Being a student researcher at UNC Greensboro entails more than acquiring new knowledge; it means passing along those findings to enlighten others and impact lives. But how does one convert two to four years of rigorous study into a brief conversation with someone who, at best, has a cursory understanding of the subject?
Student researchers get practice distilling their findings into a few bullet points, graphs, and pictures thanks to the annual Carolyn & Norwood Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo.
Students in Lloyd International Honors College say the Expo opens their eyes to the vast potential of research, building their confidence in presenting and defending their findings. In the Cone Ballroom of the Elliott University Center, students choose to present via posters, visual exhibits, or performances.
Winners of the 2025 Expo shared their secrets to success, insights from mentors, and surprises along the way.
A Great Lab Sparks Great Talking Points
Kaela Pena ’25 took first place in the STEM category for her research on cellular mitosis.
“I got a message in my lab group chat from another Expo participant, saying, ‘Congrats to Kaela for winning first place!'” she says. “It was a complete shock. I didn’t go in thinking about the competition part. It was mainly about presenting my research.”
It was exciting news since this was her first time participating in the Expo. “I’ve been researching this for so long, I know it like the back of my hand,” she says. “I didn’t come in with a speech or anything. I knew I wanted to have a conversation.”
While earning her degree in biology, Pena joined Dr. Nick Ader’s research team to study the Alx1 gene as a key regulator of ESCRT activity – structures associated with the sealing of the nuclear envelope during cell division. At the Expo, she had to simplify all the complex biology for a general audience.
“The biggest thing I did was use pictures,” she explains. “Images tell more than you can say with words.”
Ader advised her to begin presentations by asking visitors what they already knew about cell division, giving her a starting point for each interaction. Her lab group was equally supportive while she prepared. “I’m not the only one who was presenting at the Expo,” says Pena. “We were able to bounce off of each other, learning how to communicate our research in lab meetings.”
Now heading into UNCG’s master’s program in biology, she’s excited to pass her research on to new undergraduates. “I’ll be sticking around to see where the research goes.”
Kaela’s Presentation advice
“Be able to communicate your research in an effective way, and that does not mean using all the fancy terminology. Be able to put it in simple terms in a simple way that still gets your message across. It’s having a conversation.”
Animation Brings Past into the Present
Jasmine Doctor ’25 won the visual arts category with her work “Why Can’t I Just Be Me?” The project was near and dear to her heart.
“I got a little emotional when making it,” says the newly graduated animation student. “I was like, ‘Wow, it’s a good time to self-reflect.'”
Despite its sentimental meaning, it was not Doctor’s first idea. She knew she wanted to make an animatic – a sequence of images used to pre-visualize an animated scene. However, her original story did not “click,” she says. While brainstorming with her professor Dan Hale, she pivoted. She reflected on high school conversations about feeling like, as she puts it, “the weird Black girl.” That gave her a new story idea about writing a letter to her younger self exploring culture, stereotypes, and identity.
She asked her mother for photos from her childhood. “She would dig through her photos of me when I was younger, so, I could see my hairstyles and clothes I used to wear. I saw how I used to dress and how my style has changed.”
Doctor enjoyed taking curious attendees behind the scenes for animation. “Once people understand the process, they say, ‘Oh, I see how much work and effort goes into it.’ They appreciate it a lot more.” She feels she could build upon the animatic for a future presentation.
Jasmine’s Presentation advice
“It’s okay to make mistakes and improvise. I had note cards somewhat memorized. But then I said, ‘Okay, I have a general idea of what I want to talk about. Let’s go off script and see how it goes.’ And it was still very efficient because it came from my heart.”
Research to Sink Your Teeth Into
Quinrose Mvuri, majoring in African American and African Diaspora Studies (AADS), knew that whatever research topic she picked had to be driven by passion.
“I had a chance to attend a food panel that AADS held about sustainability practices,” she says. “That got me thinking, ‘Okay, how does that look in my life? How can I be more sustainable? How can I be more conscious about what I eat?'”
She partnered with biology major Adrianna Mims to study the UNCG Fountain View Dining experience. With guidance from Dr. Hewan Girma, they surveyed students on food quality, service, meal plan costs, and dietary options. Their project won first place in humanities at the Expo.
Students praised the dining staff’s friendliness but suggested improvements like easier access to the ingredients list and more transparency into sustainable practices.
“We kept sentences short, quick, and efficient,” says Mvuri, when describing their final presentation. “We included pictures of the food that students liked and disliked.”
She greatly appreciates Girma’s work in helping them refine the survey to engage as many students as possible. “She went through and told us which questions were too long and showed us how to narrow them down, reminding us of who we were talking to,” she says.
Next semester, they plan to turn the research into recommendations for Spartan Dining. “Now we have the data, and we have to put it into action,” says Mvuri.
Quinrose’s Presentation advice
“Find what you’re passionate about. Find something that drives you, what you want to change. Dig deep into that. At first, I thought my research was insufficient, that it wasn’t ‘science.’ Don’t be afraid to venture out beyond what you think counts as ‘science.'”
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
