2025 Perpall SURF Speaking Competition | Semi-Final Round Session A

The Doris S. Perpall SURF Speaking Competition was endowed by Robert (Bob) C. Perpall (BS ‘52 Mechanical Engineering; MS '56 Mechanical Engineering) in memory of his late wife as an incentive for Caltech students to give excellent oral presentations. Mr. Perpall strongly believed that effective communication skills were critical to one's future success.

For over thirty years, the Perpall SURF Speaking Competition has developed into an incredible force for improving the oral presentation skills of Caltech undergraduates.

The Student-Faculty Programs Office is proud to announce the Semi-Final Round of the 2025 Perpalls, featuring 27 Caltech undergraduates who were selected for their outstanding presentations during Fall Seminar Day. These semi-finalists, representing a wide range of research disciplines, were chosen by judges and session chairs for their clarity in communicating complex scientific ideas.

Session A is dedicated to projects within the Division of Engineering & Applied Science. The schedule of presentations is below, organized by time of presentation, name of the semi-finalist, and their mentors:

• 9:30 AM to 9:50 AM: Jennifer Cruden with Anima Anandkumar (Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences) and Robert George (Graduate Student in Computing and Mathematical Sciences)
• 9:50 AM to 10:10 AM: Shan Gupta with Ali Hajimiri (Bren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering; Co-Director, Space-Based Solar Power Project) and Jatin Mathur (Graduate Student in Electrical Engineering)
• 10:10 AM to 10:30 AM: Kensuke Shimojo with Chiara Daraio (G. Bradford Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics; Investigator, Heritage Medical Research Institute) and Xiaoxiao Xiong (Graduate Student in Physics)
• 10:50 AM to 11:10 AM: Logan Smith-Perkins with Melany Hunt (Dotty and Dick Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering) and Ricardo Hernandez (Graduate Student in Mechanical Engineering)
• 11:10 AM to 11:30 AM: Adelynn Tang with Alireza Marandi (Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics), Rithvik Ramesh (Graduate Student in Electrical Engineering), and Thomas Zacharias (Graduate Student in Electrical Engineering)
• 11:30 AM to 11:50 AM: Ellie Wang with Yanan Sui (Associate Professor, Tsinghua University) and Joel Burdick (Richard L. and Dorothy M. Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering; Jet Propulsion Laboratory Research Scientist)