Latest Achievements

Updates about the latest accomplishments—including latest research, publications, and awards—by students, faculty, and staff

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Nicole Jean Hill, Art + Film

Professor Nicole Jean Hill was recently awarded Best in Show for her series "Unarmed" as part of a juried documentary exhibition titled "With Our Own Eyes" at the RayKo Photo Center. Nicole and her work were also featured in an essay by RayKo Photo Center Director, Ann Jastrab, on allaboutphoto.com See the exhibit at http://www.all-about-photo.com/article.php?title=nicole-jean-hill-unarmed&id=209.

Professor Emeritus Rick Botzler, students in the Ecoclub and other collaborators, Wildlife

Professor Emeritus Rick Botzler has been working with local kids aged 4 to 16 to survey for chytrid fungus in Humboldt County frogs. With the Ecoclub kids as first author(s), the research team, which includes ecologist colleagues from the US Forest Service, UC Davis and the Integral Ecology Research Center, has published their findings in the recent issue of the Journal of Wildlife Diseases. A great accomplishment fueled by citizen science.

Cynthia Boshell, Native American Studies

Cynthia Boshell (Lecturer, Native American Studies; HSU Class of 2011) has accepted an invitation to present her recently published paper during the October 2016 World Indigenous Law Conference.

"The Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Doctrine of Discovery: Medieval Christian theology at the heart of modern international policy" is part of the Red Paper series published by Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples.

The Law Conference is an important worldwide event for Indigenous lawyers, academics, thought leaders and those interested in the particular legal issues affecting Indigenous Peoples. Conference website: http://7genfund.org/2016-world-indigenous-law-conference

Amy Livingston, Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Amy Livingston, graduate student, lead authored a paper with Erik Jules (Biology) and Jeff Kane (Forestry and Wildland Resources) entitled "Prescribed fire and conifer removal promote positive understory vegetation responses in Quercus garryana woodlands" in the Journal of Applied Ecology this past June

Jeffrey Kane, Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Co-authored three new articles related to fire and fuels management:

“The impact of fuelbed aging on laboratory fire behaviour in masticated woody fuels” in the International Journal of Wildland Fire

“Suites of fire-adapted traits in the southeastern USA oaks: multiple strategies for persistence in fire-prone environments” in the journal Fire Ecology

“Duration of fuels reduction following prescribed fire in coniferous forests of U.S. national parks in California and the Colorado plateau” in the journal Forest Ecology and Management

Jenny Novak, Geography

Jenny Novak, ‘07 HSU Geography Alum, will be receiving an award for Community Preparedness at the White House on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Her experience as a Geography student Humboldt State led her to a career in reducing risk and planning for natural disasters. She is the Emergency Preparedness Manager at Cal State Northridge.

Link to the press release: http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2016/08/24/fema-honors-achievements-community-preparedness

Benjamin Funke, Art + Film

The Humboldt Arts Council has nominated Benjamin Funke as the Juror for the 22nd Annual Junque Arte Competition and Exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum of Art. The exhibition will run from October 1st to November 27th in the Thonson Gallery & Melvin Schuler Sculpture Garden.

An opening reception will be held October 1st, from 6 to 9 p.m. during First Saturday Night Arts Alive! The exhibition is sponsored by Linda Wise and Recology Humboldt County.

Funke received his B.F.A. from Columbia College, Chicago in 2005 and his M.F.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 2012. He currently works in the Art Department at Humboldt State University.

Adam Carter, Computer Science

Adam Carter will be presenting his paper, "With a Little Help from My Friends: An Empirical Study of the Interplay of Students' Social Activities, Programming Activities, and Course Success" at the ICER 2016 computer science education conference this September.

Dr. Steven J. Steinberg, Environmental Science & Management

Dr. Steven Steinberg (Adjunct Professor, Geospatial Science) is speaking at the European Sociological Association, Qualitative Research Summit, Sept. 1- 3 in Cracow, Poland.

He will be presenting in the Mobile and Geospatial Research Technologies session about his recent fish consumption study supported by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, entitled: A Geospatial Survey of Anglers to Assess Fish Consumption from San Diego Bay, California.

