College of Science

Fall 2023 Capstone Festival 

9:00 AM | Introduction from Department Chair, Dr. Susan Alexander (View recording)

9:00 AM | ENSTU Presentations

ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year - Dr. Seth Gustafson
Biophilic Design in Cypress Knolls
by Corinn Biglin, Madison Creech, Katie Lampkin, Anna Lucido, Hunter Romo

Community Energy and Microgrids in Marina
by Skye Murphy-Connolly, Cameron Garrison, Nathan Blakely, Tianyi Luo

Building a College Town: Improving the Relationship between CSUMB and the City of Marina
by Jeannette Sanchez, Ánh Cao, Jacob Diaz, Araceli Suarez-Padilla, Michaela Velasco

Analysis of and Recommendations for Marina's Local Coastal Program
by Chloe Taylor, Amanda Cross, Nate Brown, Ben Pedersen, Andrew Hernandez

Expanding Community Outreach in Marina
by Fernanda De la Cruz-Reynoso, Cienna De Leon, Madison Moreno, Grace Neff, Isabelle Thompson

ENSTU 497: Independent Capstone - Dr. Tori Derr
Capturing Magical Moments in the Carneros Creek Outdoor Classroom
by Madison Moreno

10:15 AM | ESTP and ENSCI Presentations 

ENVS 402: Independent Capstone - Dr. John Olson
The California Red-Legged Frog, Rana draytonii Habitat: Defining and Predicting their Current and Future Ranges
by Connor Quiroz

ENVS 410/Bio 488: Capstone Seminar/Freshwater Ecology - Dr. John Olson
Comparing New Zealand Mudsnail Populations From Previous Surveys in The Carmel River
by Richard Arcia, Melissa Castillo, Emmanuel Diaz-Campos, Stefano Rincon

Effect of Signal Crayfish Weight on Their Predation of the New Zealand Mud Snail Within the Carmel River
by Charles Armstrong-Huntley, Nathan Oliver, Ashley Rawlins

ENVS 660: Professional Environmental Science- Dr. John Olson
Assessing the effects of flow duration on the accuracy of biological assessment indices throughout Central California streams
by Skylar Wolfe  [Additional authors: ENVS 660 students listed below]

ENVS 660: Professional Environmental Science- Dr. Fred Watson
Low recruitment in ancient stands of white oaks, Rana Creek Preserve, Monterey County, California
by Alyssa Anzalone, Connor Ohara-Baker, Mary Snook [Additional authors: Sarah Beilman, Charley Abernathy, Malcolm Tunnell, Skylar Wolfe, Caroline Bolen, Sarah Winkel, Gehard Gross, Rebecca Baggott ]

11:15 AM | Poster Presentations 

Quantifying post-fire estuarine marsh platform sediment dynamics in response to post-fire runoff and flooding events
by Lisa Irvine & Ellery Charleton                   Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jimmy Guilinger

Creepy Hillsploes: Multimethod analysis of earthflows in Hollister, CA
by Abraham Porras-Vargas                            Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jimmy Guilinger

Daily water temperature variation of Pajaro River channelized by levees
by Ellery Charleton                                           Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Olson

Analysis of Fire Retardant in Runoff
by Lexi Yokomizo                                              Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Olson              

ENVS 436: Remote Sensing - Dr. Fred Watson
Survey of California Coast Live Oaks following a defoliation event caused by Oak Moths. Do Oak Moths kill oak trees at an alarming rate?
by Marily Muñoz-Serrano

Synchronous Defoliation of Coast Live Oak due to California Oak Moth
by Jonathan Logie

Quantifying the Temporal Frequency of Defoliation Events by the California Oak Moth, Phryganidia californica, in a Defined Geographical Area within Former Fort Ord
by Miguel Alvarado

Evaluating the Phenology of California Oak Moths (Phryganidia californica) across California using Inaturalist Observations
by Sean Shea-Lichter

ENVS 402: Independent Capstone - Dr. John Olson
The California Red-Legged Frog, Rana draytonii Habitat: Defining and Predicting their Current and Future Ranges
by Connor Quiroz

ENVS 410/Bio 488: Capstone Seminar/Freshwater Ecology - Dr. John Olson
Comparing New Zealand Mudsnail Populations From Previous Surveys in The Carmel River
by Richard Arcia, Melissa Castillo, Emmanuel Diaz-Campos, Stefano Rincon

Effect of Signal Crayfish Weight on Their Predation of the New Zealand Mud Snail Within the Carmel River
by Charles Armstrong-Huntley, Nathan Oliver, Ashley Rawlins

ENSTU 497: Green Roof Independent Study - Dr. Tori Derr
Gathering CSUMB Community Input: Green Roof Visual Preference Survey Results
by Evelyn La

ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year - Dr. Seth Gustafson
Biophilic Design in Cypress Knolls
by Corinn Biglin, Madison Creech, Katie Lampkin, Anna Lucido, Hunter Romo

Community Energy and Microgrids in Marina
by Skye Murphy-Connolly, Cameron Garrison, Nathan Blakely, Tianyi Luo

Building a College Town: Improving the Relationship between CSUMB and the City of Marina
by Jeannette Sanchez, Ánh Cao, Jacob Diaz, Araceli Suarez-Padilla, Michaela Velasco

Analysis of and Recommendations for Marina's Local Coastal Program
by Chloe Taylor, Amanda Cross, Nate Brown, Ben Pedersen, Andrew Hernandez

Expanding Community Outreach in Marina
by Fernanda De la Cruz-Reynoso, Cienna De Leon, Madison Moreno, Grace Neff, Isabelle Thompson

