On Saturday, January 26, 2019, the Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) celebrated its 30th anniversary at the 2019 UBRP Annual Conference, held at the ENR2 Building on the University of Arizona’s main campus. With the theme of gratitude, the conference included video of student highlights, an announcement of the new UBRP endowment, and recognition of outstanding mentorship.

The keynote talk entitled” Never Tell Me the Odds: the Drug Discovery Process,” was given by UBRP alumna Dr. Teri Suzuki, Senior Consultant for Therapeutics at Reglagene. Dr. Suzuki, a participant in UBRP’s first class of students in the summer of 1989, encouraged audience members to reflect on the mentors and individuals who have shaped their lives and to thank them.

The conference included poster presentations by over 90 University of Arizona students. Dr. Helena Morrison was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, and Kristiane Torgeson Pelletier was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award.