May 2, 2025
Reception & Presentations 2pm to 5pm
Cal Poly Humboldt Library
Search Presenters & Abstracts
Presenters & Abstracts: Search
Chinese Governmentality: Emerging Greenhouses on Rural Tibetan Landscapes
Lucas Reyes
Geography
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
This study explores changing agricultural conditions and practices on the Tibetan Plateau. Through textual discourse supported by field observations, agricultural practices are assessed. I explore the works of Goldstein, Paltridge and past HSU field research to argue that the Chinese government addresses this nourishment problem through policy, an intricate display of governmentality. The rural Tibetan livelihood is marginalized and degraded through Chinese policies noted by Goldstein designed to bring the Tibetan population into a market-driven economy. While rural farmer adopt green revolution technologies and weigh the economic benefit of grain subsides I see greenhouses on the horizon.
Wayfinding Pilot project
Liliana Amador
Kinesiology
Undergraduate Student
Lacey Bruh Jimenez
Kinesiology
Undergraduate Student
Walta Tadesse
Kinesiology
Undergraduate Student
Annika Slattery
Recreational
Undergraduate Student
Mandy Hackney
Recreational
Undergraduate Student
Whitney Ogle
Kinesiology
Faculty
Ara Pachmayer
Recreational
Faculty
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Our research project focuses on encouraging HSU students to become more physically active, while immersing themselves in the Arcata community. Our Wayfinder project includes a map of trails that will be highlighted by semi-permanent signage, to increase walkability and integrate HSU students into the community. With the results from a previous survey, the trails in this project preview a variety of popular places in the Arcata community to promote Arcata-HSU relations and influence students to explore their new home. In our video, we will share the trails, how we created the trails, and our plans for future engagement.
United Indian Health Services Community Garden
Meagan Achay
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Abby Miller
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Abigail Clark
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Andrea Powers
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Drew Olin
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Jarod Quiring
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Jesse Pike
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Jordan De La Cruz
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Rachel Branett
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
Shelby Fowler
Kinesiology
Undergraduate Student
Shelley Magallanes
Psychology
Undergraduate Student
College of Professional Studies
This Project looks at United Indian Health Services’ Community Nutrition Project and the Potawat Community Food Garden in Humboldt County, California. Throughout the poster we’ll examine how they function, who they serve, and how COVID-19 has impacted their services. The information was gathered from both online research as well as first hand accounts from some of the garden's volunteers. The purpose of this project is to bring awareness to how the Potawot garden has benefited the Humboldt community and how community gardens can benefit other communities in general.
Reintegration in Humboldt County
Vanessa Pike-Vrtiak
Sociology
Graduate Student
Hanna Baus
Sociology
Graduate Student
Fidel Castro
Criminology and Justice Studies
Undergraduate Student
Haley Hannan
Sociology
Undergraduate Student
Jonah Platt
Sociology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Evidence suggests a lack of reintegration services in rural Humboldt County. In an effort to understand the disconnect between the clients and the services, we will conduct focus groups and interviews with current inmates at Humboldt County Correctional Facility, service providers and ex-offenders. We aim to promote communication between both parties that will ease the process of reentry and inhibit recidivism through empowerment and access to necessary resources. This research will serve as a guide in the planning and development of the new rehabilitation center. We will also create an easily accessible resource guide and certificates of achievement for those reentering the community.
Nanodiscs Stabilize Anabaena Sensory Rhodopsin for Transcriptional Regulation Studies
Max Cox
Chemistry
Undergraduate Student
William Castillo
Chemistry
Undergraduate Student
Madelyne Green
Chemistry
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Anabaena Sensory Rhodopsin (ASR) is a retinal containing membrane protein from Anabaena nostoc. ASR undergoes an orange-light induced conformational change from an all trans form to a 13-cis form, which is associated with the release of a bound transducer protein ASRT. It is proposed that the ASR/ASRT complex directly controls the transcription of phycocyanin (cpc-gene) and phycoerythrocyanin (pec-gene). In order to study this protein complex, ASR nanolipoprotein particles (nanodiscs) were assembled, which allows both ends of the ASR protein to be studied. These particles will enable, the main goal of this research, which is to identify the mechanism of the ASR/ASRT control of transcription.
