Latest Achievements

Nicole Jean Hill received a grant from the Wyoming Community Foundation to support a touring exhibition and corresponding publication featuring the photography of Lora Webb Nichols (1883-1962). Nichols used photography to provide for her family before, during and after the Great Depression, photographing pioneer women and providing a unique window into the role of women in this era and their cultivation of community. Both projects will enhance appreciation of female contributions to the history of image-making and the American West. This work was selected for funding by the McMurry Library Endowment Fund Committee.

Karley Rojas (they/elle) of the Environment and Community Graduate Program, and research associate of the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute has been selected as an ARI-NEXTGEN Fellow (USDA NIFA NEXTGEN grant to the California State University Agricultural Research Institute) for the 'Place-Based Learning Practices Project’, with an award in the amount of $25,000. The project is under the mentorship of Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy of the Native American Studies Department, as the principal investigator. This joins funding from Save the Redwoods League, Humboldt Energy Independence Fund, and the Sustainability Department. 

2023 LSAMP PROUD Outstanding Research in STEM Please find attached the 2023 LSAMP PROUD Cal Poly Humboldt page featuring: Cristina Portillo, Wildlife Brianna Rennard, Zoology Kayah Ray, Geology Colton Boyd, Computer Science Congratulations to these scholars and a huge thank you to their mentors.

Dr. Peter Goetz gave an invited talk titled "Frobenius Extensions in Noncommutative Invariant Theory" in the AMS Special Session on Homological Techniques in Noncommutative Algebra at the Joint Mathematics Meeting on January 3, 2024. The JMM is one of the largest international meetings of mathematicians with approximately 6000 attendees. Dr. Goetz reported on his new theorem: all dual reflection groups afford examples of (twisted) Frobenius extensions. Dr. Goetz also presented his work on the relationship between Artin-Schelter regular and Artin-Schelter Gorenstein algebras and Frobenius extensions, and examples of Frobenius extensions arising from noncommutative and noncocommutative Hopf algebra actions.

Dr. Jim Graham received a grant from CalTrout that will pay for a graduate student to perform GIS habitat modeling in the Eel River Watershed, and develop a subsequent Riparian Climate Refugia (RCR) data set. The data will provide information on where riparian corridors (vegetation growing near natural bodies of water) contain remaining climate refugia on the CA North Coast. Climate refugia are landscape features that provide environmental protection and can allow species to persist through climate change effects. The data will be particularly useful to land managers, who can use it to make more informed restoration and conservation decisions.

Physics & Astronomy alumni (Alyssa Johnson ('21), Claire Rogers ('23), Noah Dunkley ('18), and Michael Gengo ('22)) and faculty member C.D. Hoyle recently published a peer-reviewed paper describing a technical advancement for the stabilization of the apparatus used for precision gravitational physics measurements at Cal Poly Humboldt. The article, titled "Optimization of an Active Leveling Scheme for a Short-Range Gravity Experiment," was published in the Journal of Undergraduate Reports in Physics and may be found here:  https://pubs.aip.org/aip/jurp/article/33/1/100002/2929427/Optimization-…

Professor Alison Holmes (Politics) led the first-ever International Research Track of the CSU International Forum at the Chancellor's Office. Historically for CSU staff, the CO asked Holmes to be a Vice-Chair and expand the format to include faculty and/or international research. Holmes both facilitated the track and presented a paper with Drs Lily-House-Peters (CSULB) and Susan Ross (CSUSJ), "Supporting Diverse Students: Study Abroad and Transformation Curriculum", based on research at LB and Humboldt that explored ways campus study abroad preparation/follow-up programs could be more holistic and culturally aware. Holmes was asked to help develop the new track further next year.  

Drs. Bori Mazzag, Sherrene Bogle, and Beth Eschenbach received a National Science Foundation “Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity” (EPIIC) grant in the amount of $400,000. The 3-year project will provide time for faculty to foster new industry connections that will expand paid internships and other experiential learning opportunities in tech and engineering, provide programming to prepare students to be successful in their internships, and facilitate campus-wide needs assessment of internships. Cal Poly Humboldt is part of a five institution cohort that will share strategies to expand innovation capacity, industry-academia partnerships, and workforce development. 

Drs. JuEun Lee and Joshua Steimel recently published a paper in the Journal of Orthopaedics. The study examined the effect that vancomycin, tobramycin, and the combination of these two ubiquitous antibiotics can have on the compressive and tensile strength of bone cement. As the concentration of antibiotics increased there was a decrease in both the compressive and tensile mechanical performance of the bone cement. The results of this study can be utilized to guide future surgical techniques to reduce the incidence of failure of bone cement in the presence of antibiotics.

