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Presenters & Abstracts: 2015
Assaying the Substrate Activities and Enantioselectivities of Recombinant Flavin-Dependent Monooxygenases toward Aryl Sulfides
- Paige JeffordChemistryUndergraduate Student
- Georgia KaufmanChemistryUndergraduate Student
- Brian KyteChemistryFaculty
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Certain Flavin Monooxygenases (FMO) are enzymes with the potential to catalyze single-enantiomer oxidation of aryl sulfides to chiral sulfoxides. Aryl sulfoxides have a wide array of pharmaceutical and agricultural applications, but many of these enantiomers have yet to be selectively and efficiently synthesized. The enzymes examined in this study are FMOs from Mus musculus, Xenopus tropicalis, Homo sapiens, and BVMO4 and BVMO24 from Rhodococcus jostii RHA1. The genes were cloned into a vector for expression in Escherichia coli and whole-cell mediated reactions with various aryl sulfides were performed to determine their activity toward the substrates and to determine the enantioselectivity.
Assessing Responses of Intertidal Communities to Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia in Northern California
- Jaclyn SchneiderBiological SciencesUndergraduate Student
- Krystal BranderBiological SciencesUndergraduate Student
- Aria Armendariz PeavyBiological SciencesUndergraduate Student
- Andrew BuderiBiological SciencesUndergraduate Student
- Mahallelah ShauerBiological SciencesUndergraduate Student
- Jana HennessyBiological SciencesGraduate Student
- Georgia BennettFisheries BiologyUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
During bouts of strong upwelling nearshore areas in northern California can experience extended periods of hypoxic, corrosive waters due to a relatively narrow shelf and poleward shoaling of isother ms. To assess the response of intertidal communities to these conditions we established and surveyed a series of intertidal sites in Humboldt County that vary in the extent of nearshore mixing and are likely to vary in exposure to hypoxia and low pH conditions. We report the results of initial surveys of our sites, including data on sea star wasting disease, and relationships to variation in temperature, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen.
Breath of Life: Revitalizing California’s Native Languages Through Archives
- Susan GehrLibrary / Native American StudiesFaculty
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival held its first Breath of Life Workshop in 1996. The Breath of Life Workshop connects tribal participants with Native American language archival collections at the University of California at Berkeley for the purpose of bringing back into use languages with no living fluent speakers. During Breath of Life, participants use archives to complete a research project that can be completed in a week. Participants finish the workshop prepared to conduct archival research independently at any archive, including Humboldt State University's Humboldt Room, home of the Center for Indian Community Development Collection.
California Assembly Bill 32: GHG Cap and Trade Program
- Sam BartonEconomicsUndergraduate Student
- Alexa KandarisEconomicsUndergraduate Student
College of Professional Studies
In 2006 the California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 32, or the California Global Warming Solutions Act. AB-32 appointed the Air Resources Board as lead agency to implement a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020. One of the ways that the ARB is facilitating this reduction is through the development and implementation of California's first GHG emissions cap and trade program. The program sets a maximum amount of allowable emissions for the industry (the "cap") then enables individual businesses to "trade" emissions allowances . Trading creates incentives to reduce GHGs below allowable levels through investments in clean technologies.
Chinese Governmentality: Emerging Greenhouses on Rural Tibetan Landscapes
- Lucas ReyesGeographyUndergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
This study explores changing agricultural conditions and practices on the Tibetan Plateau. Through textual discourse supported by field observations, agricultural practices are assessed. I explore the works of Goldstein, Paltridge and past HSU field research to argue that the Chinese government addresses this nourishment problem through policy, an intricate display of governmentality. The rural Tibetan livelihood is marginalized and degraded through Chinese policies noted by Goldstein designed to bring the Tibetan population into a market-driven economy. While rural farmer adopt green revolution technologies and weigh the economic benefit of grain subsides I see greenhouses on the horizon.
Climate, Grasslands, and Policies; The Changing Livelihood of Tibetan Nomads
- Maria TonnGeographyUndergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The research interviews with nomads have shown that climate, grasslands and policies are changing the livelihood of Tibetan nomads. Tibetan nomads have established a way to graze their livestock and keep the grasslands healthy by moving based on the seasons. Climate change will decrease the grassland quality results in unhealthy livestock and decreases their resistance to winter storms. Herders express that policies that encourage or demand a sedentary livelihood have restricted mobility, decreased livestock conditions, and resulted in an increase in livestock loss. Today, Tibetan nomads are stuck between their traditional ways and the way the government has established for them.
Collecting seed at the hot, dry margins of a tree species’ natural range: do the progeny of these extreme trees have drought tolerance and water-use efficiency needed for restoration of harsh sites?
- John-Pascal BerrillForestry & Wildland ResourcesFaculty
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Trees growing in the hottest/driest parts of their natural range may be better-adapted to hot, dry conditions and hold promise for restoration and resistance to climate change. If drought tolerance and water-use efficiency were heritable genetic traits, we could select for these characteristics and raise seedlings for reforestation on marginal sites or in areas where adverse changes in climate were forecast. 3000 redwood seedlings originating from wet and dry locations were planted by HSU students in 2010 and 2011. The experiment provides insights into outcomes of reclamation and “assisted migration” forest conservation/restoration strategies and impact of climate change on redwood forests.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Models of RO-PRO and FO-RO Hybrid Processes
- Lori JonesEnvironmental Resources EngineeringUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
To address the two main issues of using reverse osmosis (RO) for desalination purposes (high energy demand and brine disposal), two hybrid systems have been proposed. One uses forward osmosis (FO) as pre-treatment while the other augments the RO step with pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO). To meaningfully compare the energy reductions from both systems, computational fluid dynamics models of the PRO and FO processes are being developed to encapsulate the complex geometries of the membrane modules and the system response to these geometries.
Critical Multicultural Literacy for Social Justice
- Marisol RuizEducationFaculty
- Janette RamirezCRGSUndergraduate Student
- Maria Torres MartinezLSEEUndergraduate Student
- Rachel SauvageLSEEUndergraduate Student
- Gabriel AquinoLSEEUndergraduate Student
College of Professional Studies
This case study took place in a diverse school setting. We implemented critical multicultural literature to 3rd and 4th graders. Our question is: How do students respond to critical multicultural pedagogy and literature? We used dialogue journals, literature circles, critical dialogue, and art to build community and raise consciousness. We found that the single story approach is prevalent in schools and that multiple stories have fostered an understanding and empathy towards the diversity of struggles people face in this world. In conclusion, critical multicultural literature helps build community and empower students to be able to make changes in their community.
Determination of Metal Accumulation and Loading in the Oxidation Ponds at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility
- Pedro AlvaroChemistryUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
The determination of temporal variations of metals, in the primary effluent and oxidation ponds, were collected biweekly (2007-2008) and weekly (2012-2013) at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility. The data demonstrates the removal of contaminant metals in the oxidation ponds through sludge deposition as well as the role weather events play in elevated metal concentrations. The sludge in the oxidation pond systems where also measured to allow the projection of the accumulation of metals in the sludge within the system 30 years from now.