Achievements

Lori Jones

Environmental Resources Engineering

Lori Jones, a senior undergraduate in the Environmental Resources Engineering department, recently received funding through the CSU’s Water Resources and Policy Initiatives (WRPI) and US Department of Agriculture to investigate osmotic membrane processes as a Watershed Management Intern. Under the guidance of her advisor Andrea Achilli, she will develop three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models and investigate membrane fouling for two different osmotic hybrid systems – RO-PRO and FO-RO. These systems, which employ reuse of wastewater effluent, are designed to reduce the energy requirement of desalination through renewable power generation (RO-PRO) or osmotic dilution (FO-RO).

Sara Downey

Biological Sciences

Last week a CSU team made public comments in support of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Bridges program. Former HSU Biology Major/CIRM Bridges Scholar, Sara Downey’s presence at last week’s meeting was electric because most everyone in the room knew she’s on a team developing an embryonic stem cell-derived product as a treatment for type 1 diabetes. After four years on the job, Sara has transformed from a fresh biological sciences graduate with academic research experience into a biotech professional comfortable talking about Six Sigma, cGMPs, regulatory affairs, biotech business cycles, & process engineering. The CIRM board has extended the program for one year.

Richard A. Paselk

Chemistry

Professor Richard A. Paselk's Display of Twentieth-Century Scientific Instruments at Humboldt State University is featured in Silke Ackerman, Richard Kremer & Mara Miniati (Eds.) Scientific Instruments on Display [History of Science and Medicine Library, Volume 46 / Scientific Instruments and Collections, Volume 4] (pp 148–158). Brill Academic Pub, Leiden (2014).

Jeffrey Black and Frank Shaughnessy

Wildlife

Two Humboldt State University faculty members recently spoke at the Humboldt Bay Eelgrass Management Workshop Oct. 6 and 7 at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center in Eureka.

The free, public event was intended to improve understanding of marine eelgrass ecology, management, restoration, and regulations in Humboldt Bay and elsewhere. Eelgrass plays an important role in coastal ecosystems, where it helps build and provide habitat for a variety of species.

HSU Wildlife Professor Jeffrey Black discussed the role of Humboldt Bay and eelgrass as part of the Pacific Flyway, the north-south route for migratory birds. Botany Professor Frank Shaughnessy discussed eelgrass, water quality and its upland uses. Shaughnessy and his students are currently conducting numerous research projects related to eelgrass in Humboldt Bay.

Other workshop speakers included representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District, and H.T. Harvey & Associates, an ecological consulting firm hosting the event.

Micaela Szykman Gunther, former graduate student Shannon Murphie and colleagues

Wildlife

Wildlife Faculty member Micaela Szykman Gunther has co-authored a paper with her former graduate student Shannon Murphie and colleages Rob McCoy and Brian Murphie from Makah Tribal Forestry and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The paper entitled "Influence of hair loss syndrome on black-tailed deer fawn survival' was part of Murhpie's Master's thesis and will be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Wildlife Management.

Alison O'Dowd and Bill Trush

Environmental Science & Management

The HSU River Institute has received research funding from Friends of the Eel River. The project will develop recommendations for blockwater releases from the Potter Valley Project to assist rearing and migration for anadromous salmonids in the Eel River.

Wildlife Department

Wildlife

The Oregon Zoo Foundation has awarded Humboldt State's Wildlife Department $3,984 to investigate the den-attendance of fishers and the potential impacts of timber harvest on fisher den ecology. The grant is part of the Future for Wildlife program, which protects threatened and endangered species and their ecosystems.

Luke Eberhart-Phillips, Brian Hudgens, Mark Colwell

Wildlife

Former graduate student Luke Eberhart-Phillips, Brian Hudgens (adjunct faculty) and Mark Colwell co-authored a paper on the dynamics of the Snowy Plover population that breeds along the U.S. Pacific coast. The plover is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Colwell has been studying the local population with his students for 15 years.

William F. Wood

Chemistry

Professor William Wood made a Science Café presentation “Why are Mushrooms Toxic?” at this month’s “Science on Tap” night at Blondie’s. Science Cafés are events that take place in casual settings such as pubs and coffeehouses, are open to everyone, and feature an engaging conversation with a scientist about a particular topic, according to organizers. Chris Harmon (Chemistry Department) is the organizer for this year's Science On Tap presentations.

Lori Dengler

Geology

Lori Dengler is the co-editor and contributor to the 2nd edition of UNESCO's International Tsunami Survey Team (ITST) Post-Tsunami Survey Field Guide. For more, visit http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002294/229456E.pdf