Twenty CSC students present at Nebraska Academy of Sciences

Chadron State College students and faculty pose at the Nebraska Academy of Sciences April 23, 2023. Back row, from left, Dr. Jeffrey Kiiskila, Dr. Ann Buchmann, Rowdy Pfeil, Brenna Schuler, Caelum Hubl, Cole Kramer, David Johnson, Ian Papenfus, Corey Griffin, Tristian Van Houton, and Michael DeCamillis. Center row, from left, Dr. Mary Keithly, Jordan Wear, Margaret Wilson, Kelli Schoch, and Emmanuella Tchona. Front row, from left, Joshua Kruse, Joseph Talley, Harrison Gocke, and Dr. Michael Leite. Not pictured: Dr. Rachelle Rider, Emily Walton, Emma (Kaitlyn) Smith, Marcus Herber, and Elizabeth Chambers. (Courtesy photo, used with permission)

By TENA L. COOK, MARKETING COORDINATOR

CHADRON – Twenty Chadron State College students presented their research to the Nebraska Academy of Sciences Conference in Lincoln April 21.

Professor of Physical Science Dr. Michael Leite, who presented his research about the Ongoing Geomorphic Evolution of the Pine Ridge in northwestern Nebraska, said this was probably the largest number of students CSC has had present in a long time.

“The number of presenters from CSC was high compared to that from the other state colleges. Especially considering the long distance we drove,” Leite said. “Some students presented their senior thesis. Some are going on to professional school and some may continue on to earn a doctorate.”

Corey Griffin of Omaha won the Best Undergraduate Presentation in Geoscience for his Analysis of Know Your Well Data on NUREP Data to Understand Changes in Groundwater Contamination.

“That was a well-deserved award,” Leite said. “Corey is studying water quality, collecting data and comparing it with data collected 40 years ago regarding natural uranium levels in Nebraska’s groundwater.”

Presentations

Nebraska

Cole Kramer of Bayard, Neb.: The Know Your Well Project and the Effects of Nitrates and Nitrites

Tristian Van Houten of Broken Bow, Neb.: Geothermal Energy Capabilities in Nebraska

Brady McDaniel of Chadron: Portable X-Ray Fluorescence of the Jade Collection

Joseph Talley of Chadron: Can Vanadium Redox Batteries Be Made to Work in Colder Climates?

Emmanuella Tchona of Chadron: Effect of Curcumin on Transcriptional Targets in the NFκB and TGFβ Pathway

Kelli Schoch of Columbus, Neb.: The Effect of Calcaneal Positioning on the Innominate Bones

Brenna Schuler of Doniphan, Neb.: Environmental Enrichments of BPM and Its Potential Effects on Egg Production in Laying Hens

Joshua Kruse of Gurley, Neb.: NF-κB Signaling in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Caelum Hubl of Lincoln, Neb.: Expressed Surface Features of the Nemaha Uplift and Nemaha Fault Zone in Southeastern Nebraska

Emily Walton of Mitchell, Neb.: Project Based Learning and Classroom Management

Ian Papenfus of Scottsbluff, Neb.: Overcoming Fosfomycin Resistance Via Inhibition of FosB Enzyme Using GlcNAc-Mal

Harrison Gocke of York, Neb.: Differences of Bioaccessible Macronutrients in Organic and Conventional Peanut Butter

Other States

Emma (Kaitlyn) Smith of Hackberry, Ariz.: Efficacy of Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Technology in Geochemical Analysis of Rock Samples from the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming

Michael DeCamillis of Westminster, Colo.: Determining Effective Calorimetry Techniques and Samples for High School

Margaret Wilson of Petal, Miss.: Using Roseomonas Mucosa for the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis

Marcus Herber of Kadoka, S.D.: Genetic Modification of Corn Chloroplasts

Jordan Wear of Crossville, Tenn.: Effect of Oil Pulling on Bacteria From the Oral Cavity

Elizabeth Chambers of Gillette, Wyo.: Groundwater and Groundwater Pollution: Lab Exercise for High School Earth Science

Rowdy Pfeil of Moorcroft, Wyo.: Geochemical Analysis of Chadron State Metorite Collections