Fine Arts

Authors: Stephen Chamberland, Craig D. Thulin, Katherine Solorzano, Cassandra Beddes, Nathan Twitchell, Abram Caruso. Mentors: Steve Chamberland, Craig D. Thulin. Insitution: Utah Valley University. This investigative procedure is a continuation of an experiment done by UVU undergraduate student Kyra Banks and her mentor, UVU Professor of Chemistry Craig Thulin, to determine the structure of xanthommatin. Xanthommatin is one of the primary pigments found in monarch butterflies, and many other insects. Data obtained during the mass spectrometric analysis was observed to indicate a possible deamination of xanthommatin, however the quantity of deaminated xanthommatin observed was too small and so the structure could not be determined. The research investigates the precedented deamination of kynurenine as a model to develop a procedure for the deamination of 3-hydroxykynurenine, primarily due to the fact that it is cheaper in price to xanthommatin, as well as a chemical precursor that can be used for the synthesis of xanthommatin. The implications of this suggest that the deamination procedure developed for 3-hydroxykynurenine could be successfully replicated with xanthommatin. After the deamination procedure has been successfully repeated, xanthommatin will be synthesized using one of a few procedures developed by Kumar, A., et al1. Once a sufficient sample of xanthommatin has been successfully synthesized, the deamination procedure will be repeated on samples of xanthommatin to determine the structure of deaminated xanthommatin using NMR spectroscopy. The research conducted here is beneficial not only because it is a continuation of other UVU student’s and staff’s work, but also to those whose work is in the animal biology realm of science. The information that will be extracted from this research will spearhead new research pathways and questions to be explored.Xanthommatin-Based Electrochromic Displays Inspired by Nature (acs.org)Biomimetic Colorants and Coatings Designed with Cephalopod-Inspired Nanocomposites (acs.org)

Authors: Karissa Bauer, Kennedy Lewis, James Belnap, Andrew Torena, Braden Freestone, Luis Montenegro Calla. Mentors: Daniel Clark. Insitution: Weber State University. In the United States, 157 documented cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) have been recorded between 1962 and 2022. In the 60 years since the first reported case, only four patients have survived; a 97.5% fatality rate. The causative agent responsible for the highly fatal infections, is the free-living, single-celled parasite, Naegleria fowleri— or the “brain-eating amoeba.” The aquatic thermophiles are opportunistic pathogens that inhabit a wide range of environments; from poorly maintained pools, moist sediment, rivers, lakes, etc. Exposure to N. fowleri invasion is reliant on direct contact with a host’s upper nasal mucosa, and the active parasite. Rapid deterioration of neural tissues occurs shortly after infection.Today, there is no universally accepted treatment plan for treating PAM infections. The CDC has recommended an empirical approach to treatment, and suggests utilizing combination drug-therapies. Suggested drugs include Amphotericin B, Azithromycin, Fluconazole, Miltefosine, and Rifampin. To better understand and evaluate the effects of these drugs on N. fowleri, a rescue-of-infection model was applied to test the efficacy of single and combination-drug treatments, at various time points. The model utilized an immortalized HeLa cell line that was infected with the amoebae until roughly 50% cytotoxicity was observed. The rescue stage commenced with drug additions, and HeLa cell metabolism, and apoptosis levels were monitored using fluorescence viability assays and caspase-3 enzyme detection systems. Drug combinations that included Rifampin and Amphotericin B, provided the greatest protection for human Hela cells against N. fowleri infections. Data collected from this model provides deeper understanding of Naegleria fowleri pathogenicity. This knowledge will aid the development of more reliable and efficient treatments for this devastating infection.

Authors: Genna Howard, Cameron John. Mentors: Cameron John. Insitution: Utah Valley University. In the history of psychology, the concept of soul played a significant role informing philosophy and theory. In the late 1800’s many questioned the concept of soul in favor of measurable concepts that aligned with the scientific method, distinguished from religious classification that were deemed unworthy of pursuit. In the emergence of the science method, the concept of soul faded and the field of psychology experienced soul-loss, becoming soul-less. After nearly 150 years, there is a movement in the field advocating for soul to return to its former status by shedding light back onto the soul. For some, soul is aligned with religious thought. Religions are experiencing a loss of congregants, members engaging in faith transitions, and experiencing soul-loss. This paper will compare and contrast what happened in psychology with the experiences of some in religious organizations while looking at how the emotion of fear plays a part in both organizations. The methodology utilizes historical concepts and experiences shared by the brave souls who are challenging the current beliefs in both fields. In addition, anecdotal, informal information provided by individuals close to the authors is used to emphasize the practical application of this crisis in psychology and religions with the goal of reigniting a passion for soul.

Authors: Kate Coneys, Nick Top, Russ Bailey, Logan Walker, Julia Toomey. Mentors: Russ Bailey. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Background: Past literature has emphasized the importance of practicing culturally competent care and has shown that higher clinician cultural humility, as well as a lower frequency of microaggressions occurring in therapy, have been associated with more desirable therapeutic outcomes in retrospective, cross-sectional studies. However, research has also shown that patient outcomes appear to be unrelated to their therapist's experience level (Erekson et al., 2017), suggesting that more experience may not lead to being a more effective therapist, including more culturally humble. Despite the breadth of research on the significance of cultural competence, less is known about how a therapist's cultural humility changes across treatment with a particular client, or how a therapist’s cultural humility changes over an extended period. The aim of the current study is to examine this concept by analyzing both the relationship between the number of sessions spent working with a given therapist and a client’s rating of the clinician’s cultural humility, as well as the relationship between the average cultural humility rating of the therapist and time. We will also examine how the impact of microaggressions occurring in therapy changes during the course of therapy. Hypotheses: It is hypothesized that the results of this study will show a positive association between the number of sessions with the same therapist and their cultural humility, as rated by the client, as well as a negative association between the number of sessions and the impact of microaggressions reported by the client. Additionally, it is hypothesized that the therapist’s cultural humility rating over the entire course of data collection will not change to a statistically significant degree. Methods: We used archival data collected by Utah Valley University’s Student Health Services Counseling Center from August 2021 – September 2023. This archival dataset consists of 564 clients with at least one cultural humility and microaggression data point. Beginning at the third session, and occurring again every four sessions, clients were asked to rate their clinician’s cultural humility, using The Cultural Humility Scale (Hook et al., 2013), and report the frequency and impact of microaggressions that had occurred during the last four sessions. We will analyze the data using multi-level latent growth modelling. Results: Results will be presented as part of the poster presentation. Discussion: If the results of this study agree with the hypothesis, the implications may be that cultural humility improves over time with specific clients, potentially explained by growth of therapeutic alliance over time. However, it may also imply that a therapist’s cultural humility does not improve over extended time periods, showing that cultural humility appears to be static rather than dynamic. If the results do not agree with the hypothesis, this may imply that a client’s perception of their therapist’s cultural humility is static, but that over extended periods of time a therapist’s cultural humility can improve, implying that it is trainable. Sources: Erekson, D.M., Janis, R., Bailey, R.J., Cattani, K., Pedersen, T.R. (2017). A longitudinal investigation of the impact of psychotherapist training: Does training improve client outcomes? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(5), 514-524. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000252 Hook, J.N., Davis, D.E., Owen, J., Worthington, E.L., Utsey, S.O. (2013). Cultural humility: measuring openness to culturally diverse clients. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(3), 353-366. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032595

Authors: Lindsay Beekman. Mentors: Olga Kopp. Insitution: Utah Valley University. This research probes the primary historical newspapers of early 1900s Utah, providing insights into the cultural atmosphere of the time and the widespread support for the Eugenics movement throughout the state. Our findings indicate that out of 72 distinct newspaper articles discussing Eugenics in Utah between 1908 and 1938, 62 conveyed a positive perspective, 9 remained neutral, and only 1 expressed opposition. Notably, from 1947 to 1996, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints administered the ‘Indian Student Placement Program’ or ‘Lamanite Placement Program,’ aligning with many Eugenics principles. Utah, like many places worldwide, embraced Eugenics with open arms.