Spring 2023 Capstone Festival (View recording) 

9:00 AM | Introduction from Department Chair, Dr. Susan Alexander

9:05 AM | ESTP Presentations

ENVS 464: Wildlife Management and Conservation - Dr. Jennifer Duggan 

• "Small mammal responses to wetland restoration with an agricultural matrix" by Joshua Acevedo, Nicholas Castro, Kaylynn Chavez, Elise Vasquez, Kris Weiser, and Alexandra Wojcik 

ENVS 402: Honors Capstone- Dr. Jennifer Duggan 

• "Valley Oak recruitment at the Santa Lucia Preserve in central California" by Mario Coronado Cartmell  

ENVS 475: Projects in Natural Resource Management- Dr. Robert Burton 

• "Quantifying the Benefits of Managed Goat Grazing of the Grasslands of the Fort Ord National Monument" by Samantha Maners, Daniella Espindola, Darius Liles III, Valeria Rodriguez, Raymond Lehrman, and Joshua Lietsch

GEOL 460: River Hydrology and Monitoring- Dr. James Guilinger  

• "Drivers of Trail 1 Instability, Who's Behind the Wheel?" by Fariah Ain Satti, Eric Reid, Tori Klopstock, and Marie Tolteca

11:00 AM | ENSTU Presentation

ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education- Dr. Victoria Derr 

• "Building Community Capacity for Climate Action and Transformative Sustainability Education" by Aleah Adame, Pita Alvarez, Josh Brooks, Philip Cipollone, Michelle Cone, Kyle Detoro, Jack Flynn, Janet Garcia, Renee Gutierrez, Alexis Hernandez, Hunter Isbell, Ryan Laguercia, Annie Jones, Cambria Novelly, Tobias Osborne, Kathryn Patrick, Amber Phillips, Kris Rose, Emilio Santamaria, Jeni Schmedding, Hayli Stewart, and Emily Towne

11:35 AM | Break and Refreshments 

11:45 AM | Poster Presentations 

GEOL 460: River Hydrology and Monitoring- Dr. James Guilinger

• "Drivers of Trail 1 Instability, Who's Behind the Wheel?" by Fariah Ain Satti, Eric Reid, Tori Klopstock, and Marie Tolteca

ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education- Dr. Victoria Derr 

• "Berry Edible: The Teaching of Sustainable Agriculture" by Aleah Adame, Kyle Detoro, Janet Garcia, Renee Gutierrez, and Tobias Osborne
• "Pollinators in Action" by Philip Cipollone, Hunter Isbell, Amber Phillips, Kris Rose, and Hayli Stewart 
• "Enhancing Green Spaces at Los Arboles Middle School" by Pita Alvarez, Josh Brooks, Jack Flynn, Alexis Hernandez, Cambria Novelly, Kathryn Patrick, Emilio Santamaria, and Emily Towne
• "¡La Voz! Placemaking and Community Building: Implementing a Student Voice Center Using Bottom-Up Approaches" by Michelle Cone, Annie Jones, Ryan Laguercia, and Jeni Schmedding

Fall 2022 Capstone Festival (View recording)

9:00 AM | Introduction from Department Chair, Dr. Susan Alexander

9:05 AM | ESTP Presentations

ENVS 410/446: Capstone Seminar/Landscape Ecology- Dr. Jennifer Duggan 

• "Spatial and temporal variation in cat attacks on wildlife"
  by Richard Avelino, Vanessa Garcia, Vicky Luk, Frank
  Raggio, Monica Urias, Samuel Villasenor-Mendibles
• "Mesopredator release in Monterey County: Influence of coyote presence on domestic cat attacks on wildlife" by Thomas Fortunak, Amanda Jones, Stella Mcswain, Madison Pelland, Alicia Ventura, Vanessa Ventura 

ENVS 402: Honors Capstone- Dr. Jennifer Duggan 

• "The effects of native plants on insect pollinators in the urban parks of Seaside, California" by Diego Salgado 

ENVS 410/BIO 448: Capstone Seminar/Freshwater Ecology- Dr. John Olson 

• "Effects of fire break on streams" by Nadia McCoy, Bryan Mendez, Madison "Lane" Castro 
• "Analysis of Carmel River post 2020 Carmel River Fire" by Alana Leyva, Megan Valverde, Peyton Huck

ENVS 402: Honors Capstone- Dr. John Olson 

• "Impacts of Arundo Removal on Aerial invertebrates in Ephemeral Streams" by Natalie Hunter

ENVS 436: Remote Sensing- Dr. Fred Watson 

• "Spatial extent and patterns of defoliation of oaks by moths on the former Ford Ord, Monterey County, California, Fall 2022" by Trent Baker and Amelia Sobrepena

10:35 AM | ENSCI MS Presentation

ENVS 660: Professional Environmental Science- Dr. Fred Watson and Dr. John Olson 

• "Contributions in Support of Land Conservation & Public Access Strategy for the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District" by Anna Herrera, Janelle Vasquez, Kathy Uccello 

