All Presenters & Abstracts
Influence of Flock Size on Competitive Outcomes in Urban Birds
Presentation Year:2026
Julia
Dewing,
Undergraduate Student,
Wildlife
Urban environments provide wildlife with food from human waste, which generalist species exploit, increasing interspecific competition. American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), common ravens (Corvus corax), and gulls (Larus spp.) frequent these sources, yet their competitive outcomes remain understudied. This study explores food competition between these species in Arcata and Eureka, California. I hypothesize that crow competitive success increases with group size. Understanding how social behavior impacts these outcomes will contribute to a deeper knowledge of urban ecology.
Influence of Microclimate Conditions on Salamander Abundance
Presentation Year:2026
Seth
Stephens,
Undergraduate Student,
Wildlife
Terrestrial salamanders are highly sensitive to fine scale variations in moisture content and microclimate due to their reliance on cutaneous respiration, making them valuable indicators of forest floor habitat conditions (Jaeger 1980; Peterman and Semlitsch 2014; O’Donnell et al. 2014). The objective of this study was to evaluate how canopy cover and soil moisture influences terrestrial salamander abundance in coastal forest ecosystems of Humboldt County, California. Utilizing visual encounter surveys of natural cover objects that are paired with measurements of the surrounding microhabitat variables, this project quantified the relationship between terrestrial salamanders and their microhabitats at a spatial scale . I predicted that salamander encounters will be higher at cover objects associated with higher soil moisture, deeper leaf litter, and greater canopy cover, and lower in drier, more open sites. By finding these similarities or differences between the relationship of salamander abundance and canopy-controlled microclimate this study contributes to a broader understanding of how forest structure can have influence over moisture-dependent wildlife .
Interpreting Burn Severity in Three Dimensions: LiDAR Canopy Height Models Across MTBS Severity Classes in Northern California
Presentation Year:2026
Garrett
Hall,
Undergraduate Student,
Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis
I’m analyzing what satellite-derived burn-severity classes actually represent in terms of forest structure after wildfire. Using the 2021 Monument Fire (Northern California), I combine MTBS burn-severity maps (30 m classes) with post-fire USGS 3DEP LiDAR to measure canopy height and canopy cover. I generate canopy height models and summarize structure within 30 m grid cells across multiple sample plots representing low/unburned, moderate, and high severity. The goal is to quantify how canopy structure differs by severity class and highlight where severity labels and 3D structure don’t fully align.
The Geography Department will be printing my poster.
Investigation of DOM at Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility & Arcata Marsh
Presentation Year:2026
Spencer
Hoyt,
Undergraduate Student,
Chemistry
The Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility uses constructed wetlands to treat municipal wastewater. In this study, we examined how dissolved carbon and nitrogen were removed, degraded, and transformed within the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility over the course of a year. It was found that dissolved carbon was removed by the treatment system, and the biological activity transformed it into a form that had less impact on Humboldt Bay, while dissolved nitrogen was removed effectively, except in winter and spring months. Overall, the study provides a better understanding of the temporal variation of dissolved carbon and nitrogen in the constructed wetlands system, which will help the City of Arcata better manage the wastewater discharged to Humboldt Bay.
Isolation and Extraction of a Vacuolar Transmembrane protein Two-Pore Channel 1 (TPC1) from the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
Presentation Year:2026
Cadence
Duckett,
Undergraduate Student,
Chemistry
In the plant kingdom, movement is a basic physiological characteristic that is essential for plants to adapt and respond to their environment. The Venus flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, utilizes movement to capture its prey. This movement is reliant on the functioning TPC1. Two-Pore Channel 1 (TPC1) is a non-selective voltage-dependent and calcium-regulated potassium channel that is localized to plant vacuolar membranes. Our study was the first to isolate and identify the TPC1 protein in venus flytrap vacuolar membranes. We performed this extraction via sucrose gradient, ultracentrifugation, ion exchange chromatography, and protein assays. Although the venus flytrap TPC1 is used for rapid response to environmental stimuli, all plants rely on TPC1 to actively adapt to changes in light, metabolism, and pH. The further study of TPC1 can have a wide variety of environmental, agricultural, and pathologic applications as it is expressed in animal and fungal cells as well.
Kayak & Water Safety Workshop
Presentation Year:2026
Mike
Sanchez,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Applied Health
Many youth face barriers to safe water recreation due to cost, equipment, transportation, and limited instruction. This project creates a turnkey program for a beginner friendly Kayak and Water Safety Day for Boys and Girls Club youth. The final product is a complete implementation packet with safety protocols, inclusion strategies, staffing plan, communications, budget scenarios, and evaluation tools, designed to reduce barriers and improve water safety knowledge. A land based workshop version is included as a pilot and backup delivery option.
