Presenting the MVC18 winner of the 2026 People's Choice Award for the image “Bound by cells” from left, John Mauro, head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nicholas Clark, MVC18 chairperson and assistant research professor of materials science and engineering, Sina Kheirabadi, winner, graduate student, Robert V. Waltemeyer Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, and Clive Randall, director of the Material Research Institute. Credit: Penn State.
Five College of Engineering projects place in 18th annual Materials Visualization Competition
Apr 9, 2026
Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared on Penn State News.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The winners of the 18th annual Materials Visualization Competition (MVC) have been announced. MVC is a scientific visual and artistic competition that celebrates the quality of research in materials at Penn State and promotes awareness of materials science through visualization. MVC is sponsored by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Materials Research Institute.
This year, 58 images were submitted and judged by a panel of professionals in materials and the arts. Participants chose which imaging category their image would be judged in — scientific imaging or computer rendering.
The judges selected winners in the following categories: best of show, visual appeal and scientific imaging or computation rendering. Cash prizes for the competition totaled $1,800, with the best of show winner receiving $500. In all other categories winners received: $250 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place.
The winning projects from the College of Engineering are:
Imaging: Scientific Imaging Award:
- First place: “Tables for the Angstrom Age: Crafted with Ultrathin 2D Hard Masks” by Pranavram Venkatram, graduate student, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, College of Engineering
- Third place: “Halftone-Encoded Smart Hydrogel Film: Programmed 2D-to-3D Shape-Morphing Reveals Hidden Optical Information” by Hongtao Sun, assistant professor, Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, College of Engineering
Imaging: Computational Rendering Award:
- Second place: “The Space Carbon Keeps” by Alireza Seperinezhad, graduate student, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, College of Engineering and Malgorzata Kowalik, associate research professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Third place: “Not so Perfect Diamond” by Malgorzata Kowalik, associate research professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
People’s Choice Award:
The People’s Choice Award judging took place online by the public, with more than 2,700 votes cast.
- “Bound by cells” by Sina Kheirabadi, graduate student, Robert V. Waltemeyer Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
All MVC winning entries may be viewed online.
Entry is open to all current Penn State undergraduates, graduates, postdocs and faculty working on materials-related topics. Call for submissions for the MVC19 will be posted in early 2027.
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