2024 Abstracts

Authors: Megan Sorensen, Lianna Olsen, Maleah Bowen. Mentors: Ryan Kellems, Cade Charlton. Insitution: Brigham Young University. This research explores how virtual reality can help children with autism. It explores the effects of an intervention using virtual reality to assess the usability of virtual reality for children with autism.There are more than 200 studies that show that video modeling is a viable way to teach students with autism various skills. Research has started to explore if virtual reality is also a successful way to teach students with autism similar skills. Different studies have been conducted regarding social skills and cognitive skills and how they can be taught using virtual reality. There is very little research about fine-motor skills and virtual reality for individuals with disabilities. Our research adds to that research, but specifically explores fine-motor skills and the feasibility of using virtual reality with children with autism. The study uses a single subject research design with 5-10 participants with autism. Before starting data collection, the participant completes a brief tutorial for how to use virtual reality. One tutorial is for how to use the controllers and the other is for how to use the hand-tracking feature that allows the participant to use their hands instead of the controllers. The study is an alternating-treatment design. The individual is given a specific task to complete using the playroom items found in the “First Steps” application on the Oculus Quest. For example, they are asked to stack blocks, throw paper airplanes, etc. They either complete the task using the controllers or with the handtracking feature based upon a random schedule and the latency of the trial is measured. The data compares hand-tracking and controllers and measures whether the participant is getting faster with every trial. It was hypothesized that the students will be able to learn how to use the virtual reality interface and that they will be able to generalize the skills learned to other settings and/or skills, and that the interventions will be viewed by the participant and parents as socially valid ways to learn. It was anticipated that the participant will get increasingly faster at completing the tasks for both hand-tracking and with the controllers. It was also anticipated that the rate of completing tasks with controllers will be faster than that of hand-tracking. Preliminary date has shown this relationship to be true. Future research will explore the specific practices of how virtual reality can be best used for children with autism.

Authors: Anna Norman, Chloe Houghton, Macall Walker, Audrey Saunders. Mentors: Tyson Harmon. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Face it! How reliable is emotional facial expression coding within and across raters? Background Emotion, described as “physiological forces, located within individuals, that bolster our sense of uniqueness....” (Katriel, 2015, p. 57) is a critical aspect of day-to-day communication. For people with acquired language disorders post-stroke (i.e., aphasia), this interaction is particularly important due to relatively spared emotional processing, which has the potential to either facilitate or interfere with language processing (see e.g., Harmon et al., 2022; Ramsberger, 1996). The present study is part of a larger project, which seeks to determine whether people with aphasia exhibit more emotional facial expressions during personal narrative discourse than adults who do not have aphasia and whether these expressions are more emotionally arousing. The present study specifically seeks to investigate the reliability of facial coding by comparing average frequency and intensity of emotional facial expressions both within and across undergraduate student coders. Methods In order to quantify emotional facial expression frequency and intensity, undergraduate research assistants are trained to code facial expressions using a modified FACES protocol (Kring and Sloan, 2007). The modified protocol will be used to code emotional facial expressions of video footage that was obtained from participants while they told personal narratives (e.g., talking about an illness they experienced or an important life event). First, research assistants identify the baseline facial expression for each participant. Next, research assistants code transitions from a neutral expression to an emotional facial expression for valence (positive/negative) and intensity. Intensity ratings are scaled from 1 to 4 depending on how many units of the face are involved within the corresponding facial expression. Using this protocol, research assistants will begin facial coding after they are trained and demonstrate mastery by attaining 80% agreement with a master code. Upon completing initial data coding, research assistants will be assigned to recode 10% of previously completed video samples as well as 10% of samples that were previously coded by other coders. This secondary coding will be used to measure intra- and inter-rater reliability across dependent variables: frequency of emotional facial expressions, intensity of positive facial expressions, and intensity of negative facial expressions. Average frequency of emotional facial expressions will be calculated as the number of facial expressions produced per minute within a given sample. Intensity of positive and negative facial expressions will be calculated as the mean intensity within each valence respectively. The average frequency and intensity of initial and reliability codes will then be compared using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Anticipated Results We anticipate that intra- and inter-rater reliability will be above 0.8. Through a strict training process, research assistants will calibrate their coding to achieve 80% agreement with the master code. We anticipate this training process to produce effective intra- and inter-rater reliability. Findings will be important for determining the reliability of facial coding procedures and trustworthiness of data for answering questions related to the longer-term project. References Harmon, T.G., Jacks, A., Haley, K. L., & Bailliard, A. (2020). How responsiveness from a communication partner affects story retell in aphasia: Quantitative and qualitative findings. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 29(1), 142-156. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_AJSLP-19-0091 Harmon, T.G., Nielsen, C., Loveridge, C., Williams, C. (2022). Effects of positive and negative emotion on picture naming for people with mild to moderate aphasia: A prelimariny investigation. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 64(3), 1025-1043. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00190 Katriel, T. (2015). Exploring emotion discourse. In H. Flam & J. Kleres (eds.), Methods of exploring emotions (1st ed., pp.57-66). Taylor & Francis Group. Kring, A.M., & Sloan, D.M. (2007). The facial expression coding system (FACES): Development, validation, and utility. Psychological Assessment, 19(2), 210-224. https://doi.org/10/1037/1040-3590/19.2.120

