Latest Achievements

Edward Nuhfer, director of Educational Effectiveness at Humboldt State, in collaboration with emeritus professor of economics Dennis Muraoka (CSU Channel Islands), are founding editors of the newly announced peer-reviewed open access journal "_Student Learning through Mentored Scholarship (SLMS)_,":http://www.sagepub.com/press/2013/february/SAGE_publishesStudentLearnin… produced by SAGE Publications of Thousand Oaks, Calif.

The journal disseminates research on the successful experiences of higher-education faculty in support of innovative research and scholarship with peers and students.

Nuhfer and Muraoka collaborated for two years with support from SAGE in constructing concept documents, designing reviewers' rubrics and assembling a diverse and well-qualified national inaugural board of reviewers.

Campuses of the California State University are especially well known for supporting undergraduate research, civic engagement, and service learning done both through formal classes and through co-curricular projects in student academic clubs. These require a substantial investment of faculty time in one-on-one mentoring that is not widely recognized for its true value. Muraoka notes: "SLMS provides a much needed vehicle that will allow educators to convey mentoring ideas and models to other educators."

SAGE'S international reputation as a publisher of high quality journals provides a tremendous opportunity for collaborating mentors to co-author with one another and with their students on the exceptional kinds of learning experiences that are signature to campuses known for providing top-notch undergraduate education.

Penelope Shaw, study abroad coordinator, and Alison Holmes, International Studies program leader, presented a paper: "Developing International Studies on the Lost Coast" to the International Studies Association Annual Conference in San Francisco in April.

Biology graduate students John Mola and Rachael Olliff and Botany/Biology-Ecology undergraduate student Christopher Steenbock received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship on March 29th.

Biological sciences professor Amy Sprowles recently won an elevator pitch contest summarizing her research on stem cells. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's Elevator Pitch Challenge asked scientific researchers to explain what they do, why it’s important and why the public should care in 30 seconds or less. Sprowles and her students are studying how cancer genes may turn on stem cell like properties in normal adult cells. Their research is supported by CIRM's Bridges to Stem Cell Research Awards program. You can see the speeches on YouTube at #SciencePitch.

Nursing professor Marshelle Thobaben recently published an article and textbook chapter. The article, "Psychiatric Home Health Skilled Nursing Services," was published in the February 2013 issue of Home Health Care Management & Practice Journal: Vol. 25, Issue 1, February 2013, Pg. 32-34.

The textbook chapter, titled "People of Turkish Heritage" was published in Transcultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach, 4th ed. Editor: Larry D. Purnell; 2013; F.A. Davis Publisher.

Professor Sing C. Chew was recently invited to an international conference in Singapore, "Plural Coexistence and Sustainability: Asian Experiences in Interdisciplinary Perspectives," sponsored by Nanyang Technological University and Kyoto University, Japan. He presented a paper entitled: Socioeconomic Structural Transformations, Climate, Ecological Changes, and Mobilizations in an Era of Global Crisis.

Dr. Sharon N. Kahara and Steven R. Chipps' paper "Wetland Hydrodynamics and Long-term Use of Spring Migration Areas by Lesser Scaup in Eastern South Dakota," published in the journal Great Plains Research (2012), was selected to receive the Charles E. Bessey award for the best paper in natural resources.

Sociology faculty member Ronald L. Mize's book "Consuming Mexican Labor: From the Bracero Program to NAFTA" has received glowing reviews from a number of recognized scholars. Comparative race historian Neil Foley provided a flattering assessment in the Pacific Historical Review, saying "the real strength of this work ... is the attention given to the growing dispersal of Mexican laborers in the last few decades from the American West to the Midwest ‘‘heartland’’ (Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas, and so on), the hinterlands of the Northeast (especially non-metropolitan New York), the Northwest, and, most importantly, the South, where the greatest demographic changes have taken place. Mize's book, co-authored with Alicia C.S. Swords, is available on Amazon.

