Third Annual Research Roundup
March 26, 2026
3rd Annual Research RoundupOn March 4th, the Center for Innovation hosted Xavier’s third annual Research Roundup, an undergraduate research presentation competition in which students communicated their original research to a lay audience for the chance to win cash prizes. This high-energy, Wild-West-themed event (organized and co-founded by myself and Dr. Hanna Wetzl) featured eight undergraduate researchers who presented three-minute pitches about their undergraduate research projects. Topics included green roofs, Irish language revival, virtual reality gaming, sports fandom, and more! Special guest judges were Dr. Kat Morris (Director of Undergraduate Research), Dr. Scott Breloff (Director for the Center for Research Excellence), Dr. Amy Overman (Dean of the College of Professional Sciences), and Dr. Katie Robiadek (Faculty Associate at the Center for Teaching Excellence).
The first-place winner was Biology major Josh Kwasnik mentored by Dr. Mark Mitchell; second place to Philosophy, Politics, and the Public major Claire Wagner mentored by Dr. Timothy White; third place to Exercise Science major Hailey Porter mentored by Dr. Jeremy Steeves; and a crowd favorite award to Political Science major Brady Rodgers also mentored by Dr. Timothy White. Lastly, a special award was voted on by a group of high school students who were alumni of the STEAM@XU Research Immersion summer camp- this “STEAM@XU Award” was given to Biomedical Sciences major Josh Mathis, mentored by Dr. Kelly Crowe. Overall, Research Roundup was a great showcase of the wide variety of scholarship being done by Xavier faculty and students, and helped students to build excitement around their research projects and develop key communication skills. We hope to see you there next year!
Kelly Crowe
Associate Professor, Department of Biology