Stetson University proudly congratulates the recipients of the 2026 Maris Awards, recognizing exceptional undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative achievement presented during Stetson Showcase.
The Maris Awards celebrate students whose projects demonstrate originality, academic excellence, and effective communication across a wide range of disciplines. The 2026 recipients explored topics spanning biology, public policy, economics, environmental science, business, the arts, and technology, showcasing the breadth and impact of undergraduate scholarship at Stetson.
Poster Presentations
- Naya Adla – Acoustic Indices as Reliability Indicators for Automated Oyster Toadfish Calls Detection
- Raissa Borges de Oliveira Leal – Molecular Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of a Non-Canonical Nuclear Localization Signal Within the Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Small Tumor Antigen
- Sean Gaudreault – Investigating Fus1 and Pea2 Roles in Mating and Protein Localization by Mutating Fus1’s Internal Domain in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Arts
- Maria Latour – Fish Sermon
Junior Music Recitals
- Andre Caquimbo – Oboe
Oral Presentations
- Noelle Zinn – Cell Cycle-Dependent Nuclear Localization of the Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Small Tumor Antigen Suggests a Regulated Import Mechanism
- Diana Godinho – From Repression to Human Rights: The Case of Michelle Bachelet in Chile
- Nicholas Mauck – Microplastic Abundance and Color Distribution in Palaemonetes paludosus Across Urban and Protected Freshwater Systems in Central Florida
- Raissa Borges de Oliveira Leal – Evaluating the Impact of Vaccination on Dengue Incidence: An Econometric Analysis of São Paulo
- Isabella Degenhardt, Endrik Brettmann, Dietre Griesinger, and Kamryn Wilson – Lululemon Stockpitch
- Leonardo Giorgioni Figueroa – The Influence of Educational Video Interventions on Hurricane Risk Perception: The Role of Affective Response and Graphical Literacy
- Kira Zaitsava – Local Impact Score
Kathleen Johnson Award for Excellence in Arts and Humanities
- Nico Alonso – Conservative State Religion: Miami Cubans as the “Model Minority”
Leonard Nance Award for Justice Studies
- Abdulraqeeb Oguntade – Building Frameworks for a Recovery Housing Program at Rising Against All Odds
- Patrick Galloway – Punishment as Political Language: The Ideational Foundations of Rehabilitation’s Marginalization in U.S. Prisons
Stetson University congratulates all of the 2026 Maris Award recipients on their outstanding accomplishments. Their research, scholarship, and creative work exemplify the university’s dedication to academic excellence, innovation, and meaningful engagement with the challenges and opportunities facing society today.