All Presenters & Abstracts
This is Your Brain on Magnets
Presentation Year:2026
Evan
Carleton-Sniff,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Applied Health
Research on the effects of rTMS when used in stroke rehab for motor function recovery.
Toggles - The Social Media Co-op
Presentation Year:2026
Colin
Trevino-Odell,
Undergraduate Student,
Mathematics & Data Science
Social media is broken by design. Algorithms maximize engagement, not enjoyment. Anonymous accounts harass without consequence. Your data gets sold to advertisers. Creators get a fraction of the revenue their work generates. None of this is accidental. It's the business model. Toggles replaces it. Every member verifies with a real ID and stands behind their words. You control your feed by setting content categories to Off, On, or Max. Politics off, it's gone. Science on max, it's at the top. No ads, no investors, no data extraction. The platform is structured as a cooperative where revenue beyond operating costs goes back to creators and governance transitions to the community over time. I built toggles with claude code. It's live at toggles.cc
Tracking a Marbled Murrelet on its Journey along the Alaska Coast
Presentation Year:2026
Tony
Nichols,
Undergraduate Student,
Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis
This StoryMap combines both written contextual information about marbled murrelets and their conservation status, and an animation of a space-time cube showing the tracking data of an individual murrelet in southern Alaska.
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
Undamn the Klamath: The River Flows Freely
A Panel Discussion and Q&A during Indigenous Peoples Week
In September 2002, over 34,000 fish—primarily Chinook salmon—were found dead at the mouth of the Klamath River. This tragic event, known as the “2002 Fish Kill,” was caused by blue-green algae blooms that depleted oxygen levels, creating a hostile environment for fish. The devastation had a profound impact on local Tribal communities, for whom the river and its salmon are central to culture, tradition, and survival.
After decades of Tribal-led advocacy, the undamming of the Klamath River marks a historic and hard-fought victory for environmental justice and Indigenous sovereignty. The health of the river is deeply connected to the health of Native people, and the return of the river to its natural flow is a triumph for future generations.
As part of Indigenous Peoples Week, ITEPP proposes a partnership with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to host a panel discussion and Q&A titled:
"Undamn the Klamath: The River Flows Freely"
This panel will highlight the multi-generational efforts that led to the removal of dams along the Klamath River. Panelists will include Tribal representatives, Tribal attorneys, and advocates who have dedicated over 20 years to protecting the river and restoring balance to the ecosystem.
The event was open to students, staff, faculty, and the broader community and served as an essential platform for education, reflection, and celebration. Panelists explored the intersection of environmental justice, Tribal sovereignty, legal challenges, ecological restoration, and community organizing. This interdisciplinary conversation will enrich co-curricular learning by connecting real-world advocacy to classroom learning outcomes.
Uncovering Behavioral Constructs Underlying Social and Environmental Activism: An Exploratory Factor Analysis
Presentation Year:2026
Harmony
Switzer- Tryon,
Undergraduate Student,
Psychology
The Humboldt Graduation Pledge, introduced in 1987, was one of the first efforts in higher education to encourage long-term commitment to social justice and environmental responsibility by asking graduating students to pledge to these values, and it has served as a model for similar pledges since. Earlier research has examined short-term effects of pledges on behavior and intention, but far less is known about long-term pledge-related behaviors. Humboldt alumni (N = 1,240) of all years completed an online survey assessing social justice and environmental behaviors, using items primarily adapted from previously published scales. The present study conducts an exploratory factor analysis to examine how these adapted items cluster. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the social justice and the environmental actions scales separately, and then on the combined scales. The social justice scale yielded a one-factor solution. The environmental responsibility items produced a two-factor solution. Factor 1 represented public-oriented environmental activism behaviors, whereas Factor 2 reflected private environmental conservation/efficiency behaviors. A subsequent EFA on the combined scales resulted in a four-factor solution, representing interpersonal social justice behaviors, concrete private environmental behaviors, civic engagement, and workplace-based activism. The factor analysis indicates that environmental behaviors can be sorted into both public and private. When the social justice and environmental behavior scales were combined, workplace-based activism explained the majority of the variance. This has implications for how to encourage social and environmental activism in society going forward.
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.