All Presenters & Abstracts
Trail Surface Influences Nighttime Mammal Detections in a Forest Reserve
Presentation Year:2026
Spencer
Foto,
Undergraduate Student,
College Corp
Recreational trails are widespread in protected forests, yet their effects on wildlife remain understudied. As part of a College Corps fellowship with the Bureau of Land Management, we used motion-activated cameras at 30 sites along the Elk River Trail, CA, to test whether trail surface (paved vs. unpaved) influenced nighttime mammal detections and whether responses varied by body size. Eight species were detected, with the gray fox being the most frequently observed. Detections were higher on paved trails (p = 0.005), but no consistent species-level or body size effects were found.
Trauma-Informed Peer Support for Legal Record Review Pilot Project
Presentation Year:2026
Jasmine
Rafferty,
Graduate Student,
Social Work
This pilot project explores a trauma-informed peer-supported approach to legal record review for justice-impacted students in higher education. Using frameworks such as Critical Action Research, Slow Research, Disability Justice, and Abolition Feminism, our team collectively engages lived experience to support healing and challenge systems that create barriers. Our work highlights systemic gaps that disrupt student internship placements, causing further harm. Through relational and restorative practices, we normalize experiences, address stigma, and develop peer-led tools to reduce retraumatization and increase equitable access to education.
Un-Dam the Klamath: The River Flows Freely
Presentation Year:2026
Sasheen
Raymond,
Staff,
Other
A Panel Discussion and Q&A during Indigenous Peoples Week. In September 2002, over 34,000 fish died in the Klamath River due to algae blooms, devastating Tribal communities that rely on the river for culture and subsistence. After decades of Tribal-led advocacy, the river’s undamming marks a major victory for environmental justice and Indigenous sovereignty. As part of Indigenous Peoples Week, ITEPP and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will host “Un-dam the Klamath: The River Flows Freely,” a panel featuring Tribal leaders, attorneys, and advocates. Open to the campus and community, the event explored environmental justice, restoration, and Tribal sovereignty while connecting real-world advocacy to student learning.
Uncovering Behavioral Constructs Underlying Social and Environmental Activism: An Exploratory Factor Analysis
Presentation Year:2026
Harmony
Switzer- Tryon,
Undergraduate Student,
Psychology
Do values pledged at graduation endure over time? This study examines long-term social justice and environmental behaviors among Humboldt alumni (N = 1,240) who took the Humboldt Graduation Pledge. Using exploratory factor analysis, we identify key dimensions of sustained engagement across personal, civic, and professional domains. Results highlight workplace-based activism as a central avenue through which alumni enact these commitments, suggesting that institutional pledges may shape not just intentions, but long-term behavior in everyday and professional life.
Understanding Microglial Phenotype Switching Through Dimensionality Reduction and Clustering Analysis
Presentation Year:2026
Anthony
Wolfe,
Undergraduate Student,
Mathematics & Data Science
Microglia are the brain’s resident immune cells, capable of shifting between pro- and anti-inflammatory states to regulate neural homeostasis. Disruptions to this balance contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. We analyzed single-cell gene expression data from approximately 600 mouse-derived microglia across six weeks to identify genes that capture cellular variability in both high and low dimensional representations. We also performed unsupervised clustering to identify subpopulations within the dataset based on gene expression patterns. This allowed us to map the known spectrum of functional states these cells occupy and examine how these transcriptional states change over time.
Using AI for Protein Structure Prediction and Binding in Biochemistry
Presentation Year:2026
Eli
Whiteman-Owens,
Undergraduate Student,
Chemistry
This poster highlights how AI can be used to predict tertiary protein structures in silico and the potential applications for for drug development and biofuel production.
Viewing Cute Images Enhances Emotion Perception
Presentation Year:2026
Emma
Frerichs,
Graduate Student,
Psychology
Infant features have been shown to influence caretaking associated behaviors, by capturing the attention of potential caregivers and impacting the behavioral responses. Research has shown that exposure to infant faces promotes careful behaviors. The recognition of displayed emotions is important for social dynamics that are essential to survival, such as detecting threats. The current study intended to investigate whether viewing cute stimuli would enhance one's accuracy of emotional recognition of displayed faces.
