The UNMC College of Dentistry will host its annual Research Day on Feb. 27.
The event will feature all third-year dental, fourth-year dental hygiene, advanced standing and postgraduate student research projects and posters. Students will give a five- to seven-minute presentation to college faculty judges, followed by a three-minute Q&A. Each project will be judged, and finalists will advance to a second round of judging. The top scoring presentation in each group will advance as finalists.
The event also will feature remarks by UNMC College of Dentistry Dean Gerard Kugel, DMD, PhD; UNMC Vice Chancellor of Research Ken Bayles, PhD; and UNMC COD Associate Dean of Research Sangamesh Kumbar, PhD. The keynote speaker, Thomas Hill, PhD, manager of scientific services at Ivoclar Vivadent, will follow. Dr. Hill has published on various topics in dental materials. He is a member of the Academy of Dental Materials and a member of the ADA committees on development of standards for dental ceramics and CAD/CAM in dentistry.
The top three research projects by D3 and DH4 students will be recognized, as well as the top two research projects by postgraduate students.
The overall D3 winner will be given the opportunity to present at the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research student competition in Minneapolis in March 2027.
Last year’s overall D3 winners, Tanner Delaney and Mikah Hoppens, will present the awards to the finalists.
Dr. Kumbar is looking forward to the event. “Research empowers students to understand the clinical problems they encounter and to explore solutions through experimentation,” he said. “This process builds better clinicians – ones who think critically, innovate and ultimately deliver improved care for their patients.”
Keith Johnson, PhD, who led the planning committee, encouraged the college of dentistry community to attend the event.
“This event recognizes the efforts of our dental and dental hygiene students, as well as their mentors and promotes excellence in research,” Dr. Johnson said. “I hope to see everyone there to lend their support to our students.”