Undergraduate and graduate students from various academic disciplines at Mississippi College will present their original research during Research Week 2026, scheduled for April 21 to 24 on the Clinton campus.
The event is intended to highlight student research achievements and foster collaboration across departments. Christian Pinnen, professor of history and political science at Mississippi College, said about 130 students will share posters and papers from departments including Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Electrical Engineering, English and Philosophy, History and Political Science, Psychology and Social Work, Public Health, as well as the Schools of Nursing and Science and Mathematics.
“Research Week 2026 shows that Mississippi College students, under our faculty’s expert guidance, are producing some excellent research,” said Pinnen. “It also showcases the overall academic quality of the research programs we have at MC.” He added that the event helps encourage more students to become involved in research: “This event helps give them an idea about the academic process and what it takes to present original research at an actual conference. When people ask them questions about their work, they gain new perspectives. That’s very much a part of academic tradition at a liberal arts institution, and it’s how they learn.”
One highlighted project focuses on analyzing stars and nebulae in the Orion constellation using spectral analysis techniques. Scoty Hearst, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry who coordinated this study with donated equipment from Tammy Jan Sander of Madison following inspiration from a NASA presentation last fall explained: “Each chemical element leaves a unique spectral fingerprint. By using spectral analysis of images taken with our telescopes using special spectral filters, we can determine which elements are present.” Hearst said that these techniques have been incorporated into classes so that students can perform star spectroscopy themselves.
The schedule includes biology presentations on Tuesday morning; paper and poster sessions for history panels Wednesday morning; interdisciplinary inquiry panels throughout Wednesday; psychology presentations early Wednesday afternoon; followed by biology/nursing/chemistry/biochemistry/English posters later in Anderson Hall; concluding Friday with senior electrical engineering presentations.
All events are free to attend by members of the public. More information is available at https://www.mc.edu/academics/research-week.