OSU students compete at Research Day at the Capitol
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Media Contact: Sydney Trainor | OSU Brand Management | 405-744-9782 | sydney.trainor@okstate.edu
Three Oklahoma State University students showcased their undergraduate research at the Capitol Rotunda on April 28 during the 31st annual Research Day at the Capitol in Oklahoma City, where chemical engineering student Ceyda Kara earned first place in the research-intensive university category for her work on airflow simulation.
At a high level, Kara — a 2026 Barry S. Goldwater Scholar — studies a serious problem where a breathing tube becomes too narrow, making it hard to breathe. They used a computer to test different surgery plans and see how air would move through the lungs before real surgery happens. The computer showed that one surgery plan worked much better than another by fixing airflow so all parts of the lungs get enough air.
“I was really grateful that the judges took the time to engage with my research and chose to recognize it with first place,” Kara said. “A lot goes into a project like this long before you ever get to present it, between the lab work, the simulations, and figuring out how to explain it in a way that makes sense to people outside the field, so it was nice to have that effort pay off. More than anything, the win is something I share with my lab and all the people who helped me get to that point.”
If Kara could pick one word to describe this experience it would be surreal.
“You spend so much time in the lab staring at airway geometries and tweaking simulation parameters, and then suddenly you're standing in the rotunda at the Capitol explaining particle deposition to a state senator,” she said. “I had legislators ask me things like why this matters for patients in rural Oklahoma, and that kind of question pulls you out of the technical bubble you usually work in.
“OSU has given me so much, the lab access, the mentorship, the funding to even do this kind of work as an undergrad. Walking around seeing what other students brought, plant pathology, civil engineering, public health, you realize how much is happening across the state that nobody outside these rooms ever hears about.”
Also, presenting their research in the rotunda were 26 other students from higher education institutions in Oklahoma. Two of those students from OSU were Carsten Beets, a biochemistry and microbiology major from Tulsa, and Conner Brown, a biology student from Stillwater.
Beets presented his research titled: "Exploring the Interplay of diabetes and influenza infection: The role of the Insulin receptor substrate."
Brown presented his research titled: "Carbohydrate metabolism in the Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii) during acute stress."
“This a highly anticipated event showcasing research studies conducted by undergraduate students from public universities across the state,” said Dr. Christine Johnson, associate vice president for research. “It’s an amazing opportunity for the students to engage in conversations with their respective state representatives and senators about the benefits of doing research as a college undergraduate.”
The event is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR) and the National Science Foundation.
The event's objective is to showcase the outstanding undergraduate research being conducted at Oklahoma’s colleges and universities in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.