Current Winners - 2024
First Place
Abbey Rode
University of Idaho
“Listening Carefully: Disrupting Adultification during the Sentencing Process”
ABSTRACT:
Black children are often viewed as older and more responsible than their White counterparts (Epstein et al., 2017). The effect of adultification can be seen in many different domains of life, but especially within the criminal justice system. Studies show that Black boys are sentenced to longer terms than White boys of the same age (Goff et al., 2014). Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model, I hypothesize higher level processing may disrupt the adultification process, using language that is stereotype in-congruent may increase elaboration and decrease adultification. Results suggest that using stereotype in-congruent language will significantly lower Black defendants' amounts of community service and potentially reduce adultification.
Abbey Rode is a Psychology Master's student.
Abbey Rode
Listening Carefully: Disrupting Adultification during the Sentencing Process
Second Place
Alexandra Pace
University of Idaho
“Calves are Inflamed: A Burning Issue”
ABSTRACT:
Climate change is increasing wildfires, which release air pollutants like PM2.5. Exposure to wildfire-PM2.5 lowers milk production in dairy cows, affects calf health and metabolism, causes systemic inflammation, and can lead to death. Although systemic responses to wildfire-PM2.5 have been evaluated, the local response within the lung has yet to be described. To assess this, neonatal dairy calves were followed for the first 90-d of life, which aligned with Idaho’s wildfire season. Samples were collected before, during, and after naturally occurring wildfires. Lung inflammation was visualized using ultrasound. Immune cells were harvested from the blood and lung to assess cellular responses. Wildfire-PM2.5 increased lung inflammation for several days and altered immune cell populations within the lung and blood, indicating cell mobilization to combat inhaled PM2.5. As severe wildfires are expected to persist, mitigating wildfire-PM2.5 health deficits in dairy cattle will assist dairy producers in feeding a growing world population.
Alexandra Pace is a Animal Physiology Ph.D. student.
Alexandra Pace
Calves are Inflamed: A Burning Issue
Third Place
Yoram Terleth
University of Idaho
“The Role of Water in Driving Unstable Ice-flow”
ABSTRACT:
The rate of ice loss from the world’s glaciers is an important driver of ongoing sea level rise. This rate of ice loss depends in large part on how fast glaciers flow downhill, as this transfers ice to lower elevations where it is more vulnerable to melt and iceberg calving. Meanwhile, the factors governing the rate at which glaciers flow downhill remain poorly understood. My thesis centers on assessing the role of liquid water at the base of glaciers in driving ice accelerations. We track water flow below the ice with seismic observations made on S´ıt’ Kus´a, Alaska. S´ıt’ Kus´a is a glacier that undergoes periodic 20-fold increases in ice-flow speed, making it an ideal natural laboratory for understanding unstable ice-flow. We find that water below the ice can contribute to speedups even without disruptions in sub-glacial drainage, suggesting unstable ice-flow could be more prevalent than previously thought.
Yoram Terleth is a Geology Ph.D. student.
Yoram Terleth
The Role of Water in Driving Unstable Ice-flow
People’s Choice
Seyedeh Melika Akaberi
Idaho State University
“Unlocking Viral Secrets: How Viruses alter Brain Function”
ABSTRACT:
This thesis explores how viruses interfere with communication in the brain, and their contribution to neurodegenerative diseases. The aims are: 1) Identify viral components capable of altering neuronal function, 2) Determine how viruses produce this effect. We show that Rabies, Herpes, and Covid-19 inhibit the function of nicotine receptors in the brain, revealing new insights into the relationships between viruses and brain disorders such as Alzheimer's. This work opens exciting new avenues for innovative intervention, and treatment.
Seyedeh Melika Akaberi is a Pharmaceutical Science Ph.D. student.
Seyedeh Melika Akaberi
Unlocking Viral Secrets: How Viruses alter Brain Function