More information about the conference is available at: http://www.esa-cracow.pl/

Dr. Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg, Sociology

Dr. Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg has been invited as a keynote speaker to the European Sociological Association, Qualitative Research Summit, Sept. 1- 3 in Cracow, Poland.

She will be presenting on: Sociospatial Grounded Theory: The Qualitative Power of GIS.

More information about the conference is available at: http://www.esa-cracow.pl/

Katia Karadjova and Marissa Mourer, University Library

Librarians Katia Karadjova and Marissa Mourer have had their paper, Searching as Strategic Exploration: How well do faculty know their students’ preferences regarding information sources?, accepted at the European Conference on Information Literacy, which will take place in Prague, Czech Republic in October 2016. The paper will be published in Springer's Communications in Computer & Information Science series.

Marissa Mourer, University Library

Marissa Mourer, CAHSS librarian, received a grant through the HSU SPF Incentives Program to develop the Library Brain Booth, which seeks to introduce students to scientific research on the effects of mindfulness, attention, and contemplation through hands-on tools and activities in an informal, experiential setting. The Library Brain Booth will open on Wednesday, 8/31 10am-Noon (LIB 114) and Thursday, 9/1 1-3pm (LIB 208). More information about the Brain Booth can be found here: http://library.humboldt.edu/brainbooth.html

Renée Byrd, Sociology

Dr. Renée M. Byrd recently published an article titled, " 'Punishment's Twin': Theorizing Prisoner Reentry for a Politics of Abolition" in Social Justice 43-1.

Steven Martin, Environmental Science & Management

Steve Martin had an article published in the August issue of International Journal of Wilderness -- 'Protecting Visitors and the Wilderness through Stewardship Research.' The article was invited by the Editorial Board of the journal in response to Dr. Martin's recent award for excellence in wilderness stewardship research.

John Meyer, Politics

John Meyer was recently appointed as an editor of the international academic journal, Environmental Politics.

http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.humboldt.edu/toc/fenp20/current

Charlotte Olsen, Physics & Astronomy

Physics/Astronomy major Charlotte Olsen has been selected for a NASA CRESST internship this summer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center close to Washington DC. She will be working with X-ray data to understand how star formation is triggered in close pairs of galaxies under the supervision of Dr. Basu-Zych. Congrats Charlotte!

C.D. Hoyle, Physics & Astronomy

Dr. C.D. Hoyle published a book chapter entitled "Laboratory-Based Gravity Measurement" in Volume 3 of Wiley's "Handbook of Measurement in Science and Engineering." The peer-reviewed reference series is edited by Myer Kutz.

Kristin Cooper and Catherine Trimingham, Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management

Two Humboldt State University students passed the rigorous “Fundamentals of Soil Science” exam offered on April 15, 2016, becoming Associate Professional Soil Scientists, according to test results from the Council of Soil Science Examiners.

Kristin Cooper and Catherine Trimingham graduated from Humboldt State University with the Wildland Soils option in Rangeland Resource Science. Kristin has performed range technician duties for the Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming and has volunteered for several California Resource Conservation Districts. She is studying for the GRE exam and plans to apply to a graduate program for Fall 2017. Catt rowed for the HSU Women’s Crew team and is currently working as a forest-wide soils technician on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in Idaho. She says that “my education is much more well-rounded compared to the people I work with. I am able to understand a majority of the timber jargon, identify most of the plants I come in contact with, and have been told that my notes are too thorough.”

The national pass rate for the Spring 2016 soils exam was 56 percent, with a California pass rate of 87.5 percent. Since 2011, 25 HSU students have attempted this exam, with an overall pass rate of 80 percent, the last two years with 100 percent success. Those who pass the fundamentals exam will be eligible to take the Professional Practice exam after five years of professional experience, an additional step in becoming a Certified Professional Soil Scientist. Recent Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) discussions about program self-certification have included the fundamentals exam as one indicator of program quality. Given that the exam is multiple choice, it does not evaluate students’ field skills per se, but is an exam that is offered nationwide and is therefore ‘portable.’ Humboldt State University Wildland Soils students (under the Rangeland Resource Science major) spend more than 200 hours in field or laboratory learning experiences, honing hands-on skills and field judgment of soil properties, limitations, and capabilities.

