Digital Commons Network^™

The Potential Role Of Soil Depth And Land Management History In Rangeland Soil Seed Bank Community Dynamics., Owen K. Palsic, Akasha Faist, Madeline Mayorga

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Rangelands provide critical ecosystem services for societies across the globe, yet land use changes, climate change, and invasive species are causing large-scale rangeland degradation. To maintain effective rangeland ecosystem function, it is critical we understand the comprehensive ecological dynamics of these systems. One crucial ecological variable that is often overlooked is the soil seed bank, which is otherwise defined as the community of germinable seeds stored in the soil of a given system. Many ecological studies and models leave out soil seed bank communities, despite their undeniable importance in rangeland ecosystems, and instead only consider the aboveground vegetation community. In …

Section 9 Of The Endangered Species Act (Esa): History Of Harm, Maxwell Lee Hirrill

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Since its passage, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has held the unofficial title of the strongest law for environmental protections. This Act, passed in 1973, contains powerful language, with one word standing out among them all: "take" found in section 9. Section 16 U.S.C. § 1532(19) defines take as "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct." The definition of harm has been interpreted in different ways over the years, with some interpretations granting it more power and others limiting it. A particular point of contention within the …

Late-Time Miri Imaging Of Sn 2011ja Reveals High Cold Dust Mass, Aiden G. Agostinelli, Benjamin C. Radmore

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Using new JWST MIRI images, we constrain the mass of dust around SN 2011ja long after explosion. SN 2011ja is a Type IIP core-collapse supernova (CCSN) in galaxy NGC 4945. The SN is difficult to identify in the MIRI images, so we apply an alignment routine which matches bright stars between MIRI and Spitzer images to locate the correct point source. Dust masses for SN 2011ja have previously been estimated at 105, 486, 637, 857, 881, 1007, and 1332 days post-explosion. These new MIRI images were taken at day 4241. We perform PSF photometry and fit analytical dust models to …

Head Contact Incidence Study, Shane O. Jefferson, Hunter Naugle

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Due to the physical nature of the sport of hockey, head contacts are a common occurrence in games and practice alike. Youth athletes that are exposed to repeated head contact may be at risk for both acute conditions as well as neurological health conditions as they age. The purpose of this study was to identify head contacts and examine patterns and trends seen in those contacts in a population of 9–12-year-old youth hockey athletes during both game and practice. While checking is not allowed at these age groups, the physical aspect of hockey, still generates head contact exposures at a …

Documenting Supportive Communication Strategies In Prom Administration For Persons With Aphasia, Tyra Kucinski

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Documenting Supportive Communication Strategies in PROM Administration for Persons With Aphasia

Tyra Kucinski, Allison Marr, Emilia Waters

Introduction: Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that impairs speaking, listening, writing, and/or reading, with intelligence remaining intact. Aphasia also disrupts mental health, quality of life, and communicative participation. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are standardized questionnaires that allow patients to reflect on their functional health status, providing insight into how persons with aphasia (PWAs) perceive their condition and/or the treatment they are receiving. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) frequently provide a number of supportive communication strategies to ensure accuracy of patient responses on PROMs …

Microfluidics For Live Imaging Of C. Elegans Germline Stem Cells, Camille K. Spencer

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Live imaging of the C. elegans germline in situ enables direct observation of dynamic developmental processes as they occur, which has particular relevance in the study of protein expression and germline stem cell dynamics.

Traditional methods of immobilization are often physiologically taxing on C. elegans. Chemical immobilization via paralytics often compromise worm viability, disrupting the cellular processes we aim to study by sickening them, inducing stress responses. Starvation in particular is a significant limitation as stress signaling is known to directly inhibit GSC division rapidly upon food cessation.

