Plastic Pollution and Effective Reduction Policies

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

During the International Mathematical Contest in Modeling, our team tackled the problem of the destructive accumulation of plastic in the earth's land and waterways. We researched national and international policies attempting to curb the production and consumption of plastic, and constructed a simple model to predict plastic mass growth in the future, under various parameters and scenarios.

Poetic Persons Preventing Problematic Principles

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Artistic communities can be problematic, as any community can be. One aspect of activism is working from within, and poetry communities are a great way to do this. It allows for people to communicate in an artistic manner, and communication is the best way to resolve conflict/differences. By taking a stand against violence through poetry, the communities hearing these poems will be open to taking in this vital information because it’s within their own community.

Prostitution In Baja California: A Study Of How Prostitution Affected Gender Roles Along Border Cities In Baja California During The Mexican Revolution Era

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This study examines the role of prostitution during the Mexican Revolution Era (1910 – 1920) in the altering of gender roles for women along the border cities of Baja California. The significance of this research will deliver insight to the gender roles and contributions to society of this marginalized group. Historical source material (Documents, artifacts, paintings, etc.) offers limited biased information about prostitutes as individuals. The goal of this research is to provide information to alter the discourse of prostitution from being depicted as a duality of moral or immoral to how prostitution reflects a society’s views on sexuality.

Quality of Life and Cardiometabolic Health Indicators in Postmenopausal Women

College of Professional Studies

The negative impact of menopause on cardiometabolic health has been documented, but there is limited evidence regarding the relationship between quality of life and cardiometabolic health indicators (e.g. CVD, diabetes) in postmenopausal women. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of quality of life on detriments to health in postmenopausal women, using 65 questions drawn from validated surveys. Participants were recruited using print and social media and completed the confidential survey online. Results demonstrated that subjects who expressed a greater burden and dissatisfaction with their quality of life showed an increase in risk factors for cardiometabolic disease.

Racialized Identity in the US through the Census

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

In American society, identity is something that many people struggle with throughout their daily lives. The US has a unique sense of culture like no other country that is created through the social construct of the race and the belief of the “melting pot”. The US census, requires that every person identify their race, which is more difficult for some than for others. When someone marks the race box, it is assumed that their race is simply their identity, without taking into account the struggle that the individual could be facing. We need to have a greater understanding of what it is to have an identity that can’t be placed within society as a race that could be found within a box.

Resource Guide for Pregnant and New Parents at HSU

College of Professional Studies

My community project is based on the need for a cohesive resource guide for pregnant and new parents attending Humboldt State University. The research was conducted on the resources and references for pregnant and new parents attending Humboldt State University. The project is a compilation of data addressing resources available for students experiencing pregnancy/parenthood while attending HSU. The aim of connecting students with resources is to help with retention as well as supporting their growing families.

Resources for Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Victims

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The Take Back the Night Organization bridges the gap between students and their community to build a support network for survivors. However, this semester, normal operations have been altered due to COVID-19, social distancing, and shelter-in-place which challenged our group to adjust the scope of our project. Using Instagram as our platform, we worked together to address the societal issues of sexual violence and domestic. We built a manual to promote healthy relationship communication. We included information on online services, hotlines, and other local resources available for sexual and domestic abuse aimed towards helping our Humboldt community during the pandemic.

Scaling Resistance with Channel Length for Carbon Nanotube Networks

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

In order to help inform the applicability of carbon nanotube networks for use as field effect transistors or as biosensors, we have run computer simulations in order to characterize the electrical properties of these networks, and specifically, how the resistance of these networks scales with the channel length for various amounts of metallic wires present in the networks. We find a trend that as the channel length increases, the resistance of the network increases as well. In addition, as the probability of metallic wires present in the network increases, the scaling factor of the resistance, m, increases at a larger constant rate with increasing channel length.

Scuba Diving The North Coast

College of Professional Studies

I have created a specialized handbook for scuba divers interested in diving the north coast. It is a guide for certified divers who are not familiar with Humboldt County's ocean conditions. It provides tips, techniques, as well as locations and how to dive those locations properly. It uses different approaches that can suit both the beginner and the veteran diver alike.

Selection Effects on Diversity and Specific Ecosystem Functions in Pitcher Plant Associated Bacteria

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The purpose of the research was to determine if a relationship exists between biodiversity and specific functions. Specifically, if individual organism function influences the broad function of the ecosystem. To test this, a model system was devised using fluid collected from Darlingtonia californica, chosen for having a bacterial ecosystem with the observable broad function of insect degradation. A dilution series was used to modify the biodiversity of this system, expected to alter specific organism function, and by extension influence the broad function of the system. Initial results of the experiment indicated that broad function increased as individual specific functions decreased.