Authors: Lydia Beazer, Trevor Carter, Audrey Christiansen. Mentors: Larry Howell. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Outreach is the process of deliberate engagement with a range of diverse communities. It is a vital adaptation in an increasingly digital world, acting as a vehicle to extend the impact of work done in research labs. Increased exposure can attract and inspire future engineers and lead to new opportunities for research. Previously, BYU’s CMR lab invested in consistent outreach projects and collaborated with prominent social media influencers, developing a seven-step plan to connect the public with academic research. Recently, these strategies were implemented in a new collaboration with influential YouTuber Mark Rober. In preparation for the anticipated increased visibility from this project, the lab organized a team dedicated to establishing a consistent and professional digital presence. For months, this team undertook preliminary steps that included updating outdated files, designing appealing and shareable makerspace content, and expanding the archive of publicly accessible resources. Having laid this groundwork, the lab was able to influence the impact of this high-profile collaboration, resulting in measurable increase in several metrics related to exposure and positive interaction with lab research.

Authors: Miriya Ogawa, Eli Snyder, Ryan Nakamura, Kaylin Bersamin, Edward Weldon, Julia Jahansooz, Anson Lee, Kyle Ishikawa, Janette Abramowitz, Enrique Carrazana, Jason Viereck, Kore Liow. Mentors: Janette Abramowitz. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Background: Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) describes symptoms persisting beyond the typical recovery time frame for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Although there is a confirmed correlation between mTBI and depression risk, there is a paucity of literature investigating risk factors for depression in the context of PCS (DPCS). This study aims to assess patient demographics, concussion etiologies, clinical course, substance use, and medication use associated with DPCS risk.Methods: This single-center, retrospective study included patients diagnosed with PCS between January 2020 and January 2023. Data comprised demographics, concussion etiology, loss of consciousness (LOC) following injury, PCS symptoms, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-2/PHQ-9 surveys, and substance use and CNS-active medications both pre- and post-PCS diagnosis. P-values were calculated using Fisher’s exact tests and Wilcoxon rank sum tests.Results: Of the initial 297 patients, 82% received depression screening, and 31% were at risk of DPCS based on PHQ-2 scores. Patients with LOC of unspecified duration were at higher risk of developing DPCS (p=0.037). Patients with symptoms of confusion (p=0.014), insomnia (p=0.035), or memory loss (p=0.003) at PCS diagnosis had increased DPCS risk. Tobacco use pre-TBI (p=0.039) and marijuana use pre- (p=0.003) and post-TBI (p=0.009) were associated with increased risk of DPCS. Elevated DPCS risk was also seen in patients who used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (p=0.005), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (p=0.010), atypical antidepressants (p=0.040), or mood stabilizers (0.022) pre-TBI or atypical antidepressants (p=0.005) post-TBI.Conclusions: This study highlights several risk factors for DPCS which may inform improved PCS patient management and emphasizes the need to develop standardized screening protocols for DPCS.

