Latest Achievements

As part of the English 615 Writing for Change course offered in Spring 2015 and under the supervision of Dr. Laurie Pinkert, a grant proposal was written for the Eureka Rescue Mission and was selected.

With the approved funding the women and children's shelter will receive $3000 to purchase new mattresses!

Congratulations to Dr. Pinkert and to Danielle for their service learning work for the community.

Janelle Adsit has been accepted to the Rensing Center's Summer 2016 Artist Residency. The award will support Dr. Adsit's development of a poetry book manuscript on the politics of apology.

Geography Professor Stephen Cunha's critical book review of "The Future of Mountain Agriculture" appears in the Journal of Mountain Research & Development 35:2.

Assistant Professor Erin Kelly of the Forestry Department is working with researchers at the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station to find ways to help forest landowners conduct fuels treatments at large scales and across ownership boundaries to improve fire resilience. Dr. Kelly received $100,000 from the US Forest Service to support the work, which started with documenting known large-scale, cross-boundary fire restoration projects, then choosing case studies across Oregon and Washington. Jodie Pixley, a student in the HSU Environment and Community Master’s program, spent her summer in the Klamath Basin and Ashland, Oregon, working on two case studies.

At their recent meeting in Bordeaux, France, the Resource Modeling Association (RMA) announced the creation of a new research award, the Rollie Lamberson Research Prize, named for HSU mathematics professor emeritus Rollie Lamberson.

The disctinction will be awarded annually to the RMA member publishing the most significant research work in the previous two years. The RMA is composed of a group of scientists involved in resource management, environmental science, ecology, natural resources, statistics, and mathematics.

Rollie was the founder and first president of the RMA. At HSU he also coordinated the Environmental Systems program.

"Times-Standard":http://www.times-standard.com/social-affairs/20150906/local-student-win…

History Assistant Professor Leena Dallasheh had her article "Troubled Waters: Citizenship and Colonial Zionism in Nazareth" published in the International Journal of Middle East Studies. Focused on the contest over water management in Nazareth during early Israeli statehood (1948–56), it traces the negotiations between the city’s Palestinian residents and the Israeli state. A microcosm of Palestinians’ incorporation as undesired and marginalized citizens into a self-defined Jewish state, it shows how the struggle over a vital natural resource, where it is in short supply, was both a matter of fulfilling practical needs and a part of negotiating citizenship.

On June 6, Rae Robison was invited, along with 14 other educators and professional designers, to serve as a panelist for Design Showcase West in Los Angeles hosted by the UCLA David C. Copley Center for Costume Design in Film & Television. Topics covered the state of design education in colleges and universities. Rae was invited by Deborah Nadoolman-Landis, UCLA professor and costume designer of the Indiana Jones films among others.

David Greene and Jeff Kane of the Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources and Melanie McCavour of the Department of Environmental Science and Management have just been awarded a 10-year $800,000 grant from the Bureau of Land Management for a study of Baker Cypress. This tree species, restricted to a few populations in northern California and southern Oregon, has seeds retained in cones that will only open when burned and the continuation of fire exclusion is strongly contributing to its potential extinction. The purpose of the grant is to better understand the reproductive ecology of Baker Cypress, determine the feasibility of using prescribed fire and other treatments to inform the restoration and management of this species, and create the Environmental Impact Report that will underpin the management plan.

Photographs by Art Department lecturer, Dave Woody, were recently featured in the New York Times as part of an article about post Katrina New Orlean's.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/23/magazine/why-new-orleans-black-reside…

Dana Herman (now working for the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Sacramento) and Mark Colwell published a paper on Snowy Plover lifetime reproductive success showing that a small proportion of the Humboldt County population contributed disproportionately to population growth. Plovers that bred on gravel substrates of the Eel River produced appreciably more young than those on sandy, ocean-fronting beaches. Their work was featured in the 28 Aug 2015 issue of the eWildlifer (wildlife.org), published by the The Wildlife Society.

On August 5 of this year, Associate Professor Robert Cliver presented his paper, "What Chinese Silk Exports Can Teach Us about the Cold War" at the World Economic History Congress in Kyoto, Japan.

In July of 2015, Associate Professor Robert Cliver of the Department of History presented his paper "Second Class Workers: Gender, Industry and Locality in Workers' Welfare Provision in Revolutionary China" at the workshop, "The Habitable City in China" at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences in the People's Republic of China.

