Digital Commons Network^™

Physiological Conditions Of Barn Owl (Tyto Furcata) Nestlings As Indicators Of Habitat Quality Within The Wine-Growing Region Of Napa Valley, Christian Cortez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The global environmental impacts of increasing agricultural demand a transition to sustainable farming practices, including the use of integrated pest management to decrease reliance on harmful pesticides. Vineyard managers in Napa Valley, California, have implemented this strategy by establishing nest boxes that attract barn owls (Tyto furcata) which, in turn, provide an ecosystem service by removing rodent pests. Studies in this system have found uncultivated landcover to be positively associated with distributional and demographic measures of habitat quality for barn owls, but individual measures have not been thoroughly explored. I examined three physiological conditions of barn owl nestlings …

Place-Based Learning Practices: A Diptych Case Study Of Human And More-Than-Human Relationality At The Tribal And Western Academic Institutional Interface, Karley M. Rojas-Vienneau

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The ‘Place-Based Learning Practices Project’ is a graduate project under the Native American Studies Department Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute (FSL). Making contributions at the intersection of Western academia and Indigenous science, it imagines and realizes content, policies, and protocols surrounding two case studies and the larger cal poly humboldt (cph) institution which respect, honor, and uplift Indigenous sovereignty and resurgence in partnership with the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe and the greater regional tribal community. Encompassing two projects internal and external to the institution, I aim to address the construction of controlled and protective environments …

Investigating The Role Of Motivation In Open-Label Placebo Responses, Joshua Worthington

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Placebo effects occur when an individual receives an inactive treatment that should be unable to provide therapeutic benefits but still demonstrates meaningful improvements in health. Open-label placebos extend this phenomenon by providing full disclosure to individuals that they are receiving a placebo, as opposed to traditional placebo treatments that utilize deception. The role of expectancy as a mechanism of change in placebo has received some mixed results in open-label placebo studies. To the author’s knowledge, motivation for change has not been examined in open-label placebo. The current study examined the role of motivation as a mechanism of placebo responses. To …

Benthic Community Structure Changes In Northern California Following A Marine Heatwave, Franklin D. Moitoza

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In 2014, an unprecedented ecosystem shift impacted the rocky reef communities of northern coastal California following a rapid succession of severe disturbance events. Rocky reef communities shifted from kelp forests to large scale urchin barrens due to the demise of the sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides), an unprecedented marine heatwave event (MHW) and increased purple sea urchin densities. This “perfect storm” caused a decrease in benthic species richness and led to a change in community structure due to intense sea urchin grazing. Here I examine the richness of the benthic community across four survey sites over an 8-year time …

Jaguar (Panthera Onca) Population Status And Conservation Needs In Panama Revealed Using Spatial Density And Occupancy Models., Rebeca E. Becdach

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Jaguars (Panthera onca) are key predators and the largest felid in the Americas. The species is listed as near threatened globally due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and human persecution. Their population decline can negatively affect the structure and functioning of the ecosystems they inhabit. Conservation efforts for jaguars and their habitat require understanding jaguar populations and how they are impacted by human presence across their range. This information is lacking in Panama, a critical portion of the Jaguar range. Panama forms a narrow land bridge connecting Central and South America, integral to wildlife movement, including jaguars, across both …

Empowering Former Hispanic Student-Athletes To Become Leaders In College Athletics: An Identity-Specific And Assets-Based Leadership Training Program For Career Advancement, Raquel Orozco

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This work examines the complexities of navigating dual identities as emerging Hispanic women leaders in the spectrum of college athletes, and how Hispanic women can face personal and societal challenges when it comes to transitioning from college and then into the professional world.

By examining multiple assets that are rooted in Hispanic women’s culture, this project presents a leadership workshop by utilizing the ADDIE instructional design model. Each module of the workshop is clearly described, offering community building activities, self-reflections, and the opportunity to complete a leadership profile portfolio.

