The University of Toledo

04/16/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/17/2025 07:00

Undergraduates Present Research in College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Expo

Undergraduates Present Research in College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Expo

April 16, 2025 | Events, News, Research, UToday, Natural Sciences and Mathematics
By Nicki Gorny


Nearly three dozen undergraduate students presented research in disciplines ranging from astronomy to environmental science at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics' first Undergraduate Research Expo on Thursday, April 10.

Oral and poster presentations took place in the atrium of Memorial Field House.

Volunteer judges awarded the following students for their oral presentations:

• First Place, Atticus Destatte, "Temperature Dependent Photoluminescent Properties of CdSe/CdTe Thin Films," Dr. Randall Ellingson Lab

• Second Place (tie), Milo Eckhardt, "Globular Star Cluster Populations in Spiral Galaxies," Dr. Rupali Chandar Lab

• Second Place (tie), Abigail Lewis, "Combined Impacts of Heat Stress and Drought on Nutritional Quality of Plants as Food," Dr. Scott Heckathorn Lab

Volunteer judges awarded the following students for their poster presentations:

• First Place, Kartik Nair, "Processing of Phosphorus Doped Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaics," Dr. Michael Heben Lab

• Second Place (tie), Neha Chenna, "Unlocking Nature's Toolbox: Exploring Halogenase Enzymes Using X-Ray Crystallography for Sustainable Chemical Synthesis," Dr. John Bellizzi Lab

• Second Place (tie), Haroon Lughmani, "Structural Features and Physiological Associations of Human 14-3-3 Pseudogenes", Dr. Ritu Chakravarti Lab

• Second Place (tie), Pranayini Singh, "A Simplified Nonlinear Mathematical Model for Blood Flow in an Aneurysm," Dr. Vani Cheruvu Lab

Undergraduate students are encouraged to begin research as early as their first semester at UToledo, which is recognized among the top-tier research universities in the country with a prestigious Carnegie R1 Classification.