Novel Tests of Gravity Below Fifty Microns

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Physical processes regarding gravity are well understood on the scale of planetary distances but pose challenges in measurements at very short distances. Theories such as the Inverse Square Law (ISL) and Einstein’s Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) of General Relativity have been tested over distance scales from 1 cm to infinity [1]. Reliable measurements of gravitational forces at scales smaller than a centimeter carry significant challenges. The non-gravitational forces that are generally negligible at the scale of everyday objects have a much more substantial effect in the sub-centimeter regime. Our experiment seeks to measure gravity at these close distances.

Old Town Eureka: A Historic Tour and Photo Collection

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

We have been working directly with the Humboldt County Historical Society over this past semester in an effort to offer them a way of gaining the community's attention and ultimately producing more members of the society. By making a Story Map, we offer the local communities in and around Eureka, California a way to digitally and physically make their way through Old Town Eureka so that they can compare the historical photos of the area to what is now there. We hope that this educates our local communities of the history that surrounds them, and encourages them to visit and support the Humboldt County Historical Society whenever and however they can.

Pacific Banana Slug Habitat Selection using occupied and paired-random microhabitat analysis in the Arcata Community Forest

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The Pacific banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus) is a key detrivore and herbivore in Pacific Northwest forests. Understanding how this species utilizes different habitats in a heterogenous forest is important from a management perspective due to their wide distribution, abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and significant ecological roles in nutrient cycling, seed dispersal, and endemic predators. I hypothesized that banana slugs will show habitat selection within a heterogenous forest and tested this using an occupied and paired-random sampling method in four sites within the Arcata Community Forest. My results showed evidence of selection for several habitat variables.

Perceiving immigrants as American and its Relationship to Attitudes Toward Immigrants

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

We examined the relationship between intergroup contact and intergroup threat on measures of discrimination against Hispanic/Latino immigrants in the United States. Specifically, we are interested in if contact and threat can predict perceptions of immigrants as "American". Our results found that negative contact experiences with immigrants predict perceiving immigrants as threats and categorizing them as not American.

Plastics in the Gut's of Leach's Storm Petrels in Humboldt County, California

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

For this project, we looked at the plastics that were found in the Guts of Leach's Strom Petrels in Humboldt County, CA. In 2020, 57 of these storm petrels were found dead of natural causes and stored at Cal Poly Humboldt. In my project, I analyze if these storm petrels had plastics in their stomachs at the time of their death, and if so, how much plastic. This is the first of such studies done on Leach's Storm Petrels on the Pacific Coast. The results help to contribute to the ever-growing knowledge of how plastics in our oceans are affecting wildlife.

Plethodontid Salamander Proximity to Surface Water Relative to Ocean Distance

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

My research was conducted on the coast of Humboldt County, where I measured salamander proximity to a freshwater source relative to the distance to the ocean. I used two study sites, one in the Arcata Community Forest and one in Trinidad. I found 38 salamanders while sampling 60 1x1 meter quadrats.

Punk Influnce

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

A look at how the echoes of 70s and 80s are still seen today.

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Foraging in Relation to Storm Drains

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Human-animal conflicts are becoming more relevant as urban areas expand. Let's take a look at the raccoons on Cal Poly Humboldt's campus as an example of how to handle other species that may come into conflict with people. In my project I looked at storm drain distance from trashcans to see if there is any relation to how often they are used by the raccoons.

Raccoon Abundance in Regards to Trash Cans Around Cal Poly Humboldt

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This is a project about raccoon abundance

Raccoon use of Storm Drains on Cal Poly Humboldt’s Campus

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

I will be presenting a poster concerning raccoon use of the storm drains on Cal Poly Humboldt's campus. This study was conducted through the use of motion sensing camera traps, and did not involve any direct capturing or handling of animals.