The Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research is the annual conference that showcases scholarship from undergraduate students from across the state in all disciplines. The conference was held July 16-17, 2025, and saw participation from faculty, students and staff from across Idaho universities and colleges. Close to 600 people attended the conference. This year, the conference added MakerLab tours for the first time, and over 100 attendees were able to tour the space.
Students presented 218 posters, representing eight Idaho higher education institutions and 20 other institutions. Research subjects ranged broadly, from men’s wellbeing and adaptive art therapy, to architectural history education and multiple sclerosis. Mackenzie Davidson of the University of Idaho, presented “Information Sources and Communication Sharing about Wolves among Idaho Residents.” Boise State’s Liam Laidlaw talked about “Performance Evaluation of Complex-Valued Neural Networks in Federated Learning,” while “Exploring Masp1 and BMP4 interactions during Xenopus gastrulation” was the poster topic for Shaun Stosich from Idaho State University.
Cora Knueven is a Boise State psychology major. Her research investigates the origins of Parkinson’s Disease through examining pathways of transmission in a mouse model. Cora presented a “lightning talk” at the conference and credits Sydney Boutros, her faculty mentor for giving her the opportunity. “It was a real ‘oh, yeah, I know this better than almost anyone else here’ moment.’ It’s a very nice feeling that I’d never really experienced before. Until then, I hadn’t been able to speak to such a large group of people about something I know the ins and outs of, and it really helped with my confidence levels in my knowledge of my research topic.” She added that it was really fascinating and grounding to see all the different kinds of research.
“The energy of the conference spoke to the spirit of discovery and belonging that defines our university community,” Jim Fredricksen, director of the Institute for Inclusive and Transformative Scholarship and chair of the Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research Planning Committee said. “The success of the conference was only possible because of the meaningful work of students and their mentors, the dedication of our office team, the generosity and hard work of campus partners and volunteers, the thoughtful collaboration of our colleagues on the conference planning committee, and the essential financial and visionary support of the Idaho State Board of Education’s Higher Education Research Council. Each of these partners helped foster an environment where student voices could be heard and celebrated.”
The 2026 Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research is scheduled for July 15-16, 2026.