When E. A. Quinn, Associate Professor of Biological Anthropology, walked onstage in the Clark-Fox Forum holding a cabbage, most audience members weren’t sure what to make of it. How would this cabbage convince anyone to invest in maternal health research?

Rachel Benitez-Borrego | Staff Photographer

But striking, entertaining, fast-paced pitches were the name of the game in the 2026 Research Innovation Showcase. The event saw nine WashU faculty members from across disciplines present their research to an audience of fellow researchers, students, and industry partners — each presentation lasting just three minutes.

For researchers like Quinn, this offered a unique chance to pursue funding from industry partners outside the University. Her project aims to develop a handheld device for identifying mastitis in breastfeeding persons: hence the cabbage, which is often prescribed as a remedy for the pain and swelling associated with mastitis in place of more formal treatment.

When Quinn put down the cabbage and picked up the pen-sized device that could test sodium and potassium levels in human milk, the message was clear: We can replace outdated remedies with powerful diagnostic tools.

The showcase highlighted incredible research from a broad range of disciplines. Inquiry in African and African American Studies, political science, and drama interwove presentations from chemistry, mathematics, and biology to create a space where disparate fields stood side by side.

Xinyi Liu, Professor of Archaeology, studies food globalization both in prehistoric and modern times. His presentation, consisting only of three slides (the maximum allowed in the showcase), drew analogies to the world of Alice Through the Looking Glass.

“I think this is the new momentum of cross-disciplinary research,” Liu said. “[The showcase] is a huge opportunity both for intellectual inspirations as well as forming meaningful arguments for research questions that could be answered,” Liu, “not necessarily by colleagues in the same field, but also by the folks who translate research and solutions.”

When the presentations ended, it was time for the audience to vote. A 45-second window was given for the audience to get their phones and select their top three presentations. Just a few minutes later, the winners were announced.

For Quinn, her deft use of props helped land her a $1,000 prize from the College of Arts & Sciences. The other prizewinners included Steven Frankel, Associate Professor of Mathematics, whose research uses two-dimensional slices to map the three-dimensional shape of the universe, as well as Yan Yu, Professor of Chemistry and of Biomedical Engineering, who is designing nano-sized particles to help immune cells fight tumors.

After the presentation, a reception allowed guests and speakers to share their ideas, ask all the questions that didn’t fit into the three-minute talks, and foster connections across fields. 

William Acree, Vice Dean of Interdisciplinary Initiatives and Innovation, shared how the Innovation Showcase aims to bridge the gap between higher education research and broader audiences.

“The overarching goal of this was to show and to celebrate the impact of different kinds of research,” Acree said. “For people to understand the power of what’s happening on a daily basis in different kinds of research spaces, we know those stories are important to tell.” He said.

You can find more information on the 2026 presenters here and on their respective webpages.