Three Â鶹ÊÓƵ undergraduate students participated in the prestigious Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by Rice University, Oct. 31. Dylan Palmer, a mechanical engineering major;
Dylan Palmer
Daniel Quispe, a mechanical engineering major; and Menna Elsaka, a chemistry and biochemistry major, were selected to participate in the annual event.
“We are very proud of their participation and the high marks they received from Rice University’s faculty,” said Cristian Bahrim, acting director of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Office of Undergraduate Research and physics professor. “These students are all O.U.R. grant recipients and did research over the past year with us here, at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. When Dr. Seiichi Matsuda, dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Rice University joined our EXPO 2020 back in September, all these students presented their O.U.R grant projects.”
The Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium is a competitive event inviting a select few students from all over the country.
“The talk I presented was about the ‘Mesoscopic Characterization of Triaxial Braid Composites Fabrics with Yarn Angle Variations,’ said Quispe. “My presentation was well-received by the chair of the session along with
Daniel Quispe
the audience members. Overall, I enjoyed learning about the research being conducted across the country. With the high-quality work presented by the student presenters, they inspired me by their determination to continue their work during this pandemic.”
In addition to gaining experience presenting, sharing research for valuable input and hearing responses to their research, Â鶹ÊÓƵ students appreciated hearing other students from around the country presenting and discussing their research.
“Participating in GCURS was the biggest event in my career thus far and it was an incredible experience,” said Palmer. “I learned so much about what other researchers were doing and it gave me invaluable lessons for improving my own work.”
“I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to present my research at GCURS, it was truly a fascinating
Menna Elsaka
experience,” said Elsaka. “Witnessing other presenters share their work enabled me to gain new insights into alternative research methods.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was held virtually for the first time in its 12-year history. “Thanks to the previous virtual conferences I participated in, such as the Texas STEM Conference, I was comfortable and accustomed to presenting my talk virtually,” said Quispe.
