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Isolation Of Bacterial And Fungal Microbes From The Rhizosphere Of Shepherdia Utahensis 'Torrey', Ty Wilson, Katie Hewitt Dec 2022

Isolation Of Bacterial And Fungal Microbes From The Rhizosphere Of Shepherdia Utahensis 'Torrey', Ty Wilson, Katie Hewitt

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

My presentation is on the Isolation of Bacterial and Fungal Microbes from the Rhizosphere of Shepherdia x utahensis 'Torrey' also known as Hybrid Buffaloberry. Hybrid Buffaloberry is a combination between two varieties native to the Intermountain West: Shepherdia argentea, a highly drought tolerant variety, and Shepherdia rotundifolia, a common more aesthetically pleasing variety. Both native varieties are well documented to have nodule forming microbes that help aid their development in such harsh conditions. We acquired our Rhizosphere sample by shaking the roots and nodules from our sample in a phosphate buffer and serially diluted it to a useful concentration. We …


False Confessions In The American Justice System, Emily Pruden Dec 2022

False Confessions In The American Justice System, Emily Pruden

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

False confessions occur when someone confesses to a crime they did not commit. These confessions can be voluntary, coerced-compliant, or coerced-internalized. This research focuses on the latter two types of false confessions. RESEARCH QUESTION: What causes false confessions, and what can be done to reduce their frequency and impact on court cases? METHODS: Research was conducted by finding, analyzing, and synthesizing primary and secondary sources. Sources were gathered from research journals and credible news sources. RESULTS: False confessions are detrimental not only to the lives of individuals, but also to our society. False confessions are frequently caused by faulty interrogation …


How Poetry Saved Nostradamus From The Pope, Alexis Julander Dec 2022

How Poetry Saved Nostradamus From The Pope, Alexis Julander

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

I came across the work of Nostradamus as part of a curatorial team working with books housed in special collections. Instantly, I was intrigued by the background of the man who's most enduring work is an attempt to calculate the events of the future based off the mathematics of astrology. Nostradamus was a doctor and astrologist living in France from 1503 to 1566. He wrote his first prophesies in 1550 after a visit to Italy sparked his interest in the occult. In order to keep his predictions from seeming to close to biblical prophecies, they were written using poetic forms.


Electron Yield Measurements Of Highly Insulating Granular Samples Related To Charging Of Dusty Plasmas, Heather Allen Dec 2022

Electron Yield Measurements Of Highly Insulating Granular Samples Related To Charging Of Dusty Plasmas, Heather Allen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Reliable electron yield (EY) measurements of highly insulating granular particles have long been considered too difficult to collect due the many experimental complexities that arise from the nature of the granular materials. This has led to a critical knowledge gap for both engineering strategies and basic science issues essential for myriad important space applications. This talk will emphasize the preliminary EY measurements of highly insulting granular samples we have collected, including a range of samples with typical particle size ranging from ~1 μm to ~100 μm, samples with cubical, spherical and highly angular particle shapes, studies of highly angular Al2O3 …


Who Is Helping The Rural Poor?, Kylee Tidwell Dec 2022

Who Is Helping The Rural Poor?, Kylee Tidwell

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

In the proposed qualitative study, investigators sought to understand the ways in which impoverished residents in rural areas with few nonprofits meet their basic needs (e.g., hunger, housing, utilities). The findings of the proposed study will identify potential social service gaps in rural areas, while also drawing attention to non-traditional organizations who are providing assistance outside of their specific missions.


Light Scattering From Periodic Conducting Nanostructures, Wesley Mills Dec 2022

Light Scattering From Periodic Conducting Nanostructures, Wesley Mills

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Carbon nanotube (CNT) forests are roughly vertically aligned carbon tubes with a diameter of a few nanometers, and a height of hundreds of micrometers. CNT forests of proper densities and heights can be excellent absorbers of visible light, so a lot of interest has been generated in their application in optical calibration, energy conversion, antireflection, and radiometry. Unfortunately, reflectance from CNTs rises quickly above the mid-infrared range, limiting their present use. Improving a CNT-based broadband absorber requires understanding why the forests have almost zero visible-light reflectance, as well as a strategy to extend that low reflectance into longer wavelengths. Since …


