Fine Arts

Authors: Ada Cottam Allen, Mikhael T Semaan. Mentors: Mikhael T Semaan. Insitution: University of Utah. Regularly buoyed from thermodynamic equilibrium by complex and fluctuating environments, living systems must continually respond and adapt to external stimuli. Recent tools from stochastic thermodynamics place concrete energetic and entropic bounds on these processes, for systems arbitrarily far from equilibrium both in and out of steady-state conditions, and thus reveal mechanisms by which these systems absorb and dissipate energy to function. Here, we leverage these tools to simulate and calculate the thermodynamic signatures of several models of sodium and potassium ion channels---channels crucial to propagating action potentials in mammalian neurons---as driven by biologically-realistic action potential spiking protocols. Thus uncovering their detailed energetic responses to such complex environmental conditions, these results enable detailed comparison between the thermodynamic functionality of each channel type with driving one would expect in-vivo. When applied to competing models of the same channel, these tools also provide additional criteria for model selection; to this end, we close by calculating expected ionic currents, directly facilitating comparison with dynamically-driven patch-clamp experiments.

Authors: G. Colton Gardner, Lynasi Gapelu, Sohom Mookherjee, Sihem Boudina, J. David Symons. Mentors: J. David Symons. Insitution: University of Utah. With the prevalence of cardiovascular disease increasing world wide and its precise mechanisms remaining elusive, the need for novel treatments is urgent. Autophagy is a conserved process whereby dysregulated intracellular proteins are escorted to the lysosome for recycling. Emerging evidence indicates that autophagy is important in maintaining endothelial cell (EC) proteostasis and function. My laboratory showed that autophagy repression in adult mice ECs produces arterial dysfunction, and indexes of autophagy are repressed in ECs of older mice and humans which display concurrent EC dysfunction. Sequestosome 1 (p62) tethers proteins and enables their entry into the autophagic pathway. The contribution from EC p62 to cardiovascular and metabolic function is unknown and experiments are needed to investigate this. Thus, p62 will be depleted from ECs of adult male and female mice (p62iEC-/-) via tamoxifen regimen, and results will be compared to animals wherein EC p62 is intact (CON). The efficacy and specificity of EC p62 depletion will be evaluated in ECs and vascular smooth muscle by qPCR and immunoblotting. Three adjacent 1 mm thoracic aorta sections will be obtained 14 days after the tamoxifen regimen. The central aorta section will be used to measure intrinsic mechanical stiffness by wire myography, with the other two used to find lumen diameter and intimal medial thickness. These measurements will help create Stress vs. Strain curves and the Elastic Modulus, which will be compared between the groups to show the differences caused by p62 depletion. We expect p62 depletion from ECs to increase intrinsic aortic stiffness.

Authors: Sydney Larsen. Mentors: Joshua Steffen. Insitution: University of Utah. Pollen preserves are crucial to maintaining Apis mellifera’s hive health. This pollen provides bees with a source of protein, amino acids, lipids, and other nutrients that are vital for larvae development (Dharampal et. Al, 2019). In addition to providing these essential nutrients, bee collected pollen also provides the hive with an excellent source of external pollen-borne microorganisms. These microbes provide a variety of benefits including serving as a major dietary requirement for larvae, assisting in biochemical processes such as bee bread fermentation, and assisting in bee resistance to pathogens (Gilliam, 1997). Despite the importance that these organisms play on bee health, there is currently little research on how the microbial composition of bee foraged pollen changes throughout the foraging season in response to abiotic and biotic factors. Rapid advancements in DNA metabarcoding approaches and DNA sequencing technologies have made the assessment of hive level foraging patterns easily accessible. We attempt to leverage the benefits of these new approaches to characterize how microbial composition in pollen provisions changes in relation to shifts in foraging preferences. Here we describe general patterns plant foraging behaviors for two hives across a single foraging season. In addition, we describe the variability of microbial diversity associated with pollen across this same time frame. Our initial description plant and microbial communities present in pollen provisions suggest that pollinator foraging preferences play a significant role in pollen associated microbial communities. This will allow for further research into how the presence of specific beneficial microbes is affected by changes in climate, floral availability, pathogen presence, etc..ReferencesDharampal, P. S., Carlson, C., Currie, C. R., & Steffan, S. A. (2019). Pollen-borne microbes shape bee fitness. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 286(1904), 20182894.Gilliam, M. (1997). Identification and roles of non-pathogenic microflora associated with honey bees. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 155(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-1097(97)00337-6

Authors: My Nha Quyen Tran, Cindy Greaves. Mentors: Martin Horvath, Cindy Greaves. Insitution: University of Utah. I have been studying the DNA repair enzyme MutY found at the Lost City thermal field 3000 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean with conditions similar to those that may have shaped the origin of life. With no sunlight and very little oxygen, life at the Lost City is driven by chemical transformations in rocks at extremely high levels of pH and temperature. DNA in all organisms strictly follows base pairing rules in which A pairs with T and G pairs with C. We all think of oxygen as beneficial, but it can cause damage to DNA. Oxidized guanine (OG) violates the base pairing rules and pairs with A. This causes mutations, which can lead to changes in the genetic information. The mutagenic potential of OG was a challenge that had to be solved early in the emergence of DNA-encoded life. The enzyme MutY functions in suppressing mutations and therefore protects us from developing cancer by finding and removing A from OG:A mispairs. In my effort to replicate conditions at the Lost City so as to explore how the DNA repair enzyme MutY evolved to function in this strange environment I need to purify the enzyme. I used DNA cloning to attach the MutY-encoding genes to a soluble bacterial protein called GST that hopefully will make it easier to purify the MutY proteins. Encouragingly, these fusion proteins expressed well in bacteria and appeared to be soluble. I am now exploring different conditions looking for optimal enzyme activity, which I predict to be different from what familiar bacteria can tolerate. Basic science research on how DNA repair enzymes adapted to the strange environment at the Lost City may inform future translational applications to treat and cure cancer and thus ensure a healthy society in Utah.

Authors: William Lee, Rishab Nayak, Cecilia Knapp, Camila Soderholm. Mentors: Ryan Stolley. Insitution: University of Utah. Recent publications have shown pyridine carboxylate functionalized aza-crown ethers coordinate strongly to a number of rare earth elements. Considering their strong coordination, we have modified these crown-ethers with a number of hydrophobic moieties to allow for adsorption to non-polar substrates to enable packed bed isolation of these elements to address the broad use and limited availability of these elements.

Authors: Nathan Jackson, Ryan James, James Crutchfield. Mentors: Mikhael Semaan. Insitution: University of Utah. Symbolic dynamics allows for modeling---and designing for---the effects of imperfectly measuring a time series of data, by partitioning into a finite number of possibilities. The resulting time series of discrete symbols is then made especially amenable to information-theoretic methods for understanding its temporal structure and correlation. In particular, as long as the partitioning scheme is generating, the resulting estimations for entropy rate---the rate at which the process creates information---converge to a measure of chaos in the underlying system, a dynamical invariant.However, the entropy rate is not sensitive to what kind of generating partition: colloquially, an instrument must be at least accurate enough, but can be more fine-grained as desired. In contrast, its breakdown into a piece which affects future measurements (“bound”) and a piece which does not (“ephemeral”) depends quite dramatically on the choice of generating partition. We ask, then: is there a canonical partitioning scheme for which the full suite of information measures relate to dynamical invariants?To tackle this, we simulate the well-known tent and logistic maps, sweeping over all two-boundary partitions, calculating the full information anatomies for each. We find that ephemeral and bound information are extremized by the single-boundary coarsest generating partition, suggesting a canonical role for the simplest “good enough” instrument. The remaining multivariate measures, meanwhile, reveal hitherto-unseen structure in the process of imperfect measurement.