Lightning-Driven Wildfire Risk and Forest Loss in Six Rivers National Forest
Presentation Year:2026
Jonathan David
Juarez,
Undergraduate Student,
Mathematics & Data Science
Forest ecosystems play a critical role in maintaining biodiversity, stabilizing soils, and regulating hydrological processes, yet they are increasingly threatened by wildfire and prolonged drought under changing climate conditions. Six Rivers National Forest in Humboldt County, California, is particularly vulnerable due to dense biomass accumulation, dry summer conditions, and forests dominated by coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus). This study combines long-term wildfire records with satellite-based remote sensing to investigate the relationship between wildfire activity and forest loss in the region. Two complementary temporal analyses were conducted. First, wildfire ignition records from CAL FIRE spanning 1950–2025 were analyzed to evaluate long-term trends in wildfire causation, with particular attention to lightning-induced ignitions. Second, a spatial overlay analysis using satellite data examined recent patterns of forest disturbance between 2014 and 2024. Forest loss was derived from the Hansen Global Forest Change dataset, where loss represents satellite-detected canopy disturbance, and was compared with wildfire occurrence from MODIS burned area products. Environmental indicators, including the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), were incorporated to evaluate landscape conditions associated with vegetation stress and fire activity. Results indicate substantial spatial correspondence between areas of wildfire occurrence and observed forest loss during the 2014–2024 period. Long-term ignition records further suggest an increasing proportion of lightning-caused fires in Six Rivers National Forest after 2000. While these relationships are currently interpreted as correlational and formal statistical testing is ongoing, the findings highlight the potential role of climate-driven ignition processes in shaping wildfire-related forest disturbance. This research establishes a geospatial framework for future predictive modeling using machine learning to forecast wildfire-driven forest loss and support proactive forest management strategies in fire-prone landscapes.
Lipidomic Analysis of Anabaena 7120 using 2D Aqueous Polymer Fractionation and LCMS Analysis
Presentation Year:2026
Miles
Guillot,
Undergraduate Student,
Chemistry
Anabaena PCC 7120 is a species of cyanobacteria containing a light sensing membrane protein, Anabaena Sensory Rhodopsin (ASR) which is under investigation in our nanobiotechnology lab. Lipids greatly affect the activity of membrane proteins, but the native lipids of Anabaena are largely unknown. Here we sought to determine the composition of these membrane lipids to enable future studies into ASR. In this study we seek to identify the specific lipidome of the thylakoid and plasma membrane of Anabaena using a 2D aqueous polymer to density gradient extraction, followed by analysis with liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry.
Macroinvertebrates as an Indicator of Water Quality at a Constructed Marsh
Presentation Year:2026
Amelia
Jensen,
Undergraduate Student,
Wildlife
My project is to test to see if macroinvertebrates are a good indicator of water quality. I will need to sample at each 2 marshes, West Pond and Brackish Pond, for macroinvertebrates using a D-Frame net and a bucket. At each location, I will collect 8 macroinvertebrate samples, with 4 taken to the right of my starting point and then 4 to the left. In addition to macroinvertebrates, I will also be collecting pH, dissolved oxygen, and salinity from the water as well. To be able to classify the macroinvertebrates I will be using shallow bins to place the invertebrates into for better viewing of individuals.
Manipulation of Attention and Expectancy Within an Open-Label Placebo Treatment for Experimental Pain
Presentation Year:2026
Arianna
Nevis ,
Undergraduate Student,
Psychology
Open-label, or honestly prescribed placebos, offer an ethical alternative to deceptive placebos. Results reported here are a part of a larger study where expectancy and attention were experimentally manipulated within a 2 (expectancy: high/low) x 2 (attention: high/low) between-subjects design with a no-treatment comparison group. Pain was experimentally induced in all five experimental groups using the well-established cold pressor task. Participants self-reported expectancy and researchers utilized a behavioral measure of attention to assess the effectiveness of these manipulations. Overall, expectancy scores were sensitive to manipulations, but the attention manipulation failed. Future research should explore new methods of both measuring and manipulating attention.