Authors: Lauren Silvatti.. Mentors: Zoe Thompson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) deficiency, stemming from a mutation in the Pomc gene, presents a myriad of health challenges, including extreme hyperphagia, early-onset obesity, and infertility. This study leverages a mouse model exhibiting Pomc-deficiency to delve into the root causes of infertility. While the correlation between obesity and fertility is well-established, our primary focus is to discern whether the POMC mutation independently contributes to reproductive challenges. Our investigation extends into the interplay of genetics, endocrinology, and obesity through data analysis using R, with an emphasis on deploying advanced statistical models.Video recordings of sexual behavior interactions have been analyzed manually, with independent observers marking each behavior. The frequency and duration of each behavior will be compared among three groups of pairings: wildtype-wildtype, heterozygote-heterozygote, and homozygous POMC-deficient mice. Techniques will include data cleaning, timestamp manipulation, and behavior categorization in R, a programming language commonly used for data analysis. To discern patterns and variations, our analysis will also employ statistical models such as linear mixed-effects models. We can account for potential confounding variables and significant differences in durations of previously identified important reproductive behaviors. Visualization tools, including box plots and violin plots, will provide an initial glimpse into the distribution of behavior durations. Subsequently, we plan to conduct inferential statistics, employing techniques such as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to assess the significance of differences across multiple groups. Our investigation extends beyond descriptive statistics, with a focus on predictive modeling. Regression analyses will explore potential relationships between behavior durations and reproductive success. Machine learning algorithms will be applied to uncover complex interactions within the dataset.The anticipated results promise not only a nuanced understanding of the interplay between Pomc mutations and reproductive challenges but also the identification of potential biomarkers or predictors of successful reproduction. This comprehensive statistical approach contributes significantly to the fields of genetics, endocrinology, and obesity research, offering a robust framework for future investigations into the intricate relationship between genotype and behavior.

Authors: Heidi Blaylock, Carter Leuba, Eddie Hill, Christina Aguilar, Carla Cox, Aiden Hill. Mentors: Eddie Hill. Insitution: Weber State University. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease that influences all health aspects. The self-determination theory (SDT) suggests that three psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness are necessary for motivation to engage in healthy behaviors. Through medical specialty camps, these needs can be met by educating campers on how to manage T1D and realize they are not alone. The volunteer-based, five-day, inaugural REACH teen/tween camp for youth with T1D was held at WSU. Camp activities were engineered around the three basic needs described by the SDT. These needs were promoted by physical and educational activities, and meeting friends. A pre and post evaluation was given. Two measures were significant with autonomy being the greatest, (M=3.93, SD= .75) to post test (M=4.49, SD= .56), with t(25) = -6.258, p= <.001), effect size r = 1.2 Blood glucose levels were collected through an online platform that allowed staff to monitor campers’ levels. The week's average blood glucose level was 152 mg/dL. This study explored the use of SDT to examine the effectiveness of a diabetes camp for youth and hopefully result in better physical and emotional health thus mitigating the risk of complications.

Authors: Brandon Rojas. Mentors: Kristen Arnold. Insitution: Weber State University. The Mountain Haven building in Salt Lake City, a mixed-use facility, offers a wide range of services, including housing, childcare, and healthcare. The Single Parent Project, a non-profit organization, is working to provide suitable housing solutions for single parents and their children. The primary challenge is creating a secure, private, and healthy living environment that supports the emotional, financial, and mental growth of single parents and their children. To address this challenge, the Mountain Haven building must be designed to meet the unique needs of single-parent families. This includes providing access to quality childcare, flexible work arrangements, and efficient household management solutions. It is also important to foster a sense of community and neighborliness and to ensure that single parents have access to affordable and safe housing in a safe neighborhood (Johnson, 1986). Additionally, the arrangement of the home should be flexible to accommodate both work and childcare responsibilities. The design of the Mountain Haven building should also consider the latest research on daycare centers, healthcare facilities, and interior design. This includes using materials that are free of harmful substances, creating spaces that promote learning and nurture children's development (Monoko, Mukurunge, Bhila, 2021), and using light and color to create a healing environment for parents and children to reduce stress and strengthen the mood, mind, and body. (Khaleghimoghaddam, 2023) By incorporating these principles into its design, the Mountain Haven building can provide single parents and their children with a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment in which to thrive.

Authors: Kennedy Parker. Mentors: Melinda Russell Stamp. Insitution: Weber State University. Role-playing is considered one of the most effective teaching strategies for training undergraduate clinical psychology students because it fosters active learning in a supportive and safe environment (Gibbs, 2019; Osborn & Costas, 2013). The literature is replete with studies that document the benefits of role-playing for clinical training. These benefits include the development of active-listening, perspective-taking, empathy, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and increased enjoyment of course material (Dawood, 2013; Gibbs, 2019; Grose-Fifer, 2017). A challenge associated with classroom role-plays involves student reluctance to participate due to feelings of self-consciousness and anxiety associated with being negatively evaluated (Mallonee, 2018). There is limited research on the effectiveness of different role-play modalities which may include classmates role-playing with one another; as well as actors and virtual avatars role-playing with students. There have been mixed findings in the literature regarding whether students are more comfortable disclosing to virtual avatars or to actors in face-to-face encounters (Rogers et al., 2022; Roster & Chen, 2016). To date, there are no research studies comparing student perceptions of role-plays with virtual avatars to face-to-face interactions with actors in undergraduate psychology classes. For the current study, 60 undergraduate Psychology students were randomly assigned to either role-play with an avatar or an actor. Following the 25-minute role-plays, students completed surveys assessing perceived utility value, self-efficacy, level of anxiety, engagement, and future interest in role-playing. This preliminary study will compare the effectiveness of avatar and actor role-play modalities which will help educators better structure training for undergraduate students in clinical psychology.

Authors: Kiersten Gardner, Hannah Duffy, Abbey Blair, Nicholas Ashton, Porter Stulce, Dustin Williams. Mentors: Dustin Williams. Insitution: University of Utah. Transdermal antiseptic products as a method to decrease skin bioburden prior to surgeryKiersten Gardner(1,2), Hannah Duffy(1,2), Abbey Blair(2), Nicholas Ashton(2), Porter Stulce1(2), Dustin Williams(1,2,3,4)1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT2 Department of Orthopaedics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT3 Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT4 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda MDIntroduction: Preoperative skin preparation (PSP) kits are used before surgery to prevent surgical site infection (SSI). These kits consist of alternating scrubs of alcohol and Chlorohexidine Gluconate (CHG) or Povidone Iodine (PVP-I). Transdermal antiseptic products like Ioban, Tegaderm, and Surgiclear are also used clinically to eradicate skin bacteria by releasing antiseptic over time. Despite these precautions, infections often occur, usually stemming from a patient’s endogenous skin flora. The bacteria causing SSI reside deep in dermal sweat glands and hair follicles, untouched by traditional PSP. To eliminate these bacteria, antiseptics must diffuse deeper into the skin at concentrations above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). We screened FDA-approved topical antiseptic products using a modified Kirby Bauer Assay to assess bacterial kill over time. We hypothesized that extended use of topical antiseptic products prior to surgery would kill deep-dwelling skin bacteria. We tested the extended use of these products on pig backs in conjunction with a CHG PSP to evaluate remaining bioburden. Methods:We determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for CHG and PVP-I against three common skin bacterial strains. We then took 6 mm biopsy punches of Tegaderm, Surgiclear, and Ioban and placed them on fresh bacterial lawns daily for 3 days. We measured the zones of inhibition (ZOI). Lastly, we applied the products to the backs of 4 Yorkshire pigs (n=4 products per test). After 48 h, we removed the products, performed a PSP- CHG scrub, and excised skin sections underneath the products. We homogenized the skin and quantified colony forming units (CFU)/g tissue. We analyzed the outcomes statistically using a mixed effects linear regression to determine significance.Results:The average MIC values for CHG and PVP-I were 2 and 2,000 ug/mL for Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The average 24 h ZOIs for S. aureus were 7.9, 22.4, and 10.1 mm for Ioban, Tegaderm, and Surgiclear, respectively. The average log10 reduction for the CHG PSP, Ioban, Tegaderm, and Sugiclear were 1.87 ± 0.232, 1.65 ± 0.192, 1.69 ± 0.222, and 1.77 ± 0.316 CFU/cm2, respectively. The p values between the CHG PSP and Ioban, Tegarderm, and Surgiclear were 0.491, 0.572, and 0.746, respectively. Discussion:The benchtop data indicated adequate antiseptic diffusion and kill. In the porcine model, however; the presence of any of the products resulted in a statistically insignificant log reduction. Extended use of FDA-approved transdermal antiseptic products does not appear to decrease the skin’s bioburden. It appears that the products are not releasing high enough concentrations of the antiseptic to kill bacteria.

Authors: Tate Thomas. Mentors: Alexander M Panin. Insitution: Utah Valley University. We wanted to see if accidentally creating mini black holes in high energy particle collisions posed a real threat to humanity. To do this, we calculated some properties of such a black hole, such as its life span, radius, density, and minimum energy required. We found that it is unlikely to exist, let alone destroy the planet. Furthermore, we calculated what would happen if it were to exist, finding that it would move through the Earth with little resistance and with a small amount of Earth matter absorbed. Depending on initial velocity, the black either quickly escapes Earth or would settle orbiting it with the orbit part of which passes via Earth. It is interesting that in a simplified model of Earth as of a sphere of uniform density, the inner part of the orbit of black hole is also elliptical (as the outer is) but not Keplerian - with Earth center not at the focus but at the center of another ellipse. In the case of small initial velocity when entire orbit is inside Earth, the period of such inner orbit is constant regardless of birth location and initial velocity of black hole. The goal of this presentation is to discuss the results of our calculations and to explore potential applications to our understanding of interaction of mini black holes with ordinary atomic matter.

Authors: Tage T Burnett, Jakob G Bates, Christopher R Dillon, Matthew R Jones. Mentors: Christopher R Dillon. Insitution: Brigham Young University. In recent years, modeling and simulation have become more prominent in solving heat transfer problems. The accuracy and predictive power of heat transfer simulations is limited by the quality of the thermal properties used within the model. Thus, one method for improving computational accuracy is measuring thermal properties more precisely. Additionally, increased precision of thermal properties benefits other aspects of engineering including design and analysis. This research focuses on quantifying approximation errors in the widely adopted flash method for measuring thermal diffusivity. The flash method leverages several approximations to make it simple and easy to use; however, these approximations do not reflect reality and introduce measurement errors. Understanding these errors is critical for developing high-precision thermal diffusivity measurement techniques.In the flash method, the top surface of a small, cylindrical disc of material is subjected to a short pulse from a laser or flash lamp and the time-dependent temperature at the opposite surface is recorded. The thermal diffusivity is calculated using those temperature measurements in combination with a mathematical model. The accuracy of the flash method depends upon the accuracy of the mathematical model. One common mathematical model is the Parker Model. This model assumes that all of the energy from the pulse is deposited in an infinitesimally thin layer at the surface of the material and negligible heat is lost to the environment. These assumptions simplify the model, making it easy to use, but introduce errors into the measured thermal diffusivity.Computational methods can quantify these inaccuracies. Factors including heat lost to the environment, the temporal profile of the laser pulse, and the spatial distribution of the deposited energy can be incorporated into heat transfer simulations. Higher fidelity mathematical models can also be developed to account for these complexities. This project includes these and other factors to make simulations as realistic as possible. Various mathematical models, such as the Parker Model and higher fidelity models, are then used to calculate the thermal diffusivity from the resulting time-dependent temperature profiles and their measurements are compared to the simulated material’s true thermal diffusivity. Repeating this process for several material types will allow the precision of the models to be analyzed for each case. This analysis will be summarized at the conclusion of this project, providing a framework for developing more precise thermal diffusivity measurement techniques.

Authors: Samuel Charles. Mentors: Marc Killpack. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Robots have an incredible potential to help humans in extreme or dangerous situations due to their significant and consistent durability, strength, endurance, replaceability, etc. However, humans and robots move very differently, leading to difficulties working intuitively with a robot partner when completing a task such as lifting a heavy object. We recently conducted studies in which human subjects moved a 60-lb table to several different positions in a room; we recorded force and torque data, along with many other aspects of the movement. In these studies of human-human co-manipulation, we noticed a trend during particularly difficult maneuvers; when lifting the table to high positions or acute angles, subjects switched their hand holds on the table’s handles. This was likely an easier method of holding the table, but it may have also communicated placement, stability, understanding, and strength to the other partner, leading to a smoother and more intuitive movement and experience overall. If this is the case, this data could be used to help a co-manipulation robot both effectively understand the subtle commands in human movement and intuitively communicate needed movement to the human partner. This is particularly useful in emergencies like natural disaster sites and war zones, in which immediate help is needed, but there is no time to troubleshoot an unclear or unintuitive robot.

Authors: Rebekah Hakala, Moroni Black. Mentors: Todd Spencer. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Over the years countless studies have delved into the theory of attachment due to its influence in the field of child development. Attachment theory is the idea that the sensitivity of parents or caregivers to a child’s bids for attention affect how the child will bond in relationships (Bretherton, 1992; Wilson-Ali et al., 2019). The style of attachment that a child has can affect them long-term and may influence other relational and developmental characteristics (Kurth, 2013). Due to the influence of attachment, our study investigates the relationship it has with cognitive reappraisal. Cognitive reappraisal is the ability to regulate one’s emotional states and the idea that a change in these thoughts is necessary to change negative emotions (Troy et al., 2017; Clark, 2022). With its ability to process and regulate emotion, cognitive reappraisal is another influential characteristic to the human psyche. Our results and analysis of the relationship between attachment theory and cognitive reappraisal come from a quantitative survey.The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship among attachment styles and Cognitive Reappraisal. Our sample consists of 411 married individuals. Participants completed The Relationship Questionnaire (RQ; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991) and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; Gross & John, 2003). Results of the one way Anova were significant F (3,407) = 3.36, p=<.01. There was a significant difference in levels of cognitive reappraisal among attachment styles. Secure attachment (M=29.95, SD = 6.41), fearful attachment (M=27.27, SD = 5.92), preoccupied (M=27.99, SD = 7.27), and dismissing (M = 28.78, SD = 7.54). Results of the Bonferroni Post-hoc analysis indicated a significantly higher levels of cognitive reappraisal than attachment styles (p.<.001). Results provide empirical support that secure attachment styles tend to be beneficial for cognitive reappraisal.

Authors: Asmaa Alsharif. Mentors: Sayeed Sajal. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Ransomware is malicious software which restricts users from accessing their computer and personal data through encryption. Ransomware attacks target a variety of victims including individuals, organizations, businesses, and governments. Attackers take control of this sensitive data and hold it hostage until a ransom is paid. Whether or not ransom is paid, the attackers’ damage can be irreparable. It includes but is not limited to exposing personal information, identity theft, blackmail, permanent deletion or corruption of valuable data, and Distributed Denial-of-service (DDos). Moreover, the financial implications of ransomware attacks are substantial. Victims face not only the direct costs of ransom payments, but also the expenses associated with system restoration and the potential fines for data protection violations. Furthermore, an ethical dilemma emerges from the response to extortion, as victims must grapple with the moral implications of potentially supporting criminal activities by paying ransoms to recover their data. This raises questions about the broader responsibility of stakeholders in cybersecurity and their duty to protect data privacy. The first ransomware attack emerged in 1989 and since then, ransomware attackers have persisted as a cybersecurity threat, striking at the core of data privacy. This paper delves into the multifaceted impact of ransomware incidents on data security, current ransomware techniques and strategies, and the ethical dilemmas they raise.Because ransomware attackers are constantly evolving their methods, it is important to routinely review the current literature to fully understand the tactics and techniques used by these cybercriminals. This research paper will review, analyze, and synthesize the existing literature about ransomware. It is crucial for individuals and organizations to be proactive, understand the nature of the threat, and take precautions to protect themselves and their data. This study encourages further research and discourse on the multifaceted impact of ransomware attacks on data privacy and the pursuit for effective countermeasures.