Electrochemical Dna-Based Biosensor For The Detection Of Dnase I Activity For Potential Application For Crispr-Cas Based Biosensor, Tessa Siler Dec 2022

Electrochemical Dna-Based Biosensor For The Detection Of Dnase I Activity For Potential Application For Crispr-Cas Based Biosensor, Tessa Siler

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Dioxyribonuclease I (DNase I, DC 3.1.21.1) is an enzyme that cleaves DNA at phosphodiester linkages. The deviation of DNase I activity is a significant important marker for several diseases. For example, the lower activity of DNase can cause arthritis and several other autoimmune diseases, whereas higher DNase I activities are observed in patients with breast and oral cavity cancers. This makes monitoring the DNase I activity important for clinical and point-of-care diagnostics.Several methods were developed to assay DNase I activity, such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), fluorimetric assays, radial immunodiffusion (RID) and radial enzyme diffusion (RED) assays. These methods …


Collagen And Pdms Scaffolds For C2c12 Muscle Tissue Cell Line, Alisa Dabb, Sariah Jardine, Clayton Lords Dec 2022

Collagen And Pdms Scaffolds For C2c12 Muscle Tissue Cell Line, Alisa Dabb, Sariah Jardine, Clayton Lords

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

In tissue engineering, scaffolds are vital materials for cell growth. Scaffolds are used to provide the structural support for cell attachment and eventually tissue development. Although scaffold properties need to change to suit the nature and properties of the cells, most scaffolds need to simulate the extracellular matrix of the cells. Collagen is a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in most tissues. Therefore, collagen is a favorable scaffold material for most tissues, including muscle tissue. However, collagen has poor mechanical properties; it is sometimes combined with synthetic polymers such as poly-Lactic Acid (PLA) for structural support. Furthermore, poly(dimethyl …


Shakespeare, Sign Language, And The Seraglio, Ashleigh Sabin Dec 2022

Shakespeare, Sign Language, And The Seraglio, Ashleigh Sabin

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

The research in this project aims to give context for a reference to a "mute" in Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night (1603), more broadly examine early modern British ideas about deafness and the Ottoman Empire, and examine the non-verbal community in the palace of the seventeenth-century Ottoman Empire (the Seraglio). In this presentation, I argue that early modern British understanding of deaf and non-verbal communities was intrinsically tied to the Ottoman Empire and that this association created both advantages and disadvantages for deaf and non-verbal people in England, as well as continental Europe.


The Effect Of Fish Oil Supplementation And A Western-Type Diet On Gut Health, Marcus Hayden Dec 2022

The Effect Of Fish Oil Supplementation And A Western-Type Diet On Gut Health, Marcus Hayden

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide and has increased incidence in more developed countries (Parkin et al., 2005). Diets in more developed and Westernized countries, where CRC is more prevalent, tend to be energy-dense and nutrient deficient. Discovering which food patterns inhibit inflammation matters because the duration of colitis is a risk factor for CRC. Deficiencies in an American diet led to decreased gut microbiota diversity and increased prevalence of colitis. A key component of colon health is the microbiome. Dietary bioactive compounds change the composition of the microbiome. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a promising …


Alzheimers Disease: The Effects It Has On Everyone Involved, Mckinlee Denson Dec 2022

Alzheimers Disease: The Effects It Has On Everyone Involved, Mckinlee Denson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Alzheimers Disease is hard on everyone who is involved. With being a caregiver in my past I understand how hard it is taking care of someone with Alzheimers Disease. Family plays a big role in the life of those who have Alzheimer's Disease. On average 11 million Americans provide 15.3 billion hours of unpaid work. I believe that we need to find relief for those who give endless hours to support their loved ones with AD. Many people are impacted by Alzheimers Disease this can be friends, family, and medical caregivers. Alzheimers is especially hard on those who have the …


White America Effects My Thoughts On My Hispanic/Latinx Community, Anareli Rodriguez Dec 2022

White America Effects My Thoughts On My Hispanic/Latinx Community, Anareli Rodriguez