Authors: Sebastian Partida. Mentors: Jamie Spinney. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Lighting levels have an important role in influencing the ambiance and functionality of various land uses. To achieve specified goals while optimizing energy efficiency and sustainability, lighting intensity must be balanced. The purpose of this study was to compare light intensity for different land uses (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational). This study measured light intensity (i.e., brightness) for a random sample of different land uses using a digital light meter within Cedar City, UT. GPS coordinates were also acquired in order to map the brightness data. As expected, the results revealed that residential land uses were the darkest, whereas commercial and industrial land uses were the brightest. The findings indicate communities have to maintain a balance between creating a warm and pleasant atmosphere and ensuring appropriate illumination for safety and security purposes. Energy-efficient LED fixtures and smart lighting systems, for example, can provide adjustable and programmable illumination settings that meet both aesthetic and safety requirements.

Authors: Daniel Davis, Paul B Frandsen. Mentors: Paul B. Frandsen. Insitution: Brigham Young University. The nut and acorn weevils of the genus Curculio (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are a diverse group of beetles with a unique life history. A female weevil uses her rostrum (snout) that is about the length of her body to dig into the flesh of a developing hard-shelled seed and lay her eggs inside where they can safely develop into larvae. After the grown larvae exit their seeds, they spend one or more years burrowed in the soil near host trees. During this time they enter diapause, a state of suspended development to minimize the energy that they expend. Studies indicate that a major purpose of this behavior is to align their adult emergence with masting events (large scale seed production every 2-5 years) of their host trees. Between, and even within, Curculio species, there is significant variation in diapause lengths and behaviors (Higaki, 2016). This wide array of adaptive behaviors is a result of the coevolution between these insects and their various hosts. Here, we present a high quality genome of a Curculio species. With this genome, we discuss the genetic and evolutionary factors that have given rise to this unique life history of Curculio and future plans to compare the genomes of multiple Curculio to further unravel this mystery.

Authors: Erika Frandsen. Mentors: C. Riley Nelson. Insitution: Brigham Young University. The Timpanogos Cave System consists of three caves in American Fork, Utah. In 2003, the National Park Service (NPS) commissioned Dr. Riley Nelson and laboratory students to conduct a survey of the diversity and abundance of terrestrial arthropod species found within the caves. Over the two years they sampled in Timpanogos Caves, they identified 55 species of macroinvertebrates in an unpublished report.In the 20 years since the last sampling, many environmental factors could’ve changed in these caves, contributing to an overall decrease in both abundance and biodiversity of fauna. Therefore, we repeated the sampling done by the Nelson lab in 2003-2004 for the duration of May 2023-October 2023 to compare the two time periods’ macroinvertebrate communities.The six taxonomic families found most abundantly in 2003-2004 continue to be the most abundant families found in 2023. Additionally, a new taxon of cave beetle Rhadine sp. not found 20 years ago was discovered early in our sampling of 2023. Despite the increase in visitation over the past 20 years, at this stage in the analysis, the macroinvertebrate community within the caves seems to have almost no loss of diversity. Additionally, the appearance of new taxa indicates that there is still more life and diversity within the caves left to discover.

Authors: Nathaniel Call. Mentors: Chelsea Romney. Insitution: Brigham Young University. New college students may experience stressors like difficult academic work, new social environments, and living on their own for the first time. Students of color may experience additional stressors due to minority stress, experiences of racism, and unfamiliar social contexts. We collected self-reported depression, anxiety, and academic self-efficacy measures from 742 first-year college students. We found that students of color reported higher levels of depression, F(1, 733) = 11.04, p < .001, and anxiety F(1, 734) = 14.91, p < .001, compared to white students. Further, we found that white students reported higher academic self-efficacy, F(1, 742) = 9.97, p = .002, compared to students of color. This suggests that lower confidence in academic work is related to higher depression and anxiety in nonwhite students, r(661) = -.32, p < .001. Our study builds on previous research by providing a possible pathway through which students of color develop more depression and anxiety through lower academic self-efficacy compared to white students.

Authors: Nicholas Poll. Mentors: Moriel Zelikowsky. Insitution: University of Utah. Social interaction is one of the chief drivers of evolution and natural selection. Animal interactions shape the ecological world and have shaped the world’s evolutionary timeline. Of the many types of animal interactions, one of the most influential to behavior and development is aggression. Many animals' aggressive behaviors and mechanisms are so distinct that their origins can be traced back to specific selective pressures. These pressures range from reproductive competition to predator-prey interactions and have apparent effects on many species’ developments. There are many stressors that can increase aggressive tendencies found in mammals, yet it’s clear that the neural bases that connect these stressors and their behavioral responses are understudied. The targeted brain region in this project is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). The BNST is a neurochemically diverse node of the extended amygdala that has been implicated in mediating stress and sensory information. It anatomically acts as a relay station between a number of different structures including the hypothalamus and amygdala. The BNST has been implicated to have a role in stressor-induced aggressive behaviors; however, the neural mechanisms that connect this region and these behaviors are relatively understudied. Corticotropin-releasing Hormone (CRH) in mammals displays upregulation following the introduction of a stressor and has been found to mediate aggression and anxiety. Similarly, tachykinin-expressing neurons have been shown to have a role in mediating aggression in mammals. While CRH and tachykinin’s link to anxiety and aggression is well supported, it is not clear to what extent it has on BNST. This project aims to provide data to support the role that CRH and Tachykinin 2 (Tac2) in the BNST have in mediating aggression in mice through optogenetic stimulation.

Authors: Jared Carter. Mentors: Jeff Tessem. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a chronic condition affecting nearly half a billion people worldwide. Symptoms of T2D include impaired glucose tolerance, decreased insulin secretion and significant weight gain. While the symptoms of T2D are well-documented, the underlying pathology remains unclear. Recent research has indicated the critical role of the nuclear receptor Nr4a3 in the development of glucose intolerance and weight gain. In individuals with T2D, the Nr4a3 promoter is hypermethylated, leading to decreased Nr4a3 expression. Elucidating the role of Nr4a3 in mitochondrial respiration in adipose will help define the mechanism of T2D onset and treatment. I studied mice with full body knockout (KO) for Nr4a3. These mice exhibited T2D-like symptoms, including impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin secretion and increased adiposity. I measured mitochondrial respiration in muscle, liver, kidney, and adipose tissue, with impaired respiration only observed in adipose tissue. This impairment in adipose tissue respiration correlated with an increase in the size of all adipose deposits, larger adipocytes, and expanded lipid droplets. Intriguingly, the analysis of electron transport chain and tricarboxylic acid complex proteins revealed no significant differences compared to control samples. Instead, the change in respiration was attributed to a reduction in active DRP1 protein, responsible for mitochondrial fission and maintenance. These findings have important implications for our understanding of T2D and its potential treatment strategies, which will be discussed in more detail.

