Students showcase discovery and innovation at 2026 OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference

by Ann Comer-Woods, USF Research

The University of South Florida celebrated the creativity, curiosity and scholarly ambition of its students at the 2026 OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference during Undergraduate Research Week. The conference transformed USF into a hub of undergraduate discovery, featuring more than 500 student research projects across USF's three campuses. Spanning disciplines from biomedical science and engineering to the arts, humanities, business, education and social sciences, the conference highlighted the depth and diversity of inquiry taking place at every stage of the undergraduate experience.

"Undergraduate research is a hallmark of a USF education," said Saundra Johnson Austin, director of Student Engagement for Research & Innovation. "This conference reflects our commitment to student discovery and shows what's possible when undergraduates are empowered to ask meaningful questions, work closely with mentors and share their work with a broader community."

A Platform for Undergraduate Scholarship

The conference provided students with the opportunity to present original research through poster sessions, oral presentations and demonstrations of creative works and inventions.

Environmental science majors Owen Keener and Alex Andrade brought to the conference the underwater camera they developed for conducting marine science research. "Our goal was to create a resilient, multipurpose camera and environmental sensor apparatus in a cost-efficient way," Keener explained. "Our group was specifically looking at oyster density on sea walls and seeing if we could use this [camera] to view fish behavior on those sea walls."

Biological health sciences major Braeden Spina pointed to his research team's poster as he explained their study of the role of edible berries in colon cancer prevention. "Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and even raspberries have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that pick up free radicals in the blood, preventing them from turning into cancer."

For many students, undergraduate research presented the opportunity to augment their personal interests and academic pursuits.

Anthropology major Francesca Uy spoke about her research team's effort to establish Lassen Volcanic Park in California as a UNESCO sacred natural site for the local Native American tribes. "Based on UNESCO guidelines for sacred natural sites, we believe the Atsugewi and the Maidu [tribes] can today be considered custodians for this site for their cultures. Keeping Native American stories and their ceremonies alive and celebrating them is something I really think we need to do worldwide."

Business analytics major Brannon Nickles, whose research examined the impact of crypto currency on retirement portfolios, said, "I was always into crypto currency and interested in how that intersected with my major. I wanted to know if there could be a future for crypto currency within retirement portfolios, especially for investors looking to be a little more aggressive in their retirement approach."

Faculty Mentorship at the Core

A defining feature of the OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference is the close collaboration between students and faculty mentors. Faculty members from across colleges guided students through research design, data collection, analysis and presentation, often introducing them to professional standards used in graduate study and industry. Faculty and staff also served as judges, offering feedback and encouragement to student presenters.

Biochemistry major Renee Reardon, whose research focused on the side effects of Ozempic and other weight loss drugs, credited her faculty mentor with igniting her interest in the topic when she was a first-year student in 2024. "My mentor told an anecdotal story about someone very close to her going through a lot of these drastic side effects that we are now seeing in my published report and my research into Ozempic. That anecdotal story and the support from my mentor really encouraged me to pursue this research."

Biology major Kaleb Yarger credited his faculty mentor, Michael Shamblott, an adjunct professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, with helping him hone in on his research into microbial ecology on Lido Key. "Dr. Shamblott did a fantastic job of encouraging me to look across hundreds of projects that were really of interest to me and narrow them down and really get to this particular project, which I was very passionate about."

Preparing Students for the Future

Conducting undergraduate research and participating in the conferenced offered tangible benefits for students who gained experience in public speaking, academic writing and professional networking.

Biomedical sciences major Martin Achard, whose research on microbial differences across mangrove ecosystems won an undergraduate research award at the USF St. Petersburg campus conference, said his research experience taught him the value of collaboration. "The amount of different labs and different people I've talked to just for advice has been super helpful and those are connections I'll keep forever," he said.

Environmental science and policy major Rowan Byrne, whose research focused on sediment morphology at three Pinellas County beaches following renourishment, said, "I think [undergraduate research] is really important, especially if you have intentions of going to grad school or pursuing research further. It's really good practice for these sort of spaces and to get familiar with that process. And even if you're not intending to pursue research further, it's a really good way to satiate your own curiosity and learn more about the world."

Many presenters reported that their conference experience helped clarify academic goals, strengthen graduate school applications, or inform career decisions.

For premed students Adeline Snyder and Kaiden Tovar, their research experiences provided great preparation for medical school. "This undergraduate research opportunity really opened our eyes to dealing with real-life, medically relevant bacteria," Snyder said. "We're both premed and want to go to med school so having this experience really opened our eyes to the importance of research, why certain antibiotics work the way they do, and the importance of finding new antibiotics to fight antibiotic resistance."

Biomedical sciences major Bridget Hein, who studied the impact of glucose monitoring on older adults' quality of life, said her research experience was "helpful for gaining analytical skills that you wouldn't be able to gain just from a class alone. My lectures are very important but when it comes to my own self-efficacy in research, which is what I want to continue doing in the future, having the sense of independence gained from doing a project like this is incredible."

USF Sarasota-Manatee undergraduate research award winner Abigail Hefner graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology last December and is planning to attend law school. Her research investigated the role of expert testimony on jurors' assessment of a defendant in a child vehicular heat stroke case. "This research is super important in the context of the justice system and the legal system as research on expert witness testimony is super limited," she said. "By doing this research, we are able to contribute to the current limited research that we have available as well as helping provide the framework for future research, examining more crime types, different expert witnesses' testimony, and how that can impact the perception of defendants if various types of crimes."

Anthropology major Selah Thompson talks about the two research projects that she presented at the OneUSF Undergraduate Reearch Conference. (Video credit: Carlos Alvarez)

Looking Ahead

As the 2026 OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference concluded, organizers and participants alike emphasized the importance of continuing to expand opportunities for undergraduate research across the university.

Anthropology major Selah Thompson, who submitted two researcher posters for the conference - one on DNA profiling in forensic genetic genealogy and the other on German cultural identity through music, said, "One of the best ways you can support undergraduate research is to be there for those students who need support, whether that be through funding grants, through funding their research, being there as a show of support, coming to see their research, coming to see their presentations, and being there for those students who really need that support."