We are proud to provide access to the theses and projects of successful graduate students at Cal Poly Humboldt. You can search for titles or authors in the search bar on the right.
For those submitting for Fall 2026, submit a PDF and DOCX of your thesis/project for committee approval using Adobe Sign's Graduate Thesis/Project Approval Form. Please start this form as early as feasible but no later than Monday, December 14, 2026, to allow your committee members time to electronically register their approvals before the Tuesday, December 15, 2026 deadline. Please see the Humboldt Graduate Student's Culminating Experiences: Thesis & Project Submission Canvas page for assistance.
Please review the Humboldt Graduate Student's Culminating Experiences: Thesis & Project Formatting/Accessibility Canvas page for instructions on how to meet formatting and accessibility requirements. After incorporating those instructions in your thesis or project, send a draft of your paper to [email protected] for free courtesy review assessment. The deadline for requesting a courtesy review for Fall 2026 is Monday, November 30, 2026. Please contact the Scholarly Communications Office with any questions at [email protected].
Theses/Projects from 2025
Sex work and COVID-19: An intersectional discussion of U.S.-based sex worker experiences during the pandemic, Sabrina M. Grandia
Loss of LGL1 increases expression of c-Jun and DCX in the SVZ and RMS of the mouse brain, Madison Leigh Gutierrez
From spark to wildfire: predicting wildfire origins and the efficacy of “fire safe” cigarettes in California grasslands, Trevor Blackwell Haltermann
Can dyslexia diagnosis induce a stereotype threat effect? A literature review and research proposal, David H. Harris
Examining the effects of a teaching Theory of Mind curriculum for children with autism spectrum disorder, Kayla Marie Hart
Effects of experimental structural retention position and aggregation on avian communities in managed forests of the Pacific Northwest, U.S., Aidan M. Healey
The impact of guided goal setting on mood and exercise performance in college-age active individuals, Payton R. Heaney
Groundwater pumping impacts on stream depletion in Humboldt County, Ca: integrating analytical models and field data, Andy Hans Heise
Uncertainty reduction as an underlying motive for optimal distinctiveness, Chad Hinojosa
"We'll never get this opportunity again": Lived experiences of platform-based gig workers, Catey Hoehn
Who are we restoring Maunalua for? Place name resurgence and environmental restoration in Maunalua, O‘ahu, Cassidy J. Hollenbeck
Factors influencing elk road crossing behavior, Brielle Christine Jaglowski
Effects of teacher reinforcements on student outcomes in adapted physical education: a systematic review, Juliana Jamison-Espinoza
Use of public information for prospecting and nest site selection by Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana), Fatime Wadad Jomaa
An analysis of UV disinfection of municipal wastewater following natural treatment systems, Jonathan Andrew Kirchubel
Examining the impact of a health course on lifelong learner attitudes toward psychedelic and entheogenic substances, Dustin B. Larrazolo
Elementary teachers' attitudes and perceptions of physical education, Jennifer Lemon
Roosting habits of male silver-haired bats in the Willard Creek Drainage of Northeastern California, Alexander Christopher Lewis
Hope transforms: an analysis of the novel Indiana, Jemimah "Miah" Dawn Lodes
Examining the effects of songbird nest boxes and habitat on avian and arthropod communities in a vineyard ecosystem, Eleanor MacDonald
The experience of child language brokering in Latin/Hispanic students: understanding how CLB shapes attitudes towards higher education, Noemi Maldonado
Elementary teachers' knowledge towards teaching physical education, Hannah Lee Mandy
Multi-grade classroom professional development and curated resources, Angie Marshall
Bat species diversity in the Klamath Basin prior to dam removals, Ryan Page Matilton
True crime podcasts as a scene of feminist reckoning: a comparative analysis of My Favorite Murder and Sistas Who Kill, Rachel C.C. Matteri
The effects of a yoga intervention on flexibility and stress of high school students, Paige Mccollum
The effects of anxiety on rock climbing performance in a competition setting, Jackson W. Miller
Benthic community structure changes in Northern California following a marine heatwave, Franklin D. Moitoza
Factors associated with the biomass of Yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, at fixed fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the Galapagos Islands, Sarah Payton Moreau
Effects of teacher reinforcements on student outcomes in adapted physical education: a meta-analysis, Yaxeny Moreno
"Gen Z Climate Being": podcast series on youth, climate emotions, and affective climate justice, Rachel Wynne Moszkowicz
Can we help coast redwood adapt to climate change? A provenance study on genetic variation and climate transfer distance, Aidan J. Murphy
Geographic disparity and the comparison of projectile points in central California, Robert Clark Newcomb
Snag failure and fuel recovery following stand-replacing fire in the Klamath Mountains, Joseph R. Nicholas
Large language models and identity: A reflexive approach, Nicholas Austin Nielsen
Investigating fish communities as part of the food web in artificial tidal wetland ponds of Humboldt Bay, CA, Lily M. Olmo
Breaking barriers: the first-generation experience in pursuit of the American dream, Milagros Ortega
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
Representation in higher education: a closer look into Cal Poly Humboldt’s HSI designation through the Courageous Cuentos retrospective, Audriana Peñaloza
Student housing insecurity and its impacts on academic enthusiasm: A multi-method analysis of Cal Poly Humboldt, Aaron Gabriel Perez
