This year’s symposium was the largest yet! One hundred and sixty undergraduate student researchers presented their research through poster and oral presentations at this year’s Spring 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium. The spring symposium provides the opportunity for undergraduate student researchers who conducted research over the academic year to display their work in person at Mines. This unique opportunity gives emerging researchers the chance to mingle with peers, share their hard work with a larger audience, and build their portfolio.
Visit the symposium website here for more details.
Congratulations to the 2026 Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium poster and oral presentation winners!
Oral Presentation Winners:
#1 | Aragorn Wang, Junior, Computer Science | Mentor(s): Kaveh Fathead | Real-Time Motion Tracking and Mapping in Urban Environments
#2 | Nicole Foss, Senior, CBE | Mentor(s): Shubham Vyas | Chloride Radical Mediated Oxidation of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
#3 | Cora Grayson, First-Year, CBE | Mentor(s): Ramya Kumar, Jessica Lawson | Quantifying Polymer, DNA, and Protein Interactions with FRET
Poster Presentation Winners:
#1 | Sarah Thorson, Junior, Chemistry | Mentor(s): Michael McGuirk | Mechanochemical Conversion of Polyolefin Waste to Aminopolymers for Uses in Direct Air Capture Technologies
#2 | Brynn Aarestad, Junior, Physics | Mentor(s): Yamuna Phal, Michael Le | Design of a Mid-Infrared Instrument Platform for Imaging and Chiroptical Spectroscopy
#3 tie | Kailey Dougherty, Senior, Geophysics | Mentor(s): Ge Jin | Visualizing Time-dependent 3D Geophysical Datasets using Python
#3 tie | Emily Hansen, Senior, Chemistry | Mentor(s): David Halat | Investigating Chemical Environments and Ion Transport in Lithium-ion Battery Electrolytes via NMR Modalities
Best First Year Poster Award | Marissa Peckham, First Year, MME | Mentor(s): Annalise Maughan | Understanding Mixed Conduction in Fe-Substituted Lithium Halide Catholytes
People’s Choice Award | Eliot Beaver, Junior, Mechanical Engineering | Mentor(s): Leslie Lamberson | Development of a Miniaturized Kolsky Bar for High-Rate Testing of Protective Materials