Sara K. Sterner, along with colleagues from University of North Dakota, Weber State University, and University of Minnesota, presented a poster at the National Council of Teachers of English annual conference in Columbus Ohio on November 18. The poster, Leveraging ChatGPT as a Node of Opportunity: Productive Collaboration with AI in YA Literature, was positively received. Recognizing that ChatGPT is at the forefront of conversations in English Education, we shared strategies for using this technology to engage students in literacy experiences and explore the benefits of strategically incorporating AI into the classroom in both a pedagogically beneficial and ethical way.   

Kamila Larripa was selected to participate in the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute's Summer Research in Mathematics Program.  She will work with collaborators on developing data-driven modeling approaches to investigate the impact of human behavior on epidemic dynamics for outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Dr. Brandon Browne and colleagues from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, and King Saud University recently published a scientific article titled "Structure of shallow magma sources beneath Augustine Volcano (Alaska) inferred from local earthquake tomography" in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. The article presents a 3D model of the magma storage system beneath Augustine Volcano using arrival time data from local seismicity, which is crucial information for eruption forecasting, volcanic hazard assessment efforts, and a broader understanding of the structure of magma and fluid sources beneath the active volcano. 

Kevin Geumhan (‘24) coauthored a paper that was recently accepted for publication in Physical Review E. Kevin’s work was carried out in collaboration with researchers from UC Merced and is titled “Maximally Mixing Active Nematics.” Kevin also recently presented this work at the 76th Annual American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Drs. Eileen Cashman and Margaret Lang received funding from Caltrans to investigate current and anticipated climate conditions on the Arcata/Eureka corridor, a roadway that’s experiencing one of the fastest rates of relative sea level rise on the entire U.S. west coast. The study will assess hazards, and evaluate adaptation options based on the best available sea level rise science. Findings will contribute to the development of a comprehensive climate adaptation plan for Highway 101, enabling Caltrans District 1 to advance planning and implement an adaptation solution.

Music lecturer and guitarist Jennifer Trowbridge recently taught classes in India at Mount Shivalik School, surrounded by the Himalayas in the state of Himanchel, and Ashoka University, in Sanipot, in the northern state of Haryana. She studied drupad alap singing with Mamta Tripathi in Agra, Utter Pradesh, and the 23-stringed sarod with Arnab Battacharya in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Jennifer also performed house concerts in Rampur, Kufri, Delhi, and Agra, and received many invitations to return – and to bring her Cal Poly Humboldt students on the next visit!

Dr. Armeda Reitzel (Professor, Communication) and Rosalinda Frick (Senior Communication Major) delivered a conference presentation titled "Engaging the Creativity of Three Diverse Student Populations Using a LibreTexts OER" at the 2023 Open Education Conference on November 8, 2023. Dr. Reitzel was one of several authors for a new open educational resource titled "Interpersonal Communication: Context and Connection (OERI)" that was first published by LibreTexts in 2022.  

Students in the Promotorx Transformative Educators Program (Arianna Bucio, Joahnna Tool, Brianna Juarez, Yaire Barboza, Georgina Cerda Salvarrey, Audriana Peñaloza, Athens Marrón, Priscilla Cuellar, Maria Citlalli Rodriguez) traveled to Montgomery, Alabama on November 14-18, 2023 to present at the annual National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) Conference. They were joined by Dr. Marisol Ruiz (Education) and Dr. Nancy Pérez (CRGS) where together, they presented their research "Ethnic Studies as Liberatory Literacy Practices." Their project is a culmination of their work teaching ethnic studies to local high school students, which started this past summer and continued through this fall semester.    

Dr Meenal Rana, Associate Professor, Child Development will be assuming the role of Chair of Diversity Science Initiative (DSI) at the Society for Study of Human Development (SSHD) in January of 2024. "Diversity Science provides new expansion and inclusiveness in intellectual inquiry by fostering an equitable and inclusive environment for all, providing a welcoming space that builds toward a comprehensive understanding of human development within SSHD" (https://sshdonline.org/diversity-science-initiative/). According to the outgoing chair, "Dr. Rana holds deep convictions to DEI work, as we do and I know with our support she will move the needle continually forward for SSHD." 

Professor Emeritus Robert W. Zoellner and his former student, James M. Moore, have published a peer-reviewed article entitled, “A DFT computational investigation of mono-sila-substituted DNA nucleobases and their hydrogen-bonded Watson-Crick dimers with the parent purines and pyrimidines”:  J. M. Moore, R. W. Zoellner, Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research 2023, 22, 102–110.

