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�鶹���� celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) with the annual Three-Minute SURE Research Presentation Awards Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 17, highlighting outstanding undergraduate research projects presented by students from across disciplines. 

The event recognized first and second-place winners for their ability to explain complex research in just three minutes to a general audience. The ceremony welcomed distinguished guests including Kent State President Todd Diacon and Doug Delahanty, vice president for research and economic development. 

“It’s always one of the best days for me at Kent State to watch these presentations and be so awed by both the research [and poise] that goes into it,” Diacon said. 

�鶹���� the SURE Program

The SURE program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct faculty-mentored and stipend-supported research over the summer. Nearly 1,000 Kent State students have participated over 10 years, with 172 participants this year. First-place winners each received a $200 prize, and second-place winners received $100. 

2025 SURE Three-Minute Thesis Awardees (College of Arts & Sciences)

Below is the list of this year’s honorees from the College of Arts & Sciences, organized by category. All awardees participated in SURE 2025.

Biochemistry

• First Place: Hannah Ferguson — Senior, Chemistry — Mentor: Jeff Mighion

• Second Place: Taylor Dimmerling — Sophomore, Molecular Cellular Biology — Mentor: Ronald Seese 

Biology

Group 1

• First Place: Lauren Teeling — Senior, Biology — Mentor: Manabu Kurokawa

• Second Place: Justin Barzellato — Senior, Biology — Mentor: Colleen Novak

Group 2

• First Place: Camryn Myrla — Junior, Anthropology — Mentor: Rafaela Takeshita

• Second Place: Hannah Zelina — Senior, Biology — Mentor: Hamza Balci

Environmental Studies, Geology and Horticulture

Group 1

• First Place: Nicholas Brocato — Senior, B.S. Biology — Mentor: Lauren Kinsman-Costello

• Second Place: Kendall Myers — Senior, Biology — Mentor: Matthew Lehnert

Group 2

• First Place: Jackson Miller — Senior, Environmental Studies — Mentor: He Yin

Group 3

• First Place: Noah Zollinger — Junior, Geology — Mentor: Metin Eren

• First Place: Allison Remick — Senior, Zoology — Mentor: Brian Trevelline

• Second Place: Jami Greb — Senior, Zoology — Mentor: Sangeet Lamichhaney 

Physics

• First Place: Pranav Srinivasan — Junior, Physics — Mentor: Thorsten Schmidt

• Second Place: Mila Spike — Senior, Physics — Mentor: Veronica Dexheimer

Mechatronics Engineering

• First Place: Angelina Russ — Senior, Biotechnology — Mentor: Jennifer McDonough

• Second Place: Rishi Ahuja — Junior, Biotechnology — Mentor: Rob Clements

Psychology

Group 1

• First Place: Tori Holland-Shanafelt — Senior, Psychology — Mentor: Madelyn Rosenthal

• Second Place: Emily Bishop — Senior, Psychology — Mentor: Phillip Hamrick

Group 2

• First Place: Elise Simmons — Senior, Psychology — Mentor: Lee Gilman

• Second Place: Patrick Straits — Senior, Psychology – Counseling Careers — Mentor: John Gunstad

Public Health, Speech Pathology and Communication

• Second Place: Isabella Emerick — Junior, English — Mentors: Mahli Mechenbier and Linda Spurlock 

Humanities, Arts, Social Science and Fashion

Group 1

• First Place: Alice Fox — Junior, History — Mentor: Lindsay Starkey

Sociology, Economics and Marketing

• Second Place: Tanitoluwa Alabi — Senior, Economics — Mentor: Ikpe Justice Akpan

Accounting, Finance, Mathematics and Business Management

• First Place: Elizabeth Sowa — Junior, Mathematics — Mentor: Bathi Kasturiarachi

Neuroscience

• First Place: Anna Joy — Senior, Neuroscience — Mentor: John Johnson

• Second Place: Aliyah Ross — Senior, Neuroscience — Mentor: Lee Gilman

Exercise Science and Chemistry

• First Place: Domenic DeBellis — Freshman, Pre-Medicine — Mentor: Ellen Glickman

Computer Science

Group 1

• First Place: Christian Auman — Junior, Computer Science — Mentor: Deepshikha Bhati

• Second Place: Johanna Confer — Senior, Biology — Mentor: Amy Sato

Group 2

• Second Place: Andrew Leonard — Senior, Computer Science — Mentor: Mikhail Nesterenko

Celebrating Ten Years of SURE

This year marked the 10-year anniversary of the SURE program, which has supported hundreds of Kent State students in developing valuable research and presentation skills.

“This ceremony for me is the highlight of the fall semester, if not the academic year,” Ann Gosky, director of the Office of Student Research, said. “It’s inspiring to observe the work of so many talented students.” 

Learn more about the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at /research/student-research/summer-undergraduate-research-experience. 

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