College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Get Your Hands Dirty Studying Science on California’s North Coast

There’s no better place to study science than at Cal Poly Humboldt. Our community is a living laboratory with the Pacific Ocean, ancient redwoods, and other diverse ecosystems for you to explore.

The College of Natural Resources & Sciences boasts a wide variety of science-focused areas of study, from biochemistry to zoology. Our multiple fieldwork opportunities, Place-Based Learning Communities, and extensive research faculties paired with our stellar faculty and staff create an environment for you to feel inspired, challenged, and engaged with the science all around you.

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Research Facilities & Collections

Undergraduate Research

Many universities reserve research experience for graduate students. At Cal Poly Humboldt, you may conduct your own research or assist professors with their projects as early as your freshman year. Either way, you’ll put theory into practice, building a fundamental understanding of concepts and methodologies. With opportunities to present at local and national conferences, you’ll learn how to explain your findings, too. Experiences like these offer a glimpse of what it’s like to be a professional scientist and will help you discover your passion.

Fieldwork

Located on the North Coast of California, Humboldt is surrounded by ancient redwoods and close to the Pacific Ocean, mountains, and rivers. You’ll find the region’s natural environment is the perfect outdoor classroom where learning happens through real-world experience. Track elk, hike through forests to measure redwoods, or take water samples from California’s second largest river—Humboldt provides a wide range of opportunities for fieldwork, which helps develop critical thinking and collaboration skills, and a passion for learning that will take you far in life.

Wildlife faculty and student in the field

Personal Attention

College is a time to expand your horizons and find out who you really are, and our attentive faculty are here to support you every step of the way. From the moment you begin your program, you won’t be just another face in the crowd. You’ll be part of a community as you get to know your professors. They’ll challenge you, but they’re accessible, too. Whether through mentoring or one-on-one feedback, they’ll help you build the knowledge and skills to be successful at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Undergraduate Programs

Cal Poly Humboldt offers a wide array of science majors and programs, led by highly skilled faculty who foster a supportive environment. You will develop the critical thinking skills needed to solve complex problems in science, engineering, and natural resources, leaving you well-prepared for professional careers and higher levels of study.

Applied Fire Science & Management Biochemistry Biology Botany Chemistry Computer Science Data Science Energy Systems Engineering Environmental Resources Engineering Environmental Science & Management Fisheries Biology

Forestry Geology Marine Biology Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Oceanography Physics Rangeland Resource Science Software Engineering Wildlife Zoology

Graduate Programs

Cal Poly Humboldt has an established reputation for its graduate programs in the biological, environmental, engineering, and natural resources sciences, which provide the knowledge and experience necessary to address today’s scientific problems.

Biological Sciences Engineering and Community Practice

Environmental Systems Natural Resources

Equipped for Excellence

Cal Poly Humboldt has a diverse range of research facilities, labs, and special collections as essential tools for conducting research and gaining real-world experience. Utilizing a renewable energy technology research center, a marine laboratory, and the largest botanical collection in the CSU system, you will actively engage with research during your undergraduate years.

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Place-Based Learning Communities

Learning goes beyond the classroom at Humboldt—we learn from the environment we are in. Our Place-Based Learning Communities provide you with a tight-knit community of like minded peers before classes even start.

We start right away—you’ll be immersed in major-related fieldwork, seminars, and classes with students like you before the semester even begins. These connections will help you navigate college life, gain confidence, succeed academically, and gain a sense of belonging within the Humboldt community.

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Alumni Updates

Danial Nayeri

Wildlife, 2023

Submitted: February 7, 2025

After earning his master’s degree in Wildlife from Cal Poly Humboldt, Danial moved to College Station, Texas, to begin a new journey as a Ph.D. student. Danial is currently a research graduate assistant at Texas A&M University, working in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Lab under the supervision of Dr. Gerard Kyle. Danial's research focuses on human-wildlife conflict mitigation through the lens of social psychology. His experience at Humboldt helped shape him into a more competent and prepared graduate student.

Albert Ochoa-Castillo

Chemistry, 2022

Submitted: June 17, 2024

Albert is currently in the second year of his PhD studies at Colorado State University, focusing on the fundamentals of plant cryopreservation. He recently received the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, one of the country’s top STEM fellowship programs. Albert crafted a method to visualize sucrose in plant cells and proposed a technique for simultaneous imaging of two molecules in plant tissue. His research explores cryoprotectant-cell interactions using advanced microscopy methods. After graduating, Albert aims to teach chemistry at a primarily undergraduate institution, prioritizing research inclusion for first-generation and Hispanic students to enhance diversity in scientific fields.

Leah Meyers

Botany, 2022

Submitted: October 19, 2023

Leah was hired as a Botanist under Stantec to work in environmental consulting in August 2022 and has recently completed her first year there. She moved to Santa Barbara for this job and has had a wonderful experience working with other biologists and getting out in the field. Living in Santa Barbara is a blast, and Leah is grateful to be a part of protecting California's amazing wildlife—but she says her heart is always in the Redwoods!

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Achievements

Find out what our students, faculty, and staff are being recognized for.

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Student

Devon Walker, Jonathan Juarez, Chase Loughmiller, Anthony Wolfe, Dennis Allen, Jacob Lewis

Mathematics

Submitted: February 25, 2026

Devon Walker, Jonathan Juarez, Chase Loughmiller, Anthony Wolfe, Dennis Allen and Jacob Lewis competed in the 2026 Mathematical Contest in Modeling. Working in teams of three, they have just four days to analyze and solve an open-ended, real-world problem and produce a detailed solution paper. This year, both teams addressed a problem related to modeling battery drain in smartphones by using continuous time models.

Faculty

Jim Graham

Environmental Science & Management

Submitted: February 18, 2026

Dr. Jim Graham received continued funding from California Trout (CalTrout) that will pay for a graduate student to perform GIS habitat modeling in the Eel River Watershed, and develop a subsequent Riparian Climate Refugia (RCR) data set. The data will provide information on where riparian corridors (vegetation growing near natural bodies of water) contain remaining climate refugia on the CA North Coast. Climate refugia are landscape features that provide environmental protection and can allow species to persist through climate change effects. The data will be particularly useful to land managers, who can use it to make more informed restoration and conservation decisions.