Collaborative Research Competition

Trisha Yarbrough Collaborative Research Competition
National Conventions > Collaborative Research Competition

Alpha Chi is an interdisciplinary honor society, and this annual competition is one way Alpha Chi fosters collaboration among student members from these different academic fields. The competition is named for Dr. Trisha Yarbrough, the society’s third executive director who was responsible for the idea that Alpha Chi, a multidisciplinary organization, should proactively encourage collaborative undergraduate research with an express focus on finding solutions for real-world issues thus clearly making “scholarship effective for good,” the society’s charge to members since the 1930s.

The theme for the 2027 Collaborative Research Competition is "Living Healthy in an Online World," and teams are invited to declare their intention to compete no later than October 1, 2026. Read the 2026-27 Call for Projects for full competition details.

The competition is judged by an interdisciplinary panel of judges that evaluates multiple competition elements. Any Alpha Chi chapter may assemble an interdisciplinary team to research a common goal. See below to learn about the top team of 2026.

$5,000 First Place Team: Arizona Alpha, Grand Canyon University

"Reimagining the Impossible: Leadership Inside Out"
Judah Floyd, Luke Lascurain & Mishayla Varner