Authors: Rainey Hughes, Avalon Marker, Elizabeth Bouwhuis, Yeshaswini Dudde, Bryan Dopp, Scot Carington, Jared Nelson. Mentors: Daniel Clark. Insitution: Weber State University. Antibiotic resistance is a pressing concern within the medical community as bacteria's resistance to antibiotics is escalating alongside the increased usage of antibiotics. According to the CDC, there are close to 2.8 million antibiotic resistant infections every year, with about 35,000 of them resulting in death. This issue has prompted antibiotic stewardship programs in clinics and hospitals to avoid adding to the list of resistant bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus, including the formidable methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain, poses a grave threat due to its antibiotic resistance. The challenges stemming from this resistance become even more formidable when these infecting bacteria assemble into biofilms. Biofilms are robust, adhesive layers composed of bacteria and their extracellular matrices of polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA. In clinical environments like hospitals, biofilms frequently develop on medical devices such as stents, catheters, and IV lines, as well as on metal and plastic surfaces of medical equipment. These biofilms exacerbate antibiotic treatments due to incomplete eradication; the most resilient bacteria persist after exposure. There is evidence indicating that bacteriophages, which are viruses that will a target particular species or strain of bacteria, have the ability to encode depolymerases. These depolymerases can identify biofilms, adhere to them, and subsequently break down extracellular polymeric substances. Furthermore, bacteriophages can produce lysins, which induce bacterial cell death through cellular lysis. These characteristics can potentially render the bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics. The use of bacteriophages can also be beneficial when it comes to the concern of opportunistic infections. Due to its selectivity to specific bacteria, it can attack the target hosts and leave the natural flora intact.In our research, we have induced biofilms in our bioreactor. With these biofilms we have been able to test different concentrations of multiple antibiotics, including Vancomycin, Oxacillin, and Carbenicillin in combination with phage K at different concentrations. Our research is aimed at showing a synergistic relationship between phage K and antibiotics, that will allow a subinhibitory concentration of both, in combination, to induce a complete kill and clearance. We have measured this by evaluating bacterial growth via absorbance measurements at 600nm in a Tecan plate reader. We have also measured biofilm clearance using the plate reader and measuring fluorescence at 630nm with a biofilm tablet assay. It was found that a subinhibitory concentration of antibiotic alone did not induce a complete kill and clearing, and that a subinhibitory concentration of phage alone did not induce a complete kill and clearing. However, once these concentrations were used in combination with each other, the complete clearing and killing of MRSA was achieved, and furthermore, was achieved with the antibiotic that the staphylococcus aureus is resistant to. Leading us to believe that we have found a renewed use for a currently ineffective defense mechanism.

Authors: Nate Lovett. Mentors: Harish Bhatt. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations (CNLSEs) are an extension of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) that applies to multiple interacting wave systems. They occur naturally in many physical systems, including nonlinear optics, multi-component Bose-Einstein condensates, and shallow water waves. Solitons, which are self-contained, localized wave packets that preserve their shape and speed during propagation, are a significant application of CNLSEs. Solitons are prevalent in nonlinear systems and play a critical role in long-distance information transmission in telecommunications. Despite their widespread use in various fields, solving CNLSEs analytically is challenging, and numerical approximations are necessary. However, solving CNLSEs numerically is a difficult task because of their high nonlinearity.To overcome this challenge, in this presentation, we will introduce, analyze, and implement an established fourth-order Exponential Time Differencing scheme in combination with the Fourier spectral method for simulating one-dimensional CNLSEs. In order to check the performance of this method in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and stability, we will present simulation results on CNLSEs. Our results will consider single, two, and four soliton interactions for homogeneous Neumann, homogeneous Dirichlet, and periodic boundary conditions. The numerical results will show that the proposed method is able to preserve energy and mass for a long time simulation in soliton interactions, as well as preserve the expected order of convergence for the proposed method.

Authors: Caleb Slade, Evelyn Davis, Michael Orr, Brevin Bell. Mentors: Vinodh Chellamuthu. Insitution: Utah Tech University. Our study examines a viral video featuring a dog named Fritz who consistently fails to catch thrown food items. This research aims to determine whether Fritz's inability to catch is a result of his owner's throwing technique or Fritz's own inherent clumsiness. To investigate this, we employ a mathematical model based on kinematic differential equations to analyze the rotational dynamics of various geometrical shapes that simulate the thrown food items. By pinpointing moments in the projectile trajectory where the food items are most easily caught, we provide empirically-based recommendations aimed at improving Fritz's success rate.

Authors: Alexander Gibb. Mentors: York Young. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Our research group’s long term goal is to build a student-constructed nonlinear optical system to create a tunable source of longwave infrared (LWIR) photons for probing molecules for early detection of disease in human tissue. I previously developed a diode laser system as the optical pump for a 5 Watt Nd:YVO4 laser which was reported at UCUR in Feb 2023. However, recent nonlinear optical calculations for our optical parametric oscillator (OPO) show that we will need the average laser power from that Nd:YVO4 laser to be in the 7-8 Watt range. My work to power scale the Nd:YVO4 laser is described in this presentation.

Authors: Tyler Daynes, Jair Gonzalez, Jeremy Tait, Josh Jumper, Ellie Purcell, Tyler O'Loughlin, Vern Hart. Mentors: Vern Hart. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Coherent diffractive imaging is a common method for resolving small objects such as cells in order to determine their morphology. In it's essence it takes the diffraction pattern of laser light attenuating through an object and computationally reconstructs them back into the image that the light goes through. On the downside resolution of these diffraction patterns resulting from CCD size and sensitivity can be poor resulting into a less than optimal reconstruction. We have set out to build a system that can magnify this diffraction pattern without distorting the original image of the pattern. We have done this by building our own rastering system that can magnify light on the far edges of our beam. It does this by taking images with a lens attached to the rastering camera. This also has a problem because when the camera moves our detected light quickly falls off the screen of the detector. To fix this we added a gyroscopic system to our camera and lens so that the incident light may hit the system asmuthally at every point on the raster. This in turn will provide a higher quality diffraction pattern for reconstructing in CDI.

Authors: Ian Eggleston, Ashley N Egan. Mentors: Ashley N Egan. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) is a very useful technique that gives us insight into a species’ present and possible future ranges, habitats, and niches. ENM has applications within conservational biology as models can be used to understand the extent to which climate change may impact a species. Additionally, ENM can be useful for prospecting for and propagation of rare plant species. This project will use ENM to create predictive range models for a rare plant species, Pediomelum aromaticum, with the goal of defining an ecological niche, determining impact of climate change, and general conservation of P. aromaticum. Here, we will compare 19 bioclimatic variables using correlation analysis and ecological niche modeling to determine which are the most impactful on the range of P. aromaticum. Additionally, ENMs will be created using the MAXENT algorithm from historical and predicted future climate data. By comparing these models, we can hypothesize as to how climate change may impact P. aromaticum. Finally, models will be compared between predicted climate futures defined as shared socio-economic pathways or SSP. SSP models estimate the impacts of human interactions within the scope of environment, governments, and each other to estimate the impact of varying sets of human interactions as defined by modified global behaviors within humanity and the impacts on global climate change. Different ENM models will be created with different SSP climate models so that we can understand how actions taken by humanity right now may impact the critically imperiled species P. aromaticum.

Authors: Baylee Schumacher, Ryley Horrocks, Divya Singh. Mentors: Divya Singh. Insitution: Utah Tech University. 3D printed plastics have gained immense popularity in the recent times given the direct integration with CAD based software platform as well as ease of manufacturing. In addition, use of 3D printed parts can be more economical and less labor intensive.However, the mechanical behavior of these plastics is not well defined. There are many factors that affect the integrity of 3D printed plastic – extrusion temperature, infill pattern and infill percentage being a few of them.In this work, authors have attempted to study the effect of these factors on the tensile and flexure (bending) strength of 3D printed plastics. Firstly, tensile and bending samples are prepared by varying on more of the following – extrusion temperature, infill patter and infill percentage. Further, the specimens are tested in a destructive manner for tensile and flexure strength following the standard tensile and three-point bending technique on a Materials Testing System. The results on the variation in the strength as a function of print parameters provides an insight on the importance of standardizing these parameters to maximize strength and minimize cost.Keywords: additive manufacturing, 3D printed plastic, tensile strength, flexure strength

Authors: Alexander Panin, Benjamin Miera. Mentors: Alexander Panin. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Recent searches for extrasolar planets have brought a surprising discovery – almost any star seems to have a planetary system around it. We know that massive stars end their lives in a violent supernova explosion, during which an extremely large amount of energy (~3x10^46 J) is released from the star in a very short time. In this presentation, we analyze the effect of this explosion – primarily the impact of the neutrino flash, the gamma ray flash, and the expanding plasma shell - on the mechanical and thermal stability of an orbiting planet. Our calculations show that a planet's orbit can be significantly disrupted by the momentum of the exploding star shell (depending on the planet's mass and proximity to the host star), but the radiation pressure from the explosion has a much weaker effect. If a star loses too much mass to the expanding shell, any previously stable orbit will become unstable, causing the planets to escape. Additionally, we found that the gamma ray flash and the plasma shell incident on the planet can cause significant heating, while the neutrino flash would have virtually no effect. Also, if a star’s collapse is asymmetric then the star itself can leave the planetary system due to the momentum of the asymmetric neutrino radiation. The sequence of events during a supernova explosion and how they influence such a planet is discussed in the presentation.

