UW College of Health Sciences Students, Faculty Present Research

For the first time, the University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences Research Day was held virtually April 15, but this in no way lessened the excitement of both student and faculty presenters in highlighting their research projects, using prerecorded and live poster displays and oral presentations.

“Over the past 12 months, the pandemic has hampered our research efforts, especially involving human subjects,” Dean David Jones says. “However, our faculty and students and the College of Health Sciences research committee have shown determination to keep going and to make an impact.”

Research in health and wellness is more important now than ever, says Jones, noting the extent to which the COVID-19 virus has disrupted life for the people of Wyoming.

After the Research Day virtual event, each presentation was reviewed based on content, quality and relevance to current health issues. A limited number of presentations received monetary awards that will go toward furthering research and travel funding.

Students who received awards, along with their hometowns and topics, are:

Student Research Grant Awards

First prize

Tiffin, Ohio -- Jacob Layer, Division of Kinesiology and Health, “Biochemical Comparison of Back Squats and Belt Squats.”

Second prize

Lander -- Sydney Polson, Division of Kinesiology and Health, “Right ventricular myocardial contrast echocardiography in mice with isoproterenol-induced heart failure.”

Third prize

Azerbaijan -- Aykhan Yusifov, Division of Kinesiology and Health, “Genetic Deletion of BMAL1 in Cardiac Myocytes Disrupts the Cardiac Molecular Clock.”

Student Travel Award

Mandan, N.D. -- Samantha Power, Division of Communication Disorders, “A Preliminary Investigation of Palatoglossus Morphology in Children Using MRI.”

Student Poster Presentation Awards

First prize

China -- Yu Song, Division of Kinesiology and Health, “Medial-lateral shoulder and hip positions predicted kinetic asymmetries during double-leg squats in collegiate athletes following ACL reconstruction.”

Second prize

Corvallis, Ore. -- Benjamin McNair, Division of Kinesiology and Health, “Advanced Age Exacerbates Pulmonary Hypertension-Induced Right Ventricular Dysfunction.”

Third prize

Casper -- Zackery Fullerton, Division of Kinesiology and Health, “Exposure to High Altitude Promotes Muscle Loss that is not Rescued by Metformin.” 

Student Research Presentation Awards

First prize

China -- Ling Li, Division of Kinesiology and Health, “Comparisons of pre-landing knee flexion angles between sexes and landings tasks.”

Second prize

Cheyenne -- Mary Dilworth, Division of Social Work, “Exploratory study of factors related to secondary traumatic stress among child welfare workers in Wyoming.”

Third prize

Casper -- Richelle Dietz, Division of Communication Disorders, “A Pilot Study Regarding the Impact of COVID-19 on Undergraduate Students in Communication Disorders.”

Emma Evans, UW School of Pharmacy from McLouth, Kan., also presented “Med Talk on TikTok.”

Faculty award winners are:

Faculty Travel Award -- Danielle Bruns, Division of Kinesiology and Health.

Faculty Research Grant Awards -- Erin Bush, Division of Communication Disorders, and Baski Thyagarajan, School of Pharmacy.

To learn more about research in the UW College of Health Sciences, visit www.uwyo.edu/hs/research/index.html.