The Graduate College is thrilled to announce the finalists in the 2024 Research Live! Finalist Showcase. Now in its ninth year, Research Live! is a fun, fast-paced competition that celebrates graduate student research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign by inviting our scholars to shine a spotlight on their work in a 3-minute research talk.
The 2024 Research Live! Finalist Showcase will include screenings of the finalists' presentations, live voting for the People's Choice Award, and an announcement of the winners! The event will be held on Tuesday, April 2, at 5:00 pm CDT. Attend in person at the Campus Instructional Facility (1405 Springfield Ave, Urbana) or watch the live stream. Details for the live stream will be posted on our website. All are welcome to attend!
The Finalists Are:
- Aravind Baby (Materials Science and Engineering)
- Anwesh Bhattacharya (Computer Science)
- Vincent Carlson (Theatre)
- Andrew Freeman (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
- Dhanush Gandavadi (Bioengineering)
- Byron Juma (Recreation, Sport and Tourism)
- Satinderpal Kaur (Entomology)
- Alexandra Richmond (Special Education)
- Vignesh Srinivasakumar (Computer Science)
- Julia Stowell (Music)
- Kshitij Tewari (Recreation, Sport and Tourism)
- Kyle Timmer (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
2024 Award Lineup:
The final round judging panel will be comprised of a group of University High School juniors and seniors. They will determine the winners for the following five prizes that will be announced at the Finalist Showcase:
- The Grand Prize ($500) will be awarded to the finalist whose presentation excelled in all five criteria of organization, purpose, content, delivery, and visuals.
- The Design Award ($200) is all about the slide, given to the finalist who enhanced their talk the most through imagery, photographs, diagrams, illustrations, graphs, or other visuals.
- The Impact Award ($200) recognizes the finalist whose presentation highlights how their research is making or aimed at making substantial positive change in the world.
- The Storyteller Award ($200) is granted to the finalist whose performance style and delivery stole the show.
- The Visionary Award ($200) recognizes the finalist who is breaking new ground in their work whether through a unique approach, creative problem-solving, or charting a new direction in their field.
Immediately following the viewing of all finalist videos, members of the audience will get to vote for the winner of the People's Choice Award ($200). Those watching online through the livestream will be able to vote!