10:45 AM | ENSTU Presentations

ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year- Dr. Dan Fernandez 

• "Analysis of Fog Water Collection in Daly City and the North Coast County Water District Communities" by Tatum Bachmeier, Dario Conti, Melissa Diaz-Rios, Jennifer Lagunas Garcia, Gaby Padilla
• "Fog Water Harvesting in San Mateo County" by Demi Cook
• "Cost Estimates for Implementation of Municipal Fog Collectors" by Nathen Blankinship, Hunter Isbell, Heather Knight, Jacob Mortensen, Rafael Perez
• "Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) for Implementation of Fog Collectors" by Rory Engelke, Danijela Jozinovic, Olivia Montosa, Morgan Tschumi
• "Generation of a GIS-based Habitat Suitability Model for Fog
  Abundance in San Mateo County" by Gus Albertsen, Chloe Meteigner, Jacob Morales, Yesenia Segovia Garcia
• "The Future of Fog: An Analysis, Comparison, & Sustainable
  Development Goals (SDG) Evaluation of Fog Collection at Two Sites in Pacifica" by Alani Colmenarez, Olivia Equinoa, Crystelle Vargas

11:10 AM | Break and Refreshments 

11:15 AM | Poster Presentations 

ENSTU 497: Independent Study- Dr. Tori Derr 

• "Campus Green Roof and Green Spaces: Feasibility Study and CSUMB Input" by Lupita Alvarez, Olivia Equinoa, Chloe Meteigner, Sam Nieves, Jeni Schmedding, Yesenia Segovia Garcia 

ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year- Dr. Dan Fernandez 

• "Analysis of Fog Water Collection in Daly City and the North Coast County Water District Communities" by Tatum Bachmeier, Dario Conti, Melissa Diaz-Rios, Jennifer Lagunas Garcia, Gaby Padilla
• "Fog Water Harvesting in San Mateo County" by Demi Cook. 
• "Cost Estimates for Implementation of Municipal Fog Collectors" by Nathen Blankinship, Hunter Isbell, Heather Knight, Jacob Mortensen, Rafael Perez
• "Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for Implementation of Fog Collectors" by Rory Engelke, Danijela Jozinovic, Olivia Montosa, Morgan Tschumi
• "Generation of a GIS-based Habitat Suitability Model for Fog Abundance in San Mateo County" by Gus Albertsen, Chloe Meteigner, Jacob Morales, Yesenia Segovia Garcia
• "The Future of Fog: An Analysis, Comparison, & Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Evaluation of Fog Collection at Two Sites in Pacifica" by Alani Colmenarez, Olivia Equinoa, Crystelle Vargas 

ENVS 402: Honors Capstone- Dr. Jennifer Duggan 

• "Tracking space use of rodents in agricultural ditches" by Phoebe Lord

ENVS 546: Landscape Ecology- Dr. Jennifer Duggan 

• "Cats, coyotes, and cover types- oh my! The landscape of fear in Monterey County" by Sarah Beilman, Erika Garig, Emily Kron

ENVS 410/BIO 448: Capstone Seminar/Freshwater Ecology- Dr. John Olson 

• "Monitoring the Condition of San Jose Creek Post Firebreak Disturbance Event" by Nadia McCoy, Bryan Mendez, Madison "Lane" Castro 
• "Analysis of Carmel River post 2020 Carmel River Fire" by Alana Leyva, Megan Valverde, Peyton Huck  

ENVS 402: Honors Capstone- Dr. John Olson

• "Impacts of Arundo Removal on Aerial Invertebrates in Ephemeral Streams" by Natalie Hunter 

Spring 2022 Capstone Festival (View recording)

The Spring 2022 Capstone Festival took place on Friday, May 20, 2022 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm 

8:30 - 9:00 AM | Light refreshments

9:03 AM | Introduction from Department Chair, Dr. Susan Alexander

9:06 AM | ENSTU Presentations

• "Outdoor Green Spaces at Los Arboles Middle School" by Maximilian Graves, Karina Guzman, Carolina Pantoja. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. 
• "Tending the Soil of Embodied Science Learning" by Maya Cota, Athena Hochevar, Tianna Jones, Holly Julson, Emilee O'Brien. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. 
• "Native Plants: Building a Connection Between 7th Grade Students and the Environment" by Lucia Hercher, Arianna Lara, Emely Real, Zoe Samerjan. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. 
• "In Pursuit of a Food Forest" by Red Glines, Kailee Huebner, Holly James, Ryan Roberts. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. 
• "Introducing Students to Birds and Ecosystem Roles" by Griffin Hunt, Brynna Reilly, Lucia Vega-Escutia. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. 
• "Caring through Cob" by Sam Nieves, Maraena Spencer-Yochelson, Elyse Valdivia. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. 

9:51 AM | ESTP Presentations (ENVS 475)

• "Quantifying Bunchgrass Community Response to Managed Grazing: Culmination of three years of research - Fort Ord National Monument" by Sabrina Bento, Katelyn Navarette, Ariana Chavez, Summer Alinaeem, Ben Versteeg, Marshall Compton, Aaron Ále, Kayla Fon, Gregory Burdine, Karin Itakura. ENVS 475: Projects in Natural Resource Management. Course Professor: Dr. Rob Burton. 

10:30 AM | Break

10:40 AM | ESTP Presentations (GEOL 460)

• "Hydrologic baseline of a brackish five-pond restoration wetland in the first year" by Joshua Ewell, Kaitlynn Funcsh, Arioch M’Greene, Jesse Rodriguez, Alyssa Schaer, and Ryan Wells. GEOL 460: River Hydrology & Monitoring. Course Professor: Andria Greene. 
• "Water quality baseline of a brackish five-pond restoration wetland in the first year" by Andrea Cihasky, Katherine Day, and Gretchen Wichman. GEOL 460: River Hydrology & Monitoring. Course Professor: Andria Greene.
• "Plant and invertebrate baseline of a brackish five-pond restoration wetland in the first year" by Bibiana Carrazco, Mayra Cuevas-Cardenas, Brian Eichel, Valerie Li, and Katherine Melchor. GEOL 460: River Hydrology & Monitoring. Course Professor: Andria Greene.

