Dendrochronology, landslides and climate change in the Copeland Creek headwaters
Tree ring analyses at the Fairfield Osborn Preserve provide information about forest stand age and the frequency of landslides and fire.
Osborn Cultural Resources Plan
Master's Thesis by Kyle Rabellino identifying cultural sites and conservation guidelines for the Osborn Preserve.
Marsh sedimentation rates at the Osborn Preserve
A marsh at SSU's Fairfield Osborn Preserve has been gradually filling with sediment. Students quantified rates of sedimentation and successional infilling by dating mud cores.
Coastal prairie training materials
As part of the Coastal Prairie Enhancement Study, Preserve staff prepared a suite of educational materials and trains SSU students and community members how to identify, appreciate and manage these disappearing unique habitats.
The Soundscape Project
Geography and computer science students recorded and curated sounds from the SSU preserves. Composer Jesse Olsen Bay created an original composition from their recordings which provided a backdrop for a 30-min dance performed by students in Person Theater and in the Green Music Center. Noted soundscape guru Bernie Krause served as a consultant on the project.
California's Coastal Prairies website
The Center worked with Diana Jeffrey and Kathleen Kraft to create the California's Coastal Prairie website, the first of its kind to bring together a diversity of information about the evolution, ecology, and management of this rare habitat.
Changes in land use at the Osborn Preserve
Graduate students in History 500 conducted interviews with members of the Roth family, neighbors and previous land managers to better understand the history of land use changes in the area.
Center marketing project
The Center creates educational and research experiences for disciplines across campus, yet the SSU community has limited awareness of Preserve opportunities. MBA students in Kyuho Lee's Strategic Branding class developed a strategy to raise awareness about the Center with the SSU campus and surrounding communities.
Bob Johnson oral history project
Dr. Bob Johnson, a generous donor to the Center, was awarded an honorary doctorate degree for his life's accomplishments from California State University in 2011. A series of three interviews resulted in transcripts and video about his life, work, family, and passion for preserving the vision of his father-in-law Fred Galbreath at the Galbreath Preserve.
A mobile climate sensor
Deployment and maintenance of climate station networks can be a technological challenge. We developed a low-cost ZigBee-based sensor that can be used to collect data from sensors carried by mobile users.