Research

Cal Poly Humboldt has officially broken ground on the Energy Research + Sustainability Center (ER+SC)—a hub dedicated to cutting-edge research in sustainability and cultivating the next generation of environmental leaders.

For years, archaeologists believed the ruins in North Macedonia—first excavated more than 15 years ago—were the remains of a military outpost built to defend against Roman attacks. 

Humboldt's flying squirrel, recently identified as a distinct species in 2017 native to forests in the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra Nevada, and Southern California, has a unique way of communicating with ultrasonic vocalizations—sounds beyond human hearing. 

Cal Poly Humboldt welcomed its newest research vessel, the R/V North Wind, into Humboldt Bay. The R/V North Wind traveled approximately 550 miles from Bellingham Bay, Washington, where it underwent various tests and sea trials for fine-tuning.

As climate change accelerates, mature forests may struggle to survive. A recent study reveals that older trees retain a ‘memory’ of past water conditions, making it harder for them to adapt to drier environments.

Cal Poly Humboldt Sociology instructor Daniel Mar is playing a vital role in the future of sustainable cannabis farming in Humboldt and Mendocino counties. 

Cal Poly Humboldt has officially been recognized as a Research Colleges and Universities (RCU) institution by the prestigious Carnegie Classification, marking a significant milestone in the University’s growing research and innovation efforts.

The Rou Dalagurr: Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute at Cal Poly Humboldt is honored to announce that co-directors and Native American Studies professors Cutcha Risling Baldy and Kaitlin Reed received the 2025 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.

In a campus lab, a whiteboard brims with equations as students from math, data science, and computer science collaborate to unravel the mysteries of microglia—powerful immune cells in the brain.

Research is often driven by curiosity, passion, or a deep personal connection to the subject. For psychology graduate student Matias Solorzano, his work is a blend of all three.

For the first time in 10 years, two Cal Poly Humboldt students, Journalism student Andres Felix and Psychology graduate student Shairy Jimenez Delgado, were selected to participate in the California State University’s Pre-Doctoral Program as Sally Casanova Scholars.

Together with NASA collaborator and Cal Poly Humboldt alum Holly Leopardi ('14, Physics), C.D. Hoyle of the Department of Physics & Astronomy was awarded a $243,627 grant from NASA’s MOSAICS program.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded Cal Poly Humboldt $4.4 million to establish a Shared Resources Lab (SRL) on campus, providing the facilities and equipment for regional researchers to utilize stem cell models for biomedical research and education.

With funds raised from the North Coast Otter Arts Initiatives, Cal Poly Humboldt graduate students are conducting vital research to reveal new insights into otter behavior, their diet, and the ecosystems they rely on.

Cal Poly Humboldt Forestry Professor Jeff Kane, along with graduate student Megan Joyce, is working in collaboration with Redwood National Park and the United States Geological Survey to study the effects of the 2023 Lost Fire in redwood forests that received restoration thinning treatments.

Cal Poly Humboldt graduate student Caleb Chen was awarded a $25,000 Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) NEXTGEN Fellowship to support his groundbreaking research on changes in cannabis genetics. 

Nearly 100 years after the Humboldt County logging community of Falk became a ghost town, the National Park Service announced its addition to the National Register of Historic Places this year.

The Tribal Energy Resilience and Sovereignty project (TERAS) will empower four tribes in Northern California to transform one of the state’s least reliable electrical circuits into a highly resilient renewable energy system.

A new international partnership was formalized earlier this week among Charles Darwin University in Australia and three organizations on the North Coast—Blue Lake Rancheria, Cal Poly Humboldt, and College of the Redwoods.

A new study by researchers at Cal Poly Humboldt and the University of Southern California sheds light on an unexpected benefit of leaning forward moderately while running. The paper will be published online in  PLOS ONE journal on May 29.

Cal Poly Humboldt researchers received a $1.1 million grant from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife to expand extensive vegetation mapping in the Klamath Mountains Ecoregion.

A renewable energy microgrid designed to keep Cal Poly Humboldt powered throughout outages is expected to be up and running by fall 2025. 

These 2023-24 Outstanding Students Awards recognize the academics and co-curricular excellence and achievements of our students. Congratulations to this year’s winners and nominees!  

Cal Poly Humboldt faculty and student researchers are joining a nationwide effort to save a critically endangered keystone species along the West Coast of North America.

The ocean covers most of the planet’s surface, and of that, only 5 percent has been explored. To reveal the mysteries of our ocean, Cal Poly Humboldt is looking toward the future with a new oceanographic research vessel.