11:19 AM | ESTP Presentations (ENVS 402)

• "The influence of salinity on leaf litter decomposition rates in tidal streams" by Gretchen Wichman. ENVS 402: Honors Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson. 
  
• "Effects of macroinvertebrates on leaf decomposition rates" by Alyssa Schear. ENVS 402: Honors Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson. 
• "Does the percentage of gravel in a river system have an effect on California Stream Condition Index (CSCI) scores" by Lauren Marshall. ENVS 402: Honors Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson. 
  
• "Detection of the California Floater (Anodonta californiensis) Using eDNA in Fort Hunter Liggett, CA" by Cindy Matuch. ENVS 402: Honors Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson. 

Fall 2021 Capstone Festival (view recording)

The Fall 2021 Capstone Festival took place on Friday, December 17th from 2:00 - 5:00 pm. 

1:30 - 2:00 PM | Light refreshments will be served outside of the library

2:03 PM | Introduction from Department Chair, Dr. Susan Alexander

2:06 PM | ENSTU Oral Presentations

• "Pedestrian and bicycle counts at the intended road diet at the Intersection of E. Alisal Street and Hebbron Avenue in Salinas" by Wendy Feng, Justin Luis, Ethan Quaranta, and Kevin Edmondson. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez. 
• "Pedestrian and bicycle counts at the intended road diet at the Intersection of E. Alisal Street and Madeira Avenue in Salinas" by Joshua Wozynski, Spencer Montoya, and Harrison Rushworth. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez. 
• "Pedestrian and bicycle counts at the intended road diet at the Intersection of E. Alisal Street and Wood Street in Salinas" by Rachel Torres, Jennifer Moreno, Candi Whitehead, Mariah Windmon, Claire Larson, Jose Santillan. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez. 
• "Pedestrian and bicycle user behaviors prior to and following the intended E. Alisal road diet project" by Logan Phillips, Tyler Winters, Caroline Willett, Gabriella Ulloa, Paula Maldonado. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez. 
• "Story Map of Community Involvement in Restoration at Fort Ord National Monument" by Alisa Lopez. ENSTU 494: Capstone Internship. Course Professor: Dr. Suzy Worcester. 

3:18 PM | ESTP & ENSCI (M.S.) Oral Presentations

• "Population Dynamics as Bacterial and Algal Species Interact in Unfavorable Conditions" by Armando Flores. ENVS 402: Honors Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. Arlene Haffa. 
• "Regrowth of Chaparral Vegetation after Fire and the Impacts of Bulldozed Fuel Breaks" by Timothy Randazzo (ESTP). ENVS 436: Remote Sensing. Course Professor: Dr. Fred Watson. 
• "Native plant restoration design and success criteria at Fort Ord Dunes Campground" by Aubrie Heckel, California Biordi, Emma Debasitis, Brooke Fulkerson, Lissa Giacalone, Adrian Gonzalez, Connie Machuca, Shawn Melendy, Duncan Miller, Isaac Nicholes, Kierra Rambonga, Monica Sanchez, Michelle Tarian (ENSCI MS). ENVS 660: Professional Environmental Science. Course Professor: Dr. Fred Watson. 
• "Assessing habitat use of small vertebrates using noninvasive camera surveys" by Sienna Carrillo, Grant Ehlers, Zoey Madsen, Annabelle McCarthy, Corina Reed, Alexsa Rivera, Jasmine Rodriguez, and Isaiah Woodard. ENVS 410/446: Capstone Seminar. Course Professor: Dr. Jennifer Duggan. 

4:14 PM | ESTP Oral Presentations (continued)

• "Predicting groundwater nitrogen concentrations in the Salinas Valley" by Bonnie Dawson, Epifanio Estrada, Ashley Morris, Kyle Zentner. ENVS 410/448: Capstone Seminar. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson. 
• "Assessing the effects of adding large woody debris on stream invertebrates" by Jasmine Costanzo, Veronica Moran, Artemis Sophocleous, Nate Walton. ENVS 410/448: Capstone Seminar. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson. 
• "Using stalgmites delta18 O to determine past precipitation" by Esra Reichert. ENVS 497: Independent Study. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson. 

Spring 2021 Virtual Capstone Festival

The Department of Applied Environmental Science Capstone Festival took place on Thursday, May 20th from 2:00 - 5:00 pm.

Spring 2021 Schedule

2:00 PM | Introduction from Department Chair, Dr. Susan Alexander

2:03 PM | ESTP Oral Presentations

• "Quantifying degradation of environmental DNA by microbes". By Emma Teall. ENVS 402: Independent Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson. 
• "Post-fire Debris Flows in the Carmel Watershed: Assessing USGS predictions and impacts on steelhead spawning gravel". By Colin Bergman, Devon Campbell, Alyssa French, Rebecca Munster, Charlotte Obiedzenski, Gabriel Quintana, Joseph Randolph, Andi Susantio, Mattole Whitaker, Skylar Wolfe, Conor Zumbach. GEOL 460: River Hydrology, Assessment, & Monitoring. Course Professor: Dr. Doug Smith. 
• "Monitoring and Managing Grasslands on Fort Ord National Monument". By Clarisa Rosas, Cassandra Tice, Ben Ferguson, Sam Letofsky, Lauren Tiffany, Daisy Flores. ENVS 475: Projects in Natural Resource Management. Course Professor: Dr. Robert Burton. 

