Digital Commons Network^™

Comparative Whole Genome Sequencing Of Cryopreserved And Ffpe Cancer Tissue, Delaney Anderson, Ken Dixon, Ryan Miller, Sangmoon Lee, Jeffrey Okojie, Jared Barrott

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) determines the DNA sequence of an organism’s entire genome & plays a key role in cancer precision medicine

• Currently, the main preservation method of cancer tissue for WGS is formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue; cryopreserved (CP) tissue is not routinely used in clinical settings
• Previous studies have determined CP tissue yields higher quality & quantity of DNA
• This study aimed to compare the outcomes of WGS in CP & FFPE samples.

Chilling Insights: A Comparative Study Of Cancer Tissue Preservation, Rebecca Bascom, Paige Nelson, Jacob Harris, Jack Davis, Mackenzie Burr, Jeffrey Okojie, David Booker, Ken Dixon, Jared Barrott

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

It is a fact that personalized cancer treatment leads to better patient outcomes. But what if the current treatments aren't as personalized as they could be?

Clinical cancer tissue samples are typically sent to labs as formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. A recent study4 indicates that cryo-preserved (CP) tissues offer significantly better DNA quality and quantity than FFPE samples, suggesting a need to reevaluate preservation methods. We aim to expand this research by comparing protein expression in FFPE and CP samples.

Specifically, we will focus on PD-L1, a protein that inhibits T-cells and is overexpressed in all cancer cells. The …

Barks Vs Bears: A Ruff Reality, Fern Luttrell, Tom Smith, Stephen Herrero, Lana Ciamiello, Hank Hristienko, Erin Jacoway, Linda Wiggins

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

• Will your dog protect you from a bear?
• Do dogs provoke bear attacks?
• Is it safe for your dog to be in bear country?

Assessing Sandy Beach Health Throughout The South Atlantic Bight With Ghost Crabs, Raquel Wilson, Blaine D. Griffen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

To better inform the management and protection of marine ecosystems, we examined human impacts on sandy beach health across the South Atlantic Bight by assessing the abundance and size of ghost crab burrows, and habitat quality. We used an urbanization index to measure the level of human impact. Sandy beach ecosystems are ecologically and economically important, yet they face immense pressure from increasing human activity^1,2. Protecting these ecosystems is critical yet challenging due to their large size, but we can evaluate their health and the extent of human impact using a bioindicator species. We used the Atlantic ghost …

Arid1a Knockout: A Catalyst For Osteosarcoma Progression, Alma Taggart, Peyton Worley, Heinen Louis, Emilee Nielson, Jared Barrott

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare form of bone cancer, with high mortality rates in children and young adults. Current OS research has been limited by a lack of mouse models that accurately represent the metastatic and chemoresistant nature of this cancer. Furthermore, by focusing on patient-derived xenograft models it limits the applications of novel immunotherapies because these mouse models lack a competent immune system. By knocking out Arid1a, we generated a mouse model that more accurately reflects the aggressive nature of the tumor with 100% penetrance of tumorigenesis and 41% penetrance of metastasis, while maintaining a competent immune system. This …

Acee And Pflb: Interference In Oxygen Independent Or Dependent Metabolic Pathways Affect Virulence Of P. Carotovorum, Ethan Shreeve, Foxx Naylor, Jeffrey Schachterle

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Pectobacterium carotovorum is a plant-pathogenic bacterium, causing soft rot diseases in vegetables such as potatoes and carrots. Mainly, this is achieved by the production of plant cell walldegrading enzymes, allowing for invasion of host cells. The general mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity of P. carotovorum are well characterized, but the phenotypic effects of some core metabolic processes are not. An important part of metabolism in bacteria is pyruvate production and utilization as a metabolic intermediate. P. carotovorum has two critical genes— pflB and aceE—that play roles in directing pyruvate metabolism. PflB encodes pyruvate formate-lyase, enabling the bacterium to convert pyruvate into …

Where The Green-To-Red Neurexin Grows: Analyzing Neurexin-3a Expressing Neurons Through Dendra2 Knock-Ins And Full Locus Deletion, Dillon J. Brown, Isaac E. Greenwood, Annalie Martin, Arminda Suli Ph.D.

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

The optic tectum (OT) is a zebrafish midbrain structure homologous to the mammalian superior colliculus (SC). The OT facilitates integration of multisensory input and coordinates a corresponding involuntary response. Single-cell RNA sequencing data from our lab indicates the differential expression of the presynaptic cell adhesion protein - neurexin3a - within two cell populations (OT5 and OT8) of the zebrafish OT. The SC and neurexin3a have both been implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), warranting, therefore, a further investigation. To visualize neurexin3a positive neurons in the OT, we are generating a transgenic zebrafish line that expresses the green-to-red photoconvertible protein Dendra2 …

Using Neuroscience To Understand Food, Tyler Thronton, Jonathan Kershaw

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Food liking is determined by evaluation and reward centers in the brain. Few studies have observed the magnifying effects that messages have on taste liking as participants try food in a neuroimaging setting.