Novel Tests of Gravity Below Fifty Microns
Jack Stillman
Physics & Astronomy
Undergraduate Student
Nicholas Hernandez
Physics & Astronomy
Undergraduate Student
Jeremy Johnson
Physics & Astronomy
Undergraduate Student
Gabriela Martinez
Physics & Astronomy
Undergraduate Student
Noah Dunkley
Physics & Astronomy
Undergraduate Student
C.D. Hoyle
Physics & Astronomy
Faculty
Zane Comden
Physics & Astronomy
Undergraduate Student
Hilde Isachsen
Physics & Astronomy
Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Theories attempting to unify the Standard Model and General Relativity often include features that violate the Weak Equivalence Principle and gravitational Inverse-Square Law. Motivated by these considerations, undergraduates and faculty at Humboldt State University are operating an experiment to probe gravitational interactions below the 50-micron length scale. The experiment employs a torsion pendulum whose twist is measured as an attractor mass is oscillated nearby. The size and distance dependence of the torque variation provides a means to determine the existence of deviations from expected behavior at untested scales.
Making of a Monster: Media Constructions of Transgender Victims of Homicide
Meredith Williams
Sociology
Faculty
Janae Teal
Sociology
Graduate Student
Ashley Rose Florian
Sociology
Undergraduate Student
Julian Rivera
Sociology
Undergraduate Student
Lizbeth Olmedo
Sociology
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
There is a general sentiment in public discourse that victims are good and innocent, and offenders are bad. This dichotomy is blurred when the victim is somehow socially undesirable, such as people who do not conform to society’s expectation for gender, or victims who are not white. In the case of gender non-conforming victims of homicide, especially transwomen of color, the media often portray the victims as deceivers, or criminal, insinuating the victim is to blame for their attack. This study focuses on the media portrayal of 259 homicide victimizations that occurred between 1995 and 2014. Using content analysis, we explore these cases through the victims, offenders and news media.
Activating Creativity in Elementary EFL Writing
Benjamin Taylor
English
Graduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
I served 27 months as an elementary EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia and found that rote memorization was the dominant teaching strategy. Pohnpeian teachers wanted interactive classrooms that engaged students creatively, but they often lacked the resources or training to create such an environment. The presented activities are the product of collaborative efforts with 4th-through 8th-grade Pohnpeian teachers over a two-year period. Activities could be modified for a range of second-language learning contexts and environments.
An EdVenturous Quest
Blake A. Hildabrand
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
This project highlights the service learning project completed with the Humboldt County Office of Education community partner. More specifically their Redwood EdVentures Quests. These Quests are scavenger hunts that, with the help of interpretive learning clues, lead you through many of the North Coast parks and other nature trails. Not only do the quests add value to the specific quest locations, these quests create a space for childhood wonder and discovery of natural systems inspiring them to have a more harmonious relationship with their environment. On a deeper level, these quests foster ideas of environmental and social interdependence, shared leadership, and transformation.
Beyond Surviving—Thriving: A Study of Resilience Protective Factors in Child Welfare Social Workers
Zachary Roberts
Social Work
Graduate Student
Dr. Marissa O'Neill
Social Work
Faculty
College of Professional Studies
The nature of the child welfare social work exposes workers to various forms of trauma impacting the sustainability of this workforce. The retention of social workers has a direct impact on the success or failure of families and children engaged with the child welfare system. Examining protective factors for these workers will increase information about where to focus agency and personal efforts. This is a quantitative study of resilience protective factors measuring resilience, personal meaning, quality of life and post traumatic growth. Findings will help us explore ways to support this workforce and how these factors may impact child welfare worker’s intention to continue in this field.