UT, United States of America

Wave Power, Phase II

Alternative energy is important as the world looks toward an energy source other than the current use of coal and fossil fuels. There are currently several costly and inefficient methods of…

An Analysis of Self-Perception in Relation to the Decision to Intervene in Bullying Situations within the Educational System

Chemistry

Bullying is a serious concern at schools related to student well-being and academic performance. Educators face mounting pressure to intervene in bullying situations. Existing research linke…

Aqueous Extracts of Cinnamomum spp., Syzygium romaticum and Cinnamaldehyde and Their Effects on the Growth of MDA-MB-231

Mathematics

Throughout history, plant extracts have been used as treatments for a number of different illnesses. Past research suggests that clove oil and Eugenol, a chemical found both in cloves and ci…

Bending Genders - The Effects of Estradiol on Artemia franciscana from Great Salt Lake, Utah

Materials Science

Artemia Franciscana (brine shrimp) are an integral part of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and are impacted by variations in salinity and chemicals in their environment. Endocrine disruption h…

Building a Better Battery: A Prototypical Analysis Utilizing Carbon-Based Ultra-Capacitor Technology

Energy: Chemical

Batteries are a major part of everyday life. However, most common batteries are slow at recharging and can be dangerous to the environment when improperly disposed of. Our goal was to combin…

Cryopreservation and Germination of Pisum sativum

Physics and Astronomy

The purpose of this project is to determine how the temperature at which frozen Pisum sativum (pea seeds) are reheated after being frozen at subzero temperatures affect their ability to germ…

Demonstration and Characterization of Split Ring Resonators as Terahertz Waveguides

Energy: Chemical Third Award

In order to meet the demands of computing and communication, new approaches are needed to increase data operating speeds to terahertz (THz) and higher frequencies. Guided wave devices afford…

Developing an Organic Voltaic Cell

Engineering Mechanics

Available sources of energy in the Earth are quickly depleting, necessitating the need for a renewable energy source. Biodiesel, solar, nuclear, and hydroelectric power are all sources of re…

Effects of Resveratrol on 5-Fluorouracil Chemotherapeutic DNA Damage and Drug Resistance in Breast and Prostate Cancer Cells

Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

Resveratrol is known as a powerful antioxidant present in many foods, especially in grapes and red wine. My study investigated the mutagenic effects of three increasing concentrations of Res…

FitVos: A Cost-effective, Open Source UAV Designed for Easy Construction

Energy: Chemical

FitVos, or Fully Integrated Thrust Vectoring Open Source System, is an open source alternative to common autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Fitvos is very cost effective, allowing 2 1/2 pou…

Guns, Flames, and Steel 2.0: Creation of a Non-Newtonian Fluid-Based Body Armor

Energy: Physical Fourth Award

As technology evolves, weapons evolve, and the need for an armor that can protect against modern weapons grows. The purpose of this project is to determine the viability of developing a body…

Has Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus sureus (MRSA) Escaped Public Health Facilities and Is the General Population at Risk?

Materials Science

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been an increasing health problem, annually killing more than 5,500 people in the USA alone. MRSA is resistant to most antibiotics. As…

Ice Bot: A Deep Sea Diving Apparatus

Energy: Chemical Second Award

Ice floats on water, and upon freezing, exerts an outward force of over 700 megapascals (Mpa). The deepest spot on the ocean floor yet explored is within the Mariana trench, and only reaches…

Impact of Running Surfaces

Systems Software

Running is a sport with high potential for impact-related injuries. On which surface would a runner experience less impact: concrete, asphalt, turf, or earth? It was expected that earth and…

Investigating the Origin of Descent for the North American Variation of Picea abies using the Mitochondrial nad1 Gene Intron

Systems Software

Two populations of Norway Spruce (Picea abies) exist in Europe: Central and Northern. A 33-base pair insertion is present in a mitochondrial nad1 gene intron in the Central population. The N…

Investigation of Different Degradation Treatments on Pesticide Contaminated Water with Toxicity Bioassay on Daphnia magna

Materials Science

Pesticides help to ensure crop productivity, but they contaminate the surrounding environment with toxic substances that can directly affect a local ecosystem’s organisms. Microbial degradat…

Is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Present Influent Wastewater?

Robotics and Intelligent Machines

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a pathogenic bacteria that can lead to serious complications or even death. With the increase in MRSA infections in recent years, its pr…

King's Electrolyte Drink vs. Pedialyte, Phase II

Earth and Environmental Sciences

Electrolytes – specifically sodium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, and other minerals – are vital to the body’s functions. They speed the nervous system’s rate of function, re-hydrate the b…

Me, Mean, or Median: Which Is More Accurate at Determining Solutions to Questions that Can Only Be Quantified Empirically?

Materials Science

The purpose of this project is to investigate whether it is more accurate to predict an unknown amount of items in a container using the mean, median, or individual guess, and to analyze how…

Mobile Inverted Pendulum Testing Platform

Energy: Chemical Fourth Award

Rockets, assembly lines, temperature controllers, and inverted pendulums use one thing in common: sophisticated control algorithms to maintain proper balance. The objective of this project w…

Mud Energy: Single Chamber Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells

Energy: Physical

This project was done for the purpose of identifying the best source of sediment for a sediment microbial fuel cell. The initial idea was to determine which source of sediment generated the…

Neighborhood Built Environment and Leisure-Time Physical Activity Participation among Adults in Utah

Chemistry

BACKGROUND: Research examining relative importance of multiple built environment features and their associations with leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) participation is limited in genera…

Nuclear Fusion Using a Pyroelectric Crystal Particle Accelerator

Physics and Astronomy

A particle accelerator was constructed using a pair of lithium niobate pyroelectric crystals as a power source. The crystals were arranged in a push-pull configuration to double the potentia…

Optimal Equine Balance: Application of Biophysics to Assess and Reduce Equine Injury, Phase II

Plant Sciences

When equines fracture their phalanx, the most common ‘treatment’ is euthanasia because of the high cost and risk of surgery. Additionally, few non-invasive preventative measures and/or treat…

Optimizing the Utilization of Wind Energy with an Alternative Engineering Design: A Horizontal Dual Motor Turbine, Phase II

Engineering Mechanics

Wind energy has great potential to reduce our dependence on traditional energy resources. Wind is a clean source of energy that has fewer environmental impacts than traditional energy source…

Percolation vs. Homogenization: The Effects of Phosphate Amendment on Lead Contaminated Soil, Phase II

Environmental Engineering

This experiment builds on further testing of percolation of phosphate through soil rather than homogenization to remediate lead contaminated soil. The experiment tested if percolation of a p…

Powering Hydrogen Fuel Cells using Chemical Water Splitting

Engineering Mechanics

In the current society, individuals depend heavily on fossil fuels to function properly. The non-renewable aspect of such energy looms over as resources dwindle over time. Options to combat…

Prolonging Battery Life through Application of the Seebeck Effect

Engineering Mechanics

With the recent upsurge in mobile device use, and with the relative stall in the development of battery technology (in comparison to the development of processors that consume incredible amo…

Rain Gain

Engineering Mechanics

My project was to research the power output of a water wheel apparatus that used the flow of rain in a rain gutter. I compared rounded, cupped, and flat blade assemblies at 4 distances, diff…

Resveratrol Biosynthesis in Genetically Engineered Microorganisms

Robotics and Intelligent Machines Fourth Award

Resveratrol is a natural plant product that has anti-tumor, anti-cancer, and life-span increasing properties in humans. However, extracting resveratrol from plants such as grapes and peanuts…