NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – University of Oklahoma undergraduate researchers earned two of the highest honors at the 31st annual Research Day at the Capitol, a statewide competition highlighting top undergraduate research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Hunter Helvey, a biology major from Lawton, received the competition’s overall Grand Prize for his research presentation, “Local Drug Delivery for Glioblastoma.” The honor recognized him as the top undergraduate researcher among 27 finalists representing 18 colleges and universities across Oklahoma. He will begin medical school on the OU Health campus this summer.
Avery Glinsmann, a biochemistry major from Yukon who recently completed her sophomore year, earned second place in the Research-Intensive University category for her title “Evaluation of Heterocyclic Cannabinergic Derivatives.”
OU student Leena Ahmad, a biology major from Bixby who recently completed her sophomore year, was also selected as a finalist in the statewide competition.
All three OU students began their research involvement through the Honors College’s First-Year Research Experience program and conducted research through OU faculty labs.
The 31st annual Research Day at the Capitol was April 27–28 at the Oklahoma State Capitol, where finalists presented research posters before state legislators, higher education leaders and scientific judges.
The event is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and National Science Foundation.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Engineering Days at the University of Oklahoma give high school students direct exposure to engineering through hands-on, discipline-based experiences on campus. The program brings rising juniors and seniors to the Norman campus for one-day sessions led by OU faculty and supported by current engineering students.
The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine has been awarded a five-year, $10.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create the Oklahoma Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Sensory Biology. The center will serve as a hub for research into how cells sense and respond to their environment and the diseases that can occur when that process malfunctions.
Four University of Oklahoma faculty members have been selected to be a part of the 2026-27 cohort of Fellows of the Southeastern Conference’s Academic Leadership Development Program, an initiative designed to identify, prepare and promote the next generation of academic leaders in the SEC to meet current and future challenges in higher education.