Grade-Band Instructional Framework Using Art Integration As A Social Emotional Learning Tool To Increase Accessibility And Equity For All Learners, Greta Dodson Turney

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Based on my experiences in education, I endeavored to develop a sustainable grade-band instructional curriculum integrating art as a low-floor, high-ceiling, social-emotional learning tool to increase accessibility and equity for all learners while addressing the need for social interaction to abate the increase in violence, mental health issues, and the feelings many students have that they are unworthy of success. To achieve this framework and promote sustainability, I mapped the curriculum currently available at a rural California school district, identified techniques for teaching three or more grades in one classroom, and I designed a program to cover all standards through …

First-Year College Transition: The Role Of Psychosocial Resources In Student Motivation, Hayley Weatherill

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

First-year students transitioning to college culture have various areas of concern during this developmental period. Adolescents and young adults focus on creating and maintaining social connections while navigating a new environment and keeping up with their academics. With rising tuition costs, economic uncertainty, and pressing social challenges, many students enter college under significant stress. Navigating these challenges successfully requires motivation and support to persist through the first year and beyond. This project explored how college institutions support first-year students’ transition to higher education by helping students fulfill the three basic psychological needs of self-determination theory: autonomy, competency, and relatedness. When …

Our Stories Of Coming Home: Project Rebound Student Experiences At Cal Poly Humboldt And College Of The Redwoods, Eddie Peña

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The explosion of the prison population over the last 50 years has dramatically increased the number of people in the reentry process. Understanding the reentry process, and how students connected to Project Rebound experience reentry is crucial to developing prescriptive services that will support student success. The study used semi-structured interviews and open-ended questions. The questions focused on the time before release, immediately after release, and future goals. Interviews were coded line-by-line and themes were discovered using a modified Grounded Research approach. Results suggest being incarcerated and the reentry process comes with mixed emotions. Students felt anxious and afraid in …

Can Dyslexia Diagnosis Induce A Stereotype Threat Effect? A Literature Review And Research Proposal, David H. Harris

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Dyslexia is a recognized psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-5, categorized as a specific language disorder. Dyslexia is a hidden disability that affects how individuals process auditory and visual information. Many people have heard of dyslexia but it is largely misunderstood, even by educational professionals, and its general association with learning disability can be the basis for negative stereotyping and discrimination of people with dyslexia. The ‘Stereotype threat effect’ is a term from social psychology research referring to situations where one’s performance on a task is influenced by their identification with a social group that has a well-known stereotype about their …

Testosterone Reactivity And Parental Care Motivation In Men As A Function Of Parental Status, Nathan Boone

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Paternal investment and caregiving quality have lasting impacts on children's well-being. Children with sensitive, involved fathers typically develop more secure attachments and have fewer behavioral and psychological problems than children with less sensitive and involved fathers. While the importance of fathers’ engagement with their children is well established, the biological mechanisms that underpin paternal behavior are not fully understood. Previous research has found that baseline testosterone levels and testosterone reactivity to infant stimuli are both relevant predictors of paternal sensitivity. Short-term decreases in testosterone in nurturant contexts, and short-term increases in testosterone in challenging contexts have both been linked to …

Goal Setting In Sleep And Nutrition To Improve Perceived Performance In Active College Students, Cameron F. Timmons

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study looked at goal setting in sleep and nutrition on healthy active college students aimed to improve their perceived performance, resting metabolic rate, body composition, and overall well-being. The six-week-long intervention had two groups: a control (n=5) and intervention group (n=6). Both groups received an initial coaching session and guidance for self-motivated online goal setting, completed weekly check-ins asking about their sleep and nutrition quality and quantity, and perceived performance, then they would set small goals aimed at improving their sleep and nutrition. The control group set their own goals every week with their online weekly check-ins, and the …

Community Assembly Across Environmental Gradients: Contrasting Patterns Of Funtional Convergence And Divergence In California Coastal Grasslands, Ernesto Chavez- Velasco

