The Valadi N. Venkatesan Research Award recognizes undergraduate researchers who demonstrate performance of research focused on or substantially involving real-world problems. This award is made possible thanks to the generous donation of Dr. Valadi N. Venkatesan, an alumnus of the University of Utah’s John and Marcia Price College of Engineering.

The student and mentor are recognized at the annual Undergraduate Research Awards Ceremony.

Eligibility:

• Current University of Utah undergraduate student who is active in Undergraduate Research
• Shows intellectual independence and creative problem-solving
• Minimum 3.25 GPA.
• Priority given to research in the following disciplines: Science, Arts & Humanities (including Economics, Business), Social Sciences, Engineering, Energy & Environment, and Medicine.

Submission criteria:

• Letter of Recommendation from your faculty mentor. The letter should describe how the undergraduate student fulfills the award requirements including performance of research focused on or substantially involving real-world problems, activity in undergraduate research, intellectual independence and creative problem-solving.  The letter should include a statement as to how this project is completed or projected to be completed by April 30^th.  If the project was published or projected to be published, the letter of recommendation may attest to this, with publication venue and date of projected publication.
• 10 page minimum paper (or article length publication) uploaded as PDF or Word Doc.
• Complete online form.
• SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 1, 2026

2026 Valadi N. Venkatesan Research Awardee

Nick Van Fleet (Mentor: Prof. Kristine Pankow) - Microseismic Plane Fitting at Utah FORGE Using a Bayesian Gaussian Mixture Model

The Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (Utah FORGE) is a field-scale laboratory near Milford, Utah, designed to help de-risk enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). Focusing on microseismic data collected during operations at Utah FORGE, we apply several unsupervised machine learning algorithms to group event locations in 3D space, estimate approximate fracture-plane orientations, and compare results from numerous iterations of the first two algorithms to determine the most common fracture planes, thereby giving us greater confidence in the results of these computations. This research was recently published as part of the 51st Stanford Geothermal Workshop.

 

2025 Valadi N. Venkatesan Research Awardee

Sarah Dallas (Mentor: Prof. Melissa Watt) - Parents' Expectations for the Management of Pediatric Diarrhea in the Clinical Setting: Perspectives of Parents and Physicians in Bangladesh

Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of child mortality, and antibiotics are often being misused to treat pediatric diarrhea. This study examines how parents' expectations affect antibiotic prescriptions in Bangladesh. Interviews with 36 parents and 18 physicians across three hospitals revealed that most parents view antibiotics as superior but don't expect them as a part of initial treatment. Physicians, however, mistakenly assumed all parents expect antibiotics, potentially leading to inappropriate prescriptions and frustration. Shared decision-making interventions can help physicians align with parents' expectations and promote antibiotic stewardship.