Drs Justin Luong and Kerry Byrne received a $1.4 million UC Climate Action Grant for several projects supporting climate resiliency in California grasslands and rangelands. Grasslands serve as the foundation for California’s ranching economy, and support ecosystem services like carbon and water storage, flood mitigation, and ecotourism. In light of climate change, innovating ecological restoration that focuses on climate resilience is imperative. Luong and collaborators (CSU-Chico, CalPoly-SLO and PointBlue) will work with land managers across California to establish a Grassland Restoration Action, Science and Stewardship (GRASS) network for coordination and resource sharing, and developing climate-resilient grassland restoration protocols.

Dr. Kimberly Vincent-Layton, Megan Eberhardt-Alstot, and Dr. Brett Christie (Alchemy) presented a workshop on Realizing and Applying Agreements for Self-Care in Academe at the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Accelerate Conference in Washington, DC on October 25, 2023. The capacity to construct a caring learning environment begins with educator well-being. The educational climate continues to be one of uncertainty–with educators at the center–meeting the needs of students, institutions, and non-professional responsibilities. This session is based on the Toltec's Four-Agreements and Warm Demander Pedagogy to reaffirm educators in what makes them joyful as professionals.  OLC Blog Post 

The Learning Center has been awarded recertification as a Level I certified tutor training program by the internationally recognized College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) by successfully completing the International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC) peer review process. Achieving certification means that the Cal Poly Humboldt Learning Center has met CRLA’s high standards for tutor selection, training, direct service, and evaluation as an integral part of their overall tutoring and writing assistance programs. Since 1999, 379 instructional student assistants have earned tutor certification through the center.           

Shay Konradsdottir (student- Computer Science and Molecular Biology) and Rouhollah Aghasaleh (faculty- Education) presented a paper, Rural Education's Impact on Children's Perceptions of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in Public Services, at the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) conference. 

Rouhollah Aghasaleh (Education), Amy Sprowles (Biological Sciences), and Corrina Wells (DHSI) presented a study, “Indigenizing First-Year College Experience Through Place-Based STEM Disciplines”, that focused on indigenous scientific knowledge integration in Place-Based Learning Communities at the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Conference. Some of the goals of the study:

• Understand students' evolving perceptions of indigenous scientific knowledge.
• Examine challenges and solutions for knowledge synthesis.
• Inform curriculum development for inclusivity.
• Develop institutional recommendations for support.

 

Dawn Arledge received funding from the Sierra Business Council to develop a public health report for the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) Eastern Sierra Region, encompassing Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne counties. CERF is a state-wide initiative promoting a sustainable and equitable economic recovery from COVID. The report will explore health outcomes throughout the region, including an analysis of health disparities. It will also investigate potential links between economic and environmental conditions, and causes of disease and mortality. Findings will inform targeted investments for improving the region’s health equity and outcomes.

Four McNair Scholars were selected to present their research at the NDiSTEM Conference through poster presentations including Valerie Keody, Cristina Portillo, Olivia Ortiz, and Darlene Alexis Villalobos Cazares. Two won first place in their subject areas: Olivia Ortiz in Psychology and Darlene Alexis Villalobos Cazares in Life Sciences, Animal Sciences/Zoology.  The NDiSTEM Conference, managed by the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), was all-inclusive with learning opportunities offered through many cultural lenses. Approximately 6,500 attendees networked with graduate school, corporate, and governmental recruiters. 

Congratulations to the Music Department Concerto Competition Winners:  Andrew Olson, piano, Competion winner;  Danyelle Allen, baritone saxophone, Runner-up;  Lukas Faulder, alto saxophone, Instrumental category winner.  During the Spring semester, Andrew Olson will perform Haydn's D Major Piano Concerto with the Humboldt Symphony.  

AJ Bealum, Programmer & Project Manager, and Cyril Oberlander, Library Dean presented the innovative 3D Digital Herbarium project at the Access 2023 Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 24, 2023. The 3D Digital Herbarium is a Cal Poly Humboldt Library project focusing on transforming how we learn Botany, or any discipline, transitioning from 2D online galleries to an immersive 3D Digital Exhibit. This open pedagogy software development will celebrate a Version 1 launch this January. Check out the progress so far at: 3DHerbarium.org 

Dr. Humnath Panta's recent research, "Ex‐military CEOs and readability of financial reports," published in the Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, ABDC A* rated journal, reveals that firms led by ex-military CEOs issue more precise 10-K reports. Highlighting the value of transparent communication, the research indicates that such CEOs' military backgrounds contribute to straightforward reporting and diminish the obscuring of negative information. This pioneering work sheds light on the influence of a CEO's military experience on financial transparency and offers a behavioral rationale for the improved readability of corporate financial disclosures.

