neurotoxins. Others propose that it functions as some kind of defense mechanism against unfavorable motion and promotes visual-spatial stability. Exploring the evolutionary origins of motion sickness will provide a better understanding of how modern environments can cause physiological miscues.
Narrative Mapping of Genocide: A Transformative Approach in Reader’s Advisory
Amanda Alster
Anthropology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
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.
The Lyre: An Ancient Symbol of Power?
Daniel Nugent
anthropology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Music is a phenomenon that transcends cultural boundaries and primordial origins. At the Anglo-Saxon archaeological site of Sutton Hoo, a seventh century lyre was unearthed in a lavish royal burial. Utilizing literature analysis and experimental archaeology to recreate a seventh century lyre, this study explored the relationship between social stratification and art, implementing a cultural materialist theoretical framework. Research indicates the labor required to create a lyre would limit the market to wealthy individuals. This work serves to expand the understanding of hierarchical institutions in ancient England and how social stratification affected access to art.