2026 Annual Conference Abstracts

Alphabetized by presentation title

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Agenda

Posters

@TheTinyTitan: Tardigrades as Influencers for Soil Vitality and Performance

McCarville, Kata

Faculty Member

Minot State University

Poster #10

A Dual-Responsive Turn-On Fluorescence Sensor for Discriminative Detection of Fluoride and Hydroxide Ions

Perera, Chandana

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #27

AI-Enabled Hybrid Testbed for Integrated Satellite–Terrestrial 6G Networks

Ozturk, Ertan

Faculty Member

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Rhodes Room

AI-Induced Risks on Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) of Highway Construction Projects

Ezeh, Chidiebere Anastacia

Doctoral Student

North Dakota State University

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Rhodes Room

Activation of GPR52 Receptors Excites Medium Spiny Neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens via Multiple ionic Mechanisms

Griggs, Simon

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #25

Assessing Nutrient Bioavailability in Sewage Sludge: Temporal Dynamics of Plant Available Nutrients Derived from Biosolids

Davinic, Marko

Faculty Member

Bismarck state College

Poster #3

BVLOS High-Altitude UAV Imagery for Scalable Precision Agriculture in the Northern Great Plains

Rabia, Ahmed

Faculty Member

North Dakota State University

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Exhibition Room

Beyond Mentoring: Innovative, Evidence-Based Strategies for STEM Recruitment in North Dakota

Adjei Sarpong, Vivian

Doctoral Student

North Dakota State University

Poster #20

Carbon Quantification and DNA Sequencing of Airborne Particulate Matter Throughout North Dakota Harvest

Clobes, Mason

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Exhibition Room

Characterizing Optical Signatures of Meteors in Geostationary Lightning Mappers Observations

Tippie, Anson

Undergraduate Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #39

Chickpea Starch-Alginate Films: Sustainable Edible Packaging Alternative

Hoeft, Lexi

Undergraduate Student

Mayville State University

Poster #6

Comparative Evaluation of Mucilage Beads for the Controlled Release Delivery of Metformin

Ozoude, Chukwuebuka

Postdoc

Mayville State University

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Exhibition Room

Copper-Modified Porphyrin Metal–Organic Frameworks: Nanoprobes for Fluorescence-Guided Cuproptosis and Synergistic Chemo Dynamic Therapy

Xue, Yujie

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Mediterranean Room

DFT Study of Thermodynamic Stability in Novel High Entropy MAB Phases Based on the Cr₄AlB₄ Structure

Adhikarige, Ushan

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Mediterranean Room

Dakota FTC Robotics

Gullingsrud, Lee

Instructor

Bismarck Public Schools

Poster #1

Designing Evidence-based Outreach Activities: A Partnership Between North Dakota State University and the Fargo-Moorhead Science Museum

Adamek, Kayla

Research Staff

Fargo-Moorhead Science Museum

Poster #5

Do Trexo Robotic™ devices enhance bowel movements in children with stage (IV) and stage (V) cerebral palsy?

Stillings, Sam

Undergraduate Student

Dickinson State College

Poster #4

Do the Gains Survive the Counterfactual? A Second-Phase Stress Test of the AIM Scholarship-Plus-Support Model

Raheel, Hamza

Faculty Member

Bismarck State College

Poster #2

Documenting Ephemeroptera (Mayflies) Presence in North Dakota Waters

Luchi, Ezekiel

Undergraduate Student

Valley City State University

Poster #42

Documenting Mussel Populations in North Dakota Rivers

Luchi, Lorenzo

Undergraduate Student

Valley City State University

Poster #41

Effects of Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) on Range of Motion and Gait

Marschner, Beth

Faculty Member

Minot State University

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Exhibition Room

Effects of Limited Elemental Combinations on Likelihood Ratios. An Application in Forensic Glass Evidence Analysis

Hoffman, Braedyn

Undergraduate Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #36

Efficient PFAS Rejection Using Fluoropolymer Modified Direct Contact Membrane Distillation Membranes

Ahmed, Faisal

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Rhodes Room

Electro-Regeneration and Destruction of PFAS-Laden Granular Activated Carbon Under Field-Relevant Conditions

Ali, Mohamed

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Exhibition Room

Enhanced Phosphorus Sensing Using Polymer-Coated AgClBr Optical Fiber Coupled with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Melaku, Firehiwot

Master's Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Mediterranean Room

Enhancing the North Dakota Undergraduate Research Ecosystem (ENDURE): Preparing for Statewide E-CORE Capacity Building

George, Nigel

Faculty Member

Minot State University

Poster #9

Evaluating the Persistence of Touch DNA on Common Forensic Surfaces Over Time

Angeles, Madison

Master's Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #32

First-Principles Study of Graphene/MoS2 and VS2/MoS2 Heterostructures as Cathode Hosts for Polysulfide Adsorption in Li-S Batteries

Samad, Md Abdus

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #28

Fluorescent Porphyrin - Phosphorus Silica Nanoparticles for Amyloid-β Fibrillation Inhibition and Bioimaging

Mahadurage, Chiranthi

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Mediterranean Room

Forensic Taphonomy and Postmortem Biomarkers: Preliminary Findings

Iancu, Lavinia

Faculty Member

University of North Dakota

Poster #30

Green synthesis of morphologically controlled silver nanoparticles using ultrasonic energy and 505 nm light emitting diode irradiation

Permentier, Krista

Undergraduate Student

Minot State University

Poster #17

Heavy metal concentrations in the mosquitoes of Lake Darling, North Dakota

Lemer, Mason

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Exhibition Room

Hemp-Reinforced Alginate Biocomposites: Effects of Fiber and Plasticizer Content on Mechanical Performance

Goyal, Aditya

Doctoral Student

North Dakota State University

Poster #21

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Boron and Sulfur-doped Porphyrin Silicon Nanoparticles for Bioimaging in Near Infrared Range.

Subasinghe, Nuwan

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #29

INSTEM: Building STEM Pathways for Native American Students in North Dakota

Wirth, Jamie

Faculty Member

Valley City State University

Poster #40

Identification of sex-specific plasma cytokine biomarkers associated with neurobehavioral alterations in subclinical food allergy

Ekanayake, Dilini

Postdoc

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Exhibition Room

Impact of nutrition on larval growth timing and prepupal weights in the alfalfa leaf-cutting bee (Megachile rotundata)

Kaur, Mehakpreet

Doctoral Student

North Dakota State University

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Exhibition Room

Investigating Northern Long-Eared Bat Presence and Bat Community Composition in Riparian Habitats of Central North Dakota

Fogel, Ariella

Undergraduate Student

United Tribes Technical College

Poster #24

Investigating Real-World Applications of Quantum Computing: Implementing Grover’s Algorithm to Solve a Minesweeper Puzzle

Tyan, Darian

High School Student

Minot North Highschool

Poster #7

Investigating the effects of flunitrazepam exposure on the microbiome of Calliphora vomitoria (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Gravel, Caroline

Undergraduate Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #35

Investigation of Dopaminergic Dysfunction in Colons of the AppNL-G-F Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Neubert, Blasius

Undergraduate Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #38

Investigation of polymeric matrices using thermal desorption/pyrolysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Kubatova, Alena

Faculty Member

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Mediterranean Room

Involving high school teachers and students in the UdigND Fossil Expeditions Program

Voegele, Kristyn

Faculty Member

University of North Dakota

Poster #31

NSF/EPSCoR Fellowship Insights on Building and Supporting an Interdisciplinary STEM Ecosystem

Robinson, Julie

Faculty Member

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Mediterranean Room

Nanozyme-Based Fluorescent Approach for Mercury Detection and Water Remediation

Che Mughe, Herbert

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Rhodes Room

North Dakota PhD Student Career Expectations: A Qualitative Survey Study

Snyder, Ashley

Faculty Member

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Mediterranean Room

Observations of the Atmospheric Electric Field during Blizzards

Bowen, Malachi

Master's Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Exhibition Room

Occurrence of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Ice-Covered Surface Water during Winter in Cold Regions

