2026 Perpall SURF Speaking Competition | Semi-Final Round Session D

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 become an incredible force in improving the oral presentation skills of Caltech undergraduates.

The Student-Faculty Programs Office is proud to announce the Semi-Final Round of the 2026 Perpalls, featuring 29 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 D is dedicated to projects within the Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, the Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics, the Division of the Humanities and the Social Sciences, and the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences. The schedule of presentations is below, organized by time of presentation, name of the semi-finalist, and their mentors:

Schedule of Presentations

• 9:30 AM to 9:50 AM: Chengyi Liu with Adam Wierman (Carl F Braun Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences) and Tinashe Handina (Graduate Student in Computing and Mathematical Sciences)
• 9:50 AM to 10:10 AM: Andy Chin with Anima Anandkumar (Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences), Beom Seok Kang (Graduate Student in Chemical Engineering), Simon Andren (Graduate Student in Geochemistry), and John Eiler (Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology and Geochemistry; Ted and Ginger Jenkins Leadership Chair, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences)
• 10:10 AM to 10:30 AM: Vedant Ganesh with Paul Asimow (Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor of Geology and Geochemistry)
• 10:30 AM to 10:50 AM: Amudhan Gurumoorthy with Daniel Cullina (Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University) and Konstantin Zuev (Teaching Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences)
• 10:50 AM to 11:10 AM: Danielle Yang with R. Michael Alvarez (Flintridge Foundation Professor of Political and Computational Social Science)
• 11:10 AM to 11:30 AM: Gio Huh with Karen Liu (Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University), Guy Tevet (Postdoctoral Scholar in Computer Science, Stanford University), Takara Truong (Graduate Student in Computer Science, Stanford University) and Georgia Gkioxari (Assistant Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences and Electrical Engineering; William H. Hurt Scholar)