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Graduate Students

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JoDeen Brown: Jump-Starting Mental Health Through Movement

April 11, 2025
JoDeen Brown's journey from Ironman races to pioneering mental health initiatives at BYU showcases her unwavering dedication to improving well-being through exercise.
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Paving Her Own Path: Hannah Boekweg's Journey to Proteomics Research

April 10, 2025
Hannah Boekweg's trailblazing academic journey began with an invitation to find a research question that interested her.
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Katie Anselmi: A Legacy of Leading Through Service

April 09, 2025
Katie Anselmi leads impactful research on turf management while exemplifying service-driven leadership.
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Bailey Calder: Sparking Joy in Science One Glowing Zebrafish at a Time

April 08, 2025
Whether Bailey Calder is patiently guiding students through a challenging experiment or celebrating their small victories, he consistently prioritizes the growth and well-being of those around him.
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A Transfusion of Hope: Alex Anderson’s Path to Advocacy

April 07, 2025
Alex Anderson has transformed his battle with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia into a mission to advocate for individuals with rare conditions, focusing on both their physical and emotional well-being.
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Fireworks and the Final Draft: Lucy Bowden’s Contributions to Science

April 04, 2025
Lucy Bowden, a dedicated PhD student, balances her passion for microbiology with the challenges of motherhood as she pioneers antimicrobial solutions for orthopedic hardware.
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Amber Bascom: Bringing Education to the Table

April 03, 2025
Amber Bascom, a first-generation student and mother of four, is dedicated to researching food insecurity and assisting vulnerable populations.
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The Art of Science: Seth Hoffman’s Creative Path in Neuroscience

April 02, 2025
For Seth Hoffman, what had begun as a faith-driven foray into the unknown yielded powerful results: an opportunity to grow, learn, and make a lasting impact in ways he couldn’t have possibly imagined.
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Biology Master's Student Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

April 22, 2020
When Beka Greenall, a biological science education master’s student in the College of Life Sciences, received an email from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), she was thrilled to read she had been chosen.
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Addressing Social Disparities Through Dietetics

April 17, 2020
Melinda Morco-Sieng, a graduate student in Nutrition, Dietetics, & Food Science focuses on how international students adjust their diet when they come to study in the U.S. “If we can figure out what these students are struggling with,” she says, “then we can help them adjust to life here.”
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Using Technology to Assist in Human Movement

April 16, 2020
Exercise Science graduate student Spencer Peterson's interest in technology and human movement led him to work with a mechanical engineering team to create an app that could move physical therapy from the clinic into the home.
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Promoting Health and Nutrition Through Education

April 15, 2020
Working with Bountiful Children's Foundation to create and refine a curriculum that helps mothers better nurture their children is one of Public Health graduate student Lexi Sayer's educational highlights.
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Climbing Personal and Academic Mountains

April 14, 2020
Statistically speaking, Biology entomolgy PhD student Gavin Martin, shouldn’t have earned a bachelor’s degree, let alone a master’s degree and a PhD. Climbing personal mountains allowed him to reach new heights in his study of fireflies.
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Exploring New Research Avenues For Neural Tube Defects

April 14, 2020
In addition to making groundbreaking discoveries in embryonic development, Physiology & Developmental Biology graduate student Micah Ross works to build a better community for BYU graduate students.
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Plant-Bacteria Symbiosis: A Key Communication for the Global Ecosystem

April 08, 2020
Microbiology & Molecular Biology PhD student Alex Benedict is focusing on an important environmental process that defines the global nitrogen and carbon cycle and determines the livelihood of global vegetation.
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Influencing Environmental Change from Iran to Utah

April 08, 2020
Plant & Wildlife Sciences PhD student Sara Sayedi wanted to use science to change public policy in her home country of Iran, but the political climate offered her limited options to enter the public policy arena. After learning about the available research opportunities at BYU, she saw a new possibility to influence environmental change.
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Trends and Treatment of Chronic Ankle Instability

March 10, 2020
Perhaps it happened while playing basketball, executing a perfect arabesque, chasing the dog, or working up a sweat in an aerobics class. Everything was fine—you were going in for the winning basket of the game, you had almost caught Spot—but then you felt your ankle give way, and suddenly everything was not fine.
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The Fungus Affecting Potato Crops Across the U.S.

February 27, 2020
Potatoes are a staple food in the United States. Who doesn’t enjoy warm French fries with just the right amount of salt, a bag of crunchy potato chips, or some creamy mashed potatoes smothered in gravy?
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