Princeton Research Day spotlights undergraduate scholarship
More than 150 students presented their work in poster sessions on Feb. 20 at the new Princeton University Art Museum.
Princeton offers undergraduates an unsurpassed opportunity for original scholarly research, advised by faculty who are preeminent scholars in their disciplines. The rigor and breadth of the students’ work was on display Friday at Princeton Research Day.
More than 150 students presented their work in poster sessions in the soaring Grand Hall at the new Princeton University Art Museum. Some added video and interactive elements for live 5-minute “Poster+” presentations in an adjacent lecture hall.
The research spanned disciplines, from a policy paper about connecting foster youth to skilled trades (Alyssa Lloyd, Class of 2026), to an economic evaluation of energy resilience after natural disasters (Emmanuela Omole, Class of 2026), to research focused on letters written by a soldier “in the trenches” of the first World War (Samuel Coleman, Class of 2028).
Emmanuela Omole, Class of 2026, presented an economic evaluation of energy resilience after natural disasters.
Senior Emily Hinczynski, in anthropology, used archival photos and field drawings to analyze structures from the ancient city of Antioch — the original home of the museum’s iconic mosaics.
An engineering project by Benjamin Gitai, Class of 2029, used artificial intelligence to mathematically analyze X-ray images to help doctors with surgical measurements.
Benjamin Gitai in the Class of 2029 used artificial intelligence to mathematically analyze X-ray images to help doctors with surgical measurements.
Princeton Research Day is an annual event, now in its 11th year. This year’s event, led by the Office of Undergraduate Research in the Office of the Dean of the College, was the first to focus entirely on undergraduate research.
Pascale Poussart, director of undergraduate research, said the event is designed to ask students to think about ways to communicate their scholarly research not only to scholars within their academic discipline but also “to a friend, a family member, a neighbor or a potential employer.”
Claire Kho, a junior anthropology major, presented a poster at the event about extending the timeframe for ex vivo (outside the body) heart preservation for transplants.
Kho, who conducted her research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, said her time in the lab of Princeton’s Daniel Notterman, M.D., was instrumental to her development as a researcher. Notterman is a professor of the practice and senior research scholar in molecular biology and Princeton’s vice dean for biomedical and clinical research.
Claire Kho in the Class of 2027 presented a project about extending the timeframe for ex vivo heart preservation for transplants.
Princeton Research Day organizers announced a series of awards following the event, including prize categories for the arts and humanities, innovation, campus impact, international research and more. A full list of winners is available here.
Computer science major Laura Hwa, a senior, won the Innovation Award for a poster presentation of her senior thesis research on the costs to consumers of data center buildouts in the Mid-Atlantic, advised by Jesse Jenkins, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.
Hwa said working alongside colleagues in Jenkins’ lab has been a foundational part of her Princeton education. “I feel like no AI model, no amount of paper reading, can really match that.”
The “Undergraduate Edition” of Princeton Research Day is an initiative of the Office of the Dean of the College, led by the Office of Undergraduate Research in collaboration with the Princeton Writing Program, Princeton University Art Museum, Center on Science and Technology, Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship, Princeton Humanities Initiative, residential colleges, Alumni Engagement, Lewis Center for the Arts, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, and Keller Center, with support from the Dean for Research, Office of the Provost, and Vice President for Campus Life and awards sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life, Office of Innovation, University Library, Office of Sustainability, and the Office of International Programs.
