10/07/2026
Radford University Sets New Mark with Largest Representation in Nation for CUR Scholars Transforming Through Research
Radford University students and faculty are once again making their mark on the national undergraduate research stage, earning the university its largest representation ever in the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Scholars Transforming through Research program.
For the third consecutive year, Radford University has the largest institutional representation in the nation in the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Scholars Transforming through Research (STR) program, continuing a remarkable record of student participation in one of the nation's leading undergraduate research development programs.
CUR recently announced the selection of 48 teams and 193 participants for the 2026-27 STR program. The national cohort represents 39 institutions in 18 states and includes 50 campus representatives and 143 undergraduate researchers working across more than 30 disciplinary areas. The program is designed to help undergraduate researchers develop the skills necessary to communicate the value and impact of their research beyond the university and connect their work with civic engagement and their communities.
For Radford University, the announcement represents another milestone in a record that has been building since the STR program began. Radford is the only college or university in the nation to have participated in all five years of the program, and the university has by far the largest number of historical participants.
Dr. Joe Wirgau, director of Radford University's Office of Undergraduate Research, shared his reaction to the announcement with students and colleagues.
“This is the third year in a row that Radford University had the largest representation in the nation of students at the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Scholars Transforming through Research (STR) program. The 2026 cohort, with 12 students and five faculty and is a record for largest participation of any college or university in the history of the program.”
Radford's selection includes five teams, making the university's presence particularly significant within a highly competitive national program.
The STR program is more than an opportunity for students to present their research. CUR describes it as a competitive, application-based professional development program in which institutional teams develop the skills needed to communicate the value and impact of undergraduate research to audiences outside the campus community.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Bethany Usher stated “Our students and faculty who participate in the STR program represent Radford University so well. We are known for our excellence in experiential learning, especially undergraduate research, as well as our commitment to serving our communities."
Beginning in November 2026 and continuing through March 2027, participants will strengthen their communication skills, explore ways to connect research with civic life and consider how their work can engage communities and contribute to issues beyond the university.
In the announcement of the participants, CUR Executive Officer Lindsay Currie said the annual program demonstrates the extraordinary range of undergraduate research taking place across the country.
“Every year, the STR cohort reminds us of the remarkable range of undergraduate research and the students and mentors who are committed to making that work matter.”
Currie said the program gives students and faculty an opportunity to explore what it means to connect research with civic life, including learning how to communicate what they know, build relationships, listen to different perspectives and create opportunities for their research to have greater impact.
That emphasis on the public value of research is central to what Radford's students will experience during the program.
The Radford University cohort includes faculty mentors from the Artis College of Science and Technology and the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences, along with undergraduate researchers whose work spans multiple areas of study.
Radford University Faculty Participants
From the Artis College of Science and Technology:
Joyce Caughron, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
Jesse Harden, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Jamie Lau, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
Tara Pelletier, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology
From the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences:
Morgan Montañez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology
The Radford University undergraduate researchers participating in the 2026-27 STR cohort are:
Arsam Hosseinimarashi
Bethany Kifle
Ella Seymore
Haley Taylor
Isaiah Moore
Jackson Harold
Katelyn Meyer
Kristina Wagner
Leo Winston
Star Kane
Tamara Wimbush
Therese Root
The students will work alongside their faculty mentors as they develop ways to communicate their research to audiences outside their academic disciplines and explore how their work can contribute to their communities.
For Radford, that emphasis on student voice is especially important.
On an application where the student voice drives the writing, this recognition speaks volumes about the talent of our students and the pivotal role their faculty mentors play in guiding them,” Wirgau said.
The selection also reflects the university's continuing investment in undergraduate research and the relationship between students and faculty mentors.
The STR program gives Radford students an opportunity to take that knowledge beyond the traditional setting of the laboratory, classroom or research presentation and consider how research can become part of a larger public conversation.
The experience is also a continuation of Radford's growing presence in the program. Previous Radford STR participants have taken their research to Washington, D.C., where students have met with congressional staff and communicated their work to policymakers and other audiences. Those experiences have demonstrated one of the central ideas behind STR: undergraduate research can become a bridge between the university and the wider community.
The significance of Radford's continued participation ultimately goes beyond the size of its delegation. The university has established a sustained presence in a national program that asks students to think carefully about why their research matters, who it can serve and how they can communicate its importance to people who may not share their academic background.
As Wirgau put it, the students are creating “new knowledge that is impactful and shapes our communities and world.”
For Radford University, the latest STR selection is another indication that undergraduate research is not simply something that happens within the boundaries of a campus. Through the work of its students and the guidance of its faculty mentors, that research is finding its way into larger conversations about communities, civic life and the world beyond the university.
The complete announcement from the Council on Undergraduate Research, including the national participant information, can be read here:
CUR Selects Its Participants for the 2026-27 STR
Program https://www.cur.org/cur-selects-its-2026-participants-for-the-str-program/