Walking In Super Shoes: Reduced Ankle Power, Decreased Stability?, Bethany Esplin, Thomas Anderson, Nate Jacobsen, Luke Vankeersbilck, Dustin A. Bruening, Iain Hunter

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Super shoes improve running economy by reducing gastrocsoleus work [1]

Could the same benefit apply to walking to benefit clinical populations?

Is there a trade-off for balance?

Synthesis Of Gold Nanorods As Payloads For Antibody Drug Conjugates For Synovial Sarcoma, Melanie I'Anson-Holton, Andralyn Anmckell, John Hanosek, Jeffrey Okojie, Bridger Kearns, Jared Barrott

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) are burgeoning class of anti-cancer therapies. They rely on the specificity of antibodies to selectively deliver a cytotoxic payload to cancer cells expressing unique antigens. To minimize the toxicity of these ADCs, we designed a multipronged application with two separate components that by themselves are harmless, but when combined result in thermal toxicity to the tumor cells. Gold nanoparticles as the payload was one component and a near IR laser was the other. Gold nanoparticles are innocuous and exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The LSPR of gold nanoparticles allows them to absorb photons at certain wavelengths, …

Those Dam Fish: Morphological Response In Two Riverine Fish Species Following Dam Construction, Leah Stimpson, Austin Rejcek, Mark C. Belk

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Flow regime is a known predictor of fish shape¹. Conspecific populations living in distinct flow environments often exhibit different morphologies.

Dams present a unique opportunity to observe a dramatically transformed flow regime. Fish populations that once occupied a fast-flowing habitat suddenly live in an artificial reservoir.

The Parana Basin in southern Brazil boasts some of the greatest fish diversity in the world. The biological implications of hydroelectric dam construction along its major rivers must be studied.

Previous literature has been limited to a single species or ecological niche².

➢ Our objective was to describe what morphological …

Shorter Semitendinosus And Biceps Femoris Tendon Lengths Linked To Greater Eccentric Strength In College Football Players, Garett Lesa, Malorie Wiland, A. Wayne Johnson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

All American football players depend on hamstring muscle strength and tendon resilience to perform. If we can better understand the relationship between hamstring strength and tendon length, we would be able to tailor training strategies such as stretching to enhance performance and/or reduce injuries. This study investigates the relationship between semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris in accordance to eccentric hamstring strength (EHS).

Relationship Between The Gut Microbiome And Immune Responses In Drosophila Melanogaster, Killian Bynum, John M. Chaston

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Flies possess several immune pathways, including the Toll pathway for defending against Gram-positive bacteria (which have thick cell walls) and the IMD pathway for targeting Gram-negative bacteria (which have thinner cell walls).

Previous studies have shown that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) interact with these immune pathways and play a role in modulating the gut microbiome.

Rehydration Of Cadaveric Tissue: A Comparative Analysis, Zach Leonard, Emma Anderson, Jason Adams Phd

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Rehydration solutions contain a variety of different chemicals which help keep cadaveric tissue moist and well preserved. Previously, we have identified that ethylene glycol, glycerol, and propylene glycol are all effective humectants that allow cadaveric specimens to retain moisture. Additionally, a mixture of sodium carbonate, ethanol, and formalin, had favorable results in limited study. With this knowledge, we tested and compared the effectiveness of these solutions at rehydrating dried human tissues. In doing this, we have created a tissue library, providing an evidence-based standard for rehydrating solutions to allow for the rehydration of dried specimens in anatomy labs.

Neuroimmune Effects Of Methamphetamine And Ethanol In The Nucleus Accumbens, Brayden Parker, Derek Langford, Channing Syme, Chris Galbraith, Savannah Evans, Matthew Burris, Jordan T. Yorgason

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

• Microglia are the innate immune cells of the brain and change morphology with activation, with increased ameoboid morphology with increased immune activation.
• Microglia release and clear reactive oxygen species (ROS)
• ATP is a known chemoattractant to microglia and is released at dopamine terminals in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which is a reward center of the brain
• Methamphetamine (Meth) is a psychostimulant drug that decreases dopamine clearance and increases ROS

Muscle Volume Analysis: The Relationship Between Muscle Volume And Sprint Performance In Ncaa Football Athletes, Isaiah Guymon, Malorie Wilwand, Steven P. Allen, B. Brett Mortensen, A. Wayne Johnson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

• Considering the swing to stance phase, the hip flexors (HF) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles may impact football player's sprint speed.
• Purpose: Determine the relationship between collegiate football athlete's speed and the muscle volume (MV) of HF and TA muscles.

