On February 24, 2026, a team of four Master of Public Health students from the University of Illinois Springfield made a strong showing at the IEEE "Illinois Innovates 2026 - Central Illinois Student Project & Poster Competition," taking home both First Place and Best Project honors in the Graduate Track, along with a cash prize.

The team: Sneha Gupta, Raja Raghupathy Rao Cherukuri, Deepthi Virajitha Bere, and Nkechi Ogwuazor, worked under the supervision of Dr. Jessica Madrigal. Their submission focused on a community outreach initiative addressing radon exposure in Sangamon County, an EPA-designated high-risk zone with a documented shortage of county-level public health resources on the topic.

At the competition, the students set up an educational display featuring original radon awareness materials they had independently designed, EPA guidance on radon risk, and a live demonstration of short-term radon test kits. Their presentation made the case that environmental health research must translate into actionable, community-facing interventions, an argument the judging panel found particularly compelling. The Certificate of Excellence, jointly issued by UIS and IEEE, confirms the "First Place – Graduate Track" designation dated February 24, 2026.

The IEEE "Illinois Innovates 2026 - Central Illinois Student Project & Poster Competition" was held on February 24, 2026, at the University of Illinois Springfield. The event was organized under the IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) initiative, as visible on the stage backdrop in the photographs and brought together graduate and undergraduate student teams from across the region to present original research and community projects.

The winning team was composed of four Master of Public Health students from UIS's School of Integrated Sciences, Sustainability, and Public Health, working under the supervision of Dr. Jessica Madrigal. The team members were Sneha Gupta, Raja Raghupathy Rao Cherukuri, Deepthi Virajitha Bere, and Nkechi Ogwuazor.

The team's submission centred on their comprehensive community outreach project addressing radon exposure in Sangamon County - an EPA-designated high-risk zone with a documented lack of county-level radon resources. Their display featured custom-designed educational materials, EPA guidelines on radon risk, and a live demonstration of short-term radon test kits. The presentation made a compelling case for translating environmental health research into practical, community-facing public health interventions.

The team received two distinct honors in the Graduate Track: First Place and Best Project. Both recognitions came with a cash prize. The Certificate of Excellence, clearly visible in the close-up photograph is jointly issued by UIS and IEEE, and reads "First Place – Graduate Track, Illinois Innovates 2026, February 24, 2026