Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Representative Government: A Comparison Of John Locke, James Madison, And Brutus, Emily P. Nugent

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Political philosophy has always concerned itself with what is just, what makes a just ruler, and a just regime. John Locke, James Madison, and Brutus all concern themselves with this same question. John Locke, through consent of the governed, separation of powers, and an optimistic understanding of human nature, provides a political theory that understands what a just political regime should look like. His contributions to political philosophy as an English philosopher are credited with inspiring the American Founders to adopt a republican regime. Locke was able to accomplish groundbreaking political theory in The Second Treatise of Government, and inspired …

Cosmos In The Stacks Tsunami Tank 2026, Lonny Grafman, Ben Bracco, Sebastian Uselman, Diego Mendez, Jayden Velarde

Undergraduate Scholarship

Students from the Cal Poly Humboldt Engineering 205 class of 2026 designed and created a Tsunami Wave Tank Demonstration for the Cal Poly Humboldt Library’s Hall of Simulations. Designed with intentions to intrigue library patrons through interact ability and aesthetics so that they are more inclined to explore the Humboldt Library’s stacks.

Cosmos In The Stacks Arcata Marsh, Eli Brenckle, Laurel Calhoun, Abigail Mullen, Jonah Triantafyllou

Undergraduate Scholarship

Team J.A.L.E. – comprised of classmates Jonah Triantafyllou, Abigial Mullen, Laurel Calhoun, and Eli Brenckle – created an interactive display depicting the Arcata Marsh Wastewater Treatment system. Working with their client, the Cal Poly Humboldt Library, their goal was to not only bring awareness to the Arcata Marsh and what it brings to the ecosystem and community but also to bring engagement to the library bookshelf that the project is placed upon. This interactive display of the Arcata Marsh can be found on the 3rd floor of the Humboldt library and is on the endcap of the environmental engineering bookshelf.

Natural Convection Of Cuo-Water Nanofluid Flow Along A Vertical Plate With Variable Thermophysical Properties And Discrete Heat Sources, Nepal Roy, Ioan Pop, Rama Subba Reddy Gorla

Faculty Publications

Effects of discrete heat sources along a vertical plate are of practical importance due their occurrence in electronic devices. For growing demand of electronic appliances and their advancement, cooling processes of them must be improved. As usual fluids have limited heat transfer, nanofluids made by dispersing nanoparticles into them are utilized to enhance thermal performance. However, flow characteristics and heat transfer of a nanofluid for discrete heat sources along a vertical plate need to be explored. For this reason, this study analyzes the natural convective heat transfer and flow behaviors of CuO-water nanofluid induced by discrete heat sources along a …

Radiation Protection Factor Research: The Keystone For Conventional-Nuclear Integration (Cni), Andrew W. Decker

Faculty Publications

This article briefly describes Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) vehicle Radiation Protection Factor (RPF) research and explains its critical role in enabling future Operations in a Nuclear Environment (ONE) and Conventional-Nuclear Integration (CNI) on behalf of the US Department of War (DoW).1 As such, the background and practical utility of RPF values is discussed, as well as the justification for renewed Army and DoW investment into RPF research to enhance Joint military planning, survivability, and lethality on tomorrow’s nuclear battlefields. Advances in DTRA RPF research directly strengthen US strategic and extended deterrence efforts and support all Agencies and Departments responsible …

Cph Library Hall Of Simulation Wind Tunnel 2026, Tommaso Magnaghi, Peter Valerio, Jose Padilla, Joshua Turner

Undergraduate Scholarship

The Wind Tunnel is a project created to show lift and the application of winds at high speeds. Created by team meCanopy consisting of Tommaso Magnaghi, Jose Padilla, Joshua Turner and Peter Valerio in Spring of 2026 for Engineering 205: Intro to Design. The project was created for, and can be found at the second floor of the Cal Poly Humboldt Library in the hall of simulation as a way to increase the interactivity and engagment from learning.

Cosmos In The Stacks Solar Energy, Sean Denery, Henry Dernedde, Ailor Gray, Pablo Rodas

Undergraduate Scholarship

Our project is composed of a set of shelves with mini interactive exhibits on each shelf. We did most of the designing in building in the months of February - April 2026 and we hope our project inspires more people to learn and have an open mind to the wonders and sustainability solar energy provides.

