Regis neuroscience students make an academic impact at undergraduate research conferences

Each semester at Regis, students take the plunge into the scientific community by attending and presenting at research conferences across the country. From conceptualization to formal presentation, these Regis students gain experience in the field they are passionate about.

This spring, a mix of undergraduate students in Regis University’s neuroscience and psychology departments represented the University at two conferences: The Rocky Mountain Psychological Association conference in Boise, Idaho, and the Women in STEM conference at the University of Colorado Anschutz in Aurora, Colorado.

For most undergraduate students, the conferences they attend while at Regis are the first of their scientific careers. Research conference opportunities for undergraduate students are often few and far between. Whether by themselves or in a small group, students are given the reins to explore a research topic of their choice and present it for the first time.

Attending a conference for the first time can be incredibly overwhelming, as assistant neuroscience professor Katie Emery, Ph.D., described, and students sometimes describe feeling a sense of “imposter syndrome.” 

“It can cause a crisis of identity, to some extent, because it can feel very overwhelming, and it can be hard to know your place.” Emery continued, “But then you find your niche, and you find your bearings a little bit. I think that can be really formative in your first big conference experience.”

Through their attendance and participation, students mirror the professionalism and the confidence of peers and mentors in their chosen fields. Sofia Villa Cuellar, a rising junior and neuroscience major, described how she balanced her excitement with professional composure during the Women in STEM conference.

“It's like dipping your toe in new water, and like figuring out the best way to do that; you're kind of going into unknown grounds on purpose, which is the point of research,” said Villa Cuellar. “Being able to balance and taking everything into account while being realistic is really important.”

Ensuring success during a conference doesn’t mean just relying on the numbers – it’s all in the preparation. The students gather data, make notecards and a research poster, crafting a short “pitch” of their research. These pitches make it easy for the student to share their research, empowering the conference attendees to ask questions of their own.

During preparation, the students and their respective faculty interrogate each other’s research presentations to identify blind spots that they may not have previously considered. For Callie Mallory, a neuroscience major, the time she spends preparing in the lab is already incredibly valuable to both her education and self-confidence.

“Being new to the lab and research in general, it's about enjoying the learning process, because there are always curveballs that come your way, no matter how much you prepare,” said Mallory. "Having a good support system with your friends and other people in the lab to help practice or, explain research and get constructive criticism from is always really helpful for me.”

For many of the students, neuroscience and psychology are only part of their academic interests. Alayna Pruitt, a rising senior and a health and exercise science major, partnered with Villa Cuellar to research the impacts of supplementing citicoline. Citicoline is a dietary supplement claimed to have protective properties preventing cellular degeneration in the brain.

As student athletes, Pruitt and Villa Cuellar were interested in the effects of citicoline, not with the typically tested aging population, but with a young population of athletes. Working with live rat models, Pruitt and Cuellar were able to research real “athletes.” For Pruitt, this neuroscience research has been valuable as a multidisciplinary learning experience, preparing her for future lab work.

“I don't learn about the brain every day, I'm kind of working more with physiology; it makes it easier when I come in there with curiosity.” Pruitt continued, “Being in a lab isn't new to me, but working with animal subjects was a newer part of the field.”

Through formulation, development and presentation, students who attend a research conference build skills that can be used for real careers. For each conference they attend, students continue to build a network of like-minded colleagues, finding opportunities for internships and lab work.

Working through the summer and into the fall semester, professor Emery and nine select students will prepare their work for the Society for Neuroscience’s annual Neuroscience 2026 conference, taking place Nov. 14-18, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Neuroscience 2026 is the largest international neuroscience conference, which Emery described as “the San Diego Comic-Con of neuroscience conferences.” The invitation of nine Regis students – all of whom are undergraduates – is an unprecedented occasion for the University.

As the students prepare for this fall, Emery noted how building a foundation in the scientific community is the ultimate goal of undergraduate research conferences. And, measuring final success goes beyond the numbers on the page – it shows up in community.

“Success in research, to me, is very much community-based,” said Emery. “I want my students to know what it is like to do research in an environment where they feel supported, feel like they can depend on me, and feel like they can depend on other students.”