Research on Capitol Hill Presenters
Utah’s Research on Capitol Hill is an annual celebration of undergraduate research held in the Rotunda of the State Capitol. Organized by USU, it features the two public research universities’ students and their research projects. Students of all disciplines from around the state share the results of their investigations with legislators.
2026
College of Engineering
- Nonoparticles may improve how antiviral compounds are delivered for herpes viruses - Emelia Huff | Biological engineering | David Britt
- Utah's waste glass makes concrete stronger and improves durability - Rosemary Yahne | Civil and Environmental Engineering | Srishti Banerji
S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture & Natural Resources:
- Could gene editing increase chicken resistance to avian influenza? - Atla Crane | Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences | Feifei Bi
- At Utah Lake, large changes in water levels impact the restoration of native plant species - Alynne Culter | Watershed Sciences | Timothy Walsworth
- Going with the Flow: Bear Lake water currents make it harder to control plants - Tia Lawrence, Maloree McDonald |Plant, Soils, and Climate | Mirella Ortiz
- Utah wildflower microbes boost plant growth without using chemical fertilizers - Rebecca Thorley | Wildland Resources | Amita Kaundal
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services:
- Energy drinks maintain high motivational value even when access becomes costly - Tyler Hansen | Psychology | Amy Odum
- In conservation efforts, people prioritze mart, friendly animals, and focus on their faces - Jacey Hopkin | Psychology | Kerry Jordan
- The Loneliness Epidemic: Decreased social connectedness influences misogyny - Eva Jones, Hannah Jensen, Sophia Baumann | Psychology | Jennifer Grewe
- Pavlovian cues promote self-control choices in rats and kindergarteners - Emily Kuehnl | Psycholoy | Gregory Madden
- ACT therapy benefits diverse racial, ethnic and disabled groups - Jared Vance | Psychology | Melanie Domernech
- Oxytocin may shape how reward is perceived and increase self-control - Kenzie Wachtel | Psychology | Sara Freeman
College of Arts and Sciences:
- Ant queens divide tasks among themselves to maximize efficiency in multi-queen colonies - Ian Brush | Biology | Chris Smith
- Student mentorship can build a growth mindset for global entrepreneurs - April Buys | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Matthew Meng
- Legislative chamber characteristics affect the introduction of hot-button issue legislation - Sophie Christensen | Political Science | Josh Ryan
- Plants have a chemical defense to protect themselves from herbivory - Isis Cordova | Chemstry and Biochemistry | Fabiane Mundim
- Ovarian transplants drastically improved the health of post-menopausal mice - Nathan McCoy | Biology | Jeff Manson
- Crops grown below ground can be 20-40℉ warmer than above-ground outdoor crops - Jessie Miller | Communication Studies and Philosophy | Sterling Bone
- Curators connect tax-payer funded research to their communities - Adrianne Parker | Art and Design | Alexa Sand
- We can use coyotes as a model to understand how social loss alters the brain - Rebekah Rowe | Biology | Sara Freeman
- Early detection of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)using qPCR and predictive modeling - Emily Samuels | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Jordan Truex
- A new tool predicts the risk of surface damage and subsequent spacecraft charging - Trace Taylor, Ashley Bahora | Physics | JR Dennison
- We can track waves in the atmosphere from the Bear Lake Observatory and the International Space Station - Connor Waite | Physics | Yucheng Zhao
- How can we protect Utah vineyards from insect pests and diseases? - Joshua Westhora | Biology | Claudia Nischwitz
