Research Revealed photo contest showcases undergraduate research

May 30, 2024
A frog emerges from a pond.
Eden McCall’s first place submission to the Research Revealed photo contest consisted of a photo of her research subject, the Oregon spotted frog. Photo credit: Eden McCall.
Olivia Wilborn-Pilotte crouches in a field of blooming monkeyflowers to collect nectar from the flower.
Photo credit: Wilborn-Pilotte. "This photo shows me collecting data for my thesis on pollination strategy as an evolutionary response to climate change in a native wildflower species, the scarlet monkeyflower. Here I am using a small glass tube to collect nectar from a flower to measure the volume of nectar and the sugar concentration. The nectar is collected by inserting a small glass tube into the base of the flower, which draws the nectar into the tube via capillary action. The volume is then measured in the tube and the nectar is deposited onto an instrument called a refractometer, which measures the sugar concentration."
Multiple handwritten notes are stuck to a window alongside samples of translucent bio-materials.
Photo credit: Alarcon Basurto. "Documenting the translucent properties of the bio-material composite in natural light, the image showcases the initial stages of my research. Through observation, I recorded my first impressions of the materials I created. Subsequently, I categorized and grouped them based on their similarities in qualities and constraints."

In collaboration with the University of Oregon’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation held the first Research Revealed photo contest. In addition to showcasing student involvement in research and the diversity of opportunities on campus, the contest’s goal was to celebrate the art, beauty, and creativity involved in student research.

A table covered in a tablecloth that reads Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation atop which sit three posters with images on them of a frog, a woman standing in a field of wildflowers, and a person’s hand adjusting images that are taped to a window.
The OVPRI table displays the content’s winning entries at the Undergraduate Research Symposium on May 23, 2024.

The contest was open to undergraduate students from all academic disciplines and there were 27 submissions from students representing 13 different majors. The photo categories were portraits of the students themselves conducting the research or of the research subjects.

The winners of the contest were announced at the Undergraduate Research Symposium May 23. Eden McCall, a Journalism and Spatial Data Science and Technology double major, won first place. McCall is also a student in the Clark Honors College. Her interests include visual storytelling and multimedia design. Her entry was titled “Spotting the Oregon Spotted Frog” and featured a close-up of an Oregon spotted frog taken in a small, artificial pond in Bend, Oregon.

“This image, capturing the frog in its unexpectedly urban environment and at an intimate range, attempts to connect people with nature and contribute to the narrative about local stewardship and ecological resilience, aiming to inspire awareness and action to protect the natural world,” McCall wrote in her entry.

Her work is intersectional, but centers on using visual tools to promote conservation and foster a relationship between humans and nature.

In second place was Olivia Wilborn-Pilotte, who is working towards a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Biology, and who also works as an undergraduate research assistant. She submitted a photo of herself surrounded by a native wildflower species, the Scarlet Monkeyflower. Her thesis focuses on the relationship between climate change and pollination strategies. Her entry was titled “Among the Monkeyflowers.”

Tamara Alarcon Basurto, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Product Design, was awarded third place. Alarcon Basurto is interested in sustainable design practices and creates projects with the focus on making a positive impact. She is currently working as a production intern for Truce Designs, LCC. Her submission, titled “Design for Healing, Restoring Planet Earth", included a photo of the light coming in through a window and through her translucent research materials.

Coincidentally, all three winners were recipients of last summer’s VPRI Undergraduate Fellowship.

— By Stephanie Metzger, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation

Editor's note: None of images in this article were created using generative AI.