As an undergraduate in 2002, Dr. Jenessa Shapiro founded RURS to give Rice student researchers an opportunity to share their diverse work. Twenty years later, we honor Dr. Shapiro’s legacy with the Shapiro Showcase, a competition featuring students across the disciplines who have been nominated and selected by faculty in their respective schools. The Shapiro Showcase represents the top undergraduate researchers at Rice. Presenters will deliver 8-minute talks on their intermediate to advanced research, followed by a short Q&A. One winner will be selected through judge evaluations and announced at the closing reception.
Shapiro Showcase nominees come directly from the Deans in each school. Each school has a different process for selecting students. Contact Abby at as60@rice.edu for more information.
2026 Shapiro Showcase Nominees and Abstracts
School of Architecture
Eduarda Quintana Favero
Project Title: Remediation at the Intertidal Edge: Oysters as a catalyst for revitalizing both the human environment and natural systems above and below the waterline.
Mentor: Tung Nguyen
Jayden Yan
Project Title: Towards a A Collectivity: Redefining the Urban in the Suburban
Mentor: Ian Ting
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School of Business
Simryn Patel, Ana Chacón, Elie Park, Rani Sooda, Sanjana Sreemushta
Project Title: Flip the Script: Repositioning America’s Pastime for a Future Digital Generation
Mentor: Kathleen Clark
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School of Engineering
Aidan Christopher Lopez
Project Title: Design and Evaluation of Dataflow FPGA Accelerators for Radio Frequency Fingerprint Identification (RFFI) Using Brainsmith
Mentor: Dr. Joseph Cavallaro
Joseph Wright
Project Title: Interfacial Design Strategies for Enhanced Adhesion in Soft Robotics and Hybrid Material Interfaces
Mentor: Denizhan Yavas
Kacem Ettahali
Project Title: QuGrad: Delivering Synthetic Quantum Datasets for Scientific Applications in Quantum Environments
Mentor: Dr. Tirthak Patel
Tianyao Wei
Project Title: A Poisson-Based Sparse Network Identification Model for Imperfectly Observed Ecological Systems
Mentor: César A. Uribe
Ellena Jeon
Project Title: Investigating the Effects of Three-Dimensional Printing Parameters and Poly(ε-caprolactone) Molecular Weight on Flow-Induced Crystallization
Mentor: Maeve Kennedy; Vasiliki Kolliopoulos, Antonios Mikos
Sherry Choi
Project Title: Transient Mechanics of Magnesium Serpentine Ribbons with Controlled Arc Curvature
Mentor: Raudel Avila
Tyler Neilson
Project Title: A Modified Multipipettor System Enables High-Throughput, High Intensity Fluid Shear Stress for CAR-T Cell Activation Studies
Mentor: Michael R. King
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School of Humanities
Joselyn Lwigale
Project Title: Exploring Mothers’ Perspectives and Experiences of Childbirth with Midwives from the Greater Houston Midwives’ Alliance
Mentor: Dr. Anzi Dong
Neha Kohli
Project Title: In Search of the Good Life: Encountering Sumak Kawsay through Grassroots Food Aid in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Mentor: Jose Negroni
Cal Mascardo
Project Title: THE BODY AS POROUS / SKIN AS A CINEMATIC LANGUAGE / (AND ASKING HOW THE VIDEO DIARY CAN IMAGINE POSSIBILITY…)
Mentor: Sindhu Thirumalaisamy
Michael DeAngelo Garcia
Project Title: Fields of Control: Fields of Control: The Rio Grande Valley, Farmworkers, and the Making of a Labor Regime
Mentor: Dr. Laura Correa Ochoa
Sam Peltrau
Project Title: The Black Cinematic Vampire's Eternal Night: The Futility of Salvation in the Afterlife of Slavery
Mentor: Eve Dunbar / Sarah Ellenzweig
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School of Music
Hazel Landers
Project Title: The (Eco-)Politics of Aesthetic Deconstruction: Georg Katzer’s "Ballade vom zerbrochenen Klavier" (1984)
Mentor: Danielle Ward-Griffin
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School of Natural Sciences
Miles Gantcher
Project Title: A Maximum Entropy Polymer Model Predicts the Architectural Effects of Genetic Structural Variations.
Mentor: Jose Onuchic
Ignacio Quiroz Vargas
Project Title: Gravitational Dark Matter from Curvature in a Compact Universe
Mentor: Andrew Long
Sophiya Sami
Project Title: Impact of Age on Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for AL Amyloidosis
Mentor: Dr. Muzaffar Qazilbash; Dr. Samer Srour
Jordan Ruben Altman
Project Title: Whole-Brain Circadian Rhythmicity Found in Intracranial Human Neural Oscillations
Mentor: Dr. Nicole Provenza and Dr. Timon Merk
Iris Li
Project Title: PERK Inhibition Induces Gastric Paligenosis Through Secretory Cell Injury
Mentor: Thanh Nguyen
Alisha Sankhe
Project Title: Characterization and Mitigation of Movement-Based Electrical Artifacts in Bidirectional Deep-Brain Stimulation Data
Mentor: Dr. Nicole Provenza; Dr. Tomasz Fraczek
Alex Little
Project Title: Enhanced PET Degradation and Stability in Engineered P. sakaiensis Revealed Through Longitudinal Biodegradation Assays
Mentor: Dr. Felipe-Andrés Piedra
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School of Social Sciences
Joshua Yu
Project Title: The Role of Religious Orientation in Complicated Grief and Depression Symptoms among Bereaved Spouses: A Mixed Methods Study
Mentor: Sabrina Cuauro
Yasmin Sharpe and Ahi Ajayan
Project Title: From Culture to Emotion: The Effects of Anxiety, Depression, and Ethnicity on Emotional Memory
Mentor: Stephanie Leal
Sharon "Shay" Olaifa and Catherine Cook
Project Title: Highlighting Environmental Injustice in Houston’s Fifth Ward Through Oral History
Mentor: Lisa Spiro, Carrie Masiello, and Weston Twardowski
Jenna Reich
Project Title: From Capital to Courthouse: Evaluating the Effect of Texas House Bill 351 on Class C Misdemeanor Outcomes
Mentor: Brielle Bryan
Aisha Khemani
Project Title: What Drives Political Belief Change? Joint Effects of Cognitive Flexibility, Anxiety, and Message Framing
Mentor: Dr. Bartlett Moore IV
2026 Session Schedule
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Session I Monday, April 20th 10:00 - 11:00 AM RMC Farnsworth Pavilion |
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Session II Monday, April 20th 1:00 - 2:00 PM RMC Farnsworth Pavilion |
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Session III Monday, April 20th 2:30 - 3:30 PM RMC Farnsworth Pavilion |
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Session IV Tuesday, April 21 10:00 - 11:00 AM RMC Farnsworth Pavilion |
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Session V Tuesday, April 21 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM RMC Farnsworth Pavilion |
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Session VI Tuesday, April 21 2:30 - 3:30 PM RMC Farnsworth Pavilion |
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Finalist Presentations Wednesday, April 22 Noon - 1 PM RMC Farnsworth Pavilion |
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