Penn State students take top honors in video challenge on the value of research

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Several Penn State students used their experience in research and storytelling to advocate for federally funded research and take top prizes in the Science Coalition’s 2025 Alyse Gray Parker Memorial Student Video Challenge.

A team of students that included Achilles Dano, Amy Choi, Henry Pinto and Jake Kroeper, who work in the laboratory of Andrew Patterson, John T. and Paige S. Smith Professor of Agricultural Sciences, secured first place in the undergraduate student category, while Axelle Wasiak, a doctoral student studying biomechanics who works in the laboratory of John Challis, professor of kinesiology, earned the People’s Choice Award and third place overall in the graduate student category.

Students at coalition member institutions were invited to create a short video sharing their personal connection to federally funded research and highlight why Congress should continue to invest in the partnership between federal research agencies and their university partners.

Penn State student researchers responded to University leadership’s call to participate, resulting in a record level of participation in the annual national competition.

“Our students’ engagement in this initiative is a powerful reminder that consistent, sustained federal research funding is crucial to providing practical research experiences that lead to real-world solutions at Penn State and beyond,” said Andrew Read, senior vice president for research.

In their winning video, the undergraduate researchers highlighted their work studying how environmental contaminants influence overall health.

“Federal funding allows scientists to ask questions that deepen understanding of environmental health and give students the opportunity to learn and contribute to ongoing discovery. Through these opportunities, we gain hands-on experience and learn skills that will guide us as future scientists and researchers,” stated the students in the video.

To demonstrate the impact of their work, the students specifically pointed to a recent research project in which they examined a pollutant that can permanently alter the gut microbiome and disrupt how the body processes and balances energy long term. Through their research, they found out how early-life exposure to these chemicals can lead to lasting changes in the body.

“This tight-knit research environment equipped undergraduate students like me with skills such as experimental preparation for NMR [nuclear magnetic resonance] analysis, precision micro pipetting, and the handling of a variety of biological samples,” Dano said. “This experience is valuable because it not only bridges the gap between classroom and hands-on work but also prepares us to think on an analytical level that serves multiple future work environments.”

Wasiak won the People’s Choice Award for her video about her studies in muscle mechanics.

Her video focuses on her work furthering the understanding of the soleus muscle, the largest muscle in the calf, so that professionals can design better rehabilitation techniques and training to improve movement.

"Continued federal support is crucial as it drives innovation, helps us find new solutions and, ultimately, by enhancing our understanding of human movements, we not only help people move better, but we can also improve the overall health and well-being of our society,” Wasiak said in her video.

Wasiak’s video pulled together various components featuring her testimonials, digital images used in research, and practical demonstrations of common research practices.

“The video challenge gave me the opportunity to talk about the importance of my research and share my work with others. It was also a good educational experience because I was able to practice explaining science to a broader audience,” Wasiak said. “Winning the award definitely gives me more confidence in my communication skills and motivates me to keep explaining my research in a clear way.”

The Science Coalition is a nonpartisan nonprofit of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. Established in 1994, it advocates for the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research to benefit the economy, innovation and global competitiveness.