Melkisedec Hernandez presents the research that he conducted alongside Dr. Erin Parcel on gun violence. Voices of Gun Violence is a living archive of stories of gun violence that affect individuals, families and communities. This academic and community collaboration seeks to share stories to promote healing, understanding and community action. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Geoscience researcher Anna Sniadach presents her research project, "Assessing Methods for Analyzing Total Dissolved Solids: Looking into Water Samples from the Root River in Racine County, WI." (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Over 250 undergraduate students presented at UWM's 15th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the UWM Student Union. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Psychology majors Sophia Santiago-Fodor (left) and Kayla Jackson (right) speak about their research, "Development of a Fidelity Monitoring System for a Psychosocial Intervention." (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Fridarose Hamad, a public health student, explains her research “Lessons from the Midwest Youth Wellness Initiative on Technology,” to a UWM alum and judge. The research focuses on high-school-aged students regarding mental health and how it relates to technology in their lives. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Nigel Rothfels, the founding director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and acting dean of the College of Letters & Science, kicks off the award ceremony. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Mark Harris, vice provost for research, presents the mentor of the year award to Shannon Freire, visiting assistant professor of anthropology. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Bo Malames of psychology is the first to be announced for the Outstanding Presentation Award for her research, “Neighborhood Threat on Academic Achievement in Adolescents.” (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Alex Nelson of nursing receives his ribbon. Nelson won Outstanding Presentation for his research on “Perspectives on E-Cigarette Cessation among Young Adults Residing in Rural Areas.” (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
All of the Outstanding Presentation Award winners pose for a group shot after the ceremony. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
Kyla Esguerra (second from right), interim director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, poses for a photo with a group of awardees that include Alexia Castillo (from left), Rachel Kuehn and Florin Saitis. These three students are all part of the new partnership program with Medical College of Wisconsin and work in the MCW Cancer Center labs. All three students will be continuing their research at the cancer labs throughout the summer. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)
UWM’s annual undergraduate research symposium celebrates the collaborations of undergraduate students with research-active faculty and staff across all of our schools and colleges. Students from a wide variety of schools and colleges presented their findings April 28 in posters, art and oral presentations.
The judges do not know the topics that they are evaluating beforehand in order to see how well the students can explain their research to someone outside of their departments. These presentations were judged by faculty, graduate students and staff volunteers.
Around 500 students took part in research collaborations with faculty this year. They find opportunities mainly using the Office of Undergraduate Research, or by reaching out to faculty in disciplines that interest them. Students can get involved starting the summer before their freshman year at UWM and continuing through their senior year.
Outstanding presentation winners this year are: Bo Malames (psychology), Jillian Cervantes (mathematical sciences), Florin Saitis (biological sciences), Jaskirat Sidhu and Kryssi Morales (communication sciences and disorders), Gabrielle Hildebrand (psychology), Sage DeLong (biological sciences), Jessica Kania (psychology), Dhivyashree Senthil Murugan (chemistry & biochemistry), Alexia Castillo (biochemistry), Sean Gibbs (freshwater sciences), Alex Nelson (nursing), Rachel Stewart (anthropology), Jenna Van Hoogstraten (materials engineering), Tannis Thompson-Catlett (materials engineering), Kaitlyn Rhyner (biological sciences), Anna Sniadach (geosciences), Seth Krebs (mechanical engineering), Madeline Cawkins (art and design), Rachel Kuehn (psychology), Tannis Thompson-Catlett (chemistry & biochemistry), Fridarose Hamad (political science and English), Angel Xavier (education policy & community studies), and Naomi Raicu (physics).
