Student Research Takes Center Stage at CCAS Showcase

April 22, 2026

Authored by:

John DiConsiglio

From observing the universe's most powerful explosions to examining the microscopic world's tiniest creatures, from understanding classic literature to untangling mathematical knots, from hiking sun-scorched forests to mapping frozen Alaskan roadways, an array of graduate and undergraduate student research experiences was on display at the fourth-annual Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) Research Showcase on April 15 at the George Washington University Student Center.

More than 250 students-a 25% increase from last year's showcase-presented posters from research projects across 33 CCAS departments and programs. Their work covered a gamut of topics, including the origins of breast cancer and prostate growth, the links between political polarization and foreign policy perceptions and the lessons DoorDash drivers and their hunt for public bathrooms hold for the gig economy.

Among the 550 visitors in attendance were CCAS Dean Paul Wahlbeck, faculty research mentors and fellow classmates.

"The projects featured here highlight the remarkable breadth and depth of research taking place across our college," Wahlbeck said. "Spanning the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, this work reflects our deep commitment to fostering a dynamic and interdisciplinary learning environment."

Professor of Physics Evangeline J. Downie, CCAS associate dean of research and strategic initiatives, hailed the event as a dynamic display of student academic achievement throughout the college.

"The research showcase is a vibrant celebration of the impact and breadth of our scholarship, clearly demonstrating the importance of the engaged liberal arts in action in improving the world of today and developing the leaders of tomorrow," she said.

For students, the showcase platform represented the culmination of months-even years-of data collection and analysis.

Senior astrophysics major Olivia Nippe-Jeakins began her observations of gamma-ray bursts in her sophomore year. She collected decades' worth of data from observatories and telescopes around the country. With information from NASA's powerful Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, she was able to monitor the afterglow of space explosions so massive they can outshine entire galaxies. Nippe-Jeakins said she's had her eyes on the stars since she was young. "I watched way too much 'How the Universe Works' with my dad growing up," she laughed, referencing the Discovery Channel TV series.

Senior astrophysics major Olivia Nippe-Jeakins presenting her poster on gamma-ray bursts. She began her stellar observations as a sophomore.

Art therapy master's student Christah Blackwell, who teaches at a Southeast Washington, D.C., high school, turned her classroom into the setting for a year-long project on how art addresses the emotional and mental wounds of racism. Her students, many of whom experienced childhood trauma, performed tasks like quilting and mask making to explore their cultural identity and imagine hopeful futures. "I wanted to show them that there is safety and community in the spaces that you create," Blackwell said.

Hitting close to home

Some students had deep personal connections to their showcase topics. Juan Ramos and Juliette Leyton, both first-year sociology master's students, attended Florida high schools during the 2018 Parkland shooting. The devastating impact on their communities inspired their project linking anti-feminist ideology to school shootings dating back to 2014.

"I've always been interested in gender issues and sexual violence cases, and seeing those connections made me realize that mass shootings are a form of gender violence," Leyton said.

Since coming to GW, Ramos said their research has taken on even more urgency as misogynistic viewpoints -fueled by "manosphere" online communities-creep into the mainstream.

"The takeaway that we would like people to get is that these aren't isolated incidents," he said. "This erroneous ideology is starting to leave its online echo chambers and become more prevalent in our halls of government."

Sophomore neuroscience major Dewanga Mayarata first became interested in reproductive health science during a summer internship with the National Institutes of Health. She carried her research focus into her investigation of the causes of male prostate growth. A first-time showcase presenter, Mayarata said preparing for the event taught her how to translate her scientific findings for different audiences.

A neuroscience major, sophomore Dewanga Mayarata built on her NIH internship for her study of prostate growth.

"I had to break down my research from being so complex to being really easy to understand," she said. "It was definitely challenging but also a real learning opportunity."

Senior Lara Pramanik's study of women's physical and mental health in 20th-century American literature combined her English major and biology minor with her long-time interest in medicine. Delving into classic feminist texts-Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" and Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar"- Pramanik challenged medical stereotypes that still exist today.

"There's a history of women who are staunch advocates for themselves being labeled hysterical or difficult," said Pramanik, who plans to attend medical school. "Even today medical systems treat social problems as biological ones rather than as a broader issue about the way women are treated by society."

Across labs and landscapes

For many projects, students took advantage of campus research facilities like GW's Science and Engineering Hall (SEH). Nicole Rangoussis, who is in her last year of the combined B.S./M.S. biology program, studied microscopic roundworms called C. elegans for their similarities to the human immune system. The 100-micron worms appear as white specks to the naked eye but are revealed as translucent under SEH microscopes.

Likewise, for her study of visual acuity among primates, second-year human paleobiology master's student Madeline Bramel had access to the on-campus repository of primate brains overseen by Professor of Anthropology Chet Sherwood. Bramel sectioned slices of brain tissue from primates like marmosets and macaques-some thousandths of a millimeter thin-and stained them to reveal proteins and antibodies. Working with primate brains "is the highlight of my day," Bramel laughed. "That's an only-at-GW experience."

Others took their research to off-campus sites. Senior environmental studies major Sehrin Hossain hiked through coastal forests at the Brownsville Preserve on the Virginia Eastern Shore to witness how saltwater intrusion erodes pine trees. A New Jersey native, Hossain "grew up playing in the dirt," she laughed, although even she was bothered by the mosquitos and ticks swarming through her summer field site. As a research intern with Associate Professor of Biology Keryn Gedan's lab, Hossain and her fellow students chart environmental deterioration along the Chesapeake Bay. "We are all united around our research and our passion for the scientific aspects of climate change," she said.

Senior environmental studies major Sehrin Hossain hiked through coastal forests for her study on saltwater intrusion. "It was really hot out there," she laughed.

For her project, senior psychological and brain sciences major Sophia Spadaro traveled to a very different outdoor site-a summer 2024 lacrosse tournament in Central New Jersey. To understand why adolescent boys are reluctant to wear sunscreen despite increased skin cancer risks, she surveyed nearly 200 teenage lacrosse players. Even though their uniforms provide little protection from the sun, Spadaro found that less than one-third wore sunscreen. Her surveys revealed that role models like coaches, parents and even teammates strongly influence the players' beliefs and behaviors.

In addition to presenting their own research, students said the highlight of the event was comparing notes with classmates.

Bramel left behind her primate brains to participate in third-year Ph.D. math student Ben Clingenpeel's hands-on mathematical knots presentation by trying to untangle a real-life string. And Eliane Spalding, a senior biological anthropology and political science major, took a break from her poster on errors in cognitive information to stroll by senior Spanish major Holden Wheeler's project on D.C. delivery drivers' access to public bathrooms.

Indeed, art therapy graduate student Blackwell said the devotion and creativity of her fellow presenters has inspired her own work. "You can feel the passion," she said. "We are all like-minded in this room. We all want to teach others about our topics-and we all want to learn about theirs."