Authors: Megara Jensen, Matthew Hatch, Brock Hughes, Madeline Gillies, Spencer Myres, Maddie Blackham, Autumn Gould, Kate Leigh, Nate Lieshman. Mentors: Rebecca A. Lundwall. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Parenting is stressful. Of all children with special needs, parents of children on the autism spectrum report spending the most time at educational, medical, psychological, and behavioral appointments. They also have significant financial expenses. Therefore, we set out to determine if parents on the autism spectrum are more stressed than parents of neurotypical children. We recruited participants using fliers and posts on social media autism support groups and on bulletin boards across campus. The parents (all mothers) had children between 8- and 32-months-old. For this analysis, we divided families into the ASD-sib group if the toddler had an older sibling with autism and the neurotypical group if they had no first-, second-, or third-degree relatives with autism. We asked them to complete surveys using Qualtrics regarding Family Quality of Life, Parenting Daily Hassles, and Parenting Stress measures. Twenty-three parents completed all surveys (n = 7 in the ASD group and n = 16 in the neurotypical group). We performed an ANCOVA with Parenting Stress as the outcome variable, presence of ASD in the family as the grouping variable, and Daily Hassles and Family Quality of Life as predictors. Age was entered as a control variable. We found a trend for the significance for Family Quality of Life predicting Parent Stress (F [17, 23] = 3.80, p = .083, eta2 = .17). No other variables showed a trend for significance. This suggests that parents of children on the autism spectrum are indeed more stressed. Although we need to collect more data, this motivates us in a larger study we are conducting regarding the effects of mindfulness on parental stress levels.

Authors: Keenan Faulkner. Mentors: Jeff Goeders. Insitution: Brigham Young University. FPGAs are a type of reconfigurable computing chip that are often used in mission critical systems in various applications including aerospace, defense, and telecommunications. Hardware netlists are generally converted into a bitstream and loaded onto an FPGA board through vendor-provided tools. Due to the proprietary nature of these tools, it is up to the designer to trust the validity of the design's conversion to bitstream. However, motivated attackers may alter the CAD tools' integrity or manipulate the stored bitstream with the intent to disrupt the functionality of a design.We have put forward a novel approach to verify functional equivalence between a synthesized netlist and the produced FPGA bitstream using a structural comparison algorithm. This presentation aims to demonstrate the fault-injection testing algorithms designed to prove the veracity of our approach. The fault-injection testing algorithms involve making manipulations to wire connections and initialization values in LUTs (lookup tables) from a bitstream reversed netlist, then running our comparison algorithms on the corrupted netlist and the original synthesized netlist to show that the algorithms will catch the errors.

Authors: Amber Clayton. Mentors: Michael Searcy. Insitution: Brigham Young University. This summer, an excavation took place at the Hinckley Mounds, which included the recovery of many different artifacts. Artifacts found include faunal bones—the main object of my research project. The Fremont people left behind so many different things for us to find. They hunted particular animals; which can indicate which animals may have contributed most to their diets and may have also been used to contribute to other aspects of their lives. Many questions can be answered with the analysis of faunal bones: Which faunal bones show up more than others? What does the variety of animals teach us about the Fremont people at Hinckley Mounds? Through the analysis of the faunal assemblage I will be conducting, I will be able to tell which animals are more common in the assemblage. I believe this will also be able to tell me which animals played a more prominent part in the lives of the Fremont people.My primary goal is to determine the typology of the faunal bones by using the comparative collection at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures in order to see if I can identify the animals left behind by the Fremont people at Hinckley Mounds. Hundreds of faunal bones were found, so many of them that it will be impossible for me to analyze all of them during fall semester. However, I will strive to analyze representative sample of them so I have some good sample data. I will then use the data from 2023 and the results from the 2015 field season to write up the research for this project.

Authors: Amanda Pay, Kaylee Anderson, Amber English, Jie Mei Chong. Mentors: Mary Alvarez. Insitution: Salt Lake Community College. Feasibility Analysis of Mixed Solvent Waste Recycling: A Green Chemistry ProjectUndergraduate Research Session, Green Chemistry submission Amanda Pay, Jai Mai Chong ACS Student Affiliate Advisors; Mary Alvarez, Ron V Valcarce, Wesley Sanders, Peter J Iles, John Flood This research project explores the first of the 12 principals of green chemistry, waste reduction through solvent recycling. Solvents are widely recognized to be a considerable environmental concern. Many industrial chemical processes generate significant amounts of hazardous and toxic chemical waste due to solvents used to facilitate chemical reactions. The reduction of their use is one of the most important aims of green chemistry. In response to this, solvent recyclers have been created which attempt to clean and purify solvents for re-use, thus reducing the amount of solvent waste a chemical company generates. In this project we analyzed before and after samples of mixed solvent containing hexanes, ethyl acetate, and other solvents processed with a CBG biotech solvent recycler. The results were used to improve recycler settings for solvent resolution and assess the effectiveness of waste reduction using such methods. Amanda Pay, Kaylee Anderson, Jie Mei Chong, Amber EnglishACS Student Affiliate Advisors; Mary Alvarez, Ron V Valcarce, Wesley Sanders, Peter Iles, John Flood

