Updates about the latest accomplishments—including latest research, publications, and awards—by students, faculty, and staff
Rosemary Sherriff published "Warming drives a front of white spruce recruitment near western treeline, Alaska" with National Park Service collaborators in Global Change Biology. Warming has increased productivity near the boreal forest margin in Alaska. However, the effects on seedling recruitment has received little attention, in spite of forecasted forest expansion. The study of 95 sites across a longitudinal gradient in southwest Alaska shows a differential relationship between longitude and life-stage (seedling, sapling, tree) abundance that suggests a moving front of white spruce establishment through time, driven by changes in environmental conditions near the species’ range limit. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.13814/full
Alum Zav Grabinski (MS, 2015) and Professors Rosemary Sherriff and Jeff Kane published "Controls of reburn severity vary with fire interval in the Klamath Mountains, California, USA" in the journal Ecosphere. A unique component of the study was evaluation of different scales of analysis within the ecoregion. In the context of recent increases in fire activity, results underscore a self-reinforcing pattern of fire severity related to the Klamath Mountains biophysical setting, but also highlight the importance of spatial and temporal scale of evaluation and interactions of vegetation, time since fire, and weather on reburn severity. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.2012/abstract
At its Executive Board meeting in Spokane, the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (PACRAO) announced that HSU Registrar Clint Rebik would be the Program Chair for the 2018 annual conference in Sacramento next fall.
Rebik’s responsibilities include guiding a team in developing all program content, and procuring keynote speakers for the four-day conference. Noted Rebik, “I’m honored to be invited to lead a diverse group of colleagues from across our region; the depth and breadth of professional topics we’re organizing is formidable!”
PACRAO represents over 1500 members in 350 institutions across ten US States, four Canadian Provinces, and the Territory of Guam.
Sarah Peters directed The Grasshopper and the Aunt at the Arcata Playhouse. The show is in a theatre style known as British Pantomime, which is a form of comedy that's been around for 300 years.
Dr. Ray has been invited to give two public talks in December. At Evergreen State College on December 6, she will present "What Do the Arts and Humanities Have to Do with Our Environmental Crisis?" for Evergreen's Art Lecture Series. On December 7, she will present on her new research, "Coming of Age in the Anthropocene: Climate Justice Pedagogies for Resilience" for the Anthropocene Interdisciplinary Cluster at the University of Washington.
Gregory M. Pitch (student) and Robert W. Zoellner (faculty member) have published an article detailing their computational chemistry research results. The article is "Bonding modes in bis(benzene)beryllium(0): A density functional and Moller-Plesset computational investigation", and will be published in 2018 in the journal "Inorganica Chimica Acta", volume 470, pages 68-73.
An RHA delegation from HSU recently was awarded Best Program at the Pacific Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls Conference in Eugene, Oregon. The conference is dedicated to promoting student intellectual, educational, cultural, physical and social welfare. Attendees design and facilitate programs that provide an avenue for existing students to achieve full participation in the life of the college community. This is the first time that HSU has won any award at the regional level in the history of HSU's attendance.
HSU gave two presentations: "Dia de los Muertos" by Jose Balderrama, Stephanie Brito and Lizeth Guzman; and "Problems with Porn" by Joshua Sales, Selena Canchola, and Lola Mora. "Problems with Porn" won Best Program.
The entire HSU Delegation included:
Hernan Rico - Advisor
Destiny Mendoza - President of RHA
Nicole Laureano - National Communications Coordinator for RHA
Joshua Sales - Vice President of Administration for RHA
Lizeth Guzman - President of NRHH
Jose Balderrama - National Communications Coordinator for NRHH
Selena Canchola - President of Creekview Council
Lola Mora - First year delegate
Stephanie Brito - First year delegate
Susan Abbey, lecturer in the Theatre, Film, and Dance department, recently served as a judge on the CSU Faculty Pre-Screening Committee for the CSU Media Arts Festival held Nov.4 at CSU Dominguez Hills.
Geoscientists Without Borders funded a two year $100k project to complete a sustainable water project in the highlands of Perú. Jasper Oshun and Margaret Lang will lead a small group of students to Perú next summer to map the geology, explore surface runoff patterns and learn novel shallow geophysical techniques to determine the extent of the aquifer. These data will be used to design a water reservoir and agricultural canal system. They will return in the summer of 2019 to support the community in the construction phase. The canal will allow for year round agriculture, directly benefitting over 120 families.
Congratulations to Derrick Murrietta and Justin Andrew for winning First Place in the CSU Media Arts Festival for the short screenplay One in the Chamber.
Congratulations to Gabriel Haffner for receiving Fourth Place in the CSU Media Arts Festival for the short screenplay Change.
Barbara has been invited to present at the Experimental Archaeology Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, November 16-18, 2017. The title of her presentation is "Experimental Archaeology: Experiments in String, Stone, Wood and Clay". She will talk about the experiments conducted by students in ANTH 358 - Archaeology Lab, which included the hands-on construction of tools to create textiles and baskets and the creation of textiles themselves.
Journalism & Mass Communication Professor Kirby Moss recently was awarded a $4,000 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities award. He will use the funding to launch a new research project exploring cross cultural conversations.
In his research, Moss combines his expertise in anthropology with his experience in journalism. He’s the author of “The Color of Class: Poor Whites and the Paradox of Privilege,” which explores the incongruities of social class in a Midwest city.
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-five member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. This year, RCRC President and CEO Greg Norton recognized Ms. Connie Stewart as the recipient of the 2017 RCRC President’s Award.
Presented during RCRC’s Annual Meeting each September, the RCRC President’s Award was born out of the desire to publicly acknowledge individuals that take the time to go above and beyond their everyday roles to further advance the cause of rural counties.
There are two key public policy areas that Ms. Stewart brings much-needed expertise: rural health care, and broadband deployment.
Political Science major Nick Thomas recently returned from his internship with the Panetta Institute, which hosts students for its Congressional Internship Program beginning in mid-August with an intensive two-week course at the Institute and continues with a two-and-a-half month assignment with a California Congress member in Washington, D.C.
Janelle Adsit's book *Toward an Inclusive Creative Writing: Threshold Concepts to Guide the Literary Writing Curriculum" is now available from Bloomsbury. The book makes the argument that creative writing stands upon problematic assumptions about what counts as valid artistic production, and these implicit beliefs result in exclusionary pedagogical practices. To counter this tendency of creative writing, this book proposes a revised curriculum that rests upon 12 threshold concepts that can serve to transform the teaching of literary writing craft.
Monique Silva Crossman, NR graduate student working with Dr. Alison O'Dowd, presented her research at the California Invasive Plant Council Symposium in Palm Springs, CA on Oct 25, 2017. The title of her poster was "Effects of manual and mechanical removal of Ammophila arenaria on coastal plant communities and dune morphology."
Biology graduate student Mason London presented his research at the California Chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science meeting in Davis, CA on Oct 25, 2017. The title of his talk was "A comparison of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in perennial and intermittent headwater streams of the Mattole River in northern California, USA."
Lara Jansen, NR graduate student working with Dr. Alison O'Dowd, presented her research at the California Chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science meeting in Davis, CA on Oct 25, 2017. The title of her talk was "Integration of Western Science and Indigenous Science to Inform Management of the Upper Eel River." Lara's co-presenter was Leke Hutchins, a UC Berkeley undergraduate who participated in HSU's Rroulou'sik REU program last summer.
On October 25, 2017 Dr. Armeda Reitzel was elected to the position of Chair of the Access Humboldt Board of Directors for 2017-2018. This is Dr. Reitzel's fourth year in a row to serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors.
Kerri J. Malloy, Lecturer in Native American Studies, presented his paper “Dividing and Affixing Identity: Public Law 100-580 The Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act” as part of the Law in Native North America Panel at the American Society for Legal History Annual Meeting (October 26-29, 2017) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Diana is one of 20 students selected nationwide for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, which exposes early-career college students to the field of environmental conservation through research, leadership and professional training. Doris Duke Scholars participate in an intensive eight-week summer course integrating conservation leadership and research experiences, then the following summer pursue conservation internships in small groups at nationally recognized conservation organizations and agencies. In September Diana ran a workshop entitled “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Conservation & the Outdoors” at the Uplift Climate Conference in Moab, Utah. conservationscholars.ucsc.edu
Dr. Armeda Reitzel presented the paper that she and Dr. Michael Bruner co-authored titled "I Have a Farm to Run: Climate Change Discourse in the Midwest" at the Midwest Popular Culture Association conference on October 19, 2017. Dr. Reitzel is subject area chair of the Midwestern Culture area of the Midwest Popular Culture Association.