3:03 PM | ENSTU Oral Presentations

• "Pacific Grove Recreation Trail: Assessment of Trail Usage between the areas of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Lovers Point". By: Katie Koch and Caitlin teNyenhuis. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez. 
• "A park restoration plan for George Washington Park". By Hailey Rizzo, Jacob Hilliker, and Mauricio Lopez. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "SB 1383: Pacific Grove’s Adoption of Municipal Composting". By Ava Castro, Tessa Chimits, Alexis Myers, Alan Sevin, and Jillian Stanley. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Living laboratories on university campuses: A botanical garden conceptual plan for California State University Monterey Bay". By Trinity Gomez. ENSTU 497: Independent Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. 
• "CA Green Schools: An Exploration of their Distribution, Sustainable Practices, and Transformative Potential". By Danielle Allison, Adian Banuelos, Justin Carroll, Carolyn Davidson, Michaela Decker, Brittany Elsman, Brody Faustina, Madison Frazier, Trinity Gomez, Marthaselena Haro Gomez, Haley Hernandez, Camden Leavitt, Azael Mazun, Cristan Molinelli-Ruberto, Olivia Mongarro, Allison Parrish, Cheyenne Sheckells, Kylee Stuck, Laura Vivanco Morales, Judah Young, Jahaira Zaragoza. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. 

9:00 AM | Brief Introduction from Department Chair, Dr. Susan Alexander

9:03 AM | ESTP Oral Presentations

• "Measuring the Extent of New Zealand Mud Snail Invasion around Monterey Bay". By Alicia Khuon, Angelo DiMarco, Ivie Foster, Melissa Inopiquez, Gerardo Ramos. ENVS 410: Capstone Seminar. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "The Effects of Wildfire on Benthic Macroinvertebrates in the Carmel River". By Brenda Cervantes, Joseph Coronado, Nick Gonzales, Emily Johnson, Sarah Munro-Kennedy. ENVS 410: Capstone Seminar. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Applying the Environmental Preferences of Bryophyte (Moss) Genera". By Jess Turner. ENVS 402: Honors Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Effects of the Removal of Invasive Giant Cane on Aerial Macroinvertebrates". By Jon Carmichael. ENVS 402: Honors Capstone. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Using an ecosystem services approach to inform habitat management in Pacific Grove, CA". By Carlo Battaglia, Hannah Carrell, An Dao, Geovanny Espinoza, Saul Garcia, James Green, Janelle Jimenez, Gloria Kowall, Madison McCaslin, Kat Molinari, Kat Patrice, Giselle Suarez, Jessica Whitaker. ENVS 410: Capstone Seminar (Landscape Ecology). Course Professor: Dr. Jennifer Duggan.

10:30 AM | ENSTU Oral Presentations

• "Butterfly Migration and Urban Sprawl". By Marissa Castro, Kurt Hofer, Jasmine Leon, Carolynne Lockling, Riley Vera. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Butterfly Migration and Wildfires". By Alex Bouzigues, Miakoda Ford, Jacob Lockler, Kamille Sharma. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Social Justice, Green Space, and Number of Parks in CA Cities". By Mia Bell, Andrew Brunn, Savannah Jimenez. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Mosquito-Borne West Nile Virus and Policy Considerations for the city of Pacific Grove". By Philip Branton. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Active Transport and Climate Action". By Robert Harding, Carmen Reyna, Chris Shatto. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Sustainable Pacific Grove Water Stations". By Charlotte Brenner, Shelby Fredrick. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Public Versus Private Water". By Patrick Cox, Cinthia Kneemeyer, Sean Riley, Taylor Wills. ENSTU 471: Projects for Sustainable City Year. Course Professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.

Spring 2020 Schedule

1:00 PM | Brief Introduction from Department Chair, Dr. Suzy Worcester

1:03 PM | ESTP Oral Presentations

• "Predicting the Spread of the Invasive New Zealand Mud Snail in the Carmel River." By Natalie Vaughn. ENVS 402: Honors Capstone Seminar. Course Professor: Dr. John Olson.
• A series of capstone presentations about 'An Analytical Framework for Monitoring and Managing Grasslands on Fort Ord National Monument' by ENVS 475: Projects in Natural Resource Management. Course Professor: Dr. Robert Burton.
  • "Analysis of Survey Methods and Vegetative Shifts in Response to Focused Grazing Practices." By Ashley Smith, Austin Ta, Rosemary Vazquez, Samanatha Lee. ENVS 475: Projects in Natural Resource Management. Course Professor: Dr. Robert Burton.
  • "Geostatistical Approaches to Spatial Modeling of Ground Cover." By: Stefanie Jorgensen, Ryan Perez. ENVS 475: Projects in Natural Resource Management. Course Professor: Dr. Robert Burton.
  • "Classifying Ground Cover at Fort Ord National Monument Using Sentinel-2 NDVI." By Riley Ransom, Jasmin Arjona, Morgan Haag. ENVS 475: Projects in Natural Resource Management. Course Professor: Dr. Robert Burton.

1:55 PM | 5-minute break

2:00 PM | ESTP Oral Presentations (continued)

• "Did San Clemente Dam Removal Increase Flood Risk on the Lower Carmel River?" By Brittany Scerini, Diana Murillo, Kristi Kisso-Martinez, Lauren Castanon, Monica Martinez and Patrick Lopez. GEOL 460: River Hydrology, Assessment, & Monitoring. Course Professor: Dr. Doug Smith.
• "Changes to Steelhead Spawning Gravel Abundance Following San Clemente Dam Removal." By Rolando Aguilar, Elizabeth Hernandez, Matthew Papurello and Chelsea Rutt. GEOL 460: River Hydrology, Assessment, & Monitoring. Course Professor: Dr. Doug Smith.

