Updates about the latest accomplishments—including latest research, publications, and awards—by students, faculty, and staff
Maria I. Iturbide, Amy E. Sprowles, Kimberly Vincent-Layton, Seth Bradley, and Steven T. Margell recently co-authored the peer-reviewed article A Culturally Responsive Campus Learning Community: Stories About Professional and Personal Growth. The article examines the impact of a campus learning community designed to support culturally responsive teaching and foster meaningful professional learning among faculty and staff. Through participants’ stories, the authors highlight personal and professional growth, increased cultural awareness, and strengthened connections across the university community. This publication contributes to ongoing conversations about equity-minded professional development and Cal Poly Humboldt’s commitment to creating inclusive learning environments.
Dr. Matt Johnson has received funding to support long-term bird monitoring, undergraduate training opportunities, and the launch of the Humboldt Ornithology Collective (HOC), a partnership involving Cal Poly Humboldt, the Humboldt Area Foundation, the Integral Ecology Research Center, and the Klamath Bird Observatory. The project will sustain bird banding operations at the Wright Refuge in Eureka while expanding hands-on ornithology training for undergraduate students with little or no prior research experience. The effort also supports revival of the Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory near Lanphere Dunes.
Funding comes from the Humboldt Area Foundation.
A proud mother of six and a Social Work major at Cal Poly Humboldt, Veronica Zaragoza has faced the challenges of balancing parenthood, education, and community advocacy with resilience and determination.
This year, Zaragoza is among 23 students across the CSU system honored with the Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement—the CSU’s highest recognition of student accomplishment.
Cal Poly Humboldt Social Work alum, Mark Taylor, says that his work at Pelican Bay in California is his way of “making amends”.
Read the full article about the first-of-its-kind bachelor program at one of the nation's most notorious prisons, being offered — to those inmates who qualify — through Cal Poly Humboldt.
Dr. Alison Holmes (Politics) and Loren Collins (Director, Advising) presented "Career Curriculum: From Destinations to Pathways" based on their years of working together on campus career curriculum and with the Karuk Education Department, as well as research Holmes has done on "Transformation 8" curriculum to support study abroad and a review of career programming for her graduate certificate in Native American Studies. This annual conference (hosted by a different city/tribe each year) brings career and employment/training professionals from across the country, so their presentation focused on practical ways to create a more "storytelling", holistic, and culturally aware career pedagogy.
Wildlife undergraduate students Cort Glosli and Andre Giraldi, together with Biological Sciences faculty Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy, Silvia Pavan, and Pedro Peloso, recently published a research article in the journal Herpetology Notes documenting the rediscovery and species identification of a previously unassigned population of Black Salamanders (Aneides). The population they report, from Glenn County, California, had not been documented since the early 1970s and occurs in a region that has long represented a major gap in our understanding of the distribution of the Black Salamander complex. Using a combination of field surveys, morphology, and genetic analyses, the team identified the population as the Speckled Black Salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus), extending the known range of the species and helping clarify the biogeography of this complex group of California salamanders. The study highlights the important contributions of Humboldt students and faculty to biodiversity discovery, systematics, and conservation research in California.
The paper is available from the publisher’s website: https://herpetologynotes.org/index.php/hn/article/view/382/186
At the end of May, Professor Alison Holmes (Politics & International Studies) was invited to speak to the Redwood Empire Division Meeting of the California League of Cities in Fort Bragg on the topic of: "When Global Issues Reach City Hall: Emerging Trends and the Growing Need for a Small City Strategy." Based on her research on the international affairs of California and subnational diplomacy more broadly, Holmes outlined the increase in activity by cities at the global level and presented a practical guide for any city interested in creating a strategy that could both help protect them from global risks and take advantage of potential opportunities. As well as members from across the division, Cal Cities President Gabe Quinto (mayor of El Cerrito) and CA League of Cities CEO Carolyn Coleman were also present. After discussion, members agreed that future work in this area may be necessary given the growing impact of chaotic international affairs on local politics.
