College of Science Students Earn Top Honors at 16th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

Florida Atlantic’s next generation of scientists and innovators took center stage at the 16th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 3. Hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (OURI), the event brought together researchers from across all campuses to showcase their discoveries through dynamic poster displays and oral presentations. The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science is proud to announce its 2026 winners, whose award-winning projects spanned critical fields—from neurodegenerative disorders and marine chemistry to the architecture of primate empathy.

2026 Poster People’s Choice Award Winners

• Dependent Molecular Changes in Mouse Hearts after Exposure to the Anthracycline Doxorubicin by Gene Expression Analysis"
• First Place, Student Presenter, Session 2: Ryan Nagy, Yasmine Duran, Jeff Debrine, Joshua Raia, Miloura Octama, and Jennifer Okoro, "Understanding the Microbial Community Composition in Sugarcane Cultivated in Muck and Sandy Soils in South Florida"
• First Place, Student Presenter, Session 3: Aien V. Serrano, "The Primate Architecture of Empathy"
• First Place, Student Presenter, Session 4: Jonas Putigna, "The Role of Pendant Amine Groups in Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction"

2026 Oral/Performing Arts Symposium Winners

• First Place, Student Presenter, Health, Medical, and Basic Sciences I: Vanessa Illanez, "The Crosstalk Between O-GlcNAcylation and Phosphorylation of Tau Protein in Neurodegenerative Disorders"
• First Place, Student Presenter, Health, Medical, and Basic Sciences II: Reece Mathew and James Levi, "Computer Vision and Deep Learning Assisted Eye Motion Detection for Nystagmus Diagnosis"
• First Place, Student Presenter, Environmental, Ecological and Marine Sciences: Laasya Pagadala, "Seasonal Variability of Dissolved Organic Matter at FAU Campus Lake"

The success of these students underscores the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science’s commitment to fostering a culture of discovery and hands-on inquiry. By tackling complex challenges - ranging from environmental sustainability to human health—these young researchers are not only preparing for their future careers but are also contributing to the global scientific community. We look forward to seeing how these award-winning projects continue to evolve and inspire the next cohort of FAU scientists.

View all the winners in Oral/Performing Arts Symposium and the Poster People's Choice Symposium.