There are eight trillion pieces of plastic floating around in the ocean – tiny pieces of plastic that come from facewashes and body scrubs. That is enough miniscule pieces of plastic to cover the entirety of Moscow, Cydnie Gray said in front of her blue poster about microbeads.
“This is daily pollution that we can prevent,” said Gray, a fine arts senior. “If we don”t stop, we will eventually be eating plastic.”
Diamond Koloski | Argonaut
Undergraduate student Jieun Lee (right) discusses her findings at the Undergraduate Research Symposium Tuesday.
Gray was one of several undergraduates in the Whitewater Room of the Idaho Commons Monday presenting their research projects. Organic chemistry, biology habitats and dietetics and education were just a few topics being discussed in the room.
One biology and agricultural engineering student presented about the chemistry of hops, a plant used in beer. Lucas Sass said there are specific molecules in the hops plant that help counter diseases like diabetes and leukemia.
“That doesn”t mean you can just drink beer to get rid of cancer,” Sass said. “You would have to drink a ton, literally, of beer to get enough to counteract any diseases.”
Sass said working on his research project has been valuable work experience, since this kind of research is an example of what he would be doing in his field eventually.
Brooke Garcia, whose research was about pulse-based snacks, said her undergraduate research experience has shown her what options are out there. The dietetics major was part of a team who conducted a research experiment to introduce a legume snack at the Vandal refueling station for after-workout snacks.
Another non-science-based research presenter was Chelsea Jones. Jones, an elementary education junior, studied the lack of diversity classes in the College of Education. She said out of their entire curriculum, education majors only have to take two classes specific to teaching to students of diverse backgrounds. These are not limited just to race or ethnicity, Jones said. These two classes also cover socioeconomic differences.
Jones said she didn”t collect numerical data. Rather, her research was focused on seeing what the college could do about incorporating diversity into more classes.
“Teachers need to be able to apply and adapt,” Jones said.
For Jones, undergraduate research has made her feel like she is doing something worthwhile and that her education isn”t for nothing, because she said this research is something that affects everyone.
Bryce Dinger, a senior renewable materials student, said his research into improving bioplastics has given him the opportunity to work on something that was just his, which he said is missing from traditional classes.
“Undergraduate research is something (students) create,” Dinger said. “It gives them an outlet to be passionate.”
Dinger also said working with professors and mentors has helped him open doors that he otherwise wouldn”t have opened.
“Undergraduate research is encouraging and inspiring,” Gray said. “Everyone is trying to make a difference.”
Editor”s Note: Gray is a Student Media employee.
Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cewhitley24