The objective of this project is to optimize a novel agricultural-based approach for producing high levels of stearidonic acid (SDA)-containing seed oil in the plant Buglossoides arvensis using co-cultivation with Pseudomonas p. LBUM677. Production of seed oil enriched in SDA, a dietary product possessing proven health benefits, is promising for use as animal and human […]

Coastal areas are some of the most biodiverse environments in the world, and are constantly changing. Therefore, mapping projects for this near-shore area are extremely important. Many mapping procedures include optical methods, such as satellite imagery or underwater video, which is limited in effectiveness by cloud cover or water clarity. Other instruments, such as boat […]

My project is part of the BICEP Array experiment. This experiment has as a final goal finding an answer to the biggest question of all times: how did the universe begin? What happened in the very first moments? We are going to achieve this through a map of the Cosmic Microwave Background, the oldest (and […]

Black holes are very intriguing astronomical objects. They do not emit light, so we can only get indirect evidence about their existence. When it comes down to understanding how they change in time, things get more complicated. Stephen Hawking argued that black holes have a finite lifetime. The question that arises then is, what happens […]

Porphyrins and phthalocyanines are important biological molecules that, for example, control respiration of plants (chlorophyll helps convert C02 to oxygen) and heme controls the 02/C02 balance in human blood. Such compounds possess many other regulatory roles. In the presence of light some of these compounds convert oxygen into ‘reactive oxygen species’ (ROS). ROS aggressively attack […]

This research project would entail developing a system to encapsulate compounds in order to protect them during processing, storage and digestion. Saponins are a compound found in pants that are made up of water attracting and water repelling components. This balance allows them to group together to form groups of saponins called micelles with the […]

Dr. Avgar will be facilitating the start of my master’s project on spatial movement of moose. During my stay at Utah State, I will focus on the analytical application of mathematical models for moose movement patterns. Specifically, occupancy (probability of inhabiting a space) and abundance (number of individuals) are units of measurements affecting the spatial […]

Near the end of every maple syrup harvest season, the syrup can acquire an unpalatable off-flavour called ‘buddy’. Buddy flavor cannot be tasted or detected in the tree sap prior to processing into syrup. This can loss of income, and unnecessary expenditure to produce the syrup that is unpalatable. This work seeks to identify chemical […]

The advent of interfacing with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on multi-user touch tables presents an opportunity for greater involvement and collaboration in marine conservation planning. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of collaborative GIS in small groups for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) for conservation. The research focuses on two case studies in British […]

L’objectif principal du projet de recherche est de développer une nouvelle technique économique de fabrication de pièces en matériaux composites à haute performance, pour le domaine aeronautique et operationnel chez Marquez. L’integration des nouvelles techniques vise I’amelioration de la robustesse du procede, en minimisant les temps de cycle, les pieces rejets et en limitant la […]

Workplace injury prevalence and cost have created an immediate need for ergonomics risk assessment tools that require minimal ergonomics training, rooted in a foundation of experimental research, and provide comprehensive outputs that give some indication of risk and required action. Observation-based tools have been widely implemented in practice due to their simplicity, accessibility, and cost- […]