Drs. Darren Ward, Allison Bronson, and Matthew Hurst have received funding to study how copper from fungicides used in lily bulb farming near the Smith River may run off into waterways and affect salmon and other aquatic species. The project will examine whether dissolved copper affects salmon sensory function, behavior, and tissue health through water quality monitoring, laboratory toxicity testing, and fish behavior studies. Findings will help improve tools used to predict pollution impacts and support the protection of salmon habitat in one of California’s most ecologically important salmon habitats.
Funding comes from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Dr. Pascal Biwole has received funding through the Research and Creative Projects for Equity and Justice (RCPEJ) program to study cooling needs in the Hoopa Valley. Through surveys and building energy audits, the project will identify the needs for building and HVAC upgrades to support cooling, and explore strategies to reduce energy costs during extreme summer heat. The work will also identify pathways for future funding to support infrastructure improvements.
The Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center has received continued funding to enhance aquatic programs and safety education. This annual award provides funding for scholarships, equipment, staff training, program support, and participation in National Safe Boating Week. The funding helps sustain boating safety education and recreational programming while supporting community engagement at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center.
Funding comes from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways.
Film professor Sarah Lasley recently received the prestigious 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship. Lasley’s award will support "MUCKRAKERS,” a short hybrid documentary that explores waste, labor, class, and climate migration in Humboldt County, co-directed with Art + Film Lecturer Nicola Waugh.
Undergraduate student Garrett Leonard published research on a novel approach to forest restoration being tested at Cal Poly Humboldt's L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm. This is one of the few studies on redwood planted outside its native range, with the involvement of hundreds of students in forestry classes since 2014. Citation: Leonard GB, Dagley CM, and Berrill J-P (2026) Coast redwood planted outside its range outperforms the native Douglas-fir beneath an overstory of varying density. Front. For. Glob. Change 9:1805175. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2026.1805175
Dr. Pedro Peloso, along with collaborators, recently published a research article in Diseases of Aquatic Organisms examining infection dynamics of the deadly amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) based on field studies conducted at multiple sites in Alabama, USA. The study integrates ecological, environmental, and host-specific factors to better understand patterns of disease prevalence and intensity, contributing to broader efforts in amphibian conservation. The paper highlights how temperature and host ecological traits influence Bd infection dynamics, advancing our understanding of host–pathogen interactions in a region of high amphibian diversity. This research is part of the PhD work of Camila Moser, conducted under Dr. Peloso’s supervision through his Adjunct Faculty appointment at the Universidade Federal do Pará (Brazil), reflecting ongoing international collaboration and mentorship connected to his research program at Cal Poly Humboldt. The paper is available from the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03911
Dr. Gabi Kirk was awarded a American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship for 2026-27 to support the writing of her first scholarly monograph, Cultivating Sustainable Sovereignty: Palestinian Agrarian Lives in Transnational Focus.
AAUW’s largest funding program began in 1888, making it one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious fellowship programs exclusively for women. This fellowship supports women scholars who are completing doctoral dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research, or finishing research for publication. AAUW (American Association of University Women) is the nation’s leading organization for equity in higher education and women’s economic empowerment. Founded in 1881 by women who defied society’s conventions by earning college degrees, AAUW has since worked to increase women’s access, opportunity, and equity in higher education through advocacy and philanthropy of more than $146 million, supporting thousands of women scholars. Learn more at aauw.org.
Cal Poly Humboldt Ceramics students were invited to participate in the California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art (CCACA) in Davis. Hosted by John Natsoulas Gallery, the conference brings together more than 50 ceramics programs from across the state, creating a dynamic environment for exhibition, dialogue, and exchange.
Our ceramics students represented Cal Poly Humboldt with distinction, exhibiting their work alongside peers from throughout California. Their efforts were recognized with several major awards: Socks Lucas received First Place, Natalie Anthone was awarded Second Place, and Mia Harmon was awarded the honor of a solo exhibition at the John Natsoulas Gallery.
Congratulations, CCACA 2026 Ceramic Students!