Matthew Derrick, assistant professor of Geography, was the featured guest on the most recent "Research on Religion" podcast. The hour-long discussion focused on Derrick's latest article, "Containing the Umma?: Islam and Territorial Question," which appeared last month in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. The podcast, which has 5,000 subscribers, can be accessed at http://www.researchonreligion.org/.

The most recent issue of The California Geographer, a peer-reviewed journal, includes two articles by HSU Geography majors. The first, by junior Sara Matthews, is titled "How Space and Place Influence Transportation Trends at Humboldt State University." The second, by Kirsten Ray ('12), is titled "Cultural Clash in the Netherlands? Exploring Dutch College Students' Attitudes Toward Muslim Immigrants." Both articles started as projects within the Geography Department's research and writing courses.

Lauren Wendt ('09, Wildlife) received the "Torch Award" by the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association. The award honors top young officers in the U.S. and Canada. Lauren works as a conservation officer for the Idaho Department of Fish & Game.

Associate Professor Paul Cummings, Department of Music, authored an article in volume nine of the series entitled "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band," published in January 2013 by GIA. Cummings wrote about a work for wind band by Dwayne Milburn called "Meditation." The research required for this article included a thorough analysis of the piece, direct communication with the composer, and scrutiny of related sources. The "Teaching Music Through Performance" series is widely used by music educators throughout the world.

Communication Professor Michael S. Bruner's book review of "White Kids: Language, Race, and Styles of Youth Identity" appears in the March 2013 issue of the Journal of Language and Social Psychology (Vol. 32, No. 1). The review grew out of Bruner's research as a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley in Fall 2010, and is part of the Communication Department's critical studies on language and identity.

Vaughn Hutchins, darkroom Tech for the Art Department, is having a one-person show of his photographs in Gallery 1401 at the University of the Arts in Philadephia, Feb. 15 through March 15, 2013. Vaughn will show carbon and platinum prints of the redwoods and Yosemite Valley. He will also give a workshop at the University of the Arts on carbon printing, a 19th Century photographic process. Vaughn is internationally recognized for his work in carbon printing.

Professor Barbara Brinson Curiel of the Departments of English and Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies has been named the 2012 winner of the Levine Prize in Poetry for her book, "Mexican Jenny and Other Poems." The award includes publication by Anhinga Press and a $2,000 prize.

Robin Price recently began an overseas teaching position at the American School of Kosova this August. The American School of Kosova is located in Prishtina. She currently teaches 2nd grade.

The California Forestry Association awarded Lisa Perry the Educator of the Year award at its January 31 annual meeting in Napa, CA. The award is given for outstanding work in public education. Lisa is an outreach specialist in the College of Natural Resources and Sciences.

Wildlife Professor Mark Colwell was named 'Outstanding Mentor' at the 2013 Annual Conference of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society in Sacramento in January.

HSU Wildlife Master's students Kelly Weintraub and Dana Herman received best poster awards at the 2013 Annual Conference of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society in Sacramento in January. Kelly's presentation summarized her research on the nesting ecology of tri-colored blackbirds in the San Joaquin Valley and Dana's presentation reported the results of her work on the reproductive success of the threatened snowy plover in Humboldt County.

Bethany Baibak (MSc, Biological Sciences) has been named a 2013 California Sea Grant State Fellows. Since 2010, Baibak has held positions as a wildlife biologist at the National Council on Air and Stream Improvement in Arcata and as a wildlife technician at Stanislaus National Forest. As a state fellow, Baibak will work closely with California Department of Parks and Recreation's division chief to develop strategies and policies that protect coastal parks from sea level rise and other climate impacts.

Physics majors Holly Leopardi and Crystal Cardenas attended the 8th Annual Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at the California Institute of Technology January 18-20th. Leopardi presented a poster at the conference describing her ongoing research efforts in the HSU Gravitational Research Laboratory.

Drs. Tasha R. Howe and Howard Friedman -- along with HSU students Esperanza Alcazar, Edwin Vazquez, Rebekah Becker, and Sarah Murphy -- have had a presentation accepted at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development.

