May 8, 2024

Innovation revealed at the 27th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

On May 17, over 1,200 undergraduates will present cutting-edge research and scholarship at the 27th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, a signature event for the University of Washington.

“The Undergraduate Research Symposium is a celebration of the incredible impact students are having within UW’s research community by taking fresh perspectives on challenging societal issues, asking innovative questions and contributing to the public good by advancing critical new knowledge,” said Sophie Pierszalowski, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research.

 

 

Bringing together students, faculty members and the greater community, the Symposium offers a unique opportunity to engage with a diverse showcase of research and academic achievement. This year’s event will feature 1,228 undergraduates presenting 971 research projects. They’ve been guided and supported in their research by a broad community of more than 1,000 mentors, including faculty, graduate students, post-doc researchers and research staff. This return to pre-COVID participation levels shows the growing interest in and recognition of the importance undergraduate research has in the Husky Experience.

Symposium guests can attend poster sessions, oral presentations, a performing arts showcase in the Meany Hall Studio Theatre and a visual arts and design showcase in the Allen Library Research Commons. To accommodate the number of presenters, poster sessions will happen in Mary Gates Hall, the HUB and Computer Science and Engineering Building, and oral presentations will happen in both Mary Gates Hall and the Computer Science and Engineering Building. Attendees should check the Symposium website for details.

Across these campus venues, student researchers will present various projects spanning STEM disciplines, social sciences, and the performing and visual arts. Topics covered will be diverse, ranging from third-year Jasper Geldenbott’s “Proactive Robot Planning for Prosocial Human-Robot Interactions” to senior Priyanka Ghosh Choudhuri’s, “What Else Can Supervisors Do to Reduce Burnout Among Community Mental Health Providers (CMHPs)? ”

Geldenbott’s research investigates developing a robotic path-planning algorithm that will allow for robots to seamlessly interact with people in everyday settings. This work has the possibility of deploying robots in chaotic environments such as warehouses and hospitals to efficiently transport materials.

“At the Symposium, I am looking forward to sharing my work with my peers and teaching about how robotic path-planning works, and how it is a vital technology that we will utilize in the near future,” said Geldennott. ”I am also excited to see the fascinating work from others, both in the field of robotics and in other disciplines”

Choudhuri’s research surveyed different strategies implemented by clinical supervisors and agencies who serve youth through cognitive behavioral therapy, to identify various burnout solutions. The results of her work are impactful, as the resulting suggestions help supervisors and agencies decide which strategies to implement to reduce community mental health provider burnout and increase the quality of mental health care for youth.

“I am looking forward to presenting my research for the first time at the Undergraduate Research Symposium,” said Choudhuri. “My mentor and I have been working hard with the survey data and coming up with the best methods to present my research in a way that can be understood and utilized by everyone, not just employees in the mental health therapy field.”

The Symposium goes beyond the UW community to celebrate undergraduates across the region. This year, 101 undergraduates from 11 partner institutions are participating. Shoreline Community College student and future UW student Joshua Fox will present his research, delving into the history of stigma against people who use drugs and addiction. Fox’s presentation investigates how this stigma influences and shapes addiction treatment, public policy and public school curriculum.

In thinking about presenting his research in his first Symposium, Fox said, “I’m excited to contribute to a paradigm shift from viewing addiction as a moral failure or a lack of motivation to viewing the condition as a genetic rewiring that requires the same amount of empathy and attention that we’d give to cancer treatment or individuals experiencing cancer.”

“This day is a recognition of the supportive relationships established through research, the confidence students have built through their exploration and the career paths shaped through these experiences,” said Pierszalowski. She anticipates witnessing student growth on Symposium day, adding, “These are all important byproducts of engaging in research that hold immense value and influence the trajectory of students’ lives.”