{"id":75440,"date":"2026-04-07T08:15:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=75440"},"modified":"2026-07-15T17:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T21:09:16","slug":"discovery-on-display-utc-research-conference-returns-april-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/discovery-on-display-utc-research-conference-returns-april-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovery on display: UTC research conference returns April 15"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Biochemistry major Zayda Dominick presented research on antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli during the 2025 Spring Research and Arts Conference. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s Spring Research and Arts Conference returns to campus on Wednesday, April 15, bringing together hundreds of student researchers, faculty mentors and community partners to present their work and share ideas across disciplines.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s conference, which will take place at McKenzie Arena and the Wolford Family Athletic Center, will feature 352 unique presentations and 710 presenters, highlighting projects from across the University as well as research contributions from visiting high school students.<\/p>\n

Presented by UTC\u2019s Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (URaCE), the annual conference serves as the University\u2019s largest showcase of student and faculty research and creative work.<\/p>\n

URaCE Executive Director Lisa Piazza said the conference offers an opportunity for the entire campus community to gather in one place to share the work occurring in laboratories, classrooms and field sites throughout the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really our one moment each year when the entire research community at UTC comes together in the same space,\u201d Piazza said. \u201cStudents from every college are presenting work they\u2019ve been developing with faculty mentors, and it gives people a chance to see the incredible range of ideas and creativity happening across campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

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For more information, visit the\u00a0UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference webpage<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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In addition to the presenters, more than 500 students are expected to attend through organized class visits, giving them a chance to experience the conference environment even if they are not yet conducting research themselves.<\/p>\n

Piazza said those visits often serve as an entry point for students who may not yet see themselves as researchers.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many students, this might be the first time they see someone their own age presenting original work,\u201d she said. \u201cThat moment can be powerful. They start to realize that research is something they can do, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Attendees

This year\u2019s Spring Research and Arts Conference will feature 352 unique presentations and 710 presenters, highlighting projects from across the University as well as research contributions from visiting high school students.<\/p><\/div>\n

The conference extends beyond UTC\u2019s campus. This year\u2019s event includes high school presenters representing seven area schools, including Baylor School, Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, Brainerd High School, Tyner Middle High Academy, Girls Preparatory School, East Hamilton High School and Signal Mountain Middle High School.<\/p>\n

According to Piazza, inviting younger students to participate helps create early pathways into research and encourages them to begin thinking about college-level inquiry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see high school students presenting alongside UTC undergraduates and graduate students,\u201d she said. \u201cThey get a chance to see what research looks like at the next level, and our students get to share their experience and mentor them in that environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the day, poster and oral presentations will span a wide range of topics\u2014from engineering and data science to health sciences, business, education and the arts.<\/p>\n

Several special sessions will also highlight emerging areas of study, including panels on applied mathematics, artificial intelligence in teaching and learning, and the intersection of science and art.<\/p>\n

Another session will introduce campus resources related to geographic information systems, led by Charlie Mix and Nyssa Hunt in the UTC Center for Applied Geospatial Data Science, giving participants an overview of tools available to support geospatial research and mapping projects.<\/p>\n

The conference will also feature the Mocs Innovate! Innovators Showcase<\/a>, where faculty and researchers will present early-stage innovations ranging from artificial intelligence tools to urban data systems and emerging technologies.<\/p>\n

The Mocs Innovate! presenters and their innovations:<\/p>\n