Erickson Conference, May 8, 20026, 4pm - 7:30pm in Otto Miller Hall, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Olivia Lenz.

The Erickson Conference will be held on Friday, May 8, 2026 in Otto Miller Hall. The conference featured outstanding presentations highlighting the work our students have done, even in these challenging times. We also were excited to welcome our keynote speaker, Dr. Olivia Lenz, a materials scientist and alumna of SPU.


For 24 years, the Erickson conference has showcased the outstanding research and design contributions our students are making in the fields of Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Health and Human Performance, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology and Sociology. Our students' presentations range from single quarter classroom-based original research projects to summative multi-year independent research programs and engineering design projects. Please join us in this celebration of students' projects and support your friends as they present the findings of their individual projects.

We would like to thank Dr. Joyce Erickson, past Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for the legacy she has left our students by establishing this conference. We would also like to thank all the students who have participated in this conference over the years to make it so succesful. Thank you!

Our conference logo and artwork were designed by Julie Renne and Emma Sebastian, both alumni of the Visual Communications program, under the guidance of Karen Gutowsky-Zimmerman, Professor of Art-Visual Communications. We are very grateful for their time and talent!

Thank you,

The Erickson Organizing Committee