Dr. Alex Harper received a $60,000 grant to support research that will enhance climate change and extreme weather resilience along the North Coast. The project involves collaboration with local fishing associations, tribes, shellfish growers, and regional experts to enhance information sharing. It will also utilize existing partnerships between California Sea Grant, California Ocean Observing Systems (Central & Northern (CeNCOOS); Southern California Coastal (SCCOOS)), and local communities to co-develop climate solutions, such as curated data dashboards and capacity development opportunities, to safeguard resource dependent economies, and support sustainable ocean use.

The LAG (Liquid-Actuated Gravity) Collaboration that includes Dr. C.D. Hoyle recently published work in the journal Review of Scientific Instruments titled "Measurement of gravitational and thermal effects in a liquid-actuated torsion pendulum." The work discusses measurements taken to test and characterize a novel system for making precision tests of gravity at short distance scales. In addition to Cal Poly Humboldt contributions, the collaboration includes researchers from the University of Naples and University of Rome Tor Vergata, as well as the Italian INFN (Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare).  The article can be found here:  https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0162604

David Adams, Melissa Bittner (CSU Long Beach), Lisa Silliman-French (Texas Woman's University), and Barry Lavay (CSU Long Beach) published an article titled "Implementing Action Research in Physical Education: A Guide for Physical Educators in the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.  

Based on her career trajectory both prior to, and since arriving in, academe, Prof Alison Holmes (PSCI) was invited to offer a piece for the “Learning the Scholar’s Craft” series on the ‘Robert Jervis International Security Studies Forum’ of H-Diplo. Joining scholars of international relations, politics and history that range from Charles Maier and John Lewis Gaddis to Cynthia Enloe and Ann Tickner, the invitation was extended to Holmes as the Forum seeks to offer more “success stories” to their younger/female grad student and early career readers that explore the breadth of pathways taken by women in the field: https://issforum.org/category/essays/formation-essay

Dr. Frank DeMatteo, School Psychology Program Coordinator, received $2 million in Grant Funding (two grants). Over the next five years these grants, in partnership with the Northern Humboldt Union High School District, will be used to increase the number of mental health practitioners in disadvantaged school districts. They will also support the professional development of students and their field-based supervisors. Three students from the first-year School Psychology cohort were awarded $15,000 for the next two years. Four students from the second-year cohort, received $10,000 to support the completion of their 540 hours of school-based practicum for the 2023-2024 Academic year.

Dr. C.D. Hoyle is a co-author of a new publication that discusses the results of a 15-year campaign to map the moon’s orbit at the millimeter level. Such measurements can be used to test the validity of General Relativity and test theories that predict new physics. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/aceb2f

Drs. Jill Anderson and David Adams received a $1.2 million Department of Education grant to implement a teacher preparation program designed to increase the number of California educators fully qualified to serve children with disabilities who have high intensity needs. The project is in direct response to the state’s growing demand for fully credentialed special education, early intervention, and related services personnel. The program will recruit diverse student cohorts to complete a teaching credential in either Special Education or Physical Education, and complete an MS in Kinesiology to obtain an Adapted Physical Education added authorization.

Dr. Maxwell Schnurer and Steve Ladwig received a US Department. of Justice grant to support a collaborative program between Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods offering a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Communication at Pelican Bay State Prison. This will be the first B.A. program in the US offered at a level-four, maximum security prison and in person. Partnering with Project Rebound and the Advising and Academic Career Center, the program will also provide re-entry support and post-degree employment preparation. This work will strengthen post-release career opportunities for incarcerated students, while reducing recidivism and enhancing community safety.

Kamila Larripa and collaborators published an article in the Journal of Theoretical Biology entitled Macrophage phenotype transitions in a stochastic gene-regulatory network model.  The study classifies cell phenotypes using a spectral clustering algorithm and quantifies transitions between phenotypes using transition path theory.  

