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Olivia Rueschhoff, senior, of Manito, took first place in the podium competition.
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Ariana Sanchez, sophomore, of St. Charles, took second place in the podium competition.
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Emma Evans, senior, of Keokuk, IA, took third place in the podium competition.
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Payton Wiggins, junior, of Batavia, took first place in the poster competition.
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Anvith Devarashetty, sophomore, of United Arab Emirates, placed second in the poster competition.
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Owen Beck, junior, of Good Hope, took third place in the poster competition.
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Undergraduate Research Day Winners Announced

May 2, 2025

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MACOMB, IL - - The Western Illinois University Centennial Honors College has announced the winners of the 22nd Annual Thomas E. Helm Undergraduate Research Day, which was held Wednesday, April 16. A total of 51 scholarly presentations were delivered by 59 students, spanning 18 majors.

Podium Competition
First Place: Olivia Rueschhoff, senior, of Manito, with faculty mentors Dinesh Ekanayake and Amy Ekanayake, Mathematics – "Shaping the Future: Education, Economy and Policy Influence Life Expectancy and Fertility"

Second Place: Ariana Sanchez, sophomore, of St. Charles, with faculty mentor, Kristine Kelly, Psychology – "Comparing White Fragility Across Three Measures"

Third Place: Emma Evans, senior, of Keokuk, IA, with faculty mentors Amy Ekanayake and Dinesh Ekanayake, Mathematics – "Shark attacks and the story they reveal"

Poster Competition
First Place: Payton Wiggins, junior, of Batavia, with faculty mentor John Determan, Forensic Chemistry – "The Use of Silica Nanoparticles as Biosensors for the Detection of Illicit Drugs"

Second Place: Anvith Devarashetty, sophomore, of United Arab Emirates, with faculty mentor, Leslie Melim, Geology – "Petrographic Comparison of Torosites with New Samples from Shoveleater Cave, WV"

Third Place: Owen Beck, junior, of Good Hope, with Brian Bellott, Chemistry – "Solid State Synthesis of Athabascaite (Cu5Se4)"

Winners are awarded monetary prizes of $200 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place. Winners' abstracts can be viewed at wiu.edu/researchday. All of the presenters and the titles of their abstracts can be viewed at wiu.edu/researchday/program.

Posted By: Aaron Viner (AP-Viner@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing