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Presenters & Abstracts: 2015
Ophiocordyceps Sinensis: A Study of Tibet’s Caterpillar Fungus, and the Possible Anthropogenic Nature of its Recent Population Decline
- Nicholas FoxGeographyUndergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Ophiocordyceps sinensis, or Caterpillar fungus, has been used as a cure all for millennia by Tibetan nomads. The fungus which parasitizes the larva of moths is also used in China. Supply of the prized fungus, which only grows on the Tibetan plateau and northern slope of the Himalayas, was not always available to the Chinese given the remote nature of the plateau. In recent decades however, developing relations between China and the Tibetan region have led to increased gathering of the fungus. This poster will discuss the history of O. sinensis as medicine, as well as the modern relationships between the fungus and the people who use it, and what that means for the fungi’s future.
Permanence in an Ephemeral Collection: The History and Future of the Pamphlet Collection at Humboldt State University Library
- Carly MarinoLibraryFaculty
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Is a vertical file of newspaper clippings and ephemera still relevant in the digital age? This poster describes the changing nature of vertical files, pamphlets, and other ephemeral collections in the 21st century using the Humboldt State University Library Pamphlet Collection as a case study. The poster also considers how archivists and librarians continue to encourage student and researcher participation with ephemeral materials, whether paper or digital.
Predicting Phosphorus Retention in Two Volcanic-Derived Forest Soils of Northern California
- Nichole R. BesykForestry and Wildland ResourcesGraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Plant available phosphorus (P) occurs in anionic forms which become plant-unavailable ("fixed" or "retained") when iron and aluminum oxides form insoluble phosphate complexes. P-retention is especially likely to occur under acid conditions in soils containing short range order (SRO; poorly crystalline) materials, namely allophane and imogolite. This set of characteristics is common in volcanic-derived forest soils in Pacific Northwest timber regions. We built upon 25 years of research by investigating phosphorus retention on two well-studied sites, Whitmore and Feather Falls. Simple soil assays were used in a mixed-effects model to predict P-retention on these soils.
Queers in the Pre-Stonewall Media
- Meredith WilliamsSociologyFaculty
- Rudolph BielitzSociologyGraduate Student
- Marina MoyaSociologyUndergraduate Student
- Elmer RodriguezSociologyUndergraduate Student
- Joanna RoblesSociologyUndergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The Stonewall Riots in June of 1969 started the modern lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights movement in the United States. It took four more years for "homosexuality" to be removed from the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual (DSM). This study looks at the 20 years before the Stonewall Riots, exploring how LGBTQ people were discussed in the media. Using content analysis on more than 300 articles from the New York Times (1950-1969), we explore the evolution of language used to describe members of the LGBTQ communities, through the McCarthy era (1950-1956), the decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK in 1967, and social movements, like the riots in the summer of 1969.
Regain Literacy A Proactive Approach
- Rachael A SauvageLSEEUndergraduate Student
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
The LSEE 411 class at Humboldt State University has been working with Elementary schools in Northern California this semester, trying to bring back the play and fun of reading. We have build a relationship with our students, we have learnt that even of our students understand differently, learn differently, and can explain the world to them differently. We have an amazing experience working in one-on-one reading interventions with these students. We as the LSEE 411 classroom have learnt that the Education system is not what the schools need, we need a whole new approach on literacy.
Reliability and Validity of the Humboldt Appreciation of Humor Scale
- Kelly MakelaPsychologyGraduate Student
- Margaret Groves-BradleyPsychologyUndergraduate Student
- Shaylyn SwartzPsychologyUndergraduate Student
College of Professional Studies
This study was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of the Humboldt Appreciation of Humor Scale (HAHS). The HAHS was assessed with undergraduate and graduate students from Humboldt State University. The scale is a 21-item Likert-type measure that was found to have good internal consistency (r = .93) and good test-retest reliability (r = .86). It was validated with a criterion-related measure, Humor Styles Questionnaire (r = .53), a discriminant measure, substance use questionnaire (r = .19), and a convergent measure, Beck’s Hopelessness Scale (r = .55).
Study of Hornblende Reaction Rims in Regard to Magma Rate Through the Conduit in California's Mt. Lassen's 1915 Eruption
- Nicholas RichardGeologyUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Interpretation of hornblende reaction rims through the use of a scanning electron microscope to establish accent rate and path of magma through Mt. Lassen's volcanic conduit in the 1915 eruption.
The Effects of Artificial Substrates on Larvel Settlement and Community Structure in Humboldt Bay, California
- Jaclyn H. SchneiderBiology (Marine)Undergraduate Student
- Marke SinclaireBiology (Marine)Undergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Different anthropogenic substrates have been shown to have a strong effect on larval recruitment and subsequent community development in estuarine fouling communities. Docks and piers have been shown to have an increased abundance of invasive species relative to natural substrates such as rock. We examined community structure in accordance to initial barnacle settlement on concrete, treated wood, untreated wood, tire rubber, and plastic settling plates. Results show that there were marked differences in initial barnacle settlement as well as final community structure (after 4 months) between treatments, revealing the importance of early settlement and substrate type on community composition.
The effects of simulated acid rain on web-spinning spiders in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico
- Yuliana Rowe-GaddyWildlifeUndergraduate Student
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Our objective of this study was to assess the effects of simulated acid rain on web-spinning spider assemblages in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, and we hypothesized that acid rain would decrease the richness and abundance of web-spinning spider taxa. Spiders are an ideal bioindicator to study the effects of anthropogenic pollutants due to their abundance, position as apex predators, various foraging behaviors and the feasibility in collecting them. In our field experiment, quadrats were sprayed with water of varying pH levels. After the treatments, all web-spinning spiders in the quadrats were collected and identified and results were statistically analyzed.
The emotional response to social gaze is a domain specific cognitive mechanism
- Ethan GahtanPsychologyFaculty
- Nathaniel LapollaPsychologyUndergraduate Student
- Benjamin BishopPsychologyUndergraduate Student
College of Professional Studies
Eye contact with another person (social gaze) produces a reflexive emotional responses measurable using skin conductance (SCR). A ‘domain specificity’ model of the social gaze response mechanism was tested by comparing SCRs during social and 'self-gaze' (gazing at one’s own eyes in a mirror). Domain specificity (versus generality) predicts responses only during social gaze and has theoretical implications for how this reflex evolved. Participants (N=76) completed ten, 20 second, social or self-gaze trials. Social gaze produced significantly greater mean SCR’s and showed more habituation across trials. There were no effects of sex or sex match on gaze-evoked SCRs. Results support domain speci