October ’26 ASPIRE Student Section

Back-to-School Activities

Student visits ASPIRE tabling event for the USU Undergrad research fair.
USU Undergraduate Research Fair
Students gather at USU Day on the Quad visiting the ASPIRE booth.
USU Day on the Quad
At the USU Undergraduate Research Fair, students met one of ASPIRE’s researchers, Bridger Porter, to discuss his first-hand experiences at ASPIRE, played a Spin & Win game, and interacted with a research robot.

During USU’s Day on the Quad, students learned about ASPIRE by partaking in a Spin & Win game by answering questions about electrified transportation and testing their knowledge for a chance to win a small prize, and chatted with researchers and USU ASA leadership.

Reach out to your ASPIRE Campus Director and ASA leadership for any upcoming events at your campus!

Utah Energy Conference

Utah Energy Conference – Student Research Showcase

USU’s Office of Research is sponsoring next month’s 2026 Utah Energy Conference (UEC), which will take place October 19-20, at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center in Ogden, Utah.

Attend the Conference! USU’s Office of Student Research will cover the registration fees for the first 100 USU students who register to attend the conference by using promo code UEC26-USUSTUDENT.

Student Highlights:

Congratulations to Jackson Morgan, a doctoral candidate in electrical engineering at Utah State University, on receiving the Best Graduate Student Poster Award at the 19th International Conference on Probabilistic Methods Applied to Power Systems (PMAPS) for his poster, “How Accurate Must a Real-Time Price Forecast Be?”

Congratulations to Raquel Sarabia Soto for representing ASPIRE at the NSF Engineering Research Center Biennial Meeting, and receiving an Honorable Mention for the Perfect Pitch Competition!

“Electrification is growing, but batteries are expensive, range is limited, and charging takes time. Beyond cost, batteries require critical minerals and create harmful waste when discarded. We need charging solutions that enable smaller batteries and make cleaner transportation more affordable.” 

Watch Raquel’s pitch from 1:16:04 to 1:17:59.
A woman wearing a business suit, wearing a name tag lanyard while holding a microphone speaks with an arm outstretched. Behind the woman, a large dark curtain is in the background with blight light glowing blue behind the curtain.
Raquel Soto presenting during the Perfect Pitch Competition
Gaia Cervini

Congratulations to Gaia Cervini and co-authors, Jinha Jung, Nick Roberts, and Nadia Gkritza’s manuscript, “Mitigating Radiometric Bias in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Thermal Infrared Imagery Using Temperature-Controlled Reference Plates” was published in Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing!

In this study, Gaia developed a practical calibration approach using temperature-controlled reference plates to improve the accuracy of UAV-derived temperature measurements, turning a challenge encountered during field data collection into a method that can support more reliable thermal analysis.

Gaia building on this work in her postdoctoral research with ASPIRE at Purdue University with UAV thermal and visual imagery to study DWPTs and support their monitoring and digital-twin development.

Congratulations to Fariba Soltani for defending her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, with a focus on Transportation Engineering, at Utah State University!

A woman in a green pantsuit and a man stand close together, the man holding a baby in his arms, and the woman holding a bouquet of flowers in front of a Utah State University glowing structure celebrating graduation.
Fariba and family celebrating her Ph.D.
Four people stand with their backs to a pier overlooking a river with city skyscrapers in the background. The sky is a clear blue with glass buildings reflecting black the blue sky and grey buildings. The water is a blue green surrounding the background of the pier to the people's hips. The posed individuals smile to the camera standing on a cement and metal designed outlook.
Bruno Moras’ family celebrating the completion of his Ph.D., Summer 2026 in Lafayette, Indiana. From left to right: Mirna (mother), Cesar (father), Bruno, and Nillo (grandfather).

Bruno Cesar Krause Moras joined the Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology as faculty at Southeastern Louisiana University after completing his Ph.D. at Purdue University!

ASPIRE Foundation Travel Awards

All ASPIRE attendees posing in front of the TRB sign at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Conference.
ASPIRE Attendees at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Conference

The ASPIRE Foundation is offering travel awards to undergraduate and graduate students accepted to present research or creative work directly applicable to the scope of work with ASPIRE. All disciplines are eligible to apply for funding for student posters, oral presentations, and exhibits.

Learn more about this exciting opportunity to fund your presentation opportunities and apply!

