Capture Your Research is an 2D image competition that is a partnership with the Artineers, Engineering Library, NEXUS, Hanson Center for Communication, and the Office of Undergraduate Research. We challenge students, faculty, and staff to submit one image that captures the essence of their research.

The top 25 entries will be displayed at the Capture Your Research Reception and Awards Ceremony. Additionally, these images will be preserved through the Iowa Digital Library. 

Don't Be Shy to Apply

All are welcome to apply, whether you're an undergraduate researcher to a faculty member! All majors are welcome to display their research in this creative matter. Winners are selected from four categories:

• Undergraduate student
• Graduate student
• Faculty/Staff/Researchers
• People's Choice

For each category, a first, second and third place award will be determined. People's Choice categories will be open to the public for voting at the end of the month through the beginning of November. The top 10 selections from each undergraduate, graduate, and faulty/staff submission will be posted for public voting. Stay updated on how to vote here. 

What will they be looking for?

For submissions, don't forget to check the photo quality! 

• Best: 6000 pixels x 9000 pixels
• Minimum: 2500 pixels x 3750 pixels

Summarize the essence of your research in one image. It can capture the daily life of a researcher the public never gets to see. Others can capture what drives your research, subject and passion-wise. 

• Originality/creativity
• Appeal of the image
• Relationship between the image and their research
• The clarity of the written description

Previous Winners

For Jenny by Allison Rowe

Submitted by an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering. 

"When I was in 3rd grade, my best friend's mom lost her battle to metastatic melanoma. Today, I am conducting my Honors Thesis on predictive methods for targeted drug therapy to help better treat patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. In this photograph, I am holding in my hand a suspension of same type of cancer cells that were responsible for the death of the woman in the background almost 13 years ago. When the experiment results are frustrating, or the hours in the lab get long, I persevere for her. For Jenny -- may we never stop testing, fighting, and searching for better treatments for cancer."

Mars 3D Crater: Compressed by Jacob Nishimura

Taken by a student interested in Electrical and Computer Engineering. 

"The presented image shows a crater on Mars whose data was originally captured by the HiRISE project from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. 

The [top half] shows a 3D rendering of the crater's geometry. The colors inside the crater represent regions of the crater's 734-meter depth range. The [bottom half] shows the crater after being encoded dynamically with our lab's 3D compression approach."

For more information and submission details, visit the Capture Your Research 2024 page here. 

Good luck, Hawkeyes!