Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day (URSCAD)
URSCAD 2025 - Tuesday, April 15, 2025
The 2025 Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Day (URSCAD) will be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Registration will open early in the spring semester, along with additional deadlines and announcements.
The purpose of URSCAD is to encourage, promote and recognize student involvement in undergraduate research and creative activity at SDSU.
URSCAD is held each spring and includes a poster show, featured performances, and awards for outstanding student achievement. Student submissions from all disciplines are encouraged. Faculty, staff, students and community members (both on-campus and off-campus) are welcome and encouraged to attend the poster show and judging, as well as the musical/poetry performances and awards ceremony!
Students are encouraged to read through the "Student Participant Instructions" in preparation for URSCAD.
Additional information can be found below. If you have questions, please contact The Fishback Honors College via email or by phone 605-688-5186.
Tentative URSCAD Schedule
9-11 a.m. - Poster Check-In and Display Setup
1-3 p.m. - Poster Show and Project Judging
3:15-3:30 p.m. - Music and Poetry Performances
3:30-4 p.m. - Awards Ceremony
Please Note: Schedule is tentative and may be subject to change.
Student Participant Instructions
Students presenting research should plan to create and print a 36-inch tall by 48-inch wide poster to display during URSCAD. SDSU has a number of university-approved templates for research posters. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these templates when preparing for URSCAD.
SDSU Research Poster Templates
Students are welcome to print their poster utilizing the printing service of their choice, but are encouraged to use BluePrint Design and Print Center, located in the lower level of the University Student Union.
BluePrint Design and Print Center
Students will be provided additional instructions about their participation in URSCAD through their student email as the event gets closer.
Certificates for Outstanding Poster Presentations - 2024
- Mitchell VanderWal
- Major: Animal Science
- Poster Title: Effects of Cover Crops on Rumen Bacteria
- Advised by: Benoit St-Pierre
- Andrea Brandner
- Major: Animal Science
- Poster Title: Effects of peri-castration pain management strategies on growth, feed and water intake, behavior, and blood cortisol levels of weaned beef steers
- Advised by: Ana Clara Menezes
- Victoria Skiba
- Major: Animal Science
- Poster Title: Influence of Beef Carcass Weight on Proteolysis of Myofibrillar Proteins Desmin and Troponin-T
- Advised by: Judson Grubbs
- Libby Gregg
- Major: human biology
- Poster Title: A Comparative Study of Anatomical Learning Experiences via Virtual Reality and Cadaver Prosections across Student Roles
- Advised by: Ethan Snow, Greg Heiberger, and Jordan Neises
- Ryan Johnson (pharmaceutical sciences/Pharm.D.), Bodhi Brady (human biology)
- Poster Title: Mutations in Tuberculosis and Antibiotic Resistance
- Advised by: Madhav Nepal
- Rylan Willis
- Major: human biology
- Poster Title: Mandibuloglossolarygectomy: A New Dissection Protocol with Implications for Teaching and Learning
- Advised by: Ethan Snow
- Mary Matya
- Major: biochemistry
- Poster Title: Development of an Ice Concentration Linked with Extractive Stirrer Method for the Analysis of Pesticide Contaminates in Sparkling Water.
- Advised by: Brian Logue
- Avery Dooley
- Major: biochemistry
- Poster Title: Targeting Chemotherapy-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Modeling Estrone Analogs and Evaluating Their Efficacy through Assays.
- Advised by: Fathi Halaweish
- Tanner Smith
- Major: human biology
- Poster Title: Amplification of antibody receptor signaling during antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis in macrophages.
- Advised by: Adam Hoppe
- Abigail Rost
- Major: human biology
- Poster Title: Optimizing Study Strategies: Decoding the Impact of Cramming and Spacing on Success in Organic Chemistry and Human Anatomy.
- Advised by: Linde Murray
- Mason Krause
- Major: mechanical engineering
- Poster Title: Lightweight 3D-Printing Filaments.
- Advised by: Todd Letcher
- Emma Louwagie
- Major: mechanical engineering
- Poster Title: Evaluation of self-organized criticality for inhalation-induced airway deposition.
- Advised by: Saikat Basu
- Maggie Hoff
- Major: agricultural and biosystems engineering
- Poster Title: Production and characterization of magnetic activated carbon from corn and soybean crop residue to estimate efficacy for wastewater treatment.
- Advised by: Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan
- Elizabeth Drovdal
- Major: wildlife and fisheries sciences
- Poster Title: Monitoring snake and lizard use of artificial cover objects using a time-lapse camera system and machine learning identification software.
- Advised by: Bruce Eichhorst
- Kaden D. Ball
- Major: wildlife and fisheries sciences
- Poster Title: Assessing how Fathead Minnow use Different Types of Vegetation when Exposed to Simulated Predation.