In June 2015 Associate Professor Robert Cliver of the Department of History presented his paper "Capitalists in Mao's China from the Socialist Transformation to the Suppression of Rightists" at the meeting of the Association for Asian Studies in Asia in Taibei, Taiwan.

Leabeth Mae Peterson received the SWE Outstanding Collegiate Member award by the Society for Women Engineers, honoring collegiate members who have made an outstanding contribution to SWE, the engineering community, and their campus. She will be honored at a formal ceremony at WE15, the world's largest conference for women engineers, scheduled for Oct. 23, 2015 in Nashville, Tenn. The conference gathers over 8,000 women at all stages of their engineering careers.

Communication Professor Dr. Michael S. Bruner had his article, “Fat Politics: A Comparative Study,” published in M/C Journal: A Journal of Media and Culture, Vol. 18, No. 3 (2015). Drawing upon popular magazines, newspapers, blogs, Web sites, and videos, this essay compares the media framing in public discourse of six, “fat” political figures from around the world. The analysis begins with public discourse surrounding William Howard Taft, the 330 pound, twenty-seventh President of the United States. The article explores the medicalization of “fat” and phenomena such as “fat shaming.” The final section helps readers take a more critical perspective on fat politics.

Alumni Kathryn Hedges started her own business which focuses on laser-cutting jewelry, holiday decor, and souvenirs. She is using skills from Wayne Knight's graphic design classes and credits her thesis advisor, Bruce O'Gara, with instilling an entrepreneurial mindset. She is currently crowdfunding a Kiva Zip loan to get a studio, hire staff, and manage inventory. You can join her community of supporters at https://zip.kiva.org/loans/15574/i/qs5 or purchase her items at www.splendidcolors.com.

Testing this system

Communication Professor Michael Bruner presented the paper, "Methods for Accounting for the Reception of Food-Related Images," at the Joint 2015 Annual Meetings and Conference of the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) and the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society (AFHVS), Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, June 24-28, 2015. The paper was co-authored by Brittany N. Stuckey, an Undergraduate Research Fellow in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Erin Kelly, Assistant Professor in the Forestry & Wildland Resources Department, and Jonathan Kusel, Executive Director of the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, had their article on cooperative, cross-boundary management facilitates large-scale ecosystem restoration efforts published in _California Agriculture_, Volume 69, Number 1, January-March 2015. This article summarizes a case study for the Burney Gardens timber harvesting plan where a cooperative, cross-boundary meadow restoration project was undertaken by private & corporate landowners in Eastern Shasta County. The Burney Gardens property is currently under consideration for donation by the Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council to the University as a teaching and research working laboratory of Northern Sierra Mixed Conifer forests with a large meadow complex.

Research by the Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources faculty was recently featured in a special issue of _California Agriculture_, a quarterly journal of peer-reviewed research from the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The issue titled, _Forestry: Managing for the Future_ highlights a wide range of forestry related research being conducted in California.

Sara Hanna and Ken Fulgham, Lecturer and Emeritus Professor respectively in the Forestry & Wildland Resources Department, had their article on Post-fire vegetation dynamics of a sagebrush steppe community change significantly over time published in California Agriculture, Volume 69, Number 1, January-March 2015. The article summarizes almost 30 years’ worth of data collected on two prescribed wildland fire sites in the Clear Lake Hills area of Modoc County. Significant findings regarding the post-fire plant community trajectories and changes over time have management implications for domestic livestock grazing, interstate mule deer herd winter range use, and the provision of suitable habitat for the threatened Sage Grouse (_Centrocercus urophasianus_).

Journalism Major Javier Rojas has been elected to the California College Media Association as a student board member. The former managing editor of the Lumberjack newspaper will represent the interests of student newspapers across the state.

Communication Professor Michael S. Bruner presented the paper, "Methods for Accounting for the Reception of Food-Related Photographs," at the annual meeting/conference of the Association for the Study of Food and Society in Pittsburgh, PA, June 24-28, 2015. The paper was co-authored by Brittany Stuckey, an Undergraduate Research Fellow in the CAHSS. The study reported on four research methods, including a Bruner & Stuckey photo array and survey of 170 HSU undergraduates in Spring 2015, using the International Affective Picture System.

