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Ocean Acidification and Surfgrass Buffering on Calcifying Intertidal Organisms
- Savannah AnasBiologyUndergraduate Student
- Thien CrisantoBiologyUndergraduate Student
- Tyrone McDonaldBiologyUndergraduate Student
- Ellis SmithBiologyUndergraduate Student
- Tayler TharaldsonBiologyGraduate Student
- Nicholas WilsonBiologyUndergraduate Student
Our project addresses the question of whether Phyllospadix spp., a surfgrass, can effectively buffer calcium carbonate uptake by calcifying intertidal organisms. This question has significant ramifications for the Humboldt County coastline, which is considered an ocean acidification “hot spot” due to its exposure to acidic water during periods of upwelling. Our group will observe Phyllospadix spp. and it's influence on calcium carbonate deposition on cockle clams and articulated coralline algae . The results will vary due to the abundance of Phyllospadix spp. and invertebrates in each aquarium, and will determine if the calcification rate will be higher in the presence of Phyllospadix spp.
Offshore Wind Resource Assessment
- Christina OrtegaSchatz Energy Research Center / Environmental Resources EngineeringUndergraduate Student
Offshore wind energy has enormous potential to help meet California’s 100% clean electricity target. The Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University is studying the feasibility of offshore wind farms in Northern California. One project, funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), models the power generation from different size offshore wind farms including 50, 150 and 1,800 MW, each located 20-30 miles offshore. The results show that the wind speeds in this region are some of the highest on the West Coast, producing up to 7,540 GWh/year for the largest MW wind farms. This represents 900% of Humboldt County’s electrical needs and 3.8% of California’s demand.
Oh my God. I am the highest I have ever been: User Experiences with Cannabis Edibles
- Josh MeiselSociologyFaculty
- Grecia AlfaroSociologyUndergraduate Student
- Marco ChavezSociologyUndergraduate Student
- Rosa CuevasSociologyUndergraduate Student
- Jay SchoenfieldSociologyUndergraduate Student
- Jessica SmithSociologyGraduate Student
- Torisha StoneSociologyGraduate Student
Cannabis legalization in the U.S. is associated with greater usage, new cultivation methods, increased THC potency, and new modes of ingestion. Inconsistent edibles labeling and dosage control resulted in a spike in cannabis edible related emergency room admissions. This study examined negative user experiences with edibles. We conducted in-depth interviews with a nonrandom sample of 45 medical and recreational cannabis users in California and Colorado. We asked interviewees about their prior use, negative edible experience, and short and long-term responses to their bad edible experience. We coded interviews for the sources and behavioral implications of negative edible experiences.
Oh Sh*t! Roosevelt Elk Spread Invasive Plants
Elizabeth Luttrell, Wildlife Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & SciencesInvasive plants and Roosevelt elk play important roles within an ecosystem, but knowledge on their interactions and ungulates roles as seed dispersers are limited. This study looked at Roosevelt elk in Humboldt County and if their pellets germinated plants, specifically invasive or native.
Old Town Eureka: A Historic Tour and Photo Collection
- Christopher TuckGeography, Environment, and Spatial AnalysisUndergraduate Student
- Benjamin CookGeography, Environment, and Spatial AnalysisUndergraduate Student
We have been working directly with the Humboldt County Historical Society over this past semester in an effort to offer them a way of gaining the community's attention and ultimately producing more members of the society. By making a Story Map, we offer the local communities in and around Eureka, California a way to digitally and physically make their way through Old Town Eureka so that they can compare the historical photos of the area to what is now there. We hope that this educates our local communities of the history that surrounds them, and encourages them to visit and support the Humboldt County Historical Society whenever and however they can.
On the effects of climate-induced forest disturbances on spider assemblages in Michigan
- Yuliana RoweWildlifeUndergraduate Student
Climatic changes affect the intensity and frequency of forest disturbances (e.g. fire, droughts, and insect outbreaks). During the summer of 2016, we used an experimental forest at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) to observe spider responses to a simulated insect outbreak. We collected spiders from plots with different disturbance severities via pitfall traps and identified them to the lowest taxonomic level possible in order to compare Shannon-Weiner diversity indices. Our hypothesis that spider diversity would be lower in more disturbed plots was supported. Leaf area index, potential prey abundances, and down woody debris were also found to affect spider assemblages.
On to the Future! for Renewable Energy in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas
- Amanda HemingwayMathematicsUndergraduate Student
- Briana RamirezMathematicsUndergraduate Student
- Jaime SanchezMathematicsUndergraduate Student
The data analysis MCM problem asked us to create energy profiles and to understand trends and important variables in order to make future goals for the states Arizona, California, Texas, and New Mexico. We made statistical models for each state to understand trends, as well as to help in the predictions for energy usage in 1925 and 1950. A ranking of each profile was instituted based on an analysis of the given data. Using both the models and the profiles, goals were set for all the states to make together in an Energy Compact to increase renewable energy production and consumption. This was all compiled into a memo for the state's governors.
On-Campus Student Physical Activity and Community Explooration During COVID-19
- Kaelani JonesKinesiologyUndergraduate Student
- Dr. Whitney OgleKinesiologyFaculty
- Liliana AmadorKinesiologyUndergraduate Student
- Emigdia MacarioKinesiology
Conducting this research study to learn more about how on-campus students participate in physical activity and explore the local community. You are invited to participate in this survey if you are a student at HSU and live on campus. Your part in this study involves responding to a 10-minute online survey on Survey Monkey about your current participation in physical activity and community engagement. Your participation in this study is voluntary. Risks and Benefits: There are minimal possible risks involved for participants. You may feel uncomfortable answering questions about your physical activity participation.
Only Birds Can Start Wildfires
- Nathan ChavezWildlife Conservation and ManagementUndergraduate Student
- Payton WillsWildlife Conservation and ManagementUndergraduate Student
Our creative project is going to revolve around the ecological knowledge of the Chicken Hawk that is from Indigenous people of the Humboldt County area. We want to show the significance that Chicken Hawk has in their culture and how it correlates to scientific research that has been done and is being done on them today. We aim to show how ecological knowledge can be applied to current research and assist modern day scientists.
Open Pit Iron Mining on Michigan's Upper Peninsula
- Brian MurphyEnvironmental Science and ManagmentUndergraduate Student
Michigan's Upper Peninsula is an iron rich region in the Marquette Iron Range (aka Negaunee Iron Formation) that has been mined since the mid-1800's. By the 1950's most of the easily accessible high grade ore had been mined, forcing the mining companies to dig deeper for less valuable ore. The entire complex depicted in this map is commonly referred to as the National Mine, but it is broken up into two separate facilities: the Empire Mine to the east (which closed in 2016), and the Tilden Mine to the west (the last active Iron mine in Michigan). While these mines have been great for the local economy, this has come at the cost of major environmental impacts.