The Lumber Games

Skye Maclachlan, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

My capstone project as a recreation administration student is the creation of The Lumber Games event. The Lumber Games is a fun and exciting event for student of Cal Poly Humboldt. This free event includes a mobile ax throwing truck, pizza, yard games, board games, and a raffle. Participates are able to win raffle tickets by participating in the variety of recreational activities offered. The goals of my project include providing inclusive recreational opportunities to students, making this a recurring event hosted by The Recreation Club of Cal Poly Humboldt, and furthering my professional development as an event producer.

The Lyre: An Ancient Symbol of Power?

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Music is a phenomenon that transcends cultural boundaries and primordial origins. At the Anglo-Saxon archaeological site of Sutton Hoo, a seventh century lyre was unearthed in a lavish royal burial. Utilizing literature analysis and experimental archaeology to recreate a seventh century lyre, this study explored the relationship between social stratification and art, implementing a cultural materialist theoretical framework. Research indicates the labor required to create a lyre would limit the market to wealthy individuals. This work serves to expand the understanding of hierarchical institutions in ancient England and how social stratification affected access to art.

The Manufacture and Cultural Use of Clay Whistles in Ancient Mesoamerica

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The function and use of small clay whistles in Mesoamerica has been debated in the archaeological record and theories for their use include ritual practice and imitations of animal vocalizations. In this experimental archaeology project I wish to recreate ancient Mayan whistles, more specifically the style of whistle located in Copan and the imported moulds from sites located in current day Honduras. The whistles themselves can take the form of a variety of figures that could include animals, individuals, and deities. I want to establish a better understanding of the amount of time, resources, and skill needed to manufacture clay whistles and how they were then distributed or traded.

The March of Our Mothers

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

It is ironic that scientific depictions of our hominin ancestors often overlook female representation, despite reproductive success being a major cornerstone of evolutionary theory. The story of evolution is instead told from male-centered, eurocentric perspectives, as in Rudolph Zallinger’s March of Progress (1965). My research employs a feminist critique on such popular models of human evolution in the form of an illustrated depiction of female hominid ancestors based on data from paleontological records and literature review. This research creates a balanced view of our evolutionary history, and encourages appropriate dialogue towards better understanding the evolution of humanity.

The Marching Lumberjacks

Library

Have you ever thought where local World Famous Marching Lumberjacks originated from? I mean where exactly did all that silliness come from? Over 50 (+1) years ago the band was able to become the most loquacious, vehement, and fatuous student lead scatter band known to mankind, and your still probably thinking “why am I reading this?” Well, because you want to know about one of the oldest student run organizations on campus because it is still successful today. How has the world's most whimsical and nonsensical band been able to exist for this long? Well the roots of the band, which has been documented very well, created the foundations of a band embedded in HSU school spirit and community.

The Misrepresentation of Inclusivity

College of Professional Studies

Humboldt State University’s students, faculty and staff aspire to be an inclusive and liberal school. However, this is not necessarily the reality that students, particularly students of color, have experienced attending school and living in this area. This study utilizes general inductive analysis that focuses on: How is diversity being represented in Humboldt County as reflected in local news sources and their comments sections? According to the data, there are certain aspects of the system that we can change to provide more support when students experience racialized violence. This project seeks to make recommendations for change in the public dialogue on diversity issues.

The Moderating Effects of Age on the Relationship Between Cannabis and Tobacco Smoking and Pain

Joshua Worthington, Psychology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Higher rates of tobacco and cannabis smoking have been observed among people with chronic pain. The reciprocal model of pain and smoking suggests that a positive feedback loop underlies the relationship between pain and smoking, with pain motivating smoking (as a means of coping) and smoking exacerbating painful conditions with chronic use. Despite initial evidence of differential effects by age in pain-motivated smoking, no research has examined age by smoking interactions among both tobacco and cannabis users. Results suggest smoking was related to greater likelihood of having pain, and that this effect was moderated by age group.

The Morris Graves Collection at the Morris Graves Museum of Art

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This project will see the creation of an exhibition revolving around the artist Morris Graves. The project involves research of the archives at the Morris Graves Museum of art and analysis of the condition of the works in storage. An analysis of the content and readiness for display of the collection is being done in order to plan out the format for the exhibition. The personal art collection of Morris Graves is at the Morris Graves Museum of Art yet no comprehensive exhibition displaying the works in that collection has been put on. This project aims to bring attention to the importance of the artist Morris Graves during the 1950's contemporary art scene.

The NCAA-DOD Grand Alliance Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium – Longitudinal Clinical Study Core

College of Professional Studies

With support from the NCAA and U.S. Department of Defense, the North Coast Concussion Program (NCCP) has embarked on a groundbreaking two year study of the history and impact of concussions among NCAA athletes. This multi-institution study is aimed at understanding the neurobiological and psychosocial nature of concussive injury and recovery for the purpose of enhancing the safety and health of collegiate student-athletes, service members, youth sports athletes and the broader public. At Humboldt State, faculty and students of the NCCP work together to conduct baseline and post injury monitoring of neurocognitive, motor control, and behavioral data in about 450 athletes from all sports.

The Nonverbal Communication of a Serial Killer

College of Professional Studies

This project will focus on the nonverbal communication patterns of psychopathic offenders or serial killers. We will be researching this topic both through the use of peer-reviewed studies and articles as well as making our own observations and taking notes on video interviews of multiple serial killers and comparing to the current literature.