Authors: Dallin Oyler, Ana Alfaro, Kailee Myxter, Ben Brooks, Amanda Brooks. Mentors: Jessica Pullan. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Nausea and vomiting are common complications that occur in 70% of pregnancies. Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is the most severe form of these symptoms and is estimated to be prevalent in 0.3-2% of pregnancies. Due to the fetal and maternal morbidity associated with HG, identifying the cause and treatment options for these women is a critical task in obstetrics. Research regarding the etiology of HG has been fairly recent and is still ongoing, however, evidence had directed to a positive correlation between increased levels of the serum protein GDF15 and HG symptoms. We hypothesize that polymorphisms in both maternal and fetal DNA plays a role in the upregulated GDF-15 seen in mothers experiencing symptoms of HG during pregnancy. The DNA of 2 mothers and their corresponding children were sequenced and analyzed. The DNA was obtained through buccal swabs from the epithelial cells of the inner cheek, and then purified and ran through PCR. We employed 3 distinct primers that correspond to mutations in the genome that account for the elevated levels of circulating GDF-15 in the mother. As of current, the mother-daughter DNA is still under analysis for single-nucleotide polymorphisms, however recently published literature has suggested results similar to our hypothesis. M. Fejzo et al. shows that upregulated serum GDF-15 is primarily of fetal origin, and that maternal sensitivity to GDF15 increases the risk for developing HG. Additionally, the DNA coding variant GDF15 C211G was shown to elevate the risk of HG

Authors: Auriana Dunn. Mentors: Kathryn Sokolowski. Insitution: University of Utah. Reconstructing the diet of extinct animals can help us understand how living species are suited to their environments, which can inform paleoecological and zooarchaeological research as well as modern species conservation. Seasonal variation in animals’ diets can further be used to reconstruct seasonality patterns in the past and understand how animals may vary their diet under future climate change. However, determining the diet of extinct species is challenging, and detecting seasonal changes in diet is even more so. Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) can be a tool to solve this problem. DMTA analyzes dental microwear by measuring the pits and scratches on teeth to determine what an animal consumed in the days and weeks before it died. This project examines the DMTA of modern African Bovidae species to determine if seasonal dietary changes can be observed. If a difference can be found in the dental microwear of specimens that died during different seasons, seasonal changes in diet can be inferred. Here, I gathered dental microwear data from 407 specimens across five modern studies and matched the data to the museum specimens’ date of death to determine whether it died in a wet or dry season. The analysis found that four of the Bovidae species examined in our study showed evidence of seasonal diet shifts in their DMTA data. Dental microwear can be useful in determining seasonal diets and season of death for specimens. This method can be applied to extinct Bovidae species to understand ancient ecosystems and the evolution of Bovidae dietary strategies.

Authors: Justin Webb. Mentors: Jeffrey Edwards. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Understanding the mechanisms underlying depotentiation in the context of previously induced long-term potentiation (LTP) is crucial for unraveling the processes of memory consolidation and forgetting. Our research is focused on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, the primary brain region responsible for mediating learning and memory. Using electrophysiology and neuropharmacological techniques, our goal is to elucidate the cellular mechanisms behind depotentiation, a reversal of the increase in postsynaptic response and overall synaptic strength characteristic of LTP. By doing this research, we hope to both fill existing gaps and resolve conflicting views about the processes and receptors involved in depotentiation. Experiments were performed on hippocampal brain slices of young mice. We induced LTP in hippocampal CA1 neurons using high-frequency electrical stimulation, and then elicited depotentiation in the same neurons via low-frequency electrical stimulation. This creates a cellular event analogous to learning and subsequently forgetting a new memory trace. Our preliminary findings show that depotentiation still occurs in the presence of MPEP, a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR5) antagonist, suggesting that the depotentiation mechanism is independent of mGluR5. Additionally, because female rodent models have largely been ignored in prior electrophysiology experiments involving LTP and depotentiation, we investigated and observed gender-related differences, which show female mice exhibiting more pronounced depotentiation than their male counterparts. Building on these findings, our research will continue to identify gender-related differences in both juvenile and adolescent mice, as well as explore the role of NMDA receptors on depotentiation. We will also extend the temporal gap between LTP induction and depotentiation to explore the impact of early-phase versus late-phase LTP on subsequent depotentiation. This research aims to shed light on the intricate mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and its implications for learning, memory, and potential therapeutic modulation of these processes in the context of conditions like Alzheimer's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other disorders of learning and memory.

Authors: Zachary Flynn, Britton Davis, Josh Nicholls, Bryson Mumford. Mentors: Joseph Price. Insitution: Brigham Young University. The United States has massive amounts of public data and land ownership stretching back to the early homesteading period of the American West. This data has been of limited use for economic research because it only includes the name of the ownership, thus making it impossible to study racial and gender differences in land on ownership. We develop an innovative method for linking individual land records to US census records. Our key innovation is that we start by linking individuals with unique names that we can make from land record to census record based on name and town. We then use the geo-coordinates in the land records and the proximity of households on the census sheets to link other individuals that have more common names. This two-step process allows us to link 36% of a sample of people in the land records in Colorado to a census record between 1880 and 1940. This new linked data will be a valuable resource for individuals doing research on the development of the American economy, and also people doing genealogical research.

Authors: Cooper Bell-Hunley, Ming Yu, Emily Heider. Mentors: Emily Heider. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Green chemistry involves the redesign of chemical processes and products to reduce hazards to the environment and human health. Reconsidering the teaching curriculum with a view to embrace green chemistry can reduce costs in waste disposal and has the potential to improve accessibility. This research involves the redesign of qualitative analysis general chemistry experiment to eliminate the use of teratogenic mercury (Hg) and neurotoxic lead (Pb). Making this change creates a more inclusive laboratory since expectant mothers should not be exposed to mercury and therefore some students did not feel safe completing the previous version of the experiment. With any change in curriculum, it is important to consider the impact on learning outcomes that students can achieve. This research details the assessment of learning outcomes with a quasi-experimental design. Instructors in multiple general chemistry labs selected the qualitative analysis experiment (with or without Hg and Pb) and learning outcomes achieved were assessed following the experiment.

Authors: Danyon Gedris, Paul Frandsen. Mentors: Paul Frandsen. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Whole genome assembly has rapidly improved as third-generation sequencing technology like PacBio HiFi and Oxford Nanopore (ONT) have bridged the gaps of complex genomes by providing high-accuracy, long read data. The improvements in these technologies have resulted in long average read lengths (>15 kbp) and sequence quality scores above 99% (>Q20). They are particularly well-suited to assembling long, repetitive regions of the genome. Current assembly techniques combine reads with identical sequences to form longer, continuous sections. In repetitive regions, this process tends to condense the repeated sequences into one shorter read, instead of preserving the continuous nature of the repeats. Long reads avoid this issue by sequencing repeats together in one continuous read. Heavy chain fibroin (h-fibroin), the gene that encodes for the primary silk protein in Trichoptera and Lepidoptera, is long (often >20 kbp) and repetitive. Recent work showed that PacBio HiFi sequencing provided higher quality assemblies of h-fibroin when compared to the last generation of ONT pores (R9.4.1) and chemistry despite having a shorter average read length. Recent advances in ONT chemistry and nanopores (R10.4.1) have led to higher quality scores, perhaps allowing successful assembly of this gene region. To better understand the advances in ONT sequencing and its ability to provide high-quality, continuous genome assemblies of complex organisms, we assess the quality of assemblies of the h-fibroin silk gene for the Trichoptera species, Arctopsyche grandis and Parapsyche elsis, using the newest ONT chemistry.

Authors: Seth Cannon. Mentors: Joe Price. Insitution: Brigham Young University. We use the occupation strings in the full-count US census files from 1880-1940 to create a new dataset of everyone during this time period that listed their occupation as a clergy (or related term). We use this data to identify the number of clergy located in each town in the United States in each census year. We find that towns with at least one person that identifies as clergy in the census record experience 5.4% greater population growth by the next census compared to towns without any clergy. This result is robust to various ways to control for the population and other characteristics of the town. We also focus on just the set of towns that had only one person in the census who identified as clergy. When we restrict the dataset to these towns, we find that the towns for whom that single clergy member died before the next census experienced an average population loss of 2.8%, while towns that didn’t have their clergy die experienced a population growth of 12.5%. These results highlight the ways in which access to local religious resources can help promote economic growth in small communities.

