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Presenters & Abstracts: 2015
Feasibility of Pressure Retarded Osmosis
- Galen OTooleEngineeringGraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) is a renewable energy technology which captures energy from the osmotic pressure of salinity gradients across membranes. This poster presents a feasibility study of PRO at the Samoa Pulp Mill site by employing a pseudo-2-dimensional model to approximate the pressure drops and the salt and water fluxes across a spiral-wound membrane module. The net energy of the system accounts for parasitic loads including pretreatment, conveyance turbine and generator efficiency, and friction losses in the pipe networks. Technical and economic feasibility are evaluated in the project. The conclusions are that PRO is barely technically feasible and not economically feasible.
Features of the Coastal Atmospheric Marine Boundary Layer
- William FairchildOceanographyUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
The marine boundary layer is a semi-annual atmospheric feature occuring along the Humboldt coastline. Fourteen years worth of weather balloon data provided by the NOAA atmospheric observatory in Trinidad, CA have been used to characterize seasonal and spatial patterns of the boundary layer. Preliminary results show that the boundary layer is highly dynamic and occurs in high frequency. It is most common in summertime as a result of warm inland temperatures and strong coastal upwelling. Seasonally, the boundary layer changes height, rising to 1500m in winter and lowering to 900m in summer. A five year time series provides evidence that the California drought may reduce the layer's frequency.
FOOD INSECURITY AND SNAP PARTICIPATION AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WORKING ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS
- Min Hee ParkSocial WorkGraduate Student
- Jennifer MaguireSocial WorkFaculty
College of Professional Studies
This study is intended to investigate food insecurity among international students, who are working on campus, and to provide greater understanding of the barriers for them and/or their families in accessing SNAP benefits. Twelve individuals who had experience working on campus 20 hours per week as an international student were recruited. A survey based on demographic and financial information and interviews were conducted to identify their financial situation and barriers to access SNAP benefits. The study identified that without the financial support of parents, international students with children face the risk of food insecurity.
Forest Attributes of Reproductive Habitat for Harpy Eagles in Darien Province, Panama
- Jilma Rachel GuineaWildlife DeparatmentUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
A Harpy Eagle's, (Harpia harpyja), reproductive cycle is distinctive amongst all raptors. Therefore, obtaining detailed knowledge of their reproductive habitat would assist in creating new management policies and conservation guidelines. We measured variables describing forest characteristics within 0.5-ha plots around each of ten nesting and control trees in the Pacific region of Darien Province, Panama. Variables measured were: tree family richness; tree density, height and diameter; shrub density; and coverage of understory and canopy foliage. We then used Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) to compare a series of models specified a priori to assess the importance of forest attributes.
Forest Response to Severe Drought: Do restoration thinning treatments in coast redwood-Douglas fir forests increase resiliency to drought?
- Laura LalemandForestryGraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Coast redwood-Douglas-fir forest hold important economic, ecological, and cultural values which will likely be threatened by changing climate and increased drought stress. Restoration thinning has been used by forest managers with the goals of decreasing stand competition and accelerating maturation to old-growth conditions. However, uncertainty still remains on whether restoration treatments provide forests with increased resiliency to disturbances such as severe drought. The aim of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of different restoration treatments in improving second-growth forest resiliency to drought stress in coast redwood-Douglas-fir forests of Redwood NP.
Frequency and Intensity of Exposure to Carbonate Corrosive Waters in a Near-shore Upwelling Environment
- Jasen JacobsenOceanographyUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
A primary consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2 is the lowering of ocean pH and associated stress on calcium carbonate bearing organisms. Coastal regions are vulnerable to low-pH due to seasonal upwelling which periodically introduces CO2–enriched deep water to the surface. Time-series of pH at Trinidad Head, California were analyzed to ascertain the frequency and intensity of exposure to carbonate corrosive waters from 2006-2011. Most years experienced 11-35 days of exposure to corrosive water, while enhanced upwelling in 2010 resulted in 61-84 days of exposure. Some instances show that corrosive conditions were ameliorated by enhanced photosynthesis in response to upwelled nutrients.
Human Perception of Vocal and Visual Beauty in Male Passerines
- Jane WongWildlifeUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Charles Darwin hypothesized that bird song and plumage might replace each other. Other studies have also found a negative correlation in the relationship of song and plumage. I surveyed 40 students in Ornithology and Advanced Ornithology classes at HSU in January and February of 2015. Each survey consisted of a song listening portion and a photo slideshow where each participant rated the vocal and visual attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 3. The results showed a negative correlation and found that more experienced birders on average thought that birds were more attractive than less experienced birders.
Humboldt State University Student-Parents: Strengths, Challenges, and Needs
- Kayla MasengaleChild DevelopmentUndergraduate Student
College of Professional Studies
The Student-Parent Support Initiative is a student-run initiative whose purpose is to bring a campus-wide awareness of student-parents at Humboldt State University. Our goal is to identify student-parents and to help students with children connect with one another and provide a space to find resources that support their family and academic goals. This presentation highlights the strengths, challenges, and needs of 18 student-parents who participated in focus groups and completed a questionnaire during the 2014-2015 academic year.
Hybrid membrane processes for water reuse
- Jairo Luque VillanuevaEnvironmental Resources EngineeringUndergraduate Student
- Gavin ZirkelEnvironmental Resources EngineeringUndergraduate Student
- Dr. Andrea AchilliEnvironmental Resources EngineeringFaculty
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
A paradigm shift that utilizes water reuse strategies such as sewer mining is necessary as water resources become more stringent. Sewer mining is the beneficial reuse of wastewater before it is conventionally treated and discharged. This novel hybrid sewer mining system is a unique combination of proven unit processes: forward osmosis (FO), direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD), anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR), Sharon, Annamox, and struvite precipitation arranged in an innovative way. This poster will present the experimental results from a bench-scale automated FO-DCMD system to produce a high quality potable effluent under different operating conditions.
I Cannot Believe It’s Not Gluten
- Christopher AmesAnthropologyUndergraduate Student
- Edward EscudeAnthropology
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Celiac Disease is defined by intolerance to gluten, similar to that of an allergic reaction. The only published treatment is abstaining from gluten, in any form. Gluten-free products became widely offered in grocery stores and restaurants soon followed suit. The FDA has ruled that after August 5, 2014 that food that is gluten-free can have up to 20 parts per million (ppm) of “unavoidable” gluten contamination. This project tests for the occurrence of gluten contamination found within restaurants that serve food labeled as gluten –free, in Arcata, Ca. The study focuses on three local restaurants: Luke’s Joint, Smug’s Pizza, and Hey Juan's.