The University of Texas Libraries announce the winners of the 2020 "Images of Research" competition.
“Images of Research” celebrates undergraduate contributions to the research mission of the university by giving undergraduate researchers from across campus an opportunity to present a visual representation of their work – whether in the lab, in the field, or in the libraries and archives on the Forty Acres. The competition was open to any undergraduate conducting research as part of their academic experience, and submissions were comprised of an image accompanied by a brief caption explaining the process or outcome for a general audience. This year’s winners are Journalism and Latin American studies sophomore Dylan Rasbridge and Neuroscience senior Simren Lakhotia.
Dylan Rasbridge won first place for his submission, “Seeking Asylum." Dylan’s submission captures life in a camp in Matomoros, Mexico where asylum seekers wait for months to present their claims for asylum. The judges felt the image was an excellent example of photojournalism. This one image tells the story of the personal impact of the Migrant Protection Protocols.
Simren Lakhotia won second place for her submission, “Blinded by the Light.” Simren’s submission is an image of a methodology for determining whether a patient may have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The image is of Rickettsia rickettsii, the bacteria responsible for the disease, as seen through a filter that helps determine whether there is infection. The judges were impressed with how well Simren connected the image and text, and how well the image clearly represents to a layperson the way the test works.
Both submissions have been placed in Texas ScholarWorks, the Libraries open access repository.
The award, which includes a $100 prize for the first place winner and a $50 prize for the second place winner, was judged by Dr. Evangeleen Pattison (Quantitative Reasoning & Independent Inquiry Flags, School of Undergraduate Studies), Dr. Robert Reichl (Undergraduate Research, School of Undergraduate Studies) and Dr. Madison Searle (Honors Center, College of Natural Sciences).