Methamphetamine And Ros Effects On Dopamine And Atp Release, Tyler Love, Jordan T. Yorgason, Taylor Rose, Hillary Wadsworth, Lydia Hawley, Lauren Ford, Sara Linderman, Nathan Sheets

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

The Nucleus Accumbens is a reward center of the brain that receives dopamine projections from the Ventral Tegmental Area

Methamphetamine (Meth) is a psychostimulant drug that decreases dopamine clearance and increases Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

Meth is known to increase dopamine release in-vivo through ROS

Glucose Oxidase increases ROS

Mechanism Of Copper-Coated Cicnt Inhibition Of Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Formation, Emilia Gregory, Lucy Bowden, Bradford Berges

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections, particularly through biofilm formation on medical devices, leading to severe and recurrent complications¹. The resistance of S. aureus biofilms to traditional antibiotics requires new strategies to mitigate these infections. Our previous findings indicate that the anti-biofilm properties of carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotubes (CICNT) significantly inhibit the growth of S. aureus biofilms². We will further explore if copper, an innately antimicrobial material, will enhance this effect.

To determine the impact that copper would have on bacterial growth, we coated the CICNT with a thin layer of copper and used …

Majority Of Ncaa Div. 1 Football Players At Byu Demonstrate Patellar Tendon Blood Flow Post-Exercise, Bryson T. Schaugaard, Lee J. Hinkle, Gabe Davidson, B. Brett Mortensen, A. Wayne Johnson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Patellar tendinopathy is a frequent overuse injury among collegiate athletes, especially in football players, due to the intense strain on the patellar tendon. Power Doppler Imaging (PDI) is an effective way to analyze blood flow (BF) within the tendon and correlates to patellar tendinopathy and pain. A healthy and normal tendon should have a score of 0 on a modified Oberg scale.

Looking For Manna, Dung, And Craters - Uncovering Hidden Diversity In Circinaria Lichens, Lizzie Perry, Ginny Basset, Steve Leavitt

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

• Lichens, symbiotic partnerships between fungi and photosynthetic organisms, are often overlooked in biodiversity studies due to their cryptic nature. The lichen genus, Circinaria —historically, described as “Manna Lichens”, “crater lichens”, “pigeon dung lichens”, and “excrement of the earth”¹ —remains understudied.
• This genus includes approximately 40 formally described species worldwide, however, only 13 have been documented in North America³.
• To better understand species-level diversity of Circinaria in Western North America, we used an integrated data set – DNA, morphology, and ecology – to characterize diversity and delimit potential candidate species.

Laying Framework For A Novel System To Test Effects Of Histone Modifications, Taryn Evans, Luke Ramirez M.S, Aaron Bohn, Jacob Hunter, Sarah Hodson, Sarah Ricks, David Bates Ph.D, Steven M. Johnson Ph.D.

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Chromatin structure and composition play a significant role in regulating gene expression within eukaryotic cells. The fundamental organizational unit of chromatin is the nucleosome, which is composed of ~147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around a histone protein core. Post-translational modifications (PTM’s) to the protruding tails of histone proteins are known to regulate nucleosome occupancy and positioning, which influence chromatin architecture and thus gene expression. However, relatively little is known about the residual effects of histone PTM’s on transcription rate, especially in nucleosomes along the gene body. Here, we demonstrate a method for measuring transcription rate in real-time with a …

Improving Native Grass Germination With Seed Enhancement Technologies, Ronni Stauffer, Tanner Knapp, April Hulet, Sam Ahler, Nancy Shackelford, Matthew Madsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Faster germination aids invasive weeds’ competitive ability.

Several different seed enhancement technologies can help improve native grass germination so they can be more competitive.

Osmotic priming (OP), solid matrix priming (SMP), and gibberellic acid seed coatings (GA3) are varying techniques that have been shown to increase seedling germination in native plants.

