Example Works
Attending Cal Poly Humboldt, I was awarded many opportunities to grow my skills and collaborate on interesting projects with agencies like California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks, the Humboldt Natural History Museum, the National Association of Interpretation, and even the Lumberjack (the college newspaper).
This page gives examples of some of the work I completed during my education. I have a scientific mind, with the creativity that it takes to effectively communicate it.
I have done so much in the field of Natural Resource Education and Communication over 2021-2024, but my projects are dedicated to the agencies I've worked for during that time. I can provide examples of updated professional works upon inquiry.
Multimedia
A Fry's Eye View Educational E-Booklet
This e-booklet was made in collaboration with California Department of Fish and Wildlife and their Classroom Aquarium Education Program. This booklet is meant for classroom use, but is also available virtually on their website to students currently studying at home. In the classroom, students would view this booklet in order to learn about the upcoming introduction of Trout or Salmon into the classroom, to hatch, study, and then release.
The Importance of Restoration on
Urban Streams
This video was made with the collaboration of California Department of Wildlife, and is posted on their "Flipgrid" page. This video is meant to educate students about the importance of stream restoration in urban areas, given that 95% of people living in California live in cities. Stream Restoration doesn't just happen in the wilderness! It can also happen in your own backyard. This video was made in accordance with Next Generation Science Standard MS-ESS- 3.
This is a story I wrote for The Lumberjack (HSU's School Newspaper) featuring pigs on campus that were part of a composting program at our Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT). This program adopted pigs from a local farm, and fed them food waste from the school's cafeterias to try and curb the amount of food waste that the school sends to the landfill everyday.
Click this link below to read it!
Salamander Interpretive Panel
This Interpretive panel is about how salamanders function as an indicator species that can help to determine the health of the environment.
Infographics
South America on Fire
I was inspired by both Greta Thunberg's activism and the Wildfires happening in the Amazon in 2020. I sought to combine the two, to create an infographic that would capture the despair felt by myself and others during this depressing world event.
Humboldt Marine Fossils
This is an infographic I made for my geomorphology course, about where you can find marine fossils in Humboldt County. Surprisingly, there are a lot of well-preserved fossils to be found in Humboldt County, consisting mostly of polychate worms, clams, and snails.
My Lessons
Tropical Holiday Project Learning Tree:
Rainforest Ecosystems, Migratory Birds, and American Somoa
This lesson was adapted out of the Project Learning Tree teacher activity book. The learning objectives were that students will be able to (1) describe plants and animals that inhabit tropical rainforest, including neotropical migratory birds, and (2) analyze an issue involving the rights of native inhabitants of a tropical rainforest. I created the felt board with velcro animal stickers, that I stuck on as I taught the lesson, and students followed along with their own rainforest worksheet and animal stickers. I also created a handout detailing the migratory routes of 2 different birds that migrate back and fourth between the United States and South America. The final handout, is one that was adapted from Project Learning Tree that connects the rainforest back to humanitarian issues that are prevalent in the world, and that are very important for the next generation of young people to be considering.
Terry the Tarantula from Spooky to Spectacular; Dispelling Myths about California Tarantulas
I created this presentation to increase audience awareness and to dispell some of the myths and misconceptions about Californian tarantulas (Aphonopelma spp.) and some of their unique behaviors. This program and follow-along craft project was aimed towards a K-5th grade audience. I dispelled myths by first taking assumptions from the audience and posting the "myths"-legs on the left side of "Terry the Tarantula's" body, then I would put up the corresponding "fact"-legs on the right side of the body. As I pinned the legs up, the blob quickly began to resemble a tarantula! Each audience member was given a paper outline of a body of a tarantula, with eight pre-cut legs with phrases written on them, glue dots to stick the legs on, a cotton ball to represent the abdomen, two googley eyes, and a crayon color of their choice. Audience members also received a fact sheet about Californian tarantulas. I also brought a live rose hair tarantula with me for example.
Scientific Papers
Soil Science Literature Review - The Effect of Macroinvertebrates on Soil Formation and Nutrient Cycling
I wrote this review on the effects of macroinvertebrates on soil formation and nutrient cycling for my final paper in my soil science course. I thought this would be an easy paper for me to write, I chose to write about invertebrates, so all I had to do was hyperfixate a little. However, this paper was not that easy to write because it turns out that there actually is not a lot of good quality peer-reviewed scientific journals written on macroinvertebrates and soil formation. I had to piece together many studies in order to write a coherent paper that supported my thesis. This was fun, and a good challenge!
Rapid Ecological Study; Distribution of Ensatina eschscholtzii along trails in the Arcata Community Forest
This is a project that is near and dear to me. For this Rapid Ecological Study I developed, carried out, and presented my findings on the distribution of E. eschscholtzii along trails in the Arcata Community Forest. As a student, I noticed how the trails that are accessible from the HSU campus were more worn, and it was encouraged for students to walk off the paths for outdoor laboratories. However, the trails that are more easily accessed from public streets were less degraded and there were less volunteer trails. I wanted to test to see if the activity from outdoor laboratories had an effect on salamander population and distribution along these trails of high and low foot traffic. Our data showed that in fact, areas along trails that were less disturbed (those that had public access points), had higher populations of E. eschscholtzii.