The five winners of this semester’s Images of Research Competition showcased their research through images, spanning topics from how flooding affects wildlife and what causes vehicles to deteriorate to social media’s effect on how children view the world.

The competition, which was part of Fall Scholars Week, allowed students in various disciplines to submit a photo and a brief explanation of how it related to the student’s overall research.

Evan Barr, a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Biological Sciences, received first place in the competition with “Bald and Beautiful.”  The image, which featured Bald Cypress trees from the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge in Benton, showcased Barr’s research on how flooding regimes in bottomland hardwood forests affect the wildlife inhabiting these systems.

Barr said it is a shame people treat the Earth poorly.

“I just wish everyone would learn to see the world through a different perspective,” Barr said. “I want people to see nature not as something they can profit from but something that [they]can preserve, conserve and be proud of for generations to come.”

Kaylee Vanlue’s submission, “Automotive Decline,” earned second place. Because Vanlue researched what causes vehicles to deteriorate and what can be done to remedy corroded or rusted surfaces, the image showed a 1975 Dodge Tradesman van undergoing restoration.

“Through research of the mechanics and surfaces of vehicles long forgotten, we can discover the history of the machine and what led to its current state,” Vanlue said. “By the end of the restoration research, we were able to get it running and successfully remove corrosive and rusted areas that would limit the lifespan of the van.”

“Regrowth” by Madison Hernandez won third place. The photo, a butterfly in a garden, showcased Hernandez’s research on how plant life impacts elementary students’ perception of the world outside their screens.

“Children, especially the upcoming generations, generally see the world through Instagram or YouTube and take for granted the world that is outside of four cement walls,” Hernandez said.

Junior studio art major Beth Bailey’s submission, “Wonder,” received an honorable mention.

Bailey said her professor encouraged her to enter the competition.

“I took my photo out on a field trip with my advanced digital photography class,” Bailey said. “I didn’t take this photo with the intention of entering… but I decided that I liked it enough to submit it. Nature is precious, and we shouldn’t take it for granted.”

The other honorable mention went to junior electromechanical engineering and technology major Boaz Burnett. In “Infinity Ingress,” he used 3D printing, laser-cut one-way mirrors, a custom printed circuit board and LED lights to display scrolling text and images on car tail lights.

“The idea for my submission came from a video I watched,” Burnett said. “I was blown away by what this guy had done to his car, and I instantly wanted a version of the tails on my [Mazda] Miata… The design still needs some work, but I hope to eventually release them as a commercial product.”

The winners were featured in the fall 2022 edition of Steeplechase, the University’s biannual digital journal displaying the research and creative endeavors of undergraduate and graduate students.

The winning photos and their full descriptions can be found at digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/steeplechase/.