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Elucidating how plant community assembly processes interact across spatial scales to shape ecosystem function remains a central challenge in ecology. These processes are often hierarchical, with broad scale environmental filters constraining the composition of local communities. I investigated these hierarchical processes across three California coastal grassland sites spanning a ~1000 km gradient. At these sites, I measured community composition, standing biomass, four functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, and leaf lobedness), and estimated species’ environmental niches. To identify assembly mechanisms, I used null models to assess functional convergence or divergence and scaled these patterns with …

Lineation To Liberation: The Transformative Power Of Poetic Rhetoric, Amber Rae Alvarez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project explores the transformative power of poetic rhetoric and examines how poetry as a form of expressive art serves as a means of reclamation in the aftermath of encounters with the American criminal justice system. I contend that poetry provides a space where folks can reimagine (and reclaim) their identities, asserting their agency in empowering and authentic ways. Taking a Cultural Studies and Critical Prison Studies informed approach, this project engages the concept of lineation to liberation to conduct a close reading analysis of artist (Reginald) Dwayne Betts’ poetry. Betts’ work not only provides a powerful example of how …

Evaluating The Effects Of Memory Aids On Conversational Behaviors In Older Adults With Cognitive Decline And Their Caregivers, Sarah B. Romero Pavon

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

As the baby boomer generation (individuals born between 1946 and 1964) continues to age into late adulthood, the need for resources and care related to aging is in high demand. Age-related neurocognitive decline (NCD) is broadly characterized by a gradual decrease in one’s ability to think, remember, and reason. Loss of speech and coherent conversation is a common challenge for older adults with neurocognitive decline, often marked by an increase in nonspecific pronoun use, frequent and sudden shifts in topic, and repetition, which can lead to a decrease in activity engagement, less social interaction with peers, and social isolation. Memory …

Patterns Of Kinship And Sociality In North American River Otters, Whitney E. Vickers

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Previous studies of river otters (Lontra canadensis) in coastal Humboldt County, California have documented varying social group compositions over the last four decades. It has been assumed that otters travel between coastal wetland sites, but the extent of movement has been unknown. Socially, river otters have been observed alone, in small family groups that consisted of an otter mom and pup(s), in larger helper groups that consisted of an otter mom, pup(s), and at least one additional adult or juvenile (helpers), and in all-adult social groups. Until now it was unknown whether the composition of social groups was …

“We Weren't Just Reading About Adventures; We Were Living Them”: Immersion, Transgressive Play, And Dungeons & Dragons, Nicolas Poulter

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Dungeons & Dragons is a game that has existed since 1974 with a singular focus: to tell epic stories with your friends. Currently on its 5th edition of the game, the ability to tell stories has been highlighted like never before. With an emphasis on storytelling and collaboration, there are bound to be moments that are difficult. These are called transgressive play experiences. This project will endeavor to explain how D&D, by design, is the perfect game to engage in transgressive play experiences. Because of this, I believe future projects studying benevolent transgressive play should consider D&D as the medium …

Investigating Fish Communities As Part Of The Food Web In Artificial Tidal Wetland Ponds Of Humboldt Bay, Ca, Lily M. Olmo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In the face of global wetland loss, artificially created wetlands have the potential to restore ecosystem services for humans while also providing habitat for fish and wildlife. This study explored fish communities in three understudied artificial wetland ponds that are connected to Humboldt Bay in northern California and known to be important wildlife foraging areas. The objectives of this research were to 1) Characterize the environmental conditions of each pond, 2) Calculate the relative catch, richness, diversity, and biomass of fish in each pond, 3) Describe the movement of fish into and out of the ponds with the tides, and …

Anabolic Properties Of The Progestin Altrenogest And Its Regulation As An Environmental Substance In Horse Racing – Review And Analysis, Andreas F. Lehner, Levent Dirikolu, Sarah Jacob, Kimberly Brewer, Abelardo Morales Briceñoe, Robert Holland, George Maylin, Clara Fenger, Thomas Tobin

