The Counter-Narratives of British and American High Schools Within Television

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This ongoing research project investigates the counter-narrative of high schools within American and British culture within films and tv shows. 90210 and many other American shows shows high school as “the greatest time of your life” while Skins, a British-based series, shows that high school is just something that you want to get out of. Sex Education, which is the main focus, combines the two cultures to combat the negative connotation of the stereotypical British high school. I also explore how as technology improves, rhetoric changes its form (television) to fit with what society needs to get their message across a large audience.

The Cultural Significance of Maori Pounamu

Brandon Borba, Anthropology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

An anthropological investigation of New Zealand's indigenous Maori people and their unique use of greenstone jade.

The Drive Home: Travel Times from Humboldt County to the rest of California

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

An isochrone map of California depicting the time required to travel from Humboldt State University to the rest of the state.

The Early History of Humboldt State University's Multilingual Literary Journal Toyon

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Toyon has been recognized as one of the best undergraduate literary journals/magazines in recent years. Currently, Toyon is published by students in a classroom setting oriented towards career preparation for individuals who wish to gain experience in the publishing field, but the beginnings of the journal had a far more humble and nearsighted goal: to publish the creative work of students. The history of Toyon has had to be constructed through primary sources such such as yearbooks, back issues of the school newspaper The Lumberjack, and details from the back issues of the journal itself. The archive editor of Toyon has researched the history of the early issues through the 1970's.

The Educational Development Center: A Stepping Stone to Sustainable Development

Jazzmin Fontenot`, Anthropology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

At the intersection of anthropology and development, this project explores the efficacy of Participatory Action Research (PAR) through a case study of the Educational Development Center (EDC) and their Basa, Pilipinas! project. PAR utilizes ethnographic methods and emphasizes the importance of collaboration with developers and the community they wish to serve. This is a response to the critiques of educational Development as a method of perpetuating the legacy of colonialism by implanting Western epistemology from imperialist nations into developing countries. While PAR is an attempt to decolonize Development, it is not without critique itself.

The Effect of Adopting an External Focus of Attention on EMG Activity and Fatigue in the Bicep Curl.

College of Professional Studies

It has been reported that adopting an external focus may enhance movement efficiency in individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of adopting distal external focus of attention on muscle activity and repetitions to failure during barbell bicep curls. This study utilized three trials for three different focus conditions (control, internal, external) to measure muscle activity through electromyography and repetitions to failure. For the internal focus condition, participants were instructed to focus on their arm performing the movement. For the external focus condition, participants focused on a light attached to the barbell and pointed at the wall.

The Effect of Descending Resistance Sets Compared to Constant Resistance Sets on the Volume Completed During a High Intensity Free Weight Back Squat Exercise

College of Professional Studies

Resistance training is effective for improving anabolic hormone production; however, no previous research has developed optimized descending resistance sets to increase training volume. The purpose of this study is to compare two different loading protocols of the free weight back squat with 85% 1RM and 30 second rest period to determine the extent of progressive resistance reductions necessary to maintain repetition performance based on the %1RM. 15 resistance trained males completed experimental sessions, including descending sets and constant sets, with the goal of greater training volume. Specifically, using descending resistance sets for back squats allows for greater training volume.

The Effect of Dynamic Balance & Muscular Strength on Fall Prevention in the Elderly

Tatum Carlin, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

Falls are a major risk for older adults, leading to injury and loss of independence. This research explores how age-related declines in dynamic balance and muscular strength increase fall risk. Evidence shows that combining balance and strength training significantly reduces falls, offering an effective strategy to support mobility and safety in the aging population.

The Effect of Grazing on Frog Abundance

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This study compares the abundance of frogs in landscapes that are grazed by livestock to lands that are non-grazed. This study found no influence of grazing activity on frog abundance. This information will be an important consideration for the conservation efforts of frog species as development of lands for urbanization and agriculture continue to increase as well as for conservation managers as they work to restore and maintain quality frog habitat by reverting agricultural lands back to native landscapes.

The Effect of Interval Intensity on Time To Exhaustion During High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Running in Recreational Male Runners

College of Professional Studies

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has become popular in recent years, but a lack of guidelines for interval intensities and margins compromise exercise prescription. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 3 HIIT sessions and 1 continuous running session of the same average intensity (80% VO2max) on total Run Time to Exhaustion (TE). Ten adult male recreational runners (Age=22.9 ± 2.5 yr, Height=1.72 ± 0.1m, Body Mass=74.1 ± 7.4 kg) completed running sessions, with HIIT trials featuring 2 minute bouts and a 1:1 ratio of work to active recovery. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed mean TE differed significantly between conditions (F (3, 27) = 23.4071, p < 0.05).