All Presenters & Abstracts
Multi-Axis Force Behavior in Inclined Bone Drilling
Presentation Year:2026
Mason
Cooper,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Engineering
This research project investigates how drilling angle affects mechanical forces during surgical bone drilling, with the ultimate goal of improving precision and safety during orthopedic surgeries. This study, conducted by the team at the Surgical Analysis and Development Laboratory located on Cal Poly Humboldt's campus, addresses a common practical challenge of surgical procedures, where surgeons are required to drill at non-perpendicular angles due to anatomical constraints.
Bone drilling is a fundamental step in procedures such as fracture fixation, implant placement, and spinal surgery. While perpendicular drilling is mechanically stable, real-world surgical scenarios often require inclined drilling. These angled operations can introduce complications such as drill skidding, positional deviation, force instability, and excessive heat generation, all of which may compromise accuracy and damage surrounding bone tissue. Despite its clinical importance, the mechanical behavior of drilling forces at varying inclinations has not been thoroughly investigated.
The primary objective of this research is to quantify how surface inclination influences drilling performance by measuring forces along three orthogonal axes (x, y, and z). These correspond to lateral forces (x and y directions) and thrust force (z direction), which together define the overall mechanical interaction between the drill bit and bone.
To achieve this, the team utilized a controlled experimental setup capable of precisely adjusting the inclination angle of the drilling surface. Drilling tests were conducted on bovine bone at six angles: 0°, 5°, 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60°. While the results presented here focus on a baseline condition (1000 rpm, 0.01 mm/rev), additional experiments were conducted across varying spindle speeds and feed rates to further investigate their influence on force behavior. During each test, force data in all three axes were recorded over time, enabling a detailed analysis of force evolution during drilling.
The results, visualized through multiple force-time plots, reveal several important trends. First, lateral forces increase significantly with inclination angle. This indicates that as the drill becomes more angled relative to the surface, the cutting process becomes increasingly asymmetric, leading to higher sideways forces and greater potential for drill deflection. Such deflection can reduce drilling accuracy and increase the risk of misalignment in surgical applications.
Second, higher inclination angles exhibit greater initial instability in the force signals. This behavior suggests increased skidding and delayed engagement of the drill bit with the bone surface. In practical terms, this means that at steeper angles, the drill is more likely to slip before fully penetrating, which can further compromise precision and control.
Third, the thrust force shows a different pattern. While it ultimately stabilizes across all angles, higher inclinations result in a delayed buildup of this force. This delay reflects the time required for the drill to achieve consistent contact and cutting at non-perpendicular orientations. Although the steady-state thrust force remains relatively consistent, the transient behavior is critical for understanding drilling initiation and stability.
By providing quantitative insight into force dynamics, this research contributes to the broader goal of enhancing surgical accuracy, reducing complications, and improving patient outcomes.
Natural Resources Club: Building Community Through Service
Presentation Year:2026
Penny
DellaPelle,
Undergraduate Student,
College Corp
Through College Corps, I was supported in my work as president of the Cal Poly Humboldt Natural Resources Club, where we “Restore Ecosystems, One Saturday at a Time.” We volunteer at local environmental stewardship events every week, doing a wide range of tasks, including invasive species removal, trash pickup, and native plantings. In the 2025-26 academic year, nearly 200 students have participated in our volunteer days, contributing over 1,800 volunteer hours to local projects and forging connections between students and the larger community. Under my leadership, we’ve also created more professional development and community-building opportunities for members, with great success.
Niche Partitioning Between Myrtle and Audubon's Warblers
Presentation Year:2026
Aidan
Brubaker,
Undergraduate Student,
Wildlife
Do Audubon's and myrtle yellow-rumped warblers partition resources differently in areas where the two subspecies overlap during the winter in Arcata, California? Looking for differences in the foraging height, foraging substrate, horizontal foraging location, and foraging methods of the two subspecies.
North Coast Growers Association: An Organization for the Community
Presentation Year:2026
Ava
Colony,
Undergraduate Student,
College Corp
Our college corps placement with North Coast Growers Association (NCGA) has allowed us to have a deeper experience with the broader Humboldt community through the local food system. As a NCGA interns our tasks varied from aiding in the farmers' markets, packing food boxes for the Harvest Box Program, or attending educational outreach events for schools. These programs support food equity, sustainable economic and agricultural practices, and community engagement. Through this experience we have learned the importance and complexities of a robust local food system, and the positive effects it can have on a community.
Novel Tests of Gravity Below 50 Microns
Presentation Year:2026
Rowan
Botts,
Undergraduate Student,
Physics & Astronomy
he development of a unified theory encompassing the Standard Model and General Relativity often necessitates theorizing features that violate the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) and/or the gravitational Inverse-Square Law (ISL). Such a violation would indicate our current understanding of gravity is incomplete. Undergraduate researchers and faculty members at Cal Poly Humboldt are performing an experiment to measure gravitational influence at ranges less than 50 microns in an attempt to identify any deviations and explore the significance such a discovery would have. Using a compositional-dipole torsion pendulum and an oscillating attractor mass, torque is created on the pendulum to study its response to the gravitational field of the attractor mass.
