About the Competitors
Listed below will include the names, universities and presentation titles for this year's 2025 competitors as they become available. Join us live from Idaho Falls Bennion Student Union on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 at 1-3 p.m. PST / 2-4 p.m. MST. ZOOM Link and passcode on main page.
Meet the 2025 Finalists!
Dallin Stokes
Microbiology
Idaho State University
"Overwriting Code: TwinPE in Malaria Parasites"
Amy Hilger
Fish and Wildlife
University of Idaho
“The Nutritional Trade-offs that White-tail Deer Make in Response to Human Disturbance”
Jet Taylor
Kinesiology
Boise State University
"Late-life Depression through a Neural Lens: An Investigation of the Interplay between Depression Symptoms, Reward Processing, and Physical Activity in Older Adults"
Md Fazle Rabbi
Engineering and Applied Science
Idaho State University
"Fact or Fiction: Do SBOM Tools Truly Identify Software Components and Vulnerabilities?"
Anna Medlin
Natural Resources
University of Idaho
“Telling a Park’s Story: Identifying and Evaluating Interpretive Themes”
Patricia Azike
Computing
Boise State University
"Data-enabled Modeling of Wildfire Smoke Transport"
Arifa Islam Champa
Engineering and Applied Science
Idaho State University
"Beyond the Hype: A Reevaluation of Effectiveness of Machine Learning and Deep Learning in Phishing Email Detection"
Rita Franco
Family and Consumer Sciences
University of Idaho
“Improving Child Nutrition Through Household Poultry Projects in Guatemala”
Mason Bull
Geoscience
Boise State University
"Tracking Greening of Alpine Watersheds: Classifying Landcover"
Callan Norby
Chemistry
Idaho State University
"Novel Sulfur-Rich Hydrogels and Their Applications in Agriculture"
Brian Tibayan
Education-Curriculum and Instruction
University of Idaho
“Improv-ing Science: Bridging the Communication Gap”
Hannah Hedalius
Biomolecular Sciences
Boise State University
"Cholera Toxin B Treatment Potential in Inflammatory Bowel Disease"
To view competitors from prior years, visit our previous competitors section.
Noran Amin
Idaho State University
Ph.D.: English
"The Superpowers of the Interrogative Mode"
Maribel Alfaro
University of Idaho
Master’s student in Civil & Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Erik Coats, Ph.D.
"Microbial Metabolomics: From Manure to Bioplastics"
Cristina Barber Alvarez-Buylla
Boise State University
Ph.D. Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
Advisor: Trevor Caughlin, Ph.D.
"Modeling Natural Regeneration at Landscape-Scale to Improve Cost-Effective Landscape Restoration Plans"
Jacob R. Gibson
Idaho State University
Experimental Psychology Ph.D.
"The Impact of Prior True or False Information on Personality Trait Judgment Accuracy"
Gabrielle Becker
University of Idaho
Master’s student in Animal & Veterinary Science
Advisor: Brenda Murdoch, Ph.D.
"Gaining a Better Understanding of Parasite Resistance in Sheep"
Dylan Gomes
Boise State University
Ph.D. – Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
Advisor: Jesse Barber, Ph.D.
"Phantom Rivers: How Wildlife Respond to a Landscape-Scale Noise Playback Experiment"
Averi L. McFarland
Idaho State University
M.S. in Microbiology, Department of Biological Sciences,
"Manganese influences production of protective capsule in Pneumonia causing bacteria"
Kimberly Davenport, M.S.
University of Idaho
Doctoral student in Animal & Veterinary Science
Advisor: Brenda Murdoch, Ph.D.
"Characterizing Genetic Regulatory Elements in Sheep"
Rachel Phinney
Boise State University
MHS – Health Sciences
Advisor: Cynnie Curl, Ph.D.
"Agricultural Workplace Compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Worker Protection Standard: An Idaho Analysis"
Josh Whicker
Idaho State University
Doctor of Audiology
"Canine Hearing: Barking about BAERs"
Marie Janneke Schwaner, M.S.
University of Idaho
Doctoral student in Biological Sciences
Advisor: Craig P. McGowan, Ph.D.
Jump and Swing Your Tail:
"What We Can Learn From Escaping Kangaroo Rats"
Lisa Roggenbuck
Boise State University
MFA – Visual Arts
Advisor: Chad Erpelding, MFA
"Separating the Self from the Body"