Their study, entitled "Heavy Metal Enthusiasts at Mid-Life: Developmental Trajectories and Functioning Three Decades Later" examined the life-histories and current functioning of middle aged 1980s heavy metal groupies, band members, and fans, in comparison to a middle-aged comparison group and another group of HSU students.

Dr. Alison Holmes, leader of the International Studies Program and lecturer in Politics, has published a book co-edited with Dr. J. Simon Rofe of the University of London. The book, published by Palgrave Macmillan, is entitled - The Embassy in Grosvenor Square: American Ambassadors to the United Kingdom 1938-2008 - and is based, in part, on research supported by her 2008 Winston Churchill Memorial Trust History Fellowship.

The National Association of Veterans Program Administrators recently name Kim Hall as Vice President and Region VIII Delegate to its Board of Directors. Hall is director of Veterans Enrollment and Transition Services at HSU. Founded in 1975, NAVPA works to ensure that student veterans at colleges, universities, trade schools and apprenticeship programs across the nation receive the best access to their GI benefits. For more information, visit navpa.org.

Assistant geography professor Matthew Derrick's article "Containing the Umma?: Islam and the Territorial Question" was recently published in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. A second article by Derrick, "Territory and the Changing Shape of Tatar Islam in Tsarist and Soviet Russia," was published in the most recent edition of the International Journal of Russian Studies, while his book review of "Nation, Language, Islam: Tatarstan's Sovereignty Movement" appears in the forthcoming issue of Central Asian Survey.

At its recent meeting in Boston, the Linguistic Society of America presented the 2013 Leonard Bloomfield Book Award to HSU Professor of Anthropology Victor Golla for his book, "California Indian Languages" (University of California Press, 2011). The annual award is granted to the foremost volume that contributes to our understanding of language and linguistics, through its “exemplary scholarship, enduring value, novelty, empirical import, conceptual significance, and clarity.” In announcing the award to Golla, the selection committee called "California Indian," a remarkable piece of documentary linguistics, and "the reference of first resort” for neophytes and experts on indigenous California languages.

Golla’s book is only the fourteenth publication to have been honored with a Bloomfield award since its creation in 1990. The award commemorates the eminent linguist Leonard Bloomfield, a founding member of the LSA and the author of Language (1934), one of the most influential books in American structural linguistics.Although Golla was unable to attend the Boston meeting and received the award in absentia, arrangements are being made for a representative of the LSA to present it to him in person in California this spring.

Sharyn Marks published a paper in the journal "Molecular Ecology" on the phylogeography and historical demography of Black Salamanders. This manuscript was based in part on data collected by Sean Reilly as part of his master's thesis under the supervision of professors Marks and Bryan Jennings. Reilly is now a Ph.D. student in the Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley and Jennings is a Visiting Professor at the Museo Nacional in Rio de Janeiro.

Sean B. Reilly, Sharyn B. Marks and W. Bryan Jennings. 2012. "Defining evolutionary boundaries across parapatric ecomorphs of Black Salamanders (_Aneides flavipunctatus_) with conservation implications. Molecular Ecology 21: 5745–5761.

KRFH recently earned the title of college radio "Station of the Year" by RadioFlag, a social network for radio listeners. The panel of judges included radio industry professionals, RadioStar Blog writers, and RadioFlag interns. Out of a pool of finalists, KRFH demonstrated the best unified effort to grow its audience and connect with listeners. "Maybe it's living in the most Northern part of California, amongst the oldest and tallest trees, whose biomass per acre is higher than any forest on earth, that makes Humboldt State University's college radio station so special," they wrote.

A group of HSU faculty from the School of Business, the department of Environmental Resources Engineering and the Office of Sustainability presented, "Sustainability in the classroom: Creative ways to embed environmental and social responsibility into classroom content." The faculty members were Michelle Lane, Nancy Vizenor, David Sleeth-Keppler, Kate Lancaster, Lonny Grafman and T.C. Comet.

The presentation was part of the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship's (USASBE) 2013 conference in San Francisco January 10th. See more at http://www.appropedia.org/USASBE_Sustainability_in_the_Classroom.