2:25 PM | ENSTU Oral Presentations

• "Effective Science Communication: A Narrative Journey." By Kasey Muñoz. ENSTU 497: Independent Capstone in Environmental Studies. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. [live presentation]
• A series of capstone presentations about 'Environmental literacy at Los Arboles Middle School' by: ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr.
  • "Engaging Students in Ocean Friendly Practices through the Head, Heart, and Hands." By Kristina Lee and Jocelyn Mercado. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. [pre recorded presentation]
  • "Building Owl Boxes with Local Youth: Developing Action Competence." By Ryan Griffin, Toby McAllister, and Mara McEntee. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. [pre recorded presentation]
  • "The Power of Environmental Advocacy: Supporting Native Predatory Birds who Remove Garden Pests." By Ana Gonzalez and Timothy Vance. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. [pre recorded presentation]
  • "Using Cob Building to Engage the Head-Heart-Hands of Middle School Students." By Mika AmayaWood, Yvette Diaz-Samayoa, Diana Miranda, and Jamie Skillen. ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education. Course Professor: Dr. Victoria Derr. [pre recorded presentation]

Fall 2019 Schedule

9:05 AM | ESTP Oral Presentations

• "Patterns of outdoor cat predation in central California". By Marinn Browne, Erin Elm, Griffin Hummeldorf, and Larissa Neilson. ENVS 446. Course professor: Dr. Jenny Duggan.
• "Removal of Arundo donax improves benthic macroinvertebrate diversity". By Fransico (Paco) Villegas. ENVS 402. Course professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Determining the Ideal Number of Ramp Traps for Dry Stream Sampling Using Species Area Curves". By Madison McCarty. ENVS 402. Course professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Detection of California Red-Legged Frogs in Monterey County using Environmental DNA". By Kathryn Nickel, Bijan Emadi, and Jessica Skaggs. BIO 448. Course professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Quantifying the progress of the New Zealand Mudsnail (P. antipodarum) invasion in the lower Carmel River". By Anthony Yung, Bridget Rittmann, Kayla Lane, and Madyson Slaven. BIO 448. Course professor: Dr. John Olson.

10:05 AM | 10-minute break

10:15 AM | ESTP & ENSTU Poster Session

• "Patterns of outdoor cat predation in central California". By Alexus Cobarrubias, Will Gorham, and Yessica Cuevas Perez. ENVS 446. Course professor: Dr. Jenny Duggan.
• "Removal of Arundo donax improves benthic macroinvertebrate diversity". By Paco Villegas. ENVS 402. Course professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Determining the Ideal Number of Ramp Traps for Dry Stream Sampling Using Species Area Curves". By Madison McCarty. ENVS 402. Course professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Detection of California Red-Legged Frogs in Monterey County using Environmental DNA". By Kathryn Nickel, Bijan Emadi, and Jessica Skaggs. BIO 448. Course professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "Quantifying the progress of the New Zealand Mudsnail (P. antipodarum) invasion in the lower Carmel River". By Anthony Yung, Bridget Rittmann, Kayla Lane, and Madyson Slaven. BIO 448. Course professor: Dr. John Olson.
• "A Bike Lane Study and Plan for the City of Pacific Grove". By Joseph Huerta, Josh Bowman, Neil Morrison, Rilynn Misa, and Darryl Lewis. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Development of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure in the City of Pacific Grove". By Mitchell Balce, Stephano Murguia, Lauren Bailey, Ezekiel Avila, Joshua Norden, and Bryan Jung. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Stormwater Runoff in Pacific Grove: Mitigation Techniques and Public Outreach". By Shannon Skidmore, Jordan McCabe, Kevin Weaver, and Eleanor Markarian. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Green Business Certification in the City of Pacific Grove". By Jiane Dionisio, Miki Ijima, Natalie Olivas, Richard Conell, Skylar Saechao, and Marrion Gestat. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Single-Use Plastic Ordinance in the City of San Juan Bautista". By Jack Jarvis, Alyssa Albert, Brianna Arroyo, Vanessa Arroyo-Sanchez, Evalina Hansen, and David Valenzuela. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.

11:00 AM | ENSTU Oral Presentations

• "A Bike Lane Study and Plan for the City of Pacific Grove". By Joseph Huerta, Josh Bowman, Neil Morrison, Rilynn Misa, and Darryl Lewis. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Stormwater Runoff in Pacific Grove: Mitigation Techniques and Public Outreach". By Shannon Skidmore, Jordan McCabe, Kevin Weaver, and Eleanor Markarian. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Green Business Certification in the City of Pacific Grove". By Jiane Dionisio, Miki Ijima, Natalie Olivas, Richard Conell, Skylar Saechao, and Marrion Gestat. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Development of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure in the City of Pacific Grove". By Mitchell Balce, Stephano Murguia, Lauren Bailey, Ezekiel Avila, Joshua Norden, and Bryan Jung. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.
• "Single-Use Plastic Ordinance in the City of San Juan Bautista". By Jack Jarvis, Alyssa Albert, Brianna Arroyo, Vanessa Arroyo-Sanchez, Evalina Hansen, and David Valenzuela. ENSTU 471. Course professor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez.

