LEXINGTON Ky. (Oct. 21, 2024) —The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has selected the sixth annual 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition finalists. These undergraduates vied in the competition’s preliminary round and were selected as Top 10 finalists to present their research during the final round from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, in the Healthy Kentucky Research Building’s Seminar Room 150.
Finalists will present their research in five minutes in front of a panel of judges and a live audience. This challenges students to develop their academic, presentation and research communication skills while also allowing them to showcase their research in a captivating way.
The goal of this competition is to improve undergraduate students’ abilities to communicate their research effectively to a nonspecialist audience while creating a compelling story about their scholarly work.
Students compete for cash prizes: $750 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place.
2024 Top 10 Finalists:
- Fatimah Alomar, biology and Lewis Honors College junior; Mentor: Anel Jaramillo, Ph.D., in the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
- Katie Christensen, agriculture and medical biotechnology and violin performance and Lewis Honors College junior; Mentor: Kendall Corbin, Ph.D., in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s Department of Horticulture.
- Nikitha Dharanipragada, neuroscience and Lewis Honors College senior; Mentor: Robert Helsley, Ph.D., in the College of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine.
- Gabriel Portugal, product design and psychology and Lewis Honors College senior; Mentor: Aanya Chugh, College of Design’s School of Interiors.
- Allison Raley, chemical engineering and Lewis Honors College junior; Mentor: Brittany Givens Rassoolkhani, Ph.D., in the Pigman College of Engineering’s Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering.
- Julianne Sharpe, biology and Lewis Honors College junior; Mentor: Gregory Jicha, Ph.D., in the College of Medicine’s Department of Neurology.
- Erica Smith, architecture and Lewis Honors College senior; Mentor: Daniel Vivian, Ph.D., in the College of Design’s Department of Historic Preservation.
- Connor Stuart, neuroscience and Lewis Honors College senior; Mentor: Ann Stowe, Ph.D., in the College of Medicine’s Department of Neurology.
- Bailey Swart, agricultural and medical biotechnology senior; Mentor: Eva Goellner, Ph.D., in the College of Medicine’s Department of Cancer and Toxicology.
- Bhavya Vyas, psychology and neuroscience junior; Mentor: Pooja Sidney, Ph.D., College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychology.
The 2024 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition is sponsored by the UK Office of Undergraduate Research. The event is open to the public.
For more information on the competition, visit https://our.uky.edu/5-minute-fast-track.