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College of Life Sciences Stories

BYU|Fulton College of Engineering|College of Life Sciences|College of Nursing Video (6:26)

Researching the Effects of Air Pollution in Nepal

An interdisciplinary BYU research team traveled to Nepal to measure brick workers’ exposure to pollutants and to assess their respiratory health.

BYU|College of Life Sciences|Institutional Humanitarian Aid

Landlocked BYU Asked to Help Molokai’s Reef

Reefs worldwide are constantly threatened. The Molokai-based conservation nonprofit ‘Āina Momona called on BYU for help.

BYU sign saying “Enter to Learn Go Forth to Serve” surrounded by flowers.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Data May Lead to Cancer Treatments

Biology professors Matthew Bailey and Sam Payne led the largest-ever study on how cancer spreads and affects proteins in the body.  

BYU|College of Life Sciences Video (2:14)

Ten Secrets to Healthy Living—Greek Style

Emily Flake was one of a group of health and wellness students that traveled to Ikaria, Greece, to learn about eating, living, and cooking the Mediterranean way.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Taking a Load Off

Manufacturing engineering technology student Seth Huber developed and began testing a boot to offload foot pressure so diabetics can heal from these painful sores. 

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Filling a Knowledge Gap

For Amy Hernandez, solving the mystery of multiple sclerosis isn’t merely an academic pursuit; it’s personal.

BYU|College of Life Sciences Video (3:16)

Feeding the World with Hybrid Quinoa

Video:Teams of BYU students and their faculty mentors are enriching the world with nutritious, growable grain.

BYU|College of Life Sciences Video (3:00)

Studying the Runoff Effects of an Environmental Double Whammy

Video: In October 2018, BYU students had the rare chance to observe how back-to-back extreme events influenced water quality and quantity in Utah County.

BYU|College of Life Sciences Video (3:54)

BYU Biologists Seek to Create First Dragonfly Family Tree

Video: The BYU team’s goal is to piece together the first-ever phylogenic (genealogical) tree of all 6,300 known dragonfly species and their ancestors.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Rooting Out Alzheimer’s

Soon after graduate student Justina Tavana began studying Alzheimer’s disease, she discovered that many Pacific Islanders lack the tools to accurately identify the disease.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Learning Public Health and Public Policy

Before the COVID-19 pandemic dominated public health discussions, BYU public health majors were in Washington, DC, for a conference which focused on a law proposed to address the opioid crisis.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Using Tech to Decipher Your Gait

With the help of a Fulton grant, Spencer Petersen is using a combination of resources that measures the forces under the foot to research the role your big toe plays in the simple act of walking.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Prevention Rather Than Treatment

After seeing people on her mission suffer from health problems, Naomi Rhondeau changed her major to find ways to help more people.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Searching for a Cure in Russian

After learning about her family history of cancer, Emily Hoskins knew that she wanted to use her Russian and bioinformatics skills to find a cure.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Lighting Others' Smiles

After shadowing a dentist who specializes in dental care for low-income families, BYU senior Karen Membreño realized that she wants to be a part of the solution to this public health crisis.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Battling Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect two million Americans every year, causing at least 23,000 deaths.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Becoming a Scientist Through Mentored Learning

Jordan Finnell started college skeptical of science but being mentored expanded his perspective and led him to degrees in neuroscience, biochemistry, and molecular biophysics.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

King of the Beautifully Landscaped Hill - Again

Marco Crosland took the top spot this year - and last year - at the National Collegiate Landscape Competition. He is a landscape management student and a grateful beneficiary of your support.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

What Do Research, Service, and a Cello Have to Do with Cambridge University?

"Mentored research, service, and some skill with a cello have helped Anne Thomas receive the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Her mentored learning experience as a BYU student has propelled Anne to pursue a PhD in plant sciences at Cambridge this fall."

BYU|College of Life Sciences

A BYU Fish Story

"You can only learn so much in the classroom, but here, we’re actually getting our hands dirty, says Professor Mark Belk."

BYU|College of Life Sciences

A New Look at Eye Care in Ghana

The nation of Ghana provides a free eye health program and even offers patients free transportation. There's only one problem: many patients never show up. Two BYU students looked at ways to encourage people to take advantage of the program.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Bringing It All Together

The end goal of a BYU education, James Lee says, is to give students chances to apply what they’ve learned. For him, that happened at the Simmons Center for Cancer Research.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Amazing Undergrad Studies How Your Brain Affects Your Marriage

Despite a schedule that includes balancing an aggressive course load in neuroscience, a double minor in psychology and theatre arts studies, managing a research lab and teaching a fine arts class at a boarding school for teenage boys with developmental disabilities, BYU neuroscience student Erin Kaseda still manages to conduct cutting-edge research that wins international awards.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Addiction Behind the Scenes

Opioid overdose kills more people every month in the state of Utah than car crashes or homicides. David Matthews, a neuroscience student, has made it his life goal to help people overcome addiction.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

The Heart of Mentoring

A team of healthcare professionals and BYU students traveled to Samoa to help children and families understand a deadly illness: rheumatic heart disease. Amid beautiful people and a tropical paradise, the students learned and taught lessons that forever changed their lives.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Outsmarting Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

MRSA is bad news; it’s a nasty bacterial infection and it can cause serious disease and death. Senior molecular biology major Jacob Hatch knows MRSA as the infection that took his dad’s leg. Now Hatch is exacting revenge on the bacteria.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Discovering the Benefits of Repeated Exercise

Working alongside BYU faculty mentors, Amanda Gier was part of a student team that discovered the role of the body's immune system in exercise recovery.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Of Muscles and Mentoring

Why do your muscles get sore after the first or second workout but not after the fourth or fifth? A group of BYU exercise science students set out to answer that question. Mentored by Professor Robert Hyldahl, student Amanda Gier suggested they look at the role of T-cells.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Student Discovery May Lead to Lower Doses of Chemotherapy

BYU chemists found a protein switch that activates resistance. The discovery opens the door for medications that will make tumors more sensitive to chemotherapy.

BYU|College of Life Sciences

Finally, the Miracles Mounted

From farming radishes to entering a doctorate program, Felix Jimenez scaled his Andes-like challenges with faith.