William Wood, Chemistry

“Do skunks hate the smell of their own spray?” William Wood, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, was asked this question by Popular Science Magazine (July-August, 2016, p. 102). He said we can never really know the answer to this question. Like humans, skunks should experience olfactory fatigue on prolonged exposure to their defensive spray. The receptors in their nose get clogged up with odor molecules and the smell can no longer be detected. The article is online at www.popsci.com/do-skunks-hate-smell-their-own-spray.

Joshua Frye, Communication

Joshua Frye recently published a book chapter called "Hugo Chávez, Iconic Associationism, and the Bolívarian Revolution" in the edited collection, Imprints of Revolution: Visual Representations of Resistance. The peer-reviewed volume is published by Roman & Littlefield International and edited by Lisa B. Y. Calvente and Guadalupe Garcia.

Steven Martin, Environmental Science & Management

Dr. Steven Martin is co-author of a peer-reviewed article recently published in the Journal of Forestry--The Evolution of Wilderness Social Science and Future Research to Protect Experiences, Resources, and Societal Benefits.

John Meyer, Politics

*The Greening of Everyday Life: Challenging Practices, Imagining Possibilities* is a new book published by Oxford University Press, edited by John Meyer and German law professor Jens Kersten. The book brings together contributors from a wide variety of disciplines to critically explore strategies and actions taken to generate homes, communities, and livelihoods that might be scaled-up to promote more sustainable societies.

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-greening-of-everyday-life-9…

Sheila Rocker Heppe, College of eLearning & Extended Education

Sheila Rocker Heppe, Director of Extended Education & OLLI Programs, is featured in an interview appearing in Road Scholar, part of the Lifelong Learning Institute Resource Network. You can read the full interview online here: http://bit.ly/2blzYFk

Stephen Cunha, Geography

Geography Professor Stephen Cunha's "Phase Change: The Western Ski Industry in Transition" appears in the Spring 2017 issue of Pacifica. The alpine ski industry in the west began in 1927 with a modest rope tow up a 164-foot hill near Lake Tahoe. Today, 125 resorts blanket 11 western states, BC, and Yukon. Changes during the last decade include the consolidation of resorts under corporate ownership, annual passes that apply to multiple areas across several states, the vertical integration of resort operations, and adaptations to a warming climate.

Dr. Jason R. Patton, Geology

Dr. Jason R. Patton was invited to and participated in the research cruise CASEIS16. The goals of this cruise were to characterize the tectonics of the convergent subduction zone plate boundary along the Lesser Antilles in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Patton provided essential advice to the chief scientist Dr. Nathalie Feuillet for cruise planning by helping Dr. Feuillet locate core sites; locate seismic profile locations; describe, sample, and archive sediment cores; and conduct preliminary stratigraphic analyses. Dr. Patton provided expert advice on the methodology of turbidite paleoseismology.

Here is Dr. Patton’s research cruise blog http://humboldt-jay.blogspot.com/

Dr. Jason R. Patton, Geology

Dr. Jason R. Patton is a recipient of the Geological Society of America's (GSA) Kirk Bryan Award, granted by the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division. This is one of the most prestigious awards granted to geologists that study the Quaternary (from 2.56 million years ago to present). http://www.geosociety.org/awards/divisions.htm#kirkBryan

Dr. Patton was a coauthor to the Goldfinger et al., USGS Publication, "Turbidite Event History—Methods and Implications for Holocene Paleoseismicity of the Cascadia Subduction Zone." The award is presented to all coauthors. http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1661f/

The award will be presented at the September 2016 GSA national meeting in Denver, CO.

John W. Powell, Philosophy

John W. Powell, Humboldt State Professor of Philosophy, presented May 23 in Turku, Finland, to the Abo Akademi University Philosophy Department's Research Seminar on the topic "In and Out of Language: An Attack on Standard Philosophical Accounts of the Ontology of Language." He also participated in the Centennial Celebration in Honor of Georg Henrik von Wright at Helsinki University and attended two more conferences at Abo and at the University of Helsinki dealing with Ludwig Wittgenstein and von Wright. On June 16th he presented at Abo on "Justification Is Not the Issue; Philosophy Must Rethink War."

