Research

A screenshot of video showing virtual reality rendering of the Honey Run Covered Bridge,.

A Virtual Vision of Recovery

With state-of-the-art technology and fast-paced research, students preserved a virtual scan of the historic Honey Run Covered Bridge—and it may help bring it back.

A Stronger Sense of Space

Master’s candidate Mary Gibaldi focused her English studies on the subject of space in literary worlds while discovering her own new expression of “home.”

Brett Day works on the print making press.

Leaving—and Receiving—a Lasting Impression

A rolling stone most of his young life, Brett Day put down roots in Chico long enough to find a new love: printmaking. Now, he's off to explore again.

Chico State professor Garrett Liles stands a podium as he speaks to a crowd of students.

What Can We Learn From the Dirt?

On this episode of Out of Curiosity, professor Garrett Liles explains why soil is "the most important thing on the earth."

The Search for What Remains

Leading the nation's largest recovery effort since 9/11, Chico State's Human Identification Laboratory responded to the Camp Fire for the crucial, yet daunting task of searching for human remains.

Faculty Ashley Kendell (left) and P. Willey (right) work in the Anthropology Department Human Identification Laboratory.

Finding Answers Through Forensics

The Human Identification Laboratory's faculty members operate the most experienced forensic lab west of Texas, providing vital information on dozens of homicides, traumas, and cold cases every year.

Illustration of a person kneeling and holding out a heart to a person who is huddled up and appears to be under a dark cloud

How To: Help Someone in Pain

How do you speak to a loved one has experienced loss or trauma? Psychology professor and therapist Kyle Horst offers some tips.

Professor Nandi Crosby speaks with a small group

How Do We Talk to Each Other About Race?

On this episode of the podcast, sociology professor Nandi Crosby-Jordan examines how cultural and racial differences can and should shape our conversations with each other.

Holly Nevarez, Peter Hansen, Jennifer Wilking, David Philhour, and Susan Roll (left to right) pose for a photo in City Plaza.

Campus Research Probes ‘Sit-Lie’

Chico State researchers perform an extensive case study to evaluate city policies impacting unsheltered people.

Take Action, Demand Satisfaction: Managing Anxiety

On this episode of the podcast "Out of Curiosity," professor Joel Minden explains anxiety and suggests some strategies for managing it.

Janet Jackson and Barry Daffurn pose for a photo with three other men.

Cinq founder enjoying the sound of success

Alum Barry Daffurn has long embraced the world of digital distribution. Now he is the founder of Cinq Music Group, a Los Angeles-based music and entertainment management company with its finger on the pulse of digital music trends and distribution practices.

A giant smoke column is seen exploding from flames on a darkened hillside as a wildfire rages out of control.

The Rise of Megafires

As wildfires grow faster, larger, and more deadly every day, alumni and faculty share professional and personal perspectives on what’s happening, why, and how we can respond.

Two hands hold an Army cap, which contains two dog tags, an American flag patch, and tags reading "Lewis" and "U.S. Army."

Who Helps the Heroes?

For help acclimating to civilian life and a college world starkly different from their military service, veteran students seek support from those who understand them best: other veterans.

Cathrine Himberg poses while her students move in a blur in the background

How To: Go From Thinking About Exercise to Actually Doing It

Sometimes the gap between wanting to be physically active and actually doing it can feel as wide as the Grand Canyon. Kinesiology professor Cathrine Himberg offers some tips.

Three men in protective eyewear do laser testing over a table.

Physics Research Institute Examines Space and Time

From using laser pulses to study reactions in unfathomably small time periods, to examining how stars behave over incredibly long ones, physics undergraduate researchers explored the universe this summer.

President Gayle Hutchinson laughs with graduate students Valerie Sgheiza and Mallory Peters as they stand on a dock on the Sacramento River.

Finding Answers in the River

An interdisciplinary team of Chico State faculty and graduate students conduct research on the Sacramento River to establish predictable patterns in drowning cases and create an app to aid law enforcement in decreasing recovery time.

The inside of a VR viewer headset as it's prepared to be placed on the head, from the photographer's perspective.

VR Class Brews up a Hit with Big-Name Partner

To further prove virtual and augmented reality's place in University curriculum, a new collaborative class partnered with a Chico legend: the world-renowned craft brewery Sierra Nevada.

Autumn Robertson paints a mural of a woman on a campus wall.

Ideas on the wall: Murals course shares art with the public

Through the process of pitching, commissioning, and completing projects, students learn a valuable lesson: There is much more to public art than the image.

Michaela Marr studies needles on a tree.

Opting Outside: Students Plunge Into Watershed for Immersive Course

One class spent two incredible weekends camping on Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve and exploring study sites ranging from the Sacramento River all the way upstream to the creek headwaters, to understand how the watershed works as a whole and learn about the wildlife that exists there.

