The Student Research Symposium is an annual celebration of student research at Utah State. Hosted in April, the symposium features hundreds of presentations and represents every college and department at USU. Presenters are invited to share their work in the form of a poster, oral presentation accompanied by a slide deck, creative performance, or art exhibit. Students who participate in the event receive feedback from evaluators to improve their presentation and research skills. This year's winners, as determined by the evaluators, are listed below.
Date
April 7-8, 2026
Location
Merrill-Cazier Library
- Registration Opens: February 1
- Registration Closes: February 15
- Workshop: Better Visual Design | TBD | 11:00am | Merril Cazier Library | Room 154
- Material Submission Deadline: April 4
- Student Research Symposium: April 7-8
Best Presentation Awards from SRS 2025
Arts & Humanities
Graduate Poster
Robin Cruz
The change of life happens: how to overcome challenges to succeed
Graduate Oral
Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed
From Concern to Action: How Perceived Climate Vulnerabilities and Concern for the Great Salt Lake Desiccation Shape Utahns’ Migration Intention
Undergraduate Poster
Kenadie Jackson
Impact of Social Media on Interpersonal Communication Skills
Undergraduate Oral
Zach Zito
The Fractal Structure of The First Book of Nephi
Engineering
Graduate Poster
Allondra Woods
Screening Fungi for Potential Use in Alternative Building Materials
Graduate Oral
Wongelemengist Nadew
Learning the Governing Partial Differential Equation of Solid Diffusion from Atomistic Simulations
Undergraduate Poster
James Peck
Design and Fabrication of Training Lander for Robotic Arm Validation and Practice
Undergraduate Oral
Ryan Lewis
Simulating Low Gravity Particle Dynamics
Life Science
Graduate Poster
Katelyn Chapman
Accuracy of an Automated Approach to Auditory Brainstem Response Analysis
Graduate Oral
Saroj Burlakoti
Use of Thermal Imaging to Assess Cooling Potential of Ornamental Vines
Undergraduate Poster
Jeremy Case
Establishing methods for in-vitro static culture of gut microbiomes for nutritional intervention studies
Physical Science
Graduate Poster
Kelvyn Bladen, Kaden Hart, Cameron Swapp, Makenna Roberts
Automated Detection and Cataloging of U.S. River Rapids using Computer Vision Tools
Graduate Oral
Luis Fernando Temoche
Are rotating black holes rigid?
Undergraduate Poster
Eleni Christley
Understanding Carbon Storage of Uinta Mountain Fens
Undergraduate Oral
Trace Taylor
Ion-Induced Electron Yield Database Development through Data Mining for Exploratory Data Analysis and Predictive Analytics
Social Science & Education
Graduate Poster
Olivia Montoya
Examining Cultural Competency in Audiologists Across the United States: A Pilot Survey
Graduate Oral
Taylor DeLaO
Spatial Training for Children with Suspected Auditory Processing Disorder
Undergraduate Poster
Makenna Roberts
The STEM Gender Gap: Can it be Closed?
Undergraduate Oral
Willa Freeman, Danny Cottle
Motivations for Engaging In ACT Guide: An Online Digital Mental Health Intervention
For questions about the symposium, contact Thomas Sorenson.