Selected undergrads compete in the arena of research

The Fall Research Competition is a diverse and condensed presentation of select research, scholarship, and creative activity, but it’s also a contest with judges, cash prizes, and a chance to advance to the state competition level.

This will be the 7th annual iteration of the event, which is put on by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center to help students hone their research and projects, and prepare for careers or graduate school.

Ten students were selected to present to a panel of judges on a wide range of topics, including agriculture and soil science, Spanish language and culture, and green practices in business.

The topics span from the local (integration of ethnic studies in Salinas Union High School District) to the global (the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals). The information being presented is very new, some of it still not completed yet.

“People get to see the work students are doing,” said Eric Barajas, UROC outreach specialist. “The judges score based on clarity of presentation, appropriateness of methodology, and other criteria.”

He said that winning students are also encouraged to apply and compete in the statewide CSU competition, which will be hosted by San Francisco State University in the spring of 2022.

The CSUMB Fall Research Competition takes place live Nov. 18, this Thursday, 3 - 6 p.m. It’s a hybrid event, set to take place in person at the Alumni and Visitors Center, as well as online via the registration link on the event page. 

UPDATE:The full list of the winners, with their mentors and academic backgrounds, has been published on the UROC website. 

Pictured below, left to right, are competition winners Morgan Raimondo, Charles Scrivner, Spencer Winter, Dr. John Banks (UROC Director), and Alicia Del Toro.