June ’25 ASPIRE Emerging Talent Section
In this section we highlight students and their research, discuss events and student news, and provide a place to celebrate the successes of our students at ASPIRE!
Student Achievements
Congratulations to Bruno Moras and Kenny Wijaya at Purdue for successfully passing their preliminary exam and advancing to Ph.D. candidacy!
Read more about their research here.
Bruno — who also received Purdue’s Future Mentors Program’s Outstanding Graduate Research Mentor Award from the John Martinson Honors College — was also able to present his research at the 66th International Meeting of the Transportation Research Forum that occurred in St. Charles, Missouri. His research was co-authored by Dr. Chiara Cervini and Professor Nadia Gkritza.
Check out this article for additional information.
We look forward to seeing Bruno and Kenny’s continual successes!
Congratulations to Pedram Balooch Sirgani at the University of Texas at El Paso who successfully defended his doctoral proposal. His research is entitled “Investigation of Thermal Effects Induced by Wireless Power Transfer Systems on the Performance of electrified Asphalt Pavements”.
Learn more about his accomplishment here.
Way to go Pedram!
Congratulations to Zainab Imran at Purdue on her new Electronic Systems internship at Cummins Inc, a global leader in technology and a member of our Industry and Innovation Board.
Read more about her exciting opportunity here.
IFEC 2025 Finalists
A team of ASPIRE students and faculty from Utah State University has been selected to compete in the final event of the International Future Energy Challenge (IFEC), taking place in Taiwan this summer. USU is one of eight teams moving on to the final round, where this year’s challenge focuses on creating an isolated DC-DC converter with fast transient response and low noise.
The undergraduate team includes Josh Christiansen (lead), Zac Bradley, Austin Hardy, and Cole Krmpotich—all electrical engineering majors—supported by graduate advisors McKay Waite and Jaron Bono, both former IFEC winners, and faculty advisors Dr. Hesterman and Dr. Wang.
“We have spent countless hours on this project, and to make it to the finals felt like all our hard work has paid off,” Bradley added. “We definitely understand the hardest part is not over, however. We don’t want to simply make it to the finals, we want to create a project that functions fully, is unique, and ultimately wins the competition.”
Learn more about the competition here,
Industry Engagement Highlights
Student Leadership Council (SLC) Cohort Trip
The 2025 ASPIRE Cohort traveled to Raleigh, NC, and Atlanta, GA, thanks to the generous support of ASPIRE members ABB, Schneider Electric, and Southwire. These industry leaders hosted students for facility tours, shared insight into real-world challenges, and demonstrated how sustainability and innovation intersect in EV infrastructure.
The trip also included visits to the FREEDM Center, Quanta Technology, and GridBridge, along with networking opportunities at the EV Braintrust and Curiosity Lab. Through these experiences, students gained valuable perspective on the broader EV ecosystem and deepened their connection to ASPIRE’s mission.
“The Cohort program pushes me to look beyond the boundaries of my own research and consider the broader industry and market challenges shaping the future of EVs,” said Bruno Cesar Krause Moras.
Interested in hosting or supporting a future Cohort trip? Contact Don Linford at don.linford@usu.edu.
USU ASPIRE Student Association (ASA) Oldcastle Visit
On April 11, students from the ASPIRE Student Association at Utah State University had the opportunity to visit the Ogden-based pre-cast pavement facility of Oldcastle Infrastructure, an active industry member. The tour offered firsthand exposure to large-scale manufacturing processes and the real-world challenges of modern infrastructure. The visit concluded with forward-looking conversations on career pathways and mentorship in the engineering field.