2025 Graduate Student Research Symposium Winners Named

Nearly 200 NC State graduate students presented their research projects during the 18th annual Graduate Student Research Symposium held at the McKimmon Center on April 2. Co-sponsored at NC State by the Graduate School and Graduate Student Association, the research symposium is the signature event of Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week and recognizes the importance of graduate education and research to the university’s mission.

This year 24 graduate students were selected as top performers after being evaluated on the quality of their research, the effectiveness of their poster presentation, their oral communication skills, and the creativity and aesthetic appeal of their poster.

“This event, resulting from a partnership between the Graduate Student Association and the Graduate School, is an incredible showcase of the amazing research talents and disciplinary breadth of NC State’s graduate students,” said Peter Harries, Dean of the Graduate School. “Furthermore, the interactions and discussions among the students, faculty, and staff members taking part in the event showed how engaged the community is in continuing to build the research community at the university.”

Abstracts for all student posters can be found online: 2025 symposium abstracts.

All winners receive a plaque and a cash prize. First place winners receive $500; second place, $350; and third place, $250.

Winners are listed below by discipline and department:

Agricultural Sciences
First place, Taynara Possebom, Entomology
Second place, Aliyah Warris Jackson, Crop Science
Third place, Caitlin Kestell, Crop Science

Design
First place, Rebecca Planchart, Graphic & Experience Design
Second place, Olha Novikova, Graphic & Experience Design
Third place, Jabria Oliver, Industrial Design

Education
First place, Charity Stallings, Agricultural and Human Sciences
Second place, Victoria Newton, Teacher Education and Learning Sciences
Third place, Madeline Stallard, Learning and Teaching in STEM

Engineering
First place, Seol-Yee (Jennifer) Lee, Mechanical Engineering
Second place, Hayden Bland, Nuclear Engineering
Third place, Krysten Lambeth, Biomedical Engineering

Environmental Sciences
First place, Vamery González Hernández, Applied Ecology
Second place, Jose Alejandro Fernandez, Forest Biomaterials
Third place, Aakash Upadhyay, Forest Biomaterials

Social Sciences and Humanities
First place, Nicole Odell, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
Second place, Sara Bulla, World Languages and Cultures
Third place, Elisabeth Ramsey, Agricultural and Human Sciences

Life Sciences
First place, Asher Utz, Molecular and Structural Biochemistry
Second place, Nikki Long, Biological Sciences
Third place, Melina Schopler, Plant Biology

Mathematical and Physical Sciences
First place, Catherine Odhiambo, Chemistry
Second place, James Garrison, Mathematics
Third place, Lucia Manatschal, Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences