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Dr. Linda Nicholas-Figueroa (left), past BLaST URE undergraduate Olive Kanayurak (middle), with BLaST LRTT Joanna Green (right) at SACNAS 2017.
BLaST offers many undergraduate research experiences at UAF, UAS, and also at Iḷisaġvik College, Alaska’s only tribal college. Olive Kanayurak, a former BLaST Undergraduate Research Experience student, currently interning with the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, presented at the 2017 Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, Oct. 19 – 21.
Olive’s poster discusses the research co-presented with Iḷisaġvik science faculty Dr. Linda Nicholas-Figueroa, and BLaST Laboratory Research and Teaching Technician (LRTT) Joanna Green on the search for novel species in the microbiome of the Arctic tundra near Utqiaġvik, AK. This research stems from the local people trying to understand the microbial world in the high Arctic and be able to capture biological responses to change, such as global warming, which is quite pronounced in the Arctic.
BLaST uses a tiered group mentoring approach, supporting undergraduates like Olive, with mentors at various stages in their careers, with both BLaST staff, graduate students, and faculty. These opportunities provide research-based learning experiences, preparing students for a future in biomedicine and One Health, via training in lab techniques, gathering data and analysis, as well as being able to apply what they learned and discuss in presentations at events such as conferences.
