Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ariel Hippen and John Kauwe, Biology Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly and the third most common cause of death in the United States. A vast number of genes regulate Alzheimer’s disease, including Presenilin 1 (PSEN1). It is possible that novel variants in the PSEN1 gene have an effect on […]

Tyler Mower and Dr. John Kauwe, Department of Biology Dipti Jigar Shah1, Frederick Rohlfing2, Swati Anand1, W. Evan Johnson3, MeiHwa Tanielle Bench Alvarez1, Jesse Cobell2, Jackson King2, Sydney A. Young1, John S. K. Kauwe2, Steven W. Graves1,* 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 2Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, […]

Westen Archibald and Dr. Byron Adams Introduction The Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area is considered an important biodiversity hotspot for the Western United States. The wash is an ecotone on the Northeastern edge of the Mojave Desert and is directly adjacent to both the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin. Thus, this area contains […]

Preston Arnold and Faculty Mentors: Dr. S. M. Bybee and Dr. N. P. Lord, Department of Biology Introduction The Jewel Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) contain ~15,000 of the most stunning yet least understood species in the animal kingdom (Fig. 1; Bellamy and Nelson, 2002). Although it is the 8th largest beetle family and contains many species […]

Kevin Boehme and Dr. John “Keoni” Kauwe, Biology Introduction Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common and complex neurodegenerative disease. It is the most common cause of dementia and is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. To date, many genetic loci have been found that modify AD risk, but collectively, they explain […]

Devan Bursey and Dr. John S.K. Kauwe, Department of Biology Introduction Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Most current research on Alzheimer’s disease has focused on using genome-wide association studies to identify common genetic variants however; past research has shown that rare genetic variants play an […]

Josue David Gonzalez Murcia and John Kauwe, Biology Department Introduction Alzheimer’s disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the world and the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, with 5.5 million people diagnosed with the disease. Alzheimer’s cannot be cured, prevented or slowed. Most research with Alzheimer’s disease […]

Jordan Hatch and Jamie L. Jensen, PhD, Department of Biology The purpose of our project was to understand if hypothetical deductive (HD) reasoning skills exist in each discipline and if so, whether they are transferable between disciplines. HD reasoning is the method of scientific investigation used most commonly by scientists. It includes formulating hypotheses, devising […]

Caj Johansson and Byron Adams, Biology Department Introduction The current belief of the majority of glaciologists is that during the last glacial maximum (LGM), 17,000-22000 years ago, the entire Antarctic continent was completely covered in ice (Convey, 2008). This would mean that all terrestrial organisms would have died out during this time, essentially leaving Antarctica […]