Engineering students awarded at Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium

More than 160 presentations, including the work of 25 students representing the College of Engineering, were on display at the Wayne State University Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium earlier this month, with three of those students receiving awards at the event.

The Graduate School distributed more than $16,000 in prize money to 49 award-winning participants in the research poster and Three Minute Thesis competitions. Projects were evaluated by a group of faculty advisors, postdoctoral scholars and doctoral students.

Among the first place finishers were doctoral students Javad Roostaei (civil and environmental engineering) and Melissa Wrobel (biomedical engineering). Saeed Zamanzad Gavidel, a Ph.D. student in industrial and systems engineering, was one of several to place third.

Wrobel presented her project, "Using Spinal Cord Matrix Proteins and Hyaluronic Acid Nanofibers to Direct a Pro-Regenerative Phenotype in Macrophages and Schwann Cells." She studied the responses of these two cell types to different biomaterial cues to determine their ability to induce regeneration and repair. Wrobel hopes to develop these biomaterials for use in implantable devices to treat nerve injuries.

Roostaei's project, "Life Cycle Optimization Analysis of CO2 Sequestration by Wastewater-Based Algae," integrated data mining and spatial analysis applications to study the potential of using wastewater for algae cultivation in treatment plants. Algae has offered promise in many studies to sustainably produce biofuel with minimal environmental impact.

Gavidel presented a research endeavor titled "Systematic Data-Driven Client Prioritization/Triage in Service Industries with Application in Remanufacturing Industries." His research examined the effect of prioritization and triage strategies and the prioritization-triage change point on remanufacturing operations in order to address the high levels of end-of-use product uncertainty remanufacturers face, and also to recommend and develop more optimal systems.

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.