Bhattarai, Shraddha

North Dakota State University

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Exhibition Room

Persistence and Detectability of Touch DNA on Fabric Recovered from Freshwater and Marine Environments

Lanus, Makenna

Master's Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #34

Persistence of human-associated microbial communities on commonly used personal objects: Preliminary Results

Dawlaty, Ranna

Master's Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #33

Physical activity patterns among Head Start preschoolers in a Great Plains small town

Tinker, Hayden

Master's Student

Minot State University

Poster #11

Physics-Informed Smartphone Sensing for Network-Level Pavement Condition Assessment

Williams-Peniel, Paul

Doctoral Student

North Dakota State University

Concurrent Presentation Session B, Rhodes Room

Rapid synthesis of N-ethyl-N-[1-(4-pyrimidinyl)ethyl]formamide

Bobylev, Mikhail

Faculty Member

Minot State University

Poster #8

Rapid synthesis of N-(phenylethyl)formamide

Poitra, Meadow

Undergraduate Student

Minot State University

Poster #18

Rapid synthesis of N-[1-(3,5-dichloropyridin-2-yl)ethyl]-N-ethylformamide

Jensen, Deidra

Undergraduate Student

Minot State University

Poster #16

Rapid synthesis of N-[1-(3,5-dichloropyridin-2-yl)ethyl]-N-methylformamide

Vrbanek, Tereza

Undergraduate Student

Minot State University

Poster #19

Rapid synthesis of N-[1-(4-pyrimidinyl)ethyl]formamide

Henjum, Annika

Undergraduate Student

Minot State University

Poster #15

Rapid synthesis of N-ethyl-N-(1-phenylethyl)formamide

Crowe, Sofiah

Undergraduate Student

Minot State University

Poster #14

Real-Time PFAS Detection in Water with a Coated Optical Fiber-IR Spectroscopy Platform

Dominguez Lopez, Johan

Master's Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Rhodes Room

Removal of Organic Micropollutants by Far-UVC (222 nm)/Ozone Advanced Oxidation

Uddin, Mohsin

Doctoral Student

North Dakota State University

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Rhodes Room

STEM PATHWAYS AT MINOT STATE: IMPLEMENTATION AND CHALLENGES

Collette, Joseph

Faculty Member

Minot State University

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Mediterranean Room

See Yourself in Science: The Effect of a Molecular Biology Camp on High School Students

Gross, Casey

Master's Student

North Dakota State University

Poster #22

Serotonin as a target modulator of breast cancer cell migration

Huthmaker, Hannah

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #26

Soybean Hull-Derived Activated Carbon for PFAS Removal from Real Water Matrices

Holle, Raymond

Undergraduate Student

University of North Dakota

Poster #37

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO and MgO nanoparticles for potential biofilm inhibition

Yolandia, Jamea

Doctoral Student

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Rhodes Room

Teacher Well-Being as Infrastructure for Workforce Stability in Crisis-Affected Education Systems

Rawlins Williams, Lee Ann

Faculty Member

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Mediterranean Room

The Antibacterial Effects of Triangular, Spherical, and Decahedral Silver Nanoparticles on Clinically Important ESKAPE Pathogens

Miller, Ethan

Research Staff

Minot State University

Poster #12

Toward Smart and Scalable Photonic Systems: A Research and Workforce Vision for North Dakota

Hossain, Jobayer

Faculty Member

University of North Dakota

Concurrent Presentation Session A, Mediterranean Room

UAS-LiDAR Detection of Ground Surface Anomalies: Using Remote Sensing and Geospatial Data Science to Locate Potential Unmarked Burials at the Former Fort Totten Indian School

Alvarado, Crystal

Undergraduate Student

Minot State University

Poster #13

Weather Matters: Atmospheric Drivers of Bat Activity in North Dakota

Lebeau, Kalsey

Undergraduate Student

United Tribes Technical College

Poster #23