- Advised by: Alison Coulter
- Jeston Hassler
- Major: wildlife and fisheries sciences
- Poster Title: Pumpkinseed Population Characteristics on the Western Edge of Its Native Distribution.
- Advised by: Alison Coulter
- Hunter Eide
- Major: human biology
- Poster Title: Pattern of Cognitive Ageing in Older Ghanaian Adults Stratified by Age and Educational Level: A Normative Data for Semantic Verbal Fluency, Digit Span and Verbal Recall.
- Advised by: Madhav Nepal and Phyllis Tawiah
- Sarah Karnes
- Major: nursing
- Poster Title: Impact of Different Dietary Pattern on Cognitive Health.
- Advised by: Samitinjaya Dhakal
- Sydney Jensen
- Major: exercise science
- Poster Title: Effects of Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Physical Activity on Obesity in Law Enforcement Officers.
- Advised by: Allison Barry
- Carol Glaus (psychology), Lindsay Hammer (communication studies), Mikayla Janis (nutrition/dietetics), Dallas Kelso (English), Whitley Olinger (nursing)
- Poster Title: There is no “generic American Indian”: Student documentaries exploring personal journeys of Indigeneity, belonging and resilience.
- Advised by: Karla Hunter, Amber Jensen, Rocky Dailey
- Nancy Khuu
- Major: nursing
- Poster Title: Identifying the Effects of Virtual Reality Simulation in the Nurse Education Lab.
- Advised by: Alyssa Zweifel
- Virginia Klecker
- Major: nursing
- Poster Title: Palliative Nursing Cares for Individuals with Advanced Cancer in South Dakota.
- Advised by: Sarah Mollman
- Shawna Thomsen (interior design), Helen Nigus (interior design), Kelsey Gustaf (interior design), Maggie Dailey (interior design)
- Poster Title: Color theory and the design connection to Labor and Delivery.
- Advised by: Sahand Abbasi
- Hyunjun Cho
- Major: pharmaceutical sciences/Pharm.D.
- Poster Title: Structure-Activity Relationships of the Orally Active Lead Natural Product Peganine for the Protozoan Parasitic Disease Leishmaniasis.
- Advised by: Tanvir Khaliq
- Kasey Klocek
- Major: pharmaceutical sciences/Pharm.D.
- Poster Title: Influence of SARS-CoV2 structural proteins on inflammation-associated cancer.
- Advised by: Komal Raina
- Angela Louise Lansang
- Major: medical laboratory science
- Poster Title: Intrauterine Fetal Demise complicated by HELLP syndrome and DIC.
- Advised by: Stacie Lansink
- Matthew Wieberdink (physics), Cole Brown (physics)
- Poster Title: Crystalline and Magnetic Properties of Cr2MnAl.
- Advised by: Parashu Kharel
- McKinsey Eirikson
- Major: physics
- Poster Title: Analyzing Exoplanets.
- Advised by: Judy Vondruska
- Manish Neupane (physics), Cole Brown (physics)
- Poster Title: Compositional design of soft magnetic Fe_73.5Nb_3Cu_1Y_13.5+xB_9-x(Y = Si, Ga) alloys for energy applications.
- Advised by: Parashu Kharel
- Zachary Liebl
- Major: political science
- Poster Title: Attacks against Catholic Churches and the Dobbs Decision.
- Advised by: Filip Viskupic
- Olivia Schanzenbach
- Major: psychology
- Poster Title: Recent Trends in the Application of Preschool Life Skills.
- Advised by: Lacy Knutson
- Claire Beckman
- Major: communication studies
- Poster Title: Lived Experiences of People with Communication Disorders.
- Advised by: Jenn Anderson
- Nancy Khuu
- Major: nursing
- Poster Title: Identifying the Effects of Virtual Reality Simulation in the Nurse Education Lab.
- Advised by: Alyssa Zweifel
- Bidhi Kasu
- Major: human biology
- Poster Title: Determining the Role of PAK2 in Macropinocytosis.
- Advised by: Natalie Thiex
- Hunter Eide
- Major: human biology
- Poster Title: Pattern of Cognitive Ageing in Older Ghanaian Adults Stratified by Age and Educational Level: A Normative Data for Semantic Verbal Fluency, Digit Span, and Verbal Recall.
- Advised by: Medhav Nepal and Phyllis Tawiah
- William Wilson (human biology), Thomas LaFave (biochemistry and chemistry), Mason Comes (exercise science)
- Poster Title: The First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle of the Hand: A Meta-Analysis of Overlooked Morphological Variations.
- Advised by: Ethan Snow
- Seth Lewis
- Major: psychology
- Poster Title: Past, Present, and Future Treatments for Depression.
- Advised by: Debra Spear
- Alissa Maurer
- Major: human biology
- Poster Title: Arachnoid Cysts: A Comprehensive Review with Clinical Implications.
- Advised by: Ethan Snow