Showcasing the Summit of W.A. Franke Honors College
Student Achievement
Tuesday, April 18th | 1:00 - 3:00 PM | Bear Down Gym
Pinnacle is a special event hosted by the W.A. Franke Honors College that highlights incredible Franke Honors student research, including the Honors Thesis work of our Franke Honors graduating seniors and the work of Quest participants. Outstanding research will be acknowledged with financial award for Quest projects, senior thesis work, and creative video representations of senior research.
Interested in presenting? Our presenter registration form is open until 11:59pm on April 4th, 2023.
What to expect as a Presenter
At the Pinnacle event, you will stand with your poster and present to guests. We typically recommend preparing to speak about your topic for 5-10 minutes at a time. Because Franke Honors students come from many disciplines with their own traditions, there are minimal requirements that we will set for these posters. Your faculty mentor is a great resource to talk about what is traditional or appropriate for your discipline.
Most Pinnacle presenters will share their work in an academic poster format, through you are welcome to present your work in whatever format works best for your discipline. If you would like us to cover printing costs for your poster, we will provide you with access to print a 24” x 36” poster.
Each presenter will be provided with an easel at Pinnacle to display their work on. You can have a poster or display of any size if you provide your own, though you will want to ensure you have a way to stand your poster up on the easel we provide.
Any Franke Honors student is welcome to present their work at Pinnacle. Graduating seniors have a few additional options when it comes to presenting their Honors Thesis. They can choose to participate in poster session, the Thesis Fast Pitch competition, or both. If you opt into the Fast Pitch, you will be asked to submit a .mov or .mp4 video that is approximately one minute in length.
Further instructions for the poster session and the Fast Pitch competition will be sent to you upon registration.
If you have questions, please contact Tori Nardinelli, Assistant Director of Research, Creative Expression, and Professional Initiatives.
Incoming student? Heading toward the finish line?
Past Winners
Senior Thesis Poster Presentation
First Place
Alexandria Scheid, Amplifying the Voices of Underrepresented Students in Nursing Education
Faculty Mentor: Melissa Goldsmith
Honorable Mentions
Kiera Eason, Reducing the Urban Heat Island Effect with Native Trees in Tucson, Arizona
Faculty Mentor: Joey Iuliano
Riley Zuckert, Quantification of Politeness: Multi-Class Classification of Patient Interviewing Phrases for Improving Clinician Bedside Manner
Faculty Mentor: Win Burleson
People's Choice
Luke Safayan, The Effects of Moderate Calorie Restriction on Hepatic and Serum Lipid Content in Mice
Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Stern
Senior Thesis Video Pitch
First Place
Samuel Owen, Altre Volta
Faculty Mentor: Elena Canovas Mendez
Honorable Mentions
Veronique Villalba, Giving Back to the Tucson Community via Service Learning: Creating a School Garden Curriculum at Tully Magnet Elementary for Fourth Graders
Faculty Mentor: Greg Barron-Gafford
Ivan Yang, Bela Bartok and His Family's Immigration to America
Faculty Mentor: John Milbauer
First Year Project
OVERALL SHOWCASE WINNER
Kira Morris, Math Signs: Using American Sign Language in Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Melissa Hosten
Analytical Research
Kamryn Rabago, History of Influenza Vaccine as a Predictor of COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake Among Adults in Pima County, Arizona
Faculty Mentor: Purnima Madhivanan
Applied Research/Community Project
Kira Morris, Math Signs: Using American Sign Language in Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Melissa Hosten
Creative Expression
Erin Choi, Neurolimina: An Immersive Exhibit of the Microscopic Mind in Augmented Reality
Faculty Mentor: Jennie McStotts
Design
Cynthia Navarro, Which Dorms of the University of Arizona have a Smart Design for Academic Purposes?
Faculty Mentor: Dean Papajohn
Lab/Field Experience
Ika Lin, Exploring microRNAs as Blood-Based Markers for Breast Cancer Screening
Faculty Mentor: Purnima Madhivanan
Social Justice
Brooke McKalip, Investigating the Standardization of Abortion Education in the U.S. and its Effects on Child and Maternal Health
Faculty Mentor: Elise Lopez
Cambium Winner
Lindsey Bell, Incidence of Plant Disease Among Native and Introduced Plants in an Urban Arboretum
Faculty Mentor: A. Elizabeth Arnold