Posted February 28, 2025 by Tiffany Lee
In case you missed these stories highlighting research and creative activity at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Office of Research and Innovation’s communications team has compiled a roundup of some top research stories from research.unl.edu and other sources.
Husker engineers work to commercialize wearable health monitoring device
Who: Mona Bavarian, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering; Alyssa Grube, graduate student in chemical and biomolecular engineering
What: By participating in the prestigious National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program, Bavarian and Grube are another step closer to commercializing a wearable monitoring device that could streamline the day-to-day work of medical professionals and boost the mobility of various patient populations. Through the program, the researchers conducted 100 customer discovery interviews – conversations with prospective customers and stakeholders focused on their needs and challenges. Information gleaned from these interviews will help the researchers refine their design for a flexible wristband that would continuously monitor vital signs during surgical procedures. The device would be powered in part by a wool-based supercapacitor developed by Grube. The team believes the technology could help patients who need comfortable, unobtrusive devices, as well as those who would benefit from enhanced mobility.
“We really hope we will be able to bring some customized technologies for specific groups of people based on their needs,” Bavarian said. “We are currently trying to understand these specific needs — especially sensory issues of some patients and the specific needs in the NICU.”
Writer: Tiffany Lee, Office of Research and Innovation
Husker team’s discovery could be key to sustainable bioenergy
Who: Karrie Weber, professor of biological sciences and Earth and atmospheric sciences; Nicole Fiore, lecturer and former graduate student in biological sciences
What: Weber and Fiore led a team that produced one of the first studies to show that methanogens – microorganisms ubiquitous in low-oxygen environments – can propel their growth by consuming hydrogen and dissolving calcium carbonate, one of Earth’s most abundant minerals. This metabolic process produces methane, which is both a biofuel and a potent greenhouse gas. The study paints a clearer picture of carbon flow through the environment and provides key information for the development of bioenergy sources. A next step is determining the extent to which these microbial processes may impact subsurface hydrogen reservoirs – a potential source of clean fuel – and whether the methane produced by methanogens can be harnessed as an alternative natural gas.
“This is local research with global significance,” Weber said.
Writer: Tiffany Lee, Office of Research and Innovation
Micro-irrigation work boosts Nebraska economic development, food security
Who: Saleh Taghvaeian, associate professor of biological systems engineering
What: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has awarded a $260,000 grant to the Department of Biological Systems Engineering to strengthen small-scale irrigation in Nebraska, with the broader goal of boosting small business development, promoting urban agriculture and increasing underserved communities’ access to nutritious food. Small-scale irrigation refers to irrigation systems used for smaller operations – usually run by an individual farmer, a family or a small community. The funding will enable Nebraska’s small-scale irrigators to research the best options to improve efficiency of their low-volume, low-pressure water application structures. Improving these systems could help alleviate food insecurity in Nebraska communities and strengthen farming in urban areas through programs like City Sprouts, a community garden and urban farm in Omaha.
“We can go to these food desert areas, and these small-scale productions can significantly enhance nutritional diversity and nutritional quality,” said Taghvaeian, who leads the research.
Writer: Geitner Simmons, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Researchers explore purchasing organizations to reduce health care costs
Who: Alok Kumar, professor of marketing; Amit Saini, W.W. Marshall College Professor of marketing
What: Kumar and Saini published an article in the Journal of Marketing exploring how group purchasing organizations, or GPOs, can enhance supply chain efficiency and reduce patient care costs. GPOs help health care providers realize savings by aggregating purchases and negotiating discounts with manufacturers and distributors. The Husker team analyzed how hospitals can leverage the interplay between their supplier and GPOs to boost the hospitals’ supply chain performance. They found that GPOs are beneficial to health providers – but the extent of that success depends on multiple factors. Saini said the paper is the first in the marketing field to comprehensively analyze the governance role of organizational collectives like GPOs using empirical data, which is relevant given the current political and social landscape.
“The cost of medical care is a long-standing issue in the U.S.,” Kumar said. “In fact, recent news reports depict how this cost generates patient anxiety, distrust and even violence toward health care providers and institutions. Against this background, our work contributes to the discussion of how hospitals can contain and reduce the costs of patient care.”
