Forest Attributes of Reproductive Habitat for Harpy Eagles in Darien Province, Panama

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

A Harpy Eagle's, (Harpia harpyja), reproductive cycle is distinctive amongst all raptors. Therefore, obtaining detailed knowledge of their reproductive habitat would assist in creating new management policies and conservation guidelines. We measured variables describing forest characteristics within 0.5-ha plots around each of ten nesting and control trees in the Pacific region of Darien Province, Panama. Variables measured were: tree family richness; tree density, height and diameter; shrub density; and coverage of understory and canopy foliage. We then used Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) to compare a series of models specified a priori to assess the importance of forest attributes.

Forest Edge Effects on Insects in Coastal Redwoods

Sebastian Mendoza, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

When it comes to coastal redwood forests, there aren’t many studies that focus on insect abundance being affected by edge effects. The focus of this study is to see what species of insects are being affected by the forest edge. I will assess this question using pitfalls and sticky traps to trap ground insects and flying insects, respectively. I hypothesize that the closer distance from the edge habitat will positively influence insect diversity. This study will allow future researchers to see if there’s a correlation between insect abundance and other species that use insects as a food source.

Forest Education and Upkeep

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

I have been helping Redwood State Parks with trail maintenance, removal of invasive species, and interpretive hikes through Patrick's Point's native plant garden. The goal of this work is to help maintain forests and trails, and educate the public about the botanical features of the region. I have also helped a biologist map plant diversity in various parts of Little River State Beach. The goal was to detect differences in areas that were both disturbed and undisturbed. I hope to contribute to the upkeep of Redwood State Parks in a meaningful way, as well as inspire others to see the importance and beauty of the natural world.

Forest Response to Severe Drought: Do restoration thinning treatments in coast redwood-Douglas fir forests increase resiliency to drought?

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Coast redwood-Douglas-fir forest hold important economic, ecological, and cultural values which will likely be threatened by changing climate and increased drought stress. Restoration thinning has been used by forest managers with the goals of decreasing stand competition and accelerating maturation to old-growth conditions. However, uncertainty still remains on whether restoration treatments provide forests with increased resiliency to disturbances such as severe drought. The aim of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of different restoration treatments in improving second-growth forest resiliency to drought stress in coast redwood-Douglas-fir forests of Redwood NP.

Fort Humboldt: The Development of Redwood Logging in Humboldt, 1878-1950

Qasim Naqvi, Anthropology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

In this poster, I describe the process by which we inventoried items and analyze how technology evolved in concert with broader shifts in the Redwood timber industry. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how archival research and data collection processes are conducted within the realm of historical archaeology and also reflects Humboldt County's independence. The material analysis presented in this project will showcase logging technology’s environmental, cultural and economic impacts on the landscape and lifestyles of the region’s inhabitants.

Fortuna Firefighting

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

For my research project, I engaged in volunteer work for the Fortuna Firefighting Department. To fully engage myself into the lens of a firefighter, I signed up for the full academy and will earn fire fighter I status. This entails firefighter ethics and expectations, safety, communications, tools and equipment, water supply and hose lays, fire behavior, building construction, ventilation, loss control, rescue and extrication, and wildland fires. The firefighter code is to save lives, protect the environment, and protect property. With doing so, firefighters continuously adjust to diversity, personal characteristics, personal responsibility, and resistance to change.

Fostering Preparedness: Service Learning with the Red Cross

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Community preparedness for extreme geophysical events (floods, wildfires, etc.) is essential, especially since such events are projected to increase in terms of frequency and intensity due to climate change. For my spring 2018 capstone project I have partnered with the Red Cross to engage with their local preparedness programs. Our collaboration has allowed me to apply my GIS skills and participate in mapping their supply trailers and shelter locations, which I will overlay with additional data such as flood zones, wildfire prone areas, etc. The maps I will complete throughout the semester will provide insight regarding possible emergency scenarios and contribute to their effective planning.

Foundation and Development of Satellite Case Manager Position at Transitional Residential Treatment Facilities

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

A foundation was needed for the Satellite Case Manager position at Transitional Residential Treatment Facilities. To address the issue, an employee guidebook was created to define the position and act as a training tool for new employees. Institutional knowledge, experience, and current literature guided the development of a Satellite Case Manager handbook that acts as a foundation for the position. An executive summary was also completed recommending next steps to increase collaboration with stakeholders , clearly define roles of Satellite Case Manager, and to expand the scope of the Satellite Case Manager to better meet the needs of clients and other stakeholders.

Free Weight Bench Press Muscular Fitness Normative Data for Adults Aged 20-29 Years

College of Professional Studies

The free weight bench press test is one of the most convenient tests used to evaluate muscular fitness and the effectiveness of resistance training programs for a variety of sports. However, its use and interpretation as an evaluative measurement for health-related physical fitness tests are limited because there are few published reference values derived for the general population. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to generate normative values for free weight bench press 1 repetition maximal (RM) and 4 sets of 65% of 1RM training volume (total repetitions × resistance) for 20- to 29-year-olds for men and women.

Freedom of Shirtspression

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

For our project, we each individually chose a Supreme Court case. We chose a specific case, turned it into a t-shirt design, and then brought it to life with our own twist to create a contemporary representation. Our research in turn, has given us our own freedom to express what we believe about certain issues. Adam looked at Cohen vs California, Camille looked at Tinker vs. Des Moines and DaMon looked at Morse vs Fredrick. We combined our ideas and experiences dealing with Freedom of Expression to summarize what we learned in the class and applied them to our t-shirts and current issues. "Don't Stress, Freely Express." Website: http://ash3852.wixsite.com/shirtspression