Alexandra Richmond, Ph.D. candidate SPED, has been announced as one of 12 finalists for the Graduate College's 2024 Research Live! competition.
Richmond, a former Chicago Public Schools teacher, has research interests that include equity in special education hiring practices within urban school districts and culturally responsive teacher preparation programs for special education.
Research Live will be held on April 2 at 5 p.m. at the Campus Instructional Facility. The annual event is a competition that celebrates graduate student research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign by inviting scholars to shine a spotlight on their work in a 3-minute research talk.
The final round judging panel will be comprised of a group of University High School juniors and seniors. They will determine the winners for the following five prizes that will be announced at the Finalist Showcase:
- The Grand Prize ($500) will be awarded to the finalist whose presentation excelled in all five criteria of organization, purpose, content, delivery, and visuals.
- The Design Award ($200) is all about the slide, given to the finalist who enhanced their talk the most through imagery, photographs, diagrams, illustrations, graphs, or other visuals.
- The Impact Award ($200) recognizes the finalist whose presentation highlights how their research is making or aimed at making substantial positive change in the world.
- The Storyteller Award ($200) is granted to the finalist whose performance style and delivery stole the show.
- The Visionary Award ($200) recognizes the finalist who is breaking new ground in their work, whether through a unique approach, creative problem-solving, or charting a new direction in their field.
Immediately following the viewing of all finalist videos, members of the audience will get to vote for the winner of the People's Choice Award ($200). Those watching online through the livestream will be able to vote!