URSA announces Summer 2024 Student Project Award recipients
The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity congratulates the following
individuals and groups who received an URSA Summer 2024 Student Project Award.
Tyra Best and Cara Roberts (Fisheries and Marine Sciences)
Mentor: Kit Cunningham
Project Title: Examination of Microplastic Content in Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and
Cassin’s auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus)
This project will document and compare the microplastic content and quantity in the
diets of Steller sea lions and Cassin’s auklets. Due to their distinct diet differences,
this comparison will allow for a more holistic understanding of microplastic accumulation
within the marine food web and where microplastic accumulation might be occurring.
Linnaea Doerner (Fisheries and Marine Sciences)
Mentor: Lara Horstmann
Project Title: Investigating microplastics in subsistence harvested bearded seals tissues from two
time periods
Investigating the presence of microplastics in different tissue types (blubber, muscle,
and liver) of subsistence harvested bearded seals and determining if the microplastic
concentration (#MP/g tissue) differs between seals harvested in the early 2000s and
seals harvested in recent years.
Julian Doyle (Biological Sciences)
Mentor: Scott Jerome
Project Title: Investigating Vitamin D Supplementation in Juvenile Dogs: A Dietary Intervention
Study
Does a dietary vitamin D intervention in canine puppies increase circulating Vitamin
D In juvenile dogs?
Andrew Forbes (Psychology)
Mentor: Stefanie Ickert-Bond
Project Title: Mycological Living Library (MycoLive)
MycoLive will enhance education, society, and art by creating a living library of
native Alaskan and bioluminescent fungi for research and creative expression at the
UA Museum and a web page. It offers access to cultures, archives, and interactive
displays, fostering a unique blend of scientific discovery and creative expression.