C.D. Hoyle, Physics & Astronomy

National Science Foundation (NSF) funding for research in Dr. Hoyle's Gravitational Physics Laboratory has been extended for 3 more years in the amount of $156,000. The funds support student travel to conferences and summer research positions in addition to hardware and software necessary to perform the experiments. More information can be found here:
http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1606988

Kacie Flynn, Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority

Members of a Humboldt State sorority were recently recognized with 10 awards at a national convention.

The 2016 International Leadership Forum for the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, Inc. was held in Philadelphia June 30th - July 3rd, 2016. This biennium convention was attended by nearly 550 delegates around the country and marked the centennial kick off for Delta Phi Epsilon. The event included distinguished alumnae speakers, professional development workshops, and the opportunity to celebrate Delta Phi Epsilon’s 100 years of sisterhood and service.

The Epsilon Upsilon Chapter at Humboldt State University sent three delegates to represent the HSU Chapter, currently the only active chapter on the west coast. HSU’s undergraduate delegates included current Chapter President Jacqueline Trzeciak (senior, Cellular Molecular Biology), Vice President Operations Mickayla Matarazzo (junior, Social Work) and Vice President Academic Affairs Eve Mejia (senior, Cellular Molecular Biology).

Additionally, the California Alumnae Association, primarily composed of HSU graduates, had seven alumnae representatives from Humboldt State University attending.

The Epsilon Upsilon Chapter at Humboldt State University as well as the California Alumnae Association walked away with 10 awards total, the largest recognition for the west coast chapters in 28 years.

The Epsilon Upsilon Chapter at Humboldt State University was chartered in 1988 and currently has close to 50 undergraduate members. Soon they will be joined by two new colonies being established on the west coast: California State University, Los Angeles (fall 2016) and University of California, Merced (spring 2018).

Individual Awards:

Harriette Hirsch Sisterhood Award: Kacie Flynn, Epsilon Upsilon

Established in 1996 to honor Harriette Hirsch for unselfish support and service to Delta Phi Epsilon, this award is presented to a member of the sorority who has given unselfishly of her time and resources to ensure the success of Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority.

Outstanding Alumnae of the Biennium: Gina Curtis, Epsilon Upsilon, Humboldt State University, CAA

Outstanding Alumnae of the Biennium: Rose McGovern, Epsilon Upsilon, Humboldt State University, CAA

Outstanding Alumnae of the Biennium: Kacie Flynn, Epsilon Upsilon, Humboldt State University, CAA

Outstanding Alumnae of the Biennium: Margie Janes, Epsilon Upsilon, Humboldt State University, CAA

Outstanding Alumnae of the Biennium: Lynna Do, Alpha Iota, San Francisco State University, CAA

Outstanding Alumnae of the Biennium presented to those alumnae members who have represented Delta Phi Epsilon’s highest standards and have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service outside the sorority as well as within.

Outstanding Undergraduate of the Biennium: Sam Barton, Epsilon Upsilon, Humboldt State University

Outstanding Undergraduate of the Biennium presented to those undergraduate members who have represented Delta Phi Epsilon's highest standards and have demonstrated outstanding leadership and scholastic qualities outside the sorority as well as within.

Organizational Awards:

Outstanding Recruitment Award: California Alumnae Association, Humboldt State University

Outstanding Recruitment Award presented to the Alumnae Association that experienced the largest percentage of growth in membership.

Outstanding Senior to Alumnae Programing Award: California Alumnae Association, Humboldt State University

Outstanding Senior to Alumnae Programing Award presented to the Alumnae Association that excels in preparing collegiate senior members for alumnae membership during the biennium.

The Rhoda Klein Award for Excellence in Financial Responsibility: Epsilon Upsilon, Humboldt State University

Awarded to the active undergraduate chapter displaying excellence in financial responsibility.