Students show off metal and paper straw alternatives

Get Ready: Chico State is Going Strawless

Chico State goes through 130,000 plastic straws every year. Starting April 23, these single-use items will be no longer be sold on campus.

A student holds a young child in her arms at the Kristina Chesterman Memorial Clinic.

Living Her Dream

The opening of the Kristina Chesterman Memorial Clinic in Nigeria marked a dream come true, not only for its namesake but for faculty, classmates, and students who follow in her footsteps.

Student Nurse Kaetlyn Alvarez works at the Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe over the winter session as part of her nursing preceptorship in the Rural California Nursing Preceptorship program. Nursing students receive 150 hours of hands-on clinical experience over three weeks. (Jessica Bartlett/University Photographer)

Little Town Lifelines

The only program of its kind in the nation, Chico State's Rural California Nursing Preceptorships program gives nursing students 150 hours of valuable hands-on learning in a clinical setting, while providing rural hospitals with extra staffing they so greatly need.

On the Hunt for Avian Influenza Virus

While the work may be dirty, the goal is more glamorous. Chico State virologist Troy Cline and students are identifying avian influenza viruses in waterfowl in hopes of preventing threats to human health and the US poultry industry.

Graduate student Dylan Stompe (left) drives a boat along with Carlos Estrada (right) as students count salmon as part of a Summer Undergraduate Research Program (UGR) involved in the Chico STEM Connections Collaborative (CSC2) program on the Sacramento River on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/University Photographer)

Saving the Salmon

Chico State students and faculty members join forces with high-profile partners and the United States Bureau of Reclamation in multi-million dollar mission to save the Chinook salmon.

Lance Mitchell extends his hand to touch his virtual surroundings while wearing the Microsoft HoloLens.

Vision Becomes (Virtual) Reality: Collaborative VR Course Presents Opportunities

Seeking to incorporate newly developed technology into journalism, the Departments of Computer Animation and Game Development, Journalism and Public Relations, and Media Arts, Design, and Technology teamed up to bring cutting-edge virtual reality technology to collaborative classrooms.

Close Encounters of the Insect Kind

A trip to Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve to aid in the North American Butterfly Association's annual butterfly count proves more elusive than imagined.

Forensic Anthropology graduate students Heather MacInnes, 33 (left) and Martha Diaz, 24, (right) work on human bones Human Identification Laboratory on Thursday, July 21, 2016 in Chico, Calif. The Human Identification Laboratory provides forensic anthropology services to state and federal law enforcement, medical examiners and attorneys. These services include search and recovery of human remains, skeletal analysis for the purposes of identification and trauma analysis. (Jason Halley/University Photographer)

Crossing Borders: One Student’s Journey

Forensic anthropology graduate student Martha Diaz uncovers death and hope along the US-Mexico border.

Ben Sampson, left, and Sean Woulfe, right, during a Biz Talks event.

Chico State’s Biz Talks Connects Students With Industry Influencers

Accounting or entrepreneurship? Finance or marketing? Biz Talks, a program started by two College of Business alums, helps students determine their future career paths.

Joel Zimbelman sits in a conference room while explaining study abroad options.

Passion for Teaching Abroad Energizes New Tanzania Partnership

CSU, Chico professor Joel Zimbelman is about to embark on yet another overseas teaching voyage and launch the University's first-ever partnership with colleges in Tanzania.

Tracy Butts, Mary Wallmark, Zach Justus, and Aaron Skaggs, (left to right) sit at a table and record the Caffeinated Cats podcast.

Caffeine and Camaraderie Fuel ‘Cats Podcast

A trio of Chico State faculty come together to create and record their podcast Caffeinated Cats, hoping to spark discussions about difficult or polarizing topics in listeners.

Professor Mariah Kornbluh lectures a psychology class.

Psychologist Fills Brand-New Campus Position: Mariah Kornbluh Embraces Title of Chico State’s First Community Psychologist

Joining Chico State's Department of Psychology faculty as the first community psychologist, Mariah Kornbluh combines laboratory research and community outreach to foster civic engagement in her classroom.

Cathrine Himberg teaches during her Intermediate Yoga (KINE169B) class.

Advocacy for Quality Physical Education Has a Home

After the release of her documenary "No Excuses!" in 2014, Catherine Himberg and graduate student Kevin Shepard developed a website designed to support, coach, and guide physical education teachers around the country.

The Quest for Sounder Structures

Curt Haselton, a Chico State alum and civil engineering professor, leads the development of the SP3 software that can evaluate and predict the damages a building might receive in the event of an earthquake, making it possible to improve building code to minimize overall damages.

Bones Abroad

Forensic anthropology graduate students spent their summers abroad digging for research opportunities: Sarah Hall excavated human remains in a 19th-century cemetary in Bogota, Columbia, while Valerie Sgheiza traveled to the beaches of Antigua in the West Indies to examine the remains of 17th-century British soldiers.

Jay Bogiatto watches birds through a scope on a beach in Panama.