Showcasing the Summit
of Franke Honors
Student Achievement
Next Pinnacle
April 23, 2025 | 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 awards.
Learn more about:
Pinnacle is a research fair style of event, with presenters stationed at their posters in Bear Down Gym as guests cycle through. We will have two sessions of presentations, though presenters are expected to attend the entirety of the event. When you are not scheduled to present at your poster, you should cycle the room and visit other presenters.
An easel will be available for all presenters. When you register, you will indicate if you are printing a poster through Fast Copy on campus, courtesy of the Franke Honors College, or if you are bringing your own poster. During registration, you can also request additional materials (an extra easel, a table, a power source, etc.) and we will let you know if we are able to accommodate those requests.
Your poster should cover the most relevant topics and/or data from your project. You should be prepared to talk about your project with guests and judges for approximately 5 minutes, and your poster should help guide those conversations. However, some folks may see your poster without you there to explain, so the contents of your poster should also allow a visitor to get the important aspects of your presentation even without the accompanying oral presentation.
Some disciplines may have traditional formatting and guidelines on information to include in an academic poster; you are welcome to incorporate those aspects under the direction of your faculty mentor, but you are not required to do so.
If you selected to print your poster through Fast Copy when you registered for Pinnacle, you will need to follow the emailed instructions about how to submit your file (email will be sent April 7, 2025). Be sure to submit your file by Fast Copy’s April 15th deadline.
Pinnacle posters printed at Fast Copy are 24” x 36” (either orientation) and they come mounted to foam so they will stand on the easel on their own. You are responsible for collecting your poster from Fast Copy prior to the event.
Please be aware that presenters will each have access to an easel and your poster will need to stand on the easel on its own. If your poster is not mounted to a foam board, please be prepared to bring your own backing (foam or cardboard) that will allow it to stand on the easel. We will provide push pins and binder clips, and you are responsible for providing your poster and the backing.
Pinnacle is open to any Honors student who would like to participate. Students participating in a Quest project or who have been awarded Exploratory Mini-Grant funds are required to present, unless an excuse has been granted by appropriate Franke staff. However, we welcome students to present on their Thesis, VIP (Vertically Integrated Projects) work, or any other research or creative expression work a student may have completed, whether it’s through Franke or another department on campus.
Pinnacle is a great opportunity to practice presenting academic work in a low-stakes, fun, and engaging environment.
The dress code for Pinnacle is business casual (slacks or a skirt, button-down shirt or blouse). Presenters will be at their poster for at least one hour, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes.
Find branded Franke Honors Pinnacle Poster templates in horizontal and vertical orientations. Select the program your most comfortable with to build your presentation:
Adobe Express
- Access the below link from your University of Arizona email
- Click ‘Start a new file’
- The new file can then be found under ‘Your Stuff’
- Select and edit the various templates to fit your needs
Adobe Express Tutorial
New to Adobe Express? Here are two videos to get you up and running quickly.
Video Tutorial One
Video Tutorial Two
Powerpoint
Click and download the Powerpoint file to access horizontal templates
Document
Questions?
Please reach out to Tori Nardinelli, Assistant Director of Research, Creative Expression, and Professional Initiatives, at outfleet@arizona.edu.
Pinnacle 2024 Photo Gallery
Past Pinnacle Award 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