1917 Club: Epsilon Upsilon, Humboldt State University

During the 2015-2016 academic year the Epsilon Upsilon Chapter at Humboldt State University exceeded their goals and as a result was admitted into the “1917 Club of Delta Phi Epsilon.” This elite club recognizes them as one of the top chapters in the nation.

Michael S. Bruner, Karissa Valine, Berenice Ceja, Communication

Michael S. Bruner, Karissa Valine, and Berenice Ceja, Department of Communication, "Women Can't Win: Gender Irony and the E-Politics of 'The Biggest Loser'," was published in the International Journal of E-Politics,
Vol. 16, Issue 2 (2016): 16-36.
DOI: 10.4018/IJEP.2016040102.

See : http://www.igi-global.com/article/women-cant-win/152821

Sarah Jaquette Ray, Environmental Studies Program

Dr. Sarah Jaquette Ray's newest academic article, "Environmental Justice, Vital Materiality, and the Toxic Sublime in Edward Burtynsky's Manufactured Landscapes," has been published in the current issue of the journal GeoHumanities.

Jacob Partida, Mathematics

2016 Dr. Orval M. Klose Scholarship

This year's scholarship was awarded to Jacob Partida. The scholarship was established in 2003 and named after HSU Professor of Mathematics, Orval Klose.

Caleb Hill, Emily Norberg, Mathematics

2016 Robert S. Chambers Mathematics Scholarship

This year's awardees were Caleb Hill and Emily Norberg.

Karlie Elliott, Mathematics

2016 Michael Tucker Memorial Scholarship

This year's Michael Tucker Memorial Scholarship is awarded to Karlie Elliott. The scholarship honors the late son of Marilyn and HSU Mathematics Professor Emeritus, Roy Tucker.

Paul George, Gabriela Martinez, Robert Toledo III, Mathematics

2016 Travis Jepsen Memorial Scholarship

This year's Travis Jepsen Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Paul George, Gabriela Martinez and Robert Toledo, III.

Leah Eakes, Erik Knutsen, Mathematics

2016 Kieval Transfer Scholarship

This year's Kieval Transfer Scholarship has been awarded to Leah Eakes and Erik Knutsen, both transfer students from College of the Redwoods. This scholarship is for outstanding mathematical performance at a two-year college in preparation for transfer to HSU.

Jeremy Johnson, Molly Severdia, Mathematics

2016 Kieval Scholarships Awarded

This year's awardees are Jeremy Johnson and Molly Severdia. This scholarship was established in 1983 by the late Harry Kieval, HSU Mathematics Professor Emeritus. This is awarded to outstanding seniors-to-be mathematics majors.

Alden Bradley, Caleb Hill, Cameron Trujillo, Leo Munoz, Karlie Elliott, Matthew Hall, Kamila Larripa, Mathematics

Mathematics Students Participate in COMAP. Student teams of Alden Bradley, Caleb Hill, Cameron Trujillo, Leo Munoz, Karlie Elliott and Matthew Hall, with faculty advisor, Kamila Larripa received a designation of Successful Participant in the 2016 Mathematical Contest in Modeling administered by the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP). It challenges teams of students to clarify, analyze, and propose solutions to open-ended problems. The contest attracts diverse students and faculty advisors from over 900 institutions around the world.

Charlotte Olsen, Gabriela Martinez, Jeremy Johnson, Kamila Larripa, Mathematics

Student team of Charlotte Olsen, Gabriela Martinez, and Jeremy Johnson, with faculty advisor, Kamila Larripa received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Mathematical Contest in Modeling administered by the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (COMAP). It challenges teams of students to clarify, analyze, and propose solutions to open-ended problems. The contest attracts diverse students and faculty advisors from over 900 institutions around the world.

Nina Carson, Christopher De Alba, Lee Hacker, Manal Hosawi, Lori Jones, Joshua Massey, Gil Spitz, and Anna Welch, Multiple Academic Departments

Eight HSU students represented HSU at the 30th Annual California State University Student Research Competition, April 29 and 30, at CSU Bakersfield. This annual statewide competition brought together outstanding student researchers from all 23 CSU campuses to compete for research awards in discipline-based categories. Judges included experts from corporations, foundations, public agencies, and colleges and universities.