Authors: Kate Binford, Marissa Roper, Brynn Eyre. Mentors: Sarah Coyne. Insitution: Brigham Young University. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between personal feelings about modesty and the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) among Latter-day Saint (LDS) men and women. Participants were recruited through social media and announcements on LDS-specific social media pages. The study has a final sample of n=1,271, 431 of which (33%) had an ED. There is a significant positive correlation between feelings of shame about modesty and the prevalence of EDs (r=0.11, p<.001). This means that, in general, more feelings of shame about modesty are related to a higher prevalence of EDs. Implications of these findings indicate that it may be helpful to reduce any shame-based teachings around modesty in order to protect against EDs.

Authors: Olivia Mard Oquist. Mentors: Alexandra Giannell. Insitution: Utah Valley University. “Female allegory” encompasses two oil paintings that together explore the complex, multifaceted nature of womanhood, using metaphorical imagery, specific handling of paint and the traditions of oil painting.The first painting depicts a blurred face of a woman symbolizing the complex and often misunderstand aspects of a woman’s identity. The soft blurry quality invites the viewer to contemplate what is below the surface. In addition, it challenges societies ideas of beauty and pointing to the sometimes forgotten truth that a womans true essence transcends her physical appearance.The blurriness also serves as a mask to hide feeling and emotions that tend to be categorized as typically female and often viewed in a negative light. Parts of the face will be more blurry than others, symbolizing times when as a woman I and every woman I know have felt invisible or powerless.The second painting is a still-life of objects that each symbolizes the female body (both contemporary symbols as well as historically) Seashells, pears, mimosa flowers are some objects that represent womanhood and the female form. The objects represent the diverse nature and the layers of the female spirit. The history of a still-life deals with the ideas of perfection and stillness that long have been expectations of women. The paintings will connect through a visual language of color palette and handling of paint and together, the paintings invites the viewer to explore the intricate layers of womanhood and to go beyond physical appearance. It celebrates the culmination of experiences, emotions, and symbolism of what being a woman means and what the expectations around us have been and still are today.

Authors: Kenna Johnson. Mentors: Nicole Dib. Insitution: Southern Utah University. My paper is an interpretative analysis of Thomas Harris’ 1988 novel The Silence of the Lambs as analyzed through the lens of feminist film critic Laura Mulvey’s concept of the masculinization of spectators. In her essay collection Visual and Other Pleasures, Mulvey discusses how cinema, as a traditional medium, has misogynistic, voyeuristic characteristics. Through camera angles and editing, the audience is subconsciously led to identify with the protagonist (who is typically male). As a result, we, the audience, follow his gaze to his object of desire: the woman. This phenomenon she deems the masculinization of spectators. In my paper, I have applied Mulvey’s theory to Harris’ novel and concluded that the masculinization of spectators is, in fact, subverted in The Silence of the Lambs. Here, the audience identifies with Agent Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee. We follow her gaze to the man she has been tasked with hunting: Jame Gumb, who is referred to colloquially throughout the novel as “Buffalo Bill.” Throughout my paper, I analyze the stark differences in characterization between these two. While Starling is depicted as a pillar of feminine strength, Gumb, a male to female transgender character, is depicted as gaudy and grotesque. In comparing the notable differences in characterization, I determine these characters to serve as each other’s foils. Having been denied as a candidate for gender reassignment surgery, he creates a ‘girl suit’ out of his victims’ skins as an attempt to pass as a woman. Gumb’s atrocities paint the transgender population in a monstrous light; Starling’s actions, conversely, portray her as fiercely independent, and a hero for the feminist cause. Drawing from this analysis, I argue that The Silence of the Lambs is a stark support for the trans-exclusionary radical feminism, or TERF, movement. Through an in-depth analysis of the literary symbols present in the novel in conjunction with the two main characters’ characterization, I determine that TERF rhetoric beats strongly underneath the novel’s surface feminism.