Geology Professor Lori Dengler and Lecturer Amanda Admire presented talks at the 26th International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics in Prague, Czech Republic

Dr. Steven Steinberg, Adjunct Professor of Geospatial Sciences, was honored by the California Geographic Information Association with the Advancement in Collaboration Award granted for outstanding application of GIS technology representing innovative, elegant, or creative techniques. The award was made at the 21st Annual CalGIS Conference in Sacramento on June 1. For more information: http://cgia.org/2015/06/2015-cgia-award-winners/.

Two HSU students recently won first place in their category at the 40th Annual West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Carsten Charlesworth and Kyle Herout took first in the Cell Biology category for their presentation on the Paternal Effect Genes of C. Elegans. Their adviser on the project was Biological Sciences Professor Jakob Varkey.

Three Humboldt State University students passed the rigorous “Fundamentals of Soil Science” exam offered April 17, 2015 becoming Associate Professional Soil Scientists, according to test results from the Council of Soil Science Examiners. Crystal Welch, Andrew Longman and Tyler Hanson were among five individuals in California who attempted the exam this spring and were the only California examinees to pass the exam. Nationally, 61 individuals took the exam with a pass rate of 59% overall according to Michele Lovejoy, Program Manager for Professional Development of the Soil Science Society of America.

Crystal Welch graduated in Fall 2014 with a degree in Rangeland Resource Science (Wildland Soils option). After performing lab analysis of soils for Dirty Business Consulting in Arcata, Crystal starting working as a field scientist for the Great Basin Institute in Reno, Nevada. Andrew Longman graduated Spring 2014 with a degree in Rangeland Resource Science (Wildland Soils option) and will soon begin a position as Junior Specialist for Organic/Conventional Farming Project with Dr. Louise Jackson at U.C. Davis. Andy will help study the effects of water deficits on crop physiology, biology and pests. Tyler Hanson has completed his minor in Wildland Soil Science, and will graduate in Fall 2015 with a degree in Botany. Robin Halloran, another Wildland Soils option graduate (Spring 2015), passed the same exam November 21, 2014. In summary, 16 out of 23 HSU students who have attempted the exam have passed (70%) since 2011, well above the national average pass maximum of 63% for the same time period.

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 (an option 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.

Communication Professor Michael S. Bruner's article, "Labeling: Organic, Local, Genetically Modified," appears in the new SAGE Encyclopedia of Food Issues. See Vol. 2: 877-882. The article arose from previous work in the HSU Communication Department on California Prop 37 and on the organic food movement. The three volume encyclopedia was released in hardcover this month, Ken Albala, Ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2015).

Sarah Jaquette Ray attended the "Rethinking Race in the Anthropocene" symposium at the University of Oregon May 7-9.

Politics Professor Selma Sonntag is one of two editors of State Traditions and Language Regimes, recently published by McGill-Queen’s University Press, in which scholars from Asia, Europe, and North America shift focus from the consequences of language policies to how and why states make language policy choices.

For the past four years, Social Work Faculty Member César Abarca has helped plan, coordinate, and implement a community-based, grassroots organization, Los Jardines Institute's 4 Direction Intergenerational Youth Exchange, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Two videos produced by youth who attended the summer institute are now available to view.

"Video One - Four Directions Youth Exchange 2012":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDriNsPHpYw

"Video Two - Four Directions Youth Exchange 2013":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9R3mrMyrm4

The institute is organized with assistance from community organizations including PODER San Francisco, TEJAS Houston, TX, New Mexico Acequia Association, TEWA Women United NM, El Chante Casa de Cultura, and ABQ NM, among others.

Sarah Fay Philips has successfully completed the Cascadia Center for Leadership's 2015 Leadership Training Program, demonstrating exceptional leadership skills, vision, and commitment to action.

The California Newspaper Publishers Association awarded Professor Marcy Burstiner first place for best column in the weekly newspaper division in its 2014 Better Newspapers Contest. The CNPA presented Burstiner with the award May 9 in a ceremony in San Diego for two columns published in the North Coast Journal: "What's Not to Know," published Feb. 27, 2014 and "The Big Chill," published March 27, 2014. Burstiner has written a monthly column on local media, the public's right to know and First Amendment issues for the Journal since 2006.

The California Newspaper Publishers Association awarded The Lumberjack newspaper first place for general excellence in the 4-year college newspaper category in its 2014 Better Newspapers Contest, deeming it the top student newspaper in the state for 4-year colleges. The judges said: “The paper has a professional look. Excellent layout and design throughout. Stories were tight and well-written. Headlines are clean and crisp. News reporting was balanced and covered all sides well. Overall, a great college newspaper executed with flair and authority.” The 2014 Lumberjack teams were lead by students Diover Duario, Rebecca Gallegos, Israel LeFrak and Ian Bradley.

