We are nearing graduation! As we look ahead to the future we also are celebrating student success. This newsletter includes an opportunity for students to apply to work with the office, the Awards Ceremony, the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and more. 

Reminders for funded students:

Can you believe the last day of spring classes is April 23rd?  

All scholars should have received an email about this - check your in-box or query our@utah.edu with questions. 

Thank you for those who were able to join the Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Ceremony, held on April 1st. In partnership with campus leaders, faculty, students and staff, we celebrated cutting edge research through recognition.

View the recording of the Awards Ceremony here. 

Check out this great article on the Awards Ceremony from the Vice President of Research's office.

Congratulations to the following Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher awardees: 

College of Architecture & Planning

Tae Eun Ko (Mentor: Professor Andy Hong)

College of Cultural & Social Transformation

Jorge Jimenez (Mentor: Professor Edmond Fong)

College of Education

Michael Molenaar (Mentor: Professor Frankie Laanan and Jason Burrow-Sanchez)

College of Engineering

Ethan Gallup (Mentors: Professors Kody Powell)

Andrew Tolton (Mentor: Professor Zlatan Aksamija)

College of Fine Arts

Alix Wright (Mentor: Professor Mosses Williams) 

College of Health

Maren Curtis (Mentor: Professor Adriana M Coletta)

Honors College

Nehal Bakshi

School of Medicine

Alejandra Michelle Huerta Hernandez (Mentor: Professor Jennie Hill) 

College of Mines & Earth Sciences

Autumn Hartley (Mentor: Professor Sarah Lambart)

College of Nursing

Michaella Halweg (Mentor: Professor Rebekah Perkins) 

College of Pharmacy

Kylee McManus (Mentor: Professor Shreya Goel)

College of Science

Dua Azhar (Mentor: Professor Sophie Caron)

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences

Andrew Clothier (Mentor: Professor Tabitha Benney)

Haley Parsons (Mentor: Professor Katie Baucom)

College of Social Work

Xochitl Juarez (Mentor: Professor Theresa Martinez)

Congratulations to the following Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor awardees:   

College of Architecture & Planning
Andy Hong, Ph.D  

College of Cultural & Social Transformation 
Lisa Diamond, Ph.D 

College of Education
Lauren Liang, Ph.D 

College of Engineering
Jacob George, Ph.D 

College of Fine Arts
Hubbel Palmer 

College of Health
Will Holland, Ph.D 

College of Humanities
Maureen Mathison, Ph.D 

School of Medicine
Melissa Watt, Ph.D 
 

College of Mines & Earth Sciences
Sarah Lambart, Ph.D 

College of Nursing
Sara Simonsen, Ph.D 

College of Pharmacy
Hamid Ghandehari, Ph.D 

College of Science
Sophie Caron, Ph.D 

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
Shane Macfarlan, Ph.D 

College of Social Work
Lindsay Gezinski, Ph.D

Congratulations to Monson Prize Essay Winner: Pablo Cruz-Ayala

Every spring, the Office of Undergraduate Research organizes the Undergraduate Research Spring Symposia, premiering the best of undergraduate research at the University of Utah. This year’s symposium, held on April 9th, included nearly 300 undergraduate researchers presenting their research in a variety of fields and disciplines from the creative and performing arts, humanities, health and medicine, STEM, and social sciences. Our office is grateful to the 90 reviewers who assisted in evaluating the undergraduate researcher projects, faculty mentors who mentor students, and the researchers from the 18 colleges.

You can view a recap of the event here, and those interested can view the research presentations by clicking here.  A searchable PDF of the program can also be downloaded on Press Books. 

This semester we also were able to award poster prizes because of our generous symposium bronze sponsors Mascoff Brennan and Northrup Grumman. Each prize winner will receive a prize check and have their poster displayed in the Marriott Library Level 1 classroom hallway, adjacent to the library café.

