Life Sciences Commons^™

Mmappr2: An Improved Bioinformatics Approach To Find Novel Genes, Aiden Cardall, Jonathon T. Hill, Kyle Johnsen, Connor Ward, Maliha Tasnim, Jared Taylor

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Introduction

• New genes are commonly found by randomly inducing mutations in model organisms.

• Mapping the mutations to the genome to find novel genes is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive.

• We created a bioinformatics program, MMAPPR, to automate this process.

• Here, we introduce a new algorithm, MMAPPR2, which requires little to no bioinformatics knowledge to use.

• MMAPPR2 makes several improvements that allow it to identify genes more rapidly and precisely.

• MMAPPR2 will aid the rapid identification of genes in a wide range of species and developmental systems.

Leucine Lock: A Diagnostic Tool To Revolutionize Rapid Antigen Testing, Kaitlyn Robinson, Jonathon Hill, Benjamin Johnson, Matt Goff

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

• The current field of rapid testing uses antigen tests that are ELISA-based.

• ELISA tests are expensive and can only provide results for high-antigen loads. (asymptomatic patients and/or low-antigen samples generate inaccurate results).1

• We aim to provide a cheaper rapid test that produces both quantitative and qualitative results.

Changes In Environmental Conditions Affect The Two Isoforms Of Snap-25 Differently, Joseph Jackson, Dixon J. Woodbury, Tanner M. Blocker, Samuel W. Shumway, Jarom S. Sumsion, Thomas Weed, Jason Carlson, Nathan Mumford, Ryan Poland

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

In the brain, neurons communicate via releasing and detecting neurotransmitters. Release occurs through exocytosis, following fusion of synaptic vesicles to neuronal cell membranes. This process is driven by formation of a dynamic quaternary protein structure known as the SNARE complex. SNAP-25 contributes two alpha helical domains to this complex. Neurons express SNAP-25 in two distinct isoforms, SNAP-25A (25A) and SNAP-25B (25B). These two isoforms vary by only 9 amino acids and are expressed differently depending on brain region and the developmental stage of the neuron [1]. The primary structures of 25A and 25B and their effect on SNARE complex formation …

Cattle Resource Selection On Late Fall Sagebrush Steppe Habitat In Idaho, United States, Larry Cole Kempton, April Hulet, Jim Sprinkle, Randy Larsen, Jameson Brennan, Dan Lauritzen, Sawyer Fonnesbeck, Justin Hatch

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Introduction Targeted cattle grazing is increasingly recognized as an effective method for controlling invasive grasses like cheatgrass in sagebrush-steppe ecosystems1. However, there's a lack of understanding about cattle distribution and their preference for invasives during the dormant season. One statistical model that provides insights into cattle distribution and the selection of resources (e.g., vegetation) is the Resource Selection Function (RSF) model2. Our research objective is to utilize a resource selection function to predict the probability of cattle selecting a particular location, in our case areas with higher cheatgrass abundance, based on environmental variables. The development of a resource selection function …

Carbon-Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Surfaces Affect Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm Development, Jenny Finlinson, Lucy C. Bowden, Bradford K. Berges

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

• ~30% of surgical implant failure is caused by infection1

• 10-23% of all implant-associated bone and joint infections are caused by gram-negative bacteria2

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative bacterium, forms biofilms (bacterial communities encased in a matrix) that are extremely difficult to treat

Effects Of Grass Species And Soil Types On Early Successional Forb Species, Raechel Hunsaker, April Hulet, Matthew Madsen, Mallory Hinton, Derek Tilley

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Many early successional plant species have been considered weeds because of their lack of forage value for livestock (Whitson and Burrill, 2009). However, these early successional plant species have the potential to aid rangeland restoration in a variety of ways including:

• Food source for pollinators (Dumroese et al., 2016).

• Soil partitioning for climax communities of native perennials (Tilley et al., 2022).

• Competition against invasive annual species (Leger et al., 2014). To determine which early colonizing (or pioneer) species have the greatest restoration potential, interspecific competitive interactions should be evaluated.

Role Models V. Knowledge: Should We Use Different Evolution Teaching Strategies For Students With Varying Levels Of Scientific Reasoning Skills?, Kenny Harrington, Jamie Jensen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

What We KNOW:

Learning the mechanisms of evolution (sometimes), i.e., Knowledge…

and having a Role Model present both serve to increase evolution acceptance.

Some have suggested that scientific reasoning ability predicts evolution acceptance, while others refute this.

We HYPOTHESIZE that students’ scientific reasoning ability moderates the effect of Knowledge on evolution acceptance. We PREDICT that those with higher reasoning skills will find Knowledge more compelling than Role Models.

