Role of p38 in glioma

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Gliomas are highly malignant intracranial tumors that result in a low survival rate due to an invasive phenotype and its diffuse nature. As a result, tumorigenic stem-like glioma cells are poorly targeted by conventional therapies. MAPK kinase 3 (MKK3) has been found to be a key upstream activator of the p38 MAPK protein and is upregulated in invasive glioma cells. Recent evidence suggests that interfering with MKK3 signaling through the inhibition of p38 can inhibit tumor cell invasion in vitro (Demuth et al. 2007). We are interested in examining the role of p38 in glioma through the ability of these cells to form tumor-like colonies in soft agar with modifications in Lgl1 gene expression

Role of Recreational Trailways and Cover Objects in Relation to Terrestrial Salamanders

Anthony Gomez, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Recreational trailways are becoming an ever-present component within community forests, nature reserves and national parks, with the effects on local wildlife just beginning to be understood. Prior research holds that regular trailway maintenance increases microhabitat availability for salamanders and results in increased densities. I conducted a 3-month study in a community forest in northwestern California, and used a standardized nighttime paired-field survey technique to assess for cover objects and salamander surface activity.

Rolling with Pollies: Soil moisture effect on recovery from conglobation in the Common Pill Bug, Armadillidium vulgare

Jade Coulter, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Pill bugs roll into a ball for more reasons than to protect themselves! They may also be conserving water, thermoregulating, or it may all be up to individual boldness. My research investigated whether soil moisture would affect the amount of time it took for pill bugs to unroll. I found that there was no correlation between sex, length, soil moisture, and the amount of time they spent rolled up. However, there was a great variation among individuals.

Rooftop farming in Hong Kong

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The idea of this study is to conduct more research on farming in the city, to be specific, Hong Kong. As I grew up in Hong Kong, space is one of the biggest challenges in the city. While citizens are looking for ways to implement their lifestyle, rooftop farming can be one of the great opportunities to build up a community around the neighborhood, provide fruits and vegetables for the residents, and promote a healthy living lifestyle. While promoting the idea of rooftop farming, there are obstacles that the residents need to be overcome. Therefore, I will be analyzing the ecosystem, finance, and government policy that might help the city farmers in Hong Kong.

Rural Food Insecurity in Humboldt County

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

A wide range of environmental, social, and economic factors contribute to the issue of food insecurity. Despite being overwhelmingly agriculturally based economies, rural communities are some of the areas most at risk for high levels of food insecurity. This work addresses why the unequal distribution of food within an area of relative food abundance cannot be understood through the same lens as urban food deserts, but must be analyzed from the bottom up: following the supply chain of food throughout the social, environmental, and economic structures of the rural community.

Sacramento Pike Minnow in the Eel River

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

In our presentation, we will be researching and presenting the historical, and current effects in the Eel River regarding the invasive Sacramento Pike Minnow. This fish was introduced into the Eel River watershed in 1962 and has been an issue for people who depend on the river for the past 45 years. The pike minnow is a species that eats juvenile salmonids (salmon, trout, steelhead). Salmonids are extremely important to the eco-system as well as the people who rely on it. The Wiyot people depend on healthy salmon runs each and every year as a source of food, and more importantly in today's day and age, a source of income.

Sacred Drugs

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This Ideafest presentation aims to argue that our society might be studying drugs wrong. I will explore this topic using a problem/solution model. The problem is that drugs are stigmatized, causing a reluctance to talk openly about their role within society. I suggest the validation of drugs through pragmatic discussions within all appropriate avenues of study. Gary Laderman and Michael Pollan prove ideal examples of this solution. Quotes from Laderman highlight the integration of drugs in religion courses and academia at large. Michael Pollan is another example, and exploring his work presents another case of the topic of drugs being discussed in academic and such public settings.

Safety Plan

Alyssa Lawrence, Social Work Graduate Student

College of Professional Studies

We collaborated with Dr. Bayan at Waterfront Recovery Services to create a post-discharge safety plan for patients. The safety plan will be used and implemented on each individual client to reduce substance use and create a life of sobriety.

SAL: A new method for modeling stream flow in small watersheds

Jim Graham, Environmental Science & Management Faculty

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Streams Across Lands (SAL) is a new stream flow modeling method for small watersheds. SAL is based on standard hydrological equations for water flow on the surface, through soil, and in stream channels. The model can be used with standard spatial datasets including Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO, NRCS) and National Land Cover Data (NLCD). SAL was tested primarily within the Elder Creek watershed and showed a high level of correlation with the observed discharge at the USGS station. SAL includes an easy-to-use graphic interface within the BlueSpray GIS application and provides a variety of graphic outputs for use in watershed analysis and community outreach.

Salamander activity: The impact of abiotic factors on salamander movements in Northern California

Luke Leuty, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This poster focuses on studying the relationship between abiotic factors and salamander activity. We predict soil saturation to be the biggest factor influencing salamander activity. We also examine soil temperature, air temperature, daily precipitation, and accumulative precipitation and their affects on salamander activity.