What We Think, We Are

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Self-talk is the inner dialogue we use to talk to ourselves. My research project addresses the significance that self-talk has on you both mentally and physically. I emphasize that we should be mindful of how we talk to ourselves because we are always doing it. I also explain the importance of positive self-talk and how to do it. My goal is that this research project motivates individuals to use self-talk in ways that let them live happier and more positive lives.

What were the Religious Belies of the Neolithic Irish?

Joseph Walsh, Anthropology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Research on the studies and methods of understanding what the religious practices in Neolithic Age Ireland were.

When I Grow Up...

College of Professional Studies

Rural communities often have a limited number of trained and certified healthcare professionals to serve the local population. Additionally, retaining healthcare professionals becomes an added challenge once recruited into the area. The purpose of this project is to create an inclusive and empowering curriculum in partnership with Del Norte Health Career Pathways, to introduce elementary school students to healthcare careers with the goal of promoting the development of local professionals in underserved communities. Each lesson is designed to promote self-reflection and provide age appropriate life skill tools, including mindfulness activities and a reflective journal.

When the forest goes silent: Effects of human foot traffic on communication and diversity of passerine birds.

Ruby Andes, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This project looked at the effects of human foot traffic on the vocalization frequency of passerine birds throughout three popular trails in Arcata. Results suggest pets have a greater impact on bird vocalizations than humans and that there may be differences in predator presence between trails that birds are responding to.

Where Kitsch Meets Custom: Recent Native American Architecture in Northern California

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

A wave of new construction projects sponsored by Native American tribes is currently sweeping across Northern California. Federal recognition and Indian gaming have brought with them a flurry of development opportunities, particularly for casinos and tribal services buildings. An overview of such structures illustrates significant differences between the buildings tribes build for the general public, versus those that they construct for their own use. Such analysis helps demonstrate both the vision the general public has of Indian tribes, as well as the vision tribes have of themselves.

White-crowned sparrow song adjustments to anthropogenic noise

Lucca Faccini, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

An undergraduate Wildlife senior research project about understanding the relationship between white-crowned sparrow songs and anthropogenic noise.

White-crowned sparrow songs not shown to respond to anthropogenic noise pollution in coastal Humboldt County

Keagan Trischman, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

White-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) adjust their songs based on environmental factors. White-crowned sparrows have been observed altering their songs in response to loud anthropogenic background noise. This project sought to establish a link between ambient noise level and song variables such as minimum song frequency and frequency bandwidth.

Who Tells Your Story: Why #RepresentationMatters

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

#RepresentationMatters is a social media campaign to educate the world on why representation matters in literature, education, and entertainment media. For those who began the hashtag, it means that the storytellers are people of color, women, LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodivergent, or any combination thereof. The stories by these artists do not center on being a member of these communities, but do not erase the character’s experience of belonging to them, either. The artists hope to show the world the impact of being heard and seen, and to draw attention to how literature, education, and the entertainment industry currently depict their experiences.

Why It's the Thought That Counts: A Rhetorical Study of Greeting Cards

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Is it true that “It’s the thought that counts”? When we give and receive greeting cards in a variety of situations, we are not only documenting our thoughts towards a person or event but also enacting an internalized sense of human connection and care. This project explores the exigence for greeting cards, especially the pushback against digital versions of cards as impersonal and not as meaningful as handwritten notes, as well as, the different ways that greeting cards embody thoughts and intentions.

Why What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

"What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas" is much more than a catchy saying. An economic tool, this slogan has shaped the city. Through the use of billboards, casinos and shows Vegas offers anything one could need to fulfill their wildest fantasies. Drugs, sex and entertain are readily available. Vegas is much more than a destination it is a state of mind, one that is often detrimental. Exploiting the worst of human desire, Vegas earns the name "Sin City".