homenews

Forming Ice: Molinero

November 9, 2023

A cryomicroscopic image of a hexagonal ice crystal grown in a Fusarium acuminatum ice nucleator (IN) extract. Credit: PNAS

Now new research from the University of Utah, with Germany’s Max Plank Institute for Polymer Research and Idaho’s Boise State University, is shedding fresh light on the role of biological agents—produced by fungi of all things—in ice formation.

Contrary to what we have been taught in school, water won’t necessarily freeze at 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees F) because of the energy barrier inherent in phase transitions.

Completely pure water won’t freeze until it cools to as low as -46 C. This is because water molecules require particles on which to build the crystals that lead to ice, a process called nucleation. Organisms have evolved various ways to control ice formation as an adaption to survive in cold environments.

So the most efficient ice-nucleating particles are biological in origin, produced in bacteria and fungi, and even insects, but the molecular basis and precise mechanisms of “biological ice nuclei” has not been well understood.

Valeria Molinero, a theoretical chemist with the University of Utah’s College of Science, is at the forefront of sorting out this mystery, which holds potential implications for improving our understanding of how life affects precipitation and climate.

SRI Stories

November 8, 2023

Not as excited, perhaps, as bees get when they’re being looked at and managed by an eager student researcher. Little do they know, they are in good (and ambitious) hands. The Missoula, Montana native graduated with no fewer than three degrees: two BS honors degrees, one in biology and the other in Environmental and Sustainability Studies as well as a BA in Latin American Studies.

But wait. There’s more. She also graduated with Honors Ecology and Legacy Integrated Minor which offers students a guided pathway through Honors, one where they can dive into environmental and ecological thinking in an interdisciplinary manner.

Busy as a bee, it would appear.

SRI experience

No wonder today, Claudia is taking a gap-year break before she heads back to academia for a graduate degree. In the meantime, she spends “a lot of time outside and work[ing] as a ski instructor and river guide. It’s also a priority of mine to be active in local organizations that work on protecting public lands.”

Bzzzzz . . .

“Honeybees,” she reminds us, “are only about eight species of 20,000+ bee species in the world! In other words, the vast majority of bees on earth do not make honey.” This isn’t your average backyard beekeeper. In her research, she explains, “I sequence the DNA of pollen from honeybees to understand what plants they are visiting. Specifically, I am using this approach to understand the effect of a mite treatment that is commonly used. Do bees visit different flowers due to the treatment?,” she asks.

Her SRI experience in the program's Pollen Metagenomics research stream was a definite introduction and asset to her field of study. And gap-year or not, she regularly leaves Snowbird during the winter where she works as a ski instructor to continue working in her SRI stream “with the goal to finalize my research and mentor other students.”

“I am very thankful for the opportunities that SRI has provided me,” says Claudia Wiese, the recent graduate, poised to take on the next hive of scientific inquiry. “They have been an incredible launchpad to culture my passion for research and [to demonstrate how to balance it with my other interests.”

SRI Stories

November 3, 2023

Ali naturally gravitated towards chemistry classes in high school. Upon the recommendation of an influential teacher, Ali became more inspired by a future in chemistry and completed a pharmacy technician certification program to gain real-world experience in the field. Working as a pharmacy tech proved valuable for Ali; however, they craved work that was more “behind the scenes” of pharmacological development. This epiphany led Ali to recognize that research was their long-term career goal.

But what does a research-based academic and career trajectory look like? For Ali, and many other students like them, those opportunities are mysterious or unknown. This is where the Science Research Initiative (SRI) comes in.

During their second year at the U, Ali came across the new SRI program in the College of Science. Its mission: to place first and second-year science students in discovery-based research, thereby providing the skills and experience to prepare them for academic and professional success.

Ali immediately applied, though didn’t expect to be admitted. “I worried it was an exclusive program that was difficult to get into,” Ali says. So when Director Josh Steffen contacted Ali several weeks later to personally welcome them to the Science Research Initiative, they were “shocked.” That small but personal connection made a big difference to Ali, and demonstrated to them the accessibility of the SRI.

After taking a one-credit course on research methods, Ali joined an SRI research stream, a specific area of study with a cohort of students, led by a faculty member. More specifically for Ali, it was Ryan Stolley’s Underexplored Molecular Architectures stream, which explores the behavior of atoms, the principles of organic chemistry and chemical experimentation. This was a natural fit for Ali’s interests in the infinitesimal. The stream also exposed them to methods of analysis, project management and practical lab experience. But for Ali, it was much more than that.

