2026
Examples of the winning proposals are available by clicking on the picture of the award winner.
Track 1
Title: Calibrating Lidar Intensity for Snow Reflectance and Grain Size Retrieval
PI: Chelsea Ackroyd; Co-PI: Scott Bergeson, Jason Porter
PI: Chelsea Ackroyd; Co-PI: Scott Bergeson, Jason Porter
Chelsea Ackroyd
College: Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department: Geography
Research Interests Remote Sensing, Lidar, Lidar Intensity, Imaging Spectroscopy, Snow Hydrology
Department: Geography
Research Interests Remote Sensing, Lidar, Lidar Intensity, Imaging Spectroscopy, Snow Hydrology
Scott Bergeson
College: Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Department: Physics and Astronomy
N269 ESC
Research Interests:
- Laser Cooling
- Ultracold plasmas
- Laser Spectroscopy
- Biophotonics (experimental)
Department: Physics and Astronomy
N269 ESC
Research Interests:
- Laser Cooling
- Ultracold plasmas
- Laser Spectroscopy
- Biophotonics (experimental)
Jason Porter
College: Engineering
Department: Mechanical Engineering
360P EB
Research Interests
Energy conversion and storage, optical diagnostics and spectroscopy, battery electrolytes and ionic liquids.
Department: Mechanical Engineering
360P EB
Research Interests
Energy conversion and storage, optical diagnostics and spectroscopy, battery electrolytes and ionic liquids.
Title: 3D Printed Maternal-Infant Metabolic Screening Device for Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMIC)
PI: Preston Manwaring; Co-PI: Greg Nordin; Adam Woolley; Becky Schulthies; Kristin Erekson; Sarah Harmon Davis
PI: Preston Manwaring; Co-PI: Greg Nordin; Adam Woolley; Becky Schulthies; Kristin Erekson; Sarah Harmon Davis
Preston Manwaring
College: Engineering
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
450Q EB
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
450Q EB
Greg Nordin
College: Engineering
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
450G EB
Research Interests:
- Lab on a chip
- Microfluidics
- Biosensing3D printing
- Microfabrication
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
450G EB
Research Interests:
- Lab on a chip
- Microfluidics
- Biosensing3D printing
- Microfabrication
Adam T. Woolley
College: College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry
C305 BNSN
Research Interests:
- Relationship between biological molecules and miniaturization
- Detection and quantification of biomolecules
- Nanoscale material formation using DNA
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry
C305 BNSN
Research Interests:
- Relationship between biological molecules and miniaturization
- Detection and quantification of biomolecules
- Nanoscale material formation using DNA
Kristen M. Erekson
College: College of Nursing
Department: Faculty
Department: Faculty
Sarah Harmon Davis
College: Nursing
Department: Nursing
561 KMBL
Research Interests:
- Communication of genetic information
- Eating Disorder Treatment
Department: Nursing
561 KMBL
Research Interests:
- Communication of genetic information
- Eating Disorder Treatment
Becky Schulthies
College: Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department: Anthropology
884 KMBL
Department: Anthropology
884 KMBL
Title: Development of an organ-on-a chip surface acoustic wave strain (Organ-SAWS) platform to apply heterogenous, 3D matrix mechanostimulation for viable lung fibrosis tissue drug development models
PI: Joseph Rich; Co-PI: Pam Van Ry, Greg Nordin; Co-PI; Brandon Gassoway
PI: Joseph Rich; Co-PI: Pam Van Ry, Greg Nordin; Co-PI; Brandon Gassoway
Joseph Rich
College: Engineering
Department: Chemical and Biological Engineering
Department: Chemical and Biological Engineering
Pam Van Ry
College: College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry
C209 BNSN
Research Interests:
- Muscular dystrophy
- Lung fibrosis
- Tissue Engineering
- Protein therapies
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry
C209 BNSN
Research Interests:
- Muscular dystrophy
- Lung fibrosis
- Tissue Engineering
- Protein therapies
Greg Nordin
College: Engineering
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
450G EB
Research Interests:
- Lab on a chip
- Microfluidics
- Biosensing3D printing
- Microfabrication
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
450G EB
Research Interests:
- Lab on a chip
- Microfluidics
- Biosensing3D printing
- Microfabrication
Brandon Gassoway
College: Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Track 2
Title: The effects of oral Wegovy on body consumption, neural and other health outcomes
PI: James LeCheminant; Co-PI: Michael Larson, Sarah Bellini, Neil Peterson, Laura Jeffries
PI: James LeCheminant; Co-PI: Michael Larson, Sarah Bellini, Neil Peterson, Laura Jeffries
James LeCheminant
College: Life Sciences
Department: Nutrition, Dietetics, & Food Science
S-141 ESC
Research Interests:
- Obesity
- Physical Activity or Exercise
- Disease prevention
Department: Nutrition, Dietetics, & Food Science
S-141 ESC
Research Interests:
- Obesity
- Physical Activity or Exercise
- Disease prevention
Michael Larson
College: Family, Home, & Social Sciences
Department: Psychology
244 TLRB
Research Interests:
- Cognitive Neuroscience and neuropsychology
Department: Psychology
244 TLRB
Research Interests:
- Cognitive Neuroscience and neuropsychology
Sarah Bellini
College: Life Sciences
Department: Nutrition, Dietetics, & Food Science
S-219 ESC
Research Interests:
- Clinical nutrition
- Pediatric nutrition
- Nutrition education
Department: Nutrition, Dietetics, & Food Science
S-219 ESC
Research Interests:
- Clinical nutrition
- Pediatric nutrition
- Nutrition education
Neil Peterson
College: Nursing
Department: Nursing
457 KMBL
Research Interests:
- Physical activity, sedentary behavior, obesity
- Measurement techniques
- Technology and health promotion
Department: Nursing
457 KMBL
Research Interests:
- Physical activity, sedentary behavior, obesity
- Measurement techniques
- Technology and health promotion
Laura Jefferies
College: Life Sciences
Department: Nutrition, Dietetics, & Food Science
S-133 ESC
Research Interests:
- Sensory analysis, testing techniques and protocol
- Sensory science and marketing
- Food engineering
- Dairy and meat science
- Labeling and sensory perception
Department: Nutrition, Dietetics, & Food Science
S-133 ESC
Research Interests:
- Sensory analysis, testing techniques and protocol
- Sensory science and marketing
- Food engineering
- Dairy and meat science
- Labeling and sensory perception
Title: Development of a high-throughput antimicrobial peptide discovery toolkit
PI: Joel Griffitts; Co-PI: Perry Ridge, JC Price
PI: Joel Griffitts; Co-PI: Perry Ridge, JC Price
Joel Griffitts
College: Life Sciences
Department: Microbiology & Molecular Biology
4007 LSB
Research Interests:
- Biological versatility in bacteria
- Abiotic or antibiotic stress or stressors
- Antimicrobial compounds
- Gene expression engineering
- Protein production or engineering
Department: Microbiology & Molecular Biology
4007 LSB
Research Interests:
- Biological versatility in bacteria
- Abiotic or antibiotic stress or stressors
- Antimicrobial compounds
- Gene expression engineering
- Protein production or engineering
Perry Ridge, Jr.
College: Life Sciences
Department: Biology
4126 LSB
Research Interests:
- Bioinformatics
- Computational Biology
- Genetics
- Genome Biology or Genomics
Department: Biology
4126 LSB
Research Interests:
- Bioinformatics
- Computational Biology
- Genetics
- Genome Biology or Genomics
John C. Price
College: College of Physical & Mathematical Sciences
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry
E180 BNSN
Research Interests:
- Mechanisms of protein synthesis and degradation
Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry
E180 BNSN
Research Interests:
- Mechanisms of protein synthesis and degradation