Not just fancy posters

Someone passing the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom Thursday afternoon might have noticed a modest number of people milling around posters detailing the inner workings of electron microscopes or the behavioral patterns of baby elephants.

The posters were just part one part of the fifth annual Columbia-Willamette Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium, and the people—mostly students at Portland State, University of Portland and Linfield College—represent some of the state’s brightest scientific minds.

“The Sigma Xi Society decided to start this symposium to bring undergrads and graduate students in the area to present their research,” said Dr. Erik Sanchez, a Portland State professor who coordinated the event.

The event aimed to give students feedback from impartial judges. Sanchez said that for some students, it was the first opportunity for them to present their research to a large audience. He stressed that it is vital for students to gain confidence in presenting their work if they wish to win grants, which are key to funding research.

“They walk away with knowledge of what they could improve and what they did great on,” Sanchez said. “I want them to walk away with feedback.”

In addition, first-place winners walked away with $100 each, while second and third-place winners each received $50.

First-place winners from Portland State unless otherwise noted

Biological and behavioral science
Tiffany Austin
Anna Coleman-Hulbert
Camille Graves
Claire James (University of Portland)

Chemistry
Alex Samuels
Diane Morgan (Linfield College)

Earth and environmental science
Jeremy Parra

Physics
Derek Nowak
Jianfeng Wu