Authors: Ellie Martin. Mentors: Mike Searcy. Insitution: Brigham Young University. As part of the 2023 Hinckley Mounds excavation, BYU Field School participants excavated a sizable amount of beam-impressed adobe and burnt wooden beams from the partially excavated pit house. This research proposal will focus on these two types of artifacts and what can be learned about the Fremont people through their study. Specifically, in this research project I will attempt to answer the question of what specific types of wood and adobe were used, and how they were used together to build the Fremont pithouse. To do this, the charcoal will be sent in for wood testing to get dates and tree type. I will also test the beam-impressed adobe to understand the type of clay used to make the hardened adobe. Finally, I will study the beam impressions in the adobe to find the average diameter of the beams used in the pit houses, any outliers in the diameters, and analyze any visible angles on corner pieces to put together a picture of how the beams and adobe came together to form the skeleton of the pit house structure. This research has the potential to reveal much about the Fremont people that lived at Hinckley Mounds, and help us to better understand their living conditions. The research that I conduct will potentially generate data about the age and type of wood used in their living structures, the diameter of the wooden beams they used, and the angles of the corners of the structure. At the conclusion of this research we aim to gain a better understanding of how the Fremont people constructed their dwellings, from the materials to their methodologies. I anticipate finding that the trees they used were locally sourced and date to a similar period of the other dates that we have from the Hinckley Mounds site, between 700–1300 CE. The pithouse will likely prove to be sub-rectangular, similar to Structure 1 at the Hinckley Mounds site, although any angles that can be found in the adobe impressions could give more precise data. All of this new data may serve to provide more insight into how the Fremont lived and chose to operate in their society.

Authors: Alex Montgomery, Mason Gordon. Mentors: Eddy Cadet. Insitution: Utah Valley University. TRACE METAL CONCENTRATIONS OF VARIOUS LAND USE TYPES SURROUNDING UTAH LAKEMason Gordon, Alex MontgomeryKeywords: Trace metals, Soil, Land use, Utah LakeUtah Lake has a history of anthropogenic impacts that have resulted in the accumulation of trace metals (TMs) in the sediments of this region. Previous studies have evaluated the water and saturated soils, but have not provided a complete picture of the human impact on upland soils. Some pollutants may be contained in unsaturated soils and never enter the water due to the inherent soil characteristics and chemical properties of the TMs. Elevated concentrations of TMs in the environment pose hazards to the ecosystem and local residents. These impacts can be better understood by evaluating TMs in unsaturated upland soils. In this study a comparison of TMs in saturated wetland and unsaturated upland sediments, as related to anthropogenic sources, was completed. This study analyzed the types and concentrations of TMs to understand their mobility throughout the ecosystem. 52 core samples were collected from the saturated and unsaturated soils in eight sites. These sites represent recently developed areas (New Dev), more established areas (Mid Dev- those that have been developed over five years), recreational areas, mining areas, industrial areas, agricultural areas, and a wastewater treatment plant site. The soil samples were dried, ground, sieved, acid digested, and analyzed in the ICP-OES for TM (As, Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd, and Zn) content. Preliminary results show that TM concentrations in upland sediments were higher than those in wetland sediments. Cr levels in industry and Mid Dev are 43.0 ppm and 47 ppm, respectively. Saturated sediments at the same sites revealed Cr levels of 23 ppm and 21 ppm, respectively. This indicates that TMs are contained in unsaturated sediments. Of the observed land use types, Mid Dev is the most impacted, having the highest elevations of TM levels on average. Cd concentrations exceeded background levels in both New Dev (.97 ppm) and Mid Dev (.83 ppm). This is indicative of anthropogenic impact, as developed areas have higher TM content. The statements of this study will provide information to regulatory authorities in order to create policy to improve human health.

Authors: Gideon Bowes. Mentors: Michael Rotter. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Correctly identifying plants in the field can be a daunting task. Making an accurate ID typically requires one to understand a complex lexicon of terminology, possess a level of inherent taxonomic understanding, and have the know-how to traverse complex dichotomous keys and species descriptions. This process often necessitates an array of resources, including large hardbound texts, online references, and stand-alone glossaries of terms. In order to better meet the demands of beginning botanists, we created the Field Manual of the Utah Valley Flora Project. This project includes students taking botany classes at Utah Valley University and tasks them with creating botanical treatments to the plants growing in the Utah County vicinity. The students’ treatments are curated with the objective of providing descriptions that are usable by their peers. Here, we present an example of how treatments are composed using the mustard family (Brassicaceae) and data regarding the efficacy of this project with regard to course learning objectives. The goal of this project is to simplify the identification process by producing a student-written, comprehensive text that is user-friendly and accessible to the beginning botany student.

Authors: Benjamin Furniss, Britton Borget, John Sanders. Mentors: Patrick Ling. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Mortality model is the underlying model used by life actuaries to price life policies, set reserve amounts, and compute policy values. A mortality model investigates how mortality rates evolve over time. Current insurance law in many states (including Utah) suggest the use of Scale AA (or a similar model) in projecting future mortality rates, which is a special case of autoregression time series model. This model is flawed because it is built on the assumption that (1) there is no ARCH effect in the central death rates data, and (2) there is no unit root in the time series of mortality index. These assumptions are questionable. No wonder why state insurance laws (including Utah state insurance law) are recently revised in recognition of discrepancy between model predicted mortality rates and actual mortality rates. Recent published literatures indicate that the second assumption is questionable, as some statistical tests suggest that there is some near unit root in the mortality model. In this talk we want to argue that ARCH effect is present in the mortality data, so there is need to adopt a time series model that incorporates heteroskedasticity in the mortality data. We will later propose a GARCH model for better predicting future mortality rates – a key task life actuaries conduct, for it is important for life actuaries to predict what will happen over the next few decades of policy term.

Authors: Brantson Yeaman. Mentors: Machiel van Frankenhuijsen. Insitution: Utah Valley University. There has been considerable curiosity at the graduate and postgraduate level in regards to heights, that is, heights in their relation to Diophantine geometry. One application of heights is in the $abc$ conjecture, which remains highly mysterious. Often, the only height undergraduates encounter is the traditional absolute value. This talk seeks to define the height for use in investigating the $abc$ conjecture and connect it at a level that undergraduates with little experience with number theory may approach. It will introduce the idea of a $p$-adic norm of a number, a projective point, and a view that lends itself to both a simple idea of distance, and yet has an analogue in the Hamiltonian numbers.

Authors: John Walton, Dallin Durfee. Mentors: Dallin Durfee. Insitution: Utah Valley University. We are developing an inexpensive optical power meter to measure lasers in our lab. In the device the signal from a photodiode is directed through a transimpedance amplifier to provide a voltage proportional to the power of the incident light. We will use an Arduino and a 16 bit ADC to collect the voltage measurement. The Arduino will also control a switch, allowing us to change the gain of the transimpedance amplifier for measurements over a larger range of powers. The Arduino will be programmed with the responsivity curve of the photodiode so that the correct power can be calculated for a given wavelength.

