About the OUR Award
In 2015, the Office of Undergraduate Research introduced the Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award. Each year the Office of Undergraduate Research recognizes one undergraduate student researcher from each college/school with the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Researcher Award. Partnering colleges/schools are responsible for selecting the awardee.
Faculty mentors are invited to nominate students, and awardees are selected by committee. The criteria for the Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award are:
- Record of sustained commitment to developing research skills and knowledge under the supervision of a faculty mentor
- Evidence of independent and critical thinking
- Active participation in research-related activities on campus
- Positive contributions to the research culture of the Department, College, and University
Eligibility
Any currently-enrolled degree-seeking undergraduate student at the University of Utah is eligible for the award. Nominees DO NOT need to have participated in UROP. The student may be engaged in any type of research or creative scholarship on campus. We recommend that you consider all students working with your college’s/school’s faculty as eligible even if they are not majors in your college/school.
Process
Each Spring, representatives from each college collect nominations and select the year's Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher from their college. Recipients and their faculty research mentors are celebrated at an annual undergraduate research awards luncheon.
Award Ceremony
April 4th at 10:30AM.
Due to foster public health safety, the ceremony will be live streamed and in-person attendees limited to invitation only.
2021 Awardees
VIEW THEM HERE >>
2020 Awardees
VIEW THEM HERE >>
Hakan Ashaboglu (Prof. Trent Smith)
Architecture + Planning
Jacqueline Mumford (Prof. Robert Allen)
School of Business
Braden Fallon (Prof. Melodie Weller)
School of Dentistry
Danielle Sheremeta (Prof. Claire Son)
College of education
Takara Truong (Prof. Mark Minor)
College of Engineering
Alicia Ross (Prof. Satu Hummasti)
College of fine arts
Nathan Brian Rose (Prof. Adriana Coletta)
College of health
Benjamin Battistone (Prof. Ginger Smoak)
Honors college
Caitlin Silianoff (Prof. Christopher Mead)
college of humanities
Madeline Harker (Prof. Amos Guiora)
College of Law
James Carrington (Prof. Minna Roh-Johnson)
school of medicine
Christopher Rapp (Prof. Gannet Hallar)
College of mines & earth sciences
Bruno Gonzáles (Prof. Michelle Litchman)
College of nursing
Nam Nguyen (Prof. Chris Reilly)
College of pharmacy
Shaniah Chee (Prof. Brian Codding)
College of social & behavioral science
Connor Weatherly (Prof. Henry White & Prof. Shelley Minteer)
College of science
Hector Robles (Prof. Jason Castillo)
College of social work
Christine Martinez (Prof. Wanda S. Pillow)
school for cultural and social transformation
2019 Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Awardees
Michael Jarzin (Prof. Sarah Hinners)
Architecture + Planning
Carly Ho (Prof. Nitin Bakshi)
School of Business
Yasmeen Siripathane (Prof. Annette Fleckenstein)
School of Dentistry
Erin Feeley (Prof. Erin Castro)
College of education
Abbie Ireland (Prof. Trudy Oliver)
College of Engineering
Victoria Holmes (Prof. Kate Mattingly)
College of fine arts
Samira Gholami (Prof. Anandh Velayutham)
College of health
Camrey Tuttle (Prof. Sara Simonsen)
Honors college
Maya Kobe-Rundio (Prof. Robin E Jensen)
college of humanities
Reuben Ryan Cano (Prof. Dean Tantin)
school of medicine
Alexander Reifsnyder (Prof. Krista Carlson)
College of mines & earth sciences
Kristen Stucki (Prof. Gwen Latendresse)
College of nursing
Zack Harmer (Prof. Eric Schmidt)
College of pharmacy
Journey Bly (Prof. Leslie Knapp)
College of social & behavioral science
Maile Marriott (Prof. Valeria Molinero)
