UNM Graduate Studies Awards $2,250 in LoboBITES Finals

The University of New Mexico will host the final round of the LoboBITES competition on Thursday, Nov. 5, in Ballroom C of the Student Union Building.

The event serves as the culminating activity for the university’s Research and Discovery Week. Graduate Studies will organize the proceedings, which begin at 3 p.m. The competition is open to the entire university community and functions as a public showcase for doctoral and master's students. Participants deliver brief presentations modeled after short TED Talks. These talks allow graduate students to share their specific research findings with a diverse audience of peers and faculty from across the campus.

A panel of five university vice presidents will evaluate the finalists. The judges will score each presentation using a 20-point rubric. This rubric assesses the significance of the work, the clarity of the explanation, the quality of the delivery, and the level of audience engagement. A preliminary round held in late October narrowed the field to the eleven finalists competing on Nov. 5. The judging panel includes Connie Beimer, vice president of Alumni Relations; Teresa Costantinidis, executive vice president of Finance & Administration; Eric Scott, vice president of Student Affairs; Kevin Stevenson, vice president of Human Resources; and Shawna Wolfe, vice president of Campus Environments & Services.

The competition offers a total of $2,250 in cash prizes. The first-place winner will receive $1,000 and the right to represent UNM at a regional competition. The second-place finisher will take home $750. Attendees at the event will vote for the People’s Choice Award winner, who will receive a $500 prize. This award allows the general audience to influence the outcome of the contest beyond the professional judging scores.

The eleven finalists represent a wide range of academic disciplines. Their research topics include biomedical sciences, computer science, engineering, and the humanities. For example, Aanuoluwakiitan Ayeni from the School of Medicine will discuss glycosylated RNAs in brain blood vessel cells. Claudia Cardenas from the College of Arts and Sciences will present on girlhood and gothic horror. Madison Otero from the School of Medicine will explore preventative treatments for Alzheimer’s disease using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Lina Rodriguez Castillo from the College of Engineering will address water scarcity and treated wastewater. Sooriyage Salika Dulanjali from the College of Arts and Sciences will examine the effects of brain chips. These presentations demonstrate the diversity of current graduate research at the university.

Other finalists include Danika Fletcher, who will discuss brain tumors, and Arpita Mazumder, who will address cancer therapeutics. Amanda Cipolla will present on school-based body image programs. Chalon Johnson will explore STEM faculty advising. Miranda Noonan will model climate intervention impacts on Arctic water quality. Enrique Sobrados Burgos will analyze censorship-resistant VPNs. Each presenter has prepared a concise summary of their complex work for this public audience.

Following the presentations, the university will host a free reception in the Student Union Building. This gathering allows attendees to interact with the finalists and judges. More information regarding the competition rules and past winners is available on the Graduate Studies website.

The LoboBITES competition remains a central event in the annual Research and Discovery Week calendar. It provides a platform for graduate students to communicate their findings to a non-specialist audience. The finals on Nov. 5 will determine the year’s top researchers based on both expert judgment and public preference.