Authors: Cate Bateman, Carson Veazie, . Sydney Sandall. Mentors: Matt Ogburn. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Western Utah is home to two distinct species of oak, Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) and Dixie live oak (Quercus turbinella), which can hybridize to form an intermediate species that has been named Quercus undulata. In spite of previous research on these shrubs, we are still unsure of how the hybrid has survived in small isolated locations well outside of the range of one parent species (Dixie live oak, which is restricted in Utah to Washington, Kane, and San Juan Counties). Our primary objective was to perform an ecological niche modeling assessment of Q. undulata within the Three Peaks Recreation Area. Our approach included collecting plot-level data to determine abiotic and biotic niche factors correlating with the presence/absence of Q. undulata, including slope, aspect, soil type, soil chemistry, vegetation cover, and other associated woody plant species. Our results have shown that Q. undulata populations have higher concentrations in south-facing slopes, potentially reflecting the climatic preferences of its Dixie live oak parent. Results also showed that both focal species, Q. undulata and Q. gambelii, prefer areas with shallow soil and rocky outcrops. We plan to continue data collection and our analysis of soil type and chemistry. These results will help us to better understand the evolutionary history and ecological requirements of this fascinating native Utah plant.

Authors: Brynlyn Hastings, Dante Cervantes, Jaime Analuisa. Mentors: Lindsay Chaney. Insitution: Snow College. Ants are a diverse and ecologically significant group of insects, yet their species identification in the field can be challenging due to their small size and morphological variation. In this study conducted at Snow College, we employed DNA barcoding techniques to unravel the ant species diversity within the local ecosystem of Snow College's Campus. Our research aimed to shed light on the ant species biodiversity concerning areas that had more human interference compared to those with little human interference contributing to a better understanding of local biodiversity.

Authors: Joshua Thlaman, Brynlei Luke, Emily Pattee. Mentors: Lindsay Chaney. Insitution: Snow College. We tested if grasshopper species varied based on locations with constant human interaction vs. locations with little to no human interaction within Sanpete county. Due to how close, (a 6 mile radius), the collection locations are, it was logically reasoned that there will be no differences in grasshopper species between Ephraim and Manti Utah.​This study was performed with grasshoppers collected in Sanpete County: specifically, the town of Ephraim, Ephraim canyon, the town of Manti, and Manti canyon. To do this, we collected grasshoppers from each of the mentioned locations, extracted the DNA samples by humanely freezing the grasshoppers and collected small amounts of the grasshoppers, amplified the DNA samples using PCR, and sequenced the PCR products to help identify the grasshopper species collected using BLAST. ​Our experiment results showed that there was a large variation of species collected, as well as many similar species were present in all collection locations. Ephraim housing and Ephraim canyon only had one type of species present (Melanoplus sanguinipes), while Manti housing showed three other species (Melanoplus differentialis, Dissosteira carolina, Trimerotropis pallidipennis), and Manti canyon showed another species type (Trimerotropis cincta). This suggests that there is more variation within Manti housing and Manti canyon, no variation within Ephraim housing and Ephraim canyon, and only some variation between Manti and Ephraim.

Authors: Michal Hansen, Nathan Werner. Mentors: Nathan Werner. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The preparation of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals requires chemical reactions that make carbon-carbon bonds. Carbon atoms of three different hybridazations are known: sp3, sp2 and sp. Most reactions are specific to the hybridization of the carbon atom. We will study a reaction to bond an sp2-hybridized carbon to an sp3-hybridized carbon. This reaction could then be used to make interesting molecules that contain similar bonds. Specifically, the synthesis of 1,3-diphenylpropene will begin with a hydroboration reaction of phenylacetylene with pinacolborane. These two starting materials are combined with a 9-BBN-catalyst and heated to reflux in tetrahydrofuran at 65 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. The hydroboration product is then purified by aqueous extraction and silica gel flash chromatography. The product from the hydroboration reaction contains an sp2-hydridized carbon-boron bond and is then combined with benzyl bromide that contains a sp3-carbon-bromine bond. This is the reaction that we are studying. They are heated in DMF solvent with a palladium catalyst, ligand and base at 90 degrees Celsius for 1.5 hours. Once the reaction is complete, the cross-coupling product is purified by aqueous extraction and silica gel flash chromatography.

Authors: Cate Bateman, Jose Aurelio De La Rocha Tapia, Ethan Fulwood, Arianna Harrington. Mentors: Arianna Harrington. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The Eocene-Oligocene boundary in North America was marked by climatic cooling and drying. This transition is a key time in mammalian evolution, and studying fossils spanning this boundary could yield important information about how fauna responded to the climatic change. McCarty’s Mountain, a fossil rich geological feature located in Madison County, Montana, has long intrigued scientists due to the many insights it holds into the terrestrial fauna of the region. The sites from McCarty’s Mountain date from the Chadronian North American Land Mammal Age, which corresponds to the late Eocene epoch. The geological strata to produce these fossils were thought to have been deposited in a floodplain, yielding remarkably preserved fossils which have been collected and studied since the early 1900’s. However, the microfossils from this locality have been understudied despite the insights it could provide to the terrestrial Eocene-Oligocene transition in North America. In this study, we aim to close this gap by analyzing microfossils picked from matrix collected from McCarty’s Mountain localities in summer 2023. Preliminarily, we have processed about ⅛ of the collected sediments, and have found several identifiable elements including mammalian teeth, vertebrae, and long bones. We will continue this work by washing and soaking the remaining matrix and quantifying the microfossils retrieved. The fossils recovered may provide future insight to changes in microfauna across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary.

Authors: Ashley Hartwig, Dr. Weeg. Mentors: Matthew Weeg. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The physiological benefits of petting pet cats, dogs, and horses have been thoroughly investigated for decades. Studies suggest that the act of handling and being around pets can offer direct cardiovascular benefits, such as lower blood pressure and heart rate as well as indirect benefits such as lowering triglyceride and cholesterol levels. However, the ability of pet reptiles to offer similar benefits has not been explored. In this work, we investigated the effects of reptile handling on the handler, expressed by cardiovascular variables. An automated blood pressure device was used to obtain the blood pressure and heart rate of participants every five minutes over a 20-minute time period. Three different conditions were tested for each participant: one where they handled a snake (Python regius), one where they handled a lizard (Pogona vitticeps), and one where they handled a stuffed animal , which served as the control. Overall, we saw a significant decrease in the systolic blood pressure in subjects during both reptile conditions compared to the control , though there was no change in diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), or heart rate. A decrease in systolic blood pressure has also been documented in studies involving mammalian companion animals. Therefore, our results provide evidence that handling snakes and lizards might provide some of the same cardiovascular benefits as handling cats, dogs, or horses. If so, this lends support to the argument that lizards and snakes can also be considered companion animals. These conclusions can be used to advocate for proper reptile husbandry and conservation efforts to protect native species in the fight against stigmas surrounding reptiles.