Student Leadership Retreat

The ASPIRE Student Leadership Retreat was held September 10-13 in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the retreat, Council of Presidents members connected with one another, built meaningful relationships, and developed a shared vision for Year 7 across all campuses. Participants engaged in a variety of team-building activities and enjoyed spending time together while strengthening their leadership skills, fostering collaboration, and building connections that will support ASPIRE’s mission throughout the coming year.

ASPIRE students and Council members Zhihao Lyu, Raquel Sarabia Soto, Tenzin Lhaden, Kiana Haghjoo, Mahsa Omri, Whitney Walpole, and Hope Miller enjoyed attending the Utah State Fair PRCA Rodeo, touring Temple Square, and participating in team-building and engineering activities.

Council members met with Regan Zane, Ivonne Santiago, Melanie Conrad, and Antje Graul to discuss leadership priorities and develop a shared vision for Year 7. Students also met with Don Linford, ASPIRE’s Director of Strategic Programs, and David Walker of Asphalt Systems Inc. to gain industry insights and discuss career goals related to their respective fields of study.

Temple Square

A large building with gothic revival and Romanesque architectural influences takes up a large portion of the photo. The temple shown in the picture has three main spires with a grey-cream brick to it, and gold accents and clear blue glass panes in the front of the building. In front of the large temple building, there is a reflection pool and concrete walkway outside in a city area. The sun is setting over part of the temple building and the sky is blue, with the bottom edge of the sky showing, orange. Small groups of people walk along the concrete walkways, and a large skyscraper is seen left of the temple building in the background, with trees and a black metal fence lining the edge of the temple walkway.
Salt Lake Temple, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah
A group of eight people stand of the steps of a grey and cream concrete entry way building. The whole group smiles at the camera. A shadow overcasts the group onto the Romanesque and medieval inspired architectural building behind the group. Behind the group there are two sets of large double doors, a copper amber with round golden decal on it.
(left to right) Zhihao Lyu, Mahsa Omri, Tenzin Lhaden, Whitney Walpole, Hope Miller, Raquel Sarabia Soto, Melanie Conrad, and Kiana Haghjoo in front of the Salt Lake City Temple.
There is a group of four people standing and looking at the walls, and ceilings of a cream and white room. A woman in center frame looks up at a chandelier- decorated in many crystals with light refracting into small rainbows. Behind the woman there is a large stained-glass window with cream, green and whites making floral and green decorations.
Temple Square Visitor Center

Utah State Fair PRCA Rodeo

Four people sit next to one another in a large outdoor stadium with a packed crowd behind the row of people smiling toward the camera. The sky showing in the picture is an ombre from orange to a darker blue; the sun is setting.
(right to left) Melanie Conrad, Zhihao Lyu, Whitney Walpole, Hope Miller, Tenzin Lhaden, Raquel Sarabia Soto, Mahsa Omri, and Kiana Haghjoo
Three people stand in a diagonal two wearing traditional blue Charro outfits with lassos, standing in a sandy dirt pit. There is a riding arena fence often used in rodeos and for livestock. Banners of sponsors are on the hung up on the fence. Two people holding their lassos are swung in the air, and the shorter person in the middle of the line's lasso is pointed toward the ground. Above the sponsored lined fence, there are packed rows of people sitting in the stands.
Charros Floreo de reata
Four people sit next to one another in a large outdoor stadium with a packed crowd behind the row of people smiling toward the camera. The sky showing in the picture is an ombre from orange to a darker blue; the sun is setting.
Raquel Sarabia Soto, Tenzin Lhaden, Hope Miller, and Whitney Walpole
A group of eight people stand Infront of a fence with two large flag poles behind them. In the background there are multiple outdoor lamps emitting a yellow glow in the black sky. They are standing on dark grey asphalt, and four of the people are wearing cowboy boots and two are wearing cowboy hats.
(left to right) Melanie Conrad, Kiana Haghjoo, Mahsa Omri, Hope Miller, Raquel Sarabia Soto, Tenzin Lyu, Whitney Walpole, and Zhihao Lyu

