The 2026 Northwestern Undergraduate Research & Arts Exposition took place at Norris University Center and the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday.

The exposition in Norris featured nearly 200 student poster presentations, split between two poster sessions and 40 oral presentations staggered in panels. The Creative Arts Festival, which took place later that night, included visual art and music submissions. 

This year, the poster presentations reached maximum capacity in the Louis Room of Norris, according to Megan Novak Wood, the Office of Undergraduate Research associate director. 

Weinberg sophomore Avery Gallistel presented a project from the Infant and Child Development Center that focused on how infants make reason about objects in containment events, a psychological research technique, and how language impacts that process.

“I was very proud to be able to stand there and show off the work I’ve been doing because I have been spending a lot of time with this lab,” Gallistel said. 

Students’ presentations were each evaluated by three judges, and Wood said around half of the judges at Norris were NU alumni. 

Matthew Savard (McCormick ’93) was a second-year alumni judge. He said he was impressed by the expertise and enthusiasm of the presenters both years. 

“They really know a lot about what they are presenting, and they’re excited about it,” he said. 

Judges evaluated presentations based on a student’s ability to communicate their work to a non-expert audience, Wood said. 

Wood added that usually, her advice to presenters is to start with the end. 

“I want them to think about if someone comes up to their poster, what is the one or two things they leave the poster remembering,” she said. 

Wood also wants students to take these lessons with them for the future, she said, since some of them may not have practiced skills, such as oral presentation, before. 

Gallistel said she was a little lost as she began the process, but after her lab mentors helped her prepare, her presentation went smoothly. However, she said even without that preparation, participating in the exposition was still worth her time.

“It’s honestly a great opportunity and very doable,” she said. 

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