Nutrient Timing For Sprint Performance
Presentation Year:2026
Zachary
Blood,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Applied Health
Research on current findings related to nutrient timing strategies, and their possible affects on sprint performance and recovery.
Off to the Festival! The American College Theatre Festival Region 7
Presentation Year:2026
Evan
Pierce,
Undergraduate Student,
Dance, Music & Theatre
Through the theatre department, I was able to attend the American College Theatre Festival this spring. This was my fourth year attending. It is a wonderful way to get to know students from other colleges as well as professionals in the industry. It is so much fun being surrounded by other people as passionate about theatre making as you for an entire week. Even more of a bonus, you get to explore a new town too! This spring, we went to Pasco, Washington. I attended workshops, saw invited productions, and participated in late night activities like the tech theatre showdown. It was a jam-packed week of theatre and fun!
Oil Painting & Environmental Conservation
Presentation Year:2026
Tobey
Greenberg,
Undergraduate Student,
Art + Film
A detailed overview of wildlife research based painting portfolio and an in depth look into how I've connected environmental/wildlife conservation activism to 2D oil paintings.
Outdoor Recreation Kickoff
Presentation Year:2026
Olivia
Hicks,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Applied Health
This project focuses on planning and developing an Outdoor Recreation Festival at Cal Poly Humboldt to connect incoming students with local outdoor opportunities and resources. The event is designed to increase awareness of recreation options in the Arcata area while fostering partnerships between campus organizations and local businesses. Through event planning, outreach, and coordination, this project aims to create a sustainable model that encourages student engagement in outdoor recreation.
Outreach for the Western Snowy Plover
Presentation Year:2026
Nicoli
Burdeinii ,
Undergraduate Student,
College Corp
The fellows of Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office developed and delivered a conservation message for the western snowy plover to address the lack of engaging outreach materials available. Nicoli Burdeinii developed graphic designs and Midalia Garcia created an outreach volunteer training manual. Together with Neshwa Rabie and Lily Field, the corps fellows utilized their knowledge learned during field snowy plover surveys to deliver a message of curiosity, awareness, and responsible behavior. Such outreach work educates the public on the threatened species and how to best aid in their population recovery. Through this experience, the fellows hope to contribute creative ideas on how to approach the subject and inspire coastal stewardship among members of the public to care for species in our ecosystem, as a way of helping society
Pacific Union School Art Club
Presentation Year:2026
Avalon
Winfield,
Undergraduate Student,
College Corp
I worked with Pacific Union School, a K-8 public school. The issue I addressed was a lack of art and craft opportunities in classrooms. I helped start an Art Club for all grades to be able to participate in during lunch recess. This work matters because art is important to help students build creativity and confidence. Not all kids have access to art supplies at home and rely on school to offer art opportunities. Many students sit alone during recess and offering art club lets them connect with peers while creating art. I have seen art club make a big impact. So many kids love participating. They have gained skills like learning to crochet, draw, paint, use clay, and much more. Through this experience I have gained skills in leadership, problem-solving, organizing, and classroom management.
Paternal Stress as a Contributor to Neuropsychiatric Disease Risk in Offspring
Presentation Year:2026
Chris
Roberds,
Graduate Student,
Biological Sciences
Chronic stress is increasingly common and may have consequences across generations. Paternal chronic stress has been shown to alter sperm small RNAs and influence offspring neurodevelopment and psychiatric disease risk. However, how stress signals from the brain reach the germline and how offspring respond to stress remains unclear. This study examines epigenetic inheritance of paternal stress and its effects on offspring stress responses. We compared offspring of chronically stressed and non-stressed sires and measured corticosterone following an acute stressor. Offspring of stressed fathers exhibited reduced corticosterone responses, with evidence of sex-specific differences in stress regulation.
Physiological Responses of Oregon White Oak to Thinning in the East Cascades
Presentation Year:2026
Millen
McCord,
Graduate Student,
Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management
This project monitors the short-term physiological responses of conifer-encroached Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) to thinning treatments in the East Cascades region of Oregon to investigate the influences of woody encroachment, tree characteristics, and environmental variables on these responses. We also collected oak and conifer xylem water isotope samples to compare sources of oak and conifers to examine source water use.
Pinniped Tags
Presentation Year:2026
Briana
Yepez Ochoa,
Undergraduate Student,
School of Engineering
Marine mammal researchers, in partnership with NOAA, have requested an improved alternative to livestock tags currently used to identify and track pinnipeds on the West Coast. Existing tags are not designed or well suited for pinniped anatomy, leading to poor reliability in the harsh marine conditions. Beginning in Fall 2025, a group of engineering students at CPH initiated this project as part of the Intro to Design course. The effort is now continuing in collaboration with client representative Dr. Dawn Goley. Our work focuses on designing, prototyping, and testing cost effective tags that minimize impact on pinnipeds, aiming to improve tracking methods for pinnipeds for years to come.
