By Nate Galvan | galvanna@sonoma.edu
Who said research and creativity don’t go hand in hand? On its 35th anniversary, the annual CSU Student Research Competition continues to explore both worlds by inviting students from each CSU campus to present projects virtually across a wide range of disciplines.
But first, Sonoma State University is holding its own internal competition to determine ten projects that will represent SSU at the CSU-wide event. Students from all schools are encouraged to fill out an application consisting of essential information and a short essay describing their innovative research and creative activities. Last year, SSU had two first-place finishers in their respective categories. Students from across campus, including from the Anthropology, Theatre and Arts, and Engineering Science departments, presented projects.
SSU’s internal contest’s application deadline is March 5, and SSU students from all academic majors are encouraged to apply. Undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled and alumni who received their degrees from SSU in Spring, Summer, or Fall of 2020 are also eligible to apply. A small team of students may compete together, counting as one entry.
“The CSU Student Research Competition is a great way for students to develop skills that they will inevitably bring to their future careers, research-related or not,” said Stacey Pelton from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. “Participating in the competition is an honor and is experiential learning at its finest. It brings student research and creative projects beyond the classroom and reinforces that what students are working on here at SSU has practical implications beyond the campus.”
Cal Poly Pomona will be hosting the CSU Student Research Competition on April 30 and May 1. Projects competing are put into one of 10 categories, including Business and Economics, Education, and Humanities and Letters. Students will present their work through a pre-recorded video and participate in a live, virtual Q&A with a jury and audience.
Students can fill out applications for the internal competition at InfoReady. For more details, please contact Stacey Pelton.
Below are some examples of SSU students’ projects at the 2020 CSU Research Competition for those interested in participating. Please note that research in progress does not need to be complete by the March 5th deadline to apply; however, research results should be ready to present by the video submission deadline: April 15, 2021.- FIRST PLACE: “The Orthographies of Coast Miwok” by Christopher Everett and Rowan Graening
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Richard Senghas, Department of Anthropology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRIz8lz1NkE&t=17s
- FIRST PLACE: “Autonomous Recharging of Aerial Vehicles: Implementation of an Intelligent Charging Platform” by Alexander McGinnis, Joseph Haun, and Anthony Aboumrad
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nansong Wu, Department of Engineering Science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW27tN-UpQI
- “Representations of Biraciality on the American Stage: The Dramatic Performance of the Role of Margaret in Origin Story by Nathan Alan Davis” by Reilly Milton.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Scott Horstein, Department of Theatre Arts & Dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJVxiFQD49E
- “Aesthetic Resistance: The Paintings of the Native American Occupation of Alcatraz Island” by Madison Tinsley
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alexis Boutin, Department of Anthropology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjoHpHl_Di4&feature=youtu.be
- “Evaluating the Performance and Energy-efficiency of Heterogeneous Computing Systems” by Andrew Eljumaily and Giovanni Oey
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Shubbhi Taneja, Department of Computer Science
Research Mentor: Dr. Tapasya Patki, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory