MSSU student present findings during research symposium

Apr. 24—Wednesday's Missouri Southern State University Student Research Symposium was an opportunity for undergraduate students to present their research projects.

It included a range of topics, from a study of exercise to improve vertical jump performance to the impact of microplastics on the health of aquatic creatures.

Around 40 students participated in the research fair, held in the Billingsly Student Center. They presented in six categories: humanities, business, engineering and technology, social sciences, physical and biological sciences, and health sciences and education.

To be eligible, students had to apply and present an abstract. Once accepted, they created a poster visually explaining their research and their findings. They also gave an oral presentation to judges.

"Students have a chance to go through a research project, develop what the results are," said Marsi Archer, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "I had one student who did research last year and said everything went smoothly and they love research. Then this year, they were on their third idea. You find out all those pitfalls and get to experience the ups and downs that are research."

The symposium provided students with valuable experience in putting together a visual representation of their research, Archer said. It's challenging if they've never done it before and prepares them for future presentations. It also was a good experience in public speaking.

"To have that at the undergraduate level, before they go into graduate or professional studies, gives them a leg up," Archer said.

Jump performance

John Adams, a senior studying health sciences, had researched the effectiveness of plyometric training on vertical jump performance.

Plyometric training is a series of short, intense exercises that use body weight resistance to build muscle power while increasing speed and strength.

Adams said he's always been big into basketball and had been aware of plyometric training, but didn't know a lot about it. He used five people in a control group who did their regular activities, and five people in an experimental group who did plyometric jump training. He measured both group's vertical jump performance weekly.

"Luckily, there was a significant difference, which was great," Adams said. "Everyone did exactly as they were supposed to. The experimental group increased by .9 inches over three weeks of training, which was awesome. I was really excited by that."

Adams said he would like to observe a bigger group in the future, focused on translating the study to professional teams. There's a practical application as every athlete is looking to improve their performance and training.

"I'd like to study the effect of plyometric training on the body, how it can increase that little bit of athleticism that they already have," Adams said. "I think it would be fascinating to see what effect that would have on their bodies."

Microplastics

Alyssa Stevens, a junior studying biomedical science, looked at the minimum effective concentrations of microplastics in Daphnia magna, a small freshwater crustacean. Her goal was studying to see if there is a numerical value of microplastics where she starts to see sublethal effects on the small aquatic organism.

Stevens said she wants to be a physician and plans on attending KCU Joplin after MSSU. There's an increasing interest in microplastics, which are now found in people's lungs, placenta, organs and bloodstream, she said.

"That was my moment when I began to wonder what microplastics are going to do to humans," Stevens said. "It's definitely something we should be concerned about. You have microplastics all over you right now that you don't even know of. We might not know about the effects of that for a while since microplastics are a relatively new material we're seeing increase in use."

Due to their clear body, Stevens could visually see the Daphnia magna absorbing microplastics. She used several time periods and doses of microplastics to study their effect on the organisms.

"As you know, there's been a steady increase in the use of plastics," Stevens said. "That makes a lot of aquatic environments become the sink where the microplastics end up. That causes aquatic organisms to either absorb or consume them."

One surprising result of her research was the offspring Daphnia magna reproduced were significantly larger. A previous study by MSSU students had shown the offspring were smaller.

Stevens faced a challenge to explain that result, she said. Her theory was that the larger offspring was a way for the mothers to give their young a competitive chance when resources are limited.

The microplastics take up space in the organisms' gut, reducing the amount of food adults can take in, she explained. The larger offspring can be more competitive for these reduced resources. Studying these effects in smaller forms of life has implications for the future.

"We're starting to see sublethal effects in smaller organisms, so that's why you're seeing people trying to transition away from microplastics," Stevens said. "We could see that in larger organisms or humans in the future."