The Fall 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium, held November 7 in Bauer Hall, brought together more than 250 WashU students from across disciplines to showcase their research through poster sessions and lightning talks.
The event, organized by the Office of Undergraduate Research, served as a vibrant celebration of student inquiry, creativity, and collaboration across the sciences, humanities, and social sciences.
The Department of Physics was exceptionally well represented, with 28 students presenting projects spanning a remarkable range of topics - from condensed matter and astrophysics to computational modeling and the intersections of physics with biology, psychology, and brain sciences. Their research reflected both the depth and diversity of scientific exploration happening within the department and highlighted the strong culture of mentorship that supports undergraduate discovery at WashU Physics.
Participating physics students included:
- Andrew Bear
- Isabella Caffarelli
- Brett Carnes
- Sophie Fendler
- Charles Fioriglio
- Jimmy Gu
- Isaac Gutierrez
- Johns Hopkins
- Grant Humphrey
- Nathan Johnson
- Landon Kahl
- Lihao Liu
- Yiwen Liu
- Saanya Manoj
- Arjun Mathur
- Lydia Mazeeva
- Sanayah Mulla-Feroze
- Sam Powers
- Dillon Prum
- Yunshi Qi
- Bruce Shen
- Sahil Soni
- Luoqi Wang
- Jodie Xiao
- Cici Zhao
- Hui Zhou
- Jolee Zhou
- Sydney Zhu
Throughout the day, faculty mentors joined students to offer feedback, encouragement, and thoughtful discussion. Many of the physics presentations represented ongoing collaborations within the department as well as interdisciplinary projects connecting physics with fields such as engineering, biology, mathematics, and data science.
Events like the Undergraduate Research Symposium not only showcase the impressive work of WashU's student researchers but also emphasize the university's commitment to fostering curiosity-driven learning and cross-disciplinary engagement.
We are so proud of our undergraduate researchers and the dedication, creativity, and enthusiasm they bring to their work.
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From top left to bottom right: Isabella Caffarelli, Andrew Bear & Karthik Ramanathan, Jimmy Gu, Isaac Gutierrez & Mike Nowak, Arjun Mathur & Trevor GrandPre, Jolee Zhou, Johns Hopkins & Erik Henriksen, Lihao Liu & Li Yang, Lydia Mazeeva & Maria Piarulli, Queenie Wang, Jodie Xiao & Tansu Daylan & Bryce Wedig, Dillon Prum & Erik Henriksen.