On Oct. 18, Geography professor Matthew Derrick delivered a featured public lecture, titled “Post-Soviet Central Eurasia’s New Religious Landscapes: A View from Tatarstan," at American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where he is a visiting scholar during his sabbatical for the current academic year.
Nathaniel Alexander Douglass, a student in HSU Geography, won the Best Cartographic Design at the North American Cartographic Information Society's 2017 Student Map and Poster Competition in Montreal, Canada. He received a $500 award and interest from organizations such as National Geographic, Esri Maps and Data, and several grad schools. He poured his heart and soul into the map he presented, depicting a snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Dr. Chávez-Argüelles won the Fray Bernardino de Sahagún Award 2017 in the category of Best Dissertation in Ethnology and Social Anthropology, awarded by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) - the maximum authority in these disciplines in Mexico.
Her dissertation is titled "Beyond Legal Truths: Impunity, Memory, and Maya Autonomous Justice After the Acteal Massacre." The Award Ceremony will take place on November 17, 2017, at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City.
On October 14, 2017, Dr. Eugene Novotney, Professor of Music, was presented with the 2017 SUNSHINE Award for Education and the Performing Arts in a ceremony held at the AXA Equitable Theatre in NYC. The Sunshine Awards program recognizes the creators, performers and promoters of art, dance, music, sports and poetry of the various Caribbean cultures in the Americas. The SUNSHINE Awards Program is endorsed by the United Nations and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the organization that sponsors the annual Grammy Awards. The SUNSHINE Awards are presented annually, and they represent a milestone of achievement for the promotion of Caribbean culture worldwide.
Leena Dallasheh, professor of History, presented a paper entitled "Claiming Rights in Nazareth: Legal Strategies during Colonial Transition" at a conference organized by Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. This organization seeks to promote human rights in Israel, particularly for the Palestinian citizens of Israel. The conference sought to expand first-year law students' understanding of law and human rights.
Dr. Brent Duncan, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, has been appointed to a California Commission on Teacher Credentialing task force charged with revising training standards for Pupil Personnel professions (School Psychology, School Counseling and School Social Work) in California.
Kristina Hunt, Career Advisor for the College of Natural Resources & Sciences, was invited to present at The Wildlife Society National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sept.26-28. The presentation included tips on resumes, federal resumes, cover letters, networking and interviews. http://wildlife.org/resume-workshops-teach-students-to-play-up-their-strengths/
Bori Mazzag and Kamila Larripa secured funding through NSF INCLUDES WATCH US/ University of Nebraska to support undergraduate women in mathematics. The funds will help prepare HSU students for the annual Mathematical Contest in Modeling.
INRSEP advisor Lonyx Landry accompanied 8 students in the INRSEP program to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society(AISES) National Conference in Denver last week. These students presented posters on their summer research, many sponsored by the HSU Rroulou'sik REU program supporting Native American students in Science (Directed by Wildlife professor Matt Johnson).
Dr. Stephen St. Onge, Director of Housing and Residence Life and Steve McKenzie, Associate Director for Housing Facilities will present "Designing an Emergency Response Program" at the national Association of College and University Housing Officers International Facilities Conference in Atlanta, GA on October 17, 2017.
Dr. Laura Johnson published an article in the Journal of Rural Studies titled 'Gendering strategies for civic agriculture: The case of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture and the High Country Farm Tour.' The article can be accessed here: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Vecm2eyKFS0m2
Holmes was invited to be a mentor to graduate students and young faculty as part of the 'Pay it Forward' program of the International Studies Association. Designed to encourage women and diversity in the discipline, this was the first time the program took place at a regional conference. Holmes also presented a paper and returned to the Executive of ISA-West.
Katia Karadjova presented two papers at the European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) at St-Malò, France, Sept 18-21, 2017: (1) Librarians’ Understanding of Information Literacy in Bulgarian Academic Libraries: A Case Study, (2) Dare to Share the Silence: Tools & Practices of Contemplative Pedagogy in a Library Brain Booth, co-authored with Marissa Mourer. Both papers are accepted for publication in Springer’s Communications in Computer and Information Science.
Arianna Thobaben, HSU's Supplemental Instruction Coordinator, was just awarded re-certification as a Supplemental Instruction Coordinator by the International Center for Supplemental Instruction at the University of Missouri in Kansas City.
