Blake Laursen Participates in Buena Vista University's Twelfth Annual Scholars Day

2016 May 6

Buena Vista University's (BVU) twelfth annual Scholars Day was held Friday, April 22. The event provided students from all disciplines an opportunity to present their best presentations, original research, academic posters, artistic creations and performances to their peers, professors and the public.

This year's Scholars Day event featured 38 presentations from 66 students, exploring topics from literature and business to science and history.

Blake Laursen , a senior biology major from Lakeside, was one of the students who participated. Laursen 's presentation was titled Do anti-parasitics administered during pregnancy affect the prenatal brain development of mouse pups?, and the project's abstract is as follows:

Ivermectin is a medication that is effective against many types of parasites for both humans and animals, however, the effects on infants when administered during pregnancy is relatively unknown. Previous results at BVU have indicated a possible lethal threshold for Ivermectin treatment. In this experiment, pregnant C57BL6/J mice were injected with 0.25ml/kgof Ivermectin diluted inDMSO or DMSO alone from embryonic days 12-17. On embryonic days 17-18, the pups were taken via cesarean section and their brains collected. The pups were taken before birth due to previous research indicating possible pregnancy loss. Body weight and brain weight were measured. The brains were then sliced at 60microns in thickness using a vibrating microtome and stained using nissl staining technique. Early data demonstrates that 0.25 ml/kg is not a lethal dose through embryonic day 17 and the experimental group showed a decrease in brain weight. It is expected to see a decrease in brain size or overall neuron number in the treated animals. Overall, more studies should be done to determine the lethality of the medication during pregnancy and what particular brain regions are affected in offspring.

The keynote speaker for the event was Grant Gerlock, BVU Class of 2004, who is a Harvest Public Media reporter at NET News. Gerlock is recognized as a great storyteller and has visited coal plants, dairy farms, horse tracks and hospitals to cover a variety of stories.

"The students put so much into their research-time, effort, resources-that it becomes a part of them," said Dr. Steven Mills, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the events committee who organized the event. "As they give their presentations and share their knowledge with the audience, their countenance brightens, their confidence rises and their eyes light up. What has become a part of their identity flows out with energy and enthusiasm; they feel like they have truly succeeded, and this success can be valuable to others, as well. I have seen every student walk away with a firmer step and a deeper desire to turn his or her academic work into something more."

A photo gallery from the Scholars Day event is available at www.bvu.edu/scholarsday.