Team Building at the University of Utah

Three people sit on a green grassy field that takes up the 65% of the background, with the other 35% being a blue sky with very few clouds in it. The group of people sit in shade a tree is providing while sitting sit-cross-applesauce. The woman in the middle of the three people is laughing looking at someone off camera. Another woman sits to the left of the laughing woman wearing a red shirt, while looking at multiple packets overlaying each other on the ground. The woman on the right of the laughing women wears a pink bandana, with her hands seemingly adjusting the bandana she is wearing on her head.
Whitney Walpole, Melanie Conrad, and Raquel Sarabia Soto
A group of five women sit on a green grass lawn next to a grey concrete and red brick building, with a blue sky in the background and a tree branch with green leaves coming into view from the center of the photo. Three women wear long sleeved shirts with one of the women's sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The other two women wear short sleeved shirts, and one of them is laying down. They are discussing and listening to one f the members of the group speak (the speaker holding a notebook and packet while speaking as the other women listen).
Mahsa Omri, Tenzin Lhaden, Kiana Haghjoo, Hope Miller, and Whitney Walpole
Tenzin Lhaden, Kiana Haghjoo, Hope Miller, and Whitney Walpole
A woman stands at the front of a classroom facing a large array of monochrome colorful sheets of paper taped to the ground individually in columns and rows. The color of paper on the ground is white, yellow, pink, green, and blue. The woman stands holding a piece of white paper in one hand, with her other hand articulating what she is explaining. She wears glasses and her eyes are focused on the white sheet of paper she is holding. There are square pictures of electrical cables, wiring, people interacting with one another, and the University of Utah "U" photo behind the speaker. Student Leadership Retreat 2026 SLC. Melanie Conrad
Melanie Conrad explaining a team building exercise.
A group of people stand in a classroom, facing an array of monochrome colorful sheets of paper taped to the ground individually in columns and rows. The color of paper on the ground is white, yellow, pink, green, and blue. There is an array of candies on a counter of cabinets. The group of people appear to be preparing for a type of team building activity. Student Leadership Retreat 2026
Raquel Sarabia Soto, Mahsa Omri, Kiana Haghjoo, Hope Miller, and Whitney Walpole
A woman stands at a conference table holding up an illustration, glancing down at the illustration pointing the different part of her illustration.
Ivonne Santiago
A woman wearing a red blouse is the centerpoint of the photo. She holds a sheet of paper while talking with her eyes glancing to the camera. There is a beige door and chairs behind her with an off-white color on the walls.
Mahsa Omri
There is a woman standing in front of an off-white painted wall wearing a blue button-down shirt with jeans. She holds a personalized coat of arms, and a conference chair blocks the lower half of her legs in the center of the photo.
Kiana Haghjoo
A woman standing in front of an off-white painted wall holds a white personalized coat of arms. There is red script displayed on the coat of arms, and the woman points toward a section to describe what's written on the page.
Tenzin Lhaden
A woman wearing a red t-shirt is the centerpoint of the photo. She holds a sheet of paper that has a personalized coat of arms on display with yellow and green colors displayed on it. Behind her a built-in bookshelf holds thick red textbooks.
Whitney Walpole
A man wearing a grey-green long-sleeved t-shirt is the centerpoint of the photo. He stands holding a sheet of paper that has a personalized coat of arms on display with red marker. Behind him there is a built-in bookshelf holds thick red textbooks and white large three ringed binders.
Zhihao Lyu
A woman stands holding a white piece of paper with a plain personalized coat of arms in front of a conference table that holds laptops, pens, markers, and water bottles. Behind her there is a bookshelf with three columns in display, one with white three-ringed binders, and the other two columns empty behind her, except for one shelf with a small rectangular wooden clock. Behind the woman there are conference chairs and a closed doorframe with overhead light on.
Hope Miller
A group of four people arrange tin foil sheets together on a conference table. A red clock with engineering posters s displayed on an off-white wall.
Tenzin Lhaden, Whitney Walpole, Raquel Sarabia Soto, and Mahsa Omri
A group of four people in small conference room, stand and kneel over the floor with arms rearranging aluminum foil sheets and multicolored sheets of paper with scissors, markers, and flashlight on the ground. One woman holds a long roll of string together. A woman sits in a conference room chair next to the group of students arranging the sheets of paper and tinfoil.
Ivonne Santiago, Hope Miller, Zhihao Lyu, and Kiana Haghjoo
A group of three people in a University of Utah small conference room, look at the floor discussing a strategic plan for the team building exercise they are part of. Aluminum foil sheets and multicolored sheets of paper are arranged in an "SOS" shape. A conference room table and chairs are pushed to the side of the classroom with a blank white board behind them.
Kiana Haghjoo, Hope Miller, and Zhihao Lyu
A group of four people in a University of Utah small conference room, stand and kneel on the floor with arms rearranging aluminum foil sheets and multicolored sheets of paper in an "SOS" shape. A conference room table and chairs are pushed to the side of the classroom with a doorway in the background with a red clock on the wall and engineering pictures on the wall.
Raquel Sarabia Soto, Tenzin Lhaden, Mahsa Omri and Whitney Walpole
A group of four people in a University of Utah small conference room, stand on the floor with arms rearranging aluminum foil sheets in an "SOS" shape. A conference room table and chairs are pushed to the side of the classroom with a doorway with a red clock and engineering posters on the back wall.
Raquel Sarabia Soto, Tenzin Lhaden, Mahsa Omri and Whitney Walpole
A group of four people in a University of Utah small conference room, stand on the floor with arms rearranging aluminum foil sheets in an "SOS" shape. One of the four lay on the ground in the "O" shape. A conference room table and chairs are pushed to the side of the classroom with a doorway with a red clock and engineering posters on the back wall.
Raquel Sarabia Soto, Tenzin Lhaden, Mahsa Omri and Whitney Walpole
A group of four people in a University of Utah small conference room, stand and kneel on the floor with arms rearranging aluminum foil sheets and multicolored sheets of paper in an "SOS" shape. A conference room table and chairs are pushed to the side of the classroom with a doorway with a trashcan in the background, and a cabinet counter in the background holding food items and a backpack.
Mahsa Omri, Whitney Walpole, Raquel Sarabia Soto and Tenzin Lhaden
One a white board, eight white pieces of paper are taped to display personalized drawings of a Coat of Arms. The papers differ from plain pencil script, to multi-colored with reds, oranges, yellows, and green.
Council of President’s personalized Coat of Arms
A group of three people sit at a conference table with their hands holding a structure together made out of striped paper straws and cardboard. The students are focused on the structure. There are straws, paper, scissors, a plastic bag, a phone, and metal water bottles on the table. Behind the three people is a large built-in bookcase with large red textbooks in one collum, and thicker white three-ring binders in the next collum.
Kiana Haghjoo, Zhihao Lyu and Hope Miller
A group of four people in small conference room, stand and kneel over the floor with arms rearranging aluminum foil sheets and multicolored sheets of paper with scissors, markers, and flashlight on the ground. A woman sits in a conference room chair next to the group of students arranging the sheets of paper and tinfoil.
Ivonne Santiago, Kiana Haghjoo, Zhihao Lyu and Hope Miller
A group of eight people sit around a conference table with laptops open, and food around the table. There is a built-in bookshelf and engineering signs on the back wall with a red clock and a built-in bookcase to the right of the photo. On the ceiling there is a projector with a projecting light, and the group of people are faced forward.
Masha Omri, Zhihao Lyu, Raquel Sarabia Soto, Tenzin Lhaden, Ivonne Santiago, Kiana Haghjoo, Whitney Walpole, and Hope Miller
A white board with red script displays the Vision of the ASPIRE Student Association for the 2026 goals: culture, challenges, center, leadership, and the role of the council of presidents, and responsibility struggles.
Council of President’s addressed goals and strategies