In the Voronina lab, we set out to develop two microfluidics based …

Inclusion And Responses Of Microbial Communities In Ecological Restoration, Simon C. Bickel

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Ecological restoration aims to restore degraded ecosystems to the condition they would have been in had degradation not occurred. A critical component of ecosystems is microbial communities, which regulate ecosystem functions such as respiration, nutrient cycling, and decomposition. Unfortunately, microbial communities can be easily overlooked in ecological restoration due to their small size and the need for specialized technical knowledge and equipment to investigate them. I conducted a systematic review of articles published in the journal Restoration Ecology between 1997 and 2022 to assess temporal trends in the frequency of articles on microbial communities and specific taxa. Mycorrhizae fungi were …

Combating Overdose: Production And Analysis Of Fentanyl Specific Antibodies, Elizabeth J. Florian

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Fentanyl overdose deaths are on the rise from both intentional use and accidental exposure. Our work focuses on identifying additional treatment options to Narcan, an opioid receptor antagonist which reverses overdose effects by receptor competition. One alternative method, that has been approved by the FDA, is the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This therapeutic method works by antibodies binding fentanyl in the bloodstream and preventing it from crossing the blood-brain barrier. Our group has begun identifying mAbs by vaccinating mice with a fentanyl hapten (F1) vaccine adjuvanted with a TLR 7/8 agonist. Vaccination leads to the production of antibodies that …

Crystallographic Insights Into The Biological Roles Of Α,Α- Trehalose, Sydney Mcgrath, Ashley Freeman, Asia Marie S. Riel, Daniel Adam Decato

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

α,α-trehalose is a naturally occurring molecule comprised of two glucose molecules linked together, is biologically active. Immunomodulatory compounds have used α,α-trehalose as a core structure to activate an immune response in proteins such as the Macrophate-Inducible C-type Lectin receptor. Activation of this receptor is hypothesized to occur through ligand-induced oligomerization, driven by small-molecule (pathogen-derived or endogenous) aggregation and self-assembly. However, this has not been fully investigated. This work set out to evaluate reported α,α-trehalose crystal structures from the Cambridge Crystal Structure Database. We evaluated 41 different α,α-trehalose supramolecular structures, understanding their application and categorizing their self-assembly through hydrogen bonding and …

Mindful Machines: Do Children Trust Ai More When They Think It Has A Mind?, Juhi Singh

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Children are increasingly interacting with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to seek information. Yet little is known about how children discern whether to trust AI responses. This study investigates two related questions. First, children prefer to learn from confident over hesitant people, but do they similarly prefer to learn from confident AI? Second, individual differences in children’s attributions of human-like mental states to non-human entities (anthropomorphism) predicts their social conceptions of AI-embedded technologies. Accordingly, are individual differences in anthropomorphism related to their learning from AI?

Child participants (N=64; ages 5-8) viewed videos of AI and human informants answering questions. Across …

Firefly, Hannah Bailey, Kyle Krstulich, Stellios Bonadurer

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Prescribed fires are deliberately conducted to reduce hazardous fuel loads, mitigate wildfire risk, and sustain ecosystem function. Their operational effectiveness, however, is limited by sparse real-time environmental sensing, inadequate situational awareness, and latency in decision support, factors that impede accurate forecasting of fire spread, smoke emissions, and associated safety hazards. This project proposes developing a prototype Internet-of-Things platform, FireFly, that addresses these limitations through distributed, multimodal sensing and on-device machine-learning inference. The system will deploy low-power sensor nodes measuring wind direction and speed, soil moisture, air quality, temperature, and humidity during controlled burns. Each node integrates an edge-computing unit capable …

Quantity Vs Quality Tradeoffs In Black Brant Geese: What Is The Relationship Between Clutch Size And Egg Volume?, Bella Adams

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Trade-offs between offspring quantity and quality are fundamental to life-history variation among species and may lead to fitness variation within populations of organisms. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between clutch size and egg volume in black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) geese while controlling for age and quality of the parents to accurately gauge this relationship. Research on a brant population breeding at the Tutakoke River, Alaska, began in 1984, resulting in a dataset spanning >40 years. In 2025, I spent three months in Alaska contributing to the data collection for this long-term study. I assisted …

