The summer is ending and there is ton to reflect on, and to begin - I would like to congratulate all the undergraduates who participated in research here at the University of Utah this summer. The Office of Undergraduate Research Undergraduate Research Symposium featured many of the projects with nearly 300 undergraduate researchers presenting their research with faculty from across the disciplines; these students represented 92 different institutions from across the US. The event was transformative - from an opening ensemble with a welcome song led by Haumana `O Pasifika, followed by poster presentations. And a closing announcement of poster prize winners! Congratulations to the following poster prize winners:
Overall Best Poster
Sydney Letterman
Medicine
Jacob Marlor - Best Poster
Cooper Ford - Honorable mention
Jason Bao - Honorable mention
STEM
Evan Hilton - Best Poster
Minh Vy - Honorable mention
Kate Anderson - Honorable mention
Social Sciences, Humanities & Fine Arts
Violet Mulligan - Best Poster
Theo Davis - Honorable mention
Murron McDonald - Honorable mention
Every year the Office of Undergraduate Research publishes an annual report to reflect on the previous year. And without a doubt, 2025 - 2026, represents another year of growth and high engagement with undergraduate research here at the University of Utah. This work is a collective effort - the team of OUR could not do our work without our campus partners: from campus leadership, to faculty, to staff, to students. We are a success, because of our collective engagement with undergraduate research here at the University of Utah.
Here are some of the highlights from this past year:
665 Students Funded
182 Undergraduate Research Scholar Designee Recipients
428 Publications in the OUR Journal: RANGE: Undergraduate Research Journal
1,393 Undergraduate Research Presenters
1,032 Mentors
556 Students Advised with Research Advising
7,317 Attendees at the Education Series
526K Outreached to on Social Media and in-person
To read more about this past year in review, visit this link https://our.utah.edu/success.
Research matters: Undergraduates who participate in research are more likely to be world-ready with critical skills, critical thinking, and the development of a professional network, making them ready for life, and ready for their post-graduation steps - the workforce or graduate school.
On behalf of the Offices of Undergraduate Studies, thank you to everyone who commits to making undergraduates central to the research enterprise.
Annie Isabel Fukushima, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
