Black Phoebes Sing More Often in Noisier Anthropogenic Environments

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

My senior thesis research is about how anthropogenic noise, such as traffic noise influences bird communication is an important question to understand how increasing urbanization influences animal populations. A bird that might be affected by traffic noise is the Black Phoebe, a suboscine songbird that occurs in both rural and urban areas. In contrast to oscines, song in suboscines is innate and not learned, so it is thought to be less plastic. My objective was to investigate if Black Phoebes adjust their singing behavior in response to car traffic in urban and rural sites in Arcata, California.

Botanical Sciences and Native Studies

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

I will be describing research done by the Native Medicinal Plant Research Program relating to ethnobotany. The research includes: their botany database, plants collected, Physalis research, osha, at risk plants, asclepius, and echinacea. The core values of this research are Conservation and sustainable harvest of medicinal plants , Respect for Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants , and Education toward ecological responsibility,

Boy Scouts and Native American Cultural Appropriation

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

I will be doing a poster that outlines the history of how boy scouts had appropriated native american culture and the effect that that had on both tribes and the scouts that participated in events such as order of the arrow.

Bring Back the Bison

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

For ideafest, we plan to enlighten our fellow Humboldtians on how Native tribes are helping to save the bison from extinction. Bison have played a key role in Native culture, especially in the great plains . The Sioux and Assiniboine tribes of Fork pecks currently have the largest restoration herd, with up to 340 bison living and thriving on their lands. We major in zoology, so we decided to focus in on this subject because we are passionate about the wellbeing of animals and it is a clear bridge between Indigenous people, animals, and their culture. Thereby, a connection between NAS and Zoology is born and recognized :) .

Bringing Art to the Community

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The objective of this project is to collaborate with the Cal Poly Humboldt Art Department to create a story of how they have impacted the community. The art department has had many art education majors reach out to the community to help citizens explore the benefits of art. The reached out primarily to elementary schools and the Pelican Bay Prison

Bringing the Buffalo Back

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Researching how Zoology and Native American Studies to join together to find a way to protect rain forests.

Brown Pelican Relative Abundance and Predation Frequency in Humboldt County Habitats

Gavin Lahr, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

I conducted point-count surveys for Brown Pelicans in three different Humboldt County Habitats: Beaches, Bays, and Lagoons. Across nine survey sites I compared Brown Pelican relative abundance and predation frequency to determine what habitat type in Humboldt County was more important to Brown Pelican survival and conservation. Since 2009 Brown Pelicans were delisted from the Endangered Species Act, a momentous achievement for Brown Pelicans and conservationists. However, I believe it is important to continue monitoring species that have been delisted to ensure they remain healthy.

Build a Causal Diagram to Compare Calculus Outcomes Across CSU Campuses

Nathan Boone, Psychology Graduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

20% of CSU students received a failing grade in Calculus 1 between 2019 and 2021. As a required course for many STEM majors, Calculus 1 outcomes have an impact on many students. When staff discuss different teaching strategies and ways to use resources, it’s natural to compare failure rates between campuses. Different CSU campuses have different student populations, so a direct comparison of outcomes may be unfair. The proposed poster describes the process of designing an analysis that could carry out a standardized comparison of calculus outcomes across campuses. Attendees will be invited to interact with the poster by adding relevant variables and pathways with sticky notes and markers.

Cage Farm Fishing Restoration Project in South East Asia: Heavy Metals in the Surrounding Ecosystem

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The proposal for the study is to restore ecosystems near fish farms. Surrounded ecosystems have shown to be harmed by heavy pollutant (lead, mercury, and arsenic). In the long run the research team plans to stop more input of heavy metals into the water with the help of the Philippines community. The outcome for the project is to educate, care for the health of the community, and have cleaner and drinkable water.

California Black Bear diet composition in the Trinity and Klamath regions

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Project presentation on black bear diet composition and diversity between the Klamath and Trinity river regions.