DUNMORE, Pa. — Undergraduate students at Penn State Scranton showcased original research and creative scholarship during the campus’s annual Undergraduate Research Fair and Exhibition, which highlights student work across various academic disciplines and creative fields.
The fair features projects submitted by students from a range of programs, with presentations delivered through research posters, oral presentations and creative displays. Submissions are organized into multiple categories, which reflect both traditional academic inquiry and applied or artistic work.
2026 Award Winners
Judges select winners in each category based on established academic and creative criteria. The following students earned top honors:
Category 1 Empirical
1st place: Grant Lewis; “Accuracy Validation of a Consumer-Grade Structered-Light 3D Scanner”
2nd place: Airiana Scarfo Thomas Milutinovic, John Rivera; “Too Hot, Too Dry: How Heat and Water Together Influence Plant Survival and Reproduction”
Category 2 Literature Review
1st place: April Paciotti; “Impact of Respiratory Screening in Burnpit Exposed Veterans”
2nd place: Braedon Joyce; “Recognition and Management of Early Mild Cognitive Impairment in Younger Adults”
Category 3 Proposed
1st place: Riley Feerar; “The Effects of TikTok on Sustained Attention and Sleep Quality”
2nd place: Dylan Newcomer; “‘How was your day today?’: How a Self-Affirmation Intervention Impacts Life Satisfaction”
Category 4 Design Technology
1st place: Anthony Ryan Conforti, Andres Felipe Nino, Sherley Lin; “Louder Than Cancer”
2nd place: Alex Sorokach, James Liparulo, Daniel Smith, Jordan Rebar, Chad Yurkovic; “Global Key Solutions | Penn State – FDA Record Approval Process and Bug Squashing”
Category 5 Design Engineering
1st place: Grant Lewis, Ian Kramer, Grant McGinley, Richard Cronin; “Design and Validation of a Tilting, Lightweight Carbon Fiber Frame Electric-Human Powered Vehicle (eHPV)”
2nd place: Jacob Karsnak, Emily Beemer, Ethan Lee; “Innovative Three-Arm Robotic Gripper”
Category 6 Oral Presentations
1st place: Rowan Mulligan; “In Defense of Sex: Madonna and the Male Ga(y)ze”
2nd place: Marbella Duricko; “Globalization of Korean Popular Music (K-POP): The Value of Cultural Hybridity”
Category 7 Visual Arts
1st place – Rose Morel; “The Blood of the King”
2nd place – Zahra Karaf; “Painting Roses”
The Undergraduate Research Fair and Exhibition serves as a forum for undergraduate students to present original work, engage with faculty and peers, and gain experience to share their scholarship in a professional academic setting.