Thank you to all of the students who participated in the 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium and to all the research mentors, staff, faculty, family, and friends who supported the event! The Office of Undergraduate Research is proud to showcase the awards for outstanding presentations and honorable mentions below:

Poster Presentations

Outstanding Poster Presentations

Access, Presence, and Protection: A Security Framework for Live Transcription in Higher Education
Shaan-Om Patel, Junior, Computer Science, ENG
Rishabh Gaur, Junior, CS + Economics, LAS
Aarav Agarwal, Junior, Mathematics & Computer Science, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Lawrence Angrave, Siebel School of Computing & Data Science)

Analyzing Click Beetle Movement
Avanthi Obadage, Senior, Mechanical Engineering, ENG
(Research Mentor(s): Liyuan Zhang, Mechanical Science & Engineering & Marianne Alleyne, Entomology & Mechanical Science & Engineering)

Artificial Incompetence: AI’s Failures in Interpreting Graphs
Ava Graczyk, Freshman, Learning & Education Studies, EDU
Madeline Hunt, Senior, Psychology, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): V.N. Vimal Rao, Statistics)

Attorney Approaches to Supporting Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence in the Family Court System
Samantha Serpico, Senior, Human Development & Family Studies, ACES
(Research Mentor(s): Jen Hardesty, Human Development & Family Studies & Emily Charvat, Human Development & Family Studies)

Breaking the Asparagine Cycle: CRISPR Knockout of L-Asparaginase in Century-Selected Maize
Addison Lundstrom, Freshman, Business Undeclared, BUS
(Research Mentor(s): Thomas Pierre Marie Bultez, Crop Sciences)

Challenging Students to Think for Themselves
Madison King, Sophomore, Psychology, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): V.N. Vimal Rao, Statistics & Emily Buhnerkempe, University High School)

Design of a Scaled Planar Inverted Pendulum Testbed
Ben Guo, Senior, Mechanical Engineering, ENG
(Research Mentor(s): Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, Mechanical Science & Engineering & Tianyi Han, Mechanical Science & Engineering)

Developing a Framework for Additive Manufacturing of Ultra High-Temperature Ceramics
Kyle Camden, Junior, Aerospace Engineering, ENG
(Research Mentor(s): Ioannis Chasiotis, Aerospace Engineering & Sean Lee, Aerospace Engineering)

Empowering Families Beyond Survival: Distinguishing Conditional vs Unconditional Cash Supports in Child Welfare
Rachel Phillips, Senior, Social Work, SSW
Maritza Vazquez, Senior, Social Work, SSW
(Research Mentor(s): Alexis Krones, Social Work & William Schneider, Social Work)

Exploring 75 Years of Book Reviews from The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Marshall Warner, Senior, Information Sciences + Data Science, SIS
(Research Mentor(s): Suzan Alteri, School of Information Science & Glen Layne-Worthey, School of Information Science)

Exploring Conversations on Agentic AI: Insights from AI-Focused Subreddits
Phillip Nakamura, Senior, Computer Science, ENG
(Research Mentor(s): Muhammad Hassan, School of Information Sciences & Mubarak Raji, School of Information Sciences)

Finding Value in RTutor: Student-Centered Design of AI Tools in Statistics Classrooms
Pavitra Shankar, Sophomore, Brain & Cognitive Science & Information Sciences, LAS & SIS
(Research Mentor(s): V.N. Vimal Rao, Statistics)

Have a Brief Chat: Examining the Acceptance and Efficacy of Motivational Interviewing Chatbots (MintBot) on Prompting Healthy Choices Over Time
Sarah Wheeler, Junior, Information Sciences + Data Science, SIS
(Research Mentor(s): Jessie Chin, School of Information Sciences)

Help-Seeking Behaviors for Gender-Based Violence among College Students at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Izzy Schwartz, Junior, Social Work, SSW
Brooke Swaback, Senior, Psychology, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Rachel Garthe, Social Work & Apoorva Nag, Social Work)

Impacts of Long-Range Wildfire Smoke Transport on PM₂.₅ Concentrations and Surface Air Quality in Illinois
Cate Stocki, Senior, Atmospheric Sciences, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Nicole Riemer, Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences)

Literacy Education and Initiatives: A Case Study of Two Illinois Elementary Schools
Audrey Armour, Freshman, Elementary Education, EDU
(Research Mentor(s): Adam Poetzel, Curriculum & Instruction)

Preliminary Study of Environmental Risk Perceptions in Family Childcare Homes
Lilly Dinkov, Junior, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, AHS
(Research Mentor(s): Sheena Martenies, Health & Kinesiology)

