COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: All are welcome to attend Princeton Research Day, to be held on Friday, February 20 in the Princeton University Art Museum from 4 to 6 p.m. The interdisciplinary projects show what Princeton University undergraduate researchers are working on, and they invite conversation from visitors. Shown is a project from last year’s event.
By Wendy Greenberg
The latest research on significant issues such as climate change, healthcare, public policy, and the arts will be available to view, learn from, and ask questions about at the 11th annual Princeton Research Day (Undergraduate Edition) on Friday, February 20. Princeton University students who display and communicate their research will welcome conversations on their topics from the Princeton area community.
After a decade featuring presenters from the full range of academic levels (undergraduates, master’s students, Ph.D. students and post-doctoral researchers), Princeton Research Day 2026 is focusing fully on undergraduates and their ideas.
“It’s a chance for the community to connect with the University,” said Pascale Poussart, Princeton University director of undergraduate research. “People can see what research looks like up close and meet the next generation of problem solvers. It provides insight into the work happening at Princeton.”
The topics this year span a wide range. They include connecting foster youths with skilled trades as they transition out of the system; converting a 1984 Pontiac Fiero to fully electric; a machine for recycling 3D print waste; using food as empowerment in women’s writings; the disappearance of Japans Shinto shrines; backyard feeders and hummingbirds; the history of disability activism; and more.
Rishika Porandla, Class of 2028, an astrophysical science major, participated in Princeton Research Day as a freshman, submitting a video presentation of her work at the Princeton Space Physics Laboratory. (Videos as part of the program were eliminated this year.)
“This year, I’m really looking forward to attending in person and engaging directly with the broader undergraduate research community,” she said in an email. “I’ll be presenting my research on space particle detector optimization, specifically investigating how ultra-thin foils (graphene and amorphous carbon) influence particle transmission and scattering in time-of-flight plasma instruments.”
As part of the presentation, she said she plans “to bring physical foil samples and 3D-printed detector components to help demonstrate how small-scale material properties translate into real instrument-level performance effects. I hope to convey how careful materials characterization and design choices at the nanometer scale directly shape the quality and reliability of space-based measurements, and how this kind of hands-on experimental work connects fundamental physics to real mission instrumentation.”
Science and technology presentations will be interspersed with projects from the arts and humanities and other disciplines. “The format is intentionally interdisciplinary and accessible,” said Poussart.
“It’s meant to be broadly accessible,” she said. Each student project carries an official academic title as well as a “plain-language” title designed for general audiences.
This year’s venue — the newly reopened Princeton University Art Museum at 45 Elm Drive — reflects the shared commitment of both the event and the Museum to being academically grounded and publicfacing, said Poussart. “Hosting this year’s event in the Museum offers a welcoming space for dialogue and invites people to engage with research across the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering,” she said. Last year’s Research Day was held at the Frist Campus Center.
The time of year of the Research Day has also been moved, from May last year, to not conflict with end-of-term academic responsibilities. Since Alumni Day is on Saturday, February 21, alumni can more easily attend the program, which is from 4 to 6 p.m.
Both students and the public benefit from the program. Students gain experience communicating their ideas to a broad audience, while community members get “a firsthand look at research happening at the University and how it connects to real-world challenges,” Poussart said. Visitors explore projects across disciplines in an accessible, conversational setting — whether they are interested in how research benefits society or simply open to new ideas. “It’s a celebration of shared knowledge.”
In keeping with the spirit of Princeton Research Day, judges — including alumni, faculty, staff, graduate students, postdocs, and community members — will evaluate presentations on how effectively they communicate research to a non-specialist audience. To recognize outstanding presentations, cash prizes ranging from $500 to $1,500 will be awarded across multiple categories.
Last year, Jeffrey Chen, Class of 2025, was one of two Arts and Humanities award winners, with an award of $1,500 for his Theater and Music Theater project, “A Life Worth Living: A New Neuroscience Musical,” an original musical exploring adolescent mental health and the realities of extensive psychiatric treatment.
Among other awards are Outstanding Presentation Awards, the FitzRandolph Gate Awards (fan favorites), and the Innovation Awards, sponsored by Princeton Entrepreneurship Council.
Examples of winning entries include the FitzRandolph Gate Award, which last year was given to Karina Li, Class of 2026, for her project titled, “The Impact of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis on Private Health Insurance Enrollment for Middle-Income and High-Income Families.”
Alana Hoffert, Class of 2025, was a winner in the Innovation Awards, with her research titled “Empowering Hispanic Adults in Northern Michigan by Assessing and Addressing Health Literacy.”
Some of the voting takes place in person during the event. To register to attend the free event, and for more information, visit researchday.princeton.edu.