Welcome to the 2019 issue of the University of Utah’s Undergraduate Research Journal. Congratulations to the students who have published their important work here—the Undergraduate Research Journal collects and celebrates the contributions our undergraduate students from all over campus make to scholarship in their fields.

This journal would not be possible without the dedication of Cindy Greaves, who, along with Office of Undergraduate Research team members Stephanie Shiver, Katie Sexton and Megan Shannahan, works to make the Undergraduate Research Journal the high-quality publication that you are reading today.

I would, as always, like to acknowledge the dedication and support of the faculty mentors who are committed to providing high-quality research experiences for undergraduate students at the University of Utah. The work published here represents countless hours of mentoring on the part of my colleagues all over campus—thank you for all that you do.

Happy reading, all!

Sincerely,

Rachel Hayes-Harb
Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
Professor, Department of Linguistics