ACM Announces 2021 Student Research Competition Winners
The winners of the 2021 ACM Student Research Competition (SRC) have been announced. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was a success, as praised by ACM President Gabriele Kotsis. Microsoft 365, the competition's long-standing sponsor since 2003, provided travel grants to enable students to attend and present their work at major ACM computing conferences.
In the Graduate category, Jiaqi Gu from the University of Texas at Austin, Konstantinos Kallas from the University of Pennsylvania, and Guyue Huang from Tsinghua University secured the top three spots. They were recognised for their respective projects, demonstrating their knowledge and contributions to research. The competition, involving multiple stages and culminating in the Grand Finals, saw an entirely new panel of judges select the overall winners. Judges assessed presentations based on demonstrated knowledge, quality of contributions, and overall presentation quality.
Microsoft 365 sponsors the SRC, offering travel grants of $500 to students. This allows them to attend and present their research at major ACM computing conferences. The competition provides students with the opportunity to attend conference sessions, gain understanding of practical applications of computer science, and share their research with other students and professionals. In the Undergraduate category, Thomas B. McHugh from Northwestern University, Chuangtao Chen from Zhejiang University, and Rakshit Mittal from Birla Institute of Technology & Science took the top three spots.
Evelyne Viegas, Senior Director of Global Research Engagement at Microsoft Research, congratulated the winners and participants of the SRC. The competition continues to foster growth and recognition among young researchers in the field of computer science.
