URAD awards four research scholarships for fall semester

The University of New Mexico's Undergraduate Research and Design program has awarded four undergraduate research scholarships for the fall 2026 semester. Victoria Esquivel, Allison Ruiz, Riley Jones and Emma Tyrell will receive awards for this semester.

Winners of the scholarship receive a $500 departmental award, which is split into distributions at the mid and end points of the semester. The award is for students who are not in positions where they are paid for their research otherwise and priority is given to students majoring in the Humanities, Arts and Design disciplines who have secured the support of a faculty mentor. Students are not required to be involved in current research to apply and will be presenting at the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Conference in April 2027.

Victoria Esquivel

Esquivel is a sophomore majoring in criminology, who will be focusing on creating two public facing digital repositories. The first will archive and organize over 80 bilingual oral history interviews with Nuevo Mexicano baby boomers in collaboration with UNM Libraries and the Albuquerque Museum. The second will create a searchable platform that features performances of regionally focused bilingual children's books as a way of supporting elementary age literacy.

"As a criminology major aspiring to enter law enforcement, this research has taught me that real public service begins with listening to the community and understanding its history," Esquivel said. "Developing digital archives not only builds vital skills in data organization and documentation, but it also strengthens cultural competency and bridges the gap between academic research and public trust."

Allison Ruiz

Ruiz, a junior who is majoring in biochemistry, will be building on past works to optimize milling techniques to create consistent essential oil and product extraction from rubber rabbitbrush. In her URAD sponsored project, Ruiz will use these extracts to run antioxidant bioassays to isolate and identify specific bioactive compounds using chromatography, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance with a goal of finding compounds to help fight inflammation and potentially be tested against cancer cells in the future.

"Each step of this project has built my skills in extraction and analysis, from milling to solvent extraction," Ruiz said. I'm looking forward to seeing where the antioxidant testing and compound isolation take us next."

Riley Jones

Jones, a senior majoring in anthropology, will be documenting organized looting occurring in northwest Syria and assigning responsibility to the political groups who are involved. Jones will use satellite imagery analysis of archaeological and military sites in the area to complete this work.

"To me, research is where the abstract ideas in academic life meet the real world and are given an opportunity to make a difference," Jones said. "Personally, it also helps me remember why I continue with my academic pursuits."

Emma Tyrell

Tyrell, a junior is double majoring in chemical biology and Spanish, will be focused on determining the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of tumbleweeds. Using bioassays, spectroscopy and spectrometry to explore the possible applications of the tumbleweed in medicinal and industrial capacities.

"What's so exciting about tumbleweeds and other plant research is that not only are they vastly under researched, but they also have so much potential," Tyrell said. "They serve as a possible bridge between herbal healing and modern medicine - a bridge that also connects my Hispanic and Filipina culture with the research I get to do in the lab."