Conservation on Hunting

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The goals of animal conservation and the goals of indigenous peoples wishing to hunt are not compatible in all cases. There has been a large amount of land being modified by modern civilization and it is increasing rapidly. There has been two pressing reasons for the preservation of undisturbed land, one is the preservation of indigenous homelands and the preservation of wildlife. Conservationists and indigenous peoples have been paying attention on certain wildlife and Indigenous homelands. Some of the data they do on hunting by indigenous people are, 1) the time period over which the information on hunting was collected ; and 2) the number of people consuming the game killed.

Conspicuous Crisis Concerning Consumption of Calamitous Compounds

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

After manipulating the data, our team presents our conclusions and strategies in an attempt to illuminate and combat the opioid crisis in the 5 states of question. We make policy recommendations for government officials regarding (1) the spread of the current opioid crisis in and between the five states, (2) the various characteristics of opioid incidents in all counties, and (3) the associated socio-economic factors that are present in counties that are in danger of being in an Opioid Crisis.

Construction of Flow Injection System to Detect and Analyze Zinc Using Fluorescent Methods

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Zinc is a metal that is found in trace amounts in seawater and acts as a micronutrient to marine phytoplankton. To detect and quantify trace amounts of zinc, a flow injection (FI) system was constructed using a flow-through fluorescence detector. The FI system was interfaced with a LabVIEW program which allows for the signals to be analyzed and quantifies time resolved peaks. Zinc, when bound to the organic ligand p-tosyl-8-aminoquinoline (p-taq), fluoresces when exposed to an excitation wavelength of 377 nm and emits light at 495 nm. The fully functioning FI system will be used in the analysis of zinc in Humboldt Bay and coastal waters.

Construction of Niemann Pick Disease Type C1 HEK293 Cell Model Utilizing CRISPR Gene Editing

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Niemann Pick Disease Type C1 (NPC1) is a rare lysosomal storage disorder that affects 1:150,000 people. The disease is characterized by cholesterol accumulation within lysosomes, as well as clinical cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. These symptoms can be attributed to a mutation in the NPC1 gene that leads to the interruption of the intracellular cholesterol transport. Using CRISPR Cas9 technology, the ability to make a cellular model with inducible CRISPR gene regulation can give researchers considerable insight into the cellular pathology of Niemann Pick Disease Type C1 as well as the ability to apply targeted drug therapy and potentially lead to drug discovery.

Content Analysis of Sexualized Violence Across the California State University System

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Content analysis of the sexual assault prevention programs and education provided at the 23 universities within the California State University system.

Context-Specific Effects of Facial Dominance and Trustworthiness on Leadership Judgments

College of Professional Studies

Social judgments of faces predict important social outcomes, including leadership decisions. Some studies have even linked these face preferences to actual election outcomes, within one second using just facial cues. Facial dominance and trustworthiness have context-specific effects on leadership decisions, with facial cues linked to dominance being preferred in hypothetical wartime scenarios and facial cues linked to trustworthiness being preferred in hypothetical peacetime scenarios. Here, we report a conceptual replication of Spisak et al. (2012), using only female faces that vary naturally in perceived trustworthiness and dominance.

Continuum of Violence Research Project

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This project explores the spatial distribution of automobile title lenders across four metropolitan areas. Automobile title loans are specific form of alternative finance that targets individuals who do not have access to traditional forms of credit. Our research shows that the spatial distributions of these alternative financial service providers concentrate in lower income neighborhoods where residents tend to be poorer, less educated, and less white. Thus, there are clear class and racial dimensions to the marketing, spatial presence, and consumption of these alternative loan products.

Controlled Fires

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

For our creative project we decided to create a poster explaining the relationionships between controled fires and forests. While participating in our Native American Studies class, we spoke breifly about how Native Americans used controlled fires to better the vegagtaion within their land. As biology (the study of life) and botnay (the study of plants) majors, the idea of controlled fires helping forests become more suitable for the life surronding it was an increcribly intresting topic for our research poster. Throughout our presentation we will be taking a closer look at how exactly controlled fires are able to help plants grow back stronger and healthier in the years after the fire.

Conversations Matter: Mediation Theory, Practice, and Social Change

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

I am participating in a service learning project through the Environmental Studies’ Spring 2017 Senior Capstone. My emphasis in community organizing has established my curiosity and passion for conflict resolution communication. Conflict is a part of life. How this inevitability takes form and is approached varies and has social ramifications. Working with Humboldt Mediation Services has informed me about the social impacts mediation theory and practice impart and has revealed the need for and power of alternative dispute resolution in personal, social, environmental, and political arenas. This project highlights my involvement with and vision for mediation theory and practice.

Conversations on Transportation- Exploring Transportation Concerns for HSU OLLI Members

College of Professional Studies

HSU OLLI holds classes all over Humboldt County. With a member population of people aged 50 and better, the accessibility issues and transportation problems getting to all the class sites is a huge concern for the program. This study looks into what exactly are the barriers for members and what transportation options are available in Humboldt County for this population.