Undergraduate Student Research Highlighted in 2020 Issue of the Discovery Journal

Discovery Research Journal Available Online:  Scholarworks Discovery

By Gail Halleck – Oct. 20, 2020

Discovery Journal

REAL SCIENCE — The 2020 edition of Discovery, the undergraduate research journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, features the work of 12 students in six departments. Their work was conducted under the mentorship of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station scientists. (U of A System Division of Agriculture cover photo by Kerry Rodtnick)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — University of Arkansas student scientists share their work in the latest edition of Discovery, the undergraduate research journal of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

The 12 research projects documented in this edition were conducted under the mentorship of 11 scientists from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the U of A at Fayetteville. Their work contributes to the knowledge base of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, the twin arms of the division’s research and outreach programs.

Visit Scholarworks Discovery to view the full issue.

This issue displays a variety of topics representing diverse fields of study and cross-disciplinary collaborations:

  • Information sources and preferences that influence Arkansas farmers and ranchers’ voting decisions and their political preferences.
  • Anthocyanin content in muscadines and berry skin color attributes.
  • Food assistance programs role in improving local food accessibility and, as a result, potentially improving nutritional status among individuals of low income.
  • Common houseplant’s ability to take up the air pollutant sulfur dioxide in an airtight container.
  • Assessment and development of intercultural competence among early childhood educators.
  • Impact of phosphorus intake on beef heifer growth performance and
    conception rates.
  • Using microdialysis data to provide information about nutrient movement in the soil, which may improve the understanding of soil processes and reform current fertilizer usage.
  • Characterization of jasmine rice cultivars grown in the United States.
  • The economics of on-farm rice drying in Arkansas.
  • The impact of income on nutrition in a case study of Northern Mozambique.
  • Determining whether animal amendments simulating urine and manure patches result in detectable changes in organic matter decomposition after application to silt loam pasture soil growing tall fescue grass in the mid-South.
  • Assessment of corn response to phosphorus (P) fertilization with two wastewater-recovered struvite sources and to compare corn response to that produced by other commonly used P fertilizers in an agriculturally managed silt-loam soil.

Bumpers College Dean Deacue Fields said, “As Dean of Bumpers College, it is encouraging and inspiring to see the issues tackled by our students as they strive to answer questions and solve problems that have a far-reaching impact on society.”

Beth Kegley, faculty editor of Discovery, said, “This represents the second year that I have had the honor of serving as editor of this publication. I continue to be impressed with the broad scope of projects that students are conducting in the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences, in conjunction with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.”

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at ArkAgResearch.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_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 prepares 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.

Media Contact

Gail Halleck

U of A System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
(479) 575-5670  |  ghalleck@uark.edu

Discovery Journal

REAL SCIENCE — The 2020 edition of Discovery, the undergraduate research journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, features the work of 12 students in six departments. Their work was conducted under the mentorship of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station scientists. (U of A System Division of Agriculture cover photo by Kerry Rodtnick)

Media Contact

Gail Halleck

U of A System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
(479) 575-5670  |  ghalleck@uark.edu