Planning Green Infrastructure For Future Drought: Comparing Differences in Urban Tree Water Use For Two Coastal Cities
Presentation Year:2026
Raul
Cano,
Undergraduate Student,
Computer Science
Urban areas are recognized by a mixture of natural and human built environments, where impervious surfaces like roads and rooftops are often seen negatively due to their impact on water and energy. Green infrastructure such as trees and turfgrass combines natural and built surfaces to provide several benefits, such as carbon sequestration and environmental cooling. This study explores how combinations of turfgrass, impervious surfaces, and urban trees can optimize natural benefits of green infrastructure during future climate change driven drought.
We used a regional ecologic-hydrologic model to simulate several small-scale configurations of urban land types. Then down-scaled climate projections were input to the model to produce future drought scenarios. Afterwards, we looked at model output of tree carbon and water fluxes to compare green infrastructure benefits for two coastal towns in California.
Preliminary simulations show that certain combinations of green infrastructure components may improve environmental benefits. These configurations could potentially improve carbon sequestration and reduce urban heat, but depend on the severity of drought conditions.
The findings suggest that combining well designed impervious surfaces with green infrastructure can improve urban environmental benefits. Future research should explore long term impacts and practical implementation strategies, considering factors such as maintenance, urban planning constraints, and climatic variations.
Potawat Community Food Garden
Presentation Year:2026
Lulu
Voss,
Undergraduate Student,
College Corp
I partnered with Potawat Community Food Garden to advocate for native food sovereignty. I contribute to bountiful harvests by weeding, pruning, planting, and tending to crops in the garden. This matters because I help foster a safe and peaceful garden haven that builds a healthy community and supports hundreds of people struggling with food insecurity. Through this experience, I learned how to eat to promote the health of my body and mind and helped spread this knowledge to the community.
Prevention of Escherichia coli Biofilm Formation Using SLpA Protein Extracted From Lactobacillus helveticus
Presentation Year:2026
Scarlet
Renner,
Undergraduate Student,
Chemistry
Dental health in pets often goes neglected, despite the large amounts of bacteria that cultivate in their mouths often leading to painful gingivitus and periodontitis. Certain probiotic Lactobacillus strains have shown to help inhibit the growth of oral pathogenic bacteria, which could be beneficial in the development of more cost effective and efficient preventative measures against dental disease. More specifically, it’s thought that the surface layer proteins in these probiotics prevent biofilm formation of pathogenic bacteria by occupying binding sites. This experiment explored the use of the probiotic Lactobacillus helveticus and its Surface Layer Protein A (SLpA) in their ability to prevent biofilm formation in mCherry containing Escherichia coli. We approached this by culturing the whole organisms, followed by extraction of the SLpA using lithium chloride and centrifugation. The E. coli was induced to provide fluorescence and mixed with samples containing both whole L. helvetius and the SLpA protein. Fluorescence values were collected using spectrofluorometry with a black 96 well plate which contained a sodium alginate and calcium chloride gel to allow adherence and compared to a blank. Our results indicate that L. helvetius and the SLpA protein both inhibit biofilm formation of E. coli. Further research should be done using specific strains of pathogenic bacteria.
Professional Development on a Personal Level with Trinidad Coastal Land Trust
Presentation Year:2026
Ronica
Reyes,
Undergraduate Student,
College Corp
As a college corp fellow I served at Trinidad Coastal Land Trust focusing on increasing coastal access in the form of stewardship workdays, trail maintenance, community outreach, and day-to-day operations. This work matters to all who come in contact with the Trinidad coast no matter the species. Through this experience I've made meaningful impacts and connections to place and people.
Progress towards Cloning of the ASRT Gene from Anabaena into the pET-28a Expression Vector
Presentation Year:2026
Catherine
Maloney,
Undergraduate Student,
Biological Sciences
This project focuses on the molecular cloning of the ASRT gene from Anabaena into the pET-28a expression vector for propagation in Escherichia coli. Genomic DNA was extracted from an Anabaena culture and used as a template for PCR amplification of the ASRT coding sequence using specifically designed primers. The amplified gene will be inserted into pET-28a using restriction enzyme cloning, followed by transformation into E. coli. This approach enables stable maintenance of the gene and provides a foundation for future expression and analysis.
Public Lands in Public Hands
Presentation Year:2026
Adeli
Burdeinii,
Undergraduate Student,
College Corp
Sage, Melia, and I were placed with the BLM Arcata field office to work on a variety of ecological restoration projects and public outreach. BLM Arcata Field Office's main mission is to help restore and preserve the natural environment for the good of the public and wildlife. This past year, our tasks included monitoring, upkeep, and outreach on public lands. In our time with the BLM, we educated the public on the resources they are using and how to treat them right so everyone can enjoy them for many years to come, worked on wildlife and plant monitoring projects to see how the restoration work being done is helping heal the land, and helped to keep our public lands in pristine condition.