The California Environmental Legacy Project’s 2-hour program, "Becoming California" was recently nominated for four EMMY Awards, including Best Documentary Program by the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. It also received nominations for the 44th Annual Northern California Emmy Awards in the categories of writing, photography and editing. The California Environmental Legacy Project is a multimedia initiative that aims to raise public understanding of environmental change and stimulate a new culture of stewardship. The project was led by Sacramento State and Humboldt State and HSU students were key contributors.

Social Work student Bobbie Good co-facilitated with Byrd Lochtie May 4 at a session for board members and those working with boards on behalf of NorCAN, which promotes connections between people and organizations that work make the community healthy and strong.

The monthly presentations focus on keeping local organizations fresh through learning, sharing, and networking with the premise that local boards lead, delegate and inspire.

Good presented her masters project, which includes templates, tools and tips for local nonprofit boards to create and modify board manuals, bylaws, and orientations. Good was formerly a board president and is currently the secretary of the Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction (HACHR) board.

"It was such a wonderful experience," says Bobbie. "The board round table was attended by almost twice as many people as usual. I was presented with a gift from HACHR at the event as a thank you for my consulting for their agency related to my project. It was a magical day in my world."

Good's guide is available at the Humboldt Area Foundation resource library or can be requested in PDF.

Adjunct faculty members, Drs. Sheila and Steven Steinberg published a new book with Esri Press, “GIS Research Methods: Incorporating Spatial Perspectives”. This book shows researchers how to incorporate spatial thinking and geographic information system (GIS) technology into research design and analysis. Topics include research design, digital data sources, volunteered geographic information, analysis using GIS, and how to link research results to policy and action. Concepts presented in the book can be applied to projects in a range of social and physical sciences by researchers using GIS for the first time and experienced practitioners looking for new and innovative research techniques.

Social Work Lecturer Holly Scaglione recently partnered with Redwood Equine Partners and Healing Strides Psychotherapy, Inc. to offer an equine-assisted growth and learning demonstration at Redwood Acres. Social work students, staff and faculty attended the demonstration.

“Attendees learned from professionals in the field what it is like to do this work and how it is effective for clients (individuals, couples, families, and groups) seeking change in their life," said Holly. "The event was a great success for all involved, including the horses!”

EAGL incorporates horses experientially for emotional growth and learning. It is a collaborative effort between facilitators, clients, and horses to address personal or treatment goals. Participants learn about themselves and others by engaging in activities with the horses, and then processing or discussing feelings, behaviors, and patterns. The approach has been compared to ropes courses used by therapists, treatment facilities, and human development courses. For more information, visit "http://redwoodequinepartners.com/":http://redwoodequinepartners.com/.

Math student Camille Skweir won the National Disc Golf Championship in Augusta, Georgia on April 17th. For more, visit http://www.pdga.com/tour/event/20981.

Matthew Derrick, assistant professor in the Department of Geography, recently published a chapter titled “Territoriality and the Muslim Spiritual Boards of Russia” in The Changing World Religion Map (New York: Springer), edited by Stan Brunn.

Humboldt State has received a 2014-2015 Campus as a Living Lab grant from the California State University. HSU will use the grant to redesign Energy, Technology & Society (ENVS 370), an upper level course that explores technical, economic and policy changes concerning energy generation and use.

The Campus as a Living Lab Grant Program provides funds for teams of faculty and facilities staff to develop or redesign of a course that ties elements of sustainability into opportunities for learning using the campus physical plant. Funds of up to $12,000 are awarded to support the teams in the preparation of the proposed course.

Jesus Perez’s senior thesis “Latina/o Self-Identified Students at HSU: Beyond Their Freshmen Year” was selected for the 2015 Distinguished Undergraduate Student Paper Award from the Pacific Sociological Association (PSA).

