Recognitions, Awards, And Graduations

Dec 2023

ConGRADulations!

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Student Recognitions

USU Students Celebrate ECE Awards

Happy National Engineering Week! Every year during E-week, Utah State University recognizes the achievements of the students, faculty, staff, and alumni in of the College of Engineering’s Electrical and Computer Engineering program. For the 2024 College-level Awards, several of ASPIRE’s undergraduate and graduate students are being considered!

Results are pending, but join us in celebrating the work of the following students being considered for these awards:

• Sally Vogel, undergraduate student at ASPIRE, Outstanding Junior Award
• Paul Bradford, undergraduate student at ASPIRE, Outstanding Senior Award
• Conner Deppe, master’s student at ASPIRE, Master Student Researcher of the Year Award
• Shubhangi Gurudiwan, Ph.D. Student at ASPIRE, Outstanding Graduate Researcher & Ph.D. Scholar of the Year

If you are in the Logan area and would like to attend the ceremony in-person, it is being held at the USU Logan Campus, in ENGR 104, at 1:30 p.m., this Friday (Feb. 23).

Engineering Electronics Team Takes Third in International Energy Challenge  IFEC

Congratulations to our USU students who placed 3rd at the International Future Energy Challenge (IFEC) where students create innovative solutions focused on the conservation and effective use of electrical energy. The yearlong competition, that wrapped up in Leibniz, Germany, consisted of three rounds and the objective for this year’s competition was to design and create a single-phase solid-state transformer.

We are really lucky at ASPIRE to have the opportunity to work with these great students!

• Luke Andersen
• Brian Hobbs
• Jaron Bono
• Shubhangi Gurudiwan
• Mayank Chawla
• Mikayla Phillips
• Mackay S. Baugh
• Jonathan Newman

Ricardo Chahine received the International Road Federation Fellowship

Ricardo Chahine, Ph.D. student from Purdue, has been selected as a 2024 International Road Federation Fellow. He was co-nominated for this prestigious award by Professor Nadia Gkritza and Professor Samuel Labi. This fellowship has been the cornerstone for many who are now leading figures in the realm of roads and transportation globally.

Congratulations, Ricardo! Well deserved!

Bruno Moras wins Best Presentation Award at the BRASA Summit

Congratulations to Bruno C. Moras, whose presentation “Electric Vehicles adoption in Indiana: evidence from a stated preference survey”, was selected for the best research presentation at the BRASA Summit. BRASA Publica was held on October 14-15 in Washington D.C.

We are glad to have Bruno at ASPIRE and welcome him as our newest Student Leadership Council member. 

Congratulations Paul Bradford

Congratulations to Paul Bradford, Electrical Engineering student, who was awarded USU College of Engineering Electrical Engineering Department Outstanding Senior. Paul’s research focuses on using Machine Learning to estimate electric vehicle battery capacity, as well as evaluating the reliability of electric vehicle chargers.

We are grateful to have Paul on the ASPIRE team!

Congratulations to Aleks Paskett

Aleks Paskett, a master’s degree student in civil engineering at Utah State University, has been named the 2023 Student of the Year for the Mountain-Plains Consortium. He was honored with other award winners from across the country during an awards ceremony January 6 in Washington, D.C. His primary research has focused on the adoption of battery electric buses, specifically the experiences of transit agencies adopting the technology and was selected for the award based upon his accomplishments in technical merit and research, academic performance, professionalism, and leadership. The $1,000 award is part of a nationwide effort to recognize and encourage outstanding achievement in students involved with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers (UTCs).

Congratulations, Aleks!  We are so grateful to have you on our team!

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Staff Recognitions

Congratulations to Dr. Rose Hu

Congratulations to Dr. Rose Hu, winner of the 2023 IEEE Women in Communications Engineering Outstanding Achievement Award. Rose received her award this week at the IEEE ComSoc Flagship Conference in recognition for those who are involved with the Women in Communications Engineering Committee (WICE), have done outstanding technical work in the broad field of communications engineering, and have achieved a high degree of visibility in the field. We appreciate the contributions Dr. Hu is making in communications engineering and for women in STEM!