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

My research question was how does growing up in white spaces affect my thoughts about my Hispanic/Latinx community? This project aims to highlight and bring forward just some of the effects white America has on people in minority groups. My research was conducted using internet resources to locate both primary and secondary research. I also used my personal experience as a resource and interviewed some of my close family members and friends in the same community. I will argue that predominantly white America has affected my thoughts on my community of Hispanics/Latinx. Many people of all different races and ethnicities …


Investigating The Color-Changing Properties Of Poly-Phenyl Sulfide, Dallen Dewaal Dec 2022

Investigating The Color-Changing Properties Of Poly-Phenyl Sulfide, Dallen Dewaal

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Investigating the Color-Changing Properties of Poly-Phenyl Sulfide Dallen DeWaal, Megan Loveland DeWaal, Heather Allen, JR DennisonMaterials Physics Group, Physics Department, Utah State UniversityAbstractWhile preparing samples of FortronTM PPS (poly-phenyl sulfide) for spacecraft charging testing, it was discovered that the polymeric dielectric material exhibits color-changing properties from mechanical forces while shearing and bending. Given enough time, PPS reverts from blue-green back to its original tan color. PPS samples were characterized by the magnitude of color change and recovery time. PPS samples were subjected to multiple tests to discover which forms of energy input activate the color change, and which (if any) …


Women In The Aviation Community, Sarah Bass Dec 2022

Women In The Aviation Community, Sarah Bass

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

The aviation community today has little diversity, women and women of color are under represented. Through this study I was hoping to discover the reasons for this gender gap and the lack of diversity in this community. Research was conducted using library and internet resources to locate both primary and secondary research. As well as personal experience within this community allowed me to review documents to find reasoning for this gender and diversity gap. This gender and diversity gap in the aviation community is due to the lack of role models and women being responsible for breaking through gender stereotypes …


Depression Provides Additional Obstacles/Barriers For College Students To Maintain A Healthy Mindset, Jake Cardon Dec 2022

Depression Provides Additional Obstacles/Barriers For College Students To Maintain A Healthy Mindset, Jake Cardon

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

This study reflects the answers that I have found to the question "How does depression affect the ability of college students to have and maintain a good mindset?" Research was conducted using library and internet resources to locate both primary and secondary research. Academic articles and extensive studies were reviewed and analyzed to better understand what mindset is, what depression is, what challenges college students face, and ultimately the barriers that students with depressive disorders face as they try to maintain a healthy mindset while attending college. Over the course of my research and studies I have gained a deeper …


The Choice Of My Degree, Treyger Shumway Dec 2022

The Choice Of My Degree, Treyger Shumway

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

I was Looking into what major would fit me the better between the medical field and psychology because I needed to decide what to major in so that I can begin the journey to my bachelors degree. I looked into the different career paths that I wanted to pursue at Utah state where i did most of my research through internet sources where I located primary and secondary sources to inform my decision. For this I looked into current requirements and career paths to help persuade my decision. This research led me to believe that psychology is a better fit …


My Journey In Choosing A Major, Katherine Pierson Dec 2022

My Journey In Choosing A Major, Katherine Pierson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

College students have an important choice to make as they start their journey in academia: What should major in? When looking at the different fields of study we often look at what we enjoy as well as what we can see ourselves doing beyond our college years. As a student myself, I have been struggling with this decision of what my focus of study should be. By researching my main choices I have been able to gain a better understanding of what I personally want to study here at Utah State University.Research was conducted by viewing primary and secondary articles …


Modeling Plant Migration In A Varying Landscape, Seth Corbridge Dec 2022

Modeling Plant Migration In A Varying Landscape, Seth Corbridge

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

It is important to predict how plants will migrate under the changing conditions associated with climate change. In particular, finding instances where plants migrate quickly will help in predicting which plant species are in danger of being outpaced by climate change. Many existing models for plant migration assume a homogeneous landscape, however this is not always fully realistic. This project considers a model incorporating landscape heterogeneity for modeling plant migration. By forming a landscape of varying patches of high and low motilities, it is shown how a varying landscape can lead to increased migration rates in some cases when compared …