Identifying Potentially Advantageous Genes In Introgressed Regions Of Wild Pitseed Goosefoot Chromosomes Into Quinoa, Kayla Stephensen, Juliana Fuller, Eric N. Jellen, Peter J. Maughan, David E. Jarvis

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Despite increasing in worldwide popularity, quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is not well adapted to environments outside its native range of cultivation in the Andean region of South America. To try to improve quinoa’s growth in new environments, particularly in hot tropical and arid climates, we previously crossed quinoa with its wild relative, pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri), which is naturally adapted to regions where optimal vegetative and reproductive growth is limited due to adverse biotic and abiotic conditions. Over the course of multiple generations, we have selected the best performing progeny based on their ability to survive in warmer environments. Investigating the …

I’M Just Like You: Do Sympatric Lizard Species Exhibit Convergent Morphology? (Genus Sceloporus), Abigail Lamartine, Alison Whiting

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

The spiny lizards, genus Sceloporus, are the most speciose genus of reptiles endemic to North America. These lizards are commonly seen doing “push-ups” and head bobs, showing off their bright blue belly and throat patches (figure 5).Sceloporus use these displays to attract mates and defend their territory, and the size and color of patches is the most commonly used character to identify species(see figure 3). Within southwestern Utah, there is a small region where two species, S.occidentalis and S. tristichus, overlap in range (figure 1), and lizards can be found that appear to have patches intermediate between the two …

How Does Alcohol Affect Neurotransmission? — An Exploration Of Snap-25, Thomas Weed, Tanner M. Blocker, Jonah R. Beck, Jason T. Carlson, Christopher E. Hunt Jr., Mike Sumsion, Dixon J. Woodbury

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

SNAP-25 helps drive fusion of synaptic vesicles with the neuronal membrane. This process of exocytosis is fundamental for any form of neuro-communication. Prior to vesicle fusion, SNAP-25 comes together with two other SNARE proteins, syntaxin and synaptobrevin, to form the SNARE complex. As the SNARE complex tightens, vesicle fusion occurs, leading to neurotransmitter release. SNAP-25 is expressed in two isoforms, SNAP-25A and SNAP-25B, and are expressed at different stages of development. Previous literature has shown that alcohol and oxidative stress directly affect neurotransmission. We sought to determine if the method of action was through altering the secondary structure of SNAP-25. …

Geofinder, Amanda Warren, Abigail Muir, Stephen Piccolo

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

AI-driven search tools make gene expression data easier to find, which could revolutionize research.

Gcsf Involvement In Ethanol Dopamine Adaptations, Zachary Valentine, Chase Seiter, Rachel Campbell, Camryn Holt, Jordan T. Yorgason

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Objective: Investigate the role of Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF) in ethanol-induced dopamine adaptations using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry.

Hypothesis: Prolonged alcohol exposure will weaken GCSF release, resulting in diminished effects on dopamine terminals.

Dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays a crucial role in learning stimuli associated with reward

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF) is a known neuromodulator for for DA release

Ethanol has been demonstrated to increase the firing rate of dopamine neurons in the (VTA)

The effects of ethanol on GCSF neuromodulation remains unknown

Frog Barcodes: Scanning The Secret Species Of Pelodryadinae, Kennedy Hunter, Taylor Probst, Alison Whiting

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Tree frogs (Hylidae) have unique adaptations such as toe pads for life in the trees (figure 1).

The subfamily Pelodryadinae is poorly known and primarily found in the Australopapuan region.

Papua New Guinea is the island with the greatest frog diversity but many species remain undescribed.

DNA barcoding has been shown to be an effective tool in species delimitation and for examining species diversity in poorly understood groups.

Frequency-Specific Training Of Vor Generalization In Mice, Natalie Dietrich, J, Mckeon, I. Phillips, Trace Stay

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

The Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) is a critical neural mechanism allowing the eye to stabilize vision during head movements by generating compensatory eye movements. The VOR can be adapted to make larger or smaller eye movements for the same amount of head movement by associating head movement with rotation of a visual field at a specific frequency The change in Serial = Sum of Sines Serial ≠ Sum of Sines Training frequencies change but no generalization occurs eye movement at one frequency of head rotation also induces smaller magnitude changes in eye movement at closely-related frequencies, a process termed generalization. It …

Forb Species Selection For Improved Mine Reclamation, Joanna Pincock, Matt Madsen, Mallory Hinton, April Hulet

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Forbs play a crucial role in restoration efforts in the Intermountain West due to their benefits to pollinators and wildlife, and their contribution to ecosystem resilience. Their inclusion in restoration projects enhances biodiversity, improves habitat quality, and supports overall ecosystem stability.

However, forbs are difficult to establish, especially in degraded rangeland soils, due to several challenges:

• Poor soil conditions
• Seed dormancy requirements
• Limitations with seeding methods
• Competition from invasive species

Our research objectives were to:

1. Evaluate the effectiveness of various methods to break seed dormancy and improve germination rates of 15 forb species (Fig. 1)
2. Assess plant emergence and growth …