2026 Annual State Conference recap
ND EPSCoR held its 2026 Annual State Conference on Tuesday, October 20. For the first time, we took the conference to Minot as part of our effort to make sure faculty, researchers, students, and stakeholders across the state can participate and present their research. If you weren't able to join us, here's what you missed.
Quick links
Pre-conference networking session
Conference activities began with a No-Stress Networking event on Monday evening. Participants were invited to speak for three minutes on an open mic to talk about their research areas and the kinds of collaborations that would enhance their research.
Conference
The main conference day began with opening remarks from ND EPSCoR Director Jim Doolittle, Minot State University President Steven Shirley, video remarks from NDSU president Marshall Stewart, and remarks on behalf of Senator Kevin Cramer by staff member Kaitlyn Weidert. ND EPSCoR State Steering Committee Chair Curt Biller welcomed participants, and introduced NDSU Interim Vice President for Research and Creative Activity Heidi Grunwald, who welcomed incoming Director Mandy Guinn. Retiring Director Jim Doolittle and Programs Coordinator Kathy Wahlberg were presented with star quilts in recognition of their service to ND EPSCoR and the state.
NSF Program Director Hongmei Luo presented funding opportunities for EPSCoR E-CORE, E-RISE, FEC, and ERF programs, and spoke about other funding opportunities in the Office of Integrative Activities.
ND-ACES leadership team members Kalpana Katti, Ginacarlo Lopez-Martinez, and Sheridan McNeil presented on the outcomes of the recently completed Track-1 award.
Next up was a session of poster presentations by researchers and students.
We returned back to the main conference area for more panels and a presentation. Representatives from six research core facilities in North Dakota presented information on the services they provide and how to best engage with their facilities. SPARK-ND team member Irfan Alam presented a workshop called "Fail It Before You Build It: A Team Premortem Workshop for Cross-Institutional Collaboration." Next up was lunch and a panel discussion that brought together perspectives from Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) on the values that guide successful collaborations, shared lessons learned, and examined common opportunities and challenges.
The day continued with two rounds of concurrent oral presentations and another poster session.
Finally, we ended the day by recognizing three undergraduate students with poster presentation awards:
First place: Raymond Holle, UND
Second place: Crystal Alvarado, Minot State University
Third place: Lorenzo Luchi, Valley City State University
Thank you!
Many thanks to all who attended our conference and to those who made it possible, particularly the team at Minot State University, led by Bryan Schmidt. Next year we’ll be in Grand Forks, so keep an eye out for a “save the date” email. We'll see you in 2027!
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