November 7, 2026
Three Mayville State University students, Lexi Hoeft, Brooklyn Weiers, and Sienna Gudnason, participated in the North Dakota EPSCoR Annual Conference held October 19-20, 2026, at the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center in Minot, N.D. As participants in the Academic Year Research Experience (AYRE) Program through SPARK ND at Mayville State, they presented their research project, “Chickpea Starch-Alginate Films: A Sustainable Edible Packaging Alternative.”
The SPARK ND program at Mayville State is supported by the National Science Foundation ECORE project and led by Dr. Khwaja Hossain, Professor of Biology. The students conducted their research under the mentorship of Dr. Ozoude Chukwuebuka, gaining valuable hands-on experience in scientific inquiry and presentation while contributing to the exploration of sustainable packaging solutions.
Additional information about the AYRE Program is available at https://mayvillestate.vye.hutman.net/academics/spark-nd-mayville-state/academic-year-research-experiences/.