HSU can be proud of our students’ accomplishments and of how they represented HSU. “They exemplify the excellence of HSU students by being prepared, professional, and passionate about their topics,” said Rhea Williamson, Dean of Humboldt State’s Office of Research, Economic and Community Development (ORECD).

Williamson also lauded the students’ advisors. “They take an interest in integrating research into undergraduate and graduate education. They’re also dedicated to student mentorship and guidance.”

Susan Brater, Administrative Support Coordinator for Dean Williamson, not only provided for all the logistics related to the event but also attended the competition. She noted, “It was an outstanding group of students who bonded and supported each other throughout the competition.”

The students who represented HSU at the 30th Annual CSU Student Research competition were:

*Nina Carson*
Graduate candidate in Kinesiology & Recreation Administration
_“The Effect of Lean on Running Kinematics and Metabolics”_
Faculty advisor: Justus Ortega, Associate Professor, Kinesiology & Recreation Administration

*Christopher De Alba*
Undergraduate in Chemistry
_“Demonstration of Lead Binding for Bioremediation in Engineered RsaA S-Layer Proteins on C. vibrioides”_
Faculty advisor: Jenny Cappuccio, Assistant Professor, Chemistry

*Lee Hecker*
Graduate candidate in Biological Sciences
_“Habitat Suitability of Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Oreganus Oreganus) at Multiple Scales”_
Faculty advisor: Sharyn Marks, Professor, Biological Sciences

*Manal Hosawi*
Graduate candidate in Biological Sciences
_“The JNK/c-Jun Pathway Regulates Potency and OCT4 Expression in Murine Embryonic Stem Cells”_
Faculty advisor: Amy Sprowles, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

*Lori Jones*
Undergraduate in Environmental Resources Engineering
_“Hybrid Osmotically-Driven Desalination Systems to Achieve Water Sustainability: Evaluation with a Computational Fluid Dynamics Model”_
Faculty advisor: Andrea Achilli, Assistant Professor, Environmental Resources Engineering

*Joshua Massey*
Undergraduate in Chemistry
_“Nanodiscs Stabilize Anabaena Sensory Rhodopsin for Transcriptional Regulation Studies”_
Faculty advisor: Jenny Cappuccio, Assistant Professor, Chemistry

*Gil Spitz*
Graduate candidate in Kinesiology & Recreation Administration
_“Physical Fitness Characteristics of Local Firefighters and Law Enforcement on the Northern Coast of California”_
Faculty advisor: Young Sub Kwon, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology & Recreation Administration

*Anna Welch*
Graduate candidate in Kinesiology & Recreation Administration
_“Physical Fitness Characteristics of Local Firefighters and Law Enforcement on the Northern Coast of California”_
Faculty advisor: Young Sub Kwon, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology & Recreation Administration

Jayne McGuire, School of Applied Health

Jayne McGuire, Associate Professor of Recreation Administration, was recently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for the Spring 2017 semester, enabling her to work with the University of West Indies, St. Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago. Her project will include research on faculty attitudes regarding students who experience disabilities, faculty development and support focused on creating inclusive curriculum and the development of recreation opportunities for youth of all abilities. The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Emily Klee, Aaron Kent, Jake Coniglione, Daniel Burgett, Heidi Otten, Jason McMack, Patrick Hasset, Jax Gill, Jake Burns, Environmental Resources Engineering

Again this winter, the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) sponsored the annual Mathematical Modeling Contest (MCM) and Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM). Student teams from the HSU Environmental Resources Engineering (ERE) department have participated in this four day long contest for the last 15 years, and did so again this year. Competing against over 12,000 teams from thousands of universities, each team produced a report summarizing their solution to one of six possible problems.

