8 | College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter LOCAL ROOTS RESEARCH AWARD ($1,500 STIPEND AND $1,000 IN RESEARCH SUPPLIES) Ayden Viox with his research entitled: “Chroma analysis of carotenoid pigmentation variation in male and female Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) in northeastern South Dakota.” Working with Amy Dolan. Sloan Johannsen with his research entitled “Variation in early and late carotenoid pigmentation via chroma analysis in Western Painted Turtles in northeastern South Dakota (Chrysemys picta bellii).” Working with Amy Dolan. Diego Nava Remigio - Diego will be engineering genetic tractability Porphyromonas species. He is engineering a plasmid reporter construct to fluorescently label cells under anaerobic conditions. These data will be used to study Porphyromonas species during intracellular infections. Working with Taylor Crooks. Brandi Baumeister - Brandi will be characterizing newly synthesized thiol targeting compounds to determine whether they have potential as antitubercular therapeutics. Working with Taylor Crooks and George Nora. STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS Riley Reading – Pharmacy School Jessica Splichal – PA school Megan Fastenau – Medical School Mary Fites – Dental School PRESENTATIONS Mazie Finch presented her research poster to congress in Pierre: Effects of dietary aspartate supplementation on mitochondrial metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster. Working with Samantha St Clair. Owen Douglas presented both a poster and oral presentation at the SD INBRE winter networking meeting: Topical Application of Curcumin Regulates FGF-Mediated Tissue Regeneration Mechanisms in Adult Zebrafish. Working with Samantha St Clair. STEM OUTREACH SUMMARY During the 2025–2026 school year, STEM Outreach Graduate Assistant Grace Humann, Dr. Amy Dolan and a team of dedicated undergraduate volunteers visited 12 classrooms each month, leading more than 1,350 hands-on STEM activities for area 4th graders. “This has been one of our best years ever for the program!” said Dr. Dolan. “Grace developed fun, engaging projects for the students and we had our largest group of undergraduate volunteers to date.” In total, the team worked with approximately 225 elementary students across the Aberdeen, Britton-Hecla and Evergreen Hutterite Colony schools. This year’s STEM lessons included: • Bristle Bots – Exploring circuits and the science of motion. • Build a Robotic Hand – Understanding the anatomy and mechanics of the hand • Forensic Science – Investigating chromatography and fingerprinting • Diaper Testing – Learning about the scientific method and sodium polyacrylate. • Engineering Helicopters – Discovering weight, thrust, drag and lift. • Butterflies – Studying pollinators and the life cycle of butterflies. SCIENCE FAIR UPDATE This year’s science fair will be held on March 26. For the first time, it will be held in the science building and projects will be open to the public from 1–7 p.m. In 2025, 157 students from 11 area schools participated in the fair. The top two individuals and the top team of two later attended the national fair in Columbus, Ohio in May. Those students were: 2025 Individual winners Kirra Stillman from Aberdeen Central High School: Anthocyanin in Zooxanthellae: Combatting Coral Bleaching Breckan Santjer from Aberdeen Central High School: Food Additives and Their Effects on Enzyme Activity 2025 Team winners Anna Ahlberg and Corban Landis from Aberdeen Central High School: AI Personalized 3D Printing of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Dr. Amy Dolan Dr. Jodie Ramsay Dr. Sam St. Clair Partnerships and Activities FELLOWSHIPS Chloe Voss, Mary Fites, and Owen Douglas each received a fellowship from the SD INBRE program, which will encompass research and other activities during the next academic year. SD INBRE has been funded since 2001, but these three students are the first from Northern State University to be selected.
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