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 (Fisheries and Marine Sciences)
Mentor: Kit Cunningham
Project Title: Examination of Microplastic Content in Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and Cassin’s auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus)
This project will document and compare the microplastic content and quantity in the diets of Steller sea lions and Cassin’s 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 (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 (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 (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 Alaskan 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 Fouché (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 Alaska.

 

Cedar Hanger (Geoscience)
Mentor: Nancy Bigelow
Project Title: Reconstruction of Fire History and its Connection to the Arrival of Spruce from Windmill Lake, Interior Alaska
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 Alaska.

 

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

Queenie Turner (Fisheries and Marine Sciences)
Mentor: Josianne Haag
Project Title: Resource use of the rock scallop (Crassadoma gigantea) in Kachemak Bay, Alaska using bulk stable isotopes
While scallop farming is currently not widespread in Alaska, 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, Alaska.

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 UAF. For more information on this semester’s 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.