Undergraduate Student Research Highlighted in 2022 Issue of Discovery Journal

Fred Miller. Cover design by Gail Halleck.

Discovery 2022 cover features the research of Bumpers student Gracie Morrison, an environmental soil and water science major, who conducted research on the effectiveness of different treatments to control weeds in high tunnel tomato production.

The latest edition of Discovery, the undergraduate research journal of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, features original research and independent creative projects from 10 student scientists at the U of A.

Visit scholarworks.uark.edu/discoverymag to view the full issue.

Beth Kegley, faculty editor of Discovery, emphasized in her letter from the editor the great commitment of students, who are still navigating this research process while dealing with difficulties because of the pandemic.

"The students and faculty who are publishing these articles continue to navigate the anxiety and turmoil of the aftermath of the pandemic," Kegley wrote.

Kegley, who is a professor of animal science for Bumpers College and researcher with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture, has served as faculty editor since 2019.

"I continue to be impressed with the variety and timeliness of these projects that undergraduate students are conducting," she wrote.

Students and their faculty mentors contributed nine research and creative projects in the 2022 edition of Discovery. While students are the driving force behind each of the projects, Kegley noted the critical role faculty mentors play.

Scientists from the U of A System Division of Agriculture and the U of A reviewed proposals, assisted with data collection and statistical analysis, and helped students finalize manuscripts, she said in her letter.

The research and creative projects in this issue include a range of topics representing diverse fields of study:

• Exploring consumers' perceptions of brand and price as they relate to quality when purchasing swimsuits from retailers
• Using digestibility markers to estimate the ability of sheep to digest hay with varying nutrient compositions
• Identifying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on veterinary clinics in northwest Arkansas
• Identifying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on animal shelters, rescue organizations, and daycare and boarding facilities in Northwest Arkansas
• Determining the impact of gradual sunrise and sunset lighting changes on hor­monal stress levels in quail
• Studying immune response in chickens to Lipoteichoic acid, an inflammatory chemical caused by certain bacteria
• Assessing students' perceptions of genetically modified organisms and developing content to relay correct information
• Comparing several weed control strategies for high tunnel tomatoes
• Creating a manual for small-scale poultry production to provide nourishment for the students and staff of a school in Belize

In his letter from the dean, Interim Dean of Bumpers College Jean-François Meullenet pointed to the important role that Bumpers College students play in research taking place across the state and the benefits for the students themselves.

"Research allows our students, guided by their faculty mentors, opportunities to ask questions, gather data, answer questions and solve problems," wrote Meullenet, who also serves as senior associate vice president for agriculture-research and director of the experiment station.

"Congratulations to the student authors on completing these projects. Thank you to the faculty mentors and editors who worked with them to make this collection possible. As a college, we are pleased and proud to present this collection as a service to them and our readers," he wrote.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system. The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability, and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policymakers, and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege