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 2024
Effects of habitat selection and individual quality on the reproductive success of barn owls (Tyto furcata), Jaime E. Carlino
Post-fire persistance of Sequoia semperviens in a secondary forest: Examining drivers of basal resprouting response, Jackson T. Carrasco
Two-dimensional hydrodynamic model comparison for fish habitat assessment in rivers, Tyler Caseltine
Characterizing new plant fossils with woody growth from the Battery Point Formation of Quebec (Canada), Emma T. Casselman
The effect of interval time on time to exhaustion during high intensity interval training running in recreational male runners, Abraham Castrejon
How influential is petro-pedagogy on federal educational guidelines?, Cherrie Amor Chavez
Drought's lingering shadow: Monitoring the recovery of sagebrush steppe plant communities after four years of experimental drought, Francisco Jesus Chavez
Fueling identities: A study of ethnic and athletic identities on dietary choices, Tally Chavez
Common raven resource selection, diet, and behavior around a threatened shorebird, Janelle Chojnacki
Fire severity mediates marten and fisher occurrence: Impacts of the Dixie Fire on a carnivore community, Christopher James Collier
Environmental implications of modern food production: An analysis for the conscious consumer, Jessica T. Coming
Breaking barriers: a resource guide for transitioning foster youth, Tylor Davis
Bird predation on coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Humboldt Bay, Colton J. Dixon
Building detailed and accurate whole-plant concepts: A morphometrics-informed reconstruction of a zosterophyll from the lower Devonian of Wyoming, Samar R. El-Abdallah
Assessing community perspectives to inform kelp forest restoration and management: The case of Mendocino Coast, California, Jocelyn Enevoldsen
Temperature driven variability in bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) early life stages: a comparative study of California populations, Marzia Fattori
Longevity of prescribed fire effectiveness in mixed-evergreen forests of the Klamath Mountains, Kaily M. Fineran
The "upside-down" river: Trends in total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and microcystin concentration in the Klamath Basin, 2010-2021, Kayla M. Fitzpatrick
Exploring colorism in children’s literature: Sulwe and Black is Brown is Tan, Jasmine April Fortunato
Agitprop: A deep dive into leftist affinity spaces, Brittany M. Fuher
Comparative morphology and ultrastructure of olfactory epithelia in plethodontid salamanders: Effect of life history variation, Emily Gremling
Black to the kitchen: A genealogical cookbook, Dillon Avery Harp
Bridging cultural disconnects: implementing social and emotional learning through the use of action research and community responsive pedagogy through the art-making process, Rajeev Colleen Haymond
Incorporating equity into sea-level rise planning: Perspectives from practitioners across California, Nayré Herrera
"Kindness eases change / love quiets fear": Mapping change and movement in Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, Elizabeth Hershey
Experience of early educators currently enrolled in the North Coast Teacher Induction Program: A case study, Melissa Hodgson
Transitional course for incoming transfer students at Cal Poly Humboldt, Marissa Carla Holguin
Evaluating the Trojan Y Chromosome Strategy for the removal of invasive Sacramento Pikeminnow from the Eel River, CA, Alexander W. Juan
Interactions between New Zealand mud snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) and toxic cyanoabacteria (anabaena) in Baduwa’t (Mad River), Humboldt County, California, Cecilia F. Kennelly
Petrologic and geochemical constraints on the pre-eruptive storage conditions of magmas erupted during the ~12.5 ka flare up of Medicine Lake Volcano, CA, Regina M. Khoury
Accelerations and EMG differences between isocaloric high-incline walking and level grade jogging, Taj Krieger
The persistent voice of the colonizer: troubling a mascot’s settler-colonial past, Linda J. Kuckuk
Comparative analysis of ac coupled and dc coupled microgrids: analyzing electrical performances and economics, Sanjeev Kumar
Evolutionary origins of secondary growth - the periderm perspective: Integrating evidence from fossils and living plants, Madison A.K. Lalica
Comparing alternative developmental modes: Structure and gene expression in the olfactory system of Plethodontid salamanders, Giuseppina S. Lanzilli
Barn owls exert top-down effects on the abundance and behavior of rodent pests, Katherine C. Larson
Basal topography and carbon accumulation rate of a rare Northern California coastal fen, Sarah Leidinger
Analyzing science classroom design ideas of high school students: variations amongst LGBT-identifying students, Abraham A. Lewis
Using habitat modeling to locate new populations of Dunn's Salamander (Plethodon dunni) near its southern geographic range limit, Mary A. Mackey
Mouralherwaqh coastal wetland road crossing Da'luk, Pakunihanich Nicoli Martin
Beyond the classroom: A land-based approach to outdoor education, Jacquelyn R. Matthews
Effects of exergaming on health and fitness outcomes for students with disabilities: A meta-analysis, Jordan Mauch
Using novel and traditional survey techniques to monitor small mammal species in northwestern California, Sydney McCluskey
Physical and mental health benefits of an intergenerational yoga intervention on individuals and communities, Crystal Rose McKinney
Evaluating critical speed as a predictor of performance in collegiate cross country athletes, Emmett McMahon
Mouralherwaqh coastal wetland road crossing Da'luk, Natalie Mendez
Beyond exhausted: an investigation into teacher burnout and teacher attrition, Michael Carino Morales Sr.
Exploring the realities of queer/trans, black, indigenous, and/or people of color students at Humboldt State University, Kat Hồng Nguyễn
Adoption of holistic education practices: A survey of California K-12 educator experiences, Arianne M. Nova
A resilient decarbonization package for the Hoopa Shopping Center, Esther Obikoya
A post-colonial criticism of Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia, Kaitlyn R. O'Dell
"They are expecting us to stay strong": How ambulance personnel navigate and manage their emotions in a rural region of Northern California, Tina M. Orton-Owens
Human cell modeling of CDKL5-deficiency disorder with patient-derived organoids and HD-MEA, Alyssa Paynton
Finding connection: Teaching with culturally responsive texts, Chloe N. Pounds
Is cognitive fatigue pushing peripheral group members towards extreme attitudes?, James E. Robinson
Mouralherwaqh coastal wetland road crossing Da'luk, Romel Robinson II
The effectiveness of a visual activity schedule in aquatics on skill acquisition in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, Marcus J. Romero
Effectiveness of an inclusive, small-group adapted aquatics program on increasing VO2max in children with autism spectrum disorder, Peggy Manuelita Scarborough
Recovery of riparian shade and stream temperature after thinning in coastal redwood riparian forests, Preston J. Selby
Design of a mobile lamprey testing facility and analysis of hydraulic conditions under experimental treatments, Ernesto Silva
An intersectional analysis of findings from Humboldt County: The California cannabis worker and equity survey, Jennifer A. Smith
Time's up. Pearson PLC: control of information and the privatization of education, Adolfo J. Soberanis
Disney adult or Disney cult?: observing the effects and perceptions of transmedia storytelling onto fandom, Sara Spradley
Scale and habitat effects on measurement of streptomyces biogeography and biodiversity, Terilyn A. Stoflet
Diet, growth, and survival of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in off-channel restoration projects in Humboldt Bay tributaries, Katherine Rose Stonecypher
The larval preference of an invasive bryozoan (Watersipora 'new species') for copper-based antifouling paints, Alexander K. Strawhand
Anxieties about the future: Ecocriticism and dystopian landscapes in the three stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and selected fiction by Philip K. Dick, Nickolas Michael Sykora
“Bad at reading”: Narratives of boys with negative reading self-concept, Aimee Talmadge
Assessing the effects of remaining Northern California kelp forest mesopredators on purple sea urchin abundance, distribution, and feeding activity, Sandra E. Traverso
Neurocinematics and empathy: How cognitive neuroscience enhances our understanding of emotional responses of film, Kira Trinity
Microbes: Key constituent of predator risk cues?, Jake R. Vargas
The nature and extent of algal symbiosis in three North American Ranids, Zachary T. Vegso
Post-fire vegetation and pyrodiversity influence breeding abundances of Lewis's woodpeckers in the eastern Cascades, Oregon, Brittany Welch
Characterizing the beneficial uses of the Arcata Marsh constructed wetland treatment system and wildlife sanctuary, Andrew S. Wolff
Educator well-being in a system that is unwell, Beth A. Wylie
The effects of native perennial cover on physiological indicators of habitat quality for sparrows in California coastal prairie rangelands, Madeleine A. Ybarra
Theses/Projects from 2023
Effects of exergaming on health and fitness outcomes for students with disabilities: a meta-analysis, Jason Abaya
The effects of physical education on social outcomes in children with disabilities: A meta-analysis, Alyette J. Afont
Socio-economic comparative analysis of front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter microgrids for Panamnik, Olivia C. Amann McShea
Sympatric carnivores and vegetation structure influence the distribution and abundance of Humboldt martens in Northern California, Erika L. Anderson
Positive and negative contact as predictors of attitudes toward law enforcement, Benjamin Jackson Anjewierden
Perceptions of trail safety in Humboldt County, California: an analysis of safety concerns, factors that impact trail use, and the value people place on trails, Natalie C. Arroyo
College students' autonomy, self-regulation, and academic self-efficacy during COVID-19, Madelynne J. Avila
Dining layout effects on attendance, communication, and happiness in older adults, Juliana Lia Bertolucci
Comparative analysis of gas versus electric demand in tiny house communities for the homeless, Christopher D. Beveridge
"Concealing the excess of her pleasure": A queer reading of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, Josie Anne Blubaugh
Western gulls’ (Larus occidentalis) reproductive and behavioral responses to human disturbance, Lilamarie 'Asta Bowen
Are biodiverse communities more resistant to invasion? A case study with marine fouling communities, Taylor Robert Bruntil