Undergraduate Researchers to Present Their Work at the State Capitol

Twenty University of Kentucky students will make their way to the State Capitol Building in Frankfort, Kentucky, March 5 to present their research at the 2020 Posters-at-the-Capitol event. 

This one-day annual event is held to show Kentucky legislators the importance of undergraduate research and scholarly work in Kentucky. The governor proclaims this day to be Undergraduate Research Day across the Commonwealth. 

“Posters-at-the-Capitol provides a platform for our students to share this work with our elected leaders,” said Evie Russell, assistant director at the Office of Undergraduate Research. “Our hope is that this communication between the students and these policymakers will provide a greater appreciation for the value of the undergraduate research experience at all of our public institutions of high learning.”

The work presented by students represents the numerous hours of faculty-mentored student fellowships that could one day be used to address the state's most critical issues. With a mission to help increase the understanding of the important role undergraduate research plays in the education of students in Kentucky, Posters-at-the-Capitol enhances the undergraduate student experience by allowing them to showcase their hard work to those who make important decisions on issues that affect Kentuckians.

“This experience helped to strengthen my communication skills and put me in a position to have conversations with legislators, which can be considered a professional experience,” said Kenyatta Mitchell, a student who presented at the 2019 event. “How many students have had the chance to talk to legislators?”

The UK students who will participate in Posters-at-the-Capitol this year include:

• Katerina Banks
• Lucy Bowers
• Julie Brock
• Presley Bryant
• Colten Crager
• Abigail Fowler
• Julia Garner
• Isabel Gollmar
• Jack Keady
• Katie Land
• Jenny Liang
• Anna McCowan
• Emily Punzal
• Katie Richards
• Anna Romaniuk
• Claire Scott
• Alex Stewart
• Madison Von Deylen
• Jennifer Wayland
• Caitlyn Yost

The Office of Undergraduate Research is housed within the Office of Student and Academic Life. For more information on the Office of Undergraduate Research, click here. 

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion three years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" two years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers."  We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for four straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.