Engineering students awarded at 2018 Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium

3MT-studentsMore than 120 presentations, including 29 projects from students in the College of Engineering, were on display March 6 at the Wayne State University Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium, an annual event that showcases research and scholarly work across disciplines at Wayne State.

Biomedical engineering doctoral candidate Elisabeth Steel was the winner of the Three Minute Thesis competition for her presentation, "Conductive Biopolymer Nanofibers for Neural Regeneration," a study that demonstrated the potential of combining electrical stimulation with material-based repair strategies for peripheral nerve injuries. Steel will be Wayne State's representative in April at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Suhail Salem Alshahrani, a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student who was one of several first-place winners in the poster competition, presented his research on a novel photoacoustic tomography system that can be used as an advanced imaging and diagnostic tool for breast cancer.

Mechanical engineering master's student Kunal Dave, who received the Three Minute Thesis "People's Choice" award, was among several top finishing College of Engineering representatives.

The symposium, hosted by the WSU Graduate School, is intended to elevate students' research experience and productivity; build new knowledge to improve science, health and society; and open new doors to students through networking opportunities. Read more about the symposium and see the full list of awardees.

Winners representing the College of Engineering include:

Poster presentation

1st place
Suhail Salem Alshahrani
Biomedical engineering, Ph.D. student
Title: "An Advanced Photoacoustic Tomography System Based on a Ring Geometry Design."
Advisor: Mohammad Mehrmohammadi

2nd place
Rayyan Manwar
Biomedical engineering, postdoctoral scholar
Title: "Feasibility of Transfontanelle Photoacoustic Imaging: Towards Neonatal Functional Brain Imaging."
Advisor: Mohammad Nasiriavanaki

Yan Yan
Biomedical engineering, Ph.D. student
Title: "Endocavity Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging System to Evaluate Fetal Brain Perfusion and Oxygenation: Preliminary ex vivo Studies."
Advisor: Mohammad Mehrmohammadi

3rd place
Hajar Emami Gohari
Computer science, Ph.D. student
Title: "Generating Synthetic CTS from Magnetic Resonance Images Using Generative Adversarial Networks."
Advisor: Ming Dong

Javad Roostaei
Civil and environmental engineering, Ph.D. student
Title: "Smart Wastewater Treatment: the Internet of Things (IoT) and Edge Computing Applications in Environmental Engineering."
Advisor: Weisong Shi

Three Minute Thesis

1st place
Elisabeth Steel
Biomedical engineering, Ph.D. student
Title: "Conductive Biopolymer Nanofibers for Neural Regeneration"
Advisor: Harini Sundararaghavan

People's Choice
Kunal Dave
Mechanical engineering, master's student
Title: "Development and Validation of a Detailed Finite Element Model of Human Eye for Predicting Ocular Trauma during Blast and Blunt Impact."
Advisor: Liying Zhang

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