Student Projects

Environmental Sociology students have created podcasts available on Spotify and on Apple podcasts, featuring episodes on: 

• The environmental impact of music festivals
• Tensions between surfers and conservationists over berms at Aliso Creek
• Beach access in Southern California
• Air quality near the ports of LA
• Outdoor access for BIPoC people
• Pismo clams and efforts of citizen scientists

Recent ENST capstone projects:

• Avalon Andrews, “The Alleopathic Potential of Sweet Potato Cultivars: Suppressing Invasive Weeds with Agroecological Farming” with Prof. Sara Johnson
• Steve Anticona, “Proportional Analysis of Adult Daughters to Founder Mother Mites as a Possible Early Warning System in the Management of Varroa destructor in A. mellifera Colonies” with Professors Sara Johnson, Scott Hewitt, and Elaine Lewinnek
• Hannah Batchelor, “Rose Gardens of the Rich and Powerful: What Do Roses Signify?” with Prof. Sara Fingal
• Nathaniel Carbajal, ""Beyond the Canopy: Engaging First-Generation Youth in Urban Forest Ecology & Environmental Justice" with Prof. Trevis Mattheus 
• Nathalie Carrillo, “Determining the Genetic Structure and Diversity of Restored Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Beds in Newport Bay” with Prof. Jennifer Burnaford
• Mayra Chavez-Tobar, “Food Waste Diversion from Landfills through Food Pantries” with Prof. Justin Tucker
• Riley Christie, ""Heath Risk Assessment of PFAS Contamination in California's Drinking Water Systems" with Prof. Sudarshan Kurwadkar
• Gianna Diaz-Porraz, "Abalone Shellfish Species Differentiation” with Prof. Doug Eernisse  
• Aimee Frappied, “Eco- and Sustainable Branding: A Case Study of Sustainability Assessments and Effects on Consumer Behaviors” with Prof. April Bullock
• Christina Furio, “A Comparative Analysis of Site Management Plans to Assist in the Recovery of Wintering and Breeding Western Snowy Plovers at Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach, California” with Prof. Tony Bomkamp
• Prasad Galhena, “Per- and Polyflouroalkyl Substances in the Environment: An Overview of the Occurrence, Distribution, and Remediation” with Prof. Sudarshan Kurwadkar
• Leon Garoyan, “Overview of Municipal Solid Waste Options” with Prof. Justin Tucker
• Matthew Gonzalez, "“Mapping the Distribution of the Temblor Legless Lizard: A Potentially Endangered Species in California’s Highly Modified Central Valley” with Prof. James Parham 
• Karolina Guerrero, “Decolonial Research: Exploration of Human-Environmental Relationships and Indigenous Epistemologies” with Prof. Sarah Grant
• Amy Heil, “Foraging Behavior of Mammalian Herbivore in Response to Predation Risk” with Prof. Sara Johnson
• Gabriel Hernandez, "“Bees as Biomonitors at CSUF’s U-ACRE Garden” with Prof. Sara Johnson 
• Alex Lewandowski, “Habitat Restoration and Maintenance Plan for the California Native Meadow at the Fullerton Arboretum” with Prof. Trina Ming
• Maddie Marowitz, ""Burn Severity Assessment of the Thomas Fire Using Landsat Satellite Imagery" with Prof. Jindong Wu 
• Steven Mendoza, “Site Restoration Using the Pleistocene Plants of California” with Prof. Trina Ming
• Calvin Nguyen, “Vermiculture Community Connections” with Prof. Sara Johnson
• Jase Oesterblad, “Challenging the National Wetland Plant List Indicator Status of Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca)” with Prof. Tony Bomkamp
• Martika Orozco, “Dinosaurs in Los Angeles County: A Photo-Ethnography of Oil Wells” with Prof. Sarah Grant
• Avery Patterson, “Shore Bird Reaction to Oyster and Eelgrass Restoration” with Prof. William Hoese
• Aelna Sakamoto, “Mojave River Forks Dam Habitat Management Plan” with Prof. Justin Tucker
• Nicole Steplewski,“Exploring the Anatomical Differences in Juvenile and Adult Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) Filter Pads” with Prof. Misty Paig-Tran
• Ranela Sunga, "“The Efficacy of Signage in Reducing Food Waste in a University Cafeteria” with Prof. Elaine Lewinnek 
• Mike Ventri, “A Disaster-Resistant Building Design: Sustaining a Minimal Ecological Footprint” with Prof. April Bullock
• Andrew Scott Williams, “Remote Sensing of a Wetland” with Prof. Rich Laton
• Ifeyani Williams, “Are California Native, Edible/Medicinal Pollinators More Effective at Attracting Pollinators than Non-Natives?” with Prof. April Bullock
• Grace Young, “Environmental Stewardship and Social Interactions with Interpretive Signage among Visitors in a Marine Protected Area in Orange County” with Prof. Jennifer Burnaford