Cosmos In The Stacks Turbofan, Lonny Grafman, Henry Egami, Sean Hartzell, Aaron Rodriguez, Tazewell Smith

Undergraduate Scholarship

A interactive museum like exhibit of a turbofan for the Cal Poly Humboldt library in Spring of 2026.

Casa Student Farm Primary Accessible Pathway, Dean Bruhl, Rezin Hutt, Maxwell Lomeli, Cruz Ramirez

Undergraduate Scholarship

The primary accessible pathway for the Cal Poly Humboldt CASA Student Farm was created in spring of 2026 by the Phantom Pain engineering 205 group. This group consisted of freshmen Dean Bruhl, Rezin Hutt, Maxwell Lomeli, and Cruz Ramirez. The project was started to create a pathway so that people with mobility issues can access the farm.

Cph Library Hall Of Simulation Led Wall, David Wildman, Steven Lypskiy, Jeremiah Ty

Undergraduate Scholarship

The LED Flexible Wall is a project created by Sam's Sons, a team from Cal Poly Humboldt's (CPH) ENGR 205 Introduction to Design class. This LED wall uses WLED, an addressable LED software that controls an LED array by changing its color, patterns, and uploading images. This project was worked on from February 2026 to May 2026. The LED wall was created for the CPH Library's Hall of Simulation in order to increase student collaboration with each other by creating an engaging environment for them to study in.

Casa Student Farm Seed Vault, Noah Mannion, Ruby May, Luhana Ebrahim, Christian Arenas, Qualla Jo Ketchum

Undergraduate Scholarship

Our seed vault is a project we built in our Design Engineering 205 class at Cal Poly Humboldt for the CASA farm. It is a simple acrylic box designed to store seeds so they can be kept safe and used later if needed. We created it to help protect seeds in case of emergencies and to support the farm’s future. It is meant for students and staff who work at the CASA farm and need a reliable way to store seeds.

Cosmos In The Stacks Guess Who, Poppy Edge, Alejandro Montalvo, Ellie Palmer

Undergraduate Scholarship

The Cal Poly Humboldt Library needed an interactive display that could teach visitors about local wildlife. To solve this issue, we created a matching game display using accurate 3D printed animal tracks and scat that when correctly matched a directional speaker plays the sound of the animal matched and a picture, species name, and call number is displayed on an LCD screen. Display was designed and created in Spring Semester, 2026.

Casa Student Farm Handwashing Station, Cian Ryan, Stella Pepper, Adison Gartenlaub

Undergraduate Scholarship

A greywater-recycling handwashing station designed for the Critical Agriculture Studies & Agroecology (CASA) Program off-campus farm. This project was created by team Three Amigos of Cal Poly Humboldt's Engineering 205: Intro to Design course in the Spring semester of 2026. The purpose of this project is to provide the CASA farm with a suitable sanitation facility that mitigates environmental impacts and promotes stewardship.

Cosmos In The Stacks Automotive Gas Engine, Tobias Mitchell, Adam Pierce, Demar Tobey, Steven Dunnicliff

Undergraduate Scholarship

This Internal Combustion Engine Model (ICED) shows the operating principle of a four-stoke engine. It was designed and built by the Adeptus Mechanicus team, consisting of four engineering students at Cal Poly Humboldt. This took place during Spring 2026 for an ENGR 205 Intro to Design class. The model is located on the third floor of the Cal Poly Humboldt Library in the automotive literature section. The purpose of the model is to make learning about engines easy and fun for all of the library visitors.

Cosmos In The Stacks Bees, Gabriel Morales, Arianna Ramos, Anita Schicchi, Liam Strusinski

Undergraduate Scholarship

The bee stacks display area project was done by 4 engineering students at Cal Poly Humboldt in the Spring semester of 2026. The Cal Poly Humboldt library required more visitors to interact and visit the third floor section of the library and more specifically the bee book section. The students goal was to create a space that would invite visitors of the library of all ages to interact with this section of the library. In order to do this the students were tasked with educating visitors about bees as well as creating a comfortable space to study and learn within. …

Transcending Shelves And Seashells With The Writing Of Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Dr. Inmaculada Lara-Bonilla

LAII Events

Dr. Lara-Bonilla explores how Gloria E. Anzaldúa understood writing as an embodied, transformative practice that dissolves boundaries between the physical, the intellectual, and the spiritual. Drawing on her archival and posthumous work, it reflects on how her experimental, genre-crossing approach challenges academic conventions and invites new ways of thinking, feeling, and writing. Tracing a long-term engagement with her work, the talk narrates how Anzaldúa’s commitment to preserving lived, “poematic” experience has reshaped Dr. Lara Bonilla’s own scholarly and creative practice, pushing it beyond institutional limits toward more expansive and responsive forms of expression.

