Billing Medi-Cal for Indigenous Cultural Practices

College of Professional Studies

Two Feathers Native American Family Services is becoming a Medi-Cal provider through Humboldt County Mental Health. This will provide new revenue streams for their services but also requires navigating the Medi-Cal billing system. For my masters project, I helped research and compile best billing practices so Two Feathers can effectively bill for their many culturally-based interventions. My poster will highlight the important work Two Feathers is doing and will explain the importance of culturally-based interventions.

Bio-Renewable Hydrogel Polymers from Modified Chitosan: Progress Toward Three Dimensional Cell Growth Scaffolds

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Hydrogels are water-containing gels that have a hydrophilic polymer network and can absorb a large quantity of water without the dissolution of the polymer network. The current research focuses on producing hydrogels from chitosan, a bio-renewable polymer, and trans-cinnamic acid. The resulting solutions are photo-crosslinked in a catalyst-free environment under broad band ultra-violet (UV) radiation to produce hydrogels. The hydrogels show an average 75% swelling capacity in H2O. Initial cell growth studies have been carried out on sterilized hydrogels. Current efforts are being directed towards optimization of gels towards cell growth.

Bio-Renewable Hydrogel Polymers from Modified Chitosan: Progress Towards Three Dimensional Cell Growth Scaffolds

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The current research focuses on producing hydrogels from chitosan, a bio-renewable bio-compatible and bio-degradable polymer. Hydrogels are used as contact lenses, drug delivery systems, and biomedical applications such as tissue engineering. Chitosan is the deacetylated form of chitin, an abundant biopolymer found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects. Amino acid coupling, using 1-Ethyl-3-(3- dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC), is employed to covalently attach trans-cinnamic acid to the free amine of chitosan. Modified chitosan is then cross-linked under UV irradiation to produce hydrogels. The swelling capacity and sterilizability are currently under investigation.

Biological Profiles: An analysis on the applicability and implications of traditional and new methods in forensic anthropology

Jazmin Borrayo, Anthropology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

In forensics, commonly used when conducting an assessment of skeletal remains is the implementation of a biological profile. The key elements that typically form the basic biological profile are age, ancestry, sex, and stature. These components consist of further methods that comprise the estimation process and are essential in identification. Within recent years, there has been a rise in attention to the use and application of certain methods. This project analyzes the applicability and implications of traditional methods commonly used in forensic anthropology when conducting biological profiles as well as examines the emergence of new methods in the field.

Bird Diversity and Habitat Preferences: A Comparative Analysis of Humboldt Campus and Arcata Community Forest

Edwin Ramirez, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This study will look at the abundance and richness of birds on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus and in the Arcata Community Forest. The primary objective is to understand how various environmental factors could influence bird population in these two locations. Studying the abundance and richness of birds in urban environments, forest edges, and forest interiors could provide important insights into conservation and management strategies.

Bird Diversity in Arcata, California: A Study on Urban Influence

Brittany Ocheltree, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

In this study, the primary goal was to observe the effects of urbanization on bird species diversity and composition of native and non-native species in Arcata, California. Methods include fixed radius 75-meter point counts for ten minutes, within thirty predetermined study sites, where I counted bird species and the abundance of birds, landscape features (e.g., building density), along with noting any human activity that may occur. I hypothesized that non-native species would increase with increasing building density. In conjunction with that species diversity would decrease with building density.

Bisexuality, Intersectionality, and the Bechdel Test in Jane the Virgin

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

I did my project on the telenovela "Jane The Virgin" and looking at the stereotypes that the show portrays about Latino culture. I discuss bisexuality within the latino culture, intersectionality, the Bechdel Test, and apply all of this to the show and telenovelas in general. I did this project for my Comm 309B class.

Bitches Been Mad

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Society shies away from emotions like rage, because it is scary and uncomfortable, however rage is and always has been a part of the human experience. Especially women, queer and BIPOC women, do not have safety in society to be anything but gentle. All people deserve a safe space to see that we are not crazy, we are just like everyone else, and express our rage through art. Through art we can experience, release and heal. While all identities should be welcome, it is important to center the feminine, as society has less space for this. I believe there is opportunity to collaborate between departments like counseling and gender studies to create a safe, healing, educational, and FUN space.

Black bears in suburban areas consume more anthropogenic foods

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Consumption of human food by black bears (Ursus americanus) is a common and challenging problem for wildlife managers dealing with the species, because bears will readily use human-associated foods as an easily attainable energy source, especially when natural food sources are scarce .The result of human expansion is increased rates of encounters between humans and bears, particularly if bears are being forced to search farther and wider outside their home ranges for food. In this study I assessed variation in anthropocentric foods in bear diets. To accomplish this, I compared scat samples collected in Humboldt, CA from suburban and rural areas.

BLACK HUMBOLDT An Impactful Mission

Nauselle Gleglaud, Business Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

As a College Corps Fellow, I supported Black Humboldt, a nonprofit uplifting Black and Brown communities in Humboldt County. I focused on behind-the-scenes work designing flyers, managing outreach, organizing files, and tracking expenses which gave me insight into the thoughtful planning behind inclusive, community-rooted spaces. This experience showed me that even administrative tasks can meaningfully support grassroots work. Black Humboldt’s mission highlights how intentional care fosters belonging, amplifies underrepresented voices, and redefines solidarity in rural areas.