Writer: College of Business
Husker scientist illuminates species’ ability to glow
Who: Rene Martin, assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources
What: Martin is lead author of a study published in Royal Society Open Science that provided evidence of biofluorescence in birds-of-paradise, the tropical birds native to Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea. The team was the first to explore whether these birds use biofluorescence, which is the ability of living things to absorb high-energy wavelengths of light and re-emit them as lower energy wavelengths, resulting in a visual glowing effect. Martin investigated specimens at the American Museum of Natural History using black lights, UV lights, a spectrophotometer and filter glasses and found evidence of biofluorescence in 37 of 45 birds-of-paradise species. The research has been featured in dozens of outlets, including major publications like Forbes, Smithsonian Magazine, the Guardian and The New York Times.
“I think people like flashy things, and that’s what a bird-of-paradise is, and now we know they’re also glowing,” Martin said. “As more of these studies come out, often due the availability of more advanced technology, I think we’re going to find out (bioluminescence or biofluorescence) is more prevalent than we thought.”
Writer: Deann Gayman, University Communication and Marketing
Oral history project captures Niobrara’s resilience
Who: Raquel Taylor, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication; Lina Bauer and Harley Stark, college-age residents of Niobrara, Nebraska
What: As part of a grant from the National Science Foundation and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, three UNL units – Rural Prosperity Nebraska, ALEC and the School of Natural Resources – are teaming up with Oklahoma State and Louisiana State universities to study community resilience amid natural disasters. The Nebraska team captured firsthand accounts from residents of Niobrara – which, since its founding nearly 175 years ago, has flooded four times, lost multiple bridges and moved twice – about how they survived disasters and why they remain in the area. Taylor led the effort, recruiting Bauer and Stark to conduct interviews of Niobrara residents. The team collected 23 histories that will be transcribed and archived and continues to solicit historical information from residents via written surveys.
“One of the words that was most common that people used was ‘grit,’” Bauer said. “I guess you could say everybody helped everybody. There was no, ‘My stuff comes before your stuff.’ Everybody just helped everybody. It’s nice to know that our community is so together.”
Writer: Russell Shaffer, Rural Prosperity Nebraska
Nebraska team shows how simple data can reduce portions, food waste
Who: Christopher Gustafson, professor of agricultural economics; Simanti Banerjee, professor of agricultural economics; Hanin Hosni, a postdoctoral researcher who earned her doctorate at Nebraska
What: The Nebraska research team published an article in Food Quality and Preference exploring how introducing information regarding large portion sizes and their effects on health and the environment can influence consumer behavior when choosing between a small and large sandwich. The researchers found that when participants were presented with infographics highlighting the benefits of smaller portion sizes, their preferences shifted toward the pared-down serving. The results were more pronounced when the information was provided sequentially rather than simultaneously, suggesting that judgment progresses incrementally or that sequential information may reduce memory load. The results could inform policies focused on healthy food choices, though such change may require cooperation with the food industry.
“These results underscore the potential for information to strengthen consumer preferences for smaller portion sizes, which previous studies have identified as critical for addressing obesity and food waste,” the researchers wrote in the study.
Writer: Deann Gayman, University Communication and Marketing
University partnerships working toward safer schools in Nebraska
Who: University of Nebraska Public Policy Center
What: The Public Policy Center works with partners statewide to address critical challenges in school safety, student mental health and emergency preparedness. With an eye toward holistically improving school safety, center researchers collaborate to provide behavioral threat assessment and management training; promote mental health awareness, including providing “psychological first aid;” support Nebraska schools’ emergency preparedness; and equip school personnel to identify suicide warning signs and support at-risk students. These efforts showcase the Public Policy Center’s integral role in promoting school safety in Nebraska by connecting research, practice and policy.
“We need to take a holistic approach to school safety,” said center director Mario Scalora. “It’s not just about preventing shootings. It’s about providing tools to support students and staff across a broad array of challenges.”
Writer: Stacie Kotschwar, University of Nebraska Public Policy Center
