The Simplest Solution Is Almost Always The Best

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

We have discovered that online teaching is hard, and I am no expert, however I did what to better understand what types of presentations are possible when you have limited funds and even more limited expertise. The simplest solution is almost always the best. I believable this statement and reference it often when I am working on a problem. However I wanted to look at some ideas. In this presentation I will explore, through demonstration several ways of presenting online. My initial focus was to find ways to do home video with better sound, but a little research has shown me that with a some effort and a small investment you can create more interesting and engaging material for students.

The Smith River Plain Water Quality Management Plan: A collaborative Effort Between the Regional Water Board and Cal Poly Humboldt

Logan Wolfe, Chemistry Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The Smith River, known as one of the most pristine watersheds in the continental United States, dissects agricultural land used for Easter lily cultivation in the Smith River Plain of Del Norte County, California. It is estimated that this region grows 95% of all Easter lilies grown in the world. High amounts of pesticides are applied during cultivation to combat nematodes and fungi. The Regional Water Board created the Smith River Plain Water Quality (SRPWQ) Management Plan in response to pesticide and fertilizer concentrations that have exceeded USEPA benchmarks. Included in this plan are Best Management Practices (BMPs) that aim to improv

The Sodium Channel Blocker Tricaine Reduces Regeneration in Lumbriculus variegatus:a Study at the Ultrastructural and Light Microscopic Levels

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Lumbriculus variegatus has great ability to regenerate from small fragments into a new worm. In this study, we expose the worms to the voltage-gated sodium channel blocker Tricaine (MS-222) and examine somatic regeneration of heads and tails following body transection. Images of regenerating worms under normal conditions and treated worms with (1700μm) of tricaine were examined after amputation through TEM, SEM, and light level. Regeneration of both new head and tail body segments was reduced in the presence of tricaine, especially in the tail regeneration. Therefore, voltage- gated sodium channels showed to affect regeneration in the blackworms.

The Surface Distribution of Trace Metals Along a Pacific Meridional Transect: GEOTRACES GP-15 Research Cruise

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Many trace metals are delivered to the ocean in the form of wind-blown sediments and by riverine input, some of which are essential micronutrients. Iron has been found to play a significant role in limiting biological productivity in many regions of the ocean such as in the California Current System. Investigating this distribution of trace metals provides insight into processes affecting surface ocean waters. In Fall 2018, the GEOTRACES GP-15 cruise traveled from Alaska to Tahiti along the 152°W meridian, a region yet to be well characterized for trace metals. Our group is interested in the distribution of scandium in surface waters as a proxy for understanding processes affecting iron.

The Table Tabletop: A beautiful, awful game with my friends

Thomas Franaszek, Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The presentation is a showcase of a tabletop roleplaying game I made and played with my friends. The game was initially a way to connect in the the hard times of the Covid lockdown, but became much more than that. It demonstrates how the art and storytelling of myself and my friends has evolved over three years.

The True Roots of Chocolate: A Study of Cacao

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

When we eat food, we don't tend to think about its agricultural history and origins. An effective way to learn this history is by looking to the original Indigenous peoples' relationships with this food. This is a look at a plant/food we heavily value in the present day: chocolate, otherwise known as cacao. Though we presently have it all around the world in a variety of methods of consumption, this poster will help inform the ways in which cacao was used by Indigenous peoples of North and South America. Studying the past uses of this plant in compared to current uses will provide a thought-provoking learning experience that allows us to reassess our own present uses of cacao.

The Upscaling of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation for Direct Potable Reuse of Wastewater

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Direct contact membrane distillation is a thermally driven separation process that can be used for treating wastewater. A solution of hot water and a solution of cold water are placed in direct contact on opposite sides of a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane, causing the contents to separate into distilled water and brine. Due to these properties, DCMD has potential to be used on a larger scale, transforming impaired water bodies into viable sources of drinking water. This particular project is a bench-scale DCMD system and will be used to treat leachate from a landfill in Eureka, before being sent to University of Nevada-Reno to be coupled with a membrane bioreactor.

The Use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Yellowstone Park

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Throughout history, indigenous tribes have used traditional ecological knowledge, TEK, to utilize natural resources while simultaneously tending to the environment. In our presentation, we will examine how incorporating these ideas of TEK will be a positive addition to the ecosystem and aid in conservation. We will focus specifically on the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park and explain how this is an example of TEK. By adding a predator to the ecosystem, they will benefit it by keeping prey populations under control to restore the natural balance of the land

The Yurok Tribe and The California Condor

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

We will be presenting the connection between the California Condor and the Yurok tribe. Focusing on the reintroduction of the California Condor into Northern California and Humboldt county. We will be presenting information on the history of the California Condor and the problems it has faced in the past.

There's not a lot of cool chicks out there: A regional study of climate change on passerine morphology over time

Tabitha Page, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Wildlife have been responding to climate change in many ways, and I decided to focus on if warming temperatures are influencing avian morphology by using museum specimens from the Cal Poly Humboldt Wildlife Museum. This study focused on passerine birds collected from the 1880's up until 2022.