Reflecting on the Impact of the Digital Navigators Program on Marginalized Communities in East Central Illinois
Lara Terpetschnig, Senior, Information Sciences + Data Science, SIS
Jennifer Ruiz, Junior, Information Sciences, SIS
(Research Mentor(s): Anita Chan, School of Information Sciences)

Reversible Protein Surface Modification to Improve Cytosolic Delivery of Proteins
Stacy Mok, Junior, Chemistry, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Joomyung (Vicky) Jun, Chemistry & Mahima Rana, Chemistry)

They Want to Go Home: Ghana’s Kayayei
Adelyn Mui, Senior, Journalism, COM
Prayse Odomes, Senior, Journalism, COM
Samuel Rink, Junior, Journalism, COM
Samuel Yohnka, Junior, Journalism, COM
Kaitlyn Devitt, Senior, Journalism, COM
(Research Mentor(s): Alison Davis, Journalism & Charles Ledford, Journalism)

Time-of-use Preference in Household EV Charging in Austin, Texas
Jennifer Ruiz, Junior, Information Sciences, SIS
(Research Mentor(s): Wencheng Bao, Civil & Environmental Engineering)

Understanding the Clinical Experiences of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence Survivors in Illinois
Addysen Feng, Sophomore, Molecular & Cellular Biology, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): TJ Webb, College of Medicine Rockford & Yovia Xu, College of Medicine Rockford)

Visualizing Trends in The University of Illinois’s Average GPA using Subject Clusters
Isha Tyagi, Freshman, CS + Education, EDU
(Research Mentor(s): Wade Fagen-Ulmschneider, Siebel School for Computing & Data Science)

Honorable Mentions – Poster Presentations

Consumer Perceptions of Reduced- or Low-Sugar and Sodium Product Labels
Ethan Delk, Senior, Food Science, ACES
Tassia Thompson, Senior, Food Science, ACES
(Research Mentor(s): Damir Torrico, Food Science & Human Nutrition)

Dietary Fiber and its Effects on Cancer-Induced Gastrointestinal and Sickness-like Symptoms
William Green, Senior, Molecular & Cellular Biology, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Brett Loman, Animal Sciences)

Early Gesture Use in Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome: A Comparative Analysis
Elise Lavaty, Junior, Speech & Hearing Science, AHS
(Research Mentor(s): Laura Mattie, Speech & Hearing Science & Daniela Fanta, Speech & Hearing Science)

Effects of Chronic Exposure to Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) and Diisononyl Phthalate (DiNP) on the Colon of Female Mice
Dhruthi Daggubati, Junior, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, AHS
(Research Mentor(s): Angel Martinez, Animal Sciences & Romana Nowak, Animal Sciences)

Embodied Reactions: Exploring SN1, SN2, E1 and E2 Reactions Through Dance
Jasmine O’Connor, Senior, Chemistry, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Curtis (Kemal) Nance, Dance)

Exploring the Effects of Fitness Influencers on Subjective Well Being of College Women with Diagnosed Mental Illnesses
Samantha Katz, Freshman, Undeclared, EXP
(Research Mentor(s): Olivia Crickman, Recreation, Sport & Tourism)

Historical areas of Hybridization in Two Striped Emerald Dragonfly Species
Joseph Caya, Junior, Geography & Geographic Information Science, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Aaron Goodman, Entomology)

Organizational Support, Supervisor Support, and Partner Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Stress
Brynn Arnott, Junior, Human Development & Family Studies, ACES
(Research Mentor(s): Iris Yili Wang, Human Development & Family Studies & Karen Kramer, Human Development & Family Studies)

RockFACE: The Impacts of Crushed Basalt and Elevated CO2 on Agricultural Soils
Jane Fornes, Senior, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, ACES
(Research Mentor(s): Lisa Ainsworth, Plant Biology)

The Effects of Exercise on Astrocytic Contractility in the Mouse Hilus
Joseph Ritchie, Senior, Neuroscience, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Justin Rhodes, Psychology & Ilber Manavbasi, Psychology)

Valorization of a Dairy Waste Stream into the Rare Sugar Tagatose via Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Eric Fan, Senior, Food Science, ACES
(Research Mentor(s): Degaulle Dai, Food Science & Human Nutrition & Yong-Su Jin, Food Science & Human Nutrition)

