2026 Research Symposium highlights impactful work of nearly 500 undergraduate and graduate students

John Lieb received the university-wide first-place award in the STEM undergraduate oral presentations for his research on satellite imagery and commodity futures markets.

Nana Adjoa Konadu Attiah received the university-wide first-place award in the graduate oral presentations category for human sciences, social sciences, creative arts and humanities. Sheena Stewart of the Graduate School presented the award.

Miles Wiley received the university-wide first-place award for graduate STEM oral presentations, for research focused on impacts of cannabis exposure in a rat model. Sheena Stewart of the Graduate School presented the award.

Rana Muhammad Irfan Anwar won the College of Architecture, Design and Construction graduate-level award for best poster presentation.

Sydney Hamilton won the Harrison College of Pharmacy undergraduate-level award for best poster presentation.

Featuring a wide array of topics, from ADHD to prostate cancer, tiger conservation to firefighter uniform design, the 2026 Auburn Research Symposium spotlighted the research and creative scholarship of nearly 500 undergraduate and graduate students from Auburn University and Auburn University at Montgomery. This year’s symposium took place March 26 at the Melton Student Center, and 64 participants received awards for their presentations at an April 1 ceremony.

In addition to the student presentations, postdoctoral researchers participated in a round-table discussion at the event. Spotlights on their research interests are available in a special section of the symposium website.

"This event provided our students with essential professional development opportunities and underscored the research culture at Auburn,” said Lorenzo Cremaschi, director of undergraduate research and professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “Through oral and poster presentations, our students took the stage and were placed under the spotlight to showcase their work. Their accomplishments underscore the university's pivotal role in shaping the future of research and creative scholarship across disciplines.”

University-wide undergraduate research awards

The undergraduate first-place award in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics poster presentations was won by Lane Dominy of the Department of Biological Sciences for research on pinfish. John Lieb, of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, received first place in the STEM oral presentations for his research on satellite imagery and commodity futures markets.

In the Human Sciences, Social Sciences, Creative Arts, Nursing and Humanities category, Anna Claire Fitts of the College of Nursing won first place in the poster division for her project on water fluoride levels, and David Walker of the Department of Political Science, captured first place in the oral presentations for geopolitical research.

University-wide graduate research awards

Winning first place for the graduate-level Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics poster presentations was J. Josue Chevez-Sahona of the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment for a project on carbon pool dynamics and prescribed fires in dry prairies. The recipient of the first-place award in the STEM oral presentations was Miles Wiley of the Department of Drug Discovery and Development. Wiley’s research focused on impacts of cannabis exposure in a rat model.

In the category for Human Sciences, Social Sciences, Creative Arts, Nursing and Humanities, Cambria Beane of the Department of Psychological Sciences was honored with the top award in the poster presentations for research on genetic factors in substance use. Nana Adjoa Konadu Attiah, of the Department of Human Development and Family Science, received the first-place award in the oral presentations for a project on predictors of child prosocial behavior in single mother households. Attiah was also a symposium award winner last year.

In addition to the university-wide awards, college-specific awards were given to a number of other top presentations, as evaluated by faculty judges. For a complete list of winners, visit the symposium website.