Undergraduate Poster Session
The Research and Innovation Week Undergraduate Poster Session took place Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 4-7 p.m. in the Moody Hall Atrium. Prizes were awarded for the Top 3 posters overall.
2026 Winners
1st place: Nomvuyo Makhathini, “Narrating Girlhood: Intergenerational Perspectives on Teenage Pregnancy in Rural South Africa.” (Faculty mentor: Elizabeth Berk, Anthropology)
2nd place: Delainey Hinson, “Investigating local tardigrade species diversity.” (Faculty mentor: Jonathan Hibschman, Biological Sciences)
3rd place: Kendall Schumacher, “Contrasting the Marketing Strategies of Classical Chinese Dance: Navigating Artistic and Cultural Promotion int he U.S. and China.” (Faculty mentor: Silas Farley, Dance)
Honorable Mention:
Zehra Jaffery, “Identifying Predictive Biomarkers of Antibody-Drugs Conjugated (ADCs).” Co-author: Shawn (Shao-Po) Huang. (Faculty mentor: Isaac Chan, Internal Medicine at UTSW)
Nomvuyo Makhathini, “From Technology to Health: How Participatory Design Transformed Sanitation Priorities in Kasisa Village, Tanzania.” (Faculty mentor: Jessie Zarazaga, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Kristian Perez, “How Can a Raspberry Pi Kickstart the Creation of a Weather Station in Tanzania?” (Faculty mentor: Jessie Zarazaga, Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Information for presenters
All SMU undergraduate students are eligible to present posters of their work.
Judging and prizes
Two judges will rate each poster for design and understandability. The Office of Engaged Learning will review their scores and comments to award the winners. The Top 3 posters win monetary awards; winners and Honorable Mentions present their posters again on the Graduate Poster Session on Thursday, March 26.
How do I design a poster?
Most people create academic posters with templates made in Powerpoint. There are numerous templates available online, including our SMU-branded templates. For this poster session, the poster must be smaller than 46x46 inches.
Check out 2023's winning posters for inspiration:
Posters will go on boards like these:
Where do I print a poster?
First, ask your professor if your department has a printer or funds for printing. You can have your poster printed through Copy Central or most local print shops. Posters generally run $50-75.
What do I do during the session?
You are not required to be present the entire session, but do try to stand by your poster for the majority of the time. When people come by, you can give them an "elevator pitch" (3-4 sentences) so they get a general idea. Some may have questions for you! Any time it is slow, we encourage you to check out other posters.
Can you help me?
Yes! The Office of Engaged Learning is hosting several coaching sessions to help participants prepare for the session:
Coaching session: Research Poster Design Tips (in Clements G08)
- How do you communicate research effectively on a poster? This workshop will show you templates, best practices, and provide feedback on posters-in-progress.
- Two sessions to choose from. Click the buttons to register.
- Monday, March 9 at 12 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 10 at 12 p.m.
Coaching session: The Elevator Pitch - for Research (in Clements G08)
- Can you explain your research in 3 sentences? Learn how to explain what you do in a succinct and engaging way. Recommended for everyone presenting on Research and Innovation Week.
- Two sessions to choose from. Click the buttons to register:
- Monday, March 23 at 12 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 24 at 12 p.m.
2025 Winners:
1st place: Regina Moreno Vera, “Neuropsychiatric Abnormalities in Kcna1 Mouse Models of Epilepsy and Ataxia.” Faculty mentor: Edward Glasscock, Biological Sciences
2nd place: Julian Cabrera, “From Prompts to Patterns: Exploring AI Responses with Text Analytics.” Faculty mentor: Monnie McGee, Statistics and Data Science
3rd place: Veda Ramakrishnan, “Disrupting Mental Health Stigma: Communication Strategies Used by Mental Health Professionals in South India.” Faculty mentors: Christopher Salinas, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, and Dr. Amy Brewster, Biological Sciences
Honorable mention: Alison Kellom, “Reversing Chemotherapy Resistance in Aggressive Forms of Cancer.” Faculty mentor: Pia Vogel, Biological Sciences
Honorable mention: Sahar Khan, “Exploring the Protein Levels of Astrocytes, Pericytes, and Blood Brain Barrier in WT and C3 Knockout Mice Following Seizure-Induced Brain Injury.” Faculty mentor: Amy Brewster, Biological Sciences
Honorable mention: Vivian Thai, “Paths to Parenthood: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Narratives from Quy Nhon, Vietnam.” Faculty mentor: Elizabeth Berk, Anthropology