Updates about the latest accomplishments—including latest research, publications, and awards—by students, faculty, and staff
Invited chapter in edited volume ("Current Advances in Fern Research"/Springer): "Reciprocal illumination and fossils provide important perspectives in plant evo-devo: examples from auxin in seed-free plants"
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-75103-0_10
Paper presented at 10th European Paleobotany-Palynology Conference in Dublin, Ireland: "Closing in on the origins of secondary growth in euphyllophytes: are the shared developmental pathways and Devonian record pointing to a single common origin?"
Invited chapter in edited volume ("Transformative Paleobotany"/Elsevier): "Why Are Bryophytes So Rare in the Fossil Record? A Spotlight on Taphonomy and Fossil Preservation"
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128130124000164
Peer-reviewed article in American Journal of Botany: "Tree of death: The role of fossils in resolving the overall pattern of plant phylogeny"
Kerry Byrne was awarded a research grant of $45,982 from the US Dept of Fish and Wildlife to study Applegat's milkvetch.
Kerry Byrne was awarded funding by the RSCA program for her research project entitled "Experimental Restoration Method for Novel Nitrogen-Enriched Plant Communities at Lanphere Dunes, Arcata, CA."
Bill Trush presented a talk entitled "Developing Ecological Flow Criteria for the South Fork Eel River" at the annual meeting of the California Chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science in Davis, CA on Oct 24th.
Emily Cooper (HSU River Institute Research Scientist) presented a talk entitled "Quantifying Ecological Risk in the South Fork Eel River" at the annual meeting of the California Chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science in Davis, CA on Oct 24th.
Alison Holmes, International Studies Program Leader, presented a conference paper at the New Diplomatic History Network conference at the Roosevelt Institute of American Studies in the Netherlands entitled 'Nested sovereignties - networked diplomacies: UK-US business negotiating the global state'.
Forestry student, Angelo DiMario (2018) lead authored an article in the journal Northwest Science from research conducted while he was an undergraduate student. This research characterized fuel loading around large sugar pine in the Klamath Mountains and was supported by the Research, Creative Activies, and Scholarship fund. Faculty members Jeff Kane (Forestry) and Erik Jules (Biology) were co-authors on the paper.
Presented original cartographic research and design at the North American Cartographic Information Society Annual Meeting in Norfolk, VA, continuing Humboldt State's reputation as one of the leading universities for cartography in the United States. HSU took home the prize for top student research poster, making it the 3rd consecutive year HSU has won the student competition.
Won first place in student research at the North American Cartographic Research Society Annual Conference in Norfolk, VA with his map about the growth of the Hobet coal mine in West Virginia over 40 years, illustrating how the practice of mountaintop removal and valley fills creates unmitigable impacts to nearly all aspects of the geography, from geology and hydrology, to human health and economic development.
Harry Liddic received a certificate of honor and 5th Place Short Screenplay in the CSU Media Arts Festival for The Battle of Tewkesbury. This script was developed in FILM 350 Writing for Film with Prof. David Scheerer. Harry is in the over 60s program at HSU.
Won the 2017/18 HSU Distinguished Faculty Award of Excellence in Teaching - Lecturer.
Won the HSU Distinguished Faculty Award of Outstanding Professor. Dr. Zoellner will be giving a free lecture on Nov. 8, 2018 at 5:00pm in KBR.
Developed an initial cost model (using Python and R) for north coast California offshore wind energy. The model includes associated storage needs, and integrates high-resolution offshore wind resource data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with load data for Humboldt County and California, drawn from Pacific Gas & Electric and the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).
Continued his ongoing work for the California Biopower Impacts Project. Max is characterizing the field decomposition of woody biomass residues left behind by forestry operations. His efforts comprise a key component of the business-as-usual case used to evaluate the net climate impacts of biomass removal for electricity generation. Max’s project research will form the basis for his master’s thesis in the Natural Resources program here at Humboldt State.
