The Best of the Best

Seventeen posters were presented however, only undergraduate and graduate students were eligible for the awards. We are pleased to announce the recipients of the CoDEx 2024 Poster Session. 

Poster Winners

First Place

Understudied genes are lost in a leaky pipeline between genome-wide assays and reporting of results

Reese Richardson, PhD Student, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

Present-day publications on human genes primarily feature genes that already appeared in many publications prior to completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. These patterns persist despite the subsequent adoption of high-throughput technologies, which routinely identify novel genes associated with biological processes and disease. Read the full abstract.

Second Place

Enhancing Lung Tumor Segmentation: A Scalable, Data-Driven Approach Integrating Local and Global Contexture Learning

Sagnik Sakar, Masters Student, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

Accurate mapping of lung gross tumor volumes (GTVs) is crucial for developing effective radiation oncology treatments. The 3D UNet architecture, a deep learning model, offers promising avenues for automating this intricate and often inaccurate process. Read the full abstract.

Third Place

Neural Network Models Towards Space Group Determination Using Dynamically Simulated EBSD Patterns

Alfred Yan, PhD Student, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

Accurate determination of crystallographic symmetry is a cornerstone in materials science, enabling the elucidation of material properties and guiding the design of novel materials. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) patterns can be collected in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and used to determine characteristics of materials such as crystal orientation and crystal structure using computational methods like Hough indexing and spherical indexing. Read the full abstract.

Awards

Poster presentations were evaluated based on poster content and in-person presentation. Thank you to our dedicated judges.

• First Place: Conference fees, travel, and related expenses, up to $3,000, to attend a research-related conference
• Second Place: $300 Visa gift card
• Third Place: $100 Visa gift card

Postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students at Northwestern could receive an award. Thank you to all the participants. We are pleased to announce the recipients of the CoDEx 2024 Visualization Challenge.

Awards were given for each of the following visualization types:

• Static: charts/graphs, illustrations, or infographics, which may include text. No photographs.
• Animation: A series of images played in sequence (e.g., a movie). No documentaries or interviews.
• Interactive: Web applications, interactive visualizations, and smartphone or tablet apps that require user input. Entries must be self-guiding or include rules explaining the interactive's purpose or goal. The instructions can be included in the submission form. Interactives should be free of charge.

Congratulations to all!

Visualization Winners

Awards

Visualizations were evaluated based on presentation clarity and aesthetics, visualization method used, and accessibility.

• First place awards: $500 Visa gift card
• Second place awards: $100 Visa gift card

Thank you to our dedicated judges.

• Aaron Geller, Sr. Data Visualization Specialist, Northwestern IT, Research Computing and Data Services; Research Associate Professor, CIERA
• Joe Germuska, Executive Director Knight Lab, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications
• Mike Horn, Professor of Computer Science; Professor of Education and Social Policy, McCormick School of Engineering
• Emilio Lehoucq, Data Scientist, Northwestern IT, Research Computing and Data Services
• Nichole Pinkard, Associate Professor of Learning Sciences; Faculty Director of the Office of Community Education Partnerships, School of Education and Social Policy