10:00 AM - Oral Presentations: Environmental Science, Technology & Policy

• Steelhead Passage and Channel Stability Following Dam Removal on the Carmel River, CA (Spring 2019). By Mikaela Bogdan, Katelyn Datan, Rene De La Fuente, David Nava, Rene Nunez, Madalyn Price, Samantha Scalise,Peter Vannerus, Trenton Westerson. Course: GEOL 460. Professor: Dr. Doug Smith.
• Establishing an Analytical Framework for Monitoring and Managing Native Bunchgrass on Fort Ord National Monument: Focused Grazing Treatment, Field Data Collection Techniques, and Interpolation Models. By Cheyenne Ford, Brittany Godwin, Nathan Hardoin, Axel Kent, Julius Lubin, Duncan Miller, Tiffany Rivera, Crecencia Sanchez, Shaylea Stark. Course: ENVS 475. Instructor: Dr. Rob Burton.
• Comparison of Supervised and Unsupervised Image Classification Methodologies to Assess Open Ground Extent on Fort Ord National Monument. By Carina Aguilar, Karla Jassa, Madison Ono, Peter Vannerus. Course: ENVS 475. Instructor: Dr. Rob Burton.
• Assessing Temporary Streams in California: Are Bryophytes Stable Indicators of Dry Stream Health? By Megan Rodenbeck. Course: ENVS 402. Professor: Dr. John Olson.
  

11:05 AM | 15-minute break

11:20 AM - Oral Presentations: Biology

• Predicting Growth Efficiency of Pesticide-Remediating Bacteria Using a Gompertz Equation-Based Model. By Dominique Scott. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan. Research advisor: Dr. Nathaniel Jue.
• Toxin Sensitivity of Sea Anemone Shaker Channels. By Daniel Olivares. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan. Research advisor: Dr. Zambrano Timothy Jegla.
• Reference Intervals of Electrocardiographic Parameters for Sedated Southern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). By Jessica Folck; Michael Murray, DVM; Michael Lesser, DVM, ACVIM Cardiology. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• The first de novo genome sequence for the sex-changing Sea Goldie, Pseudanthias squamipinnis. By Josue Duque, Dakota Jackson, Mercedez Lam. Courses: BIO 410, BIO 492. Professor: Dr. Nathaniel Jue.

12:20 PM | 40-minute lunch break

1:00 PM - Poster Presentations: Biology, Environmental Science, Technology & Policy

• Effects of Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation on Antibiotic Resistance in Soil-Borne Bacteria and Crop Yield. By Shane Brennen, Christopher Gonzales, Cheyenne Rees, Monica Esquivel-Zarate, & Malia Dietz. Course: BIO 421. Instructor: Jennifer Kato.
• The Effect of Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation on the Morphology of Bacterial Populations in Agricultural Soil. By Briann Warchut,Tyler Kenney, Perla Haddad, Jessica Yates. Course: BIO 421. Instructor: Jennifer Kato.
• Assessment of microbial diversity and nitrate reduction potential of ASD-treated bacteria. By Micaela Colmenarez, Melissa Fidler, Kyle Lamb, Amitesh Kumar, Kenneth Urbanski. Course: BIO 421. Instructor: Jennifer Kato.
• β-Lactam Antibiotic Resistance in Isolated Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation Treated Bacteria. By Sharon Vielman, Brenda Ramirez, Clara Saldana, Stephanie Gutierrez, Marisol Cano. Course: BIO 421. Instructor: Jennifer Kato.
• Analysis of Enzymatic Activity of ASD Treated and Non-treated Soil Bacteria. By Jaelyn Rojas, Lauren Ha, Andrea Rivas, Malik Yasin. Course: BIO 421. Instructor: Jennifer Kato.
• Comparison of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Pre-ASD and Post-ASD Treated Soil. By Miranda Mora, Marc Jacquez, Cherina Billington, Fernando Sedano, Klarissa Flores-Magana. Course: BIO 421. Instructor: Jennifer Kato.
• Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance to b-lactam in pre and post ASD treatment. By Brian Schulze, Yulia Loshkareva, Jacob Valencia, Matthew Morris, Harlee Rorro. Course: BIO 421. Instructor: Jennifer Kato.
• Observed Shift of Microbial Communities Between Pre and Post ASD Samples. By Emanuel Leon, Sydnee Winbush, Frankie Vasquez, Laiza Hernandez, Uma Crouch. Course: BIO 421. Instructor: Jennifer Kato.
• Quantifying the Cross-Sensitivity of Glass pH Electrodes in Alkaline Solutions. John Goeltz PhD (research advisor). By: Olivia Boisen, Alesha Corral, Emily Pope and John Goeltz PhD. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• Predicting Growth Efficiency of Pesticide-Remediating Bacteria Using the Gompertz Equation for Predicting Modeling. Nathaniel Jue PhD. (research advisor). By Dominique Scott, Nathaniel Jue PhD. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• Toxin Sensitivity of Sea Anemone Shaker Channels. Zambrano Timothy Jegla PhD (research advisor). By Daniel Olivares. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• Testing the Influence of Intraspecific Variation in Behavior on Foraging Decisions by Shrubland Small Mammals. By Miya Fukutomi, Jennifer Duggan PhD. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• Reference Intervals of Electrocardiographic Parameters for Sedated Southern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). By Jessica Folck; Michael Murray, DVM; Michael Lesser, DVM, ACVIM Cardiology. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• Investigation of the Lip1 protein in early G1 events in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. By Dominic Elijah DiSiliva, Doug R Kellogg PhD, Aparna Sreenivasan PhD. Course: BIO 491. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• Annotation of contig 49 of Drosophila takahashii. By Lisbeth Alvarez, Aparna Sreenivasan PhD. Course: BIO 492, BIO 461. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• Evolutionary Conservation of Mael-PD in D. takahashii. By Alexander Torres, Aparna Sreenivasan PhD. Course: BIO 492, BIO 461. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• Using Comparative Genomics to Study Evolutionary Conservation Between Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila takahashii. By Gwyneth Harris and Aparna Sreenivasan PhD. Course: BIO 492, BIO 461. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• The Relationship Between Arthropod Communities and the Present of Lichen in Oak Woodlands. By Elizabeth Reyes Gallegos and Gerick Bergsma, PhD (research advisor). Course: BIO 461. Professor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan.
• The first de novo Genome Sequence for the Sex-Changing Sea Goldie, Pseudanthias squamipinnis. By Josue Duque, Dakota Jackson, Mercedez Lam. Course: BIO 410. Professor: Dr. Nathaniel Jue.
• Assessing Accuracy and Precision of Drone Imagery at Otter Landing Zone. By Mikaela Bogdan, Katelyn Datan, Rene De La Fuente, David Nava, Rene Nunez, Madalyn Price, Samantha Scalise, Peter Vannerus, Trenton Westerson. Course: GEOL 460. Professor: Dr. Doug Smith.
• Assessing Temporary Streams in California: Are Bryophytes Stable Indicators of Dry Stream Health? By Megan Rodenbeck. Course: ENVS 402. Professor: Dr. John Olson.