T. Luke George, graduate student Joe LaManna and scientists at the Institute for Bird Populations published a paper in the Auk (October 2012) examining factors influencing the annual survival of Swianson’s Thrushes in the Pacific Northwest. Using mark-recapture data collected at bird banding stations throughout the region (including a station near Eureka where many HSU students have been trained to band birds) they found that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is an important driver of annual survival in Swainson's Thrushes.

Anthropology students Alyssa Haggard and Matthew Price were awarded the Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fellowship by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Their proposal is titled "3-D Virtual Curation Project: Faunal Remains” supervised by Dr. Cortes-Rincon.

Anthropology students Melissa Rivera and Erik Marinkovich were awarded the Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fellowship by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Their proposal is titled "Maya Fortification Database: A Case Study Petexbatun Region” supervised by Dr. Cortes-Rincon.

Anthropology students Spencer Mitchell, Jose Chavarria and Hannah Ritchey were awarded the Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fellowship by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Their proposal is titled "Maya Political Interaction through Monumental Display” supervised by Dr. Cortes-Rincon.

David Franck from the anthropology department was awarded the Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fellowship by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. His proposal is "GIS Analysis of the Dos Hombres to Gran Cacao Archaeology Project" supervised by Dr. Cortes-Rincon.

Sam Sonntag was elected Chair of the Research Committee on Language and Politics of the International Political Science Association at the IPSA World Congress in Madrid last July. She also presented a paper at the Congress entitled "The Political Economy of India's Linguistic Diversity," for which she had conducted field research while a Fellow at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Advanced Studies in New Delhi last spring.

Professor Noah Zerbe was elected chair of the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars (ACAS). Founded in 1977, ACAS is the progressive caucus of the African Studies Association and campaigns to move U.S. policy in directions more favorable to African interests.

Dr. Alison Holmes, Program Leader for International Studies and Lecturer in Politics, has published a chapter 'Transatlantic Diplomacy and Global States' in a volume entitled, "Anglo-American Relations: Contemporary Perspectives," edited by Alan Marsh and Steve Marsh. The book, out soon, was published in London by Routledge.

Rollie Lamberson, emeritus professor of mathematics, is one of several co-authors of the paper, “Developing a Broader Scientific Foundation for River Restoration: Columbia River Food Webs, published in the _Proceedings of the National Academy of Science_. He is also author of "A Brief and Biased Look at Spatial Structure in Ecological Models: A Route to Individual-based Models," which recently appeared in _Natural Resource Modeling_. And, in January he will be giving an invited address, "Sustainability and the Crisis in World Fisheries," at the annual joint meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America.

Professor of Sociology, Sing Chew, was invited to present some themes from his new book at the international conference, Dimensions of the Indian Ocean World Past 9th-19th Centuries, in Perth, Western Australia. The title of his paper was: The Southeast Asian Connection in the First Eurasian World System 200BC-AD500. He was also invited as an International Scholar by the National University of Singapore (NUS) under its University Scholars Program to give a public lecture. The title of his public lecture was Global Economic Crisis, Energy Shifts, and Climate Changes: Let World History be the Teacher of Life. He also gave a colloquium on early Southeast Asia to faculty and students of NUS.

Sharon Kahara and Walter Duffy along with colleagues Ryan DiGaudio (PRBO Conservation Science) and Rosemary Records (Colorado State University) published a paper in the journal "Diversity." The title of the paper is "Climate, Management and Habitat Associations of Avian Fauna in Restored Wetlands of California’s Central Valley, USA". The paper reports the results of a two-year study of avian diversity on restored wetlands in California's Central Valley. Restored wetlands support a large number of avian species; however, securing access to water in the drier southern valley is imperative to sustaining bird use and diversity.

Biology student Gregory Manata has received the 2013 Crellin Pauling Student Teaching Award from the CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB). The $1750 award recognizes outstanding student teaching by California State University students in biotechnology.

Manata will be honored at the 25th Annual CSU Biotechnology Symposium Jan. 6 in Anaheim.

