Native bees provide crucial and efficient pollination services (Kremin, 2002). However, habitat fragmentation due to urban sprawl can contribute to native bee biodiversity loss (Hung, 2017). The College of the Canyons Buzz team used native bee diversity as a proxy for biodiversity and conducted research on native bee diversity on both of our college facilities and at nearby locations from April 2022 through July 2024. 213 bees across 5 families and 18 genera were collected from the Valencia campus, and floral hosts were documented. The goal was to attain an initial Shannon’s H diversity Index for the Valencia campus with a plan to enrich the campus habitat to attract more diversity.

From our time at the Jefferson Center we have been exposed to a new form of community. The Jefferson Project located on the Westside of Eureka is an inclusive space that allows for numerous activities, workshops, events, after school child care, and volunteering. This location has transformed from an abandoned elementary school to a “clean, safe neighborhood dedicated to combatting urban blight” and revitalizing the local environment by fostering a sense community. Our experience at the center has allowed us to expand our academic lenses to applicable social justice scenarios.

In 2016, Governor Jerry Brown received a bill (AB 1594) authored by assembly member McCarthy requesting the prohibition of smoke & tobacco use on all Calfornia college and university campuses. However, Gov. Brown vetoed the bill and stated that the governing boards of public colleges and universities have the authority to revise their own smoke & tobacco policies as needed. Therefore, an online survey was developed to assess the community's readiness to adopt a 100% smoke & tobacco-free policy. The goal of this project is to provide the Humboldt State University governing board with a glimpse of public opinion regarding the possible implementation of a smoke and tobacco-free policy.

Infant faces rapidly capture our attention and elicit enhanced neural processing compared to adult faces, likely due to their evolutionary significance. Cleft lip/palate is estimated to affect 1 in 700 live births worldwide and is associated with difficulties in early caregiver interactions. Behavioral studies have shown that cleft lip/palate reduces perceptions of cuteness; however, the underlying neural and perceptual mechanisms governing responses to cleft lip/palate remain relatively understudied. The current study uses eye tracking and electroencephalography (EEG) to explore visual scanning patterns and neural responses to infants with and without cleft lip/palate.

This review explores how parenting styles in North and South America influence children later in life. By examining a range of studies from both regions, we analyzed the long-term effects of different parenting approaches on individuals as they grow into adulthood. Parenting styles explored in our research include authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. Studies also evaluated additional influences on parenting such as overprotectiveness and patriachal influence. The goal is to understand better how cultural and regional differences in parenting can shape emotional, social, and psychological development over time.

This reconstruction project was essential in understanding the proper steps to put together ancient pottery. The methods used were based on the National Park Service use of acryloid B-72 for labeling, as well as the Xuenkal Archaeological Project, Yucatán’s way of properly conserving, washing, and gluing of ceramic. The acryloid glue allows items’ provenance to be written directly on the artifact without damage. The acryloid glue prevents the curling, flaking, and loss of numbers of the cellulose nitrate lacquers within the ceramics unlikes other glues. These methods have proven successful with the ink, not being absorbed by the ceramic causing damage and the glue proved longevity.

Vertebrates use proteins expressed in the sensory cells of the nasal cavity to detect odors and chemical signals. The study aimed to characterize the olfactory receptors (ORs) in the California Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus). We used standard molecular genetics techniques (PCR and cloning) to isolate 15 partial sequences of ORs from salamander olfactory tissue. We used phylogenetic reconstruction to show that the salamander ORs we isolated grouped with the gamma family of ORs found in many other vertebrates. Our preliminary results suggest that this species has a large and diverse OR family, a finding consistent with their ecological reliance on chemical communication.

Alderia modesta is a sacoglossan sea-slug that is capable of of kleptoplasty, a process where the sea-slug steals the chloroplast from the algae that it eats , phagocytizes it, and uses it to photosynthesize. In this experiment, different groups of A. modesta were fed three different species of coenocytic algae, all of which are known to be eaten by sacoglossans. The cerata (anatomical structures) were then plucked off and the chloroplasts were counted under a fluorescence microscope to compare which alga the sea-slug ingested the most. The experiment has yet to conclude, however, the alga with the highest ratio of chloroplasts is considered to have co-evolved with the sea-slug.

In our paper, we hope to find solutions to the Scottish fishing industries affected by the migration of Herring and Mackerel fish. We acquired pre-existing data from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and used it to develop a Python program that manipulates the temperature of water in the North Sea. We identified the range of temperatures preferred by both species and used it in the simulation of our model. Finally, we calculated the cost of fishing trips as these species steered father away from the original possible fishers modeled through our Python program and a threshold for cost impracticality.

The Ma-le'l coastal dunes of northern California have been affected by the invasion of dense European beachgrass. In response, USFWS and BLM have removed beachgrass in an attempt to restore native ecosystem function. Mesocarnivores play vital roles in trophic webs, and previous research has suggested that they are more active in restored dunes than in areas with dense beachgrass. However, distance to nearby coastal dune forests could affect mesocarnivore activity and may have confounded previous work. We conducted an observational study using remote cameras and found the detection rate mesocarnivores declined with distance to forest.