This year, three ERE student teams entered in the competition that began on Thursday evening, January 28, and ended on Monday evening, February 1. The team consisting of Emily Klee, Aaron Kent, and Jake Coniglione, and the team consisting of Daniel Burgett, Heidi Otten, and Jason McMack, selected a problem that required understanding the drivers of water scarcity as they created intervention strategies for a region of the world to mitigate the water crisis. Both teams' reports were awarded the score of Meritorious Winners. Only 9 (0.3%) of the 3,209 teams working on this problem scored higher, and 83% of the teams received lower scores.

The team consisting of Patrick Hasset, Jax Gill, and Jake Burns selected a problem that required they build a mathematical model to determine an effective strategy for a person taking a bath to add heated water to raise the temperature back to near starting levels while minimizing the overall use of water. Patrick, Jax, and Jake competed against 4,094 teams and were awarded a ranking of Meritorious Winners, awarded to only 8% of the entries. Only 13 teams received a higher score.

Congratulations to the members of all three teams for their high achievement in this event. We appreciate your efforts, which bring recognition to the Environmental Resources Engineering Department and to Humboldt State University.

Brittany Stuckey, Anna Barker, Karissa Valine, Communication

Brittany Stuckey, Communications and Art double major, won a Tom Knight Award in the Art Graduates 2016 exhibition for her digital print, "The Mythos of Memory: Tracy." Ms. Stuckey also designed the ideaFest 2016 posters for December Comm. graduates, Anna Malia G. Barker ("A Preliminary Network Analysis...Food Issues") and Karissa Valine ("The Feminist Pedestal: Ronda Rousey and the Representation of Female Athletes").

Mary Ann Creadon, English

Mary Ann Creadon of the English Department presented a paper, entitled "From 'Airy Nothing' to Knowledge: English as Uberdiscipline," for a peer-reviewed panel at the national College English Association meeting, March 30-April 2 in Denver.

Leena Dallasheh, History

Leena Dallasheh, Assistant Professor of History, recently published an article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Palestine Studies. The article, entitled "Persevering through Colonial Transition: Nazareth’s Palestinian Residents after 1948" reexamines the ambivalent relationship between Nazareth’s political leadership and the newly established State of Israel to argue that the Palestinian citizens of Israel were neither traitors and collaborators, on the one hand, nor passively quiescent, on the other. Rather, as a new national minority, Palestinians overcame myriad forms of control as they negotiated the structural obstacles placed before them by their new overlords.

Jonah Platt and Alexis Hernandez, Politics

Jonah Platt and Alexis Hernandez were named the first- and second-place recipients, respectively, of the Kalb-Haston Awards, whose cash prizes totaled $1,250. These awards are funded by HSU alumnus David Kalb and Bruce Haston, a former HSU political science professor. They recognize students who have demonstrated personal commitment and leadership by taking an active role in student government, particularly through the Office of Associated Students.

Adam Holt, History

History major Adam Holt is the 2016 recipient of the $500 William R. Tanner History Scholarship. The scholarship was established in memory of William R. Tanner, professor of history at Humboldt State University, 1970 to 1999; founder of History Day at the university; and author of “A View from the Hill,” a history of Humboldt State University.

Alexander Garcia, History

History major Alexander Garcia was selected by History Department faculty as the 2016 recipient of the Dr. John Hennessy Award, which honors a graduating history major who has demonstrated academic excellence in the study of history. The award was established in memory of Dr. John Hennessy, a professor of History and department chair at Humboldt State University who, after his retirement from the History Department, provided many years of service to the university.

Joshua Buck, History

History major Joshua Buck received $500 for first place in the 2016 Charles R. Barnum History Contest. The Barnum History Awards celebrate original historical research of Humboldt County. The awards were established in 1952 by a grant from Charles Barnum, a realtor and insurance broker in Eureka who was a member of the Humboldt State College Advisory Board from 1946 to his death in 1953.

Rodney McKinnon, History

History major Rodney McKinnon is the 2016 recipient of the $1,000 Johnston-Aronoff History Scholarship, which is awarded to a History major with an emphasis in the study of California and/or the western United States. The award was established by Guy Aronoff, a lecturer in the HSU History Department, and his wife, Judy Johnston, in memory of Guy’s father, David Aronoff, and Judy’s mother, Aldy Johnston.