If you like physics simulations, there were some very cool papers at this year's SIGGRAPH:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMsc48e41AQ (A Practical Simulation of Dispersed Bubble Flow)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyfB_vQHMAo (Physics-Inspired Topology Changes for Thin Fluid Features)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Who8EpbvCY (A Multiscale Approach to Mesh-based Surface Tension Flows)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHH8N_lNZzI (Rigid-Body Fracture Sound)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx80u6hJT6o (Efficient Yarn-based Cloth with Adaptive Contact Linearization)