The West Campus community celebrated its inspirational students July 31st at the Undergraduate Student Research Fair, a first of its kind event on the campus. Connecting Yale students and summer interns from New Haven Promise and beyond, presentations spanned the breadth of fundamental science projects for an energized audience of lab mates, faculty and staff at the campus Conference Center.
The event was orchestrated by campus postdoctorl scholars Samantha Shepherd and James Hutchison, respectively of thea Gupta Lab (Nanobiology Institute) and the Lemmon Lab (Cancer Biology Institute.) Campus “uber mentors,” the pair have formed an ambitious partnership with administrators to nurture the next generation of student scientists from all backgrounds.
With a focus on student professional development, the Research Fair offered undergraduates the opportunity to practice making science posters, hone presentation skills and elevator speeches, and strengthen peer and mentor networks – all in the context of the interdisciplinary “team science” landscape of the West Campus science Institutes.
Such was the high standard of science posters and talks, poster judges struggled to select individual prize winners, awarding all twenty undergrad presenters with West Campus frisbees!
Vice Provost Michael Crair was also on hand to present four thematic prizes: the Prize for Exception Technical Explanation going to Navya Padalia, Sathish Ramakrishnan Lab, Nanobiology Institute; the Prize for Exception Lay Explanation to Paul Emmert, Malvankar Lab, Microbial Sciences Institute; and the Prize for Exceptional Enthusiasm shared between Elaine Osei Bonsu, Kallol Gupta Lab, Nanobiology Institute and Caitlyn Leong, Yansheng Liu Lab, Cancer Biology Institute.
Our sincere thanks to all our fantastic student preesnters, to the volunteer judges, and to everyone who made the event such a success.
The West Campus New Haven Promise program has hosted around 40 local scholars since its inception in 2020. Enquires can be made to jon.atherton@yale.edu