Recency Vs. Frequency: Contrasting Controls On Soil Carbon Cycling After Wildfire In Subalpine Lodgepole Pine Forests, Declan Clark, Kimberley T. Davis, Dalton Brantley, Jacob Baldner, Meredith Zettlemoyer

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Wildfires in western United States conifer forests have increased in both frequency and severity due to human-caused climate change, with important but poorly constrained implications for carbon (C) cycling in these ecosystems. The largest pool of ecosystem C in forests is belowground, though much of it is insulated against direct combustion from fire. Therefore, understanding how changing wildfire regimes influence ecosystem C requires not only quantifying soil C pools to capture direct effects but also evaluate the indirect and legacy effects of fire on C cycling, including changes in microbial C processing.

To evaluate the direct and indirect fire effects, …

All Teeth No Rakers: The Legacy Of Timbersports At The University Of Montana, Chloe F. Brown

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

My project is focused on the history of the University of Montana Woodsman Team. I have been a competitor on the Team for three years and throughout that time I have heard murmurs of our history but have never seen any in-depth information about our existence at the school. My goal with this project is to create an easily accessible way for current team members and alumni to learn about the Woodsman Team’s place on campus as well as in the Missoula and greater timbersports community. The outcome of this project will be a short book that includes sections on …

Pharmacogenetics To Enhance Personalized Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy In Montana, Shivika Agrawal, Jon Graham, Shayna R. Killam

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Purpose:

Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) is the primary drug-metabolizing enzyme for most proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), commonly prescribed for gastrointestinal disorders such as heartburn. Guidelines developed by the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) indicate that genetic variants in CYP2C19 may influence PPI response and the likelihood of side effects, and they provide drug and dose recommendations. We systematically evaluated PPI prescribing patterns in Montana’s patient population to inform implementation strategies for pharmacogenetic (PGx)-guided PPI therapy.

Methods:

We analyzed the electronic data from the health information exchange, Big Sky Care Connect, of 1.15 million Montanans between 2017 to 2024. We identified …

Evaluating The Cost And Feasibility Of Ecg-Integrated Cardiac Screening In High School Athletes, Sadie J. Smith

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Evaluating the Cost and Feasibility of ECG-Integrated Cardiac Screening in High School Athletes

Smith, S, Held, T, Godbout, B & Moody, VJ : University of Montana

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young athletes is rare but catastrophic and may not be detected through standard pre-participation physicals, which rely heavily on history and basic examination. This pilot study evaluated the cost and feasibility of integrating resting electrocardiogram (ECG) screening into high school sports physicals.

Thirty high school hockey athletes complete an ECG-enhanced screening consisting of cardiac history, vitals, resting ECG, and physician examination. The average screening time per athlete was 19 …

Gαi Megabodies As A Structural Scaffold: Complexing Megabody Ca15960 And Δn31g⍺I, Sylvie-Aganoti T. Tower

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a major and diverse group of membrane receptors, are responsible for transducing extracellular signals (ligands) to activate intracellular metabolic pathways. In fact, over a third of FDA approved drugs target GPCRs. Research on GPCR activity contributes significantly to pharmacology and medicine. Signal transduction results in a conformational change activating guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) by exchanging GDP for GTP. G proteins form heterotrimers consisting of alpha (𝜶), beta (β), and gamma (γ) subunits. From a Gαi specific nanobody (~15 kDa), we have derived 3 megabody constructs ranging in molecular weight from ~55-100 kDa. Megabodies …

Sin Nombre Virus: Assessing Variation In The Viral Genome Across Peromyscus Maniculatus Populations In Western Montana, Iris Y. Mckean

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is a New World RNA virus within the family of Hantiviridae found primarily in North America. SNV is a zoonotic pathogen, causing unapparent disease in its deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) reservoir host, but inducing Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a respiratory infection of pulmonary endothelial cells, in its human hosts. The virus is transmitted primarily through aerosolized rodent excreta.

