(From left) Anaya Mitra, PhD, associate professor of psychology, poses with students Veronique Kolibe-Gnamikou ’27 (psychology) and Danae Heffron ’29 (psychology) in front of their project: The St. Catherine University Cookbook Research Project on Food, Culture, and Community.
Photos courtesy of Summer Scholars
On July 31, St. Catherine University students, faculty, staff, and community members came together in Rauenhorst Ballroom for the 2026 Summer Scholars Closing Celebration. The Summer Scholars showcase featured presentations from a record-breaking number of students: 45 undergraduate researchers who worked in collaboration with 25 interdisciplinary faculty, for a total of 23 separate projects. Presenters invited family and friends to learn about their research and celebrate their achievements together at the event.
The Summer Scholars program supports projects from a wide range of disciplines, including projects from the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health Sciences and the School of Liberal Arts, Business, and Leadership. In addition to final research posters, this summer’s showcase also included examples and demonstrations, from the House of Worth Afternoon Dress presented by Cody Kramer ’27, Jessica Manion ’28, and associate professor Carol Mager in the fashion design and merchandising department, to the atmospheric ballooning and rocket engineering project from the physics and mathematics team of Mary Gurka ’28, Abigail Lee Williams ’28, Anna Wigren ’27, assistant professor Alex Yuschik, PhD, and professor Erick Agrimson. Researchers from the psychology department even brought home-cooked food to share as part of the St. Catherine University Cookbook Research Project.
Summer Scholars faculty director, Steven Elmer, PhD, highlighted the value of the program, saying, “Summer Scholars provides resources and support for undergraduate students and faculty to engage in research and creative work. The 10-week summer program enables students to work collaboratively with faculty while also completing a weekly workshop series that focuses on addressing project challenges, dissemination of research, and professional development.”
Erick Agrimson, professor of physics, and Mary Gurka ’28, mathematics student, give a demonstration as part of their atmospheric ballooning project.
Associate professor Carol Mager stands with the House of Worth Afternoon Dress, recreated based on an original piece from 1875.
Many Summer Scholars teams will go on to present their work at research conferences this coming academic year, including discipline-specific conferences and the 2027 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Three teams will continue their research as part of the Fall 2026 Assistantship Mentoring Program (AMP) at St. Kate’s.
The presentation session concluded with an alumni panel discussion about “Discerning Purpose.” Sophie Gibson ’25, Louise Ba ’24, and Shavonnye Rath ’24 shared how their summer research experiences informed what felt purposeful for them to pursue after graduating. The panel concluded a series of workshops designed to support students’ exploration of purpose, including reflection on their own values, strengths, and career competencies. Alumni spoke to lessons learned in discerning their paths and how to utilize their talents to shape and support our global community. This series is part of an ongoing “Purposeful Leadership and Community-Based Exploration” initiative that is made possible through the generous support of NetVUE (Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education).
(From left) Sophie Gibson ’25 (history and art history), Louise Ba ’24 (political science, economics, and public policy), and Shavonnye Rath ’24 (biology, longevity, and aging), and panel facilitator Teresa Butel, career education supervisor.
Director of Collaborative Research Sophie Hunt, PhD, remarked on the distinctive perspective on research at St. Kate’s, saying: “Our students and faculty approach research with a collaborative spirit and a passion for building knowledge to make the world a better place. The addition of an alumni panel to this year’s celebration gave the University community the unique opportunity to hear how our graduates are carrying these values forward into their current work and research.”
About Summer Scholars
The Summer Scholars program is part of Collaborative Research, within the Office of Scholarly Engagement (OSE). More information about Summer Scholars, including the full 2026 Closing Celebration Abstract Book, is available on the Summer Scholars webpage. Faculty and students are welcome to send questions about the program to collresearch@stkate.edu.
