NDSU students awarded at Student Research Days

NDSU Student Research Days is a two-day event dedicated to providing NDSU graduate and undergraduate students an opportunity to present their research and creative works. The event was held on April 9 and 10. Top student presentations were awarded in both oral and poster presentations.

The event is a collaboration among the NDSU Office of Research and Creative Activity, Gamma Sigma Delta, and the Graduate Student Council. The NDSU Office of Research and Creative Activity hosts NDSU EXPLORE, an annual showcase in which undergraduate students in all disciplines present their research and creative projects. Gamma Sigma Delta is an agricultural honor society that encourages and rewards excellence in agriculture, and the NDSU chapter hosts an annual symposium during which undergraduate and graduate students present their research. The NDSU Graduate Student Council hosts an annual research symposium in which graduate students in all disciplines present their research.

The event included 66 undergraduate and 137 graduate student presenters from disciplines across campus. Awards were given in both undergraduate and graduate categories recognizing the best oral and poster presentations in each group. More than 78 NDSU faculty and staff members served as evaluators.

Prizes were awarded during a ceremony at the end of each day.

EXPLORE POSTER AWARDS

First Place: Garrett Honzay, biochemistry and molecular biology

Project: "Effects of Surface Mutations on the Thermodynamics of Coproheme III Transfer from Coproporphyrin Ferrochelatase to Coproheme Decarboxylase"

Mentor: Gudrun Lukat-Rodgers, chemistry and biochemistry

Second Place: Joelle Hannam, psychology

Project: "Sociodemographic factors and sleep: An intersectional framework"

Mentor: Katherine Duggan, psychology

Third Place: Savannah Green, sport management

Project: "Making an Impression: Eye Tracking Analysis of Sponsorship Positioning in Major League Baseball"

Mentor: Kelsey Slater, health, nutrition and exercise science

Honorable Mention: Morgan Niemiller And Kelsey Westrick, interior design 

Project: "Single Parents and Children Raised in a Single Parent Home: How to Provide Relaxation in Interior Environment"

Mentor: Susan Ray-Degges, School of Design, architecture and art

EXPLORE ORAL AWARDS

First Place: Kathryn Quenette, civil, construction and environmental engineering

Project: "Enhancing Epoxy Coatings with Carbon-Based Nano-additives: Mechanical, Anti-abrasion, and Adhesion Properties"

Mentor: Ying Huang, civil, construction and environmental engineering

GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL POSTER AWARDS

First Place: Jacob Pithan, doctoral student, biological sciences

Project: "Fluctuating thermal regime preserves longevity and physiological condition in the pollinator, Megachile rotundata"

Mentor: Kendra Greenlee, biological sciences

Second Place: Shubhashri Ambhore, master’s, cellular and molecular biology

Project: "Targeted combination drug therapy for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer employing hypoxia-responsive polymer nanoparticles"

Mentor: Sanku Mallik, pharmaceutical sciences

Third Place: Clara Mvuta, master’s, plant sciences

Project: "Determining genetic mechanisms of maturity in North Dakota: expanding the molecular model for early maturity groups (MG 00 and 0) in Soybean"

Mentor: Carrie Miranda, plant science

GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL ORAL AWARDS

First Place: Emily Hackerson, doctoral student, biological sciences and discipline-based education research

Project: " Alternative grading practices in Undergraduate STEM: a scoping review"

Mentor: Jennifer Momsen, biological sciences

Second Place: Allana Martins, doctoral student, pharmaceutical sciences

Project: "Enedione derivates as a potential cancer treatment through the inhibition of COPZ1"

Mentor: Roberto Gomes, pharmaceutical sciences

Third Place: Jaron Xe Yung Tan, doctoral student, psychology

Project: "Emotion regulation moderates the prospective association between ERN and anxiety in early adolescence: An age-specific moderation of cognitive reappraisal but not expressive suppression"

Mentor: Pan Liu, psychology

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA UNDERGRADUATE POSTER AWARDS

First Place: Natalie Visich, microbiological sciences

Project: " Analysis of the Function of an Uncharacterized Gene Present in phb Gene Cluster Found in Rhizobium Leguminosarum bv. Viciae"

Mentor: Barney Geddes, microbiological sciences

Second Place: Kell Helmuth, mcrobiological sciences

Project: " VIP Mice Party: When the Gut T hrows a Vitamin K Bash Without Its Main Guest"

Mentor: Glenn Dorsam, microbiological sciences

Honorable Mention: Cole Williams, crop and weed sciences

Project: " Increasing Soybean Yield under Drought through Enhanced Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in North Dakota"

Mentor: Carrie Miranda, plant science

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA UNDERGRADUATE ORAL AWARD

First Place: Carly George, plant sciences

Project: "Functional Analysis of Polyketide Synthesis-1 Gene Using Crispr-Cas9 Technique"

Mentor: Zhaohui Liu, plant pathology

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA GRADUATE POSTER AWARDS

First Place: Gabriela Magossi, microbiological sciences

Project: " Genomic characterization and antimicrobial resistance of Trueperella pyogenes isolated from domestic and wild animals"

Mentor: Samat Amat, microbiological sciences

Second Place: Janice Tagoe, microbiological sciences

Project: " Root Exudates of Peas, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers Can Sustain the Growth and Migration of PlantGrowth Promoting Bacteria, Rhizobium Leguminosarum Bv. viciae 3841 and Azospirillum brasilense Sp7."

Mentor: Birgit Pruess, microbiological sciences

Third Place: Maria Batool, soil sciences

Project: " Variation of Organic and Inorganic Carbon Stocks with Depth under Three Land Management Systems in North-Central South Dakota"

Mentor: Larry Cihacek, natural resource sciences

Honorable Mention: Anastasia Kurth, plant sciences

Project: " Integrating alfalfa and winter camelina into wheat-sunflower-soybean rotations"

Mentor: Marisol Berti, plant sciences

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA GRADUATE ORAL AWARDS

First Place (TIE): Zahangir Alam, plant sciences

Project: "Discovery of Molecular Markers for Rapid Development of Disease Resistant Cultivars of Canola"

Mentor: Mukhlesur Rahman, plant sciences

First Place (TIE): Katlyn Balstad, environmental sciences

Project: " Advancing Great Plains Crops For Food Ingredients with Added Value Integrating Antioxidant Activity, Glycemic Control, and Abiotic Stress Tolerance"

Mentor: Kalidas Shetty, plant sciences

Third Place: Sai Sri Sravya Vishnumolakala, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Project: " Implementation of Automated Drip Irrigation System for Tomato and Pepper Cultivation Inside and Outside The High Tunnel in North Dakota"

Mentor: Xinhua Jia, agricultural and biosystems engineering

Honorable Mention: Haley Mosqueda, environmental and conservation sciences

Project: " Enhancing Insect Diversity and Successful Establishment of Alfalfa by Intercropping with Forage Sorghum or Corn"

Mentor: Marisol Berti, plant sciences