Virtual Nature-Exposure and Slow Breathing Interactive Effect on Stress
Presentation Year:2026
Mari
Sanchez,
Faculty,
Psychology
Excess stress negatively impacts health and well-being. The current study examined two accessible research-based methods of stress reduction: virtual nature exposure and slow breathing. Participants completed a stressful task and were then exposed to either a scene of nature or a grey control screen while breathing slowly or regularly (control). Physiological measures of stress were compared across groups. Results reaffirm slow breathing as beneficial for stress reduction. Virtual nature exposure did not impact stress levels independently and did not interact or add to the stress reducing impacts of slow breathing.
Water Adsorption on Environmental Metal Oxides and Atmospheric Dusts Determined by the Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) Technique
Presentation Year:2026
Chris
Harmon,
Faculty,
Chemistry
Dust plays an important role in cloud formation, acting as nuclei for water vapor, leading to the formation of cloud droplets. The process is highly uncertain and difficult to make predictions of. Our research is centered around simulating water uptake by dust particles to better understand this process and create models that can predict this behavior.
Water Depth to Body Size Correlation in Dabbling Ducks
Presentation Year:2026
Santiago
Vera-Buoncristiani,
Undergraduate Student,
Wildlife
I wanted to understand the correlation between dabbling duck body size and water depth in tidal exposed environments and how significant these habitats are for smaller species that have less access to deeper food sources.
Waterfowl Foraging and Vigilance Tradeoff in Mallard and Green-winged Teal
Presentation Year:2026
Noah
Ramsey,
Undergraduate Student,
Wildlife
This study compared the trade-off between foraging and vigilance of mallard and green-winged teal. Mallard and green-winged teal were chosen for this study due to their similarity as dabbling ducks and their differences in morphology. Balancing the tradeoff between vigilance and foraging is crucial for spring migrating waterfowl who need excess energy reserves to successfully migrate.
What Are You Compensating For?
Presentation Year:2026
Nathan
Aguilar,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Applied Health
Meta-analysis of muscle compensation and the side effects, both short term and long term. Understanding muscle activation response with induced fatigue, injury, and rehabilitation techniques and methods.
What is Contributing to Injuries in Adolescent Athletes, and What are the Physical and Psychological Consequences?
Presentation Year:2026
Luis
Sandoval,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Applied Health
This review examines recent research covering the factors contributing to injuries in adolescent athletes and the associated physical and psychological consequences. Key contributors include excessive training loads without adequate recovery and early sport specialization. The review also explores how these injuries affect long-term musculoskeletal health, mental well-being, and continued sport participation. Findings highlighted the need for improved training guidelines, reduced early sport specialization, and a greater emphasis on long-term athlete development keeping mental health in mind.
Wicked Problems through an Interdisciplinary Framework
Presentation Year:2026
Sarah
Peters Gonzalez,
Faculty,
Other
Wicked problems are complex issues that resist straightforward solutions due to their interconnected nature, uncertainty, and ambiguity. These problems defy simple solutions, are shaped by countless variables and often lack clear boundaries. No single discipline holds the key to addressing them. By integrating diverse perspectives, knowledge, and methodologies, students in the Individualized Degree Program (IDP) explored a range of wicked problems, examining them from multiple disciplinary angles, drawing on insights from various fields: science, humanities, and more. The aim of the project is to showcase the power of interdisciplinary approaches in addressing the challenges of our time.
Wildlife Abundance in Relationship to Residential Zone
Presentation Year:2026
Giovani
Quiroz,
Undergraduate Student,
Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis
Wildlife and humans are inseparable, more so in areas with vast areas of wilderness. With the utilization of trail cameras at a variety of distances animal presence was recorded. Does wildlife detection increase with distance form residential zones. This study helps shine some light on this question and uncover some trends when looking at wilderness areas near residential areas.
Your Brain as a Long Distance Runner
Presentation Year:2026
Sebastian
Vaisset-Fauvel,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Applied Health
Despite the performance benefits of endurance training, long-distance runners are at risk of declining performance and chronic
fatigue when training load exceeds recovery capacity. Acutely, running can increase neurochemicals, blood flow, and neural
activity, which temporarily enhances attetion and cognitive function. Chronically, running leads to structural and functional brain adaptations in regions involving memory, motor control, and decision making. However, Excessive training without adequate recovery can lead to Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) This review investigates how endurance running shapes the brain through acute and chronic adaptations, and how excessive training may shift these benefits toward maladaptive neural changes associated with overtraining syndrome.