LEXINGTON, Va. April 27, 2026 — Eighteen Virginia Military Institute cadets joined approximately 5,000 participants at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond April 13-15.

NCUR is an organization dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study. It offers a unique environment for the celebration and promotion of undergraduate student achievement, as well as student career readiness development. The location for the conference changes each year, in various places across the country. In 2005, it was held at VMI and Washington and Lee University. 

Lt. Col. Molly Kent, director of the VMI Center for Undergraduate Research (VCUR) and associate professor in the Department of Biology, also attended the conference. She said this year’s group of cadets who applied and were accepted to present their work at NCUR was the largest since she assumed the role of VCUR director in 2024.

“We were pleased that the close proximity of this year’s conference allowed so many cadets to attend, and VCUR was able to fully fund the trip. Our cadets showcased the full breadth of the Institute’s academic excellence — from the arts and humanities to cutting‑edge engineering — through research conducted by cadets, alongside dedicated faculty mentors.”

Nicholas Eynon ’26, an applied mathematics major minoring in philosophy, presented a poster based on his honors thesis, “Testing Dissimilar Metals and their Interface Strength: How do the Interface Characteristics of Collision-welded Metals Affect the Shear Strength of their Weld?”

His research focused on collision welding, specifically its relationship between its shear strength and its interface characteristics. Eynon admitted he had fun at NCUR. “It was very enjoyable to present my work, not only as a reward, but to share the name and vision of VMI to other college students, show them the hard work I put into my research, and show them the same respect. It was interesting to hear about other students’ research, and in some instances, we discussed how our topics overlapped and could be used in tandem. Overall, I am very grateful for my time with NCUR.” Following graduation in May, Eynon will commission into the U.S. Army.

Nickole Chávez ’26, an English major minoring in Spanish, presented her project, “Bridging the Confidence Gap: ELL Mentorships and Narrative Exploration of the Mexican- American Student Experience.”

Her research involved an independent study working with an English Language Learner (ELL) student in Lexington, which led her to write a narrative of her own education using reflexive thematic analysis. “I used my experience of working in the school and my memories of growing up in a failing education system to corroborate articles I read about the lack of resources in schools for bilingual and immigrant students,” Chávez explained. She presented her findings in a crowded room, which she admitted was a little nerve wracking. “NCUR was an amazing experience. I was able to share a personal project that I worked on for two semesters. Sharing my story and experiences with a room full of students and professors from other schools was something I never thought I would do.” Chávez hopes to work for the Department of Homeland Security after graduating.

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE