Seventeen undergraduate students in the Life Sciences presented their research this past Friday at the third Karen L. Smith Undergraduate Research Symposium. Topics ranged from the effects of contaminants on animals to the behavior of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins in captivity. The symposium was established in November 2012 in honor and recognition of Karen Smith’s exceptional service to undergraduates at Oklahoma State University. Karen graduated from OSU with her Bachelor of Science in Physiology and her Master of Science in Psychology, and she later returned to OSU as a senior academic counselor in the College of Arts and Sciences. Karen strongly encouraged students to participate in professional development opportunities and she was instrumental in designing this opportunity for students to present the results of their research in a professional setting. Undergraduate students presented posters describing their research to an audience of more than 150 faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. The Karen L. Smith Undergraduate Research Excellence Award was given to Ryan Greenway (senior zoology major) for his research with Dr. Michael Tobler on the role of abiotic and biotic factors on fish community structure in Tabasco, Mexico. The award includes $200 and will be given to the best student presentation at the symposium every Fall and Spring semester.