Biological Engineering Doctoral Student Represents USU at Department of Energy Training Program

A Utah State University engineering student attended a prestigious program at a national laboratory last summer.

Morgan Christensen, a second-year doctoral student in biological engineering and a USU Presidential Doctoral Research Fellow, was selected as one of only 24 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers nationwide to attend the Department of Energy Office of Science’s exclusive Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory Summer School at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.

The weeklong program in July focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning and their applications in biological and environmental research. Participants received intensive training on fundamentals, large language models and computational tools designed to accelerate scientific discovery.

“The questions that are being asked are becoming more crucial for improving life and current challenges in the world cannot be solved with previous solutions,” Christensen said. “Artificial intelligence and machine learning allow us the ability to declutter our data and find key factors that can be used to develop more accurate models and lead to an increase in discovery.”

This training built on the foundation Christensen gained in USU’s machine learning courses and allowed her to strengthen her skills even further.

“I’ve been able to apply what I learned to current projects, and it’s been crucial as I prepare for future projects,” she added.

Christensen’s selection crowns an impressive year of achievement. Earlier this summer, she played a leading role in the Bioindustrial Manufacturing Bootcamp — a three-day workshop for biotech high school teachers sponsored by the Utah STEM Action Center and BioMADE. Working alongside three undergraduate students, she helped develop and lead hands-on activities that guided teachers in building and testing mini bioreactor systems for classroom use.

“The activities we developed for high school teachers and students help provide them with an opportunity to gain experience working with and being exposed to biotechnology,” Christensen said. “We need more people in the field, and this is a way to help excite and inspire people. I hope that it helps students realize that there is more to biotechnology than just biology or just math or just programming.”

Christensen is a doctoral researcher in Professor Anhong Zhou’s laboratory, where she studies how environmental stressors affect biological systems and develops methods to improve understanding and intervention. She is currently preparing a manuscript that explores how salinity impacts different types of closely related wheat. Using machine learning and Raman spectroscopy — a technique that reveals a material’s chemical makeup — her research aims to uncover how salt stress influences the plants at a molecular level.

In addition to her research, Christensen mentors undergraduate researchers in the Department of Biological Engineering, guiding them through the process of applying for the Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities grant program.

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory is a Department of Energy Office of Science user facility dedicated to advancing biological and environmental research at the molecular level. Since opening on Oct. 1, 1997, the lab has provided researchers with state-of-the-art facilities, advanced computing resources, and world-class instrumentation to support fundamental scientific discovery. The laboratory is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research program.