May 2, 2025
Reception & Presentations 2pm to 5pm
Cal Poly Humboldt Library
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The Smith River Plain Water Quality Management Plan: A collaborative Effort Between the Regional Water Board and Cal Poly Humboldt
Logan
Wolfe
Chemistry
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
The Smith River, known as one of the most pristine watersheds in the continental United States, dissects agricultural land used for Easter lily cultivation in the Smith River Plain of Del Norte County, California. It is estimated that this region grows 95% of all Easter lilies grown in the world. High amounts of pesticides are applied during cultivation to combat nematodes and fungi. The Regional Water Board created the Smith River Plain Water Quality (SRPWQ) Management Plan in response to pesticide and fertilizer concentrations that have exceeded USEPA benchmarks. Included in this plan are Best Management Practices (BMPs) that aim to improv
Revisiting the Fishes of the Beartooth Butte Formation
Patience
Brennan
Wildlife
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
This research aims to address the species composition of Devonian fossil fish species from a formation in Wyoming called the Beartooth Butte. This location has not received much if any attention from paleoichthyologists since the fossils within the formation were originally described in 1932. These fishes were overlooked for botanical fossils, and historically yielded fragmentary material. However, specimens from a Cal Poly Humboldt excavation in 2017, not only include the second articulated fossil from the formation, but also the first 3D fossil recorded.
Impacts of the edge effect on avian species distribution in the Arcata Community Forest
Christy
Wheatley
Environmental Science & Management
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Our study aimed to discover the impacts of the edge effect on bird species distributions within the secondary redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) Arcata Community Forest (ACF). We used the Merlin Bird ID app to record the number of species present at three edge and three interior sampling sites to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the number of species present. We found that edge sites averaged 7.3 species while interior sites averaged 5.5 species. Our results indicate that the edge effect is being represented in bird habitat selection.
The Effect of Adopting an External Focus of Attention on EMG Activity and Fatigue in the Bicep Curl.
Jacob Smith
Kinesiology
Graduate Student
College of Professional Studies
It has been reported that adopting an external focus may enhance movement efficiency in individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of adopting distal external focus of attention on muscle activity and repetitions to failure during barbell bicep curls. This study utilized three trials for three different focus conditions (control, internal, external) to measure muscle activity through electromyography and repetitions to failure. For the internal focus condition, participants were instructed to focus on their arm performing the movement. For the external focus condition, participants focused on a light attached to the barbell and pointed at the wall.
Bridging the Gap: Environmentalism & the Military
Samantha Weeks
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The United States military has a long and well documented history of environmental degradation, contamination, and environmental injustice. Today, the U.S. military has taken steps to attempt control, regulation, and conservation in a growing environmental sector. Current relations between environmentalists and military personnel are still plagued with contention. This has created a stigma on bases about environmentalists and their contributions to military base lives. By reconciling my knowledge of the military and the environment with the tools of an environmental studies major I hope to show ways in which we can improve the relationship with the military and environment.
To the Victor Go the Soils: An Analysis of a Historic Preservation Project in Arcata, CA.
Curtis Rogers
Anthropology
Undergraduate Student
Joe Tregle
Anthropology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The objective of this historic preservation project is to evaluate the historical significance of an Arcata landmark, the Nixon House, constructed on Wiyot land, to determine its eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. We analyzed literary and primary source documents, consulted with the homeowners and local historic preservation organizations, and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. The property is significant under National Register Criteria A & C. Our analysis of this process highlights colonial hegemony in our society by basing the house’s historical value on its association with a period of genocide.
Permanence in an Ephemeral Collection: The History and Future of the Pamphlet Collection at Humboldt State University Library
Carly Marino
Library
Faculty
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Is a vertical file of newspaper clippings and ephemera still relevant in the digital age? This poster describes the changing nature of vertical files, pamphlets, and other ephemeral collections in the 21st century using the Humboldt State University Library Pamphlet Collection as a case study. The poster also considers how archivists and librarians continue to encourage student and researcher participation with ephemeral materials, whether paper or digital.
The History and Development of the Washoe People
Caroline
Blair
Anthropology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
This project is an exploration in the history, development, and reclamation efforts of the Washoe Tribe. This native tribe’s ancestral land centers around Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California. The Washoe people have been adversely impacted by colonial and westward expansion. Currently, The Washoe have proposals for land use within each of their established settlements that will incorporate more agricultural practices and conservation efforts and the Tribe is opening a sawmill within the Tahoe Forest for revenue, jobs, and fire management. These projects represent efforts by the Tribe to reclaim their ancestral lands and promote their own development.
Advocacy for the Holistic Development of the Gut Microbiota in Young Children
Roxann McArthur
Child Development
Undergraduate Student
Other
As a plethora of continuing research emerges from projects such as The Human Microbiome Project (NIH, 2008), there is more evidence than ever before on how the health of our "forgotten organ", known as the Gut Microbiota (GM), is linked to our lifelong holistic health. Between birth and 3 years of age, our GM will develop between 40-60% of the 100 trillion microbes that will coexist in balance with our bodies as adults; That is over three times the number of human calls in our bodies. That makes this short window critical to the physiological and mental health of our children. Spreading education while also providing resources for families is the primary goal of this collection of research.
The importance of covariate spatial factors in building growth models for old growth sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) in the Sierra Nevada.
Andrew W. Slack
Forestry and Wildland Resources
Graduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
A century of fire exclusion in the Sierra Nevada has altered the structure and composition of many old-growth forests. As a result many older sugar pines (Pinus lambertiana) are more prone to mortality due to uncharacteristically severe wildfire, pathogens and insect outbreaks, drought, and competition-induced stress, and many of these factors are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Examining tree growth is an excellent approach to understanding the influence of these factors on sugar pine vigor and survival. This study is a preliminary analysis to understand the importance spatial factors such as slope and distance to creek as covariates in building growth models for sugar pine.