The College of Life Sciences hosted its annual research conference at the Wilkinson Center on October 17, 2025, giving undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to showcase their inspiring research in a professional setting. Awards were given to the top three presenters from each department, granting several teams of students additional funding to advance their research.
The event began early in the morning in the Wilkinson Ballroom, where roughly one hundred teams set up their presentations. One participant, Dilany Santamaria (PH, '26), was thrilled to raise more awareness for the impact of public school breakfasts on Polynesian populations in her research poster. “This conference has been so awesome!” Santamaria said. “I’ve been learning so much from seeing the posters and going around to see everyone’s research.”
At the end of the conference, the judges awarded the winning researchers cash prizes of up to $300. Owen Cramer (CELL, '26) won second place in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology for his findings on optimizing carbon nanotubes, used in surgeries to inhibit biofilm growth and help prevent surgical implant failures caused by infections. “I wasn’t expecting this at all,” he said. “I’m happy to see the research I’ve been doing for years be recognized, especially after years of setbacks.”
Ethan Coulter (NEURO, '25) agreed, sharing his gratitude for all the research at the conference that “gives people hope.” His research on human herpesvirus 6 and its impact on dementia risk won first place in the neuroscience category. He intends to use his award to improve his future studies on the human body, so he can help work toward finding cures for chronic conditions.
Students like Caden Seely (PWS, '25) were extremely grateful for the chance to share their findings in a professional setting. “Presenting has been great,” Seely stated. “I’ve gotten new ideas about what I can do for my study, things to add and things to specify a little better.” In particular, he felt more prepared to write his paper on his findings, which aimed to answer public concerns about polymer-coated urea use in commercial farming.
After the research presentations were over, Kim B. Clark, this year’s keynote speaker, advocated for Christlike leadership. He requested the student body of the College of Life Sciences to lead from within, working with and serving their peers rather than seeking power or privilege. He promised that anyone who led as a mentor, teacher, and friend would ultimately do more than inspire others; they would help change the world.
The following students were awarded for their excellent research across all eight academic units:
Undergraduate Winners
Department of Biology
- Kennedy Hunter—Cryptic Diversity in Australo-Papuan Tree Frogs
- Simone Apostol—Replication Analysis of miR-185 SNPs (rs2008591, rs887205) and Breast Cancer Risk in the All of Us Research Program
- Leah Stimpson—I'm Just Like You: Do Sympatric Lizard Species Exhibit Convergent Morphology? (Genus Sceloporus)
Department of Cell Biology and Physiology
- Kenley Kohls and Braden Betteridge—Effective Sepsis Treatment Through Rapid Bacterial Genome Sequencing
- Camryn Young—Ozempic for the Brain: How Semaglutide Modulates Cocaine's Effects on Addictive Circuitry
- Rebecca Bascom, Jacob Harris, and Hudson Christensen—Cryopreservation: An Alternative Cancer Tissue Preservation Method
Department of Exercise Sciences
- Karisa Coombs—The Effect of Intensive Physical Inactivity and Hot Sauna Therapy on Peripheral Lymphocyte Abundance
- Henry Andrus and Matthew Esplin—Bad Arteries in Hypertension: Just a Case of Being Out of Shape?
- Cole Stearman—The Circadian Influences on Appetite in 24-Hour Fasts Initiated at Different Mealtimes
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology
- Brigham Blackwell—Effects of Cytosporone-B on Beta Cell Proliferation and Insulin Secretion
- Owen Cramer—Optimizing Carbon Nanotube Diameter and Copper Coating to Inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Growth
- Kimball Demars—CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cell Exhaustion Following Chronic Antigen Stimulation: A Preliminary Analysis
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science
- Jonathan Ball—Volumetric Muscle Loss and Its Effects on Mitochondrial Function Within Skeletal Muscle
- McKay Hunter—An In-Depth Characterization of Quinoa Saponins for Insecticidal and Antifungal Activity
- Joe Devenport—Quantification of Folded Protein in Commercial Infant Formula
Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences
- Ricardo Romo—Whole-Body Homogenates Restore Disrupted Microbiota Composition in a Model Insect Better Than Fecal Transfer or No Restoration Treatment in the Fruit Fly
- Audrey Horn—Mapping the Presence of Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) in Western Utah
- Hyrum Brown—Trophic Cascade Impacts on Soil Fertility and Health in North American Rocky Grasslands and Forests
Department of Public Health
- Sydney Clark—Effects of Community Engagement on College Student Mental Health
- Kensley Ann Bird—Associations Between Problematic Smartphone Usage, Mental Health, and Loneliness Among College Students
- Danny Guerrero Gutierrez—Self-Reported Longest-Held Occupation Type in Relation to Epilepsy in Late Life: A Pooled Cohort Analysis of Incidence and Prevalence
Neuroscience Center
- Ethan Coulter—Human Herpesvirus 6 and Risk of Dementia
- Alisa Burt—Identifying Cell Types Within Signal Integration of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex
- Lucas Petersen—Left, Right, and Resistant: How Source Bias Fuels the Persistence of Misinformation
Graduate Winners
Department of Biology
- Sainimere Balenacagi, Angelyn Gutierrez, Kaleb Tano, and Elise Wood—Fostering Science Community Inclusion Through Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Impact on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students' Self-efficacy, Science Identity, and Values
Department of Cell Biology and Physiology
- Tyler Bowman and Benjamin Riley—Molecular Determinants of Spreading Depolarization Susceptibility
Department of Exercise Sciences
- Sam Frandsen—Insulin Resistance and Glucose Metabolism in Volumetric Muscle Loss Injured Rats
- TJ Stefl and Kevin Knebel—Low Fitness Levels Drive Exaggerated Exercise Blood Pressure Responses in People with Hypertension
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology
- Sidney Sithole—Mechanistic Insights into HIV-1 Vpr R77Q-Induced Apoptosis
- Miranda Sharp, Jonah Christensen, Sophie Daines-Thomas, and Spencer Hess—Characterization of Metabolism in CD6 Knockout T Cells
- Alka Guar, Annie Joy Larson, Nate Neyman—Enhancing the Efficacy of CAR T Cells Against Tumors Through Genetic and Metabolic Reprogramming
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science
- Lauryn Osborn—Glycemic and Cardiometabolic Effect of Rare Sugars Allulose and Tagatose: A Systematic Review and Metanalysis of Human Intervention Studies
- Sheridan Vest—Mental Health Status and Resource Use Among Undergraduate and Graduate Dietetics Students in the United States
- Celina Pabai—Development and Validation of Nutrition Education Video of Food Myths and Food Taboos in Pregnancy Leading to Malnutrition in Accra, Ghana
Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences
- Cooper Bond—Leveraging In-Situ Soil Sensors to Predict Soil Field Capacity in Precision Agricultural Fields
- Melissa Burrell—Impacts of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Plants in Degraded Soils
- Austin Housley—Evaluating Habitat Suitability Models for the Endangered Wright Fishhook Cactus (Sclerocactus wrightiae)
Department of Public Health
- Jyles Datoon—Perceptions of ACEs and Their Impact on Health Outcomes in Alaska
- Krista Ward—Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences in Alaska
- Kaleigh King Stone—Respiratory Illness Prevalence Among Waste Pickers in Brasilia, Brazil