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For the seventh year in a row, St. Catherine University accomplished a 100% acceptance rate for undergraduate student presentations submitted to the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR). 

A total of 18 students and three faculty mentors will travel to the conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in April to present their research on a national stage. Support comes from the Summer �ۿ۴�ýs program, in addition to other gifts and grants. 

“We are thrilled, but not at all surprised, that St. Kate's collaborative research efforts are being showcased,” said D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch, assistant vice president for engaged learning. “St. Kate's students are hard-working and thoughtful, and their faculty mentors support them in growing discipline specific knowledge and advancing their fields in ways that live out our mission and values.” 

NCUR is not the only stage that will see presentations from St. Kate’s students this spring — another group of Summer �ۿ۴�ýs will present their research at the Minnesota State Capitol for Minnesota Private College Council’s  on February 26. These projects include Financial Literacy and Financial Satisfaction among U.S. First-generation College (Natalie Chandler ’26 and Lacey Chu, PhD) and Examining the Impact of Oral Health Training on Oral Health Care Practices Among Allied Health Professionals to Support Health Promotion and Prevention (Baokou Yung ’26, Richanta Pollard ’27, Mariam Toure ’26, and Stephanie de Sam Lazaro ’05, MAOT’06, OTD’14).

See below for the list of students and the projects they’ll be presenting at NCUR.

Faisa Mohamed ’25
Angela Ekwonye, PhD (faculty mentor)
Understanding Community Well-Being and Actions of Faith Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of Members of Faith Communities

Autumn Blommer ’25
Kellie Agrimson, PhD (faculty mentor)
Tsc1 annotation in newly sequenced drosophila

Samantha Bergstedt ’25 and Dani Pardessi ’25
Anaya Mitra, PhD (faculty mentor)
Examining the Relationship between Sleep and Food Choice in a College-Age Population

Kylee Sanow ’26
Bethany Rahn, MFA and Rahul Roy, PhD (faculty mentors)
Blossom Tales: Designing a children’s book to introduce a unique plant-pollinator interaction to reduce plant awareness disparity

Sophia Gibson ’25
Monica Rudquist, MFA (faculty mentor)
Heads: Reintroducing the Work of Jerry Rudquist

Olivia Lien ’27 and Madeline Bjonskaas ’25
Rachel Neiwert, PhD (faculty mentor)
Welcoming the Dear Neighbor?: The Legacies of Neighborhood Segregation in Ramsey County

Baokou Yung ’26, Mariam Toure ’26, and Richanta Pollard ’27
Stephanie de Sam Lazaro ’05, MAOT’06, OTD’14 (faculty mentor)
Assessing Health Literacy in an Adolescent Oral Health Education Curriculum to Prevent Oral Diseases

J. Dombroski ’25, Helen Sands ’26, and Julia Schmitt-Mischke ’27
Megan Baumler, PhD (faculty mentor)
Exploring the Perceived Impact of Farmers’ Markets on Food Access: Insights from the Twin Cities Metro Area

Maggie Lewandowski ’27
Jared Fine, PhD (mentor)
Treatments for TBI Delivered Intranasally to Rodents

Abigail Haveman ’25
Amanda Herrmann, PhD (mentor)
Understanding Participation in Adaptive Exercise Programs for Spinal Cord Injury

Thelmalane Yalartai ’26
John Pellegrini, PhD (faculty mentor)
Accessing Neuromuscular Fatigue in Childhood Cancer Survivors  

Anna Hanratty ’28
Ambria Crusan, PhD (faculty mentor)
Identifying Key Facilitators and Barriers for Urban Native American Families’ Use of Traditional Foods to Support Nutrition-Based, Community Interventions 

Collaborative Research is part of the Office of �ۿ۴�ýly Engagement, St. Kate’s hub for engaged learning. Learn more about Collaborative Research.