Fall 2023 VIRTUAL Undergraduate Research Symposium
Color Preference in Bumble Bee Foraging
Bumble Bees have the cognitive ability to learn behaviors through trial and error or from example. This allows individual bees to pass on information about the condition of foraging areas. A colony's ability to learn quickly as a whole increases its forag...
Internship at Nelson Labs
Nelson Laboratories is a company that provides a wide variety of laboratory testing and advisory services to MedTech and pharmaceutical companies. The focus of my internship was on biocompatibility testing and risk assessment for an assortment of medical ...
GPR171 Expression in Female Mice
GPR171 is a hypothalamic G protein-coupled receptor for BigLEN (a GPR171 agonist and ProSAAS-derived neuropeptide which regulates food intake in mice). It is highly expressed in areas involved in both anxiety and depression—primarily the nucleus accumbens...
Determination of Copper Tolerance in Pantoea agglomerans Using PCR
Pantoea agglomerans is one of several bacteria that causes major losses in the onion industry due to foliar blight and bulb rot (Figs. 1 and 2). To manage bacterial rot, growers apply copper-based products to their onions. However, copper products have sh...
Frequency of Brood Care Behavior by Egg laying Bombus impatiens Workers
The eusocial bumble bee Bombus impatiens utilizes a complex caste system with the queen as the dominant head of the colony. The queen suppresses the development of female workers’ ovaries through physical contact and hormones. Upon the removal of the
The Visual or Olfactory Nesting Preferences of Osmia lignaria
The Blue Orchard Bee, Osmia lignaria, is a bee native to North America and is commercially used to pollinate fruit and nut orchards. O. lignaria nests in wooden cavities with mud walls between the cells of the nest. Orchards provide some form of nesting
The Effect of Wax Derivatives on Bumblebee Behavior
Bumble bees have evolved in a manner in which they are unable to create their own wax. Due to this, the bumble bee has adapted in a way where they gather naturally sourced wax and manipulate it to create protective linings over their nests. Due to this tr...
Conducting Field Research to Study Population Dynamics of Clearwater’s Sharks and Rays
This summer, I worked with a program called CMERA, also known as the Coastal Marine Research and Education Academy. This is a program that allows undergraduate and postgraduate students from all across the country to assist them in their process of resear...
Benefits of Ketamine Therapy for Treatment of Mental Health Conditions
Boosts neuroplasticity in the brain Provides fast relief to those suffering from certain mental health conditions Recommended course of treatment is 6 treatments over three weeks
Working as an Ophthalmic Technician at Northern Utah Eye Center
With every eye exam, the ophthalmic technician checks the same five things: visual acuity, ocular motility, confrontational visual fields, pupillary response, and intraocular pressure. After those five things, the range of tests and diagnostic tools
Sharks and Stingrays Ecology in Tampa Bay Area- Field work and Research Experience
Climate change and habitat destruction have greatly impacted the ecosystem near Tampa Bay. The changing water temperatures have led to multiple species changing their migration and dispersal patterns. The temperature change also decreases the health of th...
Investigation on the Arabidopsis thaliana Oligopeptide Transporter 5
The Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) Oligopeptide Transporters (OPT) family encodes for integral membrane proteins. It has been proposed that OPT5, a member of this family, transports amino acids and heavy metals . However, the substrate of OPT5 transpo...
Scent Recognition Related to Pair Bonding and Relationships in Canis lantrans (Coyotes)
Pair-bonding is a mutualistic relationship between two adult individuals of the same species wherein they support each other and raise offspring together, though it is not always associated with sexual isolation from other members [1]. Pair-bonding is ubi...
Internship through the College of Science – Nischwitz Laboratory
I have done my internship with Claudia Nischwitz doing research at Utah State University. My primary role includes running laboratory testing to identify viruses in plants. Through this past semester, I have gained valuable experience and knowledge that w...
Wet Meadow Restoration in Otter Creek A Study in Drought Resilience in Arid Range Lands Using Aerial Imagery and GIS
Utah’s soil is prone to erosion. This, combined with Utah’s arid climate, produces many problems for wet meadows of Utah. • Farmers rely on wet meadows for grazing cattle. • Deer and Elk populations graze in these meadows and they contribute to healthy
My Endodontic Internship Journey
Undertaking this dental internship stemmed from my deep passion for dentistry and my plans to attend dental school next year. Dentistry's blend of clinical expertise and patient care has always been appealing to me. I opted for an internship specifically ...
Research Plays A Vital Role In Agriculture
Utah State University's plant pathology lab focuses on the diagnosis and control of plant pathogens. This ranges from bacterial, fungal, viral, to chemical pathogens. Current projects include the management of bacterial onion bulb rot, identification of v...
Distribution of Dahlia Mosaic Virus in Tubers
Dahlias are in high demand by florists and have been increasingly grown by Utah cut flower growers in the last few years. Growers have been trying to acquire dahlia tubers that are virus-free, which is very difficult. Dahlia Mosaic virus (DMV) is widespre...
Internship at Cache Valley Assisted Living
As a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at Cache Valley Assisted Living, I've undertaken a range of responsibilities crucial for quality care in an assisted living facility. These duties encompass medication administration, patient interaction, and address...
Volunteer Work at Logan Regional Hospital
The internship that I have been participating in for the semester has been done at the Logan Regional Hospital run by Intermountain Healthcare's Volunteer Services. This program allows participants to work throughout the hospital on a weekly basis. After ...
GPR171 may play a role in anxiety and depression among women.
Depression and anxiety are both more prevalent among females. This is likely due to a proclivity towards being more susceptible to stress. There have been no direct studies investigating the correlation between BigLEN/GPR171 and stress. Some studies ha
Insect herbivory on young and juvenile stages of Solanum spp. plants
The early stages in a plant’s life cycle are usually the most critical, being subject to disease, predation, and parasitism. What happens during early performance will have large impacts later, especially in agricultural settings.
Internship at Hanger Clinic
While serving a mission on the island of St. Vincent, I met Olando and Ozone. After I became best friends with these brothers and fell in love with the people, I knew I had to do something for Ozone and others down here. I got home and got right to wor