By Shelby Westinghouse, CSC College Relations
CHADRON, Neb. – Nineteen Chadron State College students presented at the 136th Annual Spring Meeting of the Nebraska Academy of Science (NAS) April 24 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The NAS meeting brings together the scientific community across the state and organizes a space to share their work. Students spent the semester preparing projects about topics that interested them and submitted research about topics such as chemistry, biological and medical sciences, and ecology.
Piper Ryschon, a senior from Scottsbluff, Nebraska, received the Nebraska Academy of Science C. Bertrand and Marian Othmer Schultz Collegiate Scholarship at the meeting. It is an award given to one undergraduate junior or senior pursuing a career in science.
“This honor is incredibly meaningful to me because it represents both my efforts and the encouragement I’ve received along the way. It eases some of the financial burden of my education, allowing me to focus more fully on my goals. This scholarship motivates me to continue striving for excellence and to make the most of the opportunities ahead,” said Ryschon, who also presented at the meeting on the evaluation of zerumbone as a Gli-1 pathway inhibitor in triple negative breast cancer.
Students and their presentations
Chesney Anderson of Trenton, Neb., and Christina Lillenas of Lincoln, Neb.: Impact of sunscreen pollutants on the development of Lytechinus variegatus.
Taya Berry of Lexington, Neb.: Assessing anticariogenic properties of alternative non-fluoridated toothpastes on oral Lactobacilli species.
Lindsay Cody of Halsey, Neb.: The effects and repercussions of synthetic melatonin and tart cherry juice on sleep quality and circadian rhythms.
Lorien DeMasters of Sidney, Neb.: Natural stimulants aid the effects of sleep deprivation in mice and humans.
Reuben Feaster of Palmer, Alaska: Riverbed erosion.
Carson Glassbrenner of Rapid City, S.D.: Diet effectiveness in Tourette syndrome.
Shaun Grey-Wilson of Scottsbluff, Neb.: The illusion of competence: Probing linguistic fluency and sycophancy in large language models.
Kiauna Hargens of Parkston, S.D.: The addition of pumpkin puree to the dog diet.
Aubree Heinsma of Windsor, Colo.: Use of gut microbiota to produce secondary metabolites to aid in proinsulin conversion and insulin sensitivity.
Sierra Hicks of Paxton, Neb.: The effects of popular beverages on dental erosion.
Ashleigh Ohrt of York, Neb.: The effects of pronation and supination of the subtalar joint on tibial rotation and knee stress.
Dawson Ohrt of Henderson, Neb.: The use of chitosan-g poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) in the delivery of imatinib in the small intestine.
Paige Pritchard of Lincoln, Neb.: The effects of subtalar pronation and supination on the lateral shift of the pelvis.
Deidra Renkenberger of Ralston, Neb.: The city of tomorrow: How sustainable city planning transforms urban environments to promote human health and environmental longevity.
Aliyah Rothstein of Lakewood, Colo.: Investigating the mechanism of melatonin and caffeine in the body.
Dylan Thom of Ayr, Neb.: The effects of centrifugation on compressive strength, surface hardness, and porosity in glass hybrid.
Shania Wear of Gothenburg, Neb.: Bacterial growth on wrestling mats and the effectiveness of mat cleaning techniques.