Casa Student Farm Compost System, Henry Culver, Penelope Alcaide, Khalil Younger, Alaide Butterworth

Undergraduate Scholarship

ENGR 205 group, "Team Salad" designed and constructed A multi-staged compost system for the Critical Agriculture Studies & Agroecology program (CASA), as a part of the Engineering 205 Spring 2026 class. The main purpose of the compost system was to create a space for onsite composting in the student farm.

Casa Student Farm Black Ecologies Garden Irrigation System, Colton Stanbridge, Lauren Aubrey, Santino Rodriquez, Giselle Orellana

Undergraduate Scholarship

We are a team of 4 Engineering students tasked with providing a low-tech irrigation system to a new and growing program.

The Impact Of Counterfeit Luxury Bags On Brand Value And Consumer Perception, Mckenna Steinau

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

With the rise of technology and innovation in the 21st century, the luxury market, more specifically the luxury handbag market, is shifting due to a rise of counterfeit products. These counterfeits are no longer cheap knockoffs that are simple to tell they are fake, but rather are high quality “superfakes”. Superfakes give consumers access to the luxury appearance and persona without the full cost, which is where the appeal lies. This challenges leaders of the luxury handbag market, such as Chanel, Gucci, and Goyard, as it negatively affects their exclusivity, authenticity, and brand value. Since resale and counterfeits blur the …

Reframing Risk And Resistance: Sexuality In The Fault In Our Stars, Megan Stiffler

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Like many contemporary Young Adult (YA) novels, particularly of the YA romance genre, John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (2012) explores the complexities of teenage sexuality. The narrative follows familiar genre conventions: sixteen-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster’s routine life is disrupted when she meets seventeen-year-old Augustus (Gus) Waters. Their initial encounter is immediately charged with sexual attraction. Gus cannot seem to look away from her, while Hazel quickly addresses that he is “a hot boy” (Green 8-9). From this first meeting, the relationship develops much like a traditional YA romance, with their emotional connection and physical desires ultimately culminating in …

A Word From The Writing Team (April 2026), Pam Walter, Mfa, Laura Deloretta, Phd

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Antimicrobial Performance Of Amorphous Vs. Crystalline La1-Xsrxcoo3 Perovskites, S. M. Au Shohag, Fahmida Akhter, Ahmed Touhami, Swati Mohan, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Mohammed Jasim Uddin

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Perovskite materials, with their unique crystal structure and chemical properties, are emerging as promising antimicrobial agents for potential biomedical applications. In this research, different weight percentages of Sr2 + doped amorphous and crystalline Lanthanum Cobaltite (La1-xSrxCoO3 defined as LSCO) (x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15) perovskite was synthesized by using a simple combination of sol-gel and molten-salt processes and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) ensures the uniform morphology of the materials. During antimicrobial study using the Kirby Bauer method, amorphous LSCO showed much better activity than crystalline LSCO against Escherichia coli, Vibrio …

The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On The Emotional Well-Being Of Lgbtq Young Adults, Bridget J. Mantooth-Urso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

The current study examined whether neighborhood-based social determinants of health (SDOH) were associated with emotional health outcomes among sexual minority young adults ages 18–29, and whether perceived social support mediated this relationship. SDOH refers to the conditions in which individuals are born, grow, live, work, and age, including neighborhood and built environment characteristics that shape access to resources, safety, and well-being. Emotional health in this study was operationalized through self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, while social support represented perceived availability and quality of interpersonal resources that may buffer the impact of structural disadvantage. This study utilized a non-experimental, cross-sectional …

When Birth Control Turns Biliary: A Rare Case Of Profound Hyperbilirubinemia From Oral Contraceptives, Taiwo Ajani, Aura Calderon, Jose J. Loayza Pintado, Nayiri Derian, Catherine Matos, Ivan Mogollon, Andres Suarez Parraga