2026 Summer Scholars Projects
Biology
Algae as biological indicators in lakes treated with alum and an acidic lake
Students: Alincy Her ’27 (public health), Kajsa Schultz Bakke ’27 (biology)
Faculty Mentor: Paula Furey, PhD
Dissecting the role of environmental factors on root growth movements in Arabidopsis seedlings
Students: Nora Hoen ’29 (chemistry: biochemistry). Karma Mecey-Hill ’29 (biology)
Faculty Mentor: Rahul Roy, PhD
Chemistry
Mechanochemical Synthesis of Earth-Abundant Photoluminescent Materials
Students: Maggie Lewandowski ’27 (biology), Suze Schoute ’28 (chemistry)
Faculty Mentor: Daron Janzen, PhD
From Bottles to Bio-Awareness: Bridging the Gap Between Industrial PET Recycling and Undergraduate Green Chemistry
Students: Diah Brooks ’27 (chemistry: biochemistry), Katherine Grossman ’28 (chemistry), Anna Marie Millard ’28 (chemistry)
Faculty Mentor: Kayla Lantz, PhD
Data Science
Longitudinal Analysis of Stressors and Burnout Among Healthcare Workers Using Machine Learning and Sentiment Analysis
Students: Emma Holden ’27 (psychology), Jennifer Yang ’27 (data science)
Faculty Mentor: Bethlehem Gronneberg, PhD
Economics and Political Science
Aging, Money, and Well-Being: Evidence and Implications for Health Policy
Students: Reka Suranyi ’27 (economics), Sarah Wangen ’27 (exercise and sport science)
Faculty Mentor: Lacey Chu, PhD
Welcoming the Dear Neighbor? Economics Team
Students: Julia Johnson ’26 (political science), Nellie Larson ’28 (mathematics), Samantha Schroeder ’28 (public policy), Leslie Varela ’26 (economics)
Faculty Mentors: Kristine West, PhD, Ashley McFarlane, PhD
How Technology-Facilitated Violence Impacts Women’s Legal Participation
Students: Eleanor Lightfield ’28 (political science), Thu Nguyen ’28 (philosophy)
Faculty Mentor: Deep Shikha, PhD
Exercise and Sport Science
Growing up by the book: Revising the health stories of adolescence
Students: Katie McKay ’27 (applied science in exercise science), Lily Peper ’27 (exercise and sport science), Cecilia Purfeerst ’27 (exercise and sport science)
Faculty Mentor: Rebecca Busanich, PhD
Fashion Design and Merchandising
House of Worth Afternoon Dress
Students: Cody Kramer ’27 (fashion design), Jessica Manion ’28 (fashion design)
Faculty Mentor: Carol Mager
Surgeon General’s Warning: This Purchase May Cause Harm
Student: Nora Crayford ’27 (fashion design)
Faculty Mentor: Emily Worrall, PhD
History
“Welcoming the Dear Neighbor?” Mapping/Ripples in Time: The College of St. Catherine and the St. Paul Human Rights Commission, c. 1960s
Student: Alisa Vang ’28 (sonography)
Faculty Mentor: Rachel Neiwert, PhD
Nursing
The Rural Pulse of Minnesota: Holistic Nursing Perspectives on Staffing, Policy, and Health Outcomes
Students: Aisha Sheikhibrahim ’28 (nursing), Sabrin Yusuf ’28 (nursing)
Faculty Mentor: Sara Rippie, DNP
Physical Therapy
A “Fair” Approach to Characterizing Health and Fitness in Minnesota
Students: Jordyn Grotbo ’27 (applied science in exercise science), Kate McKeown ’27 (applied science in exercise science)
Faculty Mentor: Steve Elmer, PhD
Bridging the Gap: Advancing PT-PTA and Health Science Collaboration Through Research
Student: Courtney Crouch ’27 (physical therapist assistant)
Faculty Mentor: Erin Schumacher, DPT, EdD
Physics and Mathematics
Launching into physics: Atmospheric ballooning and rocket engineering
Students: Mary Gurka ’28 (mathematics), Abigail Lee Williams ’28 (mathematics), Anna Wigren ’27 (chemistry: biochemistry)
Faculty Mentors: Erick Agrimson, Alex Yuschik, PhD
Psychology
The St. Catherine University Cookbook Research Project on Food, Culture, and Community
Students: Danae Heffron ’29 (psychology), Veronique Kolibe-Gnamikou ’27 (psychology)
Faculty Mentor: Anaya Mitra, PhD
Parents of Adult Children Experiencing Psychosis
Students: Elianna Johnson ’27 (psychology), Maddie Ruddy ’28 (psychology)
Faculty Mentor: Anne Williams-Wengerd, PhD
Public Health
Effects of a best possible self-visualization exercise on college students’ well-being: A mixed-methods pilot study
Students: Liva Dill ’28 (public health: public policy), Lydia Roseth ’27 (public health: public policy)
Faculty Mentor: Angela Ekwonye, PhD
Social Work / Master of Social Work (MSW)
An exploration of legal conviction related to political protest as a barrier to social work licensure in the U.S.
Student: Jory Braham ’28 (social work)
Faculty Mentor: Sharyn Dezelar, PhD
Food acculturation patterns and diabetes-related health risks among East African Immigrants
Student: Muna Shidane ’27 (international studies)
Faculty Mentor: Habiba Ibrahim, PhD
The Mental Health of Children of Immigrants
Student: Kat Nguyen ’26 (business administration)
Faculty Mentor: Sloan Okrey Anderson, PhD, MSW
Sociology
The Difficulty of Passing Anti-lynching Law: A Comparative Historical Analysis of Successful and Unsuccessful State and Federal Anti-lynching Legislation
Students: Sara Campbell ’29 (health science - pre-nursing), Hazel Fang ’27 (sociology)
Faculty Mentor: Aisha Upton Azzam, PhD