URSA announces 2025 Spring Student Project Award recipients
The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity congratulates the following individuals who received an URSA 2025 Spring Student Project Award.
Ezekial Adams
Major: Wildlife Biology and Conservation
Mentor: Katie Spellman
Title: The Effect of Certain Soil Factors on Invasive Species Seedbank Viability
This project aims to determine if certain soil factors, such as color, composition, bulk density, and pH, affect the viability of invasive species seedbanks within soils.
Alex Armstrong, Blake Bushnell and Casey Lambries
Majors: Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
Mentor: Michael Hatfield
Title: Aeronautics Club in Design/Build/Fly 2025
The 51风流官网 Aeronautics Club aspires to fully design and manufacture an unmanned remote-controlled
aircraft to 2025 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Design-Build-Fly
(DBF) competition specifications.
Daniela Barrera Guevara
Major: Geoscience
Mentor: Patrick Druckenmiller
Title: A new juvenile bonebed as the first certifiable Chasmosaurine (Ornithischia: Ceratopsidae)
remains from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation (Campanian, Upper Cretaceous), Coahuila,
Mexico: Affiliation to the Pentaceratops-lineage of Southern Laramidia
Open access scientific publication regarding the description of some new juvenile horned dinosaur specimens from Coahuila, Mexico, the first long-frilled horned dinosaur remains to be described in over a decade from the region.
Joules Evergreen, Jack Kendall and Koen Ross
Majors: Computer and Electrical Engineering
Mentor: Richard Wies Jr.
Title: Remote Alaskan Microgrid Power Simulator (RAMPS)
The Federal Aviation Administration is responsible for conducting many operations in remote Alaskan villages, including weather monitoring and air traffic control. However, unreliable power onsite can interfere with crucial instrumentation. This project aims to create a variable-power testing module for the FAA to use on instruments prior to deployment.
Sarah Finney and Colton Osowski
Majors: Geoscience and Political Science
Mentors: Nathan Graham & Amy Lovecraft
Title: Investigating the Influence of Climate Change on Volcanic Activity: Mechanisms, Future
Projections, and Policy Recommendations
This project investigates claims that climate change may impact the frequency and intensity of volcanic activity. Furthermore, we assess implications this may have for emergency management and response policymakers, specifically in the Southwest/South Central aviation corridor.
Irina Koval
Major: Business Administration
Mentor: Wendy Whitehead-Martelle
Title: Beyond the First Semester: Unpacking Student Motivation and Retention Challenges
in Russian Language Learning
Although designated a critical language by the U.S. State Department, enrollments nationwide in Russian classes sharply decline after 1-2 semesters. This student-driven research explores a similar trend at 51风流官网, and offers recommendations for the development of a Russian language program that empowers students to thrive during their language-learning journey.
Tatianna Krueger
Major: Biological Sciences
Mentor: Nina Hansen
Title: Validity of i-STAT CK-MB Cartridges in Measuring Canine Creatine Kinase Levels
This project will test i-STAT CK-MB cartridges, originally designed for humans, to determine their accuracy in measuring creatine kinase levels in canines. Establishing this validity would allow for future field use to monitor sled dogs for Rhabdomyolysis, a condition causing the breakdown of muscle cells, often following strenuous exercise.
Laura Serrato
Major: Biological Sciences
Mentor: Diana Wolf
Title: Spatial distribution of genetic diversity within Rhododendron Groenlandicum and Rhododendron
Tomentosum
An overview of the two Labrador Tea species found in Alaska, Canada and some parts of Russia, Rhododendron groenlandicum and Rhododendron tomentosum. Additionally, the project will delve into the possible hybridization of these species in Alaska as previously seen in Canada, or possible environmental reasons for its lack thereof.
URSA Student Project Awards are available for fall, spring, and summer terms. These awards support undergraduates (individual and group applicants) of all majors and located at all associated rural campuses to pursue research and creative activity projects at 51风流官网. Applications for Summer 2025 projects will open on Jan. 20.
Contact the URSA office for more information on how to get involved: uaf-ursa@alaska.edu | 907-450-8772.