May 15, 2025
Create. Discover. Inspire.
At the end of the academic year, Saint Mary's College holds a forum for the presentation and discussion of the best research and creative work of our undergraduate and graduate students.
Each spring...
Presenters from every major and discipline share their latest studies, compositions, and thought-provoking analyses with SMC and the broader East Bay community.
In addition to class projects and capstone presentations, we're also proud to feature the work of students simply eager to share their own artistic designs and personal scholarship. Previous topics have included everything from world events to scientific findings, as well as a broad swath of captivating work that explores the past, the present, and the future.
Saint Mary's students, as well as alumni, showcase their passions and academic pursuits, not just for their college professors and peers, but to give themselves a leg up in the next stage of their professional development.
In the age of AI, strong communication and presentation skills are more essential than ever. Being able to talk about your work in a passionate and convincing way is key to a successful career.
Interested in learning more? Read about the upcoming conference below.
2025 Student Research Conference & Showcase
May 15, 2025
3:00-6:00 pm
Soda Activity Center
Presentation Formats
Performance
Performing arts presentations can include a live performance of music, dance, or theater; if accepted, the time and place of the performance will be arranged prior to the conference.
Art Gallery
A gallery project can include any visual art or creative work, including graphic design and creative writing; if accepted, the time and place of the gallery will be arranged prior to the conference.
Conference Awards
Projects can be presented by groups or by individuals, each presentation being eligible to compete* in the 2025 Student Conference Competition in one of the following categories:
Best Presentation in Arts & Performing Arts
Best Presentation in Business
Best Presentation in Education
Best Presentation in Humanities
Best Presentation in Science
Best Presentation in Social Sciences
Best Group Presentation Certificate**
Library Research Awards
Elevator Pitch Award***
If you used library services and/or collections in the course of your project, then you may be eligible for one of three Library Research Awards. This award recognizes and rewards conference participants whose research makes expert and imaginative use of the services and collections of the Saint Albert Hall Library to produce scholarly and creative work.
*Early applicants will be given priority in the judging process the day of the conference.
**Group presentations are ineligible for cash prizes but the best group presentation will receive a certificate.
***Elevator Pitch Contest submissions are separate from the Conference application.
Elevator Pitch Contest
Did you work on a project this year that you want people to know about? Or do you have an idea for a project or a product unlike any other? Or perhaps something we've seen before but that you can improve upon in a way no one else has thought of?
Now is your chance to give the world a glimpse of what you have to offer.
Details below.
Tell a Story
In the span of 20-90 seconds, roughly the length of a short elevator ride, your goal is to sell your idea, to present your audience with something that they will not only understand, but also remember. Any good elevator pitch, whether for a contest, an employer, or even a potential investor, should be interesting, persuasive, succinct, and memorable.
"In the average one-minute speech, the typical student uses 2.5 statistics. Only one student in ten tells a story... When students are asked to recall the speeches, 63% remember the stories. Only 5% remember any individual statistic. You read that right: 5% remembered statistics; 63% remembered stories. Why is it that students in this exercise remember the stories significantly better than statistics alone? It boils down to this: statistics use the analytical part of the brain whereas stories engage both the analytical part of the brain as well as the emotional part of the brain."
(Lingwall, 2019)
Past Conferences
Conference Records
Conference Report
With 300 total presenters and around 300 friends, family, and faculty filling the Soda Center, this year's conference was truly something to behold. Students from nearly every academic department brought their latest research and coursework to share with the campus community, from art and science posters to business class exhibits and prerecorded presentations from our graduate education students in KSOE. There were even some presenters, including a few alumni, who simply wanted to showcase their academic passions, and this year's conference offered them a great opportunity to awe and amaze their friends and instructors, as well as our conference judges, with their thoughtful and compelling scholarship.
Best Presentations in the Arts & Humanities:
Lorenzo Caruso
Italian Immigrant Interview
Trinity Durfee & Gabrielle Ly (pictured)
Bufano Elephant Treatment
(Group Award)
Shelley Teichrow
Italian Capstone Portfolio
Best Presentations in Business:
James Brumley
Estate Planning Market Research & Product Strategy
Angelica Buncio, Natasha Canedo, Mattias Limon, Jayden Salazar, Casey Sansoni, & Gavin Walters
Oliver Hall Food Waste Reduction
(Group Award)
Best Presentations in Education:
Veronica Gibbs, Mariel Nodado, & Kelly Pham
The Silent Pain of High School Students: School Counselors Using Group Interventions to Support Adolescent Grief
(Group Award)
Nicole Mammoser, Erica Pon, & Omar Williams
Action Research: Preventive Measures to Avoid School Counselor Burnout
(Group Award)
Best Presentations in the Sciences:
Natalie Alaniz
Exploring the Impact of Asef on Breast Cancer Epithelial Cell Proliferation and Migration in Response to Epidermal Growth Factor
David Coleman, Samuel Leitch, Andrew Kernycky, & Mary Kyne
Dub Dragon
Cristian Ramirez Rodriguez
Lagrangian Motion On Rotating Monomial Wires
Best Presentations in the Social Sciences:
Lily Lundbaek
Looking at Health Disparities within Minority Groups with Disabilities
Cash Sanders
Psychedelic Drugs Potential In Clinical Therapy: Past, Present, and Future
Elevator Pitch Contest Winner:
Ayanna Wade
The Fight Against Fragile Masculinity
Library Research Awardees:
Emma Cardinale
Extreme Exercise Intensity Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Dysfunction
Gabrielle Ly
Museums: Collections or Community
Melody Ng
Edward Said: The Perpetuation of Imperialism
Isabella Ruiz
Crash and Burn: Violence and Stimulant Use in Japan
Jessalyn Torres
MHC Diversity & the Power of Personalized Healthcare
LaReina Torres
The Historical factors affecting the rise and fall of maternal mortality rates in the United States
Hosted by
Contact Us
Honors Program
honors@cnyc86.com
Dr. Helga Lenart-Cheng, Program Director
hl4@cnyc86.com
Connor McCaslin, Coordinator
crm20@cnyc86.com