Student Research Conference & Showcase

Students presenting research at an SMC conference

Each year, presenters from every major and discipline share their latest projects with SMC and the broader East Bay community.

Students showcase their passions and academic pursuits, not just for their college professors and peers, but to give themselves a leg up in the next stage of their professional development.

Student standing in front of the Student Research Conference backdrop

In the age of AI, strong communication and presentation skills are more essential than ever. Being able to talk about your work in a passionate and convincing way is key to a successful career.

2025 Student Research Conference & Showcase

May 15, 2025
Soda Activity Center

Links

Conference application (opens January 1)

Save the date

Presenter resources

Conference Awards

Projects can be presented by groups or by individuals, each presentation being eligible to compete* in the 2025 Student Conference Competition in one of the following categories:

Best Presentation in Arts & Performing Arts

Best Presentation in Business

Best Presentation in Education

Best Presentation in Humanities

Best Presentation in Science

Best Presentation in Social Sciences

Best Group Presentation Certificate**

Library Research Awards

Student receiving a best presentation research award

If you used library services and/or collections in the course of your project, then you may be eligible for one of three Library Research Awards. This award recognizes and rewards conference participants whose research makes expert and imaginative use of the services and collections of the Saint Albert Hall Library to produce scholarly and creative work.

*Early applicants will be given priority in the judging process the day of the conference.
**Group presentations are ineligible for cash prizes but the best group presentation will receive a certificate.

Elevator Pitch Contest

More details coming soon...

Past Conferences

Student discussing their conference presentation

Student discussing their presentation with a Conference judge

Student viewing a prerecorded conference presentation

Student pointing at their conference poster

Band playing at the conference in the Moraga Room

Judge looking at conference presentation video

Student playing the saxophone at the 2024 Student Research Conference

Trifold presentations in the Moraga room

Soda Center Plaza Conference poster presentations

2024 Conference Report & Award Winners

Conference Report

With 300 total presenters and around 300 friends, family, and faculty filling the Soda Center, this year's conference was truly something to behold. Students from nearly every academic department brought their latest research and coursework to share with the campus community, from art and science posters to business class exhibits and prerecorded presentations from our graduate education students in KSOE. There were even some presenters, including a few alumni, who simply wanted to showcase their academic passions, and this year's conference offered them a great opportunity to awe and amaze their friends and instructors, as well as our conference judges, with their thoughtful and compelling scholarship.

View Conference Program

Best Presentations in the Arts & Humanities:

Image	Lorenzo Caruso Italian Immigrant Interview
Image	Trinity Durfee & Gabrielle Ly (pictured) Bufano Elephant Treatment (Group Award)
Image	Shelley Teichrow Italian Capstone Portfolio

Best Presentation in Business:

Image	James Brumley Estate Planning Market Research & Product Strategy
Image	Angelica Buncio, Natasha Canedo, Mattias Limon, Jayden Salazar, Casey Sansoni, & Gavin Walters Oliver Hall Food Waste Reduction (Group Award)

Best Presentations in Education:

Image	Veronica Gibbs, Mariel Nodado, & Kelly Pham The Silent Pain of High School Students: School Counselors Using Group Interventions to Support Adolescent Grief (Group Award)
Image	Nicole Mammoser, Erica Pon, & Omar Williams Action Research: Preventive Measures to Avoid School Counselor Burnout (Group Award)

Best Presentations in the Sciences:

Image	Natalie Alaniz Exploring the Impact of Asef on Breast Cancer Epithelial Cell Proliferation and Migration in Response to Epidermal Growth Factor
Image	David Coleman, Samuel Leitch, Andrew Kernycky, & Mary Kyne Dub Dragon
Image	Cristian Ramirez Rodriguez Lagrangian Motion On Rotating Monomial Wires

Best Presentation in the Social Sciences:

Image	Lily Lundbaek Looking at Health Disparities within Minority Groups with Disabilities
Image	Cash Sanders Psychedelic Drugs Potential In Clinical Therapy: Past, Present, and Future

Elevator Pitch Contest Winner:

Ayanna Wade
The Fight Against Fragile Masculinity

Library Research Awardees:

Image	Emma Cardinale Extreme Exercise Intensity Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Dysfunction
Image	Gabrielle Ly Museums: Collections or Community
Image	Melody Ng Edward Said: The Perpetuation of Imperialism
Image	Isabella Ruiz Crash and Burn: Violence and Stimulant Use in Japan
Image	Jessalyn Torres MHC Diversity & the Power of Personalized Healthcare
Image	LaReina Torres The Historical factors affecting the rise and fall of maternal mortality rates in the United States

Our Sponsors

Coming soon...

Hosted by

Contact Us

Honors Program
honors@stmarys-ca.edu

Dr. Helga Lenart-Cheng, Program Director
hl4@stmarys-ca.edu

Connor McCaslin, Coordinator
crm20@stmarys-ca.edu

Visit our webpage

At the end of the spring semester, Saint Mary's College holds a forum for the presentation and discussion of the best research and creative work of our undergraduate and graduate students.