WASHINGTON – The Science Coalition (TSC) today announced the winners of its second-annual Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge. The Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge is a contest for undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in TSC member institutions. Participants were asked to create a video to tell the story of why science matters and remind members of Congress that now is the time to invest in research for the future of our nation. 

Amanpreet Bhogal, Aneesh Hehr, and their team at Wayne State University were awarded first place in the graduate category. Shreya Desai of Wayne State University won first place in the undergraduate category. Additionally, Bhogal and Hehr received the People’s Choice Award, which was decided by online votes from people around the country. The winning videos can be viewed here. 

“I am happy to congratulate our Wayne State University teams of students on placing first in the undergraduate and graduate Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge organized by The Science Coalition,” said Stephen Lanier, Ph.D., Vice President for Research at Wayne State University. “Their impressive videos are a snippet of the amazing and important research that is happening here on our campus in the great city of Detroit. Their projects showcase the immense opportunities we provide our students to have hands-on learning through the research we do, much of which would not happen without important federal investment in science. I am proud of these two teams of Warriors who are playing a critical role in improving the lives of others now and in the future.” 

“The results of this year’s Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge demonstrate the strength of our country’s STEM talent pipeline and the bright future ahead for American research and innovation. This has been a uniquely challenging year for university students and the entire research enterprise, and all of our participants should be applauded for their persistence and dedication to the next generation of STEM discoveries,” said TSC President Lauren Brookmeyer. “As Congress moves forward on fiscal year 2021 appropriations and considers emergency research relief, it is important they hear directly from those conducting cutting-edge research every day about the critical need for robust and predictable investment in fundamental research. Congratulations to the winners and all who entered for making the case for federal funding for science.”  

The full list of winners are as follows: 

Graduate 

  • 1st Place – Amanpreet Bhogal, Aneesh Hehr, and team, Wayne State University 
  • 2nd Place – Julia Mouat, UC Davis 
  • 3rd Place – Eliza Oldach, UC Davis 

Undergraduate 

  • 1st Place – Shreya Desai, Wayne State University 
  • 2nd Place – Madeline Rose Frey, UC Davis 
  • 3rd Place – Cassidy Prince, The Pennsylvania State University 

People’s Choice 

  • Winner – Amanpreet Bhogal, Aneesh Hehr, and team, Wayne State University 

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About the Science Coalition  

Established in 1994, The Science Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities. It is dedicated to sustaining the federal government’s investment in basic scientific research as a means to stimulate the economy, spur innovation, and drive America’s global competitiveness.