Digital Commons Network^™

North Coast Growers Association: An Organization For The Community, Ava Colony

IdeaFest 2026

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.

Food As Good Medicine, Azariah Mohr

IdeaFest 2026

As a college corps fellow, I worked with Potawot Health Village to address food insecurity. I planted and harvested produce and medicinal herbs that were dispersed to tribal members throughout Humboldt county. This careful work promotes holistic health initiatives rooted in eating organically and tending to the land. Through this experience I learned how to harness community with food and traditional knowledge at the forefront.

Sdoh Screening To Advance Breast Cancer Equity, Elizabeth Root

IdeaFest 2026

This quality improvement initiative aims to increase the number of breast cancer patients who receive treatment within 90 days of diagnosis by implementing standardized social determinants of health (SDOH) screening during intake at a cancer navigation community-based setting. Patient navigators will identify health-related social needs and coordinate referrals to community resources to mitigate barriers to care. Process measures include screening and referral rates, and outcome measures include time to treatment initiation and patient satisfaction with the screening and referral process. This intervention seeks to reduce disparities in breast cancer outcomes and improve health equity.

Are You Safe From Tsunami, In A Worst Case Scenario, Magnitude 9 Subduction Zone Earthquake In Humboldt County?, Melanie Michalak

IdeaFest 2026

Humboldt County is located above a major plate boundary called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Every several hundred years, the plate interface ruptures, causing a magnitude 8-9 earthquake, and disrupts the seafloor and water column, resulting in tsunami waves that will surge onshore in low-lying coastal areas. This interactive poster visually explains how tsunamis form, tests participants' understanding about tsunamis, and presents up-to-date tsunami hazard maps in Humboldt County. We seek to debunk common myths and misconceptions, and educate and empower our community to prepare for a local tsunami event.

Professional Development On A Personal Level With Trinidad Coastal Land Trust, Ronica Reyes

IdeaFest 2026

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.

Methods For Degradation Of Pla-Quinoa Composites, Rafael Bernard

IdeaFest 2026

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 …

From Textbook To Treatment: Designing And Building A Bench-Scale Drinking Water Treatment System, Neeshelle Jaimes

IdeaFest 2026

In Humboldt County, California, the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District (HBMWD) draws source water from the Mad River aquifer via Ranney Collectors, where natural filtration produces high-quality water that is disinfected prior to distribution to the cities of Arcata, McKinleyville, Eureka, Blue Lake and Manila. As a result, there is no conventional surface water treatment plant in the area for environmental engineering and water science students at Cal Poly Humboldt to visit and learn from. To address this lack of visibility, we developed a bench-scale demonstration water treatment plant for Dr. Yacob Tesfayohanes’ drinking water treatment course.This project scales down …

Your Brain As A Long Distance Runner, Sebastian Vaisset-Fauvel

IdeaFest 2026

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 …

“An Extremely Dangerous Institution:” The Cultures And Controversy Of Public Social Dances In Montana, 1900-1930, Danielle Allison Brown

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This paper explores public social dances east of the Continental Divide in Montana from 1900 to 1930. Rural social dances in schoolhouses and urban dances in dance halls created two different dance cultures. The relaxed nature of rural dances preserved the traditional values of nineteenth-century social dances, which reinforced community and family ties. Urban dances reflected the modern fads of the roaring twenties and challenged traditional values with sexual suggestiveness. Progressive Era moral reformers concerned about the possibility that social dance promoted illicit sexuality participated in an anti-dance movement and pushed for regulations of social dances. The anti-dance movement in …

What Is Contributing To Injuries In Adolescent Athletes, And What Are The Physical And Psychological Consequences?, Luis Sandoval

IdeaFest 2026

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.

Nutrient Timing For Sprint Performance, Zachary Blood

IdeaFest 2026

Research on current findings related to nutrient timing strategies, and their possible affects on sprint performance and recovery.

Unmuted: An Augmentative And Alternative Communication User’S Experience In Accessing And Engaging In Mental Health Care, Kanbi Faith Knippling

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Communication accessibility is a critical yet underexamined factor influencing access to and engagement in mental health care for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Existing literature suggests that AAC users experience significant barriers to obtaining communication-accessible mental health services, including limited provider preparation, communication-related assumptions, and broader structural inequities. Despite growing recognition of these concerns, little research has explored how AAC users experience and navigate mental health counseling or how communication accessibility shapes participation in care.

