CSE’s first undergraduate research symposium showcases outstanding work

CSE held its first-ever undergraduate research symposium on Monday, April 21, 2025, in the Bob and Betty Beyster Building on U-M’s north campus. Nearly forty students presented at the event, which was open to all students in CSE’s undergraduate computer engineering, computer science, and data science programs, as well as students enrolled in master’s programs affiliated with CSE.

The event was conceived and organized by Dr. Sindhu Kutty, CSE’s chair for undergraduate research initiatives. A team of twelve faculty reviewed the entries and spoke with the student presenters about their work. They then selected the two most remarkable entries for Best Poster and Honorable Mention awards.

“It’s the first time we have held this event, and I am very excited about the level of participation and amazing range of work presented,” said Kutty at the conclusion of the symposium. “The goal of the symposium has been to put a spotlight on undergraduate research and also to give the  participating students an opportunity to interact with faculty and peers, build community, and learn from one another. What’s happened has exceeded my expectations.”

The Best Poster Award went to master’s student Phyllis Ju for her project, “Smarter Feedback, Stronger Teaching: LLM-Assisted Instructor Feedback and Learning Analytics.” 

When asked about her experience at the symposium, Phyllis said, “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to present my work in HCI education at the CSE Undergraduate Research Symposium. This was my first time showcasing a project I’ve been developing over the past semester, and sharing it in this setting helped me reflect on my motivations, communicate key takeaways, and gather valuable feedback from insightful peers and mentors. 

“Receiving the Best Poster Award was a huge confidence boost for me and has motivated me to continue exploring this research further,” she continued. “I highly encourage other students to get involved! The symposium is a fantastic space to organize your ideas, practice storytelling, and initiate meaningful conversations.”

Selected for Honorable Mention was computer science undergraduate Madhavan Iyengar for his project “Tactile Perception to Overcome Cross-Embodiment Capability Differences in Collaborative Manipulation.”

Regarding his experience at the symposium, Madhavan said, “I’m grateful to have had the chance to present my research at the CSE undergraduate research symposium. I particularly enjoyed the insightful conversations I was able to have with faculty and students alike. The diversity of projects I saw highlighted just how exciting computer science research is right now — I highly encourage every undergraduate student to get involved!”

Computer science and mathematics undergraduate Jiaye Tan, a finalist for a poster award, added “It was incredible to showcase my project and engage directly with so many thoughtful judges. I really appreciated their insightful comments and constructive feedback — they helped me pinpoint several areas of my research that I’m eager to strengthen. I’m excited to incorporate their suggestions as I move forward!”

Another finalist, undergraduate data science student Jane Ding, said, “I really appreciated the opportunity to participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium. It gave me a chance to practice explaining my work more clearly and confidently, and I also got to meet students from other research areas that might intersect with my own. The event was well-organized and supportive.”

A third finalist, Omkar Nayak, said, “The CSE symposium was a wonderful exposure of undergraduate research. Not only was I able to witness the scope of research at the undergraduate level, but also found great inspiration from other young and passionate researchers there.”

“Being motivated to perform research, and to learn from the process, is very important,” said Kutty. “I look forward to expanding the available opportunities for our undergraduate students to become involved in research, to present their findings, and to be recognized for their work.”