Authors: Avery Larsen, Heath Ogden. Mentors: Heath Ogden. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Mayflies, also known as Ephemeroptera, are members of the anciently derived infraclass known as Paleoptera, the first group of insects that evolved the ability to fly (Gillott, 2005). Distinct developmental characteristics of the life stages of the mayfly are the reason that ephemeroptera are of particular interest. The life stages are; the egg, nymphs, subimago, and imago. The aquatic nymph stage does not have wings but instead has leaf-shaped gills that can be used to help propel the insect through its environment (Eastham, 1936). Centroptilum triangulifer will be used for RNA extractions to study the development of both wings and gills. Objectives for this research are 1). Elucidate, describe, capture, and record distinguishing characteristics of the different instars of Centroptilum triangulifer. 2) Identify key instars integral to gill and wing development in Centroptilum triangulifer. 3) Perform 10 RNA extractions. 4) Use Qubit technology to ensure ≥ 20 ng/μL RNA concentration per ≥ 10 μL. 5) samples will be packaged in thermo-stable shipping boxes and sent to Novogene where samples will be tested once more for quality control. 7) Once the quality is confirmed, samples will be processed using poly-A enrichment and then sequenced using high-throughput Illumina sequencing. Data will be tested for quality control and then sent to Ogden labs. 8). Using an in-house bioinformatics workflow, RNA data will be checked for quality, trimmed, and aligned, before RNA data is first trimmed, and then aligned to Ogden labs transcriptome reference genome. After alignment, the number of reads per gene, or hit counts, are calculated and compared. 9) RNA results of different instars will be compared to each other as well as NCBI databases using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool.

Authors: Remington R Motte. Mentors: Carl Hjelmen. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule (DSCAM, an immunoglobulin protein) is a protein that is important for neuronal development, especially in invertebrates. While DSCAM is present in other organisms, it has gone through multiple independent duplication events in arthropods. This has resulted in four to six DSCAM exon clusters with thousands of isoforms throughout arthropoda. Due to DSCAM’s role in brain development, I investigated DSCAM1 evolution and its relationship to the evolution of sociality in arthropods. I defined eusocial as having a common nest, cooperative brood care, reproductive castes and generational overlap. Any species that exhibited one or some of these traits I categorized as sub-social, and any that didn’t show these traits were categorized as solitary. Using Bayesian phylogenetic techniques, I compared DSCAM1 phylogenies to mitochondrion phylogenies and found higher rates of evolution in the DSCAM gene within Hymenoptera. The same increased rates were not found with other eusocial species. I then mapped sociality status onto phylogenies to visualize patterns of evolution and estimate ancestral condition of sociality for common ancestors. Increased taxon sampling within cockroaches and termites (Blattodea), as well as including ambrosia beetles (Austroplatypus incompertus), aphids (Pemphigus spyrothecae) and thrips (Kladothrips) could elucidate the relationship between DSCAM evolution and sociality in arthropods.

Authors: Nathan Anderson. Mentors: Zoe Thompson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. The pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene is expressed in the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. The products of this gene are important for food intake and energy expenditure. Mutations in the POMC gene can lead to obesity, excess hunger, and infertility. We are studying a mouse model of POMC deficiency in order to better understand what causes the infertility. In this experiment, we want to study the estrus cycle of mice who have the POMC mutation. The estrus cycle is similar to the menstrual cycle in humans. Specifically, the estrus cycle can be divided into four different stages: estrus, metestrus, diestrus, and proestrus stages. To determine which stage of the cycle the mice are in, we analyze the cells that are present in a vaginal smear, which is collected by a pipet smear technique, and then can be viewed under a microscope. This technique consists of filling a pipet with 0.9% saline solution and flushing this into the vagina of the mice. The cells lining the vagina will be washed off and then collected back into the pipet. These cells will then be added to a slide where they will be looked under a microscope and analyzed based on the number of cornified epithelial cells, leukocytes, and nucleated cells that are present. We have taken pictures of these smears and are analyzing them to determine what stage of the cycle the specific mouse is in at that time. Data was collected over a several week period. Since the POMC gene is absent in the mice being studied, we expect the estrus cycles in the mice to be abnormal. Based on our results, we will continue our research into looking at the specific hormone levels of the mice.

Authors: Greg Avalos. Mentors: Sierra Warner. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The primary objective of this study is to explore caffeine's impact on explicit memory, particularly during the early morning when cognitive performance tends to be at its lowest. We aim to investigate how caffeine modulates attention, memory recall, and consolidation, shedding light on the less-understood psychological effects of caffeine in a real-world context. Participants will be assigned either the caffeine condition or the noncaffeine condition and will be tested on their explicit memory recall using the Craft 21 story recall test. Expected results are that those in the caffeine condition will score higher on the Craft 21 story recall test compared to those who didn't drink caffeine before the study.

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: Tessa C Black, Craig D Thulin. Mentors: Craig Thulin. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are a distinctive and beloved species due to their unique wing coloration. In 2022, UVU student Kyri Forman and Dr. Craig Thulin identified seven pigments in monarch butterfly wings, three of which have not yet been identified in any other organism. The novel pigments are modified versions of xanthommatin, and their discovery implies the existence of presently unknown enzymes which catalyze the pigments’ biosynthesis. The western blot and its modified technique, the far western blot, are useful tools for identifying protein-protein interactions using antibodies and bait-proteins, respectively. To identify xanthommatin-binding proteins present in monarch butterfly pupae, we are developing a new blotting technique which we are calling the midwestern blot. This technique uses pigment molecules to identify the presence of pigment-binding proteins within a mixture. The midwestern blot technique will be validated is being validated using cytochrome C, hemoglobin, and myoglobin, three heme-binding proteins of known molecular weight and structure. Once validated, we will use the midwestern blot to identify xanthommatin-binding proteins extracted from monarch butterfly pupae. The midwestern blot will help promote future investigations into pigment-binding proteins, including the enzyme responsible for the novel pigments identified in monarch butterfly wings.

Authors: Brooklyn Matthews, Andrew Rowley, Michael Salas, Shaun Kader. Mentors: Michele Culumber, Daniel Clark. Insitution: Weber State University. Paucilactobacillus wasatchensis causes significant product loss in the dairy industry by causing gas build-up in packaging, and slit-crack defects in the cheese. By invitation, we tested a cheese manufacturing plant in northern Utah for Plb. wasatchensis in their creamery based on reports of puffed packages of aged cheese. We were allowed to swab several locations in the production area where contamination with Plb. wasatchensis was possible. Swabbed areas included the areas exposed to milk before and after pasteurization, floor drains, the cheese vat, curd cutters, cheddaring table, and packaging environment. Samples of raw milk, fresh curds, and gassy cheese were also collected. Swabs taken from surface samples were vortexed in 1 mL sterile saline solution. The solution was diluted and plated on deMan, Rogosa, and Sharpe agar with 1% ribose (MRS+R) agar. All agar plates were incubated anaerobically for 1 week. Enrichment cultures for Pbl. wasatchensis were also made by inoculating 0.1 mL of the saline rinse from each swab in MRS+R broth, and incubated for 2 days. After growth, were diluted and plated on MRS+R agar. After 1 week of incubation, we selected small (~1 mm), slow-growing colonies that were morphologically similar to Pbl. wasatchensis. The 16S rRNA gene and N-acetyltrasferase gene were amplified using PCR primers specific for Pbl. wasatchensis. Positive Pbl. wasatchensis isolates were found on the handle of the cheese cutter and in the final cheese product showing a gas defect. Our finding suggests that Pbl. wasatchensis is a potential contaminant in the creamery, and though only found in one location, may exist throughout the facility at unculturable levels. Further studies will use molecular techniques to identify Pbl. wasatchensis throughout the facility to identify bacterial DNA instead of live cells, which may more accurately represent the presence of this fastidious organism.

Authors: Amanda Lee, Alex Phillips, Bonnie Baxter, Amy Schmid. Mentors: Bonnie Baxter. Insitution: Westminster College. The Great Salt Lake is home to a massive variety of microorganisms and insights into these populations will aid in understanding the ecosystem. The Union Pacific Railroad’s causeway has divided the lake into two distinct sections and over time caused the North Arm to increase in salinity over the South Arm and gain its hallmark pink color due to restricted freshwater input. Terminal rivers flow into the South Arm while the North Arm’s water evaporates, leaving behind accumulating salty brine, and the two very different waters have nurtured two accordingly distinctive ecosystems. Breaches periodically opened in the causeway allow the waters to mix and provide opportunity for the microbial communities of the two arms to intermingle. In a collaboration between the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster University and the Schmid Lab at Duke University, this project focuses on procuring a picture of the North Arm’s microbial diversity and the extent that it adapts to new environments over the four seasons, as well as what happens to the microbes and their nutrient exchange at that breach mixing point. Halophilic archaea and algae comprise the majority of biodiversity in the lake, and we hypothesize that those taxonomic compositions of the North Arm are stable over the different seasons, due to their extremophilic nature. Every season, we have collected water samples from the causeway, breach, and Spiral Jetty to grow and isolate bacterial colonies for DNA extraction and imaging. We also collect biofilm on filters to analyze RNA gene expression and metabolite usage as the environment changes. Over nearly two years of sampling, the hypothesis has been supported and we are seeing stability in community compositions in comparison to the less-salty South Arm. We are still interpreting results from the mixed breach samples, but thus far the microbes appear to be similar to those in the North Arm.