Authors: Daniel Barrera. Mentors: Anna Beaudin. Insitution: University of Utah. Tissue-resident macrophages play critical roles in tissue homeostasis and immunity, and many of them have a distinct fetal origin and developmental trajectory as compared to their adult bone marrow-derived counterparts. However, the specific mechanisms underlying their developmental signaling pathways have not been as thoroughly examined as in the adult. Our lab recently demonstrated that fetal-derived macrophage development is regulated by expression of the lymphoid-associated interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) in mice, but the fetal source of the cognate cytokine ligand, interleukin-7 (IL-7), has yet to be determined. This project investigated fetal macrophage cells as a potential source of IL-7 production, with the aim of providing further insight into these signaling pathways during prenatal development. A transgenic mouse model was used that expresses IL-7 attached to green fluorescent protein (GFP) in order to measure GFP expression as a proxy for IL-7 expression in developing tissues. Embryonic tissues were extracted from mouse fetuses at 17.5 days post-conception and cells were isolated and stained with antibodies to identify blood, endothelial, and stromal cells as putative sources of IL-7 production. Samples were also intracellularly stained for GFP in order to quantify the IL-7 production across different cell types within different tissues in the embryo. The resulting data preliminarily identifies fetal macrophages as the primary producers of IL-7 across common tissues in the developing embryo. A better understanding of the developmental signaling pathways that regulate fetal immune development can expand comprehension of the origins of early immune dysfunction and help mitigate disease susceptibility from early life.

Authors: Desiree Ritchie. Mentors: Brandon Ro. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Both music and classical architecture have a strong foundation in proportion. Further research shows that the same systems of proportions are found in both areas. Common chords found in music can be translated into proportions found in architecture. For example, the octave has the same proportion as a 2:1 ratio. While there is a clear relationship, the question remains: does understanding one help in understanding the other? Does understanding music make one a better architect? Can designers benefit from musical instruction? To answer these questions, a comparative survey was conducted asking participants to determine which visual proportion best matched the sound heard. These questions range from basic chords and rectangles to a more complex comparison of the Fibonacci sequence to the golden ratio. The survey also asks about participants' background in both music and architecture, as well as general demographic questions. The demographics of the current survey are limited to students and faculty attending BYU and Utah Valley University, but further studies will provide a more comprehensive result. To analyze the results, a comparison will be conducted on the percentage of individuals who were correctly able to recognize the same proportions visually and audibly. This will then be cross-examined with the demographics, comparing those who have a background in music and/or architecture to those who do not. The expected result is that those familiar with one of the previously mentioned fields will better recognize proportions in both music and architecture. If this is proven true, it will show that having a background knowledge in multiple fields will help to create a more well-rounded and capable individual. It will provide insight on how to become better in one’s chosen field.

Authors: Robert Macdonald. Mentors: Troy Munro. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Due to the recent developments in the precision of small scale 3-D printing, the use of complex multi-dimensional heating geometries is now very feasible in microfluidics. Small channels can be filled with liquid metal and can become a heat source by passing an electrical current through the liquid metal. There is a desire for the creation of isothermal areas within microfluidic chips for processes such as polymerase chain reaction and melt curve analysis of DNA to detect mutations. One difficulty of designing isothermal areas in microfluidics is the complexity of the geometries involved and the precision needed to be useful. These two problems were addressed by using a finite element software COMSOL to simulate the microfluidic chip to aid in design iteration. Quick evaluation of the performance of different heating geometries in COMSOL allows for faster evolution of our design. Using these principles, a novel microfluidic chip design was developed with a simulated isothermal volume of 5 microliters and a temperature variation of <0.1 degrees Celsius.

