Congratulations to the 2026 University Research Day award winners! Read about the winning posters and presentations, or scroll down to watch a recording of the 2026 awards ceremony.
Oral Presentations
Best Oral Presentation, doctoral:
The Impact of Parenting Self-Efficacy on Child Involvement in Illness Management and Functioning in Families where a Child has a Medical Condition
- Mary Rose Yockel, College of Arts and Sciences (Psychology), Doctoral Student
Finalists, oral presentation, doctoral:
Piano Pedagogy for Neurodiverse Learners: Surveying Teacher Experiences, Addressing Resource Gaps (part 1), and Delineating Tailored Strategies for Students with ASD and ADHD (part 2)
- Junghee Son, College of Arts and Sciences (Music & Drama), Doctoral Student
Improving Pediatric Postoperative Pain Assessments: Evaluation of a Nursing Education Intervention on the Use of Age-Appropriate Pain Scales
- Grace Ciszewski, Conway School of Nursing, Doctoral Student
Best Oral Presentation, masters:
Civic Concrete: Preserving the Identity and Redefining the Purpose of the J. Edgar Hoover Building
- Haley Jackson, School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Master's Student
Finalists, oral presentation, masters:
An Analysis of Single-Phase and Multi-Phase Cine CTA for Deep Learning-Based Cardiac Structure Segmentation
- Andrew Heller, College of Engineering, Physics and Computing (Computer Science), Master's Student
An AI-Enbaled Framework for Risk Scoring in Healthcare
- Laura Trujillo, College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing (Computer Science), Master's Student
Best Oral Presentation, undergraduate:
Spasticity after Spinal Cord Injury: A Journey to the Solution
- Clare Tong, College of Engineering, Physics and Computing (Biomedical Engineering), Undergraduate Student
Finalists, oral presentation, undergraduates:
Printing Blood Vessels? Science Fiction or New Reality
- Nathan Ford, College of Engineering, Physics and Computing (Biomedical Engineering), Undergraduate Student
Saved by the Spray: How Naloxone Reverses Opioid Overdoses Examining the efficacy of Kids Out Loud: a summer treatment camp for youth with Selective mutism
- Elizabeth McGill, College of Arts and Sciences (Psychology), Undergraduate Student
Posters
Best Poster, doctoral
A Nurse-Driven Initiative to Improve Early Implementation and Documentation of Skin-to-Skin Contact in the NICU
- Amanda Svetz, Conway School of Nursing, Doctoral Student
Finalists, poster, doctoral:
The power of a personal relationship with God: An empirical examination of family environment, religiosity, and psychological adjustment in emerging adults
- Sr. Tintumol Joseph, College of Art and Sciences (Psychology), PhD Student
- Jennifer Meigs, College of Art and Sciences (Psychology), PhD Student
Best Poster, masters:
Tracing the Genealogy of Charisma and Its Role in Democratic Declines
- Trinity Johnson, College of Art and Sciences (Politics), Master's Student
Finalists, poster, masters:
Modeling the Stability of Irritability with Dynamical System Theory and Ecological Momentary Assessment
- Cayden Ante, School of Arts & Sciences (Psychology), Master's Student
Compact Form, Maximum Impact: Reimagining Urban Housing for People and the Planet with the Single Stair Typology
- Julia Renaghan, School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Master's Student
Best Poster, ungraduate:
2026 Student Steel Bridge Competition
- William Granci, College of Engineering, Physics, and Computing (Civil & Environmental Engineering), Undergraduate Student
Finalists, poster, undergraduate:
Qualitative Interviews Exploring Internal Factors Driving Suicidal Thoughts
- Elizabeth Beavers, College of Art and Sciences (Psychology), Undergraduate Student
- Meaghan McFarland, College of Art and Sciences (Chemistry), Undergraduate Student