Schoolyard Activity Of Children At Risk For Communication And/Or Language Delays, Mason Widdison Dec 2022

Schoolyard Activity Of Children At Risk For Communication And/Or Language Delays, Mason Widdison

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

INTRODUCTION Low parental education, hearing loss, premature birth, and several developmental disorders put children at risk for communication and/or language delays, which adversely affect social development and academic readiness. Our purpose was to characterize the outdoor free-play behaviors of children who are at risk of such delays to ultimately inform changes to the schoolyard environment which promote physical activity, social interaction, and language development. METHODS Children (N=16) in preschool or kindergarten who are at risk for communication and/or language delays were observed for a single day, which included one or two 30-minute recess periods, depending on whether the child attended …


Please, Sir, Can We Have More? Suggestions For Teaching Creative Writing In Secondary Education, Amy Shaw Dec 2022

Please, Sir, Can We Have More? Suggestions For Teaching Creative Writing In Secondary Education, Amy Shaw

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

The instruction of creative writing encourages students to engage in creative thinking. This leads to students using a variety of approaches to solve problems, analyze multiple viewpoints, adapt ideas, and arrive to new solutions. The purpose of this research is to identify ways educators can improve the incorporation and use of creative writing for secondary aged students. I surveyed students enrolled in creative writing class at USU about their previous school writing as well as interviewed former secondary school teachers about their experiences with creative writing in secondary school. In this study, I dive into some of the different lessons …


The Effect Of The Plant-Based Diet On Athletes And Its Limitations, Dylan Hill Dec 2022

The Effect Of The Plant-Based Diet On Athletes And Its Limitations, Dylan Hill

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

In this study, I was hoping to learn more about the differences between the omnivore diet and plant-based diet in relation to the effects on an athlete. Research was conducted using library and internet resources to locate both primary and secondary research. For this study, personal accounts and experiences of athletes who had experimented with a plant based diet were examined. Research showed that although a very enticing option for a healthy diet for athletes, the plant-based diet is just as effective as a balanced omnivore diet but much more difficult to do properly and is much less accessible to …


Spooks And Spanks; Unraveling Paranormal Romance's Presence On Booktok, Lizzy Bermudez Dec 2022

Spooks And Spanks; Unraveling Paranormal Romance's Presence On Booktok, Lizzy Bermudez

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

This research project examines the frequency at which the romance subgenre, paranormal romance, appears on the online social media subcommunity BookTok. The term paranormal romance refers to any title containing a protagonist or associate who is deemed to be unnatural or supernatural in species, ability, presence, or otherwise wherein a romance containing the supernatural character is prominently featured. Collecting data from top BookTok accounts, we found that paranormal romance appeared more often within BookTok creator content. However, surveys from BookTok users asserted that the contemporary romance subgenre dominated their 'For You Pages.' Interviews with BookTok creators suggest that BookTok viewers …


Mechanical Properties Of Hagfish Protein Hydrogels, Hayden Johns Dec 2022

Mechanical Properties Of Hagfish Protein Hydrogels, Hayden Johns

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Hagfish are ancient animals that eject a strong slime when attacked by predators. This slime is composed of intermediate filaments that contribute to its incredible strength.To defend against foes, the Navy launches plastic ropes into the propellors of enemy warships in order to decrease the thrust of motors. In an effort to find a more biodegradable solution, the utilization of hagfish slime has shown great promise in stopping propellors.We hope to understand how the slime withstands the impact of a quickly rotating propellor, while simultaneously reducing the propellor's thrust. What specific mechanical properties allow for this phenomena? From this research …


Disability Communication And How Society Needs To Be More Inclusive, Olivia Colton Dec 2022

Disability Communication And How Society Needs To Be More Inclusive, Olivia Colton

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Historically people with disabilities have been discriminated against and oppressed by the dominant culture of "normal" people. During this project, I wanted to look more into how people with disabilities have been treated by society, are currently being treated in today's society, and how society needs to/should change to become more inclusive. For this project, my research was done using both library and internet sources to find both primary and secondary research. With this research, I was able to find and review both studies of people with disabilities and personal accounts and stories. After evaluating the sources I found that …


