Fourth-year dental students McKenzie Nutter and Taylor Steiner earned first-place honors in the ADEA Student Poster Competition at the 2025 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition, held March 8–11. Their poster was selected as the top entry from more than 200 submissions by dental students nationwide.
Interview with McKenzie and Taylor:
“Our project, How Noncognitive Traits of Grit and Resilience Coincide with Academic Performance of Dental Students, focused on measuring the impressionistic qualities of grit and resilience in UNMC students using validated testing measures. We then compared these scores to GPA and class rank, demonstrating that academic performance is influenced by more than just raw intelligence.”
“Our findings highlighted resilience as a significant factor in student success within a rigorous dental program. We hope admissions committees will consider these traits when evaluating applicants. Additionally, educators at UNMC should consider these traits to cultivate the best environment for effective learning in the next generation’s dentists.”
“Winning the ADEA award was an incredible honor and a humbling experience. It reinforced our passion for advancing dental research and its impact on the field.”
“We are grateful to our mentor, Dr. Merlyn Vogt, whose guidance and support were instrumental in shaping this project. His expertise and encouragement helped us navigate challenges and refine our approach. We also thank our statistician, Kaeli Sampson from the UNMC College of Public Health, for her valuable contributions.”