This single-case study explored communication accessibility within the context of an adult AAC users' experiences accessing and engaging in mental health counseling. …

Bridging The Gap: Improving Access To Specialty Care For Adults With Type 2 Diabetes In Rural Communities, Sydney Castil

IdeaFest 2026

Rural communities face disparities in managing Type 2 diabetes due to limited access to specialized care, leading to poor glycemic control and higher complication rates. In rural Northern California, provider shortages hinder timely, evidence-based treatment. This project proposes integrating a diabetes nurse specialist in a local hospital to deliver education, support medication management, coordinate care, and monitor outcomes. The goal is to improve HbA1c levels, reduce complications and readmissions, and enhance self-management, addressing gaps in care and reducing health disparities.

Uncovering Behavioral Constructs Underlying Social And Environmental Activism: An Exploratory Factor Analysis, Harmony Switzer-Tryon

IdeaFest 2026

Do values pledged at graduation endure over time? This study examines long-term social justice and environmental behaviors among Humboldt alumni (N = 1,240) who took the Humboldt Graduation Pledge. Using exploratory factor analysis, we identify key dimensions of sustained engagement across personal, civic, and professional domains. Results highlight workplace-based activism as a central avenue through which alumni enact these commitments, suggesting that institutional pledges may shape not just intentions, but long-term behavior in everyday and professional life.

Prevention Of Escherichia Coli Biofilm Formation Using Slpa Protein Extracted From Lactobacillus Helveticus, Scarlet Renner

IdeaFest 2026

Dental health in pets is often neglected, leading to gingivitis and periodontitis. Probiotics are thought to inhibit oral pathogenic bacteria through surface layer proteins, preventing biofilm formation and occupying binding sites. We explored Lactobacillus helveticus and its protein SLpA in preventing biofilm formation in mCherry expressing Escherichia coli. SLpA was extracted using lithium chloride and centrifugation. E. coli was mixed with L. helvetius and SLpA. Fluorescence values were collected with a sodium alginate and calcium chloride gel in each well to allow bacterial adherence and compared to a blank. Results show L. helveticus and SLpA inhibit biofilm formation of E. …

Complete Arcs From Plane Curves, Desmond West-Hedlund

IdeaFest 2026

We discuss the conditions under which the Fq-rational points of a smooth degree-d projective plane curves are maximal under inclusion with respect to the property that no d+1 are collinear in the plane.

Why Global Context Matters When Creating And Consuming Media, Sawyer Chrisman

IdeaFest 2026

My project examines the Humboldt International Film Festival (HIFF) archive, compiling data on two specific categories (narrative and experimental), the countries that submit to these categories for the festival, and the years. The archive of films dates back to 2015. Then I am writing a paper looking at three countries that have submitted and see the global context of why they submitted and what message is being presented in the film.

Shoe-Surface Interaction And Lower Extremity Injury Risk In Sports: Balancing Performance And Safety, Jack Rice

IdeaFest 2026

Looking at the difference in shoe and cleat design on shoe-surface interactions and the role that plays on athlete performance and injury risk.

Hydrotherapy As An Emerging Treatment For Children With Cerebral Palsy, Monserrat Rodriguez

IdeaFest 2026

This project explores cerebral palsy (CP) with a focus on classification, severity, and the role of pain in limiting movement and participation in children. It reviews common land-based interventions used in rehabilitation, highlighting their benefits in improving motor function and independence, as well as their limitations such as fatigue and reduced engagement. The project then introduces hydrotherapy as an emerging intervention, examining its benefits in improving movement, balance, and participation. Current research suggests hydrotherapy can enhance rehabilitation outcomes, especially when used alongside traditional therapies.

Growing Agroecology: Two Case Studies From The U.S. Student Farm Movement, Amelia B. Armstrong

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Scholars and activists identify agroecology as a crucial science, practice, and movement to move towards more just, equitable, and sustainable agriculture and food systems. Yet, the exploitative industrial food system, that deepens inequalities like food insecurity (Clapp et al., 2025), reduces farmer autonomy (Rotz, 2015), and contributes to increased carbon emissions (Lin et al., 2011) and biodiversity decline (Rotz, 2015), still dominates. Understanding and mobilizing the different spaces that teach agroecology, then, is a crucial step in challenging the dominant industrial food system. Agroecology education in university settings is an important domain to investigate as potential contributors to this movement, …

Does Organic Matter For Swainson Hawk Nest Success?, Alyssa Hage

IdeaFest 2026

My research project is exploring the question if being near an organic alfalfa field is beneficial for Swainson hawk nest success rate and number of fledglings produced per nest per year over the past 5 years. My project is taking advantage of historical nesting data in the Butte Valley, CA area to explore this question.