School of Medicine Publications

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are extensively utilized and generally considered safe (reference); nonetheless, infrequent hepatobiliary complications such as cholestasis and hyperbilirubinemia have been documented, particularly among individuals with a genetic predisposition. We present a case involving a 19-year-old female who exhibited significant conjugated hyperbilirubinemia shortly after the commencement of OC therapy. Comprehensive investigations ruled out alternative causes, and the findings from liver biopsy, in conjunction with the clinical context, indicated an estrogen-induced cholestatic injury, likely revealing an underlying Dubin–Johnson syndrome. This case underscores the critical necessity of acknowledging hepatic adverse effects associated with estrogen as well as the influence of genetic …

X-Linked Cancer-Associated Polypeptide (Xcp) From Lncrna1456 Modulates Phf8 Histone Demethylase Activity To Regulate The Epigenome, Gene Expression, And Cellular Pathways In Breast Cancer, Shrikanth S. Gadad, Cristel V. Camacho, Xuan Gong, Micah Thornton, Venkat S. Malladi, Anusha Nagari, Aishwarya Sundaresan, Tulip Nandu, Sneh Koul, Yan Peng, W. Lee Kraus

School of Medicine Publications

Recent studies have demonstrated that a subset of long “noncoding” RNAs (lncRNAs) produce functional polypeptides and proteins. In this study, we discovered a 132 amino acid protein in human breast cancer cells named XCP (X-linked Cancer-associated Polypeptide), which is encoded by lncRNA1456 (a.k.a. RHOXF1P3), a transcript previously thought to be noncoding. lncRNA1456 is a pancreas- and testis-specific RNA whose gene is located on chromosome X. We found that the expression of lncRNA1456 and XCP is highly upregulated in the luminal A, luminal B, and HER2 molecular subtypes of breast cancer. XCP modulates both estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent growth of breast …

Predictors Of Total Hip Arthroplasty Among Patients With Chronic Comorbidities: A Multivariate Analysis Of A Medically Underserved Region, Blake C. Martin, Manoj Peiris

School of Medicine Publications

Background

THA is a common orthopedic procedure that is expected to increase in the coming years. Obesity and osteoarthritis are major factors that increase the risk of individuals requiring THA. The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is a distinctive health professional shortage area with high rates of obesity, arthritis, and diabetes. This study aims to examine the relationship between chronic medical conditions and the need for THA in this at-risk, medically underserved population.

Methods

This investigation employed a retrospective chart review encompassing patient records from January 1, 2018, through January 1, 2025, using the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley electronic …

Trends In Meningioma-Related Mortality Among U.S. Adults: A Cdc Wonder Analysis From 2000 To 2023, Tirath Patel, Rai Muhammad Umar Khan, Fatima Hussain, Meer Murtaza, Muhammad Shayan Tariq, Abuzar Khan, Sara Aleem, Maryam Athar, Sharoz Shahid, Nikhilesh Anand

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors in the United States, comprising nearly 41% of central nervous system tumors. While the majority are benign, atypical (World Health Organization Grade II) and malignant (Grade III) subtypes are clinically significant due to their aggressive biology, higher recurrence, and increased mortality risk. Despite their burden, national mortality trends and demographic disparities in meningioma-related deaths remain underexplored.

Methods: We conducted a population-based analysis of meningioma-related mortality among U.S. adults aged ≥65 years from 1999 to 2023 using the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) wide-ranging online data for epidemiologic research (WONDER) …

Platelet Rich Plasma Injection Treatment Outcomes In Patellar Tendinopathy, Hunter M. Butler, Aamir Ahmad

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Platelet rich plasma (PRP) refers to the processed product of autologous peripheral blood with a concentration of platelets higher than baseline. This product has garnered interest for 30 years as a potential method of regenerative medicine. PRP injections have shown to be an effective treatment for patellar tendinopathy. However, some concerns remain with regards to empiric treatment of tendinopathy with PRP injections.

Objective: This article aims to investigate the outcomes of platelet rich plasma injections in patients with patellar tendonitis.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) online database. The …

Adultification Of Black Girls, Melanie Thompson

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Core Elements Of Policy Solutions, Audrey Morrissey

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.