Three New Mexico Tech Students Win Top NM AMP STEM Awards

Three students from New Mexico Tech secured top honors at the 2026 New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation (NM AMP) Student Research Conference, demonstrating high-level expertise in fields ranging from microfluidics to mechanical engineering. The awards, announced following the conference held in Las Cruces, recognize undergraduate research that addresses significant challenges in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

According to a report from New Mexico Tech, the award winners include Rowan Oglesby, Sophia Rosa, and Morgan Lee. The NM AMP conference, now in its 34th year, serves as a professional forum where students and faculty can share ideas, network, and showcase research. Organizers describe the event as a critical space for students to find a sense of belonging, encouragement, and professional appreciation within the STEM community.

Solving complex problems through undergraduate research

The research presented by these students targets practical, real-world applications, from environmental protection to medical diagnostics. Rowan Oglesby, a chemistry student mentored by Dr. Menake Piyasena, earned first place in the University Category podium presentations. His work, titled “Concentration and Entrapment of Micro and Nano Plastics Using Acoustic Wave-Based Microfluidic Devices with Microposts,” focuses on environmental sustainability. Oglesby is developing an inexpensive and efficient method to separate microscopic plastic particles from water by using sound waves to move particles toward pressure nodes held against small posts.

In the poster presentation category, Sophia Rosa, a member of the Class of 2027, took first place. Working in the Department of Chemical Engineering under Dr. Michaelann Tartis and alongside colleague Miles Harrington, Rosa’s research involves the “Surface Modification of Polyacrylamide Hydrogels with Chitosan and Polydopamine.” The team is constructing a laboratory model of brain tissue to better understand traumatic brain injuries. By coating the hydrogel to ensure cells attach more reliably, the research aims to eventually influence sports and military training policies, as well as patient diagnostics and protective headgear design.

Mechanical engineering student Morgan Lee earned second place in the poster presentations. Their project examines how controlled explosive energy can be used to etch intricate designs into copper and facilitate the bonding of different metals. This work continues a specific technological tradition at New Mexico Tech, where, in partnership with the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), Ph.D. graduates are awarded diplomas that have been explosively etched into copper.

A platform for STEM professional development

The NM AMP Student Research Conference is a state-wide gathering that brings together undergraduate and faculty members, as well as high school students from the New Mexico Math, Engineering, Science Achievement, Inc. (NM MESA) program and the NMSU TRIO Upward Bound program. While the main conference took place on Friday, October 23, 2026, at the NMSU Corbett Center Student Union, the event also included specialized programming for community college students.

As noted by nmampconf.nmsu.edu, the conference structure includes professional development workshops held on October 23 and 24. These interactive sessions help pre-transfer community college students find conference opportunities and engage more effectively with the academic community. For selected participants, these workshops and the conference itself include a stipend to support their attendance and professional growth.