Early Cretaceous Cupressaceae in the Budden Canyon Formation of northern California

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The Early Cretaceous Budden Canyon Formation of North America contains a few anatomically preserved plant fossils ca. 125 Ma old (Barremian-early Aptian). Recent investigations of the Budden Canyon Formation have revealed a preserved seed cone assignable to the Cupressaceae. Based on serial sections and a 3-D reconstruction, the fossil cone was compared with living Cupressaceae and revealed significant differences from most genera and closest similarity, but not identity, with Sequoia. The age and morphology of the cone also suggests that it may represent an extinct member of the sequoioid, a lineage which gave rise to modern redwoods (Sequoia) and giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron).

Early Intervention for Young Children in Improving Future Outcomes

College of Professional Studies

The project is based on a review study being done to understand different types of early interventions (0-8 years) that are available to help young children and their families in improving the future outcomes of the children. In this paper, I define early intervention, present different areas and formats, list various programs available in the Humboldt County, and make recommendations for parents and professionals who work with them.

Eat to Live: An analysis on Human Adaptation to Our Own Actions

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Food is a fundamental life struggle, and just like any other species, humans have developed ways to meet our nutritional needs. Using scholarly peer reviewed texts, I investigated if there was any change to our nutritional needs as we have genetically modified the corn plant. Trends in the data analysed suggest that while the nutritional needs of humans hasn’t changed, the amounts in which we consume certain foods has profound effects on the human body. In the case of corn, too much sugar, such as high fructose corn syrup gives us an stored energy with out any extra nutrients. If we then do not burn off this stored energy it will accumulate and cause health problems.

Ecocentrism vs. Individualism

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Congress okays reducing sea lion populations to help out Chinook Salmon. Salmon are a cultural importance to Indigenous populations and play a key role in the ecosystems it lives in. The idea of killing a natural predator to save another that is used in many ways. The declining salmon populations are being affected by many different pressures and many others are being affected by it such as killer whales.

EcoNews

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The presentation of my research will document the process by which EcoNews, the bimonthly environmental publication produced by the Northcoast Environmental Center in Arcata, California, comes to fruition. I have gained experience in this topic through my internship with the Northcoast Environmental Center, where I help to produce EcoNews. Additionally, I will present on the history behind EcoNews, as it has been in operation since 1971 and is one of the longest-running bioregional publications in the nation.

Edge Effects on Salamander Morphology in the Arcata Community Forest

Blake Knapp, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This project examines how edge effects influence the weight and snout-to-vent length (SVL) salamanders (Order Caudata) in the Arcata Community Forest. Effects, caused by habitat fragmentation, can alter environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and soil composition, potentially affecting salamander physiology and well-being. The study aims to investigate whether salamanders living near forest edges exhibit different morphological characteristics compared to those in interior habitats. If salamanders in the Arcata Community Forest are impacted by edge effects, then there will be a significant correlation between snout to vent lengths (SVL) and weight and distance from the edge.

Eelgrass beds impact on juvenile Dungeness crab in Humboldt Bay, CA.

Jillian Hodge, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) is a pivotal decapod species along the Pacific coast, playing a significant role both economically and ecologically. This study aimed to investigate the influence of common eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds on juvenile Dungeness crab populations within Humboldt Bay, California. Utilizing crab hoop traps deployed across 30 sites at four distinct beach locations, the research sought to identify habitat preferences and better understand the ecological dynamics shaping juvenile Dungeness crab distributions.

Effect of Channel Size on the Development of Resistance in a Carbon Nanotube Network

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The burgeoning demand for nanotechnology presents a specific issue in that it requires the production of electronic components at a physical scale that is difficult and costly to achieve. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have potential in a wide range of electronics applications (1), but there are many lingering questions about their behavior. This project seeks to use computational modeling to propose a relationship between the number of CNT-on-CNT contacts and the effective resistance of a CNT network as the physical parameters change.

Effect of Foot Orthoses on Energetics and Lower Limb Mechanics in Healthy Adults During Cycling

College of Professional Studies

The use of custom foot orthotics and wedging techniques has been recognized in the literature as a method to mechanically alter or improve joint function at the hip and knee. This study investigated the effect of foot orthoses on energetics and lower limb mechanics in healthy adults during cycling. We hypothesized that alterations to medial foot support will affect lower limb mechanics as well as metabolic values. Participants completed an individualized protocol that involved cycling in four foot orthoses conditions at three power intensities. The results of this study provide insights into the use of foot orthoses for; correcting mechanics, improving energetics and reducing injury.

Effect of Size at Release on Tendency of Trinity River Hatchery Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to Return as Half-Pounders

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

I used scale analysis to estimate the half-pounder frequency among wild and hatchery steelhead from the Trinity River 2011 and 2012 smolt years and compare those estimates to the half-pounder frequency from 1993 until 2008. Hatchery steelhead from 2011 and 2012 had higher half-pounder tendencies than those from 1993 until 2008. Wild steelhead from 2011 and 2012 also showed increased half-pounder tendencies. This supports the hypothesis that increased size at release of hatchery steelhead is related to decline in the half-pounder life history, but also suggests that another factor influences the half-pounder tendency of these steelhead.