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Altrenogest is a progestogen substance used in equine medicine for the synchronization of ovulation during the spring breeding season and the control of estrus in mares. It accomplishes its actions by down-regulation of endometrial progesterone receptors and repression of estrogen receptor transcriptional activation. However, various groups have also measured androgen receptor binding activity for altrenogest in vitro; these findings combined with androgenic and anabolic properties roughly 1/20 in potency of testosterone and its structural similarity to the anabolic steroid trenbolone have created concerns among racing authorities of altrenogest’s potential abilities to alter the outcome of equine athletic performance, even though …

'Decide One More Time': Prostitution And Sexual Intelligence In The Early Writings Of Andrea Dworkin, Janine Benedet

All Faculty Publications

Andrea Dworkin’s first book, Woman Hating, was published in 1974, and written while Dworkin was in her 20s. It is experimental, literary, and ultimately hopeful. Right Wing Women, which had its start as a Ms. Magazine article in 1977, was expanded into a book in 1983. The most difficult of Dworkin’s works to find today, it was also her least favourite, owing to the academic conventions demanded by the publisher. It is dense, political and unflinching in its criticism. Despite their differences, these two books demonstrate the evolution of Dworkin’s thinking as she grapples with a central feminist …

Sauce For The Gander: The False Symmetry Of Myths And Stereotypes Against The Accused In Sexual Assault Trials, Janine Benedet

All Faculty Publications

As sexual assault laws evolved to be expressed in sex-neutral language, so too have arguments relating to myths and stereotypes in the context of sexual offences. This article evaluates the argument that myths and stereotypes, traditionally a reflection of systemic discrimination against female complainants in rape trials, also operate against male accused. Understood correctly, this trend repackages anti-feminist backlash to early equality reform efforts, ultimately working to revive the belief that women’s accusations of sexual assault are often false. The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in R v Kruk affirms that this historical context matters when it comes to claims …

The Damage Done: How The Disease Model Of Addiction Harms Marginalized People In Canada, Sara Gordon

All Faculty Publications

Over 50,000 Canadians have died of unregulated drug poisoning since 2016. And while the toxic drug crisis is the leading cause of death in British Columbia for people between the ages of 10 and 59, some British Columbians are at a higher risk than others. In 2023, First Nations people—who comprise 3.4% of BC’s population—accounted for 17.8% of its toxic drug deaths. Other marginalized communities are also at heightened risk: racialized people, young people, and people living in poverty or without shelter are all disproportionately impacted. These disparities reflect more than a public health crisis—they largely exist due to legal …

Csbs Statements, V26, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Social And Behavioral Sciences.

CSBS Statements

Contents:

From the Dean --- 3
Shaping Tomorrow --- 4
Helping Students Cross the Finish Line --- 10
Beyond the Uniform --- 12
Finding the Right Fit --- 14
From Patient to Colleague --- 16
Diplomacy in Action --- 18
College News --- 20
Panther Spotlights --- 24
Annual Giving --- 26
Class Notes --- 39

Effects Of Experimental Structural Retention Position And Aggregation On Avian Communities In Managed Forests Of The Pacific Northwest, U.S., Aidan M. Healey

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Managed forest lands in Oregon and Washington produce wood products and host diverse bird communities, though standing dead snags are often limited. State forest practices rules governing forest harvest dictate retention of a minimum number of trees when forests are clearcut harvested. However, little research has explored how the slope position and aggregation of retention, and the supplemental inclusion of mechanically created snags, affects use of these forest units by wildlife, especially highly mobile taxa such as birds. I used an avian point count sampling approach, within a replicate-block experiment dictating unit-level slope position, aggregation, and snag retention treatments, to …

Variation In The Timing And Duration Of Rough-Skinned Newt (Taricha Granulosa) Larval Period In The Center Of Their Geographic Range (Humboldt County, California), Emmery R. Parker

