By William Lineberry
Honors College

On subjects ranging from telemedicine to fashion and handwriting to domestic violence, 45 students from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Honors College presented their research and creative scholarship last week in Pittsburgh at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research.

The annual flagship event in the field spotlights students from universities in every state as well as from abroad. Each year, dozens of Honors College students spotlight projects that are largely a product of their Honors coursework, and this year’s cohort tied the record for the most presentations by VCU students.

“It is always special to watch our student researchers light up as they are presenting their projects to their peers and faculty at NCUR,” said Scott Breuninger, Ph.D., dean of the Honors College, which emphasizes experiential learning. “This is precisely the type of opportunity that can transform a student and help them begin to establish themselves as the researchers of tomorrow.”

Most students presented their work through poster sessions, while others discussed their projects in a lecture-style presentation in room sessions. Funding for the students to attend the three-day conference was provided by the Office of the Provost, which has sponsored the trip in previous years as well.

Natalie Bowen, who is majoring in history in the College of Humanities and Sciences, said the conference was impactful on multiple fronts.

“I learned a lot from my peers about fields I previously did not have a lot of knowledge of before,” said Bowen, whose project explored depictions of human-vampire relationships in pop culture and the connection to dating violence. “I was able to share my research and hopefully help my peers learn something new, and I was also establishing connections with my peers and faculty from across the country.”

Other wide-ranging topics that VCU students highlighted included redlining and its effects on infant mortality in Richmond, hostile architecture in public spaces, artificial analytics of cellular compositions and an analysis of works by the Spanish painter Goya.

In 2026, VCU will serve as the host institution for NCUR, bringing hundreds of undergraduate students and faculty members from across the country to Richmond. The conference will be held April 13-15 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. 

“As a nationally ranked large public research university, VCU is committed to expanding opportunities for all students, including undergraduate students, to participate in research projects,” VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., said when NCUR announced VCU as host. “Undergraduate research was one of my first major initiatives at VCU more than a decade and a half ago. Our current Every Ram’s a Researcher initiative is specifically targeted at bringing more undergraduate students into the research enterprise, where students benefit from learning the skills required for successful research and from experiencing the excitement of making new discoveries.”

Rao called hosting NCUR “a great honor – and important opportunity to showcase and celebrate undergraduate research.”