We invite students and their families and friends to attend the Undergraduate Research Showcase and a guided tour of the Beckman Biomedical Imaging Center. Scheduled over Dads Weekend, this event celebrates the incredible undergraduate research happening across campus. An invited and featured cohort of students will present their research projects spanning science, engineering, humanities, and the arts. It’s a great opportunity to support your peers, explore diverse research topics, and connect with OUR staff and student researchers. For families, it is also a chance to see the outstanding research enterprise and types of opportunities that are available at Illinois. Light refreshments will be served.
2025 Undergraduate Research Showcase
🗓️ Friday, October 31, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
📍 Illini Union, Room 104
🔗 Event Details & Registration
Featured Student Presenters Include:
- Aidan Allenfort, Junior, Molecular & Cellular Biology, LAS – Phage Diversity and CRISPR-mediated Competition in Melissococcus plutonius
- Caleigh Arentsen, Senior, Bioengineering, ENG – Investigating Therapeutics Pathways for Improving Biocompatibility of Triphasic Rotator Cuff Scaffolds
- Savanna Palmer, Senior, Integrative Biology, LAS – Life Beneath the Surface: Uncovering the Symbiotic Relationship Between Mudpuppies & Salamander Mussels Using eDNA
- Charles Gentle, Sophomore, Kinesiology, AHS – Examining the Intensity of Square-Stepping Exercise in Older Adults
- Gautham Velupally, Sophomore, Statistics & Computer Science, LAS – Training Language ID Models on Synthetic Code-Switched Data: A Scalable Approach for Low-Resource NLP
- Ragen Carey, Junior, Elementary Education and Psychology, EDU & LAS – Impact of Student Teaching Abroad on Educators' First Years of Teaching
- Samantha Levenhagen, Senior, Geology and Political Science, LAS – Assessing Global Wind Direction Changes Since the Last Glacial Maximim
- Isidora Kostic, Senior, Psychology, LAS – When Caring Takes Its Toll: Psychological Hardiness as a Buffer Against Compassion Fatigue
- Allison Kokal, Senior, Plant Biotechnology, ACES – Identifying and Characterizing a Novel Bacterial Pathogen of Pumpkin in Illinois
- Bronwyn Garrett, Senior, Theater, FAA – Understanding the Importance of Community-Based Theater Through the Lens of a Māori Theater
- Aanvi Gaur, Senior, Mechanical Engineering, ENG – Effect of Particulate Fouling on Heat Exchanger Performance
- Jack DeNardo, Junior, Recreation, Sport & Tourism, AHS – A Review of Literature: Athlete Advocacy Groups and/as Collective Activism
- Trinity Mitchell, Senior, History, LAS – Green Card Soldiers: Latina/o/x/e Immigrant Recruitment in the US Armed Forces
- Alejandra Arias, Senior, Information Sciences + Data Science, SIS – Measuring University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Student’s Knowledge on Information Security Concepts Based on Student Demographics
Make It a Full Experience!
Before the showcase, you and your family can enjoy a tour of the Beckman Biomedical Imaging Center, highlighting the pioneering work behind the Nobel Prize–winning human MRI scanner—invented by late University of Illinois faculty member Paul Lauterbur. Registration required and spots are limited, so sign up now!
🗓️ Friday, October 31, 3:00 - 3:45 pm
📍 Beckman Atrium, 405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL
🔗 Beckman Tour Details & Registration
We hope to see you there!