Luncheon with ERC Leadership, Council of Presidents & Industry Member, David Walker

A large group of people sit around a long rectangular conference table. On the table there are pizza boxes and plates with half eaten pizza slices on them. People are actively engaging with each other across the whole table. Behind the table on the left-hand side of the photo there is a large built-in bookshelf with large amounts of books on them. Behind the head of the table is a clean white board and blank projection screen.
Regan Zane, Antje Graul, Whitney Walpole, Zhihao Lyu, Hope Miller, Mahsa Omri, James Campbell, Don Linford, David Walker, Dustin Maughan, Raquel Sarabia Soto, Tenzin Lhaden and Kiana Haghjoo
Two men sit at a conference table. A large white board is behind them, and they are seated relaxed in the conference room. They both wear black shirts with one of the men balding, and the other with chin length hair.
Don Linford & David Walker

Council of President Dinners

Participants in the ASPIRE Student Leadership Retreat pose for a group photo during dinner at a restaurant, seated around a large table with meals, drinks, and colorful décor in the background.
Tenzin Lhaden, Hope Miller, Whitney Walpole, Kiana Haghjoo, Mahsa Omri, Zhihao Lyu, Raquel Sarabia Soto, and Melanie Conrad at Blue Iguana.
ASPIRE Student Leadership Retreat participants enjoy lunch together at a long restaurant table, with food trays, drinks, and booth seating visible throughout the dining area.
Whitney Walpole, Hope miller, Mahsa Omri, Kiana Haghjoo, Tenzin Lhaden, Raquel Sarabia Soto, and Ivonne Santiago at Crown Burgers.