More than 250 Honors students present research a prestigious conference
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By William Lineberry
Honors College | Office of the Provost
Virginia Commonwealth University, for the first time in its history, hosted the largest and most prestigious undergraduate research conference in the country this week.
More than 5,000 undergraduate researchers from across the country descended on Richmond for the 2026 National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the Richmondev Convention Center. This year’s event was the largest NCUR to date since it started in 1987.
VCU had 487 student presenters at the conference, an uncommonly large number of student researchers for a host university. More than 250 of the student presenters were from the VCU Honors College.
For the conference’s three-day span, students presented their projects to an audience of peer researchers, faculty and staff through poster sessions, oral presentations and film screenings. VCU student projects represented a wide variety of disciplines from throughout the university. Students also attended mentor breakout sessions with faculty, fireside chats dealing with some of the most pertinent issues facing young researchers today, a graduate school fair, student-led panel discussions and more.
“As my first conference ever, this is such a great opportunity, especially since it’s here in Richmond this year,” said Assel Packry, an Honors College student majoring in medical laboratory sciences in the College of Health Professions. “It’s great to have it in my own backyard because it kind of eased me into the conference experience.”
Packry added that spending time with fellow undergraduate researchers from around the country gave her a satisfying sense of community.
“It’s like we’re all here and we’re all somewhat starting out in this formative undergraduate time in our lives,” she said. “Having opportunities like NCUR to meet one another and get to know one another as fellow researchers is priceless.”
Jacquilin Garcia, a student from Laredo College in Texas, said the atmosphere at NCUR and in Richmond was inspiring and has prompted her to explore pursuing graduate studies here.
“It’s all really exciting,” Garcia said. “I’ve never really experienced anything like this before. I’m actually looking at going to VCU for either nursing or pediatrics.”
NCUR 2026 arrived in Richmond as VCU’s Every Ram’s a Researcher initiative has helped usher in a new landscape for engaging students in research at the university. One out of every three students at VCU now is involved in research. All VCU students attending NCUR 2026 were sponsored by the Office of the Provost.
Ved Patel, a freshman majoring in biology in the College of Humanities and Sciences, had a personal reason for pursuing the research topic he presented at NCUR. Patel’s project was “Dementia Prevention: Effects of Cognitive Screening and Community Education.”
“It goes back to my grandpa and when he was diagnosed with dementia,” Patel said. “At the moment I found that out, I was completely lost. I grew up with him, and I was like ‘What is dementia even about?’ It was so scary.”
Finding research that could help Patel make sense of what his family and grandfather were going through was critical in helping him cope with the situation, he said. It also made him want to pursue this research so that people going through something similar with a family member or community member would have some resources and help, he said.
“My research will hopefully help establish a broader support system where resources and specialists are available to help those navigating having someone they know with dementia,” Patel said. “Being at NCUR helps me connect with more people and gain a lot of different perspectives on a variety of subjects, and that helps me build more relationships and gain more ideas for my research going forward.”
Elijah Durant, a junior majoring in criminal justice in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, credited VCU and his research experience with helping him find a community as a first-generation student. Durant’s project was titled, “Understanding Belonging & Inclusion at Predominantly White Institutions.”
“When I came to VCU and as I started to pursue this project, it really helped me find my community and track down some answers to the questions I faced as a Black first-generation student,” Durant said. “I feel like pursuing research has really shown me how to find my community, help others find their community, and get to the bottom line of what I want to learn and how to help others.”
For more stories of VCU undergraduate researchers at NCUR, see https://news.vcu.edu/article/vcu-students-at-national-conference-on-undergraduate-research.
‘Science and Arts in the Age of AI’
One panel discussion at NCUR brought together leaders from VCU to discuss the far-reaching impact of artificial intelligence.
The panel, which was titled for “Beyond the Podium: Confluence of Science and Arts in the Age of AI,” featured Arturo Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs; P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., vice president for research and innovation; and Carmenita Higginbotham, Ph.D., dean of the School of the Arts and special assistant to the provost. Manu Gupta, Ph.D., vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, moderated the panel.
The group discussed the emergence of AI and the need for higher education to lead and teach students how to properly utilize the tool, stressing the importance of using AI ethically while maintaining a human-centered approach.
“We will always need people who are trained well,” Saavedra said. “We will always need a community that rises up and sees the full picture. There’s nothing to be scared about and everything to be excited about.”