Methods for Degradation of PLA-Quinoa composites
Presentation Year:2026
Rafael
Bernard,
Undergraduate Student,
Chemistry
Polylactic acid (PLA) composites were created by integrating quinoa chaff that had been refluxed in a toluene and ethanol solution, with differing ratios of the chaff. These composites underwent testing such as bomb calorimetry, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, water uptake, water contact angle & degredation, antioxidant assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A cellulase enzyme was also purified from E-Coli bacteria for use in degradation studies. Current tests indicate that the refluxing of raw chaff increases homogeniztion of composites, which in turn allows for the increase of certain physical properties as well as increased degredation. This gives promising results concerning the future of biodegradable materials as they are able to keep favorable properties as well as decrease overall waste.
Methods for Mapping Europa’s Bands through Time
Presentation Year:2026
Liam
Hodgson,
Undergraduate Student,
Geology
We use stratigraphic relationships as a means to understand the evolution of Europa’s ice shell surface over time. Tectonic motion drives changes in surface morphologies, divergence of the plates creates dilational features like bands and ridges, and convergence may cause subduction-like processes. These subduction processes are referred to as subsumption, as they represent areas where less dense layers of warming ice are subsumed under an overlying plate of ice (see Figure 2). They are visible in the form of subsumption bands, which are asymmetric, with the features on one side being abruptly truncated and not visible on the other side (Kattenhorn and Prockter, 2014). Collins et al. (2022) make the case for episodic plate tectonics through mobile lid motion in regional patches. Europa does not have distinct quantifiable tectonic plates, rather mobile patches of ice that travel distances of less than a hundred kilometers before coming to a halt. Linear features have the tendency to overlap and overprint others, and through mapping of bands (>5km width) and narrower linear features such as ridges and fractures, it may be possible to constrain distinct time-steps in plate motion, and linear feature formation at their boundaries. Understanding differences in feature formation over time will provide information toward the evolution of Europa’s ice shell.
Microbial Worlds Within: SEM of Darlingtonia Pitchers
Presentation Year:2026
Sierra
Vasinthascha,
Graduate Student,
Biological Sciences
Darlingtonia californica relies on microbes within its pitcher fluid to break down captured prey into usable nutrients. This process is typically attributed to bacteria; however, fungi, are also found in the fluid, and their role remains largely unknown.
For this project, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to directly visualize microorganisms in pitcher fluid and on pitcher tissue. Cultured bacterial and fungal isolates from Darlingtonia’s fluid provided morphological references for identification. Tissues from the hood and lower pitcher were then processed and examined for comparison. Both bacteria and yeast-like fungi were observed in each region. The abundance of fungi found means that they are likely integral to the digestive system. These results indicate that yeasts may be overlooked contributors to prey decomposition and nutrient cycling, pointing to a more complex digestive network within Darlingtonia that warrants further study.
Modeling Murders: Following the Yorkshire Ripper
Presentation Year:2026
Alexis
Garcia,
Undergraduate Student,
Mathematics & Data Science
When working to identify active serial killers, police collect data on the killer’s behavioral patterns to predict their activity. Peter Sutcliffe, also known as the Yorkshire Ripper, started killing in the 1900s and primarily targeted women from red-light districts. This project uses an agent-based modeling approach that incorporates the behavioral choices of Sutcliffe to predict the home location of a killer with similar traits. The accuracy of our model was measured by calculating the distance between the predicted and the true house location of the killer. This model shows the effectiveness of using an agent-based model to simulate a serial killer’s activity.
Modeling Spectral Degeneracy and Structure in Graphs
Presentation Year:2026
Sophia
Bauer,
Undergraduate Student,
Mathematics & Data Science
The adjacency matrix of a simple, undirected finite graph is a binary square matrix with entries indicative of whether a given pair of vertices share an edge. The spectrum of a graph is the multiset of eigenvalues with respect to the adjacency matrix. If a graph is uniquely identifiable by its spectrum up to isomorphism, it is spectrally determined. Conversely, a graph has a cospectral pairing if the eigenvalues of each respective adjacency matrix in the pair are identical with multiplicity. Spectrum is a graph invariant that remains to be canonized under isomorphism, and the problem of finding an efficient algorithm capable of assessing whether a given graph is spectrally determined is widely thought to be unsolvable in polynomial time. Results exist for specific graph families, but a comprehensive classification for spectrally determined graphs is highly sought after for its potential to address complex networking and ranking problems. Heat map visualization and matrix computation algorithms were written and utilized for this research to analyze graphs of varying spectra in order to detect characteristics that may otherwise be challenging to collect data on. Experimental results of two specific graph families show that exceptional cases of non-isomorphic cospectral matches are contingent upon lapses in the high spectral degeneracy of complete bipartite graphs and the structural complexity of cyclic graphs. Additionally, it is demonstrated that local structural nuances such as vertex isolation are not always preserved by spectrum. Overall, results support Haemer’s conjecture that almost all graphs are spectrally determined. Future research may continue to utilize alternative matrix representations, such as the Laplacian, which may be better suited to encode complex connectivity and other structural properties.