Angela Soto, graduate student in the Byrne Applied Ecology Lab, has been awarded a $24,000 ARI NextGen fellowship by the CSU Agricultural Research Institute for the 2026 - 2027 Academic Year. For her master's research, she is assessing the impacts of different management strategies on the endangered Applegate's milkvetch (Astragalus applegatei) and its soil microbiome.
I’m pleased to share a recent research contribution representing Cal Poly Humboldt. My paper, “CEO Compensation and the Political Environment,” has been accepted for publication in the *Journal of Business Research (A)*. This work is co-authored with faculty at University of Texas at Arlington.
The study examines how U.S. political leadership shapes executive compensation. Using a large sample of 32,222 firm-year observations from 1992 through 2022, we find that CEO pay tends to be higher under Republican presidential administrations and Republican-controlled Congresses. We also find stronger pay-for-performance sensitivity during these periods.
These results point to a nuanced effect: higher compensation may reflect rent extraction, while stronger pay-for-performance alignment suggests more efficient contracting. Overall, the findings highlight how the political environment, a non-financial factor, plays a meaningful role in corporate decision-making.
This publication contributes to ongoing research on executive compensation and governance, and reflects the strong research engagement at Cal Poly Humboldt.
Lorena Cortez presented her research titled "Amplifying Counterstories and Testimonios about Latine Rural Youth: A Case Study of the Educational Experience of Oaxacan-American Youth in Rural Humboldt County" at the annual CSU Research Competition at San Jose State on April 24th, and won first place in the Education category among participants from all CSU campuses. Lorena's research highlights the resilience and academic excellence of Oaxacan youth in the region, and is an urgent and much needed contribution to conversations about supporting Latine learners in Humboldt County and beyond.
Geospatial Science and Technology major Myles Chrispeels won the Christopherson Geosystems Student Award for his paper "A Workflow for the Remote Sensing of Turbidity in Freshwater" at the California Geographical Society annual conference in Huntington Beach, CA. In this paper, Myles demonstrates a methodology for using high-resolution imagery and publicly available field data to develop an accessible, statistically sound workflow for monitoring turbidity and water quality patterns in freshwater drinking-water reservoirs.
Geography major Tony Nichols won third place in the Tom McKnight Undergraduate Student Paper Award at the California Geographical Society annual conference in Huntington Beach, CA, for her paper Finding Belonging: Interviews with Queer People Across Humboldt County. In her paper, Tony highlights how queer residents in Humboldt County experience belonging, exclusion, and uncertainty across different community spaces, underscoring the importance of “third places” and supportive local environments in shaping LGBTQ+ well-being.
Geospatial Science and Technology majors Astra Mattingly and Kyra Kranyak-Schwartz won first place in the Undergraduate Digital Map Design Contest at the California Geographical Society annual conference in Huntington Beach, CA, for their interactive map of campus accessibility at Cal Poly Humboldt. The map depicts a visual ranking of campus pathway accessibility, highlighting areas of the campus that are not equally accessible. View their interactive web map here.
Ari Dixon won third place in the undergraduate Student Cartography Award at the California Geographical Society Annual Meeting in Huntington Beach, CA. This map uses a creative visualization to highlight woman-owned breweries across the U.S. West Coast, using proportional symbols to show the number of breweries within 100-mile buffers and callout boxes to spotlight specific brewery stories in Washington, Oregon, and California.
Geospatial Science and Technology major Will Bellairs won first place in the Tom McKnight Undergraduate Student Paper Award at the California Geographical Society Annual Conference in Huntington Beach, CA. Will's paper, titled Map Games: Learning Map Literacy through Engaging Play, demonstrated the design and classroom testing of an interactive educational map game he developed to increase elementary school students' geographic learning.