Adapting The Auxin-Inducible Degron (Aid) System To The Zebrafish Model Organism, Dennis Li

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

The Auxin Inducible Degron (AID) system is a conditional and reversible protein degradation system naturally occurring in plants. In the presence of the hormone Auxin, the AID tagged proteins are recruited into the plant’s E3 ubiquitin ligase machinery, ubiquitinated, and marked for degradation1. To adapt the AID system to the zebrafish model organism, our lab generated lines co-expressing Arabidopsis Thaliana plant TIR1 protein and GFP tagged with AID (GFP-AID) in superficially-located mechanosensory hair cells (HC) of the lateral line system and in spinal cord neurons found deeper in the body. Upon auxin application, GFP-AID expressed in the superficial HCs was …

Exploring The Role Of Dopamine And Atp In Microglial Motility, Derek Langford, Jordan Yorgas, Christopher Galbraith, Channing Syme, Brayden Parker, Savannah Evans, Derek Langford, Eliza White, Erin Taylor, Lauren Ford, Hillary Wadsworth

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

►Recent studies from our laboratory have identified that dopamine and ATP in the Nucleus Accubmens (NAc) are co-released.

►ATP is a chemoattractant for macrophages in general, and microglia specifically, suggesting that dopamine and ATP corelease may function to alter microglia activity.

►The present work characterizes the effects of microglia activation via lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on dopamine terminal function, and the effects of dopamine and ATP on microglia motility.

Reproduce Or Live Longer?: A Life History Analysis Of Black Bears In A Semiarid Environment, Brenden M. Orocu, Cambria Armstrong, Janene Auger, Hal L. Black, Randy T. Larsen, Brock R. Mcmillan, Mark C. Belk

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

In population demographics, each population has an age stage vital rate (fecundity and survival) in its life history that has the greatest influence on the asymptotic population growth rate, λ.

American black bears (Ursus americanus) are found throughout North America. Other studies on population demographics have focused on populations in higher resource availability areas but none in semiarid environments where resource scarcity is a result of the variable climate.

Objective

Our objective was to determine if factors influencing population dynamics of black bears in semi-arid environments were similar to factors affecting population dynamics in mesic environments where …

Advancing Mycotoxin Detection: Multivariate Rapid Analysis On Corn Using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (Sers), Allison Gabbitas, Gene Ahlborn, Kaitlyn Allen, Shintaro Pang

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Background and Purpose: Mycotoxin contamination on food and feed can have deleterious effect on human and animal health. Agricultural crops may contain one or more mycotoxin compounds; therefore, a good multiplex detection method is desirable to ensure food safety. In this study, we developed a rapid method using label-free surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to simultaneously detect three common types of mycotoxins found on corn, namely aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN), and ochratoxin A (OTA).

Methods: A SERS nanosubstrate was applied on the agricultural crop (i.e., corn) and mixed briefly with mycotoxins present on the surface. Raman spectral data …

Fishing For Neurocircuitry: Identifying Multi-Sensory Integrating Neurons In The Optic Tectum Of Zebrafish, Suehelen A. Garcia, Adeline Hamilton, Karianne Jex, Erika C. Marks, Jordan T. Yorgason, Tracianne B. Neilsen, Arminda Suli

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

The superior colliculus (SC) is a mammalian midbrain structure involved in multimodal sensory integration and is implicated to have a role in neurodevelopmental disorders. Although the presence of multisensory integrating neurons (MINs) in the SC has been well documented by electrophysiology techniques, little is known about their morphological or molecular characterization. To identify and study MINs, we utilized SC’s non-mammalian homologous structure–the optic tectum (OT)–in the genetically tractable model organism zebrafish. In this process, we generated transgenic lines that allowed for fluorescent detection of neuronal activity by expressing the genetically engineered calcium indicators: cytoRGECO and H2B-jRGECO1a, respectively in mechanosensory hair …

Exploring Changes In Micro-Invertebrate Species Composition In Rock Pools Of The Colorado Plateau, Hamer Goolsby, Russell Rader, Sara Schenk

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

• In ecology, desert rock pools form an ideal model ecosystem. These typically isolated pools a small enough that a researcher can observe the entire system and record everything going into and out of this aquatic system. This removes one of the most important confounding factors for observational studies in ecology, making rock pools an important system to understand.
• The rock pools of the Colorado Plateau in the western United States consist of three main types: 1) scoured pools in temporary stream channels that violently flood during rainstorms (locally called Tinajas), 2) shorthydroperiod pools which are shallow depressions (< 0.6 m deep) that thaw in March and dry by the end of April , and 3) long hydroperiod pools which are deep pools (1-3 m) that thaw in March and persist until June.
• Meiofauna (animals …

Tree Damage Patterning In Alaskan Forests, Emma Barton, Richard Gill, Haden Penrod

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

• Tree defoliation (from insect parasites) is not abnormal in the densely forested areas of Alaska, but large outbreak events in recent years have led to cause for alarm.

