Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Unique People At Humboldt On Social Justice And Environmental Behaviors, Alyssa Iverson, Jesse Linder, Harmony Switzer-Tryon, Dr. Gregg Gold, Lee Cunningham

IdeaFest 2026

Poster created by Alyssa Iverson, Jesse Linder, and Harmony Switzer-Tryon in Dr. Greg Gold’s Social Influence Research Lab.

Exploring The Placebo Effect On The Cortisol Stress Response, Enza Zeppegno-Mendonca, Olivia Huynh, Povheng Yam, Amanda Hahn

IdeaFest 2026

The placebo effect is well-studied on pain perception, but not many studies have examined the placebo effect on stress. The current study explores whether a deceptive stress‑reducing tincture (filled with water) influences participants’ cortisol responses and self‑reported stress while undergoing a modified acute stress task: the Sing-a-Song Stress Test (SSST). Given the rise of mental health concerns and misuse of medication, this area of research may provide new directions for developing treatments that incorporate the placebo effect, which may enhance treatment outcomes.

Another Look Into The ~950-Year-Old Glass Mountain Rhyolite Tephra: New Insights Into Volume, Eruption Column Height, And Geochemistry, Bodhi Merrill

IdeaFest 2026

This study examines the ~950-year-old Glass Mountain rhyolite tephra at Medicine Lake Volcano (MLV) in northeastern California. I use field observations and mapping of the dispersal of erupted material to estimate the total volume of tephra erupted, the maximum height of the eruption column during the explosive phase, and how the eruption evolved over time in terms of mass flux, vent erosion, and magma supply. In addition, I use the petrologic and geochemical properties of samples to offer insights into the pre-eruptive storage conditions of the erupting magmas. MLV is designated as a "high-threat volcano" by the USGS highlighting the …

Genetically Driven Lipid Dysfunction And Neuroinflammation: An Agent-Based Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Anthony Wolfe, Mack Kona, Sela Raisl, Enrique Lopez, Kamila Larripa

IdeaFest 2026

Microglia are immune cells in the brain that switch phenotypes to maintain neural health, but disruptions in this regulation may contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). We developed an agent-based model to link cell mechanisms to tissue-level patterns, incorporating both individual cell responses to localized signaling and the effects of APOE and TREM2 variants on microglial metabolism and clearance. Through computational experiments, we simulate how impaired lipid clearance and sensing lead to a pro-inflammatory microglial population and chronic inflammation. Our framework offers insight into how local dysfunction progresses to persistent neuroinflammation and promotes conditions like AD.

The Secret Lives Of Plants, Adam Ibarra

IdeaFest 2026

With this presentation I hoped to illustrate the deeper often hidden history of plants and how the relationship that they have with humankind. I also have endeavored to bring attention to the UAF Ethnobotany Program and the potential benefits of a collaboration between the Food Sovereignty Lab at CPH.

Built By Community: How Serving Others Has Inspired My Future, Naomi Garcia

IdeaFest 2026

As a College Corps Fellow, I served at Centro Del Pueblo (CDP). The projects and work I was a part of allowed me to serve Indigenous, Migrant, and Latinx families and communities throughout Humboldt. Through advocacy, cultural preservation, and decolonial practices, I was able to experience the elements of creating and collaborating on community-led initiatives, as well as learn how to be in service of others as an aid, artist, translator, educator, organizer, and human.

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting!, Robert Broadway

IdeaFest 2026

Kung Fu has an unrivaled ability to motivate children to exercise. I believe that providing a martial arts manual offers the most effective path to achieving accessibility and inclusion in Physical education. The manual will help the martial arts program by offering step-by-step instructions that can be adapted to meet individual needs. The manual's cover will be designed to look like a traditional martial arts manual while the inside resembles a colorful children’s book.

Lightning-Driven Wildfire Risk And Forest Loss In Six Rivers National Forest, Jonathan David Juarez, Dr. Rachel Torres

IdeaFest 2026

Forest ecosystems support biodiversity, stabilize soils, and regulate water but face increasing threats from wildfire and drought under climate change. Six Rivers National Forest in Humboldt County, California, is vulnerable due to dense biomass, dry summers, and dominant species like coastal redwood, Douglas fir, and tanoak. This study combines CAL FIRE wildfire records (1950-2025) with remote sensing (2014-2024) to assess wildfire-forest loss relationships. Hansen Global Forest Change and MODIS data, along with NDVI and PDSI, show strong overlap between wildfire and forest loss, with rising lightning-caused ignitions after 2000, suggesting climate-driven fire dynamics.

Black Humboldt, Bailey Linares

IdeaFest 2026

This project explores my work as a College Corps fellow with Black Humboldt, a nonprofit supporting Black residents in Humboldt County. Through community events, outreach, and relationship-building, I contributed to creating safe, inclusive spaces in an underrepresented region. This work addresses issues of visibility, isolation, and access to culturally relevant resources. By translating concepts of equity and representation into practice, the project highlights how grassroots efforts can strengthen community connection, belonging, and support.

Clarke Historical Museum: The Oscar Larson Project, Bo Bacon

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Outreach For The Western Snowy Plover, Nicoli Burdeinii, Midalia Garcia, Neshwa Rabie, Lily Field

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Medicina Maguey: Agave Futurisms, Rafael Gomez

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Color Preference And Aversion Of Local Bird Species, Joey Sterkenburg

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Hiking Trail Proximity On Salamander Abundance, Nick Item

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

What Lives In The Litter?, Joel Castro

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Environmental Stressors On Pinniped Tags: Progress Toward Standardized Testing Protocol, Brodie Lyons, Deeksha Garige, Nathan Vasquez, Sean Shermer, Dr. Frank E. Cappuccio, Dr. Lonny Grafman, Dr. Dawn Goley

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Justice, Jennifer Whiteside

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Designing Stories, Building Community: My Work With Black Humboldt, Nauselle Gleglaud

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Arcata Elementary School, Kaya Murillo

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Growth At Alder Grove, Annalee Mattingly

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Wadulh Dunes Unit: Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge, Chloe Dekker, Julie Van Vemden, Destry Hudak, Kai Glidden

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

A Big Loss To Mentoring, Miguel Saavedra

IdeaFest 2026

No abstract provided.

Bio 252/254: Genetics Fall 2026, Brian White

OER Textbooks

Bio 252/254 Genetics Fall 2026

This work was created by UMass Boston Professor Brian White using the support and funding from the OER Faculty Incentive Grant Program. This book is also available on LibreTexts, and can be viewed at this link: https://bio.libretexts.org/Courses/University_of_Massachusetts_Boston/Bio_252_254%3A_Genetics

Table of Contents:

• Front Matter (opens in new tab)
• 1: SPOC I - DNA and Chromosome Structure (opens in new tab)
• 2: SPOC II- Genomes (opens in new tab)
• 3: SPOC III - Mitosis and Meiosis (opens in new tab)
• 4: SPOC IV - DNA Replication (opens in new tab)
• 5: SPOC V - Transcription and mRNA Processing …

Key Library Resources: Library Resources To Get You Started, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

No abstract provided.

Source & Solidarity, Sari Mazzurco

Michigan Law Review

Trademark law has become the new frontier of unionbusting. Companies like Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, and Medieval Times have brought unprecedented suits against their employee unions for trademark infringement in relation to their organizing activities. This sort of litigation puts courts in the difficult position of reconciling trademark protection with unionization rights. Their attempts to apply standard trademark doctrines in this context reveal a deeper problem: Current trademark law is incoherent when applied to labor unions.

This incoherence stems from a disconnect between current trademark law and the original purpose behind its application to labor unions. This Article recovers that basis …

Growing South Dakota (Fall 2026), College Of Agriculture, Food And, Environmental Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Support from donors helping set SDSU dairy graduates above the rest
[Page] 4 A decade of impact: Celebrating 10 years of cow-calf, swine education and research facilitates
[Page] 8 98-year-old donor keeps decades-long scholarship going in honor of late husband
[Page] 11 Looking back at Michele Dudash's tenure in academia
[Page] 12Giving students opportunities, experience to build their futures
[Page] 16 A Jackrabbit's journey in growing agricultural leadership
[Page] 18 Building South Dakota's next generation of rural veterinarians
[Page] 19 Conservation: A family affair
[Page] 20 South Dakota Water Resources Institute finds solutions to South Dakota's water challenges …