Authors: Clista Galecki. Mentors: William Anderegg. Insitution: University of Utah. This project will determine whether exposure to wildfire impacts a plant's ability to acclimate to summer drought. This is important because with rising temperatures and droughts there is an increase of wildfires (Diffenbaugh et al., 2015). This question will be address by comparing drought physiological traits of a native tree species, Utah juniper, in burned versus unburned sites in central Utah. The goal of the project is to determine whether plants that survive wildfires are more or less drought resilient. This research may provide insight into whether various tree species are better adapted to survive droughts and wildfires which will help in future ecology predictions of the future landscapes.There are multiple factors in why forests respond differently to drought. The factors include elevation, prior exposure to fire, prior exposure to drought, clade, and species (Anderegg et al., 2020). Severe drought or heat from a fire can result in hydraulic failure (McDowell et al., 2008). This means that the plant has loses its ability to sufficiently move water from the roots to the leaves. Which could indicate that trees burned in wildfires will not be better adapted to summer drought. Whereas there is a possibility that if the tree has had sufficient amount of time to recover from a stressing event that it could be better adapted for future droughts (Anderegg et al, 2020). My project will focus specifically on the effects of prior exposure to fire on Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) drought acclimation ability.

Authors: Logan Whitney, Jaren Wilson, Elley Colledge, Jamie Thygerson. Mentors: Jessica Pullan. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Exosomes are nanosized (40-150 nm) extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from cells that play a vital role in the human body's intracellular communication.1 The use of bovine-derived exosomes as a drug delivery vehicle provides an innovative approach to targeted drug delivery4 due to their stability, nontoxicity, non-immunogenic properties, and cost efficiency.5,6,7,8,9 The purpose of our research is to establish and refine a raw bovine milk exosome isolation protocol to determine the quality of exosomes. Current standards for small EV identification are currently being established and regulated by the International Society of Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) but center around three main categories: proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids.2 To refer to EVs as exosomes, they must be of endosome origin, otherwise they are referred to as ectosomes, and must be appropriately referred to by their size.13 Upon isolation, we verified the morphology of the small EV’s using Scanning Electron Microscopy, allowing visualization of the size and shape of the small EVs. Our research methods for the quantification of surface proteins include Rose Bengal Assay12 and Bradford Assay. Examination using exosome-specific cell surface markers, such as CD63, demonstrates protein functionality of the small EVs. Quantification of lipids allows for comparison of lipid concentration to surface protein concentration for further evidence of exosome identification. Lastly, RNA quantification ensured the small EVs met the concentration threshold to be defined as exosomes. The combination of these methods will further the work in bovine milk extracellular vesicles by yielding a low-cost, high-yield protocol for the isolation and characterization of EVs that can be further used as biomarkers, drug carriers, and a variety of platforms of delivery to physiological targets. [1] Rayamajhi, S., Nguyen T., Marasini R., Aryal S. Macrophage-derived exosome-mimetic hybrid [2] Théry, C., Witwer, K.W., Aikawa, E., Alcaraz, M.J., Anderson, J.D., Andriantsitohaina, R., et al. Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines.  Journal of Extracellular Vesicles 2018; 7:1. [3] Pullan, J. E., Confeld, M. I., Osborn, J. K., Kim, J., Sarkar, K., and Mallik, S. Exosomes as drug carriers for cancer therapy. Molecular Pharmaceutics 2019; 16:1789–1798. vesicles for tumor targeted drug delivery. Acta Biomaterialia 2019; 94:482-494.  [4] He J, Ren W, Wang W, et al. Exosomal targeting and its potential clinical application. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2022;12(10):2385-2402. [5] Munagala R, Aqil F, Jeyabalan J, Gupta RC. Bovine milk-derived exosomes for drug delivery. Cancer Lett. 2016; 371(1):48-61. [6] Rashidi M, Bijari S, Khazaei AH, Shojaei-Ghahrizjani F, Rezakhani L. The role of milk-derived exosomes in the treatment of diseases. Front Genet 2022;13:1009338.  [7]García-Martínez J, Pérez-Castillo ÍM, Salto R, López-Pedrosa JM, Rueda R, Girón MD. Beneficial Effects of Bovine Milk Exosomes in Metabolic Interorgan Cross-Talk. Nutrients 2022;14(7):1442.  [8] Mashouri, L., Yousefi, H., Aref, A.R. et al. Exosomes: composition, biogenesis, and mechanisms in cancer metastasis and drug resistance. Mol Cancer 2019; 18:75.  [9] Radha Munagala, Hina Kausar, Charu Munjal, Ramesh C. Gupta, Withaferin A induces p53-dependent apoptosis by repression of HPV oncogenes and upregulation of tumor suppressor proteins in human cervical cancer cells, Carcinogenesis 2011; 11:1697–1705. [10] Wijenayake S., Eisha S., Tawhidi Z., Pitino M.A., Steele M.A., Fleming A.S., et al. Comparison of methods for pre-processing, exosome isolation, and RNA extraction in unpasteurized bovine and human milk. PLoS ONE 2021;16:e0257633. [11] Osteikoetxea X., Balogh A., Szabó-Taylor K., Németh A., Szabó T.G., Pálóczi K., et al. Improved Characterization of EV Preparations Based on Protein to Lipid Ratio and Lipid Properties. PLOS ONE 2015;10:e0121184. [12] Kishore, S.; Maruthamuthu, M. Binding of Rose Bengal onto Bovine Serum Albumin. Proceedings / Indian Academy of Sciences 1993, 105 (4–5), 279–285. DOI:10.1007/bf02866917. [13] Théry, C., Witwer, K. W., Aikawa, E. et al. (2018). Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): A position statement of the International Society for extracellular vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20013078.2018.1535750z

Authors: Mackay B Steffensen, AustinRyan A Kirkby, Kieran L Richards. Mentors: Mackay B Steffensen. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Cyanuric chloride, a 1,3,5-trichlorotriazine, serves as a valuable platform for constructing innovative molecules. This project explores the unique reactivity of triazines to synthesize triazine crown ethers—a class of cyclic polyethers with a central cavity capable of selectively binding metal ions and polar molecules. Temperature-controlled nucleophilic aromatic substitution is employed to selectively substitute the triazine ring, providing precise control over the reaction. The first substitution with a primary amine nucleophile occurs rapidly at 0 °C, while subsequent substitutions at room temperature or 70 °C necessitate longer reaction times. This controlled approach enables the incorporation of three different amines.The project aims to synthesize triazine crown ethers through temperature-dependent substitution using two different methods. The first approach employs a diamine with an ether linkage in the presence of a base, facilitating consecutive substitutions to produce the target molecule. Intramolecular reactions are favored, but intermolecular reactions may lead to unexpected yet valuable products. The second method utilizes templated synthesis, taking advantage of the affinity of crown ethers for metal cations to promote cyclization reactions. A traditional route involving post-synthetic cyclization with ethylene glycol is also considered.The successful synthesis of these molecules opens up opportunities for further research, including characterizing their affinity for metals and exploring other unique properties. The acquired knowledge can be applied to construct more complex molecular structures, making this work valuable in materials science, analytical chemistry, and pharmaceuticals.

Authors: Lonnie Ernst. Mentors: Lane Law. Insitution: Salt Lake Community College. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria commonly found in water. Microcystis aeruginosa is one such cyanobacteria that is found within the waters of Utah Lake. M. aeruginosa produces the microcystin toxin which is harmful to the aquatic life and contributes to the ongoing problem of eutrophication and, if ingested, is also harmful to humans. Alongside this toxin producing cyanobacteria, Utah Lake is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds. This study aims to offer a method of bioremediation by engineering M. aeruginosa to carry a BPH gene pathway that breaks down PCBs. Using CRISPR, this gene would remove the microcystin producing gene and replace it with the BPH gene resulting in the engineered M. aeruginosa to breakdown the PCB contaminants and halt further production of the microcystin toxin.

