Dozens of students presented their research projects to the public during the Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference at Missouri S&T this April.  

The conference featured exhibitions from 97 students, both graduate and undergraduate. Students were required to prepare either an oral presentation or a poster summarizing their research and answer questions from judges and conference attendees. Winners received certificates and $300 prizes.  

Jared Wortmann, a senior in history from Wardsville, Missouri, won best undergraduate oral presentation for his talk, titled “Missouri’s Manufacturing Difference During World War II.” His advisor is Dr. Andrew Behrendt, associate teaching professor of history and political science.  

Allie Dingfield, a senior in mechanical engineering from Blair, Nebraska, won best undergraduate poster presentation with a perfect score for her poster, titled “Quantitative Shadowgraph for Turbulence Measurements in Supersonic Flows.” Her advisor is Dr. Davide Viganò, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.  

Ali Fasihi, a Ph.D. student in civil engineering from Rasht, Iran, won best graduate oral presentation for his research, titled “Fast Penetration Test as an In-Situ Method for Assessing Buildability in 3D Concrete Printing.” His advisor is Dr. Nicholas A. Libre, associate teaching professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering. 

The graduate poster presentation competition ended in a tie, with two students receiving perfect scores. HaoDao Li, a Ph.D. student in civil engineering from Ji’an, China, was awarded for his poster, titled “Digital Fabrication with Fiber-Reinforced Concrete.” His advisor is Dr. Kamal Khayat, vice chancellor for research and innovation and the Vernon and Maralee Jones Professor of Civil Engineering.  

Ellen Afful, a Ph.D. student in mining engineering from Rolla, Missouri, was awarded for her poster, titled “Optimizing the Impacts of Organic and Surfactants on the Suppression of Sulfuric Acid Mist in Electrowinning System.” Her advisor is Dr. Guang Xu, the Robert H. Quenon Associate Professor of Mining and Explosives Engineering.  

About Missouri University of Science and Technology 

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.