Trace metal bioaccumulation negatively impacts marine ecosystem health and increases the risk of human exposure to contaminants. Pollution trends can be investigated by measuring trace metal bioaccumulation in algae, but little is known about which algal groups are the most reliable bioindicators. The objectives of this study were to use dry ashing, wet digestive, and spectroscopic techniques to determine the concentrations Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn across major macroalgae groups in Humboldt Bay, and evaluate bioindicator ability using BSAF values. Our results indicate that Chlorophyta and Rhodophyta are the most sensitive and suitable bioindicators for trace metal pollution.

In hopes of increasing STEM students in colleges this project is geared towards high schoolers with the idea that since they are quite adept to todays technology they may be interested in drone technology, either flying, programing, or learning how drones help in the scientific community.

At Humboldt State University, I study Cellular and Molecular Biology and have minors in Chemistry and Spanish. After I graduate with my Behavioral Science Degree, I plan to go to the College of the Redwoods to become a Registered Nurse. Going into the medical field to me means helping others and making a difference in the community I grew up in. My hope is to become a Registered Nurse and have the opportunity to work or volunteer with United Indian Health Services at Potawot Health Village or the Eureka Health Center. Being a part of an organization that focuses on health, sustainability, and Indigenous sovereignty would allow me to make real change in my community.

This study examines knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) germination success from stratification to transplanting into a common garden at the Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm. Seeds were sown in containers in the greenhouse after three week of cold stratification and transplanted to garden beds a month later. Of 840 seeds sown, 538 were germinated (64%). 256 seedlings were outplanted and 192 of these survived (75%±15). The seedlings grew to an average height of 7.5 cm ± 2 cm. Our findings are part of a larger study to understand the water requirements for the survival of tree germinants in a Mediterranean climate.

The excessive use of fossil fuels has surged the need for alternative energy sources, such as solar energy. Here, possible organic photovoltaic (OPV) compounds were designed and their initial computational assessment was done. Density Functional Theory was used to calculate the HOMO-LUMO gap of the 26 compounds designed. Semiconductors such as naphthalene, 1,1’-biphenyl, and ɑ-septithiophene were used as the backbone and the main electron-withdrawing group (EWG) used was thien[3,4-c] [1,2,5]thiadiazole-2-sIV(8CI,9CI), among other thieno-thiadiazole derivatives.

Researchers found that fungi that grow faster tend to be less resistant to changes in temperature and moisture. Exploring the relationship between a fungus’s growth rate and moisture tolerance, our team used a system of differential equations to model the decomposition rates of woody material by different fungi to understand how decomposition would be affected when the species are in competition.

To inform the applicability of carbon nanotube networks for use as field-effect transistors or as biosensors, we have run computer simulations in order to characterize the electrical properties of these networks, and specifically, how the resistance of these networks changes with the metallicity, or the percentage of metallic to semiconducting carbon nanotubes. When running simulations over networks with varying metallicities, we find a trend where the resistance increases to a peak value then decreases.

The burgeoning demand for nanotechnology presents a specific issue in that it requires the production of electronic components at a physical scale that is difficult and costly to achieve. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have potential in a wide range of electronics applications (1), but there are many lingering questions about their behavior. This project seeks to use computational modeling to propose a relationship between the number of CNT-on-CNT contacts and the effective resistance of a CNT network as the physical parameters change.

The Gravity Lab at Humboldt State is concerned with measuring the force of gravity at unprecedented distance scales. Theories new and old make predictions about how gravity should behave, but accurate measurements of gravitational forces between objects close together have remained challenging. The crux of the experiment lies in sufficiently silencing the non-gravitational forces acting at the measuring site, and accomplishing this requires applying at least a little knowledge from most undergraduate physics classes. The implications of progress in this lab make it exciting to a general audience while remaining beneficial from an undergraduate learning perspective.

Membrane proteins (MP) are crucial for cell pathways, but are difficult to study due to hydrophobicity. Nanodiscs (ND) provide a lipid bilayer mimetic enabling MP studies. To improve efficiency, we compared two ND assembly methods for detergent removal, and evaluated how lipid affects the MP, Anabaena Sensory Rhodopsin. ND were assembled with purified ASR, various lipids, Sodium Cholate and Apolipoprotein AI. Electrophoresis was utilized to evaluate complex formation. ASR was successfully isolated and assembled into ND. We found that the biobead method was faster and had less risk of loss, showing it to be the better method. ND provide a promising approach to therapeutics affecting MP.