Authors: Brandon Barlow, Ethan Reese, Victoria Vazquez, Abbi Stark, Monica Sanchez, Alex Wilson, Rain Evans, Josef Becker, Amy Chevrier, James Taylor. Mentors: James Taylor. Insitution: Utah Valley University. This study focuses on memory and learning observed in Madasgascar Hissing Cockroaches (MHC). Research on insects can be used to inform our understanding of behavior and cognitive processes and add to our existing knowledge about the studied species. While there is existing literature focused on memory and learning in many insects, cockroaches are often chosen as a model due to their adaptability, resilience, and availability. Little research on MHC currently exists, especially in regard to memory and learning or drug seeking behaviors. This study uses a mixed model design, looking at arm choice percentages and latency to choose, between the control and experimental groups and comparing trials for each subject. In earlier trials, MHC demonstrated behavior that indicated they had learned not to fear light, a naturally aversive stimulus for cockroaches. Building on data collected in earlier trials, we developed a new protocol to evaluate the MHC associative learning behaviors and to test drug-seeking as a motivated behavior. Subjects are individually tested in a T-shaped apparatus in which they have to choose an arm to go into or are timed out. Each arm has a specific reward, either a sucrose and ethanol solution (experimental group) or plain sucrose solution (control group) in the left arm, and plain sucrose solution (experimental group) or water (control group) in the right arm. Each subject is run 2 days (6 trials per day) in these conditions, and then 3 days with the left arm lengthened to test if the subjects will seek their preferred reward even if it requires traveling a greater distance.

Authors: Benjamin Holt. Mentors: York Young. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Our research group aims to create an optical system which generates tunable longwave infrared (LWIR) light as a tool for early detection of disease-indicating molecules in human tissue. This system begins with our newly constructed Nd:YVO4-type laser which generates between five and seven watts of continuous wave optical power in the near IR spectrum. This laser light will be used to drive the subsystem responsible for generating LWIR light: an optical parametric oscillator. In order for wavelength conversion to occur via a non-linear process, the near IR laser power serving as an optical drive must have an intensity on the order of tens of MW/cm2. To achieve such intensities the laser power must be concentrated into high intensity nanosecond length pulses by Q-switching the laser. Our method of Q-switching the Nd:YVO4 laser will be via an acousto-optic modulator in the laser cavity. My work to design the modulator’s kinematic mount, cooling system, and RF driver (as well as characterizing the performance of the modulator for use as a laser Q-switch) is described in this presentation.

Authors: Samantha Curnow, Carl Hjelmen. Mentors: Carl Hjelmen. Insitution: Utah Valley University. The genome sizes of insects vary immensely; some insects have only 100 million base pairs, while others reach nearly 18 billion base pairs. Many selective pressures can have an influence on genomes, but we still lack a clear understanding of which selective pressures cause such variation in genome size even within well-studied groups. To determine the influence of environmental factors on this variation, we investigate the relationship between genome size and the average natural environment of 152 Drosophila species. The nature of the relationship between genome size and environmental factors is investigated using phylogenetic models and linear analyses such as phylogenetic generalized least squares analysis. We collected data from peer-reviewed papers and publicly available datasets, such as karyotype.org and WorldClim, to compare the genome size of each species to the temperature, altitude, humidity, etc. of their natural environments using linear phylogenetic models. The distribution of these species was also visualized using geographic and biological analysis packages in R, such as geodata, to extract environmental data of specified regions, and phytools in combination with caper to run phylogenetic comparative analyses.

Authors: Roshan Abraham, Parker Jorgenson. Mentors: Daren Nelson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Hobble Creek is an essential and valuable stream that the City of Springville and other local entities utilize for their water supply. However, the stream is also vital to the local environment and ecosystem since it one of the main streams that the June Sucker (an endangered endemic fish) spawn in each year. Numerous environmental projects and studies have been done in the lower section of Hobble Creek due to this importance. There are many springs in the region that provide water to the stream but there is a lack of consistent monitoring of the flow throughout the stream to determine how the stream is interacting with groundwater sources. Groundwater models completed by the United States Geological Survey in 2005 for the Utah Lake Watershed suggest locations where groundwater interactions should be either discharging or recharging the local aquifer. However, more recent data has suggested that many of these water interaction maps created by the USGS model are inaccurate. Using a water budget analysis, streamflow in the creek is being measured at 10 sites throughout the Hobble Creek Watershed to determine how the flow in the creek changes as it flows towards Utah Lake. Data gathered from this and previous studies show the zones of discharge and recharge shift seasonally and are not as consistent as the USGS model suggests. Recent data does confirm that Hobble Creek is gaining flow upstream and losing flow downstream, but there are portions of the river that also may be perched (do not interact with the groundwater). Further measurements and continued site investigation will be necessary to help us better manage this vital water resource.

Authors: Feyan Hoffman, Roshan Abraham, Christine Fowles, Abi Conger, Scott Jenson. Mentors: Daren Nelson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. One of the least understood part of our local water budget is the interaction of groundwater into our lakes and streams. Groundwater models completed by the United States Geological Survey in 2005 for the Utah Lake Watershed suggest zones where groundwater interactions should be either discharging or recharging into our local streams, wetlands, and other water bodies. However, more recent data has suggested that many of these water interaction maps created by the model are inaccurate, and we need a better understanding of how groundwater interacts with these water bodies. Using a water budget analysis, groundwater and surface water interactions are measured by collecting discharge measurements using flow meters at different cross sections along the Provo River and its tributaries. A gaining or losing stream may swap depending on seasonal changes, such as a particular water year being dry or wet–a stream that is typically gaining may be recharging the aquifer during a dry year. The USGS model is a good basic representation of interactions between groundwater and surface water. Our data suggests that due to highly variable water levels of Utah Lake and local groundwater levels, some discharge and recharge zones in the Provo River subbasin are likely to change over time. In addition, some sections of the river may be perched and not interact with the groundwater system at all. In order for us to better manage these important resources, further analysis of flow behaviors in the Provo River and its tributaries need to be completed. This study is part of a larger study that includes adding two new permanent flow gauging stations to provide a long term record that will enable water managers to better decipher why the groundwater and surface interactions are not fitting the USGS model.

Authors: Jacob Sampson, Joshua Goates, Brian Patchett, Abolfazl Amin, Bonnie Andersen. Mentors: Bonnie Andersen. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Noise from an interstate can reach extreme levels. The OSHA limit for when sound becomes dangerous for the health of individuals is 85 dB. At UVU there is a pedestrian bridge that goes over I-15 and the students and other pedestrians that use this bridge are exposed to sound levels that could be potentially dangerous for their hearing, along with other adverse health effects due to sound on a regular basis. Sound levels have been measured on the bridge using two different measuring devices. The first being an Extech noise dosimeter, that was worn on the shoulder of the measurer as they walked across the bridge. The second instrument used was a Larson David sound level meter. That was placed on several places along the length of the bridge at set to record for several minutes to get the sound levels at those places. Sound levels that have been recorded have ranged form 79 dB to 102 dB. The OSHA limit for occupational exposure at 100 dB is two hours while for non-occupational exposure it is only 15 minutes. This research seeks to better understand and quantify the noise exposure pedestrians experience on the bridge. Also this research hopes to find out what facts influence the sound levels on the bridge and we hope to compare our experimental results to an ANSYS model of the bridge to confirm our findings.

Authors: Spencer Brown, Shawn Pepper, Carson Draughon, Ulises Thornock, Dustin Shipp. Mentors: Dustin Shipp. Insitution: Utah Valley University. In the shadow of the 2021-2023 global energy crisis, the need for alternative sources of energy has reached an all time high. To combat this, we have developed a prototype method of harvesting kinetic energy from a door swing, converting that energy into electricity, and storing it inside a battery for future use. Our experiments have demonstrated the capability to use the energy from one door to charge a cellular phone, but we believe this method could be applied on a much larger scale. In this poster we will discuss the method, design, and measurements from our device, as well as possible future applications.

