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Nine students representing Eastern Illinois University turn intellectual curiosity into discovery on national stage

CHARLESTON, IL (04/28/2026) Following what’s become an almost annual tradition, nine Eastern Illinois University students recently were recognized at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Richmond, Virginia. Held this year from April 13 through 15, the annual gathering of student scholars promotes undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study, where students from numerous higher education institutions representing a multitude of disciplines are encouraged to share their work.

This year, EIU’s participating student scholars, presentations, and faculty mentors included:

• Rebecca “Tori” Agans of Auburn, Illinois, “Development of Fluorescence-Based Assays to Assess Cancer Drug Activation by CES2” (Poster Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Dr. Michael Beck, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department
• Jemma Booth of Brisbane, Australia, “Illuminating Human Drug Metabolizing Enzymes Through Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of Carbonate-Based Fluorogenic Chemical Tools” (Poster Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Dr. Michael Beck, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department
• Maddy Colby of Hopewell, Illinois, “Butterflies and You: Considerations of Human Relationships with the Natural World” (Film Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Josh Grube, Instructor of Communication Studies, School of Communication and Journalism
• Allison Cooke of Godfrey, Illinois, “The Impact of Vocal Health on Burnout Levels in Choral Music Educators” (Poster Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Dr. Danelle Larson, Professor of Music Education, Music Department
• Isabel Fuentes of Justice, Illinois, “Utilizing Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Model Human Carboxylesterase (CES) Interactions with Fluorogenic Chemical Tools” (Poster Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Dr. Michael Beck, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department
• Preston Siewert of Springfield, Illinois, “Synthesis and Binding Study of p-t-butylcalix[4]arene Hosts Featuring Pyridine or Quinoline Motifs on the Lower Rim” (Poster Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Dr. Zhiqing Yan, Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department
• Abby Smith of Charleston, Illinois, “The Muny: A Unique, Audience-Centered Experience” (Poster Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Dr. Christopher Mitchell, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Theatre
• Lucia Villalobos of Charleston, Illinois, “Optimizing Specificity of Fluorogenic Carbonates for Human Carboxylesterase 1” (Poster Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Dr. Michael Beck, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department
• Jayla Singleton of Willowbrook, Illinois, “Design and Synthesis of Human Carboxylesterase 1 (CES1)-Specific Fluorogenic Chemical Tools Using Self-Immolative Linkers” (Poster Presentation), Faculty Mentor – Dr. Michael Beck, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry & Biochemistry Department

Dr. Christopher Mitchell, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Theatre, led the student trip to Virginia for the NCUR event. He shared that EIU students continue to impress him with their scholarly pursuits, and the 2026 group of NCUR presenters carried that tradition forward with distinction at this year’s NCUR event.

“Watching these nine students represent Eastern at NCUR was incredibly rewarding,” Mitchell said. “Their curiosity, preparation, and confidence truly reflect the strength of our academic community. Experiences like this highlight the kind of opportunities available at EIU and the remarkable outcomes our students achieve year after year.”

Following the students’ return to Illinois, they also presented their research and work on campus at EIU’s Student Research & Creative Activity Day on Wednesday, April 22 in the MLK Jr. University Union. Additional information about the national research conference is available at cur.org/events-services/ncur, and a program is available from the students’ EIU presentations at eiu.edu/studentresearch.

Pictured: Dr. Christopher Mitchell (left), Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Theatre at Eastern Illinois University, accompanied nine EIU students to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Richmond, Virginia, where students from numerous higher education institutions representing a multitude of disciplines are encouraged to share their work.

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