The Benefits of Smiling & Laughing

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

There were many different ideas that popped into my head when I first heard the idea of Ideafest, the idea that made me the most excited was the Benefits of Smiling and Laughing. I believe that this is a good Ideafest contribution for two reasons, one being that we are two years into a worldwide pandemic, where we have had to cover out beautiful smiles, and it has removed the normalization of smiling with one another, and secondly we are all adults and college students who tend be stressed out and forget to take a second for ourselves. There were many articles that I used to do the research for my poster and the pictures I used were to make me people smile while they are reading my poster.

The Best Parts of KCACTF 2024

Aly Greaver, Dance, Music, & Theatre Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

From February 18th-23rd, students from the Humboldt Theater Program attended KCACTF, this poster depicts the top 5 events this year.

The Bigfoot Fraternity

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The United States Census estimates that 20.9% surveyed in Humboldt qualify as impoverished. Poverty is experienced in a multitude of severity-homeless individuals often bare the greatest physical and psychological burdens. In a 2016 preliminary study, Jennifer Maguire of HSU found that over 15% of student participants experienced housing insecurity. The Bigfoot Fraternity is a research project I've developed in order to alleviate some of the hardships homeless students experience and alter perceptions of homelessness through participation, action and reflection. TBF criticizes dependency on socioeconomic norms and highlights the benefits of an "alternative housing movement" in Humboldt Co.

The Biocultural Trauma Feedback Loop

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Trauma is repeated throughout a victim’s life, but the biological mechanisms of its recurrence (revictimization), even though understood biologically, are not accepted or discussed in all disciplines. To understand these issues, I conducted a synthesis of existing scientific research on revictimization. Sociological research revealed that initial trauma and revictimization are in a positive feedback loop, with incidences of one increasing the other. In biology, however, this loop has been acknowledged but has not been integrated into these disciplines. Recognizing the existence of this biological feedback loop has the potential to mitigate the damage of past, present, and future trauma.

The Body’s Adaptations to Facilitate Motor Learning and Injury Prevention for the Overhand Throw Skill in Baseball Players

Dominic Gallardo, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

This poster presentation explores motor learning of the overhand throw skill specifically for baseball players. The research describes the necessary variables contributing to adequate development of the skill and how the skill should be performed. In addition, injury prevention is a vital component in performing a skill that should be critical for high level athletes.

The Brain Booth Initiative: Recent Trends in Mindfulness and Contemplative Pedagogy in High School and University

Library

“The Brain Booth Initiative: Recent Trends in Mindfulness and Contemplative Pedagogy in High School and University” examines the relationship between mindfulness and stress reduction to optimize learning in both high school and university settings. It outlines the most common trends based on a systematic review of articles from the past eight years. The majority of the studies use a self-reporting approach and show that mindfulness training reduces overall stress. The main limitation for most studies is small sample sizes due to voluntary involvement. The presentation then describes how the HSU Brain Booth is applying this research as they teach mindfulness and contemplative pedagogy.

The Case for Ungraded

Alexandria Rumbel, Education Graduate Student

College of Professional Studies

We use grades to categorize student achievement and provide feedback, but is this really the best way to foster accountability, prompt meta-cognition, and instill students with an intrinsic love of learning? Despite the near ubiquitous acceptance of grading as a standard feature of secondary and post-secondary education, educational philosophers and educational practitioners have had reservations about grading–practically since its inception. If grading does not lead to the best outcomes for our students, what shall we do instead? "The Case for Ungraded" is a poster created and presented by Alexandria Rumbel, a graduate student in the Master’s of Education program at Cal Poly Humboldt.

The Choctaw Tribe and the Nanih Waiya

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The land feature known as the Nanih Waiya mound is central to the religious beliefs and cultural identity of the Choctaw Tribe of Native Americans. The function and creation of this mound differs depending upon the perspective of the Choctaw Tribal divisions, but it is mostly classified as a human-made earthwork that dates back to the Middle Woodland period (c. 0-300 CE) with naturally occurring features. Choctaw tribal members were separated from their original land and the Nanih Waiya after European contact and forced evacuations which began with the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The mound is present in most Choctaw origin stories and is a source of identity and community for the Tribe.

The Clarke Museum

Josue Bermudez , College Corp Undergraduate Student

Other

This year, I had the opportunity to work with the Clarke Historical Museum, one of the largest in Humboldt County. I helped set up exhibits, worked on projects, and participated in community events. I learned how a small community preserves and shares its history through this. Balancing this with college was challenging, but the support from Josh and the Clarke staff made it manageable. This experience deepened my appreciation for public history and inspired me to pursue future work that connects education, culture, and community engagement.

The Clarke Museum College Corps Fellows - Pitch Fest 2024

Carrie White, Other Undergraduate Student

Other

Hosted at Cal Poly Humboldt, Pitch Fest is an opportunity for College Corps Fellows to participate in an authentic learning experience focused on the learning objective of grant writing. Many community partners had their College Corps students take the initiative to identify a project, create a budget to accomplish their respective strategic goals, and develop an argument as to why their needs were crucial for the institution they worked for and the greater community. Together, three College Corps Fellows serving The Clarke Museum, Eureka, won the top grant prize to protect “The Sun Set Twice on the People that Day “ Mural, painted by Native artists Brian Tripp and Alme Allen.