Highlights from BYU colleges

Family Home and Social Sciences

• Fulton Conference winner Tiana Hoffmann recently completed research on the relationship between risky behavior in adolescents and the number of siblings they had. Hoffmann’s research showed that having a larger number of siblings made adolescents more likely to try sex or drugs at a younger age, but to begin smoking or drinking at an older age.

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology

• Industrial design student Hannah Lutz has found new opportunities through her Women in Engineering and Technology mentorship. Through the mentorship, Lutz works in the Compliant Mechanisms Research Lab, mainly creating lamp shades. Her work there has allowed her to develop and sell some of her own projects. The mentorship has also opened the door for Lutz’ involvement with several other projects in the Compliant Mechanisms Research Lab.

  

College of Humanities

• George Handley, Miranda Wilcox, Grant Lundberg and Katya Jordan will discuss “How to Survive and Thrive in the Humanities as an LDS Scholar” at a Humanities and Belief Panel discussion on June 27 at 7 p.m. in the JFSB. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich will speak on “My Journey as a Scholar of Faith” on June 28. Martha Peacock, Kristin Matthews, Jennifer Brown and Brandie Siegfried will discuss “Women of Faith, Women of the Academy: Challenges and Opportunities for Women Scholars” on June 29.

College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

• Chemistry professors Richard K. Watt and John C. Price recently helped create a faster and cheaper method for measuring hepcidin. Hepcidin is a hormone found in patients with chronic inflammation. The test for measuring it usually costs around $10 and takes 12 hours per sample. Using Price’s mass spectrometry method, the test costs $2 and takes two hours per sample.

  

  

  

•  Mathematics education professor Dawn Teuscher received a research grant from the National Science Foundation. Teuscher is now studying with professors from other universities how eighth grade teachers make curriculum choices. They are gathering data by observing eighth grade classrooms and interviewing participating teachers before and after lessons.

College of Nursing

• Nursing professor Jane H. Lassetter has been named the new associate dean for graduate studies and scholarly works and contribution to the discipline. Lassetter is an alumna of the nursing college and the president of the International Family Nursing Association. She will replace Mary Williams.
• Nursing professor Katreena Merrill was named associate dean for undergraduate studies. Merrill is an alumna of the nursing college. She was recently inducted into the National Academies of Practice and received the Dr. Elaine Dyer Research Endowment Award. Merrill will replace Kent Blad.
• Professor Patricia K. Ravert will continue to serve as nursing dean. Kathy A. Whitenight will also continue to serve as assistant dean.

  

J. Reuben Clark Law School

• A new legal design lab called LawX will launch Fall 2017. The lab will help students use design thinking to identify and solve complex legal problems. There will be a course corresponding to the lab for students to have an immersive experience similar to being in a start-up.

Campus News

• A group of BYU students recently took their video game to the Electronics Entertainment Expo. The Electronics Entertainment Expo is the largest showcase in the industry. The students designed their game, Nokbak, as part of a capstone project. Nokbak is an action game using a dinosaur persona as a shooter, but is not as violent or gory as many games of that type.