Wild/Feral Horses: The Great Debate Between Freedom And Capturing, Jolee Lamoreaux Dec 2022

Wild/Feral Horses: The Great Debate Between Freedom And Capturing, Jolee Lamoreaux

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Wild Horses have been around for as long as anyone can remember. However, there has been a great debate that these horses are harmful to the environment and they need to be taken care of either by rehoming or slaughtering. This study aims to determine why people think these horses are harmful and what has been done to try and solve the issue. I conducted my research mostly by researching keywords and evaluating my search results to examine credible sources. The three major claims that I wanted to make sure I addressed in my paper were the history and background …


Liquid Sandbox For Rapidly Optimizing The Thermal Management Of High-Power Wireless Charging Systems, Conner Sabin Dec 2022

Liquid Sandbox For Rapidly Optimizing The Thermal Management Of High-Power Wireless Charging Systems, Conner Sabin

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Wireless charging is currently being researched as an alternative to plug in charging for electric vehicles. These systems are tested in concrete and asphalt highways. A current limitation in research is understanding how to manage the heat that these systems produce in the roadway.Prototyping wireless charging systems in concrete or asphalt is time intensive and expensive. An alternative way to test the thermal management of these systems is to prototype the systems in sand and use the results of sand experiments in combination with thermal simulation software to predict how systems will perform in concrete.My project consists of two parts.I …


When Death Strikes: How The Criminal Justice System Lets Members Of Marginalized Communities Be Victimized By Serial Killers, Crius Paulus Dec 2022

When Death Strikes: How The Criminal Justice System Lets Members Of Marginalized Communities Be Victimized By Serial Killers, Crius Paulus

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

The variables within criminal investigations predispose members of marginalized populations to be victimized by serial killers. In this paper secondary and primary sources from the Merrill-Cazier library and internet were studied to understand the variables in and out of law enforcement control within criminal homicide investigations. Primarily, the focus was on the variables in police control–highly focused on cognitive biases. Police biases surrounding a victim's identity(ies) impacts their perceptions and responses to an investigation. Racism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia within law enforcement can have explicit negative effects on investigations. The case studies of Samuel Little, the West Mesa Murders, and …


The Reality Of Therapeutic Fictional Power: Students' Use Of Fiction As A Coping Mechanism, Miranda Judson Dec 2022

The Reality Of Therapeutic Fictional Power: Students' Use Of Fiction As A Coping Mechanism, Miranda Judson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

This research explores the benefits of leisure and assigned reading as a coping mechanism. In this research I discovered that fiction is a powerful coping mechanism. While research has been done on Bibliotherapy, the guided use of literature for patients, clients, or students, and similar fields, no research has been done specifically on fiction or the self-guided use of fiction as a coping mechanism. I surveyed and interviewed university English students who responded that they find fiction to be soothing and that they find insight to problems they're facing when they read. I discovered that students find more insight and …


What Works In Reskilling?, Brenden Bodily Dec 2022

What Works In Reskilling?, Brenden Bodily

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Economies and technologies shift rapidly, which at times leaves workers behind with skills that are no longer as relevant as they used to be. Employers may also have difficulty finding employees who have the skills needed to take advantage of these new technologies. The result is a skills gap, meaning that there are lots of job openings in specialized fields and plenty of people looking for work, but they are unable to find a job because they do not have the skills to work in industries that are hiring. For example, the IDC estimates that the global shortage of web …


How Does Perceived Human Instability Affect One's Own Stability?, Madi Braunersrither Dec 2022

How Does Perceived Human Instability Affect One's Own Stability?, Madi Braunersrither

Fall Student Research Symposium 2022

Participants were prompted to evaluate the stability of pictured human postures while standing on a force plate. We measured irregularity by analyzing the presence of patterns in the sequential center of pressure values. To measure the presence of patterns, sample entropy, a time series statistic, was developed and we utilized it on the force plate data. Does one's own stability change when viewing a posture deemed unstable? Is Sample Entropy (SampEn) an effective tool to determine stability? This relationship could have implications for modeling the progression of motor skills, understanding human development, and the design of environments for rehabilitation.