Authors: Sydney Pruett. Mentors: Roger Gold. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Microbiologically Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) presents an innovative avenue for sustainable construction and environmental remediation. This biogenic process leverages the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea by microorganisms to generate calcium carbonate crystals, offering a green alternative with carbon sequestration potential, enhanced structural durability, and self-healing capabilities. Sporosarcina pasteurii is currently the predominant microorganism employed in biobrick production due to its notable urease activity. This study endeavors to assess the MICP potential of less explored bacterial strains with comparable urease activity levels. The strains under investigation include Sporosarcina ureae, Bacillus sphaericus, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus stearothermophilus. Additionally, we aim to shed light on the viability of these alternative microorganisms for MICP applications, contributing to a broader understanding of this promising technology's adaptability and potential implications for sustainable construction practices.

Authors: Alix Elliston. Mentors: Lane Law. Insitution: Salt Lake Community College. Cyanobacteria (colloquially known as blue-green algae) are photosynthetic prokaryotes commonly found in water. Several genera of freshwater cyanobacteria, including Microcystis, Planktothrix (Oscillatoria), and Anabaena, produce potent hepatotoxins known as microcystins. Eutrophication and increasing temperatures facilitate an overgrowth of toxin-producing cyanobacteria, referred to as cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs). There are several known cyanophages which infect these genera and there has been some research into the role phages play in regulating cyanoHABs. This study aims to isolate microcystin-producing cyanobacteria from Utah Lake, as well as known or novel freshwater cyanophages which can infect the isolates. Any isolated phage will be propagated, have its DNA extracted and sequenced, and studied for use as a CRISPR delivery vehicle to target toxin-producing cyanobacteria, with the aim of knocking out microcystin biosynthesis.

Authors: Ann Day, Shawn Coon. Mentors: Shawn Coon. Insitution: Westminster College. The decades long movement to discredit, defund, and de-professionalize public education has taken many forms. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers have increasingly attempted to undermine public education through state specific programs (Bacher-Hicks et tal., 2023; Peele & Riser-Kositsky, 2020; Friedman & Young, 2022; Perera, 2023; Vasallo, 2023; Walker, 2022). These policies have taken many forms and attempted to address multiple perceived problems. However, the one commonality between all of these policies is that they perpetuate a trend of educational policymaking that tacitly or actively attempts to de-professionalize teachers and teaching (Apple, 2004; Milner, 2013). The state of Utah, and it’s 2023 legislative session, offers a compelling case study into why this legislation continues to emerge, the rationale behind this movement, and the impact these policies have on educators.

Authors: Isaac Wilson, Bree Wilson. Mentors: Arianna Harrington. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Understanding the body size of an organism is crucial for discussing its ecological role, potential trophic impact on its environment, and life history. The sauropod dinosaurs represent the largest land animals known, reaching masses many times that of modern elephants and rivaling the most massive cetaceans in some cases. This study attempts to quantify the body size variation between average and maximum sauropod dinosaurs by using Camarasaurus as a focal genus and comparing appendicular elements from the same quarries. Intraquarry rather than intraspecific variation is chosen due to the difficulty of diagnosing limb elements to the species level, and limb elements are known to scale isometrically in Camarasaurus. In addition to Camarasaurus-centric measurements, extant and extinct ecological analogues with recorded body size ranges are also used to estimate body size variation. While their life histories are not well-known, histological analysis indicates that sauropods were likely tachymetabolic endotherms, and their growth curves were most similar to birds and large herbivorous mammals in terms of extant taxa. This is in contrast to basal sauropodomorphs like Plateosaurus, which is demonstrated to exhibit high developmental plasticity. Minimum intraspecific size variation, collected from the literature and based on birds, nonavian dinosaurs, and large herbivorous mammals suggest that the largest representatives of any given sauropod species could have been between 139% and well over 200% larger than the average. Applying preliminary ratios from the data collected so far to the largest well-preserved sauropod, Argentinosaurus huinculensis, results in a plausible maximal mass of 137-177 tonnes for the genus.

Authors: Seunghwan Shin, Sydney Coates. Mentors: Guizella Rocabado. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Organic chemistry is one of the most feared and failed courses in the undergraduate curriculum. Consequently, studying what makes this course “too difficult” as perceived by students is worthwhile because these perceptions result in many students not considering STEM majors because they require chemistry courses. Our research group has investigated perceived costs in general chemistry, and this study expands our understanding of these constructs in organic chemistry. Students’ perceived costs of a chemistry class can be many, such as task effort, loss of valued alternatives, emotional, and others. These costs might be overcome by students’ interests and goals, yet the level of perceived costs might have a lasting impact on the students’ overall perception of chemistry and their desire to pursue chemistry and other STEM careers in the future. In this study we investigated the mentioned subclasses of perceived costs, other salient perceived costs, and mastery or performance goal orientations and the impact these constructs may have on students’ experiences in organic chemistry classrooms. Expanding on a previous study in general chemistry, we present the results of interviews we conducted with students in this class. Our results reveal that students struggle with the content, pace, and overall difficulty of the material. These results are not surprising; however, we also uncovered the students’ deep desire to learn and understand the material, the motivating effect of having a good relationship with their professor, and many other themes that emerged from our conversations.

Authors: Gabriella Proctor, Luke Alder. Mentors: Marcos Corchando Sonera. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is known to cause the disease chytridiomycosis and is notorious for its role in decimating anuran populations worldwide. A highly prevalent invasive species, the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), is understood to play an important role in the transmission of this disease in invaded regions. Notably, American bullfrogs are often largely immune to the effects of Bd, making them important reservoirs of the pathogen. Within southern Utah, this species has successfully invaded the Virgin River watershed, yet this population has not been the subject of prior study regarding its potential as a reservoir for Bd. We hypothesize that the Utah population has also been infected with Bd, potentially endangering native amphibian species. We sampled 46 bullfrog specimens from eight distinct aquatic habitats within the Virgin River basin in southwest Utah. Skin swabs will undergo purification and quantification, followed by PCR and gel electrophoresis to visualize and confirm results. We hope that our findings will be valuable in comprehending the impact of invasive American bullfrogs on amphibians within the Colorado River basin, particularly in relation to the spread and effects of chytridiomycosis.

Authors: Braden Nelson. Mentors: Nathan S Werner. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The stereocontrolled palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of (E)-2-phenylethenylboronic acid pinacol ester with aryl chlorides to produce (E)-stilbene derivatives was studied. (E)-2-Phenylethenylboronic acid pinacol ester was synthesized by 9-borobicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) catalyzed hydroboration reaction of phenylacetylene with pinacolborane. The reaction conditions of the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of this reagent with aryl chlorides were then evaluated to maximize the yield of the cross-coupled product. The maximum yield of (E)-stilbene, 74%, was obtained when the amount of (E)-2-phenylethenylboronic acid pinacol ester was increased from 1.2 to 1.5 equivalents, RuPhos was used as the ligand, K2CO3 was used as the base, and DMF was used as the reaction solvent at 90 °C. Four other aryl chlorides bearing electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents in the ortho- and para-positions were found to undergo facile coupling in 91-100% isolated yield.

