The biogeochemical cycling of trace metals in the ocean, as the name implies, is a cycle that describes the complex interplay of a broad range of physical and chemical processes that govern the behavior of metals in the ocean. Input of trace metals into surface ocean water can come from any of several sources including anthropogenic input from the continental surface, airbound particles, or upwelling from the deep ocean, among others. Metal concentrations for yttrium and lanthanum were obtained from surface Pacific Ocean water and the data sets were interpreted to evaluate the behavior of each of the two metals in the context of this cycling.

My research project was on the effects of the COVID-19 anthropause on community science activity in California.

Copper is used as a fungicide in the lily bulb industry and is water soluble. Previous laboratory studies have shown that acute copper toxicity in juvenile salmonids can occur at extremely low copper concentrations. These low levels of copper induce predatory avoidance behavior and the loss of olfactory sensory function, which lowers the survival rates of the juvenile salmonids. The objective of this study was to provide scientific information to determine whether the copper levels in the Smith River Plain are toxic to juvenile Coho salmon. Water quality parameters were measured to determine how lily bulb cultivation is altering the water chemistry in fish habitat.

I studied Pacific Tree Frogs (Pseudacris regilla) at the Arcata Marsh to observe how canopy cover in the environment would influence how the frogs select microhabitats. Pacific Tree Frogs actively use color cues when selecting microhabitats and will use artificial refugia when it is available. Using PVC pipes painted either white or brown as artificial refugia, I set up one white and one brown PVC pipe sample at four sites around the Butcher Slough Log Pond. Two sites had no canopy cover while the other two had high canopy cover. I then tested whether Pacific Tree Frogs would select white or brown artificial refugia under the influence of low or high canopy cover in the environment.

My research project looked into determining habitat preferences of Great Egrets through foraging rates across Arcata, CA. The three habitats I chose were the Arcata Marsh, Mad River Slough, and Agricultural Fields.

My senior thesis research is about how anthropogenic noise, such as traffic noise influences bird communication is an important question to understand how increasing urbanization influences animal populations. A bird that might be affected by traffic noise is the Black Phoebe, a suboscine songbird that occurs in both rural and urban areas. In contrast to oscines, song in suboscines is innate and not learned, so it is thought to be less plastic. My objective was to investigate if Black Phoebes adjust their singing behavior in response to car traffic in urban and rural sites in Arcata, California.

This research project uses small mammal trapping data that was collected over the summer of 2021 on Green Diamond Resource Company land in Humboldt and Del Norte County. There was a total of 841 captures (nocturnal = 694, diurnal =147) over the course of 39 trap nights. Data was extracted and analyzed to determine if there was any correlation between moon illumination levels and capture rate success. This study uses diurnal species as a control, however both diurnal and nocturnal species may be influenced by temperature.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow that results from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) populations. The goal of this project is to characterize the mechanisms for the transformation of genetically engineered human primary HSCs to AML. My aim is to validate FLT3-ITD CRISPR-Cas9 reagents to contribute to the sequential editing matrix scheme of the larger project of investigating preleukemic stem cells as therapeutic targets in AML. Understanding the genetic components of preleukemia can help inform clinical decisions of which patients to provide transplants and in what stage of remission this therapy can be most effective.

Urban development forces city and town boundaries to encroach further into wildland habitats and natural landscapes all over the world, causing immense habitat loss and fragmentation. Human-wildlife conflict with mesocarnivores (skunks, foxes, raccoons, etc.) increases as rising rural population densities push more small mammals into anthropogenic areas. This senior thesis study uses trail cameras to assess habitat and resource use vs. availability along the wildland-urban interface among nocturnal small mammals to determine presence of selection.

The aim of this research is to better understand pregnant Cervus elaphus relationship to climatic and topographic elements.