Burden Of Disease In Us Patients With Skeletal Versus Muscular Or Pain Manifestations Of Hypophosphatasia: An Analysis From The Global Hpp Registry., Priya S. Kishnani, Steven Ing, Julie Hoover-Fong, J Carl Pallais, Angie Voskopoja, Shona Fang, William R Mowrey, Eric Rush, Kathryn Dahir

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a metabolic disorder characterized by deficient alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, defective mineralization of bones and teeth, and non-skeletal manifestations. We compared disease burden between patients with skeletal and non-skeletal manifestations.

METHODS: Data from US adults enrolled in the Global HPP Registry through July 2024 were analyzed to compare baseline characteristics, genetic testing results, functional outcomes, and patient-reported outcomes between participants with and without overt skeletal manifestations. Patients who had only dental manifestations were excluded.

RESULTS: Of 283 participants, 234 (82.7%) had skeletal manifestations (79.1% female; 89.3% White; median age 48.7 years) and 49 (17.3%) had only …

The Epidemiology Of Kidney And Urinary Tract Infections In Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease: Prevalence, Risk Factors And Association With Gfr Decline In The Chronic Kidney Disease In Children Study., Derek K. Ng, Andrea R. Molino, Siyao Zhang, Emily J. Stonebrook, Craig S. Wong, Pratyush Gyawali, Kimberly J. Reidy, Susan L. Furth, Bradley A. Warady, Jeffrey J. Fadrowski, Ckid Study Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract and kidney infections are potential complications in pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially among patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). We characterized the prevalence of self-reported infections from childhood through young adulthood; evaluated risk factors; and quantified the association with CKD progression.

METHODS: Infections in the past year were self-reported at annual Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study visits. Age-specific infection prevalences were stratified by sex and CKD diagnoses (glomerular, non-glomerular non-CAKUT, CAKUT low-risk for infections, and three CAKUT high-risk categories: reflux nephropathy, obstructive uropathy, and other high-risk). Repeated measures logistic …

Streamlining Diagnosis Of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome: New Diagnostic Algorithm With Updated Criteria., Jeremy J. Pomeroy, Jesse Richards, Brooke Sweeney, Seema Kumar, Katie E. Queen, Joshua Zaritsky, Carl H. Cramer, Elias I. Traboulsi, Brittni A. Scruggs, Erica E. Davis, Ekaterina Keifer, Emma Mcgibbon, Timothy Ogden, Bendert De Graaf, Tonia Hymers, Elizabeth Forsythe, Philip Beales

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Considerable advances have been made in our understanding of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), particularly in its core clinical features and molecular genetics, warranting an update to the existing diagnostic criteria framework. Using a rigorous, evidence-based, and consensus-driven process, a multidisciplinary group of international experts and patient-led organizations developed an updated diagnostic algorithm. This algorithm provides practical, updated guidance for clinicians, including a pathway for accurately incorporating genetic findings into the diagnostic process. We recommend that a clinical diagnosis requires either 4 major criteria or 3 major and 2 minor criteria. Revised major criteria are retinal dystrophy, obesity (or overweight in individuals <  2 years old), congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract or chronic kidney disease, hypogonadism/genital anomalies, neurodevelopmental/neurocognitive manifestations, and postaxial polydactyly. The diagnosis can also be established with a positive genetic testing result in patients exhibiting ≥ 1 major criterion, provided that genetic findings should be interpreted in the context of the patient's clinical presentation, age, family history, and overlap with related ciliopathies. These consensus criteria offer a simple algorithm incorporating updated definitions for major and minor criteria and genetic testing to support a timely and accurate diagnosis of patients with BBS, inform genetic counseling, and potentially facilitate earlier access to treatment. Trial Registration: CRIBBS Registry; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02329210.

Faculty Authors & Achievers Bibliography 2026, Luke Vilelle

WRL: Faculty Authors & Achievers Bibliographies

The office of Academic Affairs and the Wyndham Robertson Library congratulate all Hollins faculty who published or presented creative or scholarly works from Fall 2024 - Fall 2026. These pages comprise a list of that work.