Authors: Derek Baker, Lauren Jensen, Dagney Goodfellow, Seunghwan Shin. Mentors: Guizella Rocabado. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Differences in sexes have long been speculated, yet their application in chemistry learning environments has not been well researched. Literature shows that males have larger cerebral volumes for visual capacities more often associated with hands-on projects and courses than female brains. And female brains have larger cerebral volumes for areas associated with memorization and socialization which more highly correlate with lecture-based learning. Given the high attrition of women in chemistry courses, we investigated this phenomenon in organic chemistry topics that are highly visual (e.g. chirality, Newman projections, chair conformations, bond rotations, etc.) and topics that require more memorization (e.g., functional groups, energy values associated with sterics, nomenclature, definitions, etc.). We conducted an anonymous survey with students who are currently enrolled in organic chemistry or have taken organic chemistry in the past. The questions varied in difficulty as well as levels of visualization or memorization required. The results show correlation with the literature that males score better in the visual-based questions, and females score better in the memorization-based questions. In addition, we conducted interviews with male and female students in organic chemistry, and found that the female students self-generated various techniques to visualize 3D rotations (e.g., use their hands, draw arrows, etc). While most male students didn’t adopt these techniques because they were able to do the 3D rotations in their head. With these results, we plan to design course interventions to bridge the gaps between the extremes of visualization vs. memorization-based concepts for the students.

Authors: Andy Sefcik. Mentors: Jamie Johnson. Insitution: Utah Valley University. Utah Valley University's Repertory Ballet Ensemble (RBE) has made it a priority to expose students to contemporary ballet techniques. In the Summer and Fall of 2023, Complexions Contemporary Ballet (CCB) Former Ballet Master, Christina Johnson, and Répétiteur, Jourdan Epstein visited the university to teach NIQUE classes and set repertoire on RBE for the February 2024 concerts. CCB was founded in 1994 by Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson with the intent of reinventing dance by fusing a variety of styles and techniques. Based on phenomenological field research, gathered during the CCB Winter Intensive, I intend to illuminate the hallmarks of the CCB generated “NIQUE” technique in comparison to Vaganova approaches to ballet technique. In this presentation, I will present phrasework in the style of classical Vaganova ballet technique in comparison to NIQUE technique to create a clear visual difference between the two movement styles. This research shares the fundamentals of NIQUE technique to highlight how it is connected to and how it has developed beyond classical ballet technique.

Authors: Harmony Newbrough. Insitution: Utah Valley University. During the time of Ancient Rome, there were many sarcophagi that were created that had faceless portraits, and it could have been for a number of reasons, whether it be financial or personal. These unfinished portrait faces have puzzled archaeologists and historians alike in trying to find a concrete answer as to why there are so many of them,

Authors: Jaiden Sherratt, Madison Ward, Alexandra Clements, Makenzie Vance, Christopher Furlow. Mentors: Julie Johnson Pynn. Insitution: Southern Utah University. Global identity is a concept once recognized by Maslow in 1954 as he said people “feel a kinship and connection, as if all people were members of a single family… Because of this, self-actualizing people have a genuine desire to help the human race.” Historically, it has been seen that this sense of global identity and citizenship can lead to great acts of kindness and empathy, as was the case with Chiune Sugihara who saved over 6000 Jews from Nazi oppression out of a sense of love for humanity (McFarland et al., 2013). It was also found that people with a strong global identity are more likely to be concerned about human rights and hold egalitarian views (McFarland et al., 2012). The research sought to answer the question, “Can images of global success or suffering affect subjects’ feeling of connection with humanity as a whole?” Through this research, we can better understand how positive or negative events impact people’s feelings of global citizenship. Participants will be recruited through the SONA system, as well as the researchers’ social media accounts, and a SUU portal announcement. Our main survey measure is the Identification With All Humanity scale. The scale is intended to measure an individual’s characteristics of concern for global issues and human rights, prosocial attitudes, intergroup forgiveness, and solving global problems (Hamer 2021). Participants were randomly assigned to one of two exposure conditions consisting of either 10 images of human success or 10 images of human suffering. Participants took the adapted IWAH survey, then were exposed to one of the two image sets for five second minimum per image, then took the adapted IWAH survey again to see if the images influenced their perception of global identity. After exposure, participants were asked “Did these images affect your feeling of connection with humanity? Why or why not? The images presented focused on issues of environmentalism. This research is currently in the phase of conducting the survey, and will close the survey gathering on November 1, 2023. Then the researchers will analyze the collected data to see if images of success or suffering influence global identity.

Authors: Kevin Young. Mentors: Gretchen Ellefson. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The concept of competition is not new to humans, nor is it simple. Countless philosophers throughout the years have approached competition in many ways. One of the core subjects that philosophers have used to discuss competition is that of decision theory. Decision theory, in short, discusses the best things to do. Game theory, a subset of decision theory, discusses the same within the context of games, or in other words, strategy. Both of these subjects have been used to evaluate how best to win games of chance, games of choice, and games in between. I work to explore the concept of making moves to gain information, seeking to learn another person’s moves before you make your own. This subset of moves deserves recognition, especially within the modern eras of competition.

Authors: Alyson Camacho, Camille Bryner, Bowen Houser. Mentors: William Pitt. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Current methods for the diagnosis of bacterial infections require time consuming cultures. To prevent deaths caused by sepsis, faster methods for bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility methods are urgently needed. Necessary to these faster methods is the ability to separate and concentrate bacteria. While techniques such as filtering and centrifugation have been explored for this purpose, we propose an innovative approach. Polydopamine (pDA) is a remarkably adhesive polymer that has been used to create antibacterial and anti-biofouling coatings on medical devices. In this study, however, we show how magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coated with pDA can selectively bind and remove specific bacteria from suspensions. For these experiments, pDA- MNPs were added to suspensions of bacteria mixtures and allowed to bind for 10 minutes. The MNP/bacteria mixture was then placed on a holder with a magnet which collected the MNPs on the side of the test tube. Finally, the bacterial supernatant was carefully removed and plated. Capture efficiency of the beads was calculated and it was shown that the pDA-coated MNPs preferentially isolated S. epidermidis from a suspension of both S. epidermidis and E. coli. This approach holds great potential for separating bacteria from clinical samples like urine or blood, enabling faster and more efficient diagnosis of bacterial infections.

Authors: Emma Manley. Mentors: Johnathan Chidester. Insitution: Southern Utah University. This presentation will be about the indescribable magical Studio Ghibli movies. Specifically, I will be analyzing how these movies are great at representing life. From the weird, outstanding world of Chihiro’s ghost town from Spirited Away, all the way down to the simple little Iron town of Princess Mononoke. These movies are amazing, not just for their remarkable art work and lovable characters, but for the relatability and symbolism of these stories. These stories are weird and strange, but so is everyone. We are human. A complex being that is evolving every single day. We have creative minds in all sorts of differing ways, and these movies are great at explaining this; they are complex, imaginative, and life-like. I will not be defining every single Studio Ghibli movie, but I have chosen a few movies I wish to expand on. My first one is The Wind Rises. This movie is based on a true story about Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of the A5M fighter aircraft. This story goes into detail about his life: his failures, his trials, and the hardships he endured. The second one is Spirited Away: this story is Studio Ghibli's most famous work. This is a story of a little girl who gets trapped in a spirit world all alone. Along her journey she makes new friends, discovers new ideas, and is able to discover who she is. The final movie is Princess Mononoke: Princess Mononoke is Studio Ghibli's masterpiece. The young warrior Ashitaka is strucken with a curse and will soon die. This story is about him getting rid of his curse, discovering how to make peace and stop hate.We should know and understand these movies, not because they are just films and that I like them, but because they are innovative and original. With these movies we jump into a creative world that we can make our own. These movies are relatable in every sense because they are just like us: weird, quirky, and just so compelling. We feel a connection to the trials that each character has because in a sense we all have been through something of the same. These movies represent life in a silly way that I wish to know more about. I will expand on the way these movies are made, the theme and writing, and the characters that we relate to.

