Student Alyssa Johnson, Claire Rogers, Noah Dunkley, Michael Gengo, C.D. Hoyle Physics & Astronomy Physics & Astronomy alumni (Alyssa Johnson ('21), Claire Rogers ('23), Noah Dunkley ('18), and Michael Gengo ('22)) and faculty member C.D. Hoyle recently published a peer-reviewed paper describing a technical advancement for the stabilization of the apparatus used for precision gravitational physics measurements at Cal Poly Humboldt. The article, titled "Optimization of an Active Leveling Scheme for a Short-Range Gravity Experiment," was published in the Journal of Undergraduate Reports in Physics and may be found here: 

https://pubs.aip.org/aip/jurp/article/33/1/100002/2929427/Optimization-…

Faculty Bori Mazzag, Sherrene Bogle, and Beth Eschenbach Drs. Bori Mazzag, Sherrene Bogle, and Beth Eschenbach received a National Science Foundation “Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity” (EPIIC) grant in the amount of $400,000. The 3-year project will provide time for faculty to foster new industry connections that will expand paid internships and other experiential learning opportunities in tech and engineering, provide programming to prepare students to be successful in their internships, and facilitate campus-wide needs assessment of internships. Cal Poly Humboldt is part of a five institution cohort that will share strategies to expand innovation capacity, industry-academia partnerships, and workforce development. 

Faculty JuEun Lee and Joshua Steimel Environmental Resources Engineering Drs. JuEun Lee and Joshua Steimel recently published a paper in the Journal of Orthopaedics. The study examined the effect that vancomycin, tobramycin, and the combination of these two ubiquitous antibiotics can have on the compressive and tensile strength of bone cement. As the concentration of antibiotics increased there was a decrease in both the compressive and tensile mechanical performance of the bone cement. The results of this study can be utilized to guide future surgical techniques to reduce the incidence of failure of bone cement in the presence of antibiotics.

Faculty Kamila Larripa Mathematics Kamila Larripa was selected to participate in the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute's Summer Research in Mathematics Program.  She will work with collaborators on developing data-driven modeling approaches to investigate the impact of human behavior on epidemic dynamics for outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

Faculty Brandon Browne Geology Dr. Brandon Browne and colleagues from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, and King Saud University recently published a scientific article titled "Structure of shallow magma sources beneath Augustine Volcano (Alaska) inferred from local earthquake tomography" in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. The article presents a 3D model of the magma storage system beneath Augustine Volcano using arrival time data from local seismicity, which is crucial information for eruption forecasting, volcanic hazard assessment efforts, and a broader understanding of the structure of magma and fluid sources beneath the active volcano. 

Student Kevin Geumhan Physics & Astronomy Kevin Geumhan (‘24) coauthored a paper that was recently accepted for publication in Physical Review E. Kevin’s work was carried out in collaboration with researchers from UC Merced and is titled “Maximally Mixing Active Nematics.” Kevin also recently presented this work at the 76th Annual American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Faculty Eileen Cashman and Margaret Lang Environmental Resources Engineering Drs. Eileen Cashman and Margaret Lang received funding from Caltrans to investigate current and anticipated climate conditions on the Arcata/Eureka corridor, a roadway that’s experiencing one of the fastest rates of relative sea level rise on the entire U.S. west coast. The study will assess hazards, and evaluate adaptation options based on the best available sea level rise science. Findings will contribute to the development of a comprehensive climate adaptation plan for Highway 101, enabling Caltrans District 1 to advance planning and implement an adaptation solution.

Faculty Robert W. Zoellner, James M. Moore Chemistry Professor Emeritus Robert W. Zoellner and his former student, James M. Moore, have published a peer-reviewed article entitled, “A DFT computational investigation of mono-sila-substituted DNA nucleobases and their hydrogen-bonded Watson-Crick dimers with the parent purines and pyrimidines”:  J. M. Moore, R. W. Zoellner, Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research 2023, 22, 102–110.

Faculty Justin Luong and Kerry Byrne Forestry, Fire & Rangeland Management Drs Justin Luong and Kerry Byrne received a $1.4 million UC Climate Action Grant for several projects supporting climate resiliency in California grasslands and rangelands. Grasslands serve as the foundation for California’s ranching economy, and support ecosystem services like carbon and water storage, flood mitigation, and ecotourism. In light of climate change, innovating ecological restoration that focuses on climate resilience is imperative. Luong and collaborators (CSU-Chico, CalPoly-SLO and PointBlue) will work with land managers across California to establish a Grassland Restoration Action, Science and Stewardship (GRASS) network for coordination and resource sharing, and developing climate-resilient grassland restoration protocols.

Faculty Shay Konradsdottir, Rouhollah Aghasaleh Education Shay Konradsdottir (student- Computer Science and Molecular Biology) and Rouhollah Aghasaleh (faculty- Education) presented a paper, Rural Education's Impact on Children's Perceptions of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in Public Services, at the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) conference. 