Nine students from the Geography and Geospatial Science and Technology programs represented the department at the California Geographical Society Annual Conference in Huntington Beach, California, where they presented original research and cartographic work. In the paper presentation sessions, Will Bellairs, Myles Chrispeels, and Tony Nichols shared their research. Liam Blackburn, Margaret Dailey, and Sawyer Hofstetter presented their work during the undergraduate poster session. Ari Dixon, Astra Mattingly, and Kyra Kranyak-Schwartz presented in the cartography session. In addition to the student presentations, Geography faculty member Nicholas Perdue organized a special paper session honoring Joe Leeper. During that session, Emeritus Professor Paul Blank delivered a touching tribute.
Dr. Oscar M. Vargas, along with collaborators, published a paper in the Journal of Biogeography about the geographical history of the Brazil Nut family of plants (Lecythidaceae) in the tropical Americas. The study was led by Diana Medellin, a collaborator of Dr. Vargas, from the University of Michigan. The paper can be freely downloaded from the following link: https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.70225
New research article in the journal Energy and Buildings. Title: " Hygrothermal performance of bio-based building materials in urban street canyons ". Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877882600575Xhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877882600575Xhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877882600575X
In an invited presentation at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM), Dr. Gregg J. Gold and former Cal Poly Humboldt psychology student Gianna Giacomotto shared the data and findings from the 2022 to 2024 DGSOM Premedical Enrichment Program (PREP) evaluation study with the staff of the DGSOM Center of Excellence responsible for the planning and implementation of PREP. This 90-minute presentation included a lively discussion of the findings and their application to future PREP cohorts and the DGSOM California Medical Scholars program.
Dr. Barbara Clucas and Ryan Matilton (Wildlife masters graduate) have received a grant through the Research and Creative Projects for Equity and Justice (RCPEJ) program. The project will investigate bat diversity and activity along the Klamath River following recent dam removals, contributing to understanding how these changes affect biodiversity. The research will provide important post-dam removal ecological data while also engaging local high school students participating through Humboldt Indian Education Programs. Students will gain hands-on experience in wildlife research. The project advances both ecological knowledge and educational opportunities connected to the Klamath River.
Logan Holey was selected to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GFRP) to study effective scaling of plant traits from field, UAV to satellite to inform rangeland management for his PhD at Kansas State University.
Dr. Alana Chin received a grant from the National Geographic Society to study whether restoring redwood forests can increase their carbon storage. Coast redwoods are among the most powerful carbon-storing trees on Earth, thanks to their dense, carbon-rich heartwood - the inner core of the tree. This naturally protective wood prolongs tree longevity and keeps carbon locked away long after the tree falls. The project will examine whether restoration thinning can encourage greater heartwood formation and long-term carbon storage, helping inform forest management strategies that strengthen climate resilience.
With this award, Dr. Chin has been named a National Geographic Explorer.
Loren Cannon (Philosophy, Applied Humanities) was invited to present his work at the American Philosophical Association’s Pacific Division Meeting, April 10, 2026. The title of his presentation was “When circumstances warrant consideration of other factors,” and the session was committed to the topic of Transgender Eligibility in Sport.
Dr. Cannon’s essay focused on a legal and moral analysis of the 1977 Case, Richards v. US Tennis Association, in which the Supreme Court of the State of New York ruled that the US Tennis Association was wrong in attempting to require gender testing of Renee Richards, a trans woman competitor. The court reasoned that its charge was to determine whether Dr. Richards was attempting to commit fraud. Finding no fraudulent activity, they ruled in her favor. Cannon responds carefully to objections to the conclusion of the court and the current state of trans athletic exclusion.
27 Cal Poly Humboldt Communication majors who are currently incarcerated at Pelican Bay State Prison presented at the National Conference on Higher Education on Friday April 10. Students in the program shared how resilience, student leadership, and collective voice shape a BA program inside California’s highest-security prison. Through live video conference to the largest prison education conference in the United States students discussed with conference attendees their leadership strategies, recruiting, curriculum input, and the creation of clubs and academic work centered on their vision. The room in Cleveland was packed including Cal Poly Humboldt staff and students who are alumni of the program. The recording of the presentation is available in the link above.
