The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is proud to announce the fourth annual 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition finalists. These undergraduates competed in the competition’s preliminary round and were selected as Top 10 finalists to present their research during the final round 5-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in The Cornerstone’s eSports Theater.
Finalists will present their research in five minutes in front of a panel of judges and a live audience using only a single static slide. This challenges students to develop their academic, presentation and research communication skills while also allowing them to showcase their research in a captivating way.
The goal of this competition is to improve undergraduate students’ abilities to communicate their research effectively to a general non-specialist audience while creating a compelling story about their scholarly work.
Students compete for cash prizes: $750 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place.
2022 Top 10 Finalists
- Artin Asadipooya — junior, Lewis Honors neuroscience major; Mentor: Pavel Ortinski, PhD, Neuroscience, College of Medicine
- Patrick Bidros — senior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Yasir Al Siraj, PhD, Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine
- Kayli Bolton — junior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Matthew Gentry, PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, College of Medicine
- Isha Chauhan — junior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Gregory Graf, PhD, Physiology, College of Medicine
- McKenna Clinch — junior, chemical engineering major; Mentor: Bryan Beckingham, PhD, Chemical Engineering, Samuel Gin College of Engineering (Auburn University)
- Tanner Durst — senior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Sarah D’Orazio, PhD, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine
- Chase Eastham — junior, Lewis Honors agricultural and medical biotechnology major; Mentor: Peter Nagy, PhD, Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
- Emily Keaton — senior, Lewis Honors sociology, neuroscience, philosophy, and English major; Mentor: Jerrod Penn, PhD, Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture (Louisiana State University)
- Lexi Nolletti — senior, Lewis Honors neuroscience major; Mentor: David Rodgers, PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, College of Medicine
- Caroline Youdes — junior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Zhenheng Guo, PhD, Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine
The 2022 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition is sponsored by the UK Office of Undergraduate Research. The event is open to the public.
For more information on the competition, visit https://our.uky.edu/5-minute-fast-track.