Quantified decay rates for the post-harvest residues of seven agricultural crops: corn, wheat, rice, cotton, almond, walnut and grape. These decay rates will allow us to better assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission implications of leaving residues in field versus converting them into electricity. This fall, Sabrinna is surveying state foresters to clarify the fate of forest residues — i.e. whether they are piled, burned, or scattered in the field — information which will allow us to more accurately assess emissions following forest harvest. She has also been analyzing biomass samples using a bomb calorimeter and a thermogravimetric analyzer, to measure the performance of a gasifier system
Dr. Loren Cannon, Department of Philosophy, presented his paper "Trans Scapegoating" at the Conference "Thinking Trans and Trans Thinking Conference" in Washington DC, Oct 5 - 6th. The conference was part of the National Trans Philosophy Project with which Dr. Cannon has been a part. He also sat on two panel discussions.
https://www.american.edu/cas/philrel/trans/schedule-2018.cfm
Presented posters (Dylan & Matthew) and an oral presentation (Blake) of their wildlife research at the 2018 American Indian Science & Engineering Society annual conference in Oklahoma City.
Keynote Speaker presented "Saving Soil, Saving Culture" at AUSIECA/NZHIT Conference in Christchurch, NZ
Angelo DiMario (2017) published a paper in Northwest Science from work he conducted as an undergraduate student that characterized fuel build-up around large sugar pines in the Klamath Mountains.
Won best student poster for "Pelagic Cormorant Nesting Success and Oceanic Conditions in Northern California", presented at American Indian Science and Engineering Society annual conference, Oklahoma City, OK
Named a "National Academies Undergraduate Education Mentor in the Life Sciences" for work with the Northwest Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching (2018-2019)
Presented a paper "Comparative analysis of parental effects on the evolution of developmental period length in Anseriform birds" at The Wildlife Society's annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio
Paper presented at 17th Simposio Argentino de Paleobotánica y Palinología, Paraná, Argentina: "Briofitas anatómicamente preservadas en el Jurásico de Santa Cruz y su relevancia en el contexto evolutivo"
p. 97-98 in http://www.palino.com.ar/alpp/BoletinesALPP/Programa_Resumenes_ONLINE_2018.pdf
Invited chapter in edited volume ("Evolutionary Developmental Biology - A Reference Guide"/Springer): "Structural fingerprints of development at the intersection of evolutionary developmental biology and the fossil record"
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-33038-9_…
Peer-reviewed article in American Journal of Botany: "Buried deep beyond the veil of extinction: Euphyllophyte relationships at the base of the spermatophyte clade"
Peer-reviewed article in American Journal of Botany: "Wanted dead or alive (probably dead): Stem group Polytrichaceae"
Rachael Heller will be presenting her research on Blizzard's World of Warcraft this November at the American Anthropological Association annual conference in San Jose as part of a poster session the importance of undergraduate student research. Her work examines identity formation, investment, and social structure of an in-game guild. To learn more, visit any Anthropology Community event, or email her at rmh92@humboldt.edu.
Kerri J. Malloy, (CAHSS Student Learning Coordinator/Native American Studies) was appointed to the leadership team of the California Learning Communities Consortium at their LCP Coordinators’ and Leaders’ Meeting at the University of La Verne in La Verne, California on October 19, 2018. The California Learning Communities Consortium (CLCC) is the collaborative project of California 2 and 4-year colleges committed to improving the quality of student education through collaborative learning.
Named "Range Manager of the Year" by the California-Pacific Section of the Society for Range Management. Awarded during HSU's 50th Anniversar Celebration. Class of 1968 Alum William Lauenroth (currently at Yale University) attended the celebration as a special speaker.
Presented an invited symposium paper "Incorporating Inclusive Pedagogy in Field Classes" at The Wildlife Society's annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio, and was an invited expert panelist on inclusive teaching in wildlife biology
http://twsconference.org/sessions/inclusive-pedagogy-creating-inclusive…
Won 25th International Wildlife Quiz Bowl at The Wildlife Society's annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio, beating out 22 other teams from research universities and teaching colleges around North America. This is HSU's 12th win of this event.