Authors: Braxton Fjeldsted, Joseph Carter, Grant Ogilvie, Josh Hoffman. Mentors: Douglas Cook. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Finding ways to improve crop durability through 3D modeling has tremendous potential to help save plants, time, and resources. Currently, there are many important material properties of maize stalks that have not yet been measured, which presents challenges in creating accurate 3D models. Through sensitivity analysis, it was determined that one of the most critical unknown material properties of maize stalks for creating accurate models is the transverse shear modulus. In this research, we created a testing procedure to determine the shear modulus as accurately as possible. Each sample was put in a torsion test to determine the relationship between the torsion torque and the torsion angle. Both fresh and dry samples were tested in addition to samples with and without the pith. Our team implemented methods to minimize inaccuracies from slipping, cracking, and other imperfections in all elements of the stalks. The transverse shear modulus that we have determined will help to more accurately model maize stalks, thereby making future tests by modeling more efficient and working to provide a path towards improved global maize harvests.

Authors: Eric Morris. Mentors: Jerry Johnson. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Black Spot Disease (BSD) is a parasitic infection that occurs when trematode parasites burrow into the skin of a fish and form a cyst. The infected fish releases black pigment around the cyst creating a visible black spot. Fishes can have different levels of infection ranging from a few cysts located on their skin to an entire body speckled with these markings. Parasitic diseases typically come with a cost to the host species. Little research has been conducted examining the cost of such diseases in the placental live-bearing fish Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora. My study examines the influence of BSD on female association preferences by providing female Brachyrhaphis rhabdophora dichotomous choices between males who appear to be healthy, slightly infected, moderately infected, and highly infected. The different levels of infection in the males are simulated by ink tattooing.

Authors: Mohamed Askar, Matthew Roberts, Jeremy Matney, Andrew Larsen, Edwin Cansaya Sanchez. Mentors: Mohamed Askar, Matthew Roberts. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Stormwater infrastructures in the U.S. are aging and deteriorating, with most municipalities historically treating stormwater runoff or drainage problems during an emergency or structural failure. What if we could address such issues before they became problematic? Our main objective is to help decision-makers deal effectively with long-term control measures of the budget-limited, ambiguous, and inconsistently applied operation and maintenance of stormwater infrastructures. To this end, an innovative Five-Dimensional Assessment Model (5D-SAM) for the operation and maintenance of stormwater control measures will be developed and tested in the economically disadvantaged rural community of Cedar City, Utah. The model’s strategic approach will employ a prioritized list to create innovative green stormwater infrastructure solutions (clean-energy technologies) for sustainable urban development. The proposed 5D-SAM model includes research on its broader impacts, with a theoretical focus on the nexus of stormwater control measures and design to enhance urban sustainability and resilience. This focus is on the translational and transdisciplinary link between the operation and maintenance of stormwater research outcomes in Cedar City. Performance indicators of the stormwater system will be designed to assess five conditions: assets, functionality, time-effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and environmental and social impact. 5D-SAM will calculate the performance/health index of the stormwater infrastructure, predict the future state, manage the quantity, and improve stormwater runoff quality. The built-in GIS database will aim to preserve the natural features and functions of stormwater infrastructures while providing a list of cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives if a distressed stormwater system is better off demolished, repaired, rehabilitated, or retrofitted. The model benefits society as it applies to other water infrastructure systems, including groundwater wells, dams, reservoirs, treatment facilities, sewer lines, flood prevention, and hydropower. Finally, the proposed research is a valuable and growing resource for students, faculty, urban researchers/practitioners worldwide, and the general public.

Authors: Jenna Norris. Mentors: Kerry Muhlestein. Insitution: Brigham Young University. In the hot and dry climate of the Fag el-Gamous Cemetery in Egypt, a wide range of elaborately woven textiles have been preserved, each with unique characteristics and technical elements. Through analyzing technical elements, this research aims to reveal evidence of foreign textile production or materials incorporated in Fag el-Gamous burials. The BYU Egypt Excavation Team has been excavating at the cemetery for over 40 years, uncovering important information about the region’s ancient inhabitants. Due to their exceptional preservation, textiles can provide significant insights into the lives and identities of the individuals buried at the site. While studies have been conducted in the past to address how socioeconomic status and religious affiliation are reflected in textiles, more remains to be learned about how foreign connections and trade affected textile production in the Fayoum region. This research aims to utilize both technical and design analysis to identify foreign textiles—including analyzing weaving techniques, thread manipulations, and woven motifs. It will also aim to use these forms of analyses to detect potential indications of immigration, providing a foundation for future research into connections between immigrant status and funerary practices.