NEWS

The College of Applied and Natural Science (ANS) recently held its annual ANS Day, allowing students within the program to showcase their research and recognize those that stood out from their achievements.

In the first section of the event, poster session, students were able to present their research that they have conducted throughout the year. The projects ranged from medicine to endangered species depending on the student’s major.

Biology junior, Jasmine Lindsay, presented her research about genetic variations and species of salamanders. She showcased her work through photographs in order to grab the attention of eventgoers.

“There were a lot of interesting booths this year talking about fun topics,” Lindsay said. “When it comes to recent topics such as COVID-19, we had to do things to our project to make them stand out such as using as few words as possible.”

This method worked for the Environmental Sciences department as senior, Madeline Albritton, won Featured Student with her research presentation on 200 moths founded in Missouri.

Awards were given out in the afternoon in Centennial Plaza. In years past, awards for ANS Day were given during a formal dinner, but this year the College of Applied and Natural Sciences Associate Dean, Dr. Jamie Newman, wanted to create a laid-back environment.

“We appreciate every single one of our students and want to show them off,” Newman said. “They are a reason to celebrate.”

Every college holds fun events for their students to get together and the College of Applied and Natural Sciences wanted to implement this idea in their award ceremony. They had multiple booths set up by different departments within the college including painting, games, food, music, and dogs.

This is the first year ANS Day took this approach and the number of attendees was extensive. It felt different and caught the attention of many students.

“Today was a great time to recognize the hard work and come together and encourage community within our department,” Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Donna Hood said.

Below is a list of awards received by both students and faculty who belong to the College of Applied and Natural Science.

 

Graduate Student Poster Awards

1^st place:

Effects of Leaf Diversity on Stream Invertebrate Abundance and Diversity

Joseph Aubert, Julia Earl

School of Biological Sciences

 

2^nd place:

Fabrication and Characterization of a Stretchable Sodium Alginate Hydrogel Patch Incorporated with Silicon Nitride and Metalized Halloysite Nanotube to Develop Chronic Wound Healing Treatment

Femi Alakija, David K. Mills

School of Biological Sciences

 

3^rd place:

The Role of Notch3 in Adipose Stem Cell Fate

Sydney Mashaw, Kate Horton, Suraj Patel, Jamie Newman

School of Biological Sciences

 

 

Service-Learning Poster Awards

1^st place:

Exploring the impact of developmentally appropriate parenting on family unit bonding during family vacations at a theme park: My Disney College Program

Annaclaire McFarland, Julie Rutledge

School of Human Ecology

 

2^nd place:

The Important Interaction between LaTech and The OWL Center

Matthew Price, Rebecca McConnico

School of Biological Sciences

School of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry

 

3^rd place:

Leisure Experiences of Older Adults in Long Term Care Facilities: Connecting Curriculum, Theory, and Research to Service Learning and the FCS Body of Knowledge

Bethany Joiner, Dr. Amy Yates

School of Human Ecology

 

School of Agricultural Sciences & Forestry Poster Awards

1^st place:

Sugar-Iodine as a Cheaper and Safer Alternative to Copper Sulfate to Increase Equine Hoof Health

Kathryn Eschete, Sara Ford, Laura Gentry

School of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry

 

2^nd place:

How Implementing Grain in Cattle’s Diets Affects the Yield Grade of a Carcass

Rachel Carrigan¹, Gabrielle Bird¹, Caitlin Lawrence¹, Kylie Maldonado¹, Makenzi Williamson¹, Spencer Stelly^2,3, Gorden Reger¹, and Mark W. Murphey¹

¹School of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry, ²Chemistry Department, ³School of Biological Sciences

 

3^rd place:

Parasite Dynamics in Treated and Untreated horses in Fall and Winter Months in Louisiana

Kelsey Spencer, Rebecca McConnico

School of Agricultural Sciences & Forestry

 

 

School of Biological Sciences Poster Awards

1^st place:

Airborne Microplastics in Carson-Taylor Hall, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA

Emilee Doyle, Sarah Bollinger, Garrison Lowder, Terri J. Maness

School of Biological Sciences

 

2^nd place:

The Sublethal Impacts of Fipronil on Aquatic Trophic Cascades and Periphyton Biomass

Anna Daniel, Megan Burns, Caitlyn Fontenot, Annabeth Rawls, Jennifer Hill

School of Biological Sciences

 

3^rd place:

Next Generation Sequencing Provides Pathogen Monitoring to Rural Communities

Michael Foster¹, Madeline Robison¹, Logan Escalon¹, Kristin Jackson¹, Tom Bishop², Paul Kim³, Audrey Kim³, Jamie Newman¹

School of Biological Sciences¹,Physics and Chemistry Programs², Grambling State University³

 

Human Ecology Poster Awards

1^st place:

Recipe Modification of Peanut Butter Pie to Adhere to the Therapeutic Diabetes Lifestyle Plan

Mollie Blondin, Olivia Hery, Catherine Fontenot

School of Human Ecology

 

2^nd place:

Homemade Chili Recipe Modified for a Plant-Based Diet

Baylee Schneider, Payton Ayo, Catherine Fontenot

School of Human Ecology

 

3^rd place:

Plant-based Lentil Burgers Exceed the Nutrient Quality of American Classic Hamburgers

Savannah Davis-Smiley, Gabby Trejo, Catherine Fontenot

School of Human Ecology

 

ANS Featured Student

 

Undergraduate Students:

• Agricultural Education: Kerrington Bass
• Agricultural Business: Grant Davis
• Animal Science: Truett Bankston
• Forestry: Aaron Taliaferro
• Geographic Information Science: Timothy Oliver
• Medical Laboratory Science: Andrea Vargas
• Environmental Science: Madelyn Albritton
• Biology: Mills Manthei
• Nutrition and Dietetics: Avery Miller
• Human Development and Family Science: Dorian Young
• Health Informatics and Information Management: Adele Boudreaux
• Agricultural Business: Grant Davis
• Fashion Merchandising and Retail Studies: Fisher Hull
• Nursing: Precious Moore

 

Graduate Students:

Master of Nutrition & Dietetics: Jakrya Allen

Master of Science in Biology:   Makenzie Meacham

Master of Science in Molecular Science and Nanotechnology:  Faria Hossian

Master in Health Information Management:  Caitlyn Prine

 

Faculty & Staff Awards:

ANS 100/200 Teaching Award:  Dr. Mark Murphey, School of Agricultural Sciences & Forestry

ANS 300/above Teaching Award:  Dr. Don Shepard, School of Biological Sciences

ANS John D. Griffin Award for Outstanding Service:  Dr. Jamie Newman, School of Biological Sciences

ANS Debra L. Martin Award for Outstanding Service: Ms. Candace Cooper, School of Biological Sciences

ANS Research Award:  Dr. Gergana Nestorova, School of Biological Sciences

ANS Scholarly Activity Award:  Dr. Terri Maness, School of Biological Sciences

Outstanding Advisor Award:  Dr. Jamie Newman, School of Biological Sciences

This story is written by communications student Madison Plaisance.