My study focused on shorebird abundance in response to human disturbance within beaches that are protected or non protected by the county in Humboldt County, California.

Human-animal conflicts are becoming more relevant as urban areas expand. Let's take a look at the raccoons on Cal Poly Humboldt's campus as an example of how to handle other species that may come into conflict with people. In my project I looked at storm drain distance from trashcans to see if there is any relation to how often they are used by the raccoons.

In a world with increasing urban sprawl wildlife is finding habitat remnants of green spaces such as college campuses. These campuses provide many green spaces, anthropogenic food sources, and a unique set of challenges for wildlife to face. My study looked at how wildlife species on the campuses of Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwood are responding to the human disturbance rates across the two campuses.

Patients that undergo CAR T-cell therapy often experience significant side effects, including cognitive decline. We have found that CAR T-cell therapy increases microglial activation and disrupts the myelin sheath that is necessary for saltatory conduction. We seek to understand the long term neurological effects of CAR T-cell therapy and ways to restore cognition in patients undergoing immunotherapy.

Determining if Mule deer select a specific habitat type in a Northern California ecosystem.

Snyder-Robinson Syndrome (SRS) is a disorder that is characterized by severe osteoporosis. SRS is caused by a mutated gene coding for Spermine Synthase (SMS). SMS converts spermidine into spermine. Therefore SRS patients show increased spermidine/spermine ratios. Using bone marrow-derived Multipotent Stromal Cells, we found that supplementation with spermidine inhibits differentiation. During osteogenic differentiation the polyamine catabolic enzyme Spermidine/Spermine Acetyltransferase (SAT1) is upregulated. Also, inhibition of polyamine synthesis directly promotes osteogenesis. Therefore our results in vitro suggest that reduction of polyamines is necessary for osteogenic differentiation.

Our project investigates the cross-talk between cells contained within the human coronary atherosclerotic plaque using single-cell technologies. We mapped the transcriptome of the plaque using 10x transcriptomics and validated our findings with immunohistochemistry and in vitro assays. We found a predominance of memory T cells suggesting T cells were recruited by antigen engagement with their cognate peptide presented by myeloid cells. Using in vitro assays, we also found activation of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic pathways in smooth muscle cells after exposure to T cell cytokines. Our analysis suggests that T cells communicate with myeloid and smooth muscle cells within the plaque

We wish to answer whether or not nanodiscs make an effective means of transporting medication, specifically in the treatment of fungal infections, seeing as research is currently examining its effectiveness in the transport of chemotherapy drugs to prevent collateral cell death. We tested nanodisc transport of the antifungal terbinafine, which is often used as a topical ointment for direct application, to determine if naondiscs improve its effectiveness as a fungal killer. We treated cultured samples of Brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) with DMPC lipid nanodiscs wrapped in Apo-A1 protein and loaded with terbinafine and observed fungal cell death, as compared to direct application.

The Pacific banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus) is a key detrivore and herbivore in Pacific Northwest forests. Understanding how this species utilizes different habitats in a heterogenous forest is important from a management perspective due to their wide distribution, abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and significant ecological roles in nutrient cycling, seed dispersal, and endemic predators. I hypothesized that banana slugs will show habitat selection within a heterogenous forest and tested this using an occupied and paired-random sampling method in four sites within the Arcata Community Forest. My results showed evidence of selection for several habitat variables.

Invasive plant encroachment threatens native fauna and flora in the coastal dunes. Herbivores play an important role in the composition of plant communities. In this study, I measured black-tailed deer habitat use in relation to the invasive coastal lupine in order to better understand the relationship between herbivores and the dune ecosystem.