Research in photos: Winners of 2025 Capture Your Research Photo Contest

We all know important research takes place across campus every day. But have you ever wondered what it looks like behind the scenes?

From detailed microscope images of a blood clot to the intricate construction of a fluid sensor, the winners of the 2025 Capture Your Research Photo Contest highlight the breadth and significance of research at Iowa.

The contest received submissions from 20 departments on campus, and more than 1,000 votes were received for the people's choice category.

Winners were selected from four categories:

Undergraduate Student

• First place: Bridge Sensor Assemble, by Mia Smith, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Second place: Cells in Orbit, by Emily Formella, Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Third place: The Loneliest Generation, by Christina Yu, Department of Dance

Graduate Student

• First place: Bloodshot Clot Plot, by Milad Arzani, Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Second place: Going with the Flow, by Abhishek Ghimire, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Third place (tie): Hawkeyes in the Skies, by Jalissa Pirro, School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
• Third place (tie): In the Weeds with Flood Forecasting, by Anthony Lamoreux, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Faculty/Researcher

• First place: TRACERS, Dr. Craig Kletzing's Legacy, by Christian Hansen, Department of Physics and Astronomy
• Second place: 2005 Voice Foundation Symposium Program Cover Image, by David Meyer, School of Music and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Third place (tie): Tracking Life Through Painted Shells, by Alejandra García-López, Department of Biology
• Third place (tie): Cochlear Hair Cells, by Corentin Affortit, Department of Otolaryngology

People's Choice

• First place: Drosophila Melanogaster Ovarian Follicle, by Sean Strand, Department of Biology
• Second place: Tracking Bur Oak Blight, by Mainul Islam, School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
• Third place: Honey, I Shrunk the Tumors, by Hiruni Sumanasiri, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

The contest is sponsored by University Libraries, the Hanson Center for Communication in the College of Engineering, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the NEXUS Program, and the Artineers Student Group in the College of Engineering.