The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is proud to announce the fourth annual 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition finalists. These undergraduates competed in the competition’s preliminary round and were selected as Top 10 finalists to present their research during the final round 5-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in The Cornerstone’s eSports Theater.

Finalists will present their research in five minutes in front of a panel of judges and a live audience using only a single static slide. This challenges students to develop their academic, presentation and research communication skills while also allowing them to showcase their research in a captivating way.

The goal of this competition is to improve undergraduate students’ abilities to communicate their research effectively to a general non-specialist audience while creating a compelling story about their scholarly work.

Students compete for cash prizes: $750 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place.

2022 Top 10 Finalists

• Artin Asadipooya — junior, Lewis Honors neuroscience major; Mentor: Pavel Ortinski, Ph.D., Neuroscience, College of Medicine
• Patrick Bidros — senior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Yasir Al Siraj, Ph.D., Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine
• Kayli Bolton — junior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Matthew Gentry, Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, College of Medicine
• Isha Chauhan — junior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Gregory Graf, Ph.D., Physiology, College of Medicine
• McKenna Clinch — junior, chemical engineering major; Mentor: Bryan Beckingham, Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Samuel Gin College of Engineering (Auburn University)
• Tanner Durst — senior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Sarah D’Orazio, Ph.D., Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine
• Chase Eastham — junior, Lewis Honors agricultural and medical biotechnology major; Mentor: Peter Nagy, Ph.D., Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
• Emily Keaton — senior, Lewis Honors sociology, neuroscience, philosophy, and English major; Mentor: Jerrod Penn, Ph.D., Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture (Louisiana State University)
• Lexi Nolletti — senior, Lewis Honors neuroscience major; Mentor: David Rodgers, Ph.D., Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, College of Medicine
• Caroline Youdes — junior, Lewis Honors biology major; Mentor: Zhenheng Guo, Ph.D., Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine

The 2022 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition is sponsored by the UK Office of Undergraduate Research. The event is open to the public.

For more information on the competition, visit https://our.uky.edu/5-minute-fast-track.