The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium at the University of Tampa is an in-person showcase of students’ summer research accomplishments. This event will be held Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, from 3 to 5 p.m., in the Grand Salon on the first floor of Plant Hall. SURF students will have a poster and give a presentation on their summer research. You are welcome to interact with students and ask questions. The entire UTampa community, as well as friends and family members, are welcome to join and participate.

Please direct questions to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry at OURI@ut.edu.

2026 Student Presentation Titles:

How Rising Temperatures and Pesticides Impact Bumbleebee Health
Gregory Britt, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Sarah Orr, Biology

Describing Blue Whale Reproductive Song Patterns off the U.S. West Coast
Victoria Burghardt, Marine Science-Biology & Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Rose Hilmo, Biology

Strengthening STEM Instruction Through Targeted Curriculum Development
Madison Calla, Education-Secondary Biology
Faculty Mentor: Jeanette Gore, Biology

Investigating the Influence of Sea Surface Temperatures on Hurricane Carlotta's (2024) Track Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model
Gavin Flowers, Marine Science-Biology; Environmental Studies
Faculty Mentor: Nicholas Grondin, Environmental Studies

Ecology of Native and Invasive Fishes in Plant Park Stream, Hillsborough County Florida
Delaney Halverson, Marine Science-Biology
Faculty Mentor: Mark McRae, Biology

Media Framing of Police Use-of-Force in Tampa Bay: A Comparative Analysis Before and After Presidential Transition
Josilynn Hart, Journalism
Faculty Mentor: Brandon Dulisse, Criminology and Criminal Justice

Analysis of Temporal Change in Northeast Pacific Blue Whale Calls
Connor Hipp, Marine Science-Biology
Faculty Mentor: Louis Ambrosio, Biology

Red Blood Cell Abnormalities in Anolis sagrei Infected by Plasmodium floridense
Dylan Johnson, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Amber Brace, Biology

3D Extensions Of Nomography
Anthony Lane, Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Douglas Pfeffer, Mathematics

Comparing the Light Preferences of Two Sacoglossan Sea Slugs: Costasiella ocellifera and Costasiella nonatoi
Brooke Marti, Marine Science-Biology
Faculty Mentor: Michael Middlebrooks, Biology

Fish Residency and Habitat Use of Artifical Reefs in Tampa Bay
Tenley Mertz, Marine Science-Biology
Faculty Mentor: Bridgette Froeschke, Environmental Studies

Do Post-Conflict National Human Rights Institutions Preserve the Peace?
Katrin Natkha, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Ryan Welch, Political Science and International Studies

Reducing Gene Expression in a Metabolism Gene in Fat Cells and the Impact This Has on Drosophila to Understand the Role It Has in Alzheimer’s Disease
Danielle Robinson, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Kalpana Makhijani, Biology

Computational Framework for Data-Driven Inverse Analysis of Multi-State Unfair Random Number Generators
Volodymyr Zabolotnyi, Computer Science & Mathematics
Faculty Mentor: Lori Jacques, Computer Science