Diversity Research Showcase invests in undergraduate work for ninth year

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Image of eighteen Michigan State University students at the 2026 Diversity Research Showcase. There are two rows of students. One row is sitting in couches and chairs, and another row is behind them. Students are smiling, and most are in business attire. A wood-paneled wall is in the background.

By Sloane Barlow

The Honors College hosted the 9th Annual Diversity Research Showcase (DRS) on Friday, January 23. The Diversity Research Showcase provides undergraduate students space to discuss their research with peers, faculty, and staff in a supportive and constructive atmosphere.

This year included 13 online poster presentations and 19 oral presentations. Both Honors and non-Honors students brought new perspectives on research topics such as: fast fashion, art as medicine, prenatal care, modern supply chains, and AI breast cancer detection, among others.

Provost Laura Lee McIntyre, Ph.D., congratulated the presenters on “pushing the bounds of research and understanding, and leading the way to real-world impact.” 

“Thank you to the Honors College and their campus-wide partners who have supported your work and helped make this opportunity possible,” said McIntyre in virtual remarks. 

Erika Crews, the Honors College director of student success and community engagement, was a main organizer of the showcase.

“Diversity research helps us better understand the realities of our communities and the systems that shape them,” Crews said. “Especially now, funding this work is a meaningful investment in rigorous scholarship that informs practice and contributes to more equitable outcomes.”

This was the first time Crews and her team hosted the showcase at Campbell Hall, the new Honors College living-learning community. Bess German, Ph.D., an assistant dean of the Honors College, stated in her welcome speech that this showcase was the first of many to continue within Campbell Hall.  

Thanks to generous donations from program sponsors, monetary prizes from $150-$750 were awarded to the top presenters in the oral and poster categories. 

Students were recognized for their research at an awards ceremony and reception following presentations.  

Image of Michigan State University student Badri Aiman Khan Badrul Zeman Khan, standing in a black suit, white collared shirt, and red necktie, while speaking next to a green and white research poster. The poster is titled "A Data Driven Look at Fast Fashion's Environmental and Social Toll". A wood paneled wall is in the background.

Poster Presentations 

Poster presenters shared their work online, and were awarded at the in-person ceremony in Campbell Hall.

“I wanted to participate in the DRS to help elevate underrepresented voices and encourage more equitable approaches to medical education,” said Sullivan Whiting, a third-year student studying human biology through Lyman Briggs College who earned fifth place. 

Whiting’s research examined how transgender and gender diverse medical students and residents experience medical education, and how current diversity initiatives often fall short of creating meaningful inclusion.  

“By centering lived experiences, this work highlights the need for structural change in medical training,” Whiting said.  

First Prize ($750)

Kellsey Hall & Alana Mapp 

  • Project: RCAH Sister Circle as a Third Space: How Does Sister Circle Impact the Sense of Belonging in Women and Women of Color at Predominately White Institutions Like MSU?
  • Kellsey Hall
  • Alana Mapp
    • Year: Third-year student
    • Majors: Arts and humanities, sociology
    • Colleges: Honors College, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, College of Social Science
  • Research Mentors: Tama Hamilton-Wray, Ph.D., and Sitara Thobani, Ph.D.

Second Prize ($600) 

Lowell Monis

  • Project: The Chance to Buy an Illegal Drug: Disparities in Exposure Across Race-Ethnicity Subgroups Over Time, 2002–2024
  • Year: Third-year student
  • Majors: Data science, world politics, computational & applied mathematics
  • Colleges: Honors College, College of Natural Science, College of Social Science
  • Research Mentor: James C. Anthony, Ph.D.

Third Prize ($450) 

Badri Aiman Khan Badrul Zeman Khan

  • Project: A Data-Driven Look at Fast Fashion’s Environmental and Social Toll
  • Year: Third-year student
  • Major: Data science
  • College: College of Natural Science
  • Research Mentor: Saroopa Taylor, Ph.D.

Fourth Prize ($300) 

Madison Pizzuti

  • Project: Menstrual Health Research in Ghana 
  • Year: Fourth-year student
  • Major: Kinesiology
  • College: College of Education 
  • Research Mentors: Connie Currier, Ph.D., and Darline El Reda, Ph.D. 

Fifth Prize ($150)

Sullivan Whiting 

  • Project: Community-Building Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse Medical Students and Residents  
  • Year: Third-year student
  • Major: Human biology
  • College: Lyman Briggs College  
  • Research Mentor: Andrea Kelley, Ph.D. 

Image of Michigan State University Honors College student Benjamin Nketsiah standing in a classroom and presenting to an audience. Nketsiah is in a navy blue suit and tie, with a white collared shirt.

Oral Presentations 

In the oral presentation category, students had five minutes to explain their research to an audience, followed by two minutes for questions.  

Third-year student Charisma Mayo explained why she chose to present in this category. “I signed up to participate in DRS because I want to be a voice for Black women who are victims of sexual violence,” said Mayo, who is studying psychology through the College of Social Science.

Mayo’s research discussed how intersectional oppression within the Black community and the mental health care system affect Black women’s mental health and the way they view their sexual assault experiences.  

“I want to give [Black women] a space in a field that often overlooks their voices, experiences, and trauma,” Mayo said. “By producing more research and other publications regarding these things, we can open up a space that allows them to receive the care and support they deserve to make their lives and our world a better place.”  

First Prize ($750) 

Benjamin Nketsiah

  • Project: She’s Strong: Using Digital AI to Transform Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Detection and Care for West African Women
  • Year: Third-year student
  • Major: Biochemistry & molecular biology
  • Colleges: Honors College, College of Natural Science 
  • Research Mentors: Batoul Farran, Ph.D., and Moses Kamita, Ph.D. 

Second Prize ($600) 

Alexandra Beck

  • Project: Birth and Barriers: Examining Perinatal Mental Health and Opioid Crisis and Treatment Availability 
  • Year: Third-year student
  • Majors: Neuroscience, public policy
  • Colleges: Honors College, Lyman Briggs College, College of Social Science  
  • Research Mentor: Claire Margerison, Ph.D. 

Third Prize ($450) – Tie 

Liam Peck

  • Project: Distorted Realities: Mechanisms and Response Strategies for Workplace Gaslighting  
  • Year: Second-year student
  • Major: Psychology
  • College: College of Social Science 
  • Research Mentor: Quinetta Roberson, Ph.D. 

Third Prize ($450) – Tie

Rachel Zhai

  • Project: Asian American Youth Co-Designing Heritage Language Workshops for Immigrant Families: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study  
  • Year: Second-year student
  • Majors: Neuroscience, English
  • Colleges: Honors College, Lyman Briggs College, College of Arts and Letters
  • Research Mentor: Jungmin Kwon, Ed.D.

Fifth Prize ($150) 

Ayah Al-soofi & Aesha Zakaria

  • Project: Prenatal Healthcare Experiences for Women in Iraq  
  • Ayah Al-soofi
    • Year: Second-year student
    • Major: Human biology
    • College: College of Natural Science 
  • Aesha Zakaria
    • Year: Fourth-year student
    • Majors: Psychology, human biology
    • Colleges: College of Social Science, College of Natural Science 
  • Research Mentor: Alytia Levendosky, Ph.D. 

A full album from the event is available, courtesy of the Honors College and photographer Sloane Barlow. Those who wish to support next year’s Diversity Research Showcase are invited to contact Erika Crews at ecrews@msu.edu.

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