Thank you also to the following poster prize committee members: Associate Dean Annie Isabel Fukushima (Undergraduate Studies and Office of Undergraduate Research), Associate Dean Joel Thornton (Marriott Library), Creativity & Innovation Services Head Greg Hatch (Marriott Library), Associate Librarian Shane Wallace (Marriott Library), Program Manager Shelly Parker (Office of Undergraduate Research), Academic Program Coordinator Angie Levia (Office of Undergraduate Research), and Academic Program Coordinator Jennifer Santiago (Office of Undergraduate Research).  

Congratulations to the following Spring 2024 poster prize winners: 

Best Overall Poster  

Aksel Anderson, College of Engineering, (Mentor: Rob MacLeod) Three-Dimensional Mapping of Coronary Vasculature Geometries  

Best in STEM  

Clista Galecki, College of Science, (Mentor: Joel Harris) Raman Spectroscopy Characterization of Antibody-ligand Association at Supported Phospholipid Bilayers  

Alexandra Glatz, Jennifer Kim, & CJ Reid, College of Science, (Mentor: Ashlie Kinross) The Great Decaffeination: A Comparative Study on Removing and Quantifying Caffeine from Coffee Beans (Mentor: Ashlie Kinross) 

Best in Humanities and Fine Arts  

Lex Putnam, College of Humanities, (Mentor: Aniello De Santo) Pre-Study Considerations:  Quantifying Novel Slur Formation Through Textual Media Analysis   

Leslie Rodriguez, School of Cultural & Social Transformation, (Mentor: Elizabeth Archuleta) Uncovering the Red Face Palm - A Decolonial Lens on MMIW (Murdered,Missing, Indigenous Women) 

Best in Wellness, Health and Medicine 

Anika D’Souza, School of Medicine, (Mentor:  Donna Cross) Investigating the Effects of Microtubule-Stabilizing Treatment on Memory and Potentially Related Anxiety in Alzheimer’s Transgenic Mice  

Chrizelle Ransom, College of Social & Behavioral Science, (Mentor: Marissa Diener) “Will They Listen to Us?” Midwives’ Perceptions of Policy Issues Relevant to their Work in Kenya  

Best in Social Sciences 

Auriana Dunn, College of Social & Behavioral Science, (Mentor: Kathryn Sokolowski, Graduate Student) Man’s best friend: Comparative osteology of Canidae species and remains at Nawthis Village, Utah  

Haley Parsons, College of Social & Behavioral Science, (Mentor: Katherine Baucom) Investigating Adaptations Made by Lifestyle Coaches: An Implementation  Study on Delivering the National DPP to Latine Adults   

Honorable Mention:  Benjamin Creer, College of Social & Behavioral Science, (Mentor: Cynthia Berg)  Self-control of Adults with Type 1 Diabetes and Their Perceptions of Partner Support  

Best in Societal Impact  

Sophia Peralta, School of Medicine, (Mentor: Josh Bonkowsky) Advancements in Gene Therapy Approaches for Treating Vanishing White Matter Disease -  

Best Citations & Literature Review  

Austin Bender, School of Medicine, (Mentor: Gregory Ducker) The Role of Ornithine, Polyamines, and Amino Acid Accumulation in the Growth of Melanoma  

Best Innovative Introduction

Savannah McDaniel, College of Humanities, (Mentor: Lisa Swanstrom) Creature Comforts: Domesticity and Domestication in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas  

Best Use of Poster Visuals

Joey Lee, College of Engineering, (Mentor:  Alex Novoselov) Direct Numerical Simulation of Flame Propagation in Hydrogen and Ammonia Mixtures   

Jury Prize for Best Visual Narrative

Mickayla Koday, College of Fine Arts, (Mentor: Maureen O’Hara Ure)  SYZYGY: An Eclipse of the Self  

Get support with applications for research funding! Drop into Funding Fridays with materials, questions, or ideas.

Working with human subjects? Need support on where to start? 

IRB Lab is here for you.