Using behavior skills training to teach independent living skills, Jeanavy Marie Perez
Power & danger: A glimpse into K-12 sexual and reproductive health education via Instagram, Sade Perez
Home range, habitat Use, and fall migration of Lewis’s woodpeckers in the Eastern Cascade Range, Oregon, Cameron Piper
“We weren't just reading about adventures; we were living them”: immersion, transgressive play, and Dungeons & Dragons, Nicolas Poulter
A porpoise-driven approach: Using agent-based models to predict population consequences of offshore wind noises on Gulf of Maine harbor porpoises, Ben Greenberg Pridonoff
Comparison of the division and fairness of household labor between the 1980s and early 2000s, Madeline Rose Provins
Comparative olfactory anatomy of wild and hatchery-raised rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Nicole Rahman-Garnier
Using environmental DNA metabarcoding to investigate diversity and seasonal variation of fishes in Humboldt Bay, California, Johnathon M. Richardson
Campesino world-building: stories of migration, memory, and care in the tension of the colonial frame, Chelsea Ríos Gómez
Acceptance and commitment training for reducing aggressive behaviors for children diagnosed with externalizing disorders, Isabelle C. Rodriguez
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
Social emotional learning: through a culturally relevant and spiritual lens, Albert Roman
Evaluating the effects of memory aids on conversational behaviors in older adults with cognitive decline and their caregivers, Sarah B. Romero Pavon
Afghan students are more than just English learners, Farilla Saboor
Exploring the influence of ethnic studies on Latinx students in rural Northern California, Georgina C. Salvarrey
The social critic: challenging cultural norms through the adaptation and interpretation of Euripides' Medea, Samantha M. Sanchez
Housing Cal Poly Humboldt students, Andrea Santamaria
“Thanks for the [land] acknowledgement, now what?”: Settler histories and decolonial futures at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Schatz Tree Farm, Sangeeta Sarkar
Kelp guardians can save the world: A Food Sovereignty Lab report of the Ghvtlh-k’vsh Shu'-srnelh-'i~ (Kelp Guardians) California Sea Grant, Delaney A. Schroeder-Echavarria
Cultivation of winged kelp (Alaria marginata) in Humboldt Bay, Evan C. Simpson
Impacts of autistic traits on student evaluations of professors, Matias Solorzano
An exploratory attempt to incorporate social criteria into spent nuclear fuel site screening and relocation, Julie M. Sorfleet
A review of contact dependent interactions among encrusting bryozoans, Sheena Emily Stephens-Norton
Curriculum addressing recidivism: A case study of Project Rebound’s Youth Empowerment Program, Julie Stewart
Modeling forest stewardship in Goukdi’n: An assessment of carbon, wildlife habitat, and fire resilience in a university forest, Benjamin Stock
Environmental and spatial drivers of quillback rockfish (Sebastes maliger) growth in the northeast Pacific Ocean from California to Alaska, Claire E. Stuart
Exploring coastal spaces of tribal sovereignty and self-determination in ancestral waters proposed for offshore wind development, Alyssa Suarez
Twice-exceptionalism and the complexity of supporting students who are both gifted and disabled, River Johnathon Taylor
Goal setting in sleep and nutrition to improve perceived performance in active college students, Cameron F. Timmons
All red inside: embodied metaphor in Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Ian Vargas
Patterns of kinship and sociality in North American river otters, Whitney E. Vickers
First-year college transition: The role of psychosocial resources in student motivation, Hayley Weatherill
Just keep swimming: outmigration survival of Upper Klamath Basin juvenile Chinook salmon, James M. Whelan
Associational seaweed defense reduces sea urchin grazing on bull kelp: Potential use in restoration, Brayden Tate Wiley
The molecular and serological detection of Rickettsia species phylotype G022 and Rickettsia tillamookensis in the blood of domestic dogs in Northern California, Nicholas Woronchuk
Investigating the role of motivation in open-label placebo responses, Joshua Worthington
Exploring the placebo effect on the cortisol stress response, Povheng Yam
Patterns of tree damage and fuels around powerlines in Northern California, Zoe J. Ziegler
Theses/Projects from 2024
Countering dominant narratives in community: The many voices in spoken word poetry, Natalie Raquel Acuña
Assessing relocation habitats and assisted migration of the Lassics lupine, an endangered California serpentine-endemic, Caitlyn M. Allchin
A case of incipient budding speciation in the California Floristic Province, infraspecific divergence in Abronia Villosa, Eli J. Allen
Mouralherwaqh: Coastal wetland road crossing Da’luk, Filip Amborski
Evolution of regulations impacting landowner decision making: A comparison of private forest policies in California and Oregon, Claire E. Anderson
Studying redtail and silver surfperch in sandy beach surf zones with MPAs in Humboldt County, California, USA, Noah G. Angell
Evaluating the utility of tracers to characterize environmental DNA transport and inform detection of fishes in small streams, Gavin B. Bandy
The impact of a structured exercise program on the pre-established exercise goals for individuals with disabilities, Emily C. Batini
Performance activism versus collective action, Grace Belt
Assessing sustainability: Knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes before and after college, Seth Blair Comella Bradley
Using environmental DNA methods for estimating juvenile Chinook salmon abundance, Jacqueline Marie Bridegum
Examining the drivers of nocturnal behavior of pikas at lower elevations in Lassen National Forest, California, Evan Burnett