Preparation and Evaluation of Polylactic Acid-Quinoa Composite films

David Schmitz, Chemistry Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild.) was evaluated as a starting material for the preparation of biodegradable composites with polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-renewable polymer. Incorporation of natural plant fibers into composite material has been shown to generate active packaging materials with a variety of benefits as well as increasing the rate at which these materials degrade back into the environment. Films with varying amounts of quinoa combined with PLA were prepared and studied in a variety of methods to evaluate their usefulness as bio-renewable materials.

Preservation of Diatoms Around the January 26, 1700 Earthquake Event, using Core Sample MD.14.03B collected at McDaniel Slough, North Humboldt Bay, Arcata

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Core MD1403B contains a salt marsh soil layer between mudflat material, which was caused by subsidence produced by the 1700 earthquake. Three samples were taken from the core to look at the preservation of the diatoms from each sample and compared to one another to determine if the 1700 earthquake caused a large enough subsidence to produce high velocity water to flow into the area. The samples were examined at using the secondary electron(SE) feature of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Increased occurrence of damaged cells supports the conclusion that there was a fluctuation in water levels that produced a high velocity flow of water.

Prevalence of Iridovirus in Terrestrial Isopod Colonies

Aang Younger, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Presentation on a study conducted in Arcata, CA on the prevalence of an understudied virus in terrestrial isopods: Iridovirus. This study aimed to detect if there are associations among soil moisture level, density of potential isopod hosts, and/or temperature with the prevalence of Iridovirus. Across 7 study sites, a significant association was detected between soil moisture level and prevalence of Iridovirus, and density of potential isopod hosts and prevalence of Iridovirus.

Professional Networking Communications

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

I will be presenting a poster and an oral presentation on Professional Networking Communications (P.N.C). Being able to attain new opportunities through the art of communication is what P.N.C means to me. Not everyone is born with a golden spoon, so to get what you want, you might have to persuade, motivate, or enlighten someone. You can network with verbal communication, like speaking appropriately, and variating your tone of voice. However, physical communication is just as effective when networking; the way one dresses, behaves, and even stands. Professional networking communication is the skill of growing yourself and or career through person to person encounter.

Provenance Analysis of the Plio-Pleistocene Prairie Creek Formation, Humboldt County, CA

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The Pio-Pleistocene Prairie Creek Formation (PCF) is located within Prairie Creek State Park on the forearc of the Cascadia subduction zone. The PCF was deposited in late Pliocene to Pleistocene time during a time of mostly forearc subsidence, which resulted in an ancestral Klamath River to deposit fluvial sand and conglomerate in a braided river environment. By looking at the composition of the sand and gravels we can determine the provenance of the formation, which can then intern be used to constrain the paleogeography of the nearby coast range and Klamath Mountains during the time of deposition.

Quality Control Methods for Analyzing Metals in Seawater: Blanks

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Many metals in seawater are key micronutrients, essential in small quantities for the growth of phytoplankton. Analysis of these metals can be challenging due to their low concentration and the complex seawater matrix. Properly quantifying the blanks of the analytical method is critical to obtaining excellent results. In this work, we present preliminary data on accurately and precisely quantifying the blanks due to the analytical process of measuring metals in seawater. Once the blanks are properly quantified and minimized, the method can be used with seawater samples.

Quantification and Comparison of Microplastic Contents in Wild Mussels and Maricultured Oysters from Humboldt Bay, California using Enzymatic Digestion Methods

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This research evaluates the microplastic (MP) contents of commercially maricultured Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and wild mussels (Mytilus edulis) from Humboldt Bay (HB), California. Bivalves were collected from each of three different locations in HB, and oysters were cultivated in HB. All bivalves were digested with proteolytic enzyme complexes, vacuum filtered, and MP's were quantified by microscopic examination. All samples contained MP's, and significantly different concentrations of MP particles were found between bivalves collected from different locations. Results also suggest that Corolase 8000 is a more efficient enzyme complex than Corolase 7089 for this purpose.

Quantify Your Perception: A Portable (And Stylish) Method

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Have you ever wondered how much dopamine your brain releases when you hug your dog? Or how extensive your addiction to caffeine is? Recent advances in brain imaging have allowed us to begin answering such questions, and many more, without the need to insert probes into a person’s head. The use of Electroencephalography (EEG) is one method of measuring brain activity, which is both high in temporal resolution (it’s fast) and possibly the next big fashion trend. This project examines the efficacy of using EEG to measure regional neurotransmitter concentrations, brain-activity pathways, in addition to the feasibility of making such technology aesthetically attractive to wear.

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Foraging in Relation to Storm Drains

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Human-animal conflicts are becoming more relevant as urban areas expand. Let's take a look at the raccoons on Cal Poly Humboldt's campus as an example of how to handle other species that may come into conflict with people. In my project I looked at storm drain distance from trashcans to see if there is any relation to how often they are used by the raccoons.

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Trash Can Use in Relation to Distance from Dining

Haley Fowler, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Raccoons have been observed around the campus of Cal Poly Humboldt, particularly in the trash cans. In this study, I tested how distance from dining resources affects raccoon trash can use. I predicted that trash cans closer to dining resources would be visited more often than other trash cans. My results indicated that trash can location in relation to dining resources did not impact the number of visits.