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April 24, 2026

The Research in Undergraduate Education (RUE) Committee at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ announced the student winners who exhibited their scholarly work at the annual Research and Creative Scholarly Projects Festival on April 20. 

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ defines research as "creativity-, discovery-, or inquiry-based learning that leads students to new scholarly insights or the creation of new artistic work, which is then effectively communicated back to their community."

"Creative projects highlight students' independent thought and innovative approaches to scholarly material," said Claire Orenduff, chair of the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Fine Arts Department. "Students working on these projects demonstrate the value of the creative process as a problem-solving journey that reflects deep engagement with the liberal arts and sciences." 

The winners in the three categories were:

Analytical

• First Place — Samy Patel - "From Poison To Cure."  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tina Beck
• Second Place — Maria Rojas La Borde - "Neuroplasticity and Positive Psychology: Transforming Thought, Behavior, and Well-Being." Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ryan Keith
• Third Place — Aedan Schenck – "Banned Book of the Month." Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sarah Cervone

Empirical

• First Place — Abigail Zeman-Miner, Eli Blais, Josh Lioneil Go - "Retention Pond Pharmacy: Preliminary Qual Phytochemical Analysis of Typha Latifolia Leave for Analgesic Properties." Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tania Cordova-Sintjago
• Second Place — Allison Raley - Soil Analysis for Source Identification. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ethel Owusu-Nukunya
• Third Place — Richard Pinna - "Expression of β-glucuronidase using the Baculovirus Expression System."  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Alejandra Maruniak

Creative Honorable Mentions

• Giancarlo Restrepo - "Library Spotlight: Online Exhibits at the Lawrence W. Tyree Library."  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sarah Cervone
• Valeria Suarez - "Architectural Evolution."  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Robert Brill