Artists, scientists and innovators—in one place? Oh my!

Students doing research

Join students, faculty, staff and the Flagstaff community in person at Northern Arizona University’s 14th Annual Undergraduate Expo and Symposium April 13–23. At NAU, research and scholarly and creative projects are open to undergraduates in every discipline, and all are invited to meet the students as they present the results of their research projects.  

The 10-day Undergraduate Expo is a showcase of undergraduate research in the sciences, the humanities,
the arts, business, engineering and education through a series of free events, all open to the public. The wide range of events is scheduled in locations across the university, and includes musical performances, archaeology experiments and interactive sessions on immigrant equity, climate action and rural food security. 

The Undergraduate Symposium, the flagship event of the expo, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 22 at the High Country Conference Center. Hundreds of students will come together to share their creative discoveries and present in-depth research and scholarly work. Symposium activities include poster and oral presentations, exhibits and demonstrations. See the Symposium schedulefor additional details. 

At the symposium, meet students who are changing the world, one discovery at a time: 

  • Creative media and film major Mackenzie Baradic, who focused her capstone project on documenting the immigration crisis in the Sonoran Desert, produced a film entitled “Borderlands,” which chronicles the efforts of humanitarian volunteers in southern Arizona to help migrants survive the dangerous desert crossing. Read more about Baradic and her work. 
  • Chemistry major Zachariah Bess is using ionic liquids prepared from amino acids to make solid electrolytes with the goal of finding a material that can conduct electricity safely and offer a sustainable energy solution. Learn more about Bess and his research. 
  • Informatics major Jason Libby is developing chemistry software simulations to understand mysterious activity detected on Pluto’s surface. Find out more about Libby and his computational research. 
  • Mechanical engineering major Josette Vigil is applying bioengineering technologies to improve patient care. Her work is focused on two main areas: material testing and characterization of 3D-printed polymers and algorithm development. Discover more about Vigil and her work. 

All expo events are free and open to the public: 

  • April 13: Giving Day 
  • April 18: Community-University Public Inquiry: Rural Food Systems Pod 
  • April 18: Community-University Public Inquiry: Immigrant Youth Equity Pod 
  • April 19: Experimental Archaeology Fair 
  • April 19-23: School of Art Faculty Exhibition 
  • April 20: Community-University Public Inquiry: Climate Action Plan Pod 
  • April 20: Coming Fall 2022: New degree in Geography, Environment, and Society 
  • April 20: Collegiate Band Concert 
  • April 22: 14th Annual Undergraduate Symposium 
  • April 22: NAU Percussion Ensemble Concert 
  • April 23: NAU Wind Symphony Concert 

For more details about the Undergraduate Symposium and expo, including information about undergraduate research at NAU, visit the Undergraduate Research website. Visit the Navigating Campus site for building and parking locations on NAU’s Flagstaff Mountain campus. 

NAU Communications