“I learned how to read scientific papers and [developed] my leadership and science communications skills,” says Ali. These skills helped them ascend to other research opportunities, scholarships and recognitions, which culminated in graduation with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, along with several emphases.

Now in their first year as a bioscience PhD student, Ali reflects on their SRI experience with gratitude. “I received individualized support that helped me with my goals and authentically supported my wellbeing,” says Ali. Additionally, the tangible skills and knowledge they gained, is allowing them to study the development of novel organic and biosynthetic products as a graduate student. “As I learned different techniques in the lab. I found a love for organic synthesis, but having worked as a pharmacy technician throughout my undergraduate career, I want to expand to work on molecules that have relevance in that field.” Ali is poised for a career in industry research after their graduation.

Several years after their SRI experience, Ali still sees their mentors and colleagues around campus and in the Crocker Science Center. “Josh [Steffen] says ‘hi’ every time he sees me and asks how I am doing,” they say. Whether it be science on a smaller scale, or the personal connections formed during one’s formative years, the little things truly matter.

When asked if they’d do it again, Ali Bouck says, “SRI set me on my academic and career path. Joining the program was the best decision I ever made.”

On Naps, Carbs & Motivation: Annika Edwards, BMG

November 1, 2023

I added that last part about naps. Over the past four years we’ve all been through typical and atypical experiences. Of course, there’s the typical freshman 15 that we all lost from walking up and down hills motivated to make it to class on time, or the freshman 15 we all gained from a healthy diet of pizza and ramen every week. Now, I don’t have a degree in mathematics nor a degree in health sciences but to me those two seem to cancel each other out. We all experienced the atypical covid years where self-motivation became essential more than anyone could have ever imagined, and the carb intake skyrocketed. We experienced the usual snow days and the unusual earthquakes that cancelled classes and saved us from our lack of motivation to complete homework or study for that day’s tests and provided extra time to sneak in another nap.

What motivates us

Although naps, carbs, and motivation — not necessarily in that order — are important to achieving goals, more is required to be successful. We’ve just reflected on some of our experiences with motivation, but we didn’t talk about what is motivating us. As freshmen our motivation to get to class on time may have been to get good grades or to try to start off our college careers strong. Motivation to continue to work through school while being forced to stay home and take classes online may have been the money invested in tuition for that semester, to continue to progress in our degree programs or to simply have something to do while stuck at home.

Fortunately for us there are no grades in industry and the tests are the projects we spend our time on. Unfortunately, the grades and the tests were motivators. As we start, or continue our careers, we need to set goals and have dreams both work related and personal to keep us motivated. Reba McEntire stated, “to succeed in life you must have three things, a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.” Discover your motivator a.k.a. wishbone.

Motivators often lead to action which brings us to our next bone, the backbone. The backbone is often used as a symbol of strong character, which is necessary to be successful, but today I would like to broaden the meaning of having a backbone. As both scientists and engineers, we all took math, chemistry, and physics. Often these were classes that we were the least excited about but somehow took all of our time. The work we put into these classes built the foundation needed to continue our education in each of our degree programs. We have worked hard, countless hours to get where we are today; the same is true to get to where we want to go, to achieve our goals. Today, right now, to have a backbone means to put in the honest work.

Build your backbone.

Light bulbs

To introduce the final bone to a successful life I would like to share a joke:

How many PhD candidates do you need to change a single light bulb?

You actually only need one, but it may take more than four years.

Some of you find these kinds of jokes funny, and some of you don’t. We all have a different sense of humor, but be sure not to lose your funny bone along the way. Think back on the four plus years it has taken for you to get here. The things I remember the most are the late nights and hard work because they were truly scary, but I also remember the fun times I had laughing and joking with my classmates. I know it’s the same for you. Being able to laugh and have a good time is what makes life enjoyable. Don’t let yourself become the old person in the room who regrets taking life too seriously and spending too much time at work.

To conclude my speech, I would like to take a minute to say thank you. Thank you to the partners, spouses and significant others who dealt with the countless hours and late nights we spent away from you working on homework and projects in the computer labs. Thank you to the parents and family who have supported us through our journey. Thank you to the advisors, industry professionals, and other supporters of our students’ groups who helped us raise money and gain valuable experiences. Thank you to the professors for passing on your knowledge and wisdom related and unrelated to school. Thank you to the classmates who became lifelong friends.

As we start this new chapter in our lives, let’s not forget that success is what you make it: discover your wishbone, build your backbone and never lose your funny bones.

To the College of Mines and Earth Sciences Class of 2022, ∫ We did it!

SRI Stories

October 31, 2023

Gennie "Gen" Parkman. Banner Photo above: Parkman with student in the lab. ©Brett Wilhelm. Strada Education Network.

Auspicious not only because by design the celebrated SRI places first-year students in real science research, but because they were in the lab with someone who knows what it means to persist against tough odds before finding yourself in your career “happy place.”

Now an assistant professor at Weber State University with her own lab, Gen journeyed from her home state of Missouri where she was in a pre-admit program with Saint Louis University School of Medicine to the University of Utah and not entirely sure if a physician’s life was in her future or if there was something else rising above the jagged skyline of the Wasatch Mountains.

That was when, due to severe injuries, she had to face down the human body in medical terms: her own body.

What started as a dicey, harrowing experience with Gen’s health turned out to be a portal for her to that something else. “I knew I loved the human body, but I was also interested in understanding the deeper cellular and molecular processes,” she says. At the U she started as a technician for Jeffrey Weiss’ lab in the Musculoskeletal Research Laboratories as well as for Mahesh Chandrasekharan at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). In 2015 she was technician in Sheri Holmen’s lab where she “absolutely fell in love with cancer biology,” and soon embarked on a PhD program at the U’s HCI in oncological sciences.

Last spring (2023) she transitioned from a post-doctoral researcher in the Holmen lab to a post-doc in the SRI where she led her own research stream titled “Functional Validation of Potential Cancer Targets” filled with those lucky students who didn’t know yet that they were witnesses of (and participants in) an extraordinary encounter.

“For many, many years,” Gen recalls about her arduous journey back into health, “I didn’t know if I ever would be able to complete school and make an impact with my career. It was during that time that I knew I wanted to teach in some capacity and mentor students through the ups and downs of life to reach their dreams.”

Part of that mentoring in the SRI stream she conducted was research that is vividly relevant. “Utah,” she reminds us, “has the nation’s highest melanoma rate, and it is the third most common diagnosed cancer in our state (preceded only by prostate and breast cancer). It is so important to study this disease to improve the health of our community!” That she was able to include first-year undergraduate students at the bench in her lab proved not only transformative for her students but astounding to Gen. (More on that later.)

Utilizing in vitro models, Gen’s research is focused on understanding more about the genetic alterations associated with a heterogeneous disease like melanoma. Those alterations involve the BRAF gene which provides instructions for making a protein that helps transmit chemical signals from outside the cell to the cell's nucleus. (This protein is part of a signaling pathway known as the RAS/MAPK pathway, which controls several important cell functions.) In BRAF mutant melanoma, alterations can be downgraded or upgraded and effect proliferation, invasion, and migration of cancer cells.

In her new lab at Weber State this research to evaluate tumor initiation and progression in mouse models continues.

Fresh out of SRI, Gen Parkman now recalls fondly her time in the College of Science and has this to say to an eager set of budding scientists: “If you continue to push and work hard, there are opportunities everywhere to be sought, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunities that I have been granted, such as by mentors and in the Science Research Initiative with such a supportive and encouraging team, to make it to this point in my career.”

“My students continue to blow me away with their passion and perseverance.”

Do the Right Thing: Kevin Perry on the GSL

October 30, 2023

The lake needs all the help it can get—informing citizens and policymakers on the science of the lake is critical to keep it going for years to come. Lately, Perry says more of his time is spent communicating about his research than actually doing it.

In 2021, Perry presented the findings of a two-year research project to determine the contents of the dust coming off of the dried Great Salt Lake surface. He found that not only was the dust a source of pollution, but it also released toxic chemicals like arsenic and other heavy metals into the air. The potentially harmful air pollutant would only worsen if the lake wasn’t restored—and he’s been trying to get Utahns to listen ever since.

While Perry was out buying groceries, a cashier struck up a conversation with him about the Great Salt Lake. The cashier said he had created a website to warn community members about dust pollutants coming off the Great Salt Lake and started to explain the risk of the exposed lakebed to Perry.

“I laughed and I said, ‘You don’t know who I am, but you know the toxic dust that you’re talking about? That’s my scientific research,’” Perry says. “That kind of blew me away…when [I saw] somebody who has no scientific background was inspired enough to spend their time and effort trying to save the Great Salt Lake.”