On April 14th the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee hosted the third annual Anti-Violence Summit at College of the Redwoods. In partnership with the President's office at College of the Redwoods, the Social Work department CR and the Department of Communication at Cal Poly Humboldt, students from both schools collaborated to prevent and respond to sexualized violence. Communication Department Sexual Assault Intern Lauren Nicolosi, CRGS major Dean Washington and Communication major Shiloh Litke facilitated breakout sessions. Project Rebound director and College of the Redwood instructor Mark Taylor hosted the session with guests of Chelsey Castiglione (Prevention Coordinator) and Dr. Maxwell Schnurer chair of the Communication department and the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee.
Forestry graduate students, Courtney Copper, Sebastian Evans, and Kaitlyn Briggs, as well as Forestry faculty Lucy Kerhoulas gave oral presentations about their research at the Northwest Scientific Association annual meeting in Olympia, WA in March.
Forestry graduate student Millen McCord presented a poster (Physiological responses of Oregon white oak to thinning in the East Cascades; Millen McCord & Lucy Kerhoulas) at the Northwest Scientific Association annual meeting and won first place for graduate student posters.
Gabriel Roletti (ESM BS 2020, Forestry MS 2022) published his Master's thesis in Forest Ecology and Management with his co-advisors Rosemary Sherriff (GESA) and Lucy Kerhoulas (Forestry), along with other Humboldt alums Jill Beckmann and Wallis Robinson.
Dr. Paul Michael L. Atienza was elected to the executive board of the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS) as the Northern California/Nevada region representative. Founded in 1979, AAAS is the primary research and teaching hub for Asian American Studies, an interdisciplinary field born out of the 1960s movements for racial justice, third world liberation, and student activism. Dr. Atienza will serve a three-year term starting April 2026.
Dr. AmyK Conley received grant funding for a teacher preparation program that trains undergraduate students as certified high-impact literacy tutors. The project will strengthen reading support for struggling K–12 students in Northern Humboldt while building a pipeline of educators grounded in the science of reading. Through coursework and clinical practice, undergraduates will gain training in developmental literacy and provide targeted literacy interventions in local schools and rural Northern California districts.
This grant comes as a sub-award from Northern Humboldt Unified High School District, with primary funding from the US Department of Education.
Dr. Gabi Kirk will be presenting a virtual talk at the international workshop "Evanescent and Emerging Spaces: Land/World Struggles of Palestinians and Guarani" at Cardiff University (Wales) on April 22. This event will confront important and disturbing parallels between the genocides of Palestinians and the Guarani in South America, and the challenges of resisting neocolonial land theft and world grabbing. Dr. Kirk's talk at 8:45 AM PDT on April 22, titled, "Cultivating Sustainable Sovereignty: Palestinian Agrarian Lives in Transnational Focus," will share insights about Palestinian food sovereignty from her current book project.
The workshop is free and open to the public virtually, all sessions are in BST (8 hours ahead). For a full schedule and to reserve a free ticket/watch sessions, see the conference site .
Enoch Hale, Ph.D. will be a conference panelist at the AAC&U 2025-2026 Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. Dr. Hale is currently serving as an AI Faculty Fellow with the AAC&U, and this event marks the culmination of work on the topic by colleges and universities throughout the world. Dr. Hale is the Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning at Cal Poly Humboldt.
Faculty Loren Cannon, Philosophy
Loren Cannon (Philosophy, Applied Humanities) was invited to present his work at the Center On Ethics of San Jose State University on March 27th, 2026. The title of his presentation was “The Ethical and Legal Stakes of Politicizing Trans Identity.” Dr. Cannon addressed this topic by pulling from material of his recent book as well as his continued legal, moral, and social analysis of this important topic. The ninety-minute session included a presentation of his most recent analysis as well as an informal question and answer period that included meaningful engagement by both students and faculty of SJSU’s philosophy program.