Joshua Meisel co-authored with Daniel Bear (Humber College) "A tale of two cannabis legalization experiments" for Policy Options in commemoration of the 5th anniversary of cannabis legalization in Canada. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/october-2023/cannabis-canada-c…

Joshua Meisel co-authored an article on "Medical Cannabis Identity and Public Health Paternalism" with Amanda Reiman, Rielle Capler, and Darcey Paulding McCready in the June issue of Public Health in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2023.100372  

Joshua Meisel co-authored with Dominic Corva and Ara Pachmayer "Cannabis, Communities, and Place: (Re)constructing Humboldt's Post-Prohibition Present" in the 2023 issue of the Humboldt Journal of Social Relations. https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1218&co…

Emeritus Chemistry Professor William Wood recently published an article in the Austrian Academy of Sciences journal Biosystematics and Ecology on the oyster-like odor of the plant, Mertensia maritima.  This plant has a circumboreal oceanic distribution where it grows just above the high-tide mark, most often on exposed maritime shingle bars. Because of the smell of crushed plant leaves, it is called the oyster plant in Britain and Ireland, and oyster leaf in North America. Wood collected this plant in Homer, Alaska and is the first person to identify the chemical that gives this plant its common names.  

Dr. Frank Fogarty received funding to study how retained patches of trees in timber harvests effect bird communities in managed forests of the Pacific Northwest. Regulations in Oregon and Washington prescribe a minimum number of standing trees that must be retained by timber harvest operations, in part to enhance the biodiversity value of harvested lands. Dr. Fogarty will work with a graduate student to experimentally compare a variety of spatial retention arrangements, with the goal of demonstrating which retention strategies maximize avian diversity post-harvest. Funding comes from the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement.

Dr. Alison Holmes (Politics) was invited to co-lead the 'Pay it Forward' program at the International Studies Association (ISA)-West Conference in Pasadena. Designed to support female-identifying graduate students and new faculty by pairing mentors with mentees by research area and intended career plans, Holmes first participated in this program at the national level in 2016 and then helped establish the program at regional level through ISA-West. Holmes also presented on a panel discussing California's changing role in the world and promoted csuglobal, the new online journal of which she is the inaugural Managing Editor.

Dr. Humnath Panta, Associate Professor of Finance at School Business, recently published an article entitled "Organizational capital and credit ratings" in Finance Research Letters, an A-level ABDC journal. The study investigates organizational capital's impact on credit ratings using pooled OLS and US firm data from 1989 to 2017. Results indicate that companies with greater organizational capital achieve higher credit ratings. This conclusion withstands various robustness checks, estimation methods, and addressing potential biases. Notably, the positive correlation is especially pronounced for financially constrained firms. Overall, the research's findings reveal the importance of organizational capital in the credit ratings of a firm.

Dr. Paul Michael L. Atienza was one of six experts invited to "Swipe Rights" Book Workshop at the University of Michigan in mid-September. The transdisciplinary group of digital media specialists from academia, the non-profit sector, and tech industries assisted Dr. Apryl Williams, assistant professor in the Department of Communications in developing a public-facing resource to accompany her forthcoming book, Not My Type: Automating Sexual Racism in Online Dating available February 2024 through Stanford Press (https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=33064).

Dr. Margaret Lang received funding from the National Park Service to assess the condition of culverts (tunnel structures under roadways that provide cross drainage) throughout Redwood National Park. Many of the park’s culverts have not been properly assessed in over 40 years, and may be acting as passage barriers to federally threatened coho and chinook salmon, and steelhead trout. The project will provide the park with site survey data and a culvert replacement priority list, contributing to the preservation and enhancement of the park’s natural and cultural resources. Cal Poly Humboldt students will assist in conducting the assessments.

The U.S. Secretary of the Interior has appointed Prof. Steve Martin to the Bureau of Land Management's Resource Advisory Council for Northern California. The Council provides advice to the federal agency regarding the management of public land resources.

Dr. Aghasaleh's commentary Whose Science is of the Most Worth? Making a Case for Problem Posing Instead of Problem Solving was published as a chapter in Navigating Elementary Science Teaching and Learning: Cases of Classroom Practices and Dilemmas (Part of the book series: Springer Texts in Education) edited by Sophia Jeong, Lynn A. Bryan, Deborah J. Tippins, Chelsea M. Sexton. This book includes cases that feature dilemmas embedded in rich narrative stories that characterize the lives of science teachers, and by extension, their students. The case-based pedagogy serves as a tool for discussion, critique, and research practice.

The Adapted Physical Education Program led by Jill Anderson, David Adams, and Chris Hopper received federal funding (1.2m) from the U.S. Department of Education for a teacher preparation program. Funding for this Teacher Preparation Program will allow students to complete a Special Education Credential or a Secondary Credential in Physical Education, along with an Added Authorization to teach Adapted Physical Education, and a Masters degree in Kinesiology or Education. All students will be funded for a total of 2 years. Interested students should contact David Adams (Dha13@humboldt.edu) and Jill Anderson (jp319@humboldt.edu).