Humboldt County Women's Ethnographic Archive

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This goal of this project is to establish the Humboldt County Women’s Ethnographic Archive through the Anthropology department at Humboldt State University. An ethnographic archive is a collection of materials that provide historical and contemporary information about a place, group of people, or institution. Archives provide a repository for unpublished and other unique materials that preserve cultural memory and supplement the historical record. Women’s archives are particularly important as women’s contributions have generally been underrepresented in historical collections. The HCWEA’s mission will be to preserve the contributions and culture of Humboldt women from all walks of life.

Interactions of Mycorrhizae, Native Grasses and Quercus douglasii in California blue oak woodlands

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Interactions of Mycorrhizae, Native Grasses and Quercus douglasii in California blue oak woodlands California’s endemic Quercus douglasii (blue oak) is not regenerating throughout the state and although many hypotheses have been made, no conclusive evidence has been brought forward as to why. The goal of this study is to find evidence of a relationship, if any exists, between Q. douglasii, mycorrhizae and the native grasses that once dominated the landscape.

Investigating Mycorrhizal Association Between the California Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) and Native and Non-Native Grasses

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Interactions of Mycorrhizae, Native Grasses and Quercus douglasii in California blue oak woodlands. California's endemic blue oak is not regenerating and despite many studies, no one has found any reasons as to why. The trees make lot's of acorns, the acorns germinate fine, but the saplings fail to properly establish and typically die before reaching maturity. This investigation looks at a potential reason as to why this is, focused on invasive annual grasses that have almost entirely replaced the native perennial species. H1: Grass species affects the rate of mycorrhizal infection in Q. douglasii seedlings. H0: Mycorrhizal infection rate of Q. douglasii is independent of grass species.

Island Biogeography: Invasive Species and Eradication Programs

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

For this project, a masters list of introduced mammals was provided. The masters list consisted of several different species of mammals who were classified by family, genus, species, and common names. Each species was accompanied by islands they were introduced too. Using the “Database of Island Invasive Species Eradication,” each animal on the list was searched for to see if they were successfully eradicated. If these animals had been eradicated, then the date and method of eradication were recorded. If these species didn’t show up on the database, then they were search for using various different search engines. If animals still remain of these islands the question becomes why?

Isolation and Initial characterization of antibiotic-producing bacteria from Northern California's Redwood Forest

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

In order to fight the increasing antibiotic crisis, an experimental lab isolated bacteria from the Redwood Forest. From soil and air, 47 isolates were extracted from the Redwood Forest and tested for inhibition against the six deadly ESKAPE pathogens. We sequenced the 16s rRNA gene to identify the bacterial species. Isolates that had identical 16s rRNA genes inhibited different pathogens, possibly leading to the discovery of a novel antibiotic producing bacteria.

Kiss Me Kate, Costume Design

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

I was one of the costume designers for HSU's production of Kiss Me Kate; in charge of the costumes of the lead characters, Fred/Petruchio and Lilli/Kate. I'll be presenting Kate's final dress for the finale of the show. After researching many paintings, I designed a dress that harkened to the Renaissance time period. The dress was built by a team of costume technicians, including myself.

Kleptoplasty and Co-evolution in Humboldt Bay: A study of sea-slug, Alderia modesta, and Coenocytic Algae.

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Alderia modesta is a sacoglossan sea-slug that is capable of of kleptoplasty, a process where the sea-slug steals the chloroplast from the algae that it eats , phagocytizes it, and uses it to photosynthesize. In this experiment, different groups of A. modesta were fed three different species of coenocytic algae, all of which are known to be eaten by sacoglossans. The cerata (anatomical structures) were then plucked off and the chloroplasts were counted under a fluorescence microscope to compare which alga the sea-slug ingested the most. The experiment has yet to conclude, however, the alga with the highest ratio of chloroplasts is considered to have co-evolved with the sea-slug.

Levee Stories: Myths of Management

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

What is the cultural significance that the Redwood Creek Levee System carries in Orick, California? The purpose of this study is to further investigate the history and management of the levee system and to apply the findings. By tracking the levee's ethos using multiple research methods and publishing, the study hopes to better understand roles humans play with regard to the levee system and to each other. Through collaboration and greater understanding of the levee system research will be revealed in the Orick wikipedia page and within an Omeka exhibit site.

Life's Footprints

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

As college students progress through their academic career they begin to form an identity. Their identity then balances their intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive abilities (Jones and Abes 2004). A college education has also been theorized to act as a protective factor from offending, or a factor that can promote desistance from crime (Hirschi 1969). Does the self-concept of college students influence their offending behavior? The purpose of this topic is to conduct a narrative study, to explore the life course development that college students have undergone before attending college, as well as what their current life course (life path) is, and their vision for post-college life.

Live, Love, Latch; An Ethnography of the Breastfeeding Community in Northern Humboldt County

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The biocultural approach to anthropology recognizes that one cannot fully discuss human biology without a discussion of human culture as well, and vice-versa. The socially complex topic of breastfeeding is a perfect example of the intersection between biology and culture; while breastfeeding is a biological process, it has been observed cross-culturally that the way it is practiced and if it is practiced at all, is highly dependent on the culture where the mother belongs. Through this ethnography, an anthropological investigation of the unique culture of Humboldt County will be undertaken to understand if and how a positive cultural atmosphere is created for local breastfeeding mothers.