Photo of a prototype of a worm-like robot with a man giving a presentation about it as another listens in the background

Showing off discoveries and scholarship, Research ShowCASE marks its 15th year

Friday, April 19, event kicks off with keynote by journalist from NPR and The Guardian

Photo of Mona Chalabi
Mona Chalabi

At Case Western Reserve University’s Research ShowCASE 2019, hundreds of scholars and students will be on hand to describe and discuss how their discoveries are advancing knowledge, creating value and changing our world.

The free event is Friday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center on the Case Western Reserve campus. For more information and to view the full schedule, visit the Research ShowCASE website.

The event begins at 9 a.m. with keynote speaker Mona Chalabi, a journalist well-known for using data in her illustrations, animations and content created for National Public Radio, The Guardian, VICE’s The Business of Life, and her TED Talk “Three Ways to Spot a Bad Statistic.”

Photo of glowing cube prototype
Developed by Kiju Lee and displayed at Research ShowCASE 2018, SIG-Blocks (pictured above) help assess cognitive skills.

In her address, “Taking the Numb Out of Numbers,” Chalabi will discuss how her journalistic work—and statistical analysis for the United Nations, Transparency International and others—have shared a common goal: to make sure people can find and question the data they need to make informed decisions.

Now in its 15th year, Research ShowCASE will feature more than 600 posters, videos, prototypes and other demonstrations of research from a diverse range of disciplines, such as energy, arts and humanities, human health—and “too cool to categorize.” Participants are university undergraduates, graduate and professional students, post-docs, faculty members and staff—and local high school students.

“The breadth of activities and interdisciplinary collaboration is truly impressive—not to mention the representation we see from students and scholars of all ages,” said Suzanne Rivera, vice president for research and technology management. “There’s truly something for everyone, to learn and discover and to have fun doing so.”

A certified therapy dog visits with an attendee of Research ShowCASE 2018
A certified therapy dog visited with 2018 attendees; the canine took part in research to test if children could be soothed at the dentist by the presence of therapy animals.

To help navigate the hundreds of displays, a “Research ShowCASE 2019” mobile app is available through Guidebook (also available from the Apple App Store or Google Play). Attendees can map their own path, learn more about the displays and presentations, vote for their favorite poster or booth, or take a pre-defined journey to view research on specific topics.

Several new events have also been added this year:

  • “Women in Technology,” a lecture by Barbara Humpton, chief executive officer of Siemens USA, hosted by the university’s Office of Corporate Relations;
  • The final round of the Warren A. Guthrie competition, recognizing the university’s most outstanding undergraduate public speakers, co-presented by the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities and Research ShowCASE;
  • Participation of institutions from Northern Ohio that are a part of the National Science Foundation Alliances for Graduate Education and Professoriate grant, for which Case Western Reserve serves as the lead institution.

The event is held in conjunction with the Spring Undergraduate Symposium, known as “Intersections,” and the Celebration of Student Writing & Research.

The event’s hashtag is #CWRUShowCASE2019.


For more information, contact Daniel Robison at daniel.robison@case.edu.