Breadcrumb
Alumni Updates
Douglas Rischbieter
Fisheries Biology, Biology, 1985
Just comlpeted a career-crowning project: restoration of a degraded wetland site in the middle of the Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness.
Coordinating State Park, CCC, Army National Guard, and several vendors' resources, we overcame controversy and successfully implemented a project to repair a rare and fragile montane meadow. To do so required legislation to allow use of heavy equipment for a restoration project in State Wilderness, and we did so with an absolute minimum of public or environmental impact.
Stephen Oram "SeaCowboy"
Environmental Resources Engineering, I attended HSU 1979-1983, graduated 1985 from Oregon State Univ in civil, 1985
Stephen Oram ('85, Environmental Resources Engineering) obtained his final civil engineering degree from Oregon State University in 1985 after four solid years of Environmental Engineering at Humboldt. He worked in Washington at the Bremerton Shipyard for five years, at a consulting firm in Portland Oregon for some ten years, at the Rosenburg Oregon Department of Transportation for a few years, and then at the City of Springfield Oregon for a few years. He then moved to Australia, Canberra, Cairns, Brisbane, and now Perth. Oram is now retired and surfs every day in Western Australia.
Charles Acosta
Biological Sciences, 1985
Charles Acosta, Biological Sciences, 1985, is retiring in 2021 after spending 34 rewarding years serving high school students. His oldest daughter, Krista (HSU Alum 2012), arranged with the dean to allow him to walk across the stage at her commencement ceremony since he was unable to attend his own. While having breakfast in Eureka the following morning, his photo was captured on the front page of the Times Standard newspaper. After HSU, Charles and his daughter both served in the Peace Corps (Dominican Republic and Honduras) where they both married the love of their lives. Krista married Ekow Edzie and Charles married Leyla Turcios. "Thank you HSU, redwoods, sunsets and APD for the great memories".
Carla Fisher
Environmental Resources Engineering, 1985
Carla Fisher, Environmental Resources Engineering, 1985, retired in 2014 after 29 years at the Environmental Protection Agency and became a part-time technical writer/editor for Akana, an environmental consulting firm in Bellevue, Washington.
Bradley K. Paulson
Oceanography, 1985
After graduation, Brad Paulson joined the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA, as a marine geologist to assist in arctic coastal erosion and diving investigations designed to collect long-term data on ice formation in the Beaufort Sea and to study its effect on sediment transport and shoreline dynamics. In 1988, he was hired by an engineering consulting firm (CH2M HILL) as an oceanographer to support various environmental studies and engineering design projects located around the world. In 1993, he earned an M.S. in Geological Oceanography from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. He is currently a senior technologist and oceanographer with Jacobs Engineering in the Seattle area. He has a diverse background in coastal and estuarine oceanography, water and sediment quality, contaminant transport, outfall mixing zone/dilution analysis, and engineering design. He specializes in wastewater discharge analyses that include integration of field and modeling programs, outfall design, and NPDES compliance and permitting issues. He also serves as an AAUS-certified scientific diver on the Jacobs dive team.
Maria Cecilila Avila
Biological Sciences, 1985
Maria Cecilila Avila, 1985, is living in Chile.
Bill (Sharky) London
Wildlife, 1985
Bill (Sharky) London, Wildlife, 1985, recently retired from the Idaho Fish & Game after 32 years. The education, experiences, and guidance that he received at HSU made this fulfilling career possible.
As a Conservation Officer, he patrolled vast wildernesses on horseback, boated rivers, chased poachers, taught kids to camp, hunt & fish, trapped deer, surveyed big game and sage grouse, electroshocked fish, flew game counts, and dealt with lions and bears in town. It was an adventure. In 2004 promoted to District CO and worked from the Owyhee canyonlands to the Sawtooth Wilderness with an amazing group of officers. He recruited at HSU for 13 years to bring the best to Idaho. He is married (Shannon), together we have 5 children.
Leonard A Brennan
Wildlife, 1984
Leonard A Brennan, 1984 Wildlife, recently published his sixth book, "The Upland and Webless Migratory Game Birds of Texas" with the Texas A&M University Press. Brennan has been conducting quail research for the past 34 years, beginning with his graduate project that began at HSU back in 1982.
Mark S Fesler
Chemistry, 1984
Mark S. Fesler, 1984 Chemistry, worked for more than 25 years as an analytical chemist. For the last eight years, Fesler has worked as an environmental scientist and consultant with the engineering company CH2M Hill.
Debra Whitall
Environmental Science & Management, 1984
Debra recently published her first picture book. "The Fox and the Labyrinth" is a compelling life story featuring a beautiful labyrinth and a magical fox who leads a young girl on a journey of self-discovery. Inspired by a dream about a real labyrinth in Northern California after her mother’s death, the illustrations and story flowed from her grieving, with Fox as her guide. When not writing and drawing, Debra enjoys walking her own labyrinth in Santa Fe, New Mexico, traveling, hiking, and playing Mah Jongg. The book is available at: authorhouse.com/bookstore