2026 College of Humanities Undergraduate Research Awards

College of Humanities Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher – Natalia Lopez

The 2026 College of Humanities Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher is Natalia Lopez. Natalia is a rising senior pursuing a Bachelor of University Studies in Humanities. Ed Muñoz, associate professor in the Department of Ethnic, Gender & Disability Studies, has been a teacher to Natalia since 2023 and a research mentor for Natalia since summer 2025.

Natalia has studied with Muñoz in Introduction to Chicanx/Latinx Studies, Ethnic Minorities, Intersectional Carcerality, and U.S. Latino Diaspora courses, as well as joined the Construyendo Latinidad project as a research mentee through the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) and developing new projects as part of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. Prior to working with Muñoz, Natalia participated in Sarah Grineski’s summer 2024 research team investigating local perceptions of air quality, leading to a project titled “Examining Differences in Opinions on Air Quality Policy in Salt Lake County.”

Muñoz says, “Her ongoing work shows that she is an independent and critical thinker, and that she actively participates in research-related activities both on and off campus. The dissemination of her research findings contributes positively to the research culture of the Ethnic, Gender, and Disability Studies Department; the College of Humanities; and the University of Utah.”

This year, Natalia has showcased her research in a number of venues, including presenting “Construyendo Latinidades: Continuing Our Ancestors’ Legacies” at a special Día de los Muertos event at the Marriott Library, participating in Research on Capitol Hill and the 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium with an award-winning poster titled “Latinx Criminal Justice Professionals: Exploring Career Motivations through Historical Research,” and most recently at the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies annual conference in San Antonio, Texas this spring. She is currently working with Muñoz and others on a manuscript titled “Wasatch Front Latinidades: Digital Humanities Responding to Archival Silence.”

During her senior year, Natalia will shift her research focus slightly and partner with Leandra Hernández, associate professor of communication as she completes her senior capstone project.

---

College of Humanities Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor – Matt Haber

Matt Haber, associate professor in philosophy, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor award for 2026. Haber has been an exemplary mentor for undergraduate students through his involvement in UROP and SPUR as well as establishing the Philosophy of Biology Lab, which has supported eleven undergraduate students in just the past three years.

Cindy Stark, chair of the Department of Philosophy, says Haber’s “mentorship is clearly highly effective given the research success of his undergraduates: they present at conferences and coauthor papers published in top philosophy journals. My experience in talking with Professor Haber is that he is passionate about this work, referring to it regularly as ‘fun,’ which likely explains his tremendous success.”

Haber’s lab sets up numerous mentorship opportunities for undergraduate students to work on projects with real-world implications, such as the ethics of using AI chatbots for psychotherapy, animal rights, and nested pediatric ethics in medical decision-making. Two of Haber’s former mentees, Pierce Christoffersen and Kalista Leggitt, were honored as the outstanding undergraduate researcher team for 2024.

---

Communication Student Wins Honors College Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award - Julia St. Andre

The 2026 Honors College Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher is Julia St. Andre BS’26, a communication major with an emphasis in science, health, environment and risk and minors in film and documentary studies and physics. For her honors thesis, she studied how emotions such as grief and anxiety associated with climate change motivate young adults to take action, an experiment she designed herself with guidance from Sara Yeo, professor of communication.

Professors Natasha Seegert and Sara Yeo write that “Julia has demonstrated a remarkable ability to engage with complex research topics and literatures, and to produce high-quality work. Although her research skills are already advanced for an undergraduate student, Julia is committed to enhancing them and learning new methods of data analysis that will enable her to answer her research questions.”

In addition to producing two documentaries during her time as an undergraduate student, Julia had the opportunity to share her research on the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy podcast (episode 34) when she was interviewed along with Yeo. She is working on turning her honors thesis into a journal article.