1st detection of heavy element from star merger

October 25, 2023

Tanmoy Laskar. Banner photo (above): This image from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument highlights GRB 230307A’s kilonova and its former home galaxy among their local environment of other galaxies and foreground stars. The neutron stars were kicked out of their home galaxy and traveled the distance of about 120,000 light-years, approximately the diameter of the Milky Way galaxy, before finally merging several hundred million years later. CREDIT: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, ANDREW LEVAN (IMAPP, WARW)

Tanmoy Laskar and colleagues has used multiple space and ground-based telescopes, including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, and NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, to observe an exceptionally bright gamma-ray burst, GRB 230307A, and identify the neutron star merger that generated an explosion that created the burst. Webb also helped scientists detect the chemical element tellurium in the explosion’s aftermath.

“Just over 150 years since Dmitri Mendeleev wrote down the periodic table of elements, we are now finally in the position to start filling in those last blanks of understanding where everything was made, thanks to Webb,” said Andrew Levan of Radboud University in the Netherlands and the University of Warwick in the UK, lead author of the study.

While neutron star mergers have long been theorized as being the ideal “pressure cookers” to create some of the rarer elements substantially heavier than iron, astronomers have previously encountered a few obstacles in obtaining solid evidence.

Kilonovas are extremely rare, making it difficult to observe these events. Short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), traditionally thought to be those that last less than two seconds, can be byproducts of these infrequent merger episodes. In contrast, long gamma-ray bursts may last several minutes and are usually associated with the explosive death of a massive star.

The case of GRB 230307A is particularly remarkable. First detected by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in March, it is the second brightest GRB observed in over 50 years of observations, about 1,000 times brighter than a typical gamma-ray burst that Fermi observes. It also lasted for 200 seconds, placing it firmly in the category of long duration gamma-ray bursts, despite its different origin.

“This burst is way into the long category. It’s not near the border. But it seems to be coming from a merging neutron star,” added Eric Burns, a co-author of the paper and member of the Fermi team at Louisiana State University.

Nadkarni Named NatGeo Explorer at Large

October 18, 2023

A Professor Emerita at the School of Biological Sciences, Nadkarni, an ecologist who pioneered the study of Costa Rican rainforest canopies and an avid science communicator, will serve as an ambassador for the National Geographic Society. As an Explorer at Large, Nadkarni will receive support for her research and in bringing accessibility to science and nature across communities.

Explorers at Large hold the highest distinction within the organization. They are preeminent leaders in their field who also serve as mentors to other National Geographic Explorers. The title is bestowed upon a few select global changemakers, including Explorers like storyteller Shahidul Alam, oceanographers Bob Ballard and Sylvia Earle, artist Maya Lin and ecologist Rodrigo Medellín.

“At the National Geographic Society, we often say science and exploration are our foundation, and storytelling and education are our superpowers. Nalini’s career embodies this sentiment,” said Jill Tiefenthaler, chief executive officer, National Geographic Society. “Nalini is passionate about sharing her work with people of all backgrounds to foster a greater understanding of and care for the natural world. This is key to our mission and among the many reasons we’re thrilled to name her a National Geographic Explorer at Large.”

Anke Friedrich inducted into Crimson Club Hall of Fame

October 17, 2023

With ski coaches – Thor Kallerud (left) former head coach Alpine Ski Team, now with The Youth Sports Alliance in Park City, Fundraiser and Donor, Anke in center, and Fredrik Landstedt (right) Director of the U of U Ski Team, former Nordic racer at New Mexico at the time Anke was racing. Banner photo above: With dignitaries – Mark Harlin Athletics Director (left), Anke in center, and Pres. Taylor Randall (right)

World-class skier Anke Friedrich, BS'90, MS'93 is indeed, no ordinary inductee. During a dominant two-year career with the Utes the alpine skier won three of the four NCAA Championship races she entered. In March of this year she was also awarded the U's Founders Day Distinguished Alumni Award.

Friedrich grew up in Germany and made her way to the U to study geology. Once she was awarded an athletics scholarship, she captured the giant slalom title her first year in 1989. She swept the downhill races by winning both the slalom and giant slalom in 1990.

Currently an adjunct professor at the U's Department of Geology & Geophysics where she was once an undergraduate and graduate student, Friedrich is an endowed professor of geology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich where she established a Master's degree program in geology, led international student field trips involving U students, and set up student exchange programs with several international institutions, including the U.

"I benefited enormously from the vibrant and collegial environment at the University of Utah,” she says, “both as a student-athlete and a geology major. Therefore, I am very grateful to my former ski coaches, faculty mentors, and fellow students for their tremendous support and friendship over the years."

Friedrich received the department’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019. She played a crucial role in establishing one of the world's first continuously operating space-geodetic networks which served to monitor the tectonic activity around Yucca Mountain, the then-proposed nuclear waste repository site.

The Hall of Fame event, held September 22 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center also honored its all-time best teams and five other outstanding individuals as part of its 2023 Hall of Fame Class. Utah's 2008 Sugar Bowl football team and 2006 NCAA Elite Eight women's basketball team were officially enshrined along with former athletics director Dr. Chris Hill, women's basketball player Soni Adams, gymnast Annabeth Eberle, distance runner Amanda Mergaert, and men's basketball player Hanno Möttölä.

The 2023 class of inductees were also honored and recognized at Utah's football game against UCLA the following day.

Epiphytes face growing threats

October 16, 2023

However, the very attributes that have enabled epiphytes to thrive in forest canopies are now making them vulnerable to both natural and human-caused disturbances, according to Nalini Nadkarni, the University of Utah biologist renowned for her pioneering work studying and conserving treetop ecosystems.

Nalini Nadkarni, professor emerita of biology

In a study published this month, Nadkarni found these vital plants are under more and more pressure as a result of rapid environmental change, and proposes specific actions for preserving these fascinating plants.

“This synthesis revealed the exceptional vulnerability to the increasing levels of disturbances—such as climate change and deforestation—on the abundance diversity and connectivity of canopy-dwelling plants around the globe,” she said. “Although we categorize the disturbances with greatest negative effects on canopy plants as ‘natural,’ as hurricanes and wildfire, human activities are increasing the severity and frequency of those in the USA and around the world.”

Nadkarni’s latest paper reviews the available science on epiphyte communities and categorizes the drivers and consequences of and societal responses to drought, wind, insects, wildfire, logging and other disturbances. Her findings should serve as a wake-up call to land managers and others interested in preserving the health of the world’s woodlands.

College of Science

Forming Ice: Molinero

Forming ice: there’s a fungal protein for that

The way ice forms is a lot more interesting than you think. This basic physical process, among the most common in nature, also remains somewhat mysterious despite decades of scientific scrutiny.

SRI Stories

SRI Stories: Gap-Year Buzz

SRI experience

SRI Stories

SRI Stories: little things matter

Ali Bouck (they/them) has always found enjoyment in the little things in life. Really little things. A scientist from a young age, Ali has been fascinated by what made seemingly simple processes work on a molecular level.

On Naps, Carbs & Motivation: Annika Edwards, BMG

What motivates us

Light bulbs

SRI Stories

SRI Stories: Signaling (career) pathways

When students first met post-doctoral stream leader Gennie “Gen” Parkman in the Science Research Initiative (SRI), they likely did not know the backstory to that auspicious moment.

Do the Right Thing: Kevin Perry on the GSL

Do the Right Thing

Dr. Kevin Perry, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah, is one of the scientists working to save the Great Salt Lake from drying up.

1st detection of heavy element from star merger

first detection of heavy element from star merger

“We only know of a handful of kilonovas with any certainty, and this is only the second one for which we have such detailed spectral information” said Tanmoy Laskar, assistant professor at the University of Utah, of the first detection of we have of heavy element from a star merger.

Nadkarni Named NatGeo Explorer at Large

Nadkarni named NatGeo Explorer at Large

The National Geographic Society has appointed famed University of Utah forest canopy researcher Nalini Nadkarni as a National Geographic Explorer at Large.

Anke Friedrich inducted into Crimson Club Hall of Fame

Anke Friedrich Inductee, Crimson CLUB Hall of Fame

It's not every day that an esteemed scientist is recognized by the University of Utah's Athletic Department's Crimson Club Hall of Fame.

Epiphytes face growing threats

Epiphytes face growing threats

Orchids, mosses, ferns—or epiphytes, defined as nonparasitic plants that grow on other plants—are crucial for Earth’s biodiversity and play essential roles in forests around the world, building habitat in trees for myriad other life forms, from bacteria and insects to birds and reptiles.