Over the past summer, I worked as an intern at UCSF where I grew cell lines of PC3s (androgen independent) and LnCaps (androgen dependent) prostate cancer and performed biochemical assays to see the metabolic change from an androgen dependent to androgen independent cell. Theoretically you could use imaging such as hyper-polarized C13 imaging (a type of nuclear imaging) to see when the metabolic change happens instead of taking a biopsy which is very invasive to patients. By using the skills I learned and cellular metabolic change I hope to be able to apply this to my major by conducting further research on metabolic changes in marine organisms to help illustrate our changing ecosystems.

University libraries often face challenges in making student research more accessible. Manual tagging of theses is time-consuming, while commercial AI tools can be costly and limit institutional control. This project, in collaboration with the Cal Poly Humboldt Press and the TIDE computing cluster, fine-tuned an open-source AI model, ModernBERT, to automatically classify theses using the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The model performed well, demonstrating a promising, cost-effective approach for libraries to enhance research discoverability while retaining ownership and flexibility.

Our creative project is going to revolve around the ecological knowledge of the Chicken Hawk that is from Indigenous people of the Humboldt County area. We want to show the significance that Chicken Hawk has in their culture and how it correlates to scientific research that has been done and is being done on them today. We aim to show how ecological knowledge can be applied to current research and assist modern day scientists.

California ground squirrels are an abundant wildlife species at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area in San Francisco, where they are regularly fed by park visitors. The goal of this study was to provide the park with useful information about the ecology of their resident ground squirrel population including their activity patterns, the types of human foods in their diets, and potential impacts of access to anthropogenic food sources. Understanding how these squirrels interact with visitors and how these interactions influence their behavior and body condition is important for management of both park visitors and wildlife.

The aim of this research is to gain insight into the experience of female religious leaders in Humboldt County, centering around the challenges, obstacles, and opportunities faced by women in these roles. How do such figures view their gender has affected them in terms of authority, personal spirituality, and relationship to religious tradition? By conducting a series of ethnographic interviews with local religious leaders, these questions have been explored across faith traditions. The examination of gender and power is not only limited to a religious setting, but extends broadly to society as a whole.

Bird detection data helps inform management on how species might be shifting their distributions due to changes in the environment. This project uses a Python program to create a graphical user interface (GUI) that assists in gathering avian species occurrence data from a number of biological information websites such as Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON), eBird, and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Data is extracted to contain location coordinates of the detection along with the species name. The final data is exported as a comma separated values (CSV) file into a created desktop folder that can be imported into a geographical information system.

Rickettsia bacteria cause several human diseases. Ixodes pacificus, a common human biting tick, vectors Rickettsia species phylotype G022 (G022) and Rickettsia tillamookensis. Both species shares an evolutionary lineage with known rickettsial pathogens and have a low prevalence in I. pacificus. Recently the incidence of rickettsial diseases has increased, along with vector borne diseases (VBD). Between 2004-2016 a total of 491,671 cases of tick-borne diseases were reported in the United States (76% of all VBD). The pathogenicity of G022 and R. tillamookensis has never been documented. Here we report that G022 and R. tillamookensis have the capacity to be horizontally transmitted to mammals.

The project is based on a review study being done to understand different types of early interventions (0-8 years) that are available to help young children and their families in improving the future outcomes of the children. In this paper, I define early intervention, present different areas and formats, list various programs available in the Humboldt County, and make recommendations for parents and professionals who work with them.

"What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas" is much more than a catchy saying. An economic tool, this slogan has shaped the city. Through the use of billboards, casinos and shows Vegas offers anything one could need to fulfill their wildest fantasies. Drugs, sex and entertain are readily available. Vegas is much more than a destination it is a state of mind, one that is often detrimental. Exploiting the worst of human desire, Vegas earns the name "Sin City".

The goal of this presentation is to analyze the ways in which beliefs surrounding death and mortuary practices were changed in the Medieval period by the introduction of Christianity to Slavic cultures– focusing primarily on Poland and atypical burials. I have a poster and power point recorded presentation available.