Variety and Craft on Motor and Mental Development
Tessa Wilebski, Junior, Art Education, FAA
Sophia Dubravec, Senior, Art Education, FAA
Colleen Dahl, Junior, Studio Art, FAA
Chloe Evans, Junior, Art Education, FAA
(Research Mentor(s): Jennifer Bergmark, Art & Design)

Oral Presentations & Performances

Outstanding Oral Presentations & Performances

AI Health Chatbots and Digital Health Inequities: Evidence of Immigration Status and Language Bias in Sexual Health Information
Debora Kim, Senior, Social Work, SSW
(Research Mentor(s): Moses Okumu, Social Work)

Analyzing IoT Challenges Across Categories: Insights from GitHub
Nicholas Yeung, Senior, Information Sciences, SIS
Uzair Siddiqui, Sophomore, Computer Science, ENG
(Research Mentor(s): Muhammad Hassan, School of Information Sciences)

Colonic Longitudinal Muscle Thickness within Mice is Sexually Dimorphic which has Implications for Intestinal Motility
Briana Bernath, Sophomore, Animal Sciences, ACES
(Research Mentor(s): Brett Loman, Animal Sciences & Ben Levine, Nutritional Sciences)

Data-Compute Asymmetry in LLM Training: Quantifying the Impacts of Data Scarcity for Low-Resource African Languages
Samuel Wu, Junior, Statistics, LAS
Saathveek Gowrishankar, Senior, Computer Engineering, ENG
(Research Mentor(s): Haileleol Tibebu, School of Information Sciences)

Empathic Innovation: Co-Designing Assistive Technology with the (dis)Ability Design Studio
Baoxu Liang, Junior, Graphic Design, FAA
Emma Morley, Senior, Industrial Design, FAA
Hailey Smith, Senior, Industrial Design, FAA
Niveditha Iyengar, Senior, Industrial Design, FAA
Zoe Niezyniecki, Senior, Industrial Design, FAA
(Research Mentor(s): Deana McDonagh, Industrial Design & Susann Heft Sears, Health & Kinesiology)

Exploring Creative Avenues of Dance and Poetry to Analyze the Prevalence of Gender-Based Violence on College Campuses.
Samyukta Ananthanarayan, Senior, Social Work, SSW
(Research Mentor(s): Rachel Garthe, Social Work)

IGlobal Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions and Adaptation of Digital Literacy Strategies in Online Multicultural Teaching and Learning Environments
Jiayi Zhong, Junior, Nondegree, EDU
Chi Wai Tong, Junior, Nondegree, EDU
Pamela Olivia Bunyamin, Junior, Nondegree, EDU
Yixi Yuan, Junior, Nondegree, EDU
(Research Mentor(s): Martin Lehrer, Curriculum & Instruction)

Is Methamphetamine a More Potent Reinforcer than Amphetamine? A Preclinical Evaluation of a Potential Drug Myth
Jonny Elliott, Senior, Psychology, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Joshua Gulley, Psychology)

Reproducing Gender: Fertility, Sexuality, and Community Expectations in African Societies
Christiana Pembele, Junior, Sociology, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Nic Flores, Latina/Latino Studies)

Honorable Mentions – Oral Presentations & Performances

ADGRB2 Protein Expression in Red Fox Prefrontal Cortex Synaptosomes
Ellie Moulton, Senior, Animal Sciences, ACES
(Research Mentor(s): Anna Kukekova, Agricultural & Consumer Economics & Austin Coulter, Agricultural & Consumer Economics)

Complicating the Cold War University and Anti-War Activism at the University of Illinois
Noah Yeager, Senior, History, LAS
(Research Mentor(s): Marsha Barrett, History)

Transformative Knowledge: Exploring the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Inflection Points in the Lives of the Formerly Incarcerated
Ashwathi Nair, Senior, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, AHS
(Research Mentor(s): Ruby Mendenhall, Sociology)

Exhibits

Outstanding Exhibits

Design and Demonstration of a Human-Scale Model for Multifunctional Structures in Attitude Control (MSAC)
Itish Jaiswal, Sophomore, Systems Engineering & Design, ENG
Reid Wollen, Senior, Systems Engineering & Design, ENG
Sameer Iyengar, Senior, Systems Engineering & Design, ENG
(Research Mentor(s): James Allison, Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering & Abbas Bataleblu, Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering)

Replacing the Custom Bucket: A Modular, Adjustable Seat for Adaptive Athletes
Joshua Anderson, Senior, Mechanical Engineering, ENG
(Research Mentor(s): Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, Mechanical Science & Engineering)

2026 URS Awards

Sponsored Awards

Gies Business Research Award