Summative Evaluation for Cal Poly Humboldt's 2022 Summer Algebra Institute

Rose Francia, Education Staff

For the second consecutive summer, Cal Poly Humboldt's CSU Summer Algebra Institute's (SAI) goal was aimed at demystifying Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) related projects, majors, and careers, to further increase Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino County BIPOC (6th-12th grades) students’ interests in pursuing majors and careers in STEAM, and minimize learning gaps in mathematics. Students who enrolled in the virtual 2022 SAI, a 4-week program, completed a minimum of 57 hour intensive individualized Mathematics course using EdReady, engaged in 19 days of culturally relevant STEAM curriculum, and participated in workshops on College & Career Preparation.

Supporting Military Women and Families Through Policy

This presentation highlights my time as a Fall 2021 Panetta Congressional Intern for Cal Poly Humboldt. Also covered, is a policy research paper I completed as an internship requirement discussing ways to support military women and families through policy. In this presentation, I also cover the impacts of gender discrimination in the Military.

Supporting Social Workers: A Manual Promoting Sustainability & Wellness in Social Work

The community project will consist of a manual that addresses the wellness and sustainability of social workers. Our community partner is Liora Levenbach and the finished project will be applicable to all social workers and supervisors, regardless of placement or role in the community. We are looking at how to decrease burnout and improve retention rates of social workers. We would like to take a strengths based approach by researching the effects of resiliency on social workers and their organizations.

Surface Ocean Distribution of Trace Metals in the California Current System During a Year of Anomalously Low Upwelling

Upwelling in the California Current System (CCS) brings nutrient rich water to the continental shelf. Included with these nutrients are some trace metals. Trace iron (Fe) has been shown to be a control on primary productivity in the CCS. 2014 marked a year of low upwelling along the CA coast. This anomaly provides an opportunity to assess annual variability in processes affecting micronutrient distributions here. In 2014, the IRNBRU research cruise measured surface macronutrient and trace metal distributions in the CCS. Their results show lower nutrient concentrations than found in previous studies, and suggest an unusual uptake ratio of macronutrients by microorganisms in the area.

Surgical Smoke: The Forgotten Biohazard

Julie Wooldridge, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

Surgical smoke, a byproduct of surgical procedures, poses significant health risks to healthcare workers and patients. However, surgical staff often overlook it as a biohazard in operating rooms. This project highlights the harmful toxins of surgical smoke, including exposure to carcinogens and infectious agents, and the need for policy change to mandate local smoke evacuation. Effective policies and guidelines for smoke evacuation modeled from evidence-based research, combined with adequate education, awareness, and training, can minimize the risks of surgical smoke in the operating room and empower nurse leaders to ensure the safety of healthcare workers and patients.

Survey and Map English Ivy Distribution at the Patrick’s Point State Park, California

Patrick’s Point State Park has experienced a tremendous growth of English Ivy that has causing a damage to park resources. The goal of this study was to accurately map English Ivy habitats, estimate coverage, and survey English Ivy colonization effects on tree trunks. The results showed that the English Ivy growth has decreased from 8.0 acres to 6.5 acres between 2015 and 2016 respectively due to park restoration activity supported by volunteer organizations. The English Ivy growth on tree trunks was significant for Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce. With this project the park will be able to locate the most English Ivy spots that require attention, and monitor their growth rate.

Survey of Extremely High Velocity Outflows in Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's Ninth Data Release

We present the first survey of extremely high velocity outflows (EHVO) in quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release nine quasar catalog (SDSS DR9Q). Our survey draws from the 87,822 spectral targets in DR9Q. EHVO candidates were identified by measurement of one of the transitions due to absorption in carbon ion (C-IV), which appear in the spectrum as broad absorption features. Spectrum analysis was carried out by python codes developed by our group with results confirmed by visual inspection. The presented survey is composed of 45 quasars EHVO ranging in velocity from ~50,000 to 30,000 km/s. Our survey will be made available online as a publicly accessible database.

Sustainability in Mental Health

Meghan Stanton, Social Work Graduate Student

Our community project has been multifaceted as there are several issues impacting Semper Virens. We have been focusing on identifying ways to utilize the physical environment of Semper Virens in more therapeutic ways that would also be more welcoming and nurturing for the clients as well as more positive for the staff. We have simultaneously been developing workbooks of complementary exercises and activities aimed at improving mental health, wellness, and selfcare. The workbooks contain a variety of approaches including one specifically adapted for Native Americans.

Sustainable Learning For Student Success

Rising textbook costs and the shift to the subscription model licensing has negatively impacted student success across the nation. The CSU Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) program was created to support CSU campus initiatives for implementing strategies to reduce the cost of materials and foster more equitable student access to required course materials. This poster highlights the results of our outreach since the Cal Poly Humboldt Library joined the AL$ program. Our department has saved Cal Poly Humboldt students over $1M in course materials costs. Our primary methods are researching free OER material for possible adoption and supporting Cal Poly Humboldt faculty who publish new content.

Switching to Electric Cars , and the Efficiency of Allocating Charging Stations

For environmental and economic reasons, there is a global interest in reducing the use of fossil fuels, including gasoline for cars. Whether motivated by the environment or by the economics, consumers are starting to switch to electric vehicles. Several countries are seeing early signs of the potential for rapid growth in the adoption of electric vehicles. In the US and other countries, the release of the more affordable all-electric Tesla Model 3 has resulted in record numbers of pre-orders and long wait lists. Our group set out to find an optimal allocation of electric charging stations in the U.S and South Korea by creating a math model of the number of stations per region.