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) occur along the Pacific coast of the U.S. from central California to southwestern Alaska at elevations from zero to 2,800 m. Across that range, the timing and duration of various life history events (i.e., hatching, metamorphosis, breeding, and oviposition) are largely unknown, although general trends have been observed in a few locales. Larval life stages are particularly important for determining amphibian population persistence, but there have been no formal studies describing the larval period of rough-skinned newts. Using minnow-trap and dip net surveys at nine lentic sites in northern Humboldt County, California (elevations 400 …

Bat Species Diversity In The Klamath Basin Prior To Dam Removals, Ryan Page Matilton

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

River ecosystems make up a small percentage of the earth’s surface, but they support high levels of biodiversity and attract high levels of human use. Dams, for example, disrupt a river’s natural course and flow, alter water temperatures in the stream, redirect river channels, transform floodplains, and fragment river continuity, which affects ecological balance and food webs. The Klamath River in northern California, which has been dammed for the last century, experienced dramatic disruptions including a large fish die-off in 2002. With the negative impacts of the Klamath dams apparent, multiple entities negotiated to remove the dams and restore the …

Comparative Olfactory Anatomy Of Wild And Hatchery-Raised Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Nicole Rahman-Garnier

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are an ecologically and culturally important salmonid species that exhibits diverse life history strategies, including anadromous and resident freshwater life cycles. Though many studies have examined their olfactory morphology, none have directly compared possible olfactory microstructural differences between wild and hatchery-raised populations. Histology and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to compare the gross anatomy and ultrastructure of olfactory rosettes in three O. mykiss populations: wild residents from Jacoby Creek (JC), a resident lineage of hatchery fish from Mad River Hatchery (MRH), and an anadromous lineage from the Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH) Hatchery. The …

Associational Seaweed Defense Reduces Sea Urchin Grazing On Bull Kelp: Potential Use In Restoration, Brayden Tate Wiley

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Kelp forests are declining globally under warming seas, altered predator–prey dynamics, and intensified herbivory, with sea urchins often driving shifts from canopy-dominated forests to persistent urchin barrens. Management commonly relies on labor-intensive urchin removals, with variable success, underscoring the need for complementary, ecosystem-based tools that directly reduce urchin grazing pressure. Focusing on far northern California kelp forests, we combined subtidal surveys, field experiments, and laboratory feeding assays to assess whether the understory alga Desmarestia cf. herbacea can provide associational defense for bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) by physically deterring purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) grazing and offering low …

Modeling Forest Stewardship In Goukdi’N: An Assessment Of Carbon, Wildlife Habitat, And Fire Resilience In A University Forest, Benjamin Stock

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis presents a forest management plan for Goukdi’n (also known as the Jacoby Creek Forest University Tract), a coast redwood–tanoak–Douglas-fir forest within the ancestral homelands of the Wiyot Tribe. This project addresses the need for a forest stewardship approach that supports ecological resilience, cultural values, and long-term forest health in a landscape shaped by industrial logging, fire exclusion, and decades of under-management. To evaluate potential management pathways, forest growth modeling was conducted using the USFS Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) to compare three management prescriptions focused on carbon storage, fire resilience, and structural heterogeneity and a no-action alternative. Model outputs …

Use Of Public Information For Prospecting And Nest Site Selection By Western Bluebirds (Sialia Mexicana), Fatime Wadad Jomaa

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Public information that provides an estimate of reproductive success, in addition to information gained through direct environmental sampling, may provide an efficient way for individuals to assess future breeding site quality. I investigated the hypothesis that prospecting Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) use post-breeding public information to select nest sites the following year across winegrape vineyards in Napa Valley. In late summer of 2023, I installed 200 nest boxes across 10 vineyards without prior box history. To simulate conspecific presence and successful breeding, boxes within 5 experimental vineyards were designated either full-treatment (boxes directly broadcasting adult song and nestling …