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2022 Undergraduate Researchers of the Year

The Undergraduate Researcher of the Year award honors a junior or senior who has demonstrated excellence in undergraduate research through independent inquiry, classes, and student employment.

Mary “Chrissy” Jensen

Mary "Chrissy" JensenMary “Chrissy” Jensen majors in psychology (honors) and minors in neuroscience and child and family studies. She is the senior undergraduate research assistant in the Relationship Aggression and Addictive Disorders laboratory of Gregory Stuart. In the fall she will begin the clinical psychology PhD program at UT, where she hopes to perform research on the association between intimate partner violence, substance use, and suicidality.

What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?

To me, being a Volunteer means that you have a duty to serve others around you. It means that in everything you do, you try to make the world a better place. I fell in love with psychology while at UT because of its unique ability to help others around me lead happier and healthier lives. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to discover this passion at UT. Through psychological research, I hope to exemplify the Volunteer Spirit for the rest of my life.


Owen Queen

Owen QueenOwen Queen—a senior in computer science and mathematics originally from Watertown, Tennessee—is interested in how the capabilities of machine learning (ML) can be extended to further its applications in biomedical research. His research has consisted of evaluating the robustness of machine learning systems while applying ML to solve problems in the natural sciences. He plans to pursue a PhD in computer science. After graduating in May, he will join Harvard Medical School as a research associate.

What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?

Being a Volunteer means devoting yourself to the benefit of others and using your talents and resources to challenge the status quo. The people at UT have helped me discover my interests and pushed me to pursue the best opportunities to better myself as a person and as a researcher. As I leave Rocky Top, I am empowered to tackle the most challenging, impactful problems to improve the treatment and diagnosis of complex diseases.