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Two Seawolves earn major academic award

TRACK & FIELD UAA Media Relations

Two Seawolves earn major academic award

ANCHORAGE – A pair of Seawolf student-athletes were among the three University of Alaska Anchorage students recently honored for their accomplishments in undergraduate research with prestigious NCMR Scholars awards.

Supported by UAA's Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, current cross country and track & field runner Alex West and former gymnast Meagan Byrne will both receive $10,000 scholarships from NCMR (National Consortium for Measurement and Signature Intelligence Research) to support tuition, book and living expenses.

Byrne, a three-time captain for the Seawolf gymnastics team, is researching “The Effects of the Loss of Fence Function between Lung Epithelial Cells Exposed to Cigarette Smoke,” supported by a UAA undergraduate research grant. The goal of her project is to determine the extent to which smoke from market-relevant cigarettes alters the fence function of tight junctions allowing the movement of proteins from the apical to the basal lateral side of the epithelial cell. She was also a recipient of an Alaska INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) summer fellowship.

The Arcadia, Calif., native was named to the 2010 Scholastic All-American Team by the National Association of Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches this July. Byrne is mentored by Cindy Knall, a biomedical program assistant professor.

West, a member of UAA's reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference and NCAA Div. II West Region champion cross country team, is researching “Hydro Powered Fish Disposal on the Russian River,” supported by a UAA undergraduate research grant. The goal of her project is to design a water-powered fish grinder along the Russian River to allow fishermen to dispose of the fish remains with ease instead of leaving them near the riverbank where the carcasses attract bears and increase dangerous encounters between the bears and fishermen. Grinding the carcasses and returning them to the river produce another important benefit: nutrients will remain in the ecosystem.

West has been named to the GNAC All-Academic teams in both cross country and track & field, and she currently holds the women's track team's highest overall GPA. The Soldotna (Skyview HS) native was also recently named to the University Honors College Student Advisory Board. She is mentored by Tom Ravens, a civil engineering professor.

Biological sciences major Mallory Givens was the third UAA student to receive the 2010 NCMR Scholars honor.

This is the second year in a row that three UAA students received the awards. Three is the maximum number that can be nominated by a school per year, so to have all six from UAA receive the award in the span of two years is especially impressive.


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Players Mentioned

Alex West

Alex West

MDIS
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Alex West

Alex West

5' 9"
Freshman
MDIS