• To better understand the factors affecting defoliation, we used remote sensing and GIS (geospatial information system) technologies to look at mortality spatial patterns across Hemlock and Spruce forests in southeast Alaska.

• Elevation and proximity to water as well as other factors were considered in determining the impacts of outbreak events due to evidence that changes in landscape can alter parasitism behaviors (Roland & Taylor, 1997).

Theranostic Approaches To Treat Synovial Sarcoma, Machenzie Burr, Jared Barrott, Jeffrey Okojie, Delaney Anderson, Peyton Worley, Jack Davis, Bridger Kearns, Melanie I'Anson-Holton

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Synovial sarcomas (SS) are rare soft tissue cancers that are found beside bone in children and adolescents. Currently, the prognosis for these diseases are low, as diagnostic and treatment options are limited due to the rarity of the disease. With high rates of metastasis, treatment options for these diseases become further limited to primarily radiation and chemotherapies. These therapies have limited specificity in their mechanisms, causing severe side effects in patients. This work examined alternative options for synovial sarcoma theranostic approaches, specifically using immunoconjugates for Oncostatin M Receptors (OSMR). This receptor was chosen due to the high rate of expression …

Staying Hydrated: A Comparative Analysis Of Humectants In Human Tissue, Rachel Prince, Jason Adams, Joseph Monsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

3rd Place Poster Design

Humectants are an important class of compounds that attract and retain water within a cell. When mixed with water to create wetting solutions, humectants can prevent desiccation of cadaveric specimens1. Recognizing a relative scarcity of comparative studies analyzing the effects of various wetting solutions on post-preservation cadaveric maintenance, we utilized wet-dry analysis in order to compare the effects of four common humectants on water retention in human cadaveric tissue including brain, cardiac muscle, liver, lung, skeletal muscle, and skin. We created a concentration gradient for each humectant to identify the optimal concentrations of each compound for …

Population Monitoring Of Beaver Mountain Groundsel, Autumn Gudmundsen, Loreen Allphin, Madison Huie, Steve Flinders

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

2nd Place Poster Design

• Beaver Mountain groundsel, Packera castoreus, is a rare flowering plant, endemic to the Tushar Mountains of Utah (fig.1 & 2).

• P. castoreus has been classified as high priority for monitoring and conservation by the Utah Native Plant Society1.

• The plants in the Tushars are some of the least studied in Utah.

• There have been conservation concerns for rare alpine species recently due to increased threats. Threats to this species include:

• Grazing from large ungulates (mountain goats, deer, & elk)2

• Human impacts, especially hiking1

• Climate change1

• To better understand …

Neural Epigenetic Changes In Response To Morphine: A Peek Into The Science Of Addiction, Timothy Smartt, Jeffrey Edwards, Addison Smartt

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Introduction

Since the 1990's, the United States has experienced a crisis of opioid addiction and overdose. The effects of opioids on the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the reward center of the brain, are a primary cause of opioid dependence.

Effects Of Methamphetamine On Microglia Through Reactive Oxygen Species, Chase Seiter, Jordan Yorgason, Nathan Sheets, James Blood, Lydia Hawley, Erin Taylor, Eliza White, Hillary Wadsworth, Jason Hansen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

▪ Dopamine release in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) underlies motivational behavior for methamphetamine (METH) reward.

▪ ATP is a chemoattractant to microglia and is METH on ATP release and clearance are unknown.

▪ Furthermore, METH is known to produce reactive dopamine terminal function, microglia morphology and METH interactions are unknown.

Chasing The Rainbow: Systematics Of New Guinean Rainbow Skinks, Taylor Probst, Alison Whiting

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Oral Presentation Honorable Mention

• Carlia are known as the “Rainbow skinks” due to their iridescent scales (see Figure 1).

• Carlia are found across Oceania (see figure 2), however only relationships among the Australian species are known.

• New Guinean Carlia are divided into three species groups based on size, distribution, and morphology.

• Species within the Carlia fusca complex have primarily been delineated based on regional color patterns (see Figure 4).

• New Guinea is known for extreme lizard diversity, specifically within skinks.

• Research has shown that many lizard groups underwent a rapid diversification within New Guinea, …

A Rare Plant In Peril: Conservation Concerns For An Endemic Alpine Plant, Ipomopsis Spicata Ssp Tridactyla, Kainoa Bolinder, Loreen Allphin, Madison Huie, Steven Flinders

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Ipomopsis spicata ssp. tridactyla, (I. tridactyla or IPTR; Fig. 2 & 12), is a rare alpine plant species endemic to the Tushar Mountains and Markagunt Plateau of southern Utah. There is limited knowledge available about population dynamics and community composition. Due to difficult abiotic conditions, alpine environments are more vulnerable to lasting damage from disturbance (Scherrer & Pickering, 2005). Ipomopsis tridactyla is listed as high-priority for conservation (Alexander, 2016). As conservation concerns for alpine plant communities increase due to climate change (Kopp & Cleland, 2013), so does the need for long-term monitoring of plant populations. Thus, we set …

Zmp-Induced Activation Of Ampk Enhances Accumbal Dopamine Function, Isabella Roque, Jordan Yorgason, Rachel Campbell, Serin Baker, Jared Mcfarlane, Oliver Saunders, David Thomson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Oral Presentation Honorable Mention

• Dopamine terminal function is associated with motivation

• Fasting activates AMPK, a cellular sensor that measures intracellular AMP relative to ATP

• AMPK activation is a target of interest for age related cognitive decline, prevention of muscle wasting, etc.