Previous studies of the SNV genome has identified the virus as a negative-sense single-stranded RNA pathogen: its segmented genome consists of RNA that is the reverse complement of the mRNA needed to make proteins. The -ssRNA genome …

Use Of Sunlight Differs Between Sympatric Garter Snakes In Montane Riparian Forests, Ethan T. Chatwood, David R. Tevs

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Microhabitat selection by small ectotherms often involves trade-offs between accommodating the thermoregulatory needs of the organism and minimizing predation. Sunny microhabitats are often used as basking sites by small ectotherms. However, sunlight may also increase chromatic contrast between the animal and its substrate, thereby increasing visibility to potential predators. To counter this increased exposure, small ectotherms may develop means to remain hidden in sunny areas or achieving suitable body temperatures while in shaded areas. We collected data on substrate temperature, light conditions, observation time, and behavior (active vs stationary) between two sympatric garter snake species with contrasting dorsal colorations (Thamnophis …

Fear Conditioning Enhances Activity And Synaptic Maturation Of Mpfc Somatostatin Interneurons, Emma Ann Pascoe, Marcella Slason, Shelby Doss, Emma Nicolaisen, Sandra Yungblut, Kasper Hansen, Andrew Rau

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder that affects diverse populations across the United States. First-line treatments, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and psychotherapy, are often only partially effective. Although novel therapeutic strategies are emerging, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying both PTSD and its treatment remain poorly understood. To advance the development of more effective interventions, it is essential to define the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms that govern traumatic memory storage. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a critical role in fear learning and memory. However, how specific neuronal populations, particularly interneurons, are altered by fear learning remains …

Distinguishing Abstract And Concrete Democracy: Racial Attitudes And Democratic Support In The United States, Heather Lyons

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

As scholars and democratic observers warn of democratic backsliding and authoritarian governance in the United States, one leading explanation is that historical and enduring racial hierarchies shape racial attitudes that influence democratic support. The need to precisely measure support for democratic ideals and institutions has become critical to understand the precise influences currently causing the backsliding here and around the globe. Building on recent scholarly elucidations distinguishing abstract from concrete democracy, this study uses the 2024 ANES study to examine the relationship between various racial attitudes and support for abstract and concrete democracy separately. I also examine interactions between racial …

Assessing The Security Of The Colorado River Basin Through The Threats-Vulnerabilities-Assistance Framework, Delia Schmidt

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The Colorado River Basin supplies seven U.S. states, Mexico, and multiple tribal nations, sustaining a significant portion of the American West’s population. Yet accelerating aridification, ecological degradation, and legal fragmentation threaten the basin’s long-term security. This project examines how institutional governance failures pose the most significant threat to the river’s future. My guiding question asks: To what extent do outdated legal frameworks and fragmented governance structures undermine the environmental security of the Colorado River Basin?

Using the Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Assistance Framework (TVAF), I analyze the basin’s current level of security and project conditions over the next decade. Drawing on …

A Strategic Framework For Leveraging Ai As A Source Of Competitive Advantage, Jackson Evans

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Businesses around the world are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence as a productivity and daily operational tool to help employees work more efficiently. This project examines how companies can leverage AI as a long-term source of strategic advantage rather than simply a time- and money-saver. The guiding question for this project is: Under what conditions does AI become a source of strategic advantage in a business rather than a commodity technology? For this project, I am seeking to connect AI adoption practices with established strategic management theory. To carry out this project, I will analyze current AI adoption trends by examining …

Evaluating Strategies To Reduce Human-Bear Conflicts: A Synthetic Review, Cailin K. Bell

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Human-wildlife conflicts involving large carnivores, such as bears, pose a significant challenge to conservation efforts. As humans encroach into wildlands, expanding overlap with black bear populations, their interactions and conflicts increase. Conflicts are defined as any action by bears resulting in the destruction of property or threatening public safety. Though conflicts continue to rise, it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of different approaches for prioritizing management actions. To address this gap, this study conducted a synthetic review, identifying current approaches being used, the effectiveness of these methods, and which of these may be useful for Montana. Google Scholar was …

