November ’25 ASPIRE Student Section
Welcome to our ASPIRE Student Newsletter!
In this section we share upcoming events, celebrate student successes, and highlight their research and hard work. Check out our ASPIRE students’ most recent accomplishments!
2025 ASPIRE Annual Meeting
Shout-out to all of the students who participated in the Innovation Challenge, Industry & Innovation Day, and other events as a part of our successful 2025 Annual Meeting. Thank you for your hard work and dedication! We’d especially like to congratulate all who participated in the Innovation Challenge, with a special shout-out to those who received recognition at this event!
1st Place – Indiana Ohms: Raiders of the Lost Charge
- Ashutossh Gupta (Purdue)
- Bruno C.K. Morales (Purdue)
- Gaia Cervini (Purdue)
- Lazlo Stepback (Purdue)
- Zainab Imran (Purdue)
2nd Place: Team Last Minute
- Ali Tasavvori (U of U)
- Dipanjan Ghose (Purdue)
- Jingshu Wang (USU)
- Yifan Dong (Purdue)
- Zhiheng Want (UC Boulder)
- Lakshman Maheshwari (USU)
3rd Place: Mechanical Team 1
- Dallin Rowley (USU)
- Daniel Ashby (USU)
- Easton D Horsely (USU)
- Nathan Hunter (USU)
People’s Choice: Indiana Ohms: Raiders of the Lost Charger
- Ashutossh Gupta (Purdue)
- Bruno C.K. Morales (Purdue)
- Gaia Cervini (Purdue)
- Lazlo Stepback (Purdue)
- Zainab Imran (Purdue)
Best Names: Burritos El Sobrino
- Adrian Morales (UTEP)
- Carlos Daniel Oritz (UTEP)
- Cesar Arreola (UTEP)
- Emiliano Garcia (UTEP)
- Nacim Elias (UTEP)
Best Names: Indiana Ohms: Raiders of the Lost Charger
- Ashutossh Gupta (Purdue)
- Bruno C.K. Morales (Purdue)
- Gaia Cervini (Purdue)
- Lazlo Stepback (Purdue)
- Zainab Imran (Purdue)
People’s Choice: Mech Addicts
- Ethan Moser (USU)
- Hope Miller (USU)
- Seth Patterson (USU)
- Spencer Daines (USU)
- Whitney Walpole (USU)
Student Highlights:
On Thursday, October 16, ASPIRE Ph.D. candidate Shubhangi Gurudiwan (left) successfully presented their Ph.D. Defense. Her thesis is entitled “Design and Soft-Switching Analysis of Resonant Converters in Unfolding-Based AC-DC Topologies for Wide Operating Range Electric Vehicle Charging Applications.”
The following week on Wednesday, October 22, ASPIRE Ph.D. candidate Aditya Zade (right) also had his Ph.D. Defense presentation. He successfully presented his research on “Design, Control, and Optimization of Unfolding-Based AC-DC Topologies with Three-Port Resonant Converters for Electric Vehicle Batter Charging Applications.
Congratulations to these two ASPIRE Ph.D. candidates!
Congratulations to ASPIRE Master student Lyndsey Harris, who was invited to speak to IEEE Women in Engineering members about graduate school!
Read more about her experience and accomplishments.
Congratulations to former ASPIRE SLC president Fariba Soltani for her new full-time position at the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) as a Transportation Analyst.
Good luck at your new role!
Congratulations to Polly Parkinson, Emma Mecham, Fawn Groves, Amy Wilson, and Ivonne Santiago for their recent publication, “Designing Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure to Benefit Residents in a Near-Port Community,” which was featured in Volume 34 of the Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives journal.
Jump into their research findings here!
Event Highlights
The ASPIRE Student Association at Utah State University gathered on Wednesday, October 22 for a Career Activity. Attendees learned tips and tricks for networking and interview skills, with opportunities to practice and receive feedback on elevator pitches and postering.
ASPIRE Students Seth Patterson and Whitney Walpole were able to put their leadership and mechanical engineering skills to work at the USU Pumpkin Toss. At this annual event, mechanical engineering students build trebuchets in teams and launch pumpkins at targets.
Discover more about this exciting event and ASPIRE students’ participation!