Eureka Silvercrest, Avyonne Currington

IdeaFest 2026

During my College Corps fellowship at Silvercrest HUD housing, I supported low-income seniors and disabled residents as they navigated complex social systems in a rural setting. I provided case management by connecting individuals to vital resources, simplifying documentation, and advocating for accessible medical transit. This work is critical because it builds self-advocacy skills and mitigates the severe isolation associated with rural poverty. This experience bridged my academic theory with real-world practice, synthesizing my BSW education into applied clinical skills as I advance toward my MSW and ultimate LCSW licensure.

Blue Lake Rancheria Daluviwi’ Field Restoration Project, Bella Evenson

IdeaFest 2026

Blue Lake Rancheria’s community garden, Daluviwi’, is dedicated to promoting Indigenous food sovereignty by providing a variety of produce to tribal communities across Humboldt County. Over the past two years, tribal employees and College Corps fellows at Daluviwi’ have worked to remediate an acre of field space, increasing crop production and expanding our ability to feed the community. The project has been completed by hand to promote long-term, sustainable, regenerative agriculture.

Morphological Analysis Of Bands In E15 Region On Europa, Cade Napierala

IdeaFest 2026

This project is an analysis of Band Morphology on Europa, a moon of Jupiter.

A Lifetime Of Play, Aaron Muscarello

IdeaFest 2026

This is a research poster on play over the span of a human lifetime.

Building Trust Through Partnership: A Community Advisory Board Self-Evaluation Within A Blackfeet Nation Community-Based Participatory Research Collaboration, Lauren Dupuis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Community Advisory Boards (CABs) are frequently used within community-based participatory research (CBPR) to promote community engagement, shared decision-making, and cultural responsiveness. Although CABs are widely utilized in Indigenous research partnerships, relatively few studies have evaluated CAB function from the perspectives of Indigenous community members. Our study describes the development of a CAB established through a collaborative partnership between the University of Montana and the Blackfeet Nation and evaluates the quality and impact of the partnership from the perspectives of CAB members. We conducted a mixed-methods partnership self-evaluation with members of a CAB supporting an Indigenous healthcare research initiative. Three of …

Trauma-Informed Peer Support For Legal Record Review Pilot Project, Jasmine Rafferty

IdeaFest 2026

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.

Do The Prosocial Effects Of Watching Eyes Extend To Shopping Cart Return?, Caitlyn Spampinato

IdeaFest 2026

Watching eyes are powerful stimuli–they quickly capture attention and evoke physiological arousal. Humans are particularly adept at perceiving another’s gaze, and can even be affected by watching eyes that they are not consciously aware of. Recent research suggests that watching eye cues can promote a variety of low-cost prosocial behaviors, inside and outside lab settings. The presence of eye images may alter behavior by reducing feelings of anonymity and cueing reputation maintenance concerns. The current study investigated whether the presence of watching-eye images affected how frequently shoppers returned carts to designated return areas.

"More Boldly I Shall Go:" Jacobites, Hanoverians, And The Fabrication Of Nostalgia, 1745-1766, Jacob Louis Shropshire

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study investigates how Jacobites and Hanoverians constructed competing forms of nostalgia, identity, and political meaning in the decades after the rebellion of 1745. Although the defeat of Prince Charles Edward Stuart at Culloden ended any realistic hope of a Stuart restoration, it sparked a cultural struggle in which both supporters and opponents of the Stuarts depicted the Highlander as a symbol of heroic resistance or barbarism. A psychic struggle emerged as a result, and the Highlander became beloved by Jacobites and loathed by Hanoverians. These representations circulated through paintings, engravings, clothing, glassware, newspapers, pamphlets, and verse, which became central …

From Clumsy To Capable: Improving Awareness And Care For Developmental Coordination Disorder In Children, Mallory Akers

IdeaFest 2026

This project analyzing the effectiveness of current interventions and brings awareness to current lack of care for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. It compares current diagnosis measures like MABC,TGMD-2, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test with interventions to give background of where we are currently to streamline care for the future. Findings show that Neuromotor task training (NTT) and CO-OP interventions are most effective in improving quality of care. Results suggest for improving this problem we can educate health professionals more in the subject and improve diagnosis streamline, implement more school based additional therapies to increase access to care, and improve parents involvement in …