Congratulations to Dr. Masood Parvania

Congratulations to our newest Campus Director, Dr. Masood Parvania, who was recently named the Roger P Webb Endowed Professor in Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Utah for his outstanding contributions to the creation of new knowledge and educating and mentoring students.

It is wonderful to have Dr. Parvania and the great team at the UofU as part of ASPIRE!

Dr. Regan Zane & Dr. Hongjie Wang Awarded New Patent

ASPIRE’s Co-Director Dr. Regan Zane and Associate Professor at USU Dr. Hongjie Wang were awarded a new patent for their work in electrification of roadway infrustructure. This new patent covers a method to ensure stable and controllable power flow for in-road wireless charging systems — in addition to making electrified roadways more cost-effective.

Congratulations, and thank you for your efforts, Dr. Zane and Dr. Wang!

Dr. Nadia Gkritza honored by ASCE as Fellow

Congratulations to Dr. Nadia G. Gkritza who earned the prestigious title of fellow from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Board of Directors. Her contributions span across various domains, notably focusing on electric vehicle adoption and its implications at different scales. Her insights and leadership extend to guiding Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and other entities in transitioning to sustainable electric infrastructure.

Thank you, Dr. Gkritza, for leading our Purdue team, and for paving the way for women in engineering!

Congratulations, Dr. Ivonne Santiago & Dr. Paras Mandal

Please join us in congratulating Paras Mandal for being recognized for excellence in research and Ivonne Santiago for excellence in service during the annual Dean of Engineering forum at UTEP.

Dr. Ivonne Santiago was named as one of the 2023 El Paso Women Of Impact. In addition to serving the ASPIRE community, Dr. Santiago has been contributing to many communities in El Paso as associate professor at UTEP, Professional Engineer, and chair of El Paso Water’s Public Service Board. Each year this award by El Paso, Inc. and presented by WestStar, honors 6 El Paso Women who have made a real and significant impact in the El Paso Community. This year’s recipients have made major strides in advancing health care, infrastructure, and the arts — all vital to a thriving community. 

Congratulations to Dr. Matthew Ohland

Congratulations to the 2023 ASEE Hall of Fame Inductee, Dr. Matthew Ohland! This designation honors the engineering and engineering technology education standouts whose work has made a significant impact. The selected inductees were announced at the Society’s 130th Gala on October 10. The inductees’ areas of influence are broad, with expertise in pedagogy, broadening participation, research, leadership and service, entrepreneurship, and more. 

Congratulations to Dr. Dragan Maksimovic

Congratulations to Dr. Dragan Maksimovic, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado Boulder, who was welcomed by the University of Colorado as one of the six new members to its roster of Distinguished Professors, a title signifying the highest honor awarded to faculty across the CU system’s four campuses.

CU Distinguished Professors are tenured faculty members who demonstrate exemplary performance in research or creative work; a record of excellence in promoting learning and student attainment of knowledge and skills; and outstanding service to the profession, the university and its affiliates. 

Congratulations to Kelvin Chiu

Please help me congratulate Kelvin Chiu for just being appointed as the Alumni Academy of Civil Engineering Professor. This is an extremely well-earned and well-deserved honor, Kelvin!

Professor Junjie Qin, assistant professor in Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award. The prestigious award, which includes a federal grant for 5 consecutive years, support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research and education, and the integration of these endeavors in the context of their organizations’ missions. This project focuses on the growing trend of using electricity for transportation. It is an honor to have Dr. Qin on the ASPIRE team!

Congratulations to Dr. Rosalee A. Clawson

Rosalee was recognized on January 16 as one of five recipients of the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Dreamer Award. This honor is bestowed annually to an individual or organization within the Purdue community whose contributions embody Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of service to others and further the university’s commitment to diversity. 

We are grateful for Dr. Clawson’s commitment and efforts to champion diversity and inclusion, not only at ASPIRE but within the community! This world needs more folks like Rosie!