Investigation Of Guanine Exchange By Ric8a For Gαi, Fiona Morrow, Brad Benjamin, Cindee Yates-Hansen, Nicholas O'Connor

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Author: Fiona Morrow

Conference: 2026 UMCUR

Title: Investigation of Guanine Exchange by Ric8A for Gα_i

Abstract: Ric8 is a chaperone protein for the Gα subunit of the G protein coupled receptor, the most common and diverse membrane receptor group in eukaryotic cells. Signal transduction across the cell membrane uses the G protein complex, with an integral G protein that spans the entire membrane and 3 bound subunits on the interior side of the membrane. When a ligand binds on the GPCR, the 3 interior subunits dissociate and carry the signal to the next step of the cascade; this dissociation …

Ponderosa Pines Reduce Cavitation Risk By Altering Growth Strategies In Response To Fuel Reduction Treatments, Sofia Clancy

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Increasing global temperatures and drought severity place trees at a higher risk of wildfires and water stress. While fuel management treatments were initially designed for wildfire mitigation, they may also promote drought resistance by altering growth strategies. I evaluated the impact of mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, and a combined treatment on the hydraulic growth characteristics of ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) at the University of Montana’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest. Increment cores display a tree's rings, which are composed of annual earlywood and latewood layers that reflect their growth strategy in response to seasonal resource availability. Earlywood cell structure favors rapid growth, …

Examining Tree Defense Responses To Fuel Reduction Treatments, Reid H. Martin

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Conifers use oleoresin, produced and stored in a network of resin ducts, as a primary source of defense against insects and pathogens. Analyses have shown that trees with a greater number, size, or total area of resin ducts are more likely to resist or survive insect attacks. Fuel reduction treatments, primarily done with the intention of suppressing the likelihood of high-severity fire and restoring fire-adapted landscapes, can increase the availability of limiting resources to residual trees by reducing competition. In ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), increases in resource availability have been associated with an increased production of larger or …

Effectiveness Of Common Treatment Approaches On Pain And Disability For Chronic Low Back Pain, Brooke Williams

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability in adults worldwide. Common treatment approaches for low back pain include chiropractic care, physical therapy, medical care, and educational interventions. Although some randomized controlled trials have compared specific treatments, few studies have synthesized outcomes across multiple treatment approaches to determine relative effectiveness in individuals with chronic low back pain. This study performed a quantitative comparative analysis using aggregated data from published randomized controlled trials. Treatment groups included chiropractic care, physical therapy, medical care, and educational interventions. Outcomes related to disability, pain intensity, and symptom bothersomeness were assessed using the Roland Morris …

Ligand Induced Mincle Dimerization For Informing Tuberculosis Adjuvant Formulation, Ephraim Neils Mortenson, Asia Riel, Cindee Yates-Hansen, Borries Demeler

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Macrophage Inducible C-Type Lectin receptor (Mincle) is a pattern recognition receptor on myeloid cells, which modulates the immune system by recognizing small molecules that activate the signaling cascade to release inflammatory and immune response mediators. [1] C-type lectin receptors have been known to form higher order structures to produce elevated, coordinated immune responses. However, this has not been fully established experimentally with Mincle and known ligands. [2,3] Stabilized by an extracellular disulfide bond, Mincle in mammalian cells can exist as a preformed dimer. [3] This suggests that activation-induced oligomerization in Mincle could be a ligand-specifying factor in the type and …

Examining High School Students' Comprehension Of Miranda Vocabulary, Madeline Durrant, Eddy Manning

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Introduction. The Miranda warnings are intended to protect individuals' constitutional rights during police interactions, but their effectiveness depends on whether the language is understood. Research suggests that legal vocabulary embedded in these warnings may be inaccessible to many vulnerable groups, including adolescents.

Research Questions. How well do high school students with typical language skills comprehend the legal vocabulary in the Miranda warning? Are MVS scores correlated with language test scores? Are MVS scores correlated with completion of a civics course?

Methods. Thirty high school students completed the Miranda Vocabulary Scale (MVS), a measure in which participants were asked to define …