College of science
Sadia Al-Hilo (Prof. Jeremiah Jaggers)
College of social work
Estefanie Aguilar Padilla (Prof. Erin Castro)
school for cultural and social transformation
2018 Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Awardees
Carissa Pollock (Prof. Ryan Smith)
Architecture + Planning
Taylor Dove (Prof. Davidson Heath)
Business
Valeria Jimenez (Profs. Edmund Fong and Jesus Valero)
Cultural & Social Transformation
Elaine Cooke (Prof. Melodie Weller)
Dentistry
Carlie Haacke (Prof. Lauren Liang)
Education
Jayden Plumb (Prof. Ashley Spear)
Engineering
Cece Otto (Prof. Robert Scott Smith)
Fine Arts
Nikol Yonemura (Prof. Micah Drummond)
Health
Gemma Clark (Prof. Jennifer Weidhaas)
Honors
Lydia Morley (Prof. Matt Haber)
Humanities
Abbie Ireland (Prof. Trudy Oliver)
Medicine
Silvia Padilla (Prof. Michael Simpson)
Mines & Earth Sciences
Jia "Janny" Liu (Prof. Jacqueline Eaton)
Nursing
Zachary Barber (Prof. Hamid Ghandehari)
Pharmacy
Elom Amematsro (Prof. Sophie Caron)
Science
Hannah Samowitz (Prof. Monisha Pasupathi)
Social & Behavioral Sciences
Lauren Brocious (Prof. Caren Frost)
Social Work
2017 Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Awardees
Sara Ference (Prof. Elpitha Tsoutsounakis)
Architecture + Planning
Heidi Qin (Prof. Dolores Delgado Bernal)
Cultural and Social Transformation
Carol Castañeda (Prof. Mary Burbank)
Education
Benjamin Gilmore (Prof. Taylor Sparks)
Engineering
Ali Mitchell (Prof. Monty Paret)
Fine Arts
Shantae George (Prof. Heather Hayes)
Health
Samantha Duzy (Prof. Michael Gills)
Honors
Eve Olson (Prof. Rachel Hayes-Harb)
Humanities
Caroline Wang (Prof. Catherine Loc-Carillo)
Medicine
Nicholas Thiros (Prof. Diego Fernandez)
Mines & Earth Sciences
Kyle McDougle (Prof. Lauren Clark)
Nursing
Annwin Chen (Prof. Amy Barrios)
Pharmacy
Amanda Bischoff (Prof. Matthew Sigman)
Science
Kai Sin (Prof. Aikio Kamimura)
Social & Behavioral Sciences
Rose Gomez (Prof. Jason Castillo)
Social Work
2016 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awardees
Michael Hoehn (Prof. Erin Carraher)
Architecture + Planning
Peter Curtis (Prof. Christopher German)
Dentistry
Mercedes Jorgensen (Prof. Lauren Liang)
Education
Kristina Lundgren (Prof. Taylor Sparks)
Engineering
Cynthia Chen (Prof. Catherine Mayes & Jane Hatter)
Fine Arts
Cecilia Cardozo (Prof. Stacy Manwaring)
Health
Julie Imig (Prof. Inese Ivans)
Honors College
Hillary Hermansen (Prof. Christopher Lewis)
Humanities
Kathryn Lami (Prof. Sihem Boudina)
Medicine
Benjamin White (Prof. Jeffrey Moore)
Mines & Earth Sciences
Christina Triptow (Prof. Katherine P. Supiano)
Nursing
Seychelle Marcus (Prof. Christopher Reilly)
Pharmacy
Ethan Lake (Profs. Oleg Starykh, Yong-Shi Wu & Zheng Zheng)
Science
Brianna Bartholomew (Profs. Elizabeth Cashdan & Leslie A. Knapp)
Social & Behavioral Sciences
Elizabeth Gamarra (Prof. Joanna Bettmann Schaefer)
Social Work
2015 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awardees
Katherine Nix (Prof. Stephen Goldsmith)
Architecture + Planning
Zhao Jin (Profs. Elizabeth Tashjian & Cihan Bilginsoy)
Business
Andrew Johansen (Profs. Lisa McFadden & Annette Fleckenstein)
Dentistry
Tyler McDaniel (Prof. Erin Castro)
Education
Josh Kunz (Profs. Sneha Kasera, Robert Ricci & Kobus Van der Merwe)
Engineering
Chance Clouse (Prof. Maureen O’Hara Ure)
Fine Arts
Brett Cutler (Profs. Thunder Jalili & Anandh Babu Pon Velayutham)
Health
Diona Giannopoulos (Prof. Michael Gills)
Honors College
Kajsa Vlasic (Profs. Michael Gills & Disa Gambera)
Humanities
Aliya Khan (Prof. Leslie Francis)
Law
Andrew Jo (Prof. David Krizaj)
Medicine
Max Giannetta (Prof. Lowell Miyagi)
Mines & Earth Sciences
Andy Rivera (Profs. Kristin Cloyes & Linda Edelman)
Nursing
Josh Conarton (Prof. Hamid Ghandehari)
Pharmacy
Alexandra Kent (Prof. Jennifer Heemstra)
Science
Martin Puga Jr. (Prof. Rebecca Utz)
Social & Behavioral Sciences
Elizabeth Gamarra (Prof. Dena Ned)
Social Work