The University Libraries, Honors College and Division of Research and Innovation are pleased to announce the winners in each of the Undergraduate Research Week Poster Competition categories. 

Undergraduate students from all disciplines were invited to submit research abstracts for the U of A's poster competition in celebration of National Undergraduate Research Week April 19-23. Prizes of $100, $75 and $50 were awarded to the top three winners in each category, respectively. All presentations and posters can be viewed online. 

Below is a list of the top winners in each category. For a full list of the top three winners in each category and their photos, majors, mentors and quotes, please visit the Libraries' blog. 

Agriculture, Arts and Design, and Business: Ethan Collins, Honors College Fellow

Presentation: Influence of Encapsulation of Supplemental Amino Acids on their Utilization in Broilers

"The experiences provided by my undergraduate Honors research have been invaluable," Collins said. "I have learned the intricacies of conducting an experimental trial, laboratory analysis and data statistics. I feel very prepared to move forward into graduate-level research!"

Education and Health: Jillian Prince, Honors Student

Presentation: The Effects of Interventions on the Physical and Mental Health of Undergraduate Engineering Students in North America

"This experience has given me a lot of insight on the struggles that many undergraduate students face in terms of mental and physical health," Prince said. "This has highlighted the importance of my future career in physical therapy, and I hope to guide my patients to a healthier and more sustainable life." 

Engineering: Katherine Miranda Munoz

Presentation: Design, characterization, and modeling of a chitosan microneedle patch for transdermal delivery of meloxicam as a pain management strategy for use in cattle

"The research experience during the past two years was the result of a lot of learning and opportunities," Miranda Munoz said. "Thanks to this, I have learned many skills such as presenting and focusing my mind to develop projects, awakening my interest and passion for research. This research experience has led me to my next step in my academic life with the admission, that I recently accepted, for doctoral studies in the biomedical department of our University of Arkansas. 

"Once again thanks to Dr. Jorge Almodovar and his recently graduated student Dr. David Castilla-Casadiego, who instructed, guided and inspired me throughout the research journey of the different projects that we have developed at the Almodovar's Lab," she said.

Humanities: Madison Whipple, Honors Student

Presentation: We, Too, Have Deeds of Heroism to Tell Our Children: The Role of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in the Confederate Lost Cause in Fayetteville, Arkansas

"I am so grateful to have been a part of this research project and this competition," Whipple said. "It has given me insight into what exactly presenting my work looks like, and how I can present it in different ways in my future career." 

Natural Science: Ashley Lieber and Logan Siems, Honors Students

Presentation: Observations and Classification of the Variable Star V1719 Cygnus

"As a physics major with aspirations to attend graduate school and work in research, presenting research in a concise and easily digestible way is a crucial skill," Lieber said. "This competition provided me with a great opportunity to practice my skills in presenting my research and has bolstered my confidence to pursue more conferences and opportunities to share my research! Since education and teaching are a critical part of the degree I am pursuing here, this poster competition allowed me to see different ways that research can be presented to students in an effective way. Additionally, I am very grateful that we were able to participate in this event even amid the pandemic."

"It was great to be able to participate in this virtual poster competition," Siems said. "I plan on teaching high school physics in the future, and hope that experiences such as these will help me be able to guide students through their own experiences with research."

Social Science I: Lucas Bellaiche, Sturgis Fellow

Presentation: Electrophysiological Differences when Viewing Artistic versus Computer-Generated Fractal Images

"I am honored that the research my fellow lab members and I carried out has been recognized by the Office of Undergraduate Research to be as important as I personally believe it to be," Bellaiche said. "Among all of the fascinating work being done across Social Science departments, this prize truly signifies a lot to me, and I am very grateful. In this project, we studied the perception of Jackson Pollock paintings and its neural correlates, bringing in mathematical and physical concepts of fractals within Pollock's paintings. This research was especially important to me in that it inspired me to pursue neuroscience (in particular, interdisciplinary work that investigates art perception) in graduate school: next year I will be attending Duke University to obtain my Ph.D. in this domain. With the recognition of this award, along with the presentation skills it helped me shape within this virtual environment, I feel more confident than ever to tackle the numerous research questions that lie in this novel field."

Social Science II: Mandeep Kaur, Honors College Fellow

Presentation: Exploring the correlation between carbon and oxygen isotopes to reconstruct Pliocene northern Kenyan environments: Implications for hominin evolution

"In general, research helps me build my ability to think creatively," Kaur said. "However, what I have gained from this experience is the ability to present my research in a clear and efficient manner that is comprehendible with little background knowledge. In the future, I plan on going to medical school, and as a doctor, it is essential that you can boil down something complicated into something your patient can easily understand."