California Governor Jerry Brown recently named Lisa Perry, outreach specialist for the College of Natural Resources and Sciences, to the state's 9th District Agricultural Association, Redwood Acres Fair Board. Perry was education commissioner at the California Forest Products Commission from 2002 to 2007 and held multiple positions at Precision Printers from 1984 to 1997, including secretary and office administrator of inside sales. She is a board member of the North Coast chapter of California Women In Timber, Redwood Region Logging Conference and California Women for Agriculture and is a member of Forest Owners of California.

Professor of Music Eugene Novotney, recently returned from the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin, Texas, where he performed as a member of the PASIC All-Star Steelband. The performance featured Novotney’s recently published arrangement of Pan Army, which he performed in Trinidad, W.I. in 2010. Pan Army is the only authentic Trinidadian Panorama tune that has been published and made available for international distribution in the last decade. Novotney also serves as chairman of the PAS New Music Research Committee, and coordinated six showcase performances in Austin to honor the 100th birthday of composer, John Cage.

Lecturer Rose “Shoshanna” Anthony created and performed a collaborative dance tribute for Nawal El Moutawakel, the first Olympic Gold Medalist from Morocco, first woman Gold Medalist from all of Africa and International Olympic Committee (IOC) leader, as she was inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the International Women’s Forum in San Francisco on Friday, October 26, 2012. She was joined in this endeavor by her Ya Habibi Dance Company (including several HSU students and alumni) and a group of Moroccan style dancers led by Bay Area dance artist Hannah Romanowsky in a colorful and festive dance celebration.

Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Peg Blake was recently honored by NASPA, a leading association for the advancement, health and sustainability of the student affairs profession as a "2013 Pillar of the Profession" winner. Each year, the NASPA Foundation recognizes distinguished leaders, teachers and scholars in student affairs and higher education. Individuals are nominated as a Pillar by colleagues, students and friends. A gift of $2,500 is made in the nominee's name to the Foundation to support student affairs research and scholarship. Blake was one of 12 winners nationwide to receive the honor.

John Meyer served as Harrison McCain Visiting Professor with the Department of Politics and Social and Political Thought Program at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. During his three week October visit, he also presented a public lecture on "Automobility and the Politics of Freedom."

HSU Sociology student Rachelle Irby (’12) has received a 2012 Sustainability Leadership Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the national organization that advances sustainability in higher education.

Irby was granted AASHE’s “Student Research on Campus Sustainability” award for her graduate thesis entitled: “Student-Driven Energy Independence: A Case Student of Humboldt Energy Independence Fund” at the organization’s national conference Oct. 14-17 in Los Angeles. Irby’s winning paper provided an evaluative case study of the Humboldt Energy Independence Fund (HEIF), HSU’s student led-fund that supports projects to reduce the university’s environmental impact and energy consumption. Her thesis is available online through Humboldt Digital Scholar.

Alison Holmes - Program Leader of International Studies and Lecturer in Politics, gave two presentations at the International Studies Association - Western Region Conference in Pasadena October 19-21. The first was a pedagogy/active learning paper based on a comparative politics simulation she designed last year. The second was a roundtable discussion on Women in Politics.

Judy Warren, Regional Coordinator for Humboldt State’s new Regional Training Institute ─ Community Disaster Preparedness, is a finalist in the “Marigold Ideas for Good” contest, potential winner of a $5,000 grant to provide disaster preparedness courses at no cost to attendees.

Based in part on the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel film, the contest provides $5,000 grants to individuals above age 50 who have carried out innovative ideas for improving their communities and the world. Warren and colleague Linda Nellist formed the new Regional Training Institute via HSU’s Office of Distance and Extended Education. It addresses the significant need for disaster preparedness education for the residents of the five relatively isolated northwestern counties of California.

Lonny Grafman will co-facilitate the Epicenter Entrepreneurship in Undergraduate Engineering Education un-conference Oct. 1st, 2013 at Stanford Sierra Camp. http://epicenter.stanford.edu/