Brandeis Stories

By David Levin
May 6, 2025 • Research

More than 570 Brandeis students showcased their scholarly and creative work at the fifth annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Collaborations Symposium on Thursday, marking the highest participation in the event's history.

The popular symposium, which celebrates undergraduate research across all disciplines, transformed the Hassenfeld Conference Center into a vibrant academic gathering where students presented projects ranging from biochemistry and public-health initiatives to musical composition.

"The symposium showcases the incredible range of dynamic and innovative research at Brandeis in the humanities, creative arts, and social, natural and physical sciences," said Margaret Lynch, director of Undergraduate-Faculty Research Partnerships. 

The four-hour event featured poster talks, PowerPoint presentations and multimedia screenings. Student interest this year was so overwhelming that poster presentations had to be divided into two separate sessions to accommodate all participants.

Some, like environmental studies major Lily Lyons '25, found the experience especially valuable for professional development. Lyons spent more than an hour at her poster discussing her research, which used satellite data to examine the impact of airborne particles on plant growth. The work grew out of a summer internship at NASA.

"It's been really fun. Standing here in the first half hour, it was a little scary thinking about how I was going to relate all this information — but it's good practice for public speaking and general science communication," Lyons said. Besides, she added: "I did all this work, so it's nice to be able to show it to people."

Hana Miller ’25 echoed that sentiment. Having a poster about her research, which examines global funding for HIV treatment services in Tanzania, let her discuss a particularly timely and complex subject while being able to reference real scientific data. 

“It's been nice to have a visual representation of my work, where I’m not just talking about a paper. I think there are nuances that you can only express in presenting and breaking it down for other people,” she said. 

Even after formal presentations had ended, students and faculty huddled together in the hallway to continue animated discussions.

In addition to showcasing student research, the event seeks to promote, develop and expand undergraduate-faculty research partnerships across all disciplines at the university, said Lynch. Gathering a crowd of excited students to discuss their work might be the perfect recruiting tool, she added. "Student presenters often inspire other attendees to engage in the high-impact experiential learning practice of undergraduate research."