Columbia Undergraduate Data Science and AI Research Fair (2026)
2026 Theme: AI Dichotomies
AI is becoming embedded across nearly every aspect of our lives, from how we work and learn to how we connect, create, conduct research, and interpret the world. And while AI technologies can support discovery and innovation, they also impose real social and environmental costs. As AI's potential to both augment and displace human capabilities evolves, attitudes toward these technologies are increasingly divided.
This year’s fair asks participants to explore these tensions rather than resolve them. Where does AI create new possibilities, and where does it introduce new risks? What areas of practice, public and/or private life should remain distinctly human? And how do we navigate a future in which AI may be simultaneously transformative, controversial, and pervasive?
2026 marks the fifth annual Research Fair hosted by the Data Science Institute. Each year, the fair offers undergraduate students from across the university the opportunity to showcase their research and projects across three tracks that address the year's theme. The fair welcomes both independent and supervised submissions across all fields and practice areas, and especially encourages contributions that take an interdisciplinary approach.
Organizing Committee: Ann Chengying Li, Senior, Columbia Engineering; Alexa Kafka, Senior, Barnard College
Details & Registration
Thursday, December 10, 2026 (5:00 PM - 7:30 PM)
Carleton Commons, Mudd Building (4th Floor) - Google Maps
Student Application Deadline: Monday, November 16, 2026 (11:59 PM ET) - Application Form
2026 Thematic Tracks
Applicants will be asked to select which of the following three thematic tracks they feel is the best fit for their work during the submission process. The descriptions below are not fully comprehensive, and we welcome projects that extend beyond these examples, including current works in progress.
Human Connection: AI is changing how we can connect, communicate, and create with and for one another. This track explores the tension between AI’s ability to facilitate new forms of interaction and expression and the ways in which it may be narrowing or straining the lived human experience. Projects in this track might examine human and human-machine relationships, creativity, culture, communication, identity, or what human connection and expression means in an increasingly AI-mediated world.
Work and Learning: AI is reshaping how we learn, teach, work, and build expertise, while raising new questions about dependence and the development of new knowledge. This track explores how AI is changing education and the workplace, from new tools for productivity and discovery to evolving expectations around skills, labor, critical thinking, and teaching and learning.
Progress and Responsibility: As AI becomes embedded across fields, it creates both new opportunities and unanticipated risks. At the same time that AI technologies can speed crucial discoveries in areas like healthcare and climate, it can also exacerbate concerns about fairness, ethics, environmental impact, and safety. This track invites students to examine these tensions and the tradeoffs that come with AI’s growing role in social, economic and political systems.
Student Application Details
Application Deadline: Monday, November 16, 2026 (11:59 PM ET)
Eligibility: The application is open to all currently enrolled undergraduate students at Columbia and Barnard, regardless of major or discipline. Students may submit projects developed for classes or in collaboration with faculty, but it is not required. Group projects, as well as projects developed independently of any coursework or faculty oversight, are also welcome. All submissions will be reviewed by our faculty/student review committee, which may request changes, updates or amendments to submissions before acceptance.
Presentation Formats: A variety of presentation formats will be considered for the fair. On the application form, please select one of the following formats to help organizers allocate the best exhibitor space for your work.
Research Posters: Posters should fit on an easel. Foam boards in sizes 20×30 and 30×40 inches, along with easels, will be provided. If you require a different size, please bring your own foam board. Thumbtacks will be available. You may use the DSI poster template to format your poster.
Table-Based Demonstrations and Visualization Projects: This category includes digital projects displayed on a laptop or monitor, such as data visualizations, coding projects in action, or robotics demonstrations. A standard table and power outlet will be provided. Please bring your own laptop or monitor. You may also bring additional printed materials or small installations that fit on a standard table.
Entrepreneurial Projects and Startup Concepts: Startups may showcase a live demo of their technology (on a laptop or phone), a slide presentation about the company, or a physical product. A standard table and power outlet will be provided. Bring printed materials that highlight your company’s mission and brand.
Creative Tech, VR/AR Installations, or Performances: This category is open to a wide range of interpretations. We will work with you to find the best space for your project at the fair. Examples include VR/AR experiences, video games, installation art using data, sound experiments, and more.
Judging and Prizes: At the fair, faculty judges will review and select four prize winners, including best overall project and best project in each of the three tracks. Projects will be judged on criteria including technical depth, creativity, and possible benefits to society. More information will be shared about prizes before the event.
FAQs
Campus Access for External Guests: The Columbia Morningside campus is open to the Columbia community. If you do not have an active CUID, registration is required. The deadline to register is at 12:00 PM the day before the event. External guests will receive a QR code by email to enter campus.