• ZMP is an endogenous nucleotide AMP mimetic that activates AMPK

• The present study examined the novel precursor ZMP compound called P39 using an ex vivo mouse model

Vulnerabilities Of Gender Non-Conforming Children Within The Abcd Study, Mitchell D. Felix, Erik J. Nelson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

• In the broad field of childhood health and development, understanding and caring for society’s most vulnerable populations is vital. One such at-risk population is gender non-conforming children, individuals whose gender expression does not conform to conventional societal norms.1

• Gender non-conforming individuals are likely to be subject to increased discrimination and violence,2 with non-conforming youths specifically seeing elevated rates of harassment by peers and childhood abuse.3,4

• The intersection between gender identity and health outcomes is an emerging field with important applications for policy, practice and societal attitudes.

Phylogeny Of Hetaerina (Odonata: Calopterygidae): Settling Taxonomic Issues, Reganne Leigh Hales, Seth M. Bybee, Laura N. Sutherland, Melissa Sanchez Herrera, Samantha Standring

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Recent phylogenetic work within Hetaerininae based on Sanger data highlighted classification issues (e.g., non-monophyly between the genera), however no changes were proposed at that time. We explore the phylogeny of Hetaerininae using a targeted enrichment approach (AHE) of 20KB (18.5KB of nuclear and 1.5 of mitochondrial DNA) in an attempt to resolve any discrepancies.

Invasive Phragmites Effect On Utah Wetlands Soil Composition, Cecilia Steffen, Rachel Wood, Madison L. Brown

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Introduction

• Invasive Phragmites australis (referred to as Phragmites), invaded Utah wetlands in the 1980's. Efforts have been made since then to remove Phragmites through various treatments.

• Phragmites outcompetes other wetland plants, causing it to be the dominant species. This is called a monoculture.

• Utah's wetlands are important for many species migrations, filtration, and nutrient cycling.

• How do Phragmites treatments effect soil nutrients and moisture? How do untreated Phragmites wetlands compare to native dominant wetlands?

Exploring Soil Plant Relationships To Inform Seed Selection For Rangeland Restoration, Mallory Hinton, April Hulet, Matt Madsen, Raechel Hunsaker, Shannon Nelson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Seeding plants post disturbance on rangelands is a challenge due to unique ecological and environmental conditions such as:

• Limited water availability1

• Invasive species2

• Soil health3

• Native seed supplies4

One of the key factors to address these challenges and have a successful seeding is to understand the relationship between soil properties and the plants that grow within them.

Diversity And Community Of Macroinvertebrates In Timpanogos Caves, Utah, Erika Frandsen, C. Riley Nelson

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

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 have 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 …

Distinguishing Leukemic Cells Using Fractal Chromatin Patterns And Machine Learning, Abigail Gordhamer, Ryan Cordner, Paul Young

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

One of the most important tests in the clinical laboratory is the Complete Blood Count, which involves identifying the white blood cells in a patient’s blood. The respective counts of the different white blood cell types correlate with various states of health and disease and are critical to diagnosing diseases such as leukemia. Leukemic cells (blasts) are considered especially difficult to distinguish, and it is of the upmost importance that these cells are identified correctly. To aid in the process of leukemic cell identification, we quantified fractal patterns in the chromatin of white blood cells and used the data to …

Achievement Goals And Burnout In Pre-Health Profession Undergraduate Students, Hunter Nelson, Jamie Jensen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Oral Presentation Honorable

Relevant Background

• STEM majors are saturated with Pre-health students

• There is high demand for academic excellence and high competition

• Medical school programs (Dyrbye, 2016) and health careers (Shanafelt et al., 2022) show a high rate of burnout

• Symptoms of burnout are mental fatigue, less selfsatisfaction, and depression (Koutsimani, 2021).

• Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) may predict burnout (Nadon et al., 2020).

A Survey Of Molecular Diagnostics Education, Kristina Berman, Ryan Cordner, Mary Davis

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2024

Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) is vital for healthcare, involving the analysis of clinical samples to diagnose and monitor diseases. However, there's a scarcity of courses focused on molecular diagnostics, which could greatly benefit medical laboratory scientists.