11:30 AM - Oral Presentations: Biology

• Creating a Dry Index for Non-Perennial Rivers and Streams. By Emma Haines. Course: BIO 491. Capstone Instructor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan, Research Advisor: Dr. John Olson.
• New Materials for Batteries: Gross and Fine Tuning of Redox Activity. By Parker Smith. Course: BIO 491. Capstone Instructor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan, Research Advisor: Dr. John Goeltz.

12:00 PM | 30-minute lunch break

12:30 - 2:00 PM | Poster Presentations

Biology Posters | Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Kato "Projects in Microbiology"; Course: BIO 421

• Analysis of Bacteria Isolated from the Gill of a Rockfish Native to the Santa Cruz Kelp Bed. By Jordan Kasiah, Peter Cavallaro, Jesus Arellano, Kaylee Koh, Adriana Arias.
• Denitrification Capabilities of Isolated Bacteria from KGB Rockfish exposed to Hypoxic, Oxic, and Varying pH Conditions. By Awatef Barta, Berenice Hernandez, Annalise Rodriguez, Jasmine Vargas, Vivian Nguyen.
• Environmental Influences on Pseudomonas Resistance to Antibiotics. By Cindy Gonzalez, Trephena Mazoz, Kiara Medina, Alyssa White.
• P. aeruginosa: A potential facilitator in the breakdown and digestion of polycyclics. By Megan Baxley, Sallie Canumay, Daniela Juarez Badilla.
• The effects of varying pO2 and pH levels of Pseudomonas sustainability in rockfish. By Calvin Tran, Kinnedy Houston, Lia Cuevas, Roberto Ladino, Sabrina Carter.
• Comparative Analysis of Pseudomonas isolated from KGB rockfish treated in hypoxic v. oxic conditions. By Spencer Fern, Savannah Willems, Natalie Hicklin, Maria Del Carmen Rocha, Samuel Alarcon.
• Predicting the Penicillin Resistance of P. aeruginosa. By Eli Weiss.
• Variability of antibiotic resistance in bacteria genera comparing hypoxic and oxic cultures isolated from KGB rockfish. By Carolina Soehnchen, Bryan Sierra-Rivera, Calvin Liu, Marisa Gutierrez.

Biology Posters (cont.) | Capstone Instructor: Dr. Aparna Sreenivasan; Course: BIO 491

• Creating a Dry Index for Non-Perennial Rivers and Streams. By Emma Haines. Course: Research Advisor: Dr. John Olson.
• New Materials for Batteries: Gross and Fine Tuning of Redox Activity. By Parker Smith. Course: Research Advisor: Dr. John Goeltz.

Environmental Studies Posters | Advisor: Dr. Daniel Fernandez; Course: ENSTU 471

• Bi-lingual Plant Guide. By Tanya Amaro, Maria Cardenas, Abigail Melchor-Aguila, Jillian Robb, Andrea Vega.
• Fruit Tree Survey. By Blanche Duann, Jessica Laufer, Eessa Vanderspek, Alexander Wallach.
• Fremont Blvd. Redesign. By Sara Bricker, Fady Ellaham, Dallas Perriera, Roman Puppo.
• Compost Collection. By Fabiola Larios, Jakob Method, Emily Reynolds, Stephanie Wolfe.
• Linear Park Planning. By Natalie Buffo, Anthony Cruz, Brian Jackson, Joshua Penick, Rebecca Pope.

Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy Posters | Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Duggan; Course: ENVS 446.

• Using an ecosystem services approach to inform management of campus green spaces. By Will Allen, Justin Castaneda, Rosie Eisner, Mark Pena, Abigail Rivera, Haley Unmacht.

Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy Posters | Advisor: Dr. John Olson; Course: BIO 448.

• The Invasive New Zealand Mud Snail: An Analysis on Velocity Tolerances. By Katharina Zimmermann, Kelsey Trammell.
• Arthropods Collected from Streamside Vegetation as Bioindicators of Dry Stream Health. By Christopher Terry.

Spring 2017 Capstone Program

Fall 2016 Capstone Program

Spring 2016 Capstone Program

Fall 2015 Capstone Program

Spring 2015 Capstone Program

Fall 2014 Capstone Program