From April 13th to April 15th, undergraduate researchers from across the country gathered in Richmond, Virginia, for NCUR 2026. The conference featured hundreds of oral and poster presentations spanning engineering, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Universities and research institutions also tabled throughout the event, offering students information about graduate programs, fellowships, and future research pathways.

Andrea Bowling gave a presentation concerning polyurethane shape memory polymer foams that have been designed for use in the minimally invasive treatment of intracranial aneurysms. In her study, she evaluated foams with different infill densities by running them through multiple compression cycles at both elevated and room temperatures. She focused on the durability, shape retention, and recovery behavior of these foams since these are the key performance factors for the foams possible application as patient-specific embolic materials.

Shubhra Singhal gave a presentation on her research entitled “Investigation of Time Dependent Mechanical Properties due to Elastin Degradation in Porcine Mitral Valve Anterior Leaflets”. The project looked at how the degradation of elastin affects the time-dependent mechanical behavior of mitral valve tissue, offering insights into the way the loss of structural protein influences valve function and plays a role in the progression of the disease. Through examining the changes in tissue mechanics as elastin deteriorates, her study contributes to a better understanding of mitral valve degeneration.

We are very proud of both Shubi and Andrea for their presentations and are excited for the implications of their research.