Jeff Dunk coauthored a paper entitled "First-year dispersal of Golden Eagles from natal areas in the southwestern United States and implications for second-year settling" in a special issue (dedicated to Golden Eagle studies) of the Journal of Raptor Research.
The paper can be found at: https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-16-80.1
The National Geography Society invited geography faculty Mary Beth and Stephen Cunha on a recent five-week voyage to Greenland, Baffin, and Ellesmere Islands. Mary served as a cartographic expert, helping guests utilize a mapping phone app. She also provided interpretation for scores of hard copy historic and electronic maps of this Arctic region. Stephen lectured on glaciers, mountain environments, and the evolution of parks and protected lands across the globe. The ship reached 78°45’ North before pack ice blocked further progress.
Geography professor Matthew Derrick, a Fulbright scholar currently on sabbatical, has been named a visiting scholar at the Central Asian Studies Institute (CASI) of the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). Located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, AUCA is Central Asia's premier institution of higher education. While there Derrick will conduct field research on the theme "New Religious Landscapes of Kyrgyzstan." For details, see https://auca.kg/en/visiting_scholars/
Dr. Ray has been invited to be the opening keynote at Webster College's Annual Human Rights Conference in October. The theme of the conference is "Environmental Justice and Human Rights," and her talk will address the promises and problems with combining human rights and environmental justice frameworks.
Janelle Adsit (Assistant Professor, English) has recently published two articles in the journal New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing. Both articles are on threshold concepts in creative writing. The article "Creative writing and the limits of *Naming What We Know*: threshold concepts from aesthetic theory and creativity studies in the literary writing curriculum" is part of a featured author series and will also appear in a forthcoming collection.
Biological Sciences Professor Jianmin Zhong has published a manuscript on the journal of "Ticks and tick-borne diseases." Although the status of the manuscript is still in press, the online copy has been published.
The article is now published online at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.08.001
COMM Professor Michael Bruner was cited on skinny-shaming and constant body judgment in a recent E! News article commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Ally McBeal TV show. Bruner and COMM alumni, Karissa Valine and Bernice Ceja, had previously published a related article on the experience of Rachel Frederickson on the TV show The Biggest Loser. See www.eonline.com/news
Camaray Davalos, a major in Native American Studies, has had her article "Rising Up with Fists" published in the current issue of News from Native California.
Congratulations to HSU students filmmakers who are finalists in the 2017 CSU Media Arts Festival:
Gabriel Haffner's film CHANGE
Derrick Murrietta & Justin Andrew's film ONE IN THE CHAMBER
These films were made in the Filmmaking IV capstone class for the Film major. Many HSU students collaborated on these original creative productions.
Environmental Science & Management Student Mikayla Kia was awarded a $1,500 MapWorks Scholarship for her achievements using the MapWorks program. For more about the program, and Mikayla's achievements, "follow this link.":http://skyfactor.com/news/2017-mapworks-scholarship/
John Meyer's book, Engaging the Everyday: Environmental Social Criticism and the Resonance Dilemma, was selected as the winner of the first annual “Clay Morgan Award for Best Book in Environmental Political Theory.” The selection was announced at the American Political Science Association annual meeting in San Francisco on August 31, 2017.
Christina Accomando, Professor of English and Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies, has had her article "Troubling the Beat Inevitable: Brooks, Ellison, and the 'Cultural Logic' of Lynching" accepted for publication in the journal MELUS. The essay will appear in the upcoming special issue "Teaching Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the United States: Pedagogy in Anxious Times."
On August 26th, William Wood, HSU Chemical Ecologist, gave a lecture to the Humboldt County Mensa Organization's lunch meeting: titled “Skunk Solutions.” This talk covered Wood’s research on 4 species of North American skunk species, how to clean animals sprayed by skunks, the history of skunk spray research, and his anecdotal experiences with skunks.
Dr. Joshua Frye and Macy Suchan (student) recently published an article entitled "Nobel Peace Speech" in a special issue of the French/English international ESSACHESS Journal for Communication Studies. The special issue focuses on rhetorics of peace in public and civil discourse in contemporary global cultures. They analyze the discourse of Nobel peace speech inductively and argue that the organizing principle of the Nobel peace speech genre is the repetitive form of normative liberal principles and values that function as rhetorical topoi. These topoi include freedom and justice and appeal to the inviolable, inborn right of human beings to exercise certain political and civil liberties.