June 02, 2021
For Immediate Release
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NORTH CAROLINA – Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society presented awards for its 2021 Student Research Showcase. The virtual competition included 274 student participants and over 250 total presentations. Monetary awards were given for the overall competition winner, the people's choice award, and first and second place winners in the high school, undergraduate, and graduate divisions. Additionally, honorable mentions were given to the top presenter in each research discipline category.
The Student Research Showcase is an annual virtual competition aimed to build students' science communication skills so they can convey the value of their research to technical and nontechnical audiences. Participants submitted abstracts for entry into the competition in early spring. During a month-long evaluation period, students built websites, videos, and slideshows to present their research to a panel of judges and public audiences. Judges' evaluations were based on how well the students communicated enthusiasm for their projects; explained the significance of their research; used text, charts, and diagrams; and responded to questions.
2021 Student Research Showcase Awards:
Overall Winner ($500)
Harrison Ngue
Harvard University
Cell Biology and Biochemistry
Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Mitochondrial Ribosomal Proteins Confers Chemoresistance in Quiescent Cancer Cells
Sponsored by HappiLabs
People's Choice Award ($250)
Shrey Joshi and Ishaan Javali
Plano East Senior High School
Geosciences
GLAS: A Global Landslide Analytics System
High School Division
First Place ($500)
Chloe Sow
The Downtown School
Physiology and Immunology
What Would You Do If You Had More Time? Maximizing the Human Healthspan through Environmental and Lifestyle Factors with Influences on Associated Diseases through Genetics and Epigenetics, utilizing Statistical Models and Gene Expression Data
Second Place – Tie ($250)
Joseph Lee
Monta Vista High School
Physiology and Immunology
The Effect of Melatonin on Polyurethane-Induced Occupational Asthma in Drosophila Melanogaster
Ashwin Sivakumar
Flintridge Preparatory School
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Late Pleistocene Fossils Recontextualize the Ecology of Introduced Turkeys in California
Amith Vasantha
Basis Independent Silicon Valley
Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Genetic Mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome and Its Resulting Infectivity
Undergraduate Division
First Place ($500)
Harrison Ngue
Harvard University
Cell Biology and Biochemistry
Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Mitochondrial Ribosomal Proteins Confers Chemoresistance in Quiescent Cancer Cells
Second Place ($250)
Julie Lee
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Microbiology and Molecular Biology
ADAD: Alcohol Dependence on Alzheimer's Disease
Graduate Division
First Place ($500)
Sonia Patel
University of Texas MD Anderson
Physiology and Immunology
Estrogen Promotes Resistance to Bevacizumab in Murine Models of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Second Place ($250)
Cori Fain
Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Physiology and Immunology
Ag-dependent Engagement of CD8+ T Cells with H-2Kb on Brain Endothelium Required for CD8 Entry and Cerebral Manifestation of Malaria
Top Presenters
Selin Kocalar and Aylin Salahifar
Leigh High School and Carlmont High School
Agricultural, Soil and Natural Resources
An Innovative Approach to the Planet’s Degrading Environments: Engineering a Novel Strain of Rhizobacteria to Enhance Plant Productivity under Worsening Abiotic Stress Conditions
Harrison Ngue
Harvard University
Cell Biology and Biochemistry
Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Mitochondrial Ribosomal Proteins Confers Chemoresistance in Quiescent Cancer Cells
Tyler Shern, Jessica Guo, Emily Zhou, and Varun Nimmigadda
Mission San Jose High School, Ward Melville High School, The Harker School, and Novi High School
Chemistry
A Smart Liquid Embolic Agent for Dynamic Adjustments to Brain Aneurysm Embolization and Healing
Ashwin Sivakumar
Flintridge Preparatory School
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Late Pleistocene Fossils Recontextualize the Ecology of Introduced Turkeys in California
Irfan Nafi, Eugene Choi, and Raffu Khondaker
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Engineering
SoundScape: Real-Time 3D Sound Localization and Classification with Sensory Substitution for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Sonja Michaluk
Carnegie Mellon University
Environmental Sciences
DNA Barcoding for Freshwater Bioassessment: A Versatile Lab Extension
Vanessa Swenton
Portland State University
Geosciences
Assessing the Space and Time Trends in Miocene co-CRBG Rhyolites and Rhyolites of the High Lava Plains Trend in Eastern Oregon
Emilin Mathew
American Heritage School Plantation
Human Behavioral and Social Sciences
Digital Phenotyping Autism: Investigating Objective Vocal and Movement Quantification for Characterizing Autism Severity
Isaac Singer
Pine Crest School
Human Behavioral and Social Sciences
Inferring Dysconnection Syndrome Using fMRI Modeling Techniques
Mihir Rao
Chatham High School
Math and Computer Science
BLEPNet: In-Silico B-Cell Epitope Prediction Using Deep Learning
Julie Lee
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Microbiology and Molecular Biology
ADAD: Alcohol Dependence on Alzheimer's Disease
Amanda Hao and Justin Hou
Aragon High School and Henry Gunn High School
Physics and Astronomy
Planetary Environments for Habitable Kepler Small Planet Candidates
Sonia Patel
University of Texas MD Anderson
Physiology and Immunology
Estrogen Promotes Resistance to Bevacizumab in Murine Models of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer