UTCS undergraduate students Ben Braun and Victor Vu have been selected for Honorable Mention in the Computing Research Association's Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award competition for 2012.
Ben and Victor were among a very impressive group. A number of nominees were commended for making significant contributions to more than one research project, several were authors or coauthors on multiple papers, others had made presentations at major conferences, and some had produced software artifacts that were in widespread use. Many of the nominees had been involved in successful summer research or internship programs, many had been teaching assistants, tutors, or mentors, and a number had significant involvement in community volunteer efforts. It is quite an honor to be selected for Honorable Mention from this group.
Ben Braun
Working with Prof. Andy Ellington from the Department of Biochemistry, Ben's main research contribution is in the construction of nanoscale devices. Ben has created a unique software tool that automates a process that previously relied on input from human experts. Not only does this tool promise to improve the quality of nanoscale devices, but it has the potential to create much larger nanoscale devices than are possible with previous techniques. Ben is currently developing a new simulator that will further improve the design process by allowing him to evaluate the nanoscale devices created by his software tool.
In addition to this work, Ben also led a team of UT undergraduates to a Gold Award in BIOMD, an international biomolecular design competition.
Victor Vu
Further, Victor has maintained a 4.0 GPA while serving as a teaching assistant and working heavily on research. Professor and Chair Bruce Porter says, “He is an exceptional student, even among those in our Turing Scholars Honors Program.”
The department is extremely proud of Ben and Victor for their hard work and accomplishments.