Faculty C.D. Hoyle Physics & Astronomy The LAG (Liquid-Actuated Gravity) Collaboration that includes Dr. C.D. Hoyle recently published work in the journal Review of Scientific Instruments titled "Measurement of gravitational and thermal effects in a liquid-actuated torsion pendulum." The work discusses measurements taken to test and characterize a novel system for making precision tests of gravity at short distance scales. In addition to Cal Poly Humboldt contributions, the collaboration includes researchers from the University of Naples and University of Rome Tor Vergata, as well as the Italian INFN (Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare). 

The article can be found here:  https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0162604

Faculty Prof. C.D. Hoyle Physics & Astronomy Dr. C.D. Hoyle is a co-author of a new publication that discusses the results of a 15-year campaign to map the moon’s orbit at the millimeter level. Such measurements can be used to test the validity of General Relativity and test theories that predict new physics. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/aceb2f

Faculty Kamila Larripa Mathematics Kamila Larripa and collaborators published an article in the Journal of Theoretical Biology entitled Macrophage phenotype transitions in a stochastic gene-regulatory network model.  The study classifies cell phenotypes using a spectral clustering algorithm and quantifies transitions between phenotypes using transition path theory.
 

Faculty William Wood Chemistry Emeritus Chemistry Professor William Wood recently published an article in the Austrian Academy of Sciences journal Biosystematics and Ecology on the oyster-like odor of the plant, Mertensia maritima.  This plant has a circumboreal oceanic distribution where it grows just above the high-tide mark, most often on exposed maritime shingle bars. Because of the smell of crushed plant leaves, it is called the oyster plant in Britain and Ireland, and oyster leaf in North America. Wood collected this plant in Homer, Alaska and is the first person to identify the chemical that gives this plant its common names.

Faculty Frank Fogarty Wildlife Dr. Frank Fogarty received funding to study how retained patches of trees in timber harvests effect bird communities in managed forests of the Pacific Northwest. Regulations in Oregon and Washington prescribe a minimum number of standing trees that must be retained by timber harvest operations, in part to enhance the biodiversity value of harvested lands. Dr. Fogarty will work with a graduate student to experimentally compare a variety of spatial retention arrangements, with the goal of demonstrating which retention strategies maximize avian diversity post-harvest. Funding comes from the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement.

Faculty Margaret Lang Environmental Resources Engineering Dr. Margaret Lang received funding from the National Park Service to assess the condition of culverts (tunnel structures under roadways that provide cross drainage) throughout Redwood National Park. Many of the park’s culverts have not been properly assessed in over 40 years, and may be acting as passage barriers to federally threatened coho and chinook salmon, and steelhead trout. The project will provide the park with site survey data and a culvert replacement priority list, contributing to the preservation and enhancement of the park’s natural and cultural resources. Cal Poly Humboldt students will assist in conducting the assessments.

Faculty Steve Martin Environmental Science & Management The U.S. Secretary of the Interior has appointed Prof. Steve Martin to the Bureau of Land Management's Resource Advisory Council for Northern California. The Council provides advice to the federal agency regarding the management of public land resources.

Faculty Brian Tissot, Sean Craig Biological Sciences Drs. Brian Tissot and Sean Craig received funding to continue ongoing monitoring research in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along the California coastline. MPAs are regions designated and managed for the long-term conservation of marine resources, ecosystems services, or cultural heritage. Specifically, he and his team are looking at underwater kelp forests, collecting ecological and environmental data that will inform the evaluation and adaptive management of California’s network of MPAs. The project includes collaborators from UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, and Occidental College. Funding comes as a subaward from UC Santa Cruz, with the primary funder being California Sea Grant.

Faculty Laura Levy, Rosemary Sherriff Laura Levy (Geology) and Rosemary Sherriff (Geography) were awarded an NSF grant "Collaborative Research: RUI: Glacier resilience during the Holocene and late Pleistocene in northern California" for $742,040. It is an interdisciplinary research project with co-PIs Dick Heermance (CSU Northridge) and Andrew Malone (University of Illinois, Chicago). The aim is to reconstruct the glacier and climate fluctuations since the last ice age in the Trinity Alps- a region that is climatologically unique in northern California.

Faculty Kerry Byrne Environmental Science & Management Dr. Kerry Byrne (Associate Professor, Environmental Science and Management) was awarded a sabbatical research grant from Western SARE (Sustainable Agriculture, Research, and Education) to work with collaborator Dr. Kelly Hopping at Boise State University on a project entitled "Seeds underhoof: can the soil seed bank facilitate restoration of sheep-grazed, cheatgrass-invaded rangelands?" Details of the award can be found here: https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/sw23-944/