Ulterra-Nigma: An Experimental Excercise in The Study of Myth

Jared Benham, Anthropology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This project introduces "Ulterra-Nigma," an experimental ethnography that constructs a fictional universe to explore the depths of cosmic themes and cultural themes with mythology and its importance of myth; the hope for the project is to eventually become an open-source mythology of sorts that can be studied by anthropologists in the future and be added onto as if it were a genuine living document. Also, it is of a more artistic nature so the font choice is a lot more characteristic of the theming than most posters.

Using the California Mussel as a Bioindicator for the Presence of Heavy Metals on the Humboldt County Coastline

Emily Curry, Biological Sciences Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The Humboldt coastline has a long history of industrial development and heavy disturbance. In 1999, the California State Water Resources Board surveyed Humboldt Bay, classifying it as a toxic hot spot. Clean-up efforts have been ongoing since the release of this report. Utilizing California mussels as bioindicators, we can quantify the levels of toxins found in the waters on our coasts with the help of Flame AA and correlate with the visual health of gill tissues. Using this new data, we can better understand the pollution problem and aid in the clean-up efforts.

V.R. Gaming Could Break Our Sedentary Habits

Tyler Voner, Other Undergraduate Student

Other

My research is on Virtual Reality or "Active Gaming" and how it can indirectly have the potential to reduce Obesity and Heart Disease, by being a leisurely activity with some amount of activity rather than something sedentary.

Vigilance Rates in Shorebirds in Marsh and Beach Habitat During the Non-Breeding Season

Jennifer Alvarado, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

A behavioral study on 5 common shorebirds of Humboldt County, California; primarily their vigilance responses in relation to different habitat types and disturbance categories. Primary habitats of interest were marshlands and beaches with 3 sites chosen from the Arcata Marsh in Arcata and two beach locations: Mad River Beach of Arcata and Centerville Beach of Ferndale. Shorebirds observed were Dunlin, Western Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Least Sandpipers. Disturbance categories included weather, tide height, pedestrians, bikers, vehicles, dogs, and raptors. Focal studies of 2 minutes each were conducted for a total of 370 individual shorebirds.

Vigilance Rates in Shorebirds in Marsh and Beach Habitat During the Non-Breeding Season

Jennifer Alvarado, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

A behavioral study on 5 common shorebirds of Humboldt County, CA during the non-breeding season; primarily on their vigilance rates in relation to different habitat types and disturbance categories. Two main habitats of marshland and beach habitats were compared with 3 sites chosen from the Arcata Marsh in Arcata and 2 beach habitats: Mad River Beach of Arcata and Centerville Beach of Ferndale. Shorebirds observed included Dunlin, Willets, Western Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, and Short-billed Dowitchers with a total sample of 370 individuals. Focal studies were performed on defined vigilance behaviors for 2 minute segments per individual with 1 hour of study dedicated to each location.

Visualization of Broadleaf Cattail Root Biofilm from the Arcata Marsh via Scanning Electron Microscopy

Lillian Caballero, Chemistry Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The Arcata Marsh is responsible for treating the wastewater of the City of Arcata so it is clean enough to release into the ocean. After undergoing preliminary processing, treatment ponds are used to remove organic matter and pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, using the symbiotic work of plants like the native broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia), and the nitrogen-fixing and nitrifying bacteria that grow on their roots, to absorb these chemicals from the water. For this experiment, we observed cattail roots and root microbiota at the inlets and outlets of the pond using scanning electron microscopy, looking at the samples with up to 5000x magnification.

Water Adsorption/Desorption on Environmental Metal Oxides Determined by the Diffuse Refractive Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) Technique

Cesar Fernandez, Chemistry Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Clouds affect terrestrial cooling by scattering solar radiation back to space. Particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air can initiate cloud seeding. This process is directly related to the relative humidity above the PM surface and water adsorption. In the initial stages of this process, PM collects sparingly small layers of water, known as monolayers. Details of water uptake at this level are still lacking in the literature and we desire to quantify water uptake on atmospheric PM to enhance literature values.

Weight Cycling and Rapid Weight Loss and its Effect on Athletic Performance in Combat Sports

Jack Stewart, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

Other

This poster covers Weight Cycling and Rapid Weight Loss and its Effect on Athletic Performance in Combat Sports. It discusses what weight cycling is, the groups most likely to weight cycle, and how weight cycling affects those who participate in combat sports.

What were the Religious Belies of the Neolithic Irish?

Joseph Walsh, Anthropology Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Research on the studies and methods of understanding what the religious practices in Neolithic Age Ireland were.

When the forest goes silent: Effects of human foot traffic on communication and diversity of passerine birds.

Ruby Andes, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This project looked at the effects of human foot traffic on the vocalization frequency of passerine birds throughout three popular trails in Arcata. Results suggest pets have a greater impact on bird vocalizations than humans and that there may be differences in predator presence between trails that birds are responding to.