http://wildlife.org/humboldt-state-university-brings-back-quiz-bowl-cha…
Madelinn Schriver (MS 2015, Forestry and Wildland Resources), Rosemary Sherriff, and US Forest Service and UC Cooperative Extension collaborators published an article on oak woodlands along a gradient of conifer encroachment in northwestern California in the journal Ecosphere. The study highlights (1) the process and severity of encroachment is consistent across the region, resulting in substantial oak habitat loss and a shift toward conifer dominance in formerly diverse woodlands of northwestern California; and (2) oak woodlands require concerted management effort to ensure their future persistence. Article weblink: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2446
Micah Wright and Rosemary Sherriff published a new article on climate change impacts in forests in Southwest Alaska with National Park Service collaborators in the open-access journal Ecosphere. Results suggest that historically productive forests in Southwest Alaska are showing declines in growth under warmer conditions, with important implications for future forest conditions and productivity. Our results corroborate climate change model forecasts for the region. Article weblink: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2462
Andre and colleagues obtained a research grant from the Lenfest Ocean Program (a grantmaking program managed by The Pew Charitable Trusts) to study fisheries management options for an important fish species (Atlantic Menahaden) along the US East coast. Atlantic Menhaden (a fish in the herring family) supports the largest fishery on the east coast, but it is also a key prey for numerous species in the ecosystem. The study involves using an ecosystem model to evaluate the impact that Atlantic menhaden fisheries can have on the broader ecosystem, including predators like other fishes, marine mammals, and seabirds. The research grant is supporting an HSU Masters student, Max Grezlik.
Organized a colloquium at the national meeting of the Botanical Society of America in Rochester, Minnesota: "Fossil plants at the intersection of evo-devo and phylogeny: celebrating the contributions of Gar W. Rothwell to biodiversity and evolution"
Dr. Smith received a Fulbright Scholar Award and an American-Scandinavian Award to study triplet ground state Baird aromatic compounds in Uppsala, Sweden during the 2018-19 AY.
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in STEM grant awarded to the CSU system wide from NSF and Chancellor's office. HSU's award for 2018/2019 is $40,000 primarily for student support.
Received travel awards from the Botanical Society of America to attend and present research at the 10th European Paleobotany-Palynology Conference in Dublin (Ireland), Aug 2018
Dr. Tomescu Co-edited a special issue of American Journal of Botany: "Tree of Death: The Role of Fossils in Resolving the Overall Pattern of Plant Phylogeny" (with G.W. Rothwell and I.H. Escapa). You can see the full article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15372197/2018/105/8
Green Chemistry (4th year in a row) and Honorable Mention student chapter award for 2017-2018 AY from the American Chemical Society (ACS)
As part of a collaboration with GE & Southern California Edison, Anh Bui developed an algorithm using Python code for estimating the tension between shifting a customer load to benefit the grid versus shifting a load to reduce their bill. Anh also helped with the installation of our new Schatz Solar Array in September.
Craig provided construction observation at the Solar+ installation, tracking the canopy weight in real-time and serving as an onsite liaison between contractors and the Schatz microgrid team. As part of his observation, Craig recorded the installation’s actual daily labor and equipment requirements, to better define the needs for similar projects in the future.
These students have been developing a model to assess the current and future costs of building microgrids that integrate solar, battery storage, and fast EV charging. This model will help define which sites are good candidates for investment, and identify future research and development opportunities.
Carly Marino was invited by the California State Archivist to join the California Historical Records Advisory Board (CHRAB) as the College and University Archives Representative. The CHRAB serves as a central advisory body within California for historic records planning and coordination and reviews the National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant applications.
Dr. Joshua Frye, Communication, recently published an article entitled “Teaching future doctors to communicate: a communication intervention for medical students in their clinical year” in the Journal of Communication in Healthcare. Frye was a member of a communication consulting and research team alongside his colleague Dr. Joshua Hammonds from Rollins College that worked with Columbia University Medical School and Bassett Healthcare to develop a communication curriculum for third-year medical students during clinical training. The communication intervention was successful in improving the students’ communication skills, especially information giving, which is critical to enabling patients to make informed decisions in shared decision-making.
Kinesiology & Recreation Administration instructor and boating safety officer Steve Monk received the 2018 Outstanding Service Award from the National Association of Underwater Instructors. A recreational dive certification and membership organization, the association provide international diver standards and education programs. It promotes “Dive Safety Through Education” and its members are known and respected all across the industry for the quality of their teaching, concern for the individual student, and safety awareness.
Forestry Graduate Student, Alexis Bernal submitted a grant proposal to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and was awarded a research grant of $24,460 for studying the effect of variable density thinning and burning treatments on the spatial patterns of drought-related tree mortality.