ND EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program awards announced

The ND EPSCoR State Office’s mission is to increase STEM research capacity and competitiveness in North Dakota; to build a stronger STEM pathway that produces our next generation workforce, educators, and researchers; and to foster an informed citizenry that values the STEM ecosystem and economy.

In service of that mission, the ND EPSCoR State Office solicited proposals to fund the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. We are pleased to announce that the following proposals will be funded.

Undergraduate research awards

Carl Askins, Dickinson State University

Unraveling the phytochemistry, biological, and pharmacological activities of plants native to North Dakota

Mentors: Jinasena Hewage and Samanthika Hettiarachchi

Natural medicinal plants have attracted researchers around the globe due to their potential use as remedies for many diseases for hundreds of years. There are hundreds of plants with therapeutic properties in North Dakota. Understanding their chemical properties, phytochemistry, and biological and pharmacological activities will lead to finding cures for many unresolved health problems. This project consists of two parts; Part A includes the quantitative determination of secondary metabolites in the selected medicinal plants. Part B includes the investigation of their uses as antimicrobial, anticancer agents, etc.

Hayden Tinker, Minot State University

Preventing Childhood Obesity – Are Children Physically Active at Daycare?

Mentor: Ruth Chen

While the health profession has been urging to promote a physically active lifestyle since early childhood, it remains unclear whether young children are physically active throughout their days. The goal of the study is to understand whether children between the ages of 0 to 5 years old are physically active at daycare centers. To achieve the goal, children’s weekday physical activity will be measured using accelerometers for a week (5 weekdays) when they are at the daycare. All state-licensed daycare centers in Minot and the surrounding area will be approached and invited to participate in this study. The researcher aims to recruit a total of 100 children from at least five daycare centers. Children’s sex, age, and time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep during daycare will be collected and analyzed. Correlation and regression analyses will be conducted to examine the relationships among the variables. The findings of the study will inform future physical activity interventions for young children in early childhood education settings in Minot and the surrounding area.

Carl Tjernlund, Bismarck State College

The City of Bismarck Sewage Sludge as Agriculture Fertilizer

Mentor: Marko Davinic

Sewage sludge, also referred as biosolids, is a byproduct of sewage treatment processes. Abundant in organic and inorganic plant nutrients, sewage sludge may substitute for fertilizer, but availability of forever chemicals (PFAS) often restricts its agricultural uses. Sludge amendments modify physico-chemical and biological properties of both soil and crops grown. The differences in the soil, climate, sludge composition, and management factors require more specific estimates of sewage sludge application for different climatic regions or different cropping systems. Although previous studies have shown that crop yields in adequately sludge-amended soil are higher than that of well-fertilized controls, one of disadvantages of sewage fertilizers is a potential accumulation of PFAS in soil and plant tissue. Sewage sludge composition (PFAS contamination) varies significantly from city to city and currently there are no research studies that address city of Bismarck sewage sludge applicability for agricultural use. A greenhouse experiment is proposed to study the effect of addition of various levels of domestic sewage sludge (produced by the city of Bismarck, North Dakota) on plant growth and yield of a wheat crop grown on North Dakota soils.

Equipment awards

Michelle Abshire, Valley City State University

Sediment corer, muffle furnace, and accessories

Dr. Abshire requested funding for the purchase of a sediment corer, muffle furnace, and accessories with which to collect samples and measure total carbon of natural lake and wetland sediments.

Ruth Chen, Minot State University

Accelerometers

Dr. Chen requested funding to purchase accelerometers and accessories like wearing belts, wristbands, software, and storage organizers to support physical activity research in Kinesiology at Minot State University. Accelerometers are movement monitors that precisely capture physical activity intensity. Among all physical activity measurements, accelerometers provide the most reliable and rigorous data for research. They require minimal training to operate it to collect data and therefore are suitable for beginning researchers, such as undergraduate researchers.

Genevieve Kahrilas, Minot State University

Ultrasonic device

Dr. Kahlrilas's proposal sought to fund a high-powered ultrasonic device and setup for use in scientific research and educational laboratory classes at Minot State University. The use of ultrasonic energy in science is wide-ranging, from simple applications like cleaning glassware and emulsifying oil/water mixtures, to chemically digesting soil samples and extracting DNA from tissue samples. More recently, it has been discovered that ultrasonic energy enables faster chemical reactions, enables use of safer chemicals during experiments, and occasionally produces unique results only attainable via ultrasound, all while using less energy than traditional methods. Having access to high-powered sonication will provide students a safer experience during research, give them high-quality results by replacing the need for expensive setups, all while saving money in energy costs.

Joseph Pettit, Minot State University

Plant growth chamber

Dr. Pettit requested funds to purchase one plant growth chamber to be used in seed germination, plant physiology, and microbial growth experiments. This incubator will be used by Minot State undergraduate researchers in a “Plant the Moon” research challenge where students will grow plants in a Martian soil simulant, and it will also be used for other funded research projects and classroom experiments. The growth chamber will allow students to control light, temperature, and day length to show how humans might grow crops on other planets, as well as how plants and algae respond to changes in light and temperature variability.