Dr. Paul Michael L. Atienza joined the closing summit of the NSF-funded Knowledge of AIDS (KOA) Research Community Network (RCN). KOA-RCN seeks to form a scholarly community for social scientific, humanistic, and socio-technical researchers, artists, and community advocates of HIV/AIDS broadly situated within the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS). The final meeting in late March focused on forms of civic engagement that emerged and continues to actively respond for HIV/AIDS advocacy and resources. KOA-RCN seeks to develop multiple outputs in the coming years that include a robust online community and support for ongoing research collaborations.
The framing article for a special issue in the Professional Geographer has been published. The article, In Their Own Voices: The Stories and Status of Women in Geography in the United States (Oberhauser, Dixon, Li, Mossa, Rock, and Sultana), summarizes the articles that share the results of a 4-year project. The special issue, Moving the Needle on Gender Equity: An Analysis of the Status of Women and Marginalized Groups in Geography, covers a range of methods used to assess current and historical conditions for women and marginalized groups within academic geography, celebrating progress and identifying continuing barriers to equitable representation in the discipline, and offers recommendations for continued growth. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2026.2633341
Dr. Armeda C. Reitzel, Professor Emeritus, Communication, has been selected to join the Peace Corps as a Virtual Service Pilot Participant. Beginning in May 2026, Dr. Reitzel will work with staff in Ukraine to co-teach a "Summer English and Culture Club for Ukrainian Teens." This assignment builds on Dr. Reitzel's expertise in teaching English as a second language and intercultural communication.
This book examines France's non-official foreign policy in Africa (1960-2024) via political essays, novels, and films from 10 Francophone African countries to better understand not only the ramifications of French neocolonialism, but also the legitimacy of the contemporary social movements calling for decolonial policies across the Francophone African world.
Published with the Press at Cal Poly.
Dr. Amy Sprowles has received the prestigious CSU BIOTECH Andreoli Faculty Service Award, which honors a CSU faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to biotechnology programs across the California State University system. Dr. Sprowles was recognized for her exceptional leadership and impact on students through her role as Director of the CIRM Bridges Program, which provides Humboldt students with research experiences in regenerative medicine, and for her leadership in the design of Humboldt's PBLC first-year experience. She is continuing to grow biomedical research and education on our campus as the director of the new Humboldt-CIRM Shared Resources Laboratory.
Students Natalie Swearingen and Kaci Dodd, alumnus Isamar Lopez-Argueta, and Assistant Professor Allison Bronson presented their research on the ear anatomy of cartilaginous fishes at the Northeast Pacific Shark Symposium in Newport, Oregon.
Drs. Darren Ward and Nick Som received a grant for research on salmon populations and habitat in the Redwood Creek estuary. The project will build on ongoing monitoring efforts to better understand salmon population abundance and life history. New work will include fish tagging and tracking, water quality assessment, food web studies, and expanded habitat monitoring. Findings will generate information to guide habitat restoration efforts in Redwood Creek and help inform future estuary restoration projects.
Project partners include the California Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Redwood National Park, the Yurok Tribe, California Trout, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Funding is provided through a subaward from UC San Diego, with primary support from NOAA.
Dr. Peter Goetz's article titled "Algebras Associated to Inverse Systems of Projective Schemes" has been accepted for publication and will appear in the journal Algebras and Representation Theory. The work, joint with Dr. Andrew Conner at Saint Mary's College, introduces a functorial and geometric construction which takes a connected graded algebra A as input, and gives as output an algebra B(A), which generalizes the twisted homogeneous coordinate ring of a 3-dimensional Artin-Schelter regular algebra. The algebra B(A) is defined in terms of the inverse system of truncated point schemes and spaces of global sections of certain sheaves on products of projective spaces. A key result of the paper determines when a canonically defined algebra morphism A ---> B(A) is injective or surjective in terms of local cohomology modules.
Dr. Tawanda Gara’s open-access reprint book based on the Special Issue “Remote Sensing of Vegetation Function and Traits,” which he guest edited, was published in Remote Sensing. The book is a collection of research papers from diverse scholars across the globe that focus on studying plants and ecosystems using remote sensing and data-driven methods. This achievement reflects a collaborative effort to advance ecological monitoring and environmental science using geospatial technology.