UO Libraries Partners in 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium
Students utilized Science Library Visualization Lab resources to present their in-progress research to an audience of supporters, mentors and peers.
Showcasing the original research, creative work and experiential learning of University of Oregon students, the 15th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium was held on May 22. With 520 presenters representing 86 majors and 77 minors across all eight schools and colleges at the UO, it was the largest symposium to date—and the UO Libraries’ role in helping to stage the event also continues to grow.
“Library resources and support from library staff are foundational pillars of undergraduate research success," said Nancy Cunningham, the associate vice provost and university librarian for data, access, research and teaching services.
"The symposium provides the Libraries a unique opportunity to partner with Undergraduate Education and Student Success (UESS) and support the amazing results of student research. Each year, this event brings the entire community of student academic support units together."
Programmed around the themes of culture, society & politics, science, and human experience, these “lightning rounds” are a forum for students to share data, methods and preliminary insights from multi-term academic projects that are not yet completed. It’s a valuable opportunity to practice their public speaking and presentation-building skills, while also receiving feedback and encouragement from mentors and peers.
"Student presentations demonstrate the role Libraries play and why it is important to keep our focus on student academic success," Cunningham said.
Follow-up Q&A's gave students an opportunity to share ideas and provide feedback on their peers' work.
Session staging and the presenters’ use of VizLab technology were facilitated by Eowyn Boosinger and James Daley from the Research and Learning Spaces Department. Other library staff actively contributed to many of the featured projects as teachers, advisors and research consultants.
“I worked with the Data Services Help Desk at the library to help determine best practices for my data coding,” said Valerie Owusu-Hienno, a neuroscience major who presented on the impact of nutritional thiamine supplementation in mothers’ interactions with their infants.
Ryan Walker, who is researching ways that speakers of American English react to hearing unfamiliar languages, added: “Data Services was a big help in learning R [software] for statistical analysis. I could not have done this without hours of their help.”
Ethnic studies major Valentine Bentz, who is delving into the history of social activism and protests on the UO campus, cited advisement by Corrigan Solari University Archivist and Historian Benjamin Murphy, including sharing links to several useful Research Guides.
“Student activism is a hot topic, so I truly appreciate the foresight that went into compiling those resources,” Bentz said.
In addition to Murphy, three other SCUA archivists—Curator of Manuscripts Linda Long, Instruction and Outreach Archivist Emily Moore, and Lead Processing Archivist Mahala Ruddell also received program credits as Research Mentors.
“A lot of the curriculum at the University of Oregon is based on getting undergrads involved in research. I’m very thankful for the university’s focus.”
Megan Yellowtail Works In Progress: Science presenter, "Using Dark Field Single Shot Transient Absorption to Measure Charge Transfer in Solar Cells"
Sponsoring High Achievement in Research Posters
Uniting scholarly communication with visual storytelling, research poster presentations are a common feature at academic and professional conferences—and the Undergraduate Research Symposium gives students an opportunity to practice these skills.
This year, the library, along with the Lundquist College of Business covered the cost of printing posters for all participating students. We also sponsored the UO Libraries Poster Design Award to recognize top achievement in research communication.
With support from UO Libraries, hundreds of students presented their research posters in the Ballroom of Erb Memorial Union.
Coordinated by Dean Walton, the Lorry I. Lokey science and technology outreach librarian, a team comprised of library faculty and staff members reviewed all 296 posters exhibited. The posters were evaluated in the areas of clear and approachable research communication, visual design and accessibility, documentation of sources and support, and overall excellence. After the judges narrowed the impressive field to a finalist group of top-rated posters, Vice Provost and University Librarian Alicia Salaz and the library’s executive team selected two winning designs:
Mia Lauder, a neuroscience major, was honored for "Exploring the Proteomic Findings of the Electrical Synapse Density in Zebrafish"
Abby Lewis, a dual major in cinema studies and mathematics, was honored for "Math On TV: Edutainment, Power, & National Fitness"
Both award-winners are members of the Class of 2025. Each received $500 in recognition of their standout projects.
SCUA Instruction Inspires Another Winning Design
In addition to the library-sponsored awards, several other schools, departments and programs also presented awards recognizing their students’ work. The 2025 CAS Dean’s Award in Social Sciences went to Hailey Battrick for her poster, “Earl Biggs: The Legal Legacy of the Sex Crime Expert.”
Battrick, a political science major, conducted her primary-source research with the Earl Biggs Papers, which are held by Special Collections and University Archives in Knight Library. She was introduced to these materials in the course HC 431: Out in the Archives, co-taught by Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Judith Raskin and Curator of Manuscripts Linda Long.
Hailey Battrick '27 dug into the Earl Biggs Papers in SCUA and found the topic for her award-winning research presentation.
“Hailey did such a great job with her research!” Long said.
This was the second consecutive year that a student from the class was honored at the research forum for their poster design, she added.
“The students in HC 431 are new to doing primary-source research, but their excitement in the classroom is palpable. They need to look through and analyze documents, gather and sort information and evidence, and then use that to form their theses and conclusions while thinking about design and graphics to illuminate their discoveries. The students learn how to think and interpret for themselves, rather than accepting what an assigned textbook tells them.”
It’s about the Journey
Next year’s Undergraduate Research symposium is scheduled for May 7, 2026. Looking ahead, we’re already anticipating more growth and success for the program as our amazing undergrads continue to spotlight their remarkable contributions to research and creative work at the UO. And the library will continue to play a big role.
“Our library staff work hard all year purchasing materials, providing access to collections, and teaching our students essential research skills," Cunningham said. "It is an honor each year to participate in this important event to support our undergrads and their research projects."