Authors: Miranda Rose, Daniel James. Mentors: Daniel James. Insitution: Utah Valley University. In this study, we investigated mechanical vibrations as a mechanism for creating uniform droplets in a free liquid jet. A stream of liquid naturally breaks into irregular droplets as it falls due to the Plateau-Rayleigh instability. In this work, droplet break-up was triggered by utilizing a motor with Arduino-based frequency control and stroboscopic visualization. The project achieved uniform droplet sizes for multiple liquids of different viscosities. Notably, this method demonstrated the creation of Dippin Dots-like confections at a STEM fair, engaging learners in the principles of physics and engineering. Future work will focus on the original goal of utilizing acoustics for droplet formation, aiming to refine the process and expand its industrial applicability.

Authors: Tyler O'Loughlin, Tyler Daynes, Erik Prazak. Mentors: Dustin Shipp. Insitution: Utah Valley University. In the realm of photon interactions with surfaces, the reflection and refraction of light depend significantly on the micro and macrostructures of the surfaces. Despite the use of various methods to attenuate light, their effectiveness remains a subject of interest. In this study, we delve into the properties that render super-black coatings, such as Vantablack, exceptionally dark compared to coatings with distinct surface characteristics but significantly altered amplitudes of reflected intensity. Our research focuses on understanding the optical properties of Vantablack; in particular, we investigate the role of the carbon nanotube microstructure in achieving its unique light-absorbing properties. Through a comprehensive analysis of our samples, we have uncovered that the carbon nanotube microstructure of Vantablack contributes to its remarkably low reflective intensity and exceptional absorption across all wavelengths of light. Notably, Vantablack displays such a high optical density that even at Brewster's angle, a reflection is virtually undetectable. This research sheds light on the intriguing properties of Vantablack and has implications for a wide range of applications where light absorption and reflection play a critical role.

Authors: Kaycie A Melville, Ashley N Egan, Yu Ya Liang. Mentors: Ashley N. Egan. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) and P. lunatus (lima bean) provide protein and nutrition for millions of people across the globe. Native to the New World, these cultivated species present unique histories of multiple and independent domestications in Mesoamerica and the Andes. Brazil is the leading producer globally of these beans. With both wild and cultivated landraces present, Brazil may act as a secondary center of domestication for these two economically significant leguminous crops. Brazil's indigenous populations’ cultivation efforts may include both wild and cultivated germplasm, potentially contributing to the continued domestication of these crops to create novel shapes, sizes, and colors that are grown and hand-selected by the natives in these regions. To investigate Brazil as a secondary domestication center of beans, this research addresses several key questions: Are signals of past and current domestication processes discernible in current Brazilian cultivars of these species? Can we unravel the relationships between these Brazilian crops and their primary centers of domestication? What genetic differences are underpinning domestication? How diverse are Brazilian cultivars? How do they relate to wild and related material and species? This work focuses on 48 accessions of P. lunatus and P. vulgaris from Brazil, including wild material and two accessions from two related species, P. polystachios and P. filiformis from North America. Whole genomes were resequenced using Illumina sequencing and compared against the published genome of Phaseolus vulgaris to identify SNPs in each accession. Whole chloroplast genomes were also assembled and compared. Phylogenetic analyses, network analyses, population structure, and tests for neutral and positively selected mutations were conducted, revealing distinct clades for both P. vulgaris and P. lunatus with clear links to their Andean and Mesoamerican origins. Genetic diversity was assessed both within (cultivated vs wild) and between P. vulgaris and P. lunatus, demonstrating significant variations, not only between species but also within each species, suggesting the influence of diverse selection pressures and local adaptation during the domestication process. McDonald-Kreitman tests analyze and locate possible domestication genes from the library of SNP’s between outgroups (Phaseolus filiformis and Phaseolus polystachios) and between species. Overall, this research advances our understanding of the intricate process of domestication in P. vulgaris and P. lunatus, highlighting potential ongoing domestication in Brazilian cultivars, unraveling their genetic relationships, and shedding light on the complex interplay of genes that underpin domestication and diversity. These findings contribute to the broader understanding of crop evolution and have practical implications for crop improvement and conservation.

Authors: Joshua Stubbs, Annette Lewis, Kendall Holcomb, Barbara Suassuna Schincariol. Mentors: Geoffery Zhan. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Does Greater Phylogenetic Distance Affect Competition Outcomes in Fungal Communities?Annette Lewis, Kendall Holcomb, Bárbara Suassuna Schincariol, Josh Stubbs, Geoffery Zahn PhDFungi play a critical role in decomposition, affecting nutrient cycling at a global scale. Saprotrophic fungi competitively decompose dead organic matter. However, the role of phylogenetic relatedness on interspecific competition in fungal communities has not received much attention. The theory of phylogenetic over-dispersion suggests that species within a community tend to be less related than expected by chance, therefore limiting competition due to functional redundancy. Similarly, Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis suggests that taxonomically distinct invaders might experience reduced competition and resistance. In this study, we chose three different saprotrophic fungal species with varying relatedness: Aspergillus niger and Fusarium keratoplasticum (from the same family), and Pleurotus ostreatus (from a different phylum). These species were chosen based on decomposition abilities and phylogenetic distances. These species were cultured and placed in seven combinations to assess their ability to decompose and compete as individual fungal populations and as combined communities (e.g., A, B, A+B, B+C, and A+B+C). Each species was placed near a sterilized piece of paper such that competition was evaluated by analyzing the paper coverage in Petri dishes over three weeks. Each Petri dish was analyzed individually based on the average percentage of paper covered and, within combined communities, the percentage of paper each species covered. Interactions between each species and the percentage of the paper covered was recorded for further analysis. Assessing paper coverage allows for the observation of any potential competitive inhibition of decomposition. We hypothesize that decomposing and competitive abilities would be the strongest with A. niger. Despite the fast growth rate of A. niger individually, preliminary results suggest that it was outcompeted when paired with other species. This research highlights the potential nuances in fungal community interactions influenced by phylogenetic relationships, shedding light on the principles of phylogenetic overdispersion and Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis.

Authors: Anna Wilkinson, Feyan Hoffman, Roshan Abraham. Mentors: Daren Nelson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Remote sensing technologies, involving drone and satellite imagery, have recently begun to be used in hydrologic research with various applications. The technology is relatively easy to obtain, is noninvasive, and helps minimize cost, access, and safety concerns related to the study of wetlands. The thermal and multispectral imagery can provide unique datasets that expand understanding into groundwater and surface water interactions. As part of this project, we are exploring remote sensing applications within the hydrology of wetlands surrounding Utah Lake, a large freshwater lake within Utah Valley. The project has involved the collection of thermal and multispectral drone imagery from 2021 to 2023. Thermal imagery collected in these areas has assisted in the determining of hot and cold spring locations and how these springs have shifted due to changes in groundwater levels and lake levels. In addition, this imagery has shown how physical anthropogenic influences have also impacted the location and stream channels associated with these springs. Multispectral imagery is used to understand the health of phreatophytes near the lake during dry and wet years to be used as an indicator for groundwater level changes. Even though much of the data is still preliminary and part of a long-term study these remote sensing technologies are already showing how these groundwater systems adapt to seasonal and anthropogenic changes.

Authors: Cole Statham, Katelyn Thomas. Mentors: Michael C Rotter. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Datura (Solanaceae) is a potent hallucinogenic genus of plants that has varied uses across cultures. Tropane alkaloids in these plants are potent compounds that, depending on dosage, can offer the user a psychoactive experience or cause severe reactions including death. For some, Datura is little more than an ornamental flower or an ideal source to have a psychedelic experience. While for others it is a sacred plant, used on special occasions, and only permitted to be handled by those who have been prepared and trained to do so. An explanation for these cultural differences could be that cultures with taboos surrounding this plant are likely those that have species of Datura with variable levels of tropane alkaloids, while cultures without taboos are likely to have species with consistent levels of tropane alkaloids. Here we focus on six species of Datura using literature reports of tropane alkaloid contents and compare the variability in these phytochemicals to cultural uses of these plants. We predict that societies with cultural taboos will be more likely to be those with species that have higher variability in tropane alkaloids.