Students from the Honors College at Washington State University traveled to Las Vegas to present their work at the 2026 Western Regional Honors Council Conference 2026, held April 9–11 at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This year’s theme, “Battle Born: Crossroads and Opportunities,” highlighted resilience, growth, and the defining moments that shape academic and personal journeys.

A delegation of six Washington State Honors students and two faculty members attended the conference, joining peers from across the western United States to share ideas, connect across disciplines, and showcase high-level undergraduate scholarship.

•  Maya Nash presented “Top-Down Prelimbic Cortical Regulation of the Paraventricular Thalamus Gates Heroin Seeking in Rats.”
• Allison Mata presented “Searching for Supermassive Black Hole Binaries.”
•  Bruce Redden presented “Crossroads in Therapy: Developing Novel H. pylori Therapeutics.”
• April Witham, alongside faculty advisor Colin Criss, presented on Student Publishing in Honors: The Palouse Review.
•  Nicole Diefenbach presented “Pathological BDNF and TrkB Mutations Affect Synaptic Development.”
• Katy Touretsky presented “Cannabis Vapor in Adolescence: Effects on Behavior and Microglia.”

Together, these students represented the Honors College with professionalism and purpose, contributing to conversations that reflect the conference’s focus on navigating crossroads and embracing opportunity. Their presence at the Western Regional Honors Council Conference underscores Washington State University’s commitment to fostering student scholarship, collaboration, and leadership on a regional stage.