Professor Gil Cline, Department of Music, has been recognized by the international music world via inclusion of his biography in the recent German publication "Das grosse Buch der Trompete" ("The Big Book of the Trumpet") A survey of accomplished, leading trumpet performers from around the globe, this honor stems in large part to his practical research on renaissance and baroque trumpets, which have led to performances of historic music on the natural trumpet, without valves, having no additional tuning conveniences. Locally, his Trumpet Consort von Humboldt, comprised of Cline, HSU undergrads, and recent graduates, explores the performance of music from 1500 - 1850 in a variety of settings, from concert hall to outdoor amphitheater, and from land to sea. TCvH was a hit in New York City at the 2012 Second International Symposium of the Historic Brass Society.

Professor Marcy Burstiner, chair of the Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, was accepted as one of 12 journalism instructors from Hispanic Serving Institutions to attend the Dow Jones Multimedia Training Academy. The intensive workshop in El Paso, Texas, is scheduled for May.

Shannon Childs, Stephanie Lane and Tom Trepiak, along with three student-athletes, received a grant from the NCAA to attend the APPLE Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC, on April 17-19. The APPLE conference identifies seven areas where athletics departments can impact substance abuse among student-athletes: recruitment, expectations & attitudes, policies, education, drug testing, sanctioning and counseling & referral. The goal of the conference is to promote student-athlete health and wellness by empowering teams of student-athletes and administrators to create an institution-specific action plan.

Directing "Slipping". Gist Hall Theatre, April 23-26, April 30, May 1-3

James Floss (Communication Department) has directed “Clybourne Park” opening on April 30 at Redwood Curtain Theatre in Eureka. Clybourne Park is a contemporary, Pulitzer Prize winning follow-up to Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”. Act One takes place in 1959, as nervous community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act Two is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification.

Art major Maggy Waurin has received an assistantship as a studio technician in the Jewelry & Metals Studio for the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program 2015 for Adults. More information at:
http://www.idyllwildarts.org/page.cfm?p=722

Each winter, the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) sponsors the annual Mathematical Modeling Contest (MCM) and Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM). As they have for many years, student teams from the HSU Environmental Resources Engineering (ERE) department participated in this four day long contest. Competing against thousands of universities, each team produced a report summarizing their solution to one of four possible problems.

This year, four ERE student teams entered in the competition that began on Thursday evening, February 5 and ended on Monday evening, February 9.

The team consisting of Logan Baumgartner, Alan Ramirez, and Xuesi Feng selected a problem that required they build a mathematical model to analyze the quantity of the medicine needed, possible feasible delivery systems, locations of delivery, and the speed of manufacturing of a vaccine or drug to optimize the eradication of Ebola. Logan, Alan, and Xuesi competed against 5,356 teams and were awarded a ranking of Successful Participant.

The team consisting of Friedel Pretorius, Zachary Ruiz, and Tahsa Sturgis selected a problem that required modeling churn in an organization with the intent of aiding managers and decision makers to build successful systems for recruiting, hiring, training, and evaluating employees. The team's report was awarded the score of Meritorious. Only 12 (2%) of the 641 teams working on this problem scored higher, and 88% of the teams received lower scores.

The team consisting of Dustin Fredricey, Matti Nylander, and Julian Quick selected a problem that required building a model for sustainability and a 20-year sustainable development plan for one country on the United Nations Least Developed Countries list. The teams used their model to evaluate the effect of their 20-year plan on the country's sustainability. Teams searched for pertinent data and grappled with how economic development must consider ecosystem health and social equitability. Dustin, Matti, and Julian competed against 1,496 teams and were awarded a ranking of Successful Participant.

The team consisting of Joanna Murphy, Jacob Rowe, and George Corbett also selected the economic sustainability problem. Their team was awarded the ranking of Outstanding Winner. This ranking was only awarded to 4 of the 1,496 teams working on this problem. Joanna, Jacob, and George also received two additional honors. Their submission was selected to receive the Rachel Carson award, which honors an American conservationist whose book "Silent Spring" initiated the global environmental movement and whose work spanned many disciplines concerned with the local and global environments. This award is presented to a team for excellence in using scientific theory and data in its modeling. Finally, the team only one of two teams that was given the Two Sigma Scholarship Award, which provides a stipend of $3,000 for each of the three team members and a $1,000 award to the ERE department.

Congratulations to the members of all four 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.

Philosophy Professor John Powell presented an invited paper to the April 2015 meeting of the North American Wittgenstein Society, in Vancouver, British Columbia. The paper title is "Just War Theorists and Pacifists As Ships Passing in the Night." Powell argues that it's too soon to declare just war theorists as victors (as many have done) and that better-grounded arguments and a clearer view of global stakes may renew this crucial debate.