URSA announces Summer 2024 Student Project Award recipients

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity congratulates the following individuals and groups who received an URSA Summer 2024 Student Project Award.

Tyra Best and Cara Roberts
Tyra Best and Cara Roberts

Tyra Best and Cara Roberts (Fisheries and Marine Sciences)
Mentor: Kit Cunningham
Project Title: Examination of Microplastic Content in Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and Cassin鈥檚 auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus)
This project will document and compare the microplastic content and quantity in the diets of Steller sea lions and Cassin鈥檚 auklets. Due to their distinct diet differences, this comparison will allow for a more holistic understanding of microplastic accumulation within the marine food web and where microplastic accumulation might be occurring.

 

Linnaea Doerner
Linnaea Doerner

Linnaea Doerner (Fisheries and Marine Sciences)
Mentor: Lara Horstmann
Project Title: Investigating microplastics in subsistence harvested bearded seals tissues from two time periods
Investigating the presence of microplastics in different tissue types (blubber, muscle, and liver) of subsistence harvested bearded seals and determining if the microplastic concentration (#MP/g tissue) differs between seals harvested in the early 2000s and seals harvested in recent years.

 

Julian Doyle
Julian Doyle

Julian Doyle (Biological Sciences)
Mentor: Scott Jerome
Project Title: Investigating Vitamin D Supplementation in Juvenile Dogs: A Dietary Intervention Study
Does a dietary vitamin D intervention in canine puppies increase circulating Vitamin D In juvenile dogs?



Andrew Forbes
Andrew Forbes

Andrew Forbes (Psychology)
Mentor: Stefanie Ickert-Bond
Project Title: Mycological Living Library (MycoLive)
MycoLive will enhance education, society, and art by creating a living library of native 有料盒子视频n and bioluminescent fungi for research and creative expression at the UA Museum and a web page. It offers access to cultures, archives, and interactive displays, fostering a unique blend of scientific discovery and creative expression.

 

Jodi Fouch茅
Jodi Fouch茅

Jodi Fouch茅 (Biological Sciences)
Mentors: Justin Cramb and Lisa Strecker
Project Title: Unearthing the History of Plant Utilization in the Chena Townsite: An Archeological Investigation
Participating in site excavation, I will investigate the historical plant-use practices of Chena Townsite settlers (1902-1921) by identifying archaeological plant remains obtained from the site. By fusing archeological findings and archival sources (APRCA) with contemporary ethnobotanical practices, this project aims to vividly depict the evolving ethnobotanical landscape of Interior 有料盒子视频.

 

Cedar Hanger
Cedar Hanger

Cedar Hanger (Geoscience)
Mentor: Nancy Bigelow
Project Title: Reconstruction of Fire History and its Connection to the Arrival of Spruce from Windmill Lake, Interior 有料盒子视频
Analyzing pollen and counting charcoal in samples taken from cores retrieved from Windmill Lake in order to determine fire history and whether or not it correlates to the arrival of spruce in Interior 有料盒子视频.

 

Melissa Kramer
Melissa Kramer

Melissa Kramer (Ethnobotany)
Mentor: Lisa Strecker
Project Title: Documenting 有料盒子视频 Native Uses of Introduced Plants in Bethel, AK
This project documents and preserves 有料盒子视频 Native uses of introduced plants near Bethel, 有料盒子视频. Project documentation will be shared with 有料盒子视频 Native Elders in Bethel for future transmission to rural and urban 有料盒子视频 Natives.



Queenie Turner
Queenie Turner

Queenie Turner (Fisheries and Marine Sciences)
Mentor: Josianne Haag
Project Title: Resource use of the rock scallop (Crassadoma gigantea) in Kachemak Bay, 有料盒子视频 using bulk stable isotopes
While scallop farming is currently not widespread in 有料盒子视频, it holds the potential to garner interest in the coming years. For this project, I will characterize the food sources of the rock scallop (Crassadoma gigantea) in May 2024 across four locations in Kachemak Bay, 有料盒子视频.



Sokaris Vanegas-Farrara
Sokaris Vanegas-Farrara

Sokaris Vanegas-Farrara (Biological Sciences)
Mentor: Katie Spellman
Project Title: Berry pollination in boreal agricultural and forest habitats
I am investigating pollinator community composition in agricultural and wild berry patches.



URSA Student Project Awards are available for fall, spring, and summer terms. These awards support undergraduates (individual and group applicants) in all academic disciplines and located at all associated rural campuses to pursue research and creative activity projects at 有料盒子视频. For more information on this semester鈥檚 student projects, visit the URSA Award Recipients webpage!

Contact the URSA office for more information on how to get involved: uaf-ursa@alaska.edu | 907-450-8772.