Honored Alumni Lecture, Dr. Candace McNaughton

Brigham Young University is one of four universities partnering on a new $4 million NFL grant to study the prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries among football players.

It was a splash of ice-cold water in the face. Amy Hernandez’s friend was only seventeen years old and just diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that deteriorates the body. Hernandez (‘23) was in her second year of her molecular biology degree at BYU. The sudden, very early onset diagnosis prompted hours of research under her mentor, microbiology and molecular biology professor Mary Davis, to answer the question: why is early MS onset in ethnic minorities reached at an earlier age than in Caucasian populations?

Also hailing from Europe, marine biology student and Sheffield, England native Rebekah Stanton (’21) wanted to earn her PhD at BYU but couldn’t find a program that fit her needs. After receiving an unexpected email from plant and wildlife sciences professor Sam St Clair, she packed her bags and joined his research team to study just the opposite of marine biology—they were going to study the desert.

Environmental degradation harms every individual by causing pervasive decline of life on Earth, but it doesn’t impact everyone to the same degree. Environmental justice addresses two things: sharing of benefits and proportional distribution of consequences related to environmental degradation. No matter how you are affected, it is crucial to solve these problems in an equitable manner. Plant and Wildlife Sciences professor Ben Abbott shares three ways to improve your understanding on how environmental justice affects you and your community.

The diversity on Earth aids the health and quality of human life. It provides the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the air we breathe. But what do we do to serve the Earth? Human impact makes the environment less able to sustain life due to “human-induced rapid environmental changes.” There is no way to escape the effect we have, but there are ways to lessen it in order to protect the beauty of Earth and the many species that inhabit it.

In addition to the well-known benefits, long-distance running has positive effects on your spine and body composition. Exercise Science Professor Ulrike Mitchell shares findings from her research to explain the less well-known effects of endurance running.