2023 Submissions

On March 7, the Office of Undergraduate Research announced the winners of the eighth annual Texas Student Research Showdown at an award ceremony.

Students participating in this research communication competition created two minute videos to explain their research and creative activity to a general audience. A panel of faculty and staff judges scored the videos on their ability to capture an audience’s attention, tell a narrative, convey rigorous scholarship, and target a general audience. Current undergraduates also voted for an audience award winner.

This year’s event featured 36 videos from 59 students competing in two categories (science, technology, and engineering; arts, humanities, and social sciences). The submitters of the winning videos received awards generously funded by a gift from Kimberly and Scott Martin.

Science, Technology, and Engineering Category

Honorable mention

Fu-Yao Jefferson Yu

JAttack: Java Compiler Testing using Template Programs

Shreyas Satewar, Shravan Ravi, Gary Want

Visually Adaptive Geometric Navigation

Brian Matibag

Nature’s Living Art | Painting a Clearer Picture for Diatom Classification

Valeria Calucho

Sociality & Behavioral Development in Poeciliidae

First place, $1500

Mandy Tran

Biodiversity & Insect Herbivory: The Growth-Defense Trade-Off

Second place, $500

Bennett Xu and David Park

Teaching Computers How To Smell

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Category

Honorable mention

Ember Beeler

The Newburgh Project

Ruth Befekadu

Perceptions of Depression Among Ethiopian Priests and Imams

Ingrid Piña

Stranded by the United States: Venezuelan Migrants Fill the Gaps in Migratory Policy Communication

Angelique Noel Trotter, Abigail Romeo, Kennedy Zapalac

Finding Focus

First place, $1500

Vidhyasai Annem, Breigh Plat, Zia Kinzy

Second place, $500

Mckenzie Bentley

Ancestors in Agony

Audience award, $1000

Mckenzie Bentley

Ancestors in Agony

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Science, Technology, and Engineering