Established by
Louis & Prudence Ryan
Established with the generous support of Louis and Prudence Ryan, the Ryan Environmental Research Symposium features the best student research from scholars in the Jane P. Batten Honors College. Under the mentorship of the University's faculty and community leaders, student scholarship at the Symposium explores complex environmental challenges in a global context.
Each spring, students from the Jane P. Batten Honors College present their research at the symposium. A committee of Batten Professors and student representatives selects the strongest projects from the application pool to present at a poster session. The top three students are then invited to present their work at a premiere public event — bringing together scholars, mentors, and community leaders.
4th Annual Symposium — April 30, 2026
2026 Prize Recipients
Ryan Environmental Prize Winner
Tyler Noll '26 received the 2026 Louis and Prudence Ryan Prize for Excellence in Research for his project Implementing a Campus Composting Program Framework to Advance Sustainability at VWU and Beyond. A senior environmental studies major from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Noll studied abroad in Morocco, Chile, and New Zealand and has traveled to more than a dozen countries. Following graduation, he will serve as a leadership mentor with Global Leadership Adventures in the Dominican Republic.
As the prize recipient, Noll received a $750 cash award and a $750 donation made in his name to Clean Virginia Waterways.
Finalists & Special Awards
Stephanie Clark '26
Thinking Bee – Restoring Native Pollinator Habitats at Virginia Wesleyan University. Finalist award directed to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Jasmine Gorney '26
Thermal Inequality: Urban Heat Islands, Historical Injustice, and a Community Toolkit for Climate Resilience in Portsmouth, Virginia. Finalist award directed to the Hampton Roads Blue Green Oasis of Greener Norfolk.
Lily Reslink '26
Break the Shopping Haul to Dumpster Cycle: Reducing Waste at Move-Out through the Power of Campus Community. Recipient of the Marlin Award for Sustainability Advocacy, with a donation directed to Keep Norfolk Beautiful.
Audience Choice Award
Elena Lichtenwalner '26 — Building awareness for the Neurodiversity Center at VWU.
The students were given a simple task: develop a research project, paper, and poster that addresses one of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The elegance of the SDGs lies in their ability to address human challenges on both global and local scales, offering hope for a more sustainable and healthy future.Dr. Travis B. Malone Anne B. Shumadine Dean, Jane P. Batten Honors College
The Louis & Prudence Ryan Prize
The prize recognizes excellence in research presented at the Symposium. All three finalists are recognized — because finishing in the top three of your entire graduating class is worth celebrating.
- Cash Award
- Recognition Plaque
- $750 donation to an environmental organization of the winner's choosing
- Name placed on campus recognition plaque
- Cash Award
- Recognition Plaque
- $125 donation to an environmental organization of each runner-up's choosing
- Name placed on campus recognition plaque
Eligibility & Application
Open to Jane P. Batten Honors College students completing their Senior Honors Capstone. Applications must address the following:
Clearly state the central research question and/or purpose of the project.
Define the project approach — paper, qualitative research, analytical/lab research, or creative project.
Provide brief, relevant scholarly or research context — no formal citations required — that demonstrates the project's attempt to make a unique contribution to the area of inquiry.
Provide a brief description of the research methodology used in the project.
State conclusions or expected results and the context in which they will be discussed at the Symposium.
Selection Criteria
The Undergraduate Research Director convenes a committee of five adjudicators — Batten Professors, a junior-class JPBHC student, and a local leader from an environmental organization. All applicants are judged on four criteria, with the top three projects invited to present at the public event.
Potential Impact
Project demonstrates solutions or hypotheses that show deep comprehension of the problem, sensitivity to environmental, ethical, logical, and cultural dimensions, and goals that are achievable and sustainable over time.
Addressing Environmental Complexity
Research question is imaginative and accounts for the complexity of the issue. Scholar articulates the limits or scalability of the project to global contexts, and synthesizes environmental impacts clearly within the solution.
Strength of Evidence
Project demonstrates skillful use of high-quality, credible, relevant sources appropriate to the discipline and genre. Sources are integrated seamlessly to create a compelling, well-supported argument.
Communication
Well-written and clearly communicates the value of the project to audiences from different backgrounds — not just to subject-matter experts.
Questions?
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Want to present your research here?
It starts with admission to the Jane P. Batten Honors College. The Symposium is where four years of scholarship comes together.