Modeling the Effect of Changing Snowmelt Timing on the Spring Phenology of Giant Sequoias
Presentation Year:2026
Tully
Leonard,
Undergraduate Student,
Computer Science
Rising temperatures due to climate change are causing a shift in seasonal timing, or phenology, of snowpack melt and forest carbon cycling in the Southern Sierras of California. To understand this shift in timing, ecological forecasting can be used; however, few models focus specifically on how changes in snowmelt timing affect the “green-up” of the Giant Sequoia. Predicting how the timing of snowmelt affects phenological cycles in the Giant Sequoias can help understand species resilience to climate change. Google Earth Engine and R, and data sets derived from MODIS and LANDSAT were utilized to develop a model of the relationship between elevation, temperature, timing of spring vegetation greenness, mean snow water equivalent, and snowmelt. The model demonstrates how snowmelt timing affects the green-up timing in a specific grove over about two decades. The expectation is a positive correlation between the delay in the snowmelt and green-up timing, which will lead to a shorter growth period each year for the Giant Sequoias. This could leave the Sequoias more vulnerable to drought and wildfires that could severely damage or even kill the trees. Further research will be needed to allow for this model to be scaled up and consider the entire ecosystem effects.
Modern Consumption: Digital Media and Food Intake in Young Adults
Presentation Year:2026
Norah
Mieloch,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Applied Health
This poster explores how digital media influences food engagement in terms of what we eat and why, how hormonal hunger and satiety cues may be impacted by screens during mealtime, how media content targets certain food behaviors (intentional and not), and meal appreciation. In learning about the impacts of digital media consumption alongside food consumption, the audience will understand the effects on their health and how screens change their brain chemistry - hopefully allowing them to make an educated decision of whether or not to engage in media while eating.
Monitoring the Usage of Manmade Coverboards by Terrestrial Salamanders in Already Ample Habitat
Presentation Year:2026
Nicacio
Tucker,
Undergraduate Student,
Wildlife
This project will be addressing the use of microhabitats and cover objects (i.e. wood boards, logs, rocks, etc.) by terrestrial salamanders in the Arcata Community Forest (ACF), in Arcata, California. We will be utilizing manmade and natural objects in the ACF to understand what habitat conditions salamanders prefer and if they willingly will utilize a manmade coverboard, in any significant difference to the natural, and numerous, nature provided foliage around it. Coverboards are about 2 feet by 2 feet in length and were placed by a previous student within the forest for a minimum of two years, therefore they have had ample time to become ‘naturalized’ within this coastal Redwood forest and utilized by salamanders. Coverboards not only create habitat but are a standard surveying method for reptiles and amphibians. This project will not only provide information about preferred environmental conditions but also allow us to understand if this is a useful survey method in seemingly ideal habitat conditions for salamanders. When collecting data, a cover object will be flipped up slowly and all salamanders species and abundances will be documented. Salamanders will then be moved out from under the object via a gloved or pre-santitized and dried hand. The cover object will only be placed back into its original position after all organisms have been moved properly. Salamanders will be released at the edge of the object and allow the salamanders to crawl back under. This process will be repeated in the 1 meter radius of the coverboard, checking foliage, wood, and rocks. The objective of an honors thesis project is for a student to develop and implement an independent research project addressing questions surrounding the field of wildlife biology and conservation.
Morphological Analysis of Bands in E15 Region on Europa
Presentation Year:2026
Cade
Napierala,
Undergraduate Student,
Geology
This project is an analysis of Band Morphology on Europa, a moon of Jupiter.
Most Effective Methods for Educating Three Population Demographics at Risk of Large-Scale Lahars Originating from Mt. Rainier
Presentation Year:2026
Bodhi
Merrill,
Undergraduate Student,
Geology
In this study I focus on the most effective ways to communicate response plans for lahars originating from Mt. Rainier to three socioeconomic groups: residents, employees, and tourists. Wood and Soulard (2009) identified these three populations in the communities surrounding Mt. Rainier as largest and most at risk to a potential large-scale lahar. I will utilize lahar hazard maps published by the United States Geological Survey in combination with peer-reviewed journal articles focusing on the most successful methods of educating specific population demographics. This work will help guide emergency planners, management agencies, and individuals to better understand what measures still need to be taken in order to prevent loss of life.