Authors: Holly Biesinger. Mentors: Ran Qi. Insitution: Southern Utah University. This study analyzes important intersections in the relationship that photography had with polygamy from the year 1878, when the gelatin dry-plate method of photography became commercialized, to 1953, when the Short Creek Raids occurred. The study focuses on the polygamist faction within the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), specifically the group that later evolved into the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). It is important to note that not all members of the original Mormon church were polygamists, and as such this study does not represent the church as a whole. Additionally, it is important to note that the entire history of polygamy or photography will not be addressed, but key points of intersection will be acknowledged. This study describes how photography that contained polygamist subjects shifted over time and established a narrative for the outside general public to understand.

Authors: Eve Christensen, Chase Redd, Bailey Uzzardo. Mentors: Elijah Neilson. Insitution: Southern Utah University. The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 brought with it a host of changes to the workplace. One change in particular was the wide-spread transition to remote work as opposed to in-person work as concerns with spreading the Covid-19 virus necessitated a shift in how the labor force performed their work. The Covid-19 pandemic created more opportunities for employees to work from home rather than working on site. This paper seeks to evaluate the correlation between working from home and earnings using an econometric model. By comparing an individual’s earnings before and after the Covid-19 pandemic, along with whether they work from home or on site, we hope to better understand the effect that remote work has on a person's decision to enter the job market and which fields the incoming labor force are pursuing. Our findings will also be relevant to employers as they evaluate what a competitive wage would be depending on the availability of work from home options for a certain job.

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: Camille Bryner, Alyson Camacho, Bowen J Houser. Mentors: William G Pitt. Insitution: Brigham Young University. In an attempt to combat a growing number of nosocomial infections related to medical devices, many studies have investigated the effect of polydopamine (pDA) coated surfaces on biofilm formation and found them to have antibacterial and anti-adhesive properties. However, we discovered that pDA coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) display strong attractive interactions with many, but not all, species of bacteria. Fe3O4 MNPs were prepared using sodium acetate, ethylene glycol, and iron (III) chloride hexahydrate solutions and characterized by a variety of methods. XRD data confirmed a magnetite pattern characteristic of Fe3O4, then TEM characterization of MNP samples showed successful pDA coating onto iron oxide particles. Bacterial capture efficiencies (CE) by pDA-MNPs for 8 strains of bacteria were measured by optical turbidity and plate counts. We have found that CE is a function of exposure time to and concentration of MNPS; thus some experiments were done with constant exposure time and variable MNP concentration and others were done at variable exposure times and constant MNP concentrations. Additionally, these pDA-MNPs exhibit extremely efficient adhesion to some bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) while being ineffective at capturing some strains of Esherichia coli (E. coli). We propose that such capture ability of pDA-coated MNPs can be employed for detection and identification of bacteria in hospitals and for food science quality control.

Authors: Spenser A Clark. Mentors: Acacia Overono. Insitution: Utah Valley University. It is not uncommon for a college student to see a list of learning objectives when skimming through a syllabus for a program or course. The goal of learning objectives is to set reasonable expectations for student learning and guide their study, as well as providing a framework for the development of teaching practices and assessment. Part of the inception of learning objectives as a means of organizing teaching and assessment in the classroom may be attributable to the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, more commonly referred to as Bloom's Taxonomy. Another taxonomy similar to Bloom's, but much less well known, is the Structure of Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy. Bloom’s taxonomy organizes learning objectives into six categories: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. The categories are structured as a cumulative hierarchy in which mastery of each level is assumed necessary for progressing to the next. The structure of Bloom’s is not derived from any specific learning theory, but a categorization of pre-existing learning objectives. Bloom’s therefore suffers from a lack of a strong theoretical foundation and may not accurately reflect how learning actually occurs. Additionally, although Bloom’s has been widely employed in the context of educational assessment, research has shown that it suffers from low interrater reliability and is inconsistent between educational contexts such as courses and topics. Unlike Bloom’s, SOLO is based upon Piaget’s Stage Development theory and categorizes learning into five distinct stages: Prestructural, Unistructural, Multistructrual, Relational, and Extended Abstract. SOLO does not suggest that learning is unidirectional or hierarchical. It also acknowledges internal cognitive processes rather than focusing solely on observable behaviors. Although very little research has investigated its reliability, it could be an attractive alternative to Bloom’s because it may more accurately reflect how learning occurs. The present work reviews the development and implementation of these two models and compares them.

Authors: Ezra Stein. Mentors: Nicole Dib. Insitution: Southern Utah University. In Simulacra and Simulation (1981), Jean Baudrillard lays out for stages through which a sign (an image or other representation of reality) becomes a simulacrum (a sign with no basis in reality). I argue that the followers of the Qanon conspiracy movement, as detailed in Mike Rothschild’s "The Storm is Upon Us" (2021), follow these four stages in their radicalization into the conspiracy. The first stage outlined by Baudrillard is when the image is a basic reflection of reality itself. We see this stage when Rothschild discusses how QAnon believers discuss the CIA. Adherents of QAnon will often point to the declassified MKULTRA documents released by the CIA for credibility, as this is something that was proven to have actually happened, the sign being a representation of actual reality. The second of Baudrillard’s stages is when a sign takes something from reality and twists and distorts it into something different than what it originally represented. An example of this in "The Storm is Upon Us" is seen in the way Q believers talk about adrenochrome, which is a real but harmless chemical compound, as an elixir of youth used by the elite. Stage three is when a sign claims to be based in reality but is actually based on nothing at all. The originator of QAnon, the man who goes by “Q,” fits within this stage. Rothschild lays out Q’s origins as an anonymous poster on the website 4chan who claimed to high-level military clearance. Q’s claims were supposedly based on real-life military intel, but were actually made up by an anonymous stranger on the internet. The fourth and final of Baudrillard’s stages is the simulacrum. This is when signs do not reflect anything in reality, but instead are based on other signs. The Storm is Upon Us shows that many QAnon beliefs, both major and minor, are based in pre-existing conspiracy theories like blood libel, flat earth, and global cabals that secretly control the world. Those who are completely indoctrinated into QAnon hold these beliefs that are based on other beliefs and are therefore existing in Baudrillard’s fourth stage of the precession of simulacra. My presentation will examine these four stages and demonstrate the overlap between this critical theory and the contemporary conspiracy movement that is taking up a considerable space in the American cultural imaginary.

Authors: Joseph Nielson, Ben Schooley. Mentors: Ben Schooley. Insitution: Brigham Young University. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) affects an estimated 30 million Americans and is the third leading cause of death worldwide. A recent effort to curb deaths and hospitalizations involves remote patient monitoring (RPM). Of all possible monitoring parameters, spirometry presents itself as potentially accurate and helpful, but the exact effect and its size remain to be described. A systematic literature review is being performed to describe the current state and future opportunities in RPM systems that use remote spirometry for COPD patients. Only studies that specifically mention the use remote spirometry for monitoring COPD patients were included. The databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO were searched in July and August 2023. Studies are being synthesized by tabulating the study sizes and designs, technological parameters, and interesting findings. Twenty-nine studies have been included spanning feasibility and pilot studies as well as one randomized clinical trial. Remote spirometry for COPD patients has generally been shown to be feasible. Many studies present systems in early stages of development that have yet to be tested thoroughly in large trials. It may be necessary to involve remote spirometry in more large-scale trials soon. Future studies could confirm the degree to which spirometry adds helpful information for monitoring COPD patients.