Five Villanova University undergraduate students participated in the fifth annual BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 14, with one student, Corey McCall ’27 CLAS, receiving first-place recognition in the Social Sciences, Humanities and Business category. The event was held at Madison Square Garden ahead of the BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Championship and included undergraduate researchers from all 11 BIG EAST institutions presenting projects across various disciplines.
The symposium is an opportunity for students to showcase their research and develop skills that are important for their academic and professional futures. Catherine Stecyk, Director of the Center for Research and Fellowships (CRF), said, “Undergraduate research opportunities are formative experiences for students. They center curiosity, innovation and creativity, enhance critical thinking, develop writing and oratory skills, and help forge important, career-building relationships. The impact of programs like VURF and other CRF-sponsored research initiatives is evidenced in the accomplishments of students like Corey, Claire, Brianna, Claire and Patrick, who will go on to innovate, pursue pressing challenges and make important contributions to their fields.”
A total of 55 undergraduate research teams—five from each BIG EAST school—presented their work during a poster session competition. Teams were evaluated based on visual content, clarity of introduction and results, discussion of findings, presentation style and responses to questions. Villanova’s representatives were chosen from the 2025 summer Villanova Undergraduate Research Fellows (VURF) cohort using similar criteria.
McCall’s award-winning project examined how binge alcohol consumption in mice may contribute to anxiety-like behavior. Other projects by Villanova students explored topics such as whether bilingual experience improves cognitive control; connections between road salt pollution in watersheds and dissolved carbon levels; how parasitic infections can increase feeding rates of mudsnails; and a mechanical treatment to earthworm hemoglobin that can sterilize it for medical use.
The participating Villanova students were Brianna Bean ’28 CLAS (mentored by Steven Goldsmith), Claire Donnelly ’27 CLAS (mentored by Grant Berry), Corey McCall ’27 CLAS (mentored by Benjamin Sachs), Patrick Morin ’26 CLAS (mentored by Shelby Ziegler), and Claire Whitesell ’27 COE (mentored by Jacob Elmer). Each presented original research developed with faculty mentors from various departments.
Villanova University has more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students enrolled across six colleges. The university was founded in 1842.
