Seven area high school students and seven HPU undergraduate students completed a summer of research at HPU and concluded their studies with a presentation to family and university faculty on Tuesday, August 5. 

Area high school students Mark Agboola, Alyssa Hutcheson, Dawson Jones, Sarah Mitchell, Isaac Nowowiejski, Alexis Sigle and Zoey Storch researched various topics in the disciplines of biology and chemistry. The projects focused on analyzing microplastics, preventing bacteria from developing in preservative free eyedrops and extracting complex sugars with a green solvent system. Each of these topics are part of ongoing research at HPU and are on the forefront of current research at other research institutions.

Additionally, HPU undergraduate students Bethany Blair, Victoriano Cooper, Ian Cortez, Abigail Henderson, Kellen McKee, Bailey Nobles and Addysage Seay performed research relating to the aforementioned topics, as well as method development for both K-12 educators and FDA testing and organic synthesis of a novel compound.

“This program is designed to provide the next generation of scientists with a meaningful experience into what research really is,” stated Dr. Dennis Gibson, director of Summer Research Symposium and associate professor of chemistry. “What we see in the media may not be truthful and leads to misunderstanding in almost every area of science. We are striving to provide a quality education to students that can set them up for success wherever they end up studying.”

This work will continue to be studied and ongoing collaborations with other institutions. 

“Since the inception of the SRS, we have worked on these projects and have now collected enough evidence to begin preparing them for publication,” Gibson said. “It would be great to have these next-generation scientists published prior to university or during their undergraduate studies. That would be very influential in their future career plans.”

The HPU Summer Research Symposium is an annual summer event for high school juniors and seniors. Interested 2026 applicants can email Dr. Gibson at dgibson@hputx.edu to be added to a list for future communications. A general call for applications will come out in January 2026.

For more information about Howard Payne University, visit www.hputx.edu.