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URSA announces 2024-25 Climate Change Project Award recipients

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity congratulates the following individuals who received an URSA 2024-2025 Climate Change Project Award.

 

Lee Aeo
Geoscience
Mentor: Florian Hofmann
Project Title: Measuring erosion rates of rocks to quantify their impact on carbon capture in ²ÝÁñÉçÇø

Igneous rocks are capable of capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it. Data on this process in ²ÝÁñÉçÇø is sparse. This study aims to quantify the erosion rate of igneous rocks in ²ÝÁñÉçÇø and assess the impact on long-term carbon storage.

 

Alia Berrigan
Psychology
Mentor: Mario Muscarella
Project Title: Does microclimate variation in tundra ecosystem drive microbial community assembly

In this project, Alia will analyze soil samples from a polygonal tundra landscape to study microbial communities and their metabolic activities, focusing on how microclimate variation drives the composition taxa present and their metabolic activity.

 

 

Will Caldwell, Nick Dugger and Cody Lee
Electrical Engineering
Mentor: Richard Wies, Jr.
Project Title: Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) Project

The aim of this group project is to construct a low-cost and reliable phasor measurement unit, or PMU, to improve the performance of ²ÝÁñÉçÇøn grids affected by climate change.

 

 

BreAnna Smith
Wildlife Biology and Conservation
Mentor: Diana Wolf
Project Title: Extracting Ancient DNA from the North Slope

Samples of ancient wood from the last interglacial period has been collected from melting permafrost on the North Slope. Our goal is to extract and sequence DNA from the samples and determine their species. This will help us understand ancient climate and ecosystems on the North Slope.

 

 

 

Queenie Turner
Fisheries and Marine Sciences
Mentor: Lara Horstmann
Project Title: Microplastics in bowhead whale feces related to tissue concentrations

Microplastics (particles < 5mm) are present in all oceans. Samples were isolated from marine mammals harvested by ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Natives, making this emerging contaminant concerning for animal and human health. We will analyze bowhead feces and tissues to understand microplastic uptake and accumulation in an endangered Arctic species of subsistence importance.

 

 

URSA Climate Change Project Awards offer funding up to $5,000 each fall for undergraduate research and creative activity projects focused on climate change themes. This grant opportunity is open to all undergraduate students who are interested in conducting scholarly work on various aspects of climate change, including but not limited to climate science, climate policy, visual or written communication of climate issues, and climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. We encourage interdisciplinary projects.

Contact the URSA Office for more information on how to get involved: uaf-ursa@alaska.edu | 907-450-8772.