Behavioral Health Resource Booklet For Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Sally Stewart, Social Work Graduate Student

College of Professional Studies

My community project proposal mirrors what the youth in Humboldt County supervision, emergency monitoring, juvenile custody, ward, and non-ward probation, and their guardian(s) wish they knew, or want to reflect on. Resources for support and relevant information to navigate our legal system and improve our clients’ probabilities for success on the outside.

Benefits of Birth by Water Immersion

Kylie Dennhardt, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

Water birth has always been a controversial topic amongst expecting mothers, and I wanted to research the outcomes of water births to see if it really is as controversial as people think. In my research I highlight the benefits of birth by water immersion on both maternal and neonatal physiology.

Benefits of Physical Exercise On Motor and Non Motor Aspects in Parkinson's Disease

Ebony Isaiah, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that tends to affect the older adult population. The disease slowly takes away motor functioning and has negative repercussions on the individuals mental health. My research explores the interventions that physical exercise can have on non- motor and motor functions instead of using the medications that are prescribed for PD. The use of medications that are provided with long term use can be detrimental to motor function. The goal of this research is to help maintain health related quality of life and independence for those with PD.

Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators of water quality on the Mad River

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This project sampled benthic macroinvertebrate communities present at three locations in Humboldt County, California totaling 1642 individuals across 19 families. The composition of taxa differed significantly between upstream and downstream sites (p < 0.0000). Pollution taxa sensitive (Caenidae, Perlodidae, Pteronarcyidae, and Lepidostomatidae were present in the upstream sites and absent from the downstream site.

Benthic Microplastic Distribution in Humboldt Bay, Northern California: A Comparative Study of Surface Sediments Based on Proximity from the Shore

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This study focused on microplastic concentrations in and around Humboldt Bay, CA. Microplastics do not have a universal size class, but for the purpose of this study, microplastics were categorized as any plastic piece from 0.335 mm to 4.75 mm. Samples were taken on Humboldt State's research vessel "Coral Sea", and by foot on land. Both water and sediment samples were collected and analyzed to find the amount of microplastic particles per mass sampled. Visual microscopy was utilized to create counts for each station.

Best Practices in Adolecent Alcohol and Other Drug Interventions

College of Professional Studies

This project explored alcohol and other drug interventions that could be successfully implemented in our rural community, while also focusing on the special needs of foster and homeless youth. My goal was to focus on interventions for youth that are actively using alcohol and drugs, and to pay particular attention to interventions that focused on rural and indigenous youth. Interventions were screened using 6 key criteria. A total of 17 interventions met criteria to be included. Effective interventions were found to be school-based, peer-driven, built community within the school, and focused on developing positive coping skills among youth who participated.

Beyond Surviving—Thriving: A Study of Resilience Protective Factors in Child Welfare Social Workers

College of Professional Studies

The nature of the child welfare social work exposes workers to various forms of trauma impacting the sustainability of this workforce. The retention of social workers has a direct impact on the success or failure of families and children engaged with the child welfare system. Examining protective factors for these workers will increase information about where to focus agency and personal efforts. This is a quantitative study of resilience protective factors measuring resilience, personal meaning, quality of life and post traumatic growth. Findings will help us explore ways to support this workforce and how these factors may impact child welfare worker’s intention to continue in this field.

Beyond The Five Finger Discount: Monetary Motivations Behind Shoplifting

Emma Frerichs, Psychology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Social media has been used to share individual hauls of shoplifted items. Research suggests an evolutionary perspective for this behavior, suggesting mate-relevance. Images were collected using Tumblr search tags to examine the cost of stolen mate-relevant verses non-mate-relevant items posted online. The results demonstrate that mating-relevant items are significantly more expensive than non-mating-relevant items. Although the average prices of the stolen items were not significantly high for either category, the differences suggest a mating-relevant strategy for displaying shoplifted items.

Beyond the Impact: Traumatic Brain Injuries and Long-Term Association with Neurodegenerative Diseases

Andrea Lugo, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

A comprehensive overview of the relationship between traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The poster delves into the critical roles that the proteins tau and beta-amyloid play in the neurodegeneration associated with TBI, suggesting a strong link between TBI and subsequent neurodegenerative conditions. It calls for increased research into treatment strategies and an improved understanding of TBI’s long-term effects.

Bicycling for Exercise Helps Maintain a Youthful Metabolic Cost of Walking in Older Adults

College of Professional Studies

Healthy older adults have been shown to have a 15-20% greater metabolic cost of walking compared to young adults. However, a recent study suggests that older adults who routinely run for exercise have a lower metabolic cost of walking compared to older adults who walk for exercise. It remains unclear if bicycling elicits similar improvements among older adults. PURPOSE: To determine if regular bicycling exercise affects metabolic cost of walking in older adults. RESULTS: Across the range of walking speeds, older bicyclists had a 9-17% lower metabolic cost of walking compared to older walkers. CONCLUSION: Bicycling exercise mitigates the age-related deterioration of walking metabolic cost.