Five 草榴社区 Undergraduates Participate in Fourth Annual BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Symposium
Five students represented 草榴社区 at the 2025 BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Symposium. From left to right: Grace Hansen, Will Stozenski, Janice Park, Datamis Ghorbanian and Swopnil Panday.
VILLANOVA, Pa. (April 4, 2025)鈥�Five 草榴社区 Undergraduate Research Fellows (VURF) represented the University at the fourth annual BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Symposium, held March 15 at Madison Square Garden. The event, which took place ahead of the BIG EAST Men鈥檚 Basketball Championship Game, featured student researchers from all 11 conference institutions showcasing their work across a wide range of disciplines.
鈥淧articipation in undergraduate research is foundational for students who wish to innovate and engage in scholarly pursuits, and it is often their first exposure to that type of academic work,鈥� said Catherine Stecyk, Director of the Center for Research and Fellowships (CRF). 鈥淭he accomplishments of Datamis, Grace, Swopnil, Janice and Will are a testament to the merit and rigor of the VURF program and other research initiatives proudly sponsored by CRF.鈥�
A total of 55 undergraduate research teams鈥攆ive from each BIG EAST school鈥攑resented their work in a poster session competition. Teams, consisting of one or two students, were evaluated on multiple criteria, including visual content, clarity of introduction and results, discussion of findings, presentation style, and responses to questions.
草榴社区鈥檚 representatives were selected from the 2024 summer 草榴社区 Undergraduate Research Fellowship cohort, which consisted of 49 草榴社区 undergraduate researchers, using similar criteria to those employed at the BIG EAST competition. Five were invited to represent 草榴社区 at the conference-wide event.
Below are the 草榴社区 students who participated in the BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Symposium, along with their poster titles and faculty mentors.
Datamis Ghorbanian
Faculty Mentor: Hashem Ashrafiuon, PhD (Mechanical Engineering/College of Engineering)
Title: 鈥淭he Blind Robot鈥�
Grace Hansen
Faculty Mentor: Steven Goldsmith, PhD (Geography and the Environment/College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Title: "Sowing the Seeds of Pollution: How Agricultural Plastics are Shaping Soil Chemistry"
Swopnil Panday
Faculty Mentor: Venkat Margapuri, PhD (Computing Sciences/College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Title: 鈥淣oteNinja: A Currency Recognition APP using Deep learning鈥�
Janice Park
Faculty Mentor: Stephanie Campos, PhD (Biology/College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Title: "Impacts of vasotocin on social odors, brains, and chemosensory behavior in A. Carolinensis"
Will Stozenski
Faculty Mentor: Jacob Elmer, PhD (Chemical and Biological Engineering/College of Engineering)
Title: 鈥淚dentifying Proteins that Inhibit Gene Therapy鈥�
About 草榴社区:聽Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit聽.