GRADUATE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
NEWSLETTER Volume 11, Issue 1
Summer 2021
ALUMNI UPDATE At Parks College, we love the fact that we attract international students from around the world to our Engineering and Aviation graduate programs. This year, we caught up with Sridhar Kota, who earned an MS in Mechanical Engineering, and is originally from India, and Li Hui, who earned a PhD in Civil Engineering, and is originally from China. Sridhar Kota graduated in May 2017 with an MS in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, advised by Dr. Raymond LeBeau. His thesis work was an experimental investigation of PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) techniques in a low-speed wind tunnel. This included camera noise testing under controlled conditions of a specific target to determine noise level for different camera settings imaging of a sealed, quiescent wind tunnel test section to examine system performance against a motionless flow field and varying fog densities. As an international student at SLU, he enjoyed getting to know many other Indian students and getting involved in the local cricket community. He still competes locally and is pictured with some of his recent trophies. See page 4 for more about Sri.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Li Hui graduated in May 2019 with a PhD in Civil Engineering, advised by Dr. Riyadh Hindi. His research focused on bridge engineering, and his dissertation was titled, “Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of Bridge Exterior Girder during Deck Construction.” This project was supported by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and it made recommendations to limit exterior bridge girders deformation during construction to provide safer design and smoother ride. During his graduate program, Li was an active Teaching Assistant for civil engineering courses. He is pictured here with his wife and children. See page 5 for more about Li.
Alumni Features Message from the Associate Dean Lab Spotlight News Awards Graduates Scour Analysis
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MESSAGE FROM THE ASSOCIATE DEAN
RIYADH HINDI, PH.D., P.ENG., F.SEI, F.ACI Parks’ Graduate Education & Research office is excited to share with you our Summer 2021 newsletter. I hope you enjoy reading our news!
for a diverse student body. We welcome your input as we prepare our engineers and aviators for the challenges of tomorrow.
Our 2021 graduating class includes 55 students—9 Ph.D. and 46 M.S. degrees—a record year! We received 16 applications for our accelerated B.S.-M.S. engineering program this spring and are progressing 18 B.S. graduates into the M.S. portion of their accelerated program this fall.
Interim Dean Duellman also assembled the Graduate Portfolio Review Committee, a group of faculty and staff who will review our current graduate programs and make suggestions for improvement and growth. Our focus, as always, is on our students’ satisfaction, development, and success, so over the next year, the Portfolio Committee will review our graduate offerings, policies and procedures, and processes and present a final report to Interim Dean Duellman.
Parks recently appointed a new Interim Dean, Dr. Scott Duellman, and we are pleased that he is prioritizing Graduate Education at Parks. Our new recruiting initiatives resulted in over 115 applications for Fall 2021, and 45 confirmed students as of July 1, 2021, beating the total confirmed students by the start of the Fall 2020 semester. We have also awarded scholarships to select incoming M.S. students, and part of this process is conducting scholarship interviews. We have enjoyed getting to know these prospective and incoming students. Parks is committed to increasing diversity in our graduate programs, and our incoming Fall 2021 class is comprised of about 25% female graduate students, and about 45% international graduate students. We are continually looking for and implementing new ways to make our graduate programs attractive, welcoming, and valuable
Our graduate students continue to be our highest priority, and we look forward to serving you all in person, this fall. On behalf of Parks Graduate Education, I wish you a great summer!
Riyadh Hindi, Ph.D., P.Eng., F.SEI, F.ACI Professor and Associate Dean Graduate Education and Research
LAB SPOTLIGHT: AIRCRAFT LAB The AirCRAFT (Aircraft Computational & Resource Aware Fault Tolerance) Lab focuses on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Their experimental evaluation is cutting edge, using high risk/high reward flight control algorithms, especially those addressing adverse flight conditions such as failures of sensors and actuators. Addressing aircraft safety from a holistic perspective, a more expanded definition of aircraft safety includes the performance of various sensors and actuators on the aircraft, its structure, the pilot who is flying, to the performance capabilities of the aircraft itself.
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Siddharth Chandra Shekar, student in the AirCRAFT Lab is working on developing real time machine learning algorithms that detect and locate wing damage during flights on UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). To successfully train a machine learning algorithm, the quality of data required is important, and hence the data acquisition system must be error free and continuous so that it can learn on the fly. Here he is pictured holding the carbon fiber reinforced wood which has been cut using the water jet at Oliver Hall. This forms the frame for angle sensors for the Sharpshooter
NEWS Dr. Jenna Gorlewicz, School of Engineering faculty, is starting the next phase of her National Science Foundation (NSF) grant called “Bridging the Digital Accessibility Gap in STEM Using Multisensory Haptic Programs.” Her team will partner with the Special School District of St. Louis County, Missouri School for the Blind, Francis Howell School District, Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, Hollinger consulting, and the Lighthouse for the Blind—St. Louis. The project aims to make STEM graphics like bar charts, geometric figures, and line or scatter plots accessible to K-12 learners with visual impairments. Bryan MacGavin, PhD student in Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, was named as an NSF GRFP Honorable Mention for the 2021 cycle. Haneen Alfauri, MS in Electrical & Computer Engineering graduate as of Spring 2021, was admitted to the Computer Engineering PhD program at Washington University with full funding. Abigail Avila, PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, is on site this summer for her internship at Procter & Gamble in West Chester, Ohio, working on the materials science research and development team. Mustafa Attallah, doctoral student in Civil Engineering, was awarded second place in American Public Works Association (APWA) Missouri Chapter 2021 Spring Conference-Student poster competition for his research on “Real Time Spatial Prediction of Freeway Crashes Using Machine Learning Techniques.”
Sohaan Swaminathan, who graduated with his MS in Biomedical Engineering Fall 2020, started a position as a Medical Device Engineer at Euphrates Vascular, a start up located in the Cortex here in St. Louis. Euphrates Vascular has a product that is used to help improve fluid dynamics in the body through the use of nanotechnology, with the goal of being used for stroke and peripheral arterial disease.
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) Symposium was held on April 30th. There was a synchronous (live over zoom with slide decks) and asynchronous (posters with audio and/ or video) portion where 52 students presented their work under four sections: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Nnaoma Agwu, Spring 2021 MS in Biomedical Engineering graduate, won first place in the Physical Sciences Poster Presentation, with his poster “Design and Validation of a Port Delivery Cannula System for Neurosurgical Procedures.” This fall, Nnaoma will be attending UC Irvine to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, conducting research in artificial heart valve replacement for pediatric patients.
UAV which is a custom-built UAV part of the AirCRAFT Lab. Outside of SLU, Sid is an avid Formula One and football (soccer) fan. His favorite activities include playing soccer, cooking, and playing FIFA on his PlayStation. This summer, AirCRAFT Lab faculty supervisor, Dr. Srikanth Gururajan, took some of the lab members to a St. Louis Cardinals MLB game. The whole row was lucky enough to win some promotional items and had a great time bonding. Graduate students and faculty pictured: Chase Niece (BS-MS student, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering), Srikanth Gururajan, Ph.D., Ray LeBeau, Ph.D., Siddharth Chandra Shekar (MS student, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering), Wes Hawkins (BS-MS student, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering), Henry Wright (MS student, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering), Diana Baimurzayeva (BS-MS student, Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering). Undergraduate students pictured: Francisco Bueno Rojas (BS, Mechanical Engineering), Brendan Muldoon (BS, Aerospace Engineering).
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ALUMNI UPDATE: SRIDHAR KOTA What attracted you to Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, & Technology?
I was keen on pursuing a master’s program in Mechanical Engineering. In fact, I came to another college (SIUE) in December 2015 to start in the spring semester. Just before the classes began, I accidentally met Dr. Sridhar Condoor [from Parks’ School of Engineering]. He introduced me to SLU. After talking to him and seeing the campus, I saw it offering an excellent study research program, and this program would be a good fit with my background and interest. So, I decide to switch colleges and start my MS at SLU.
Tell us about your experience at SLU as an international student.
Parks was my first experience in the United States. SLU is a beautiful campus with outstanding faculty, and good research facilities, and excellent staff. As an international student, the major hurdles, in the beginning, are the winter and transportation. However, after a few months, I adjusted to the weather. The American students are very accepting. I always found the faculty and staff at parks very warm and cooperative. Also, I made new friends here and met new people from my motherland, India. Now, I participate in cricket tournaments in Saint Louis.
How has life been after SLU?
After Graduation, I started working as an intern at DClimate in the Summer 2017. Then, I worked as a design engineer at DOTec Corp until March 2018. Later I moved to Battery Handling Systems (BHS) as a Mechanical Design Engineer until 2021. Presently, I am working as a Mechanical Engineer at DOTec Corp under Dr. Al Gonzalez Artigas, PE
What about your experience at Parks prepared you for your current position?
Currently, I am working on implementing new mechanical design and analysis in industrial equipment. The research work done with Dr. LeBeau in terms of analysis and development of new techniques help in doing the background work for meeting both client and technical demands for my current position. My experience at SLU helped improve both my presentation and writing skills required for the present work. In addition to the technical know-how, I received a lot of encouragement and support from both my research advisor, department head, and also graduate office staff Nicole and department staff Kay B.
What are your future plans?
My current goal is to gain experience in the mechanical engineering field. In the long run, I would like to get a PE license and become an entrepreneur.
Do you have any advice for current Parks College students?
Enjoy your student life while pursuing your passions to showcase your skills in the future to the world.
WANT TO BE FEATURED ON OUR WEBSITE? Visit www.slu.edu/parks/graduate/graduate-student-research.php and email Nicole Mispagel at nicole.mispagel@slu.edu if you would like us to include your research on the site.
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ALUMNI UPDATE: LI HUI What attracted you to Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, & Technology?
When I was looking for graduate school, the first thing in my consideration was the research area. I found Dr. Riyadh Hindi’s research team was working on bridge engineering, which aligned very well with my area of interest. After talking with Dr. Riyadh Hindi and Dr. Will Lindquist, I decided to attend SLU and get my degree here.
What are some of the challenges you faced as an international student?
Parks College was my first experience in the United States. The first challenge I have experienced was communication. Although I learned English in my home country and satisfied all the requirements for graduate school, sometimes I still felt it difficult to understand what others say. I can remember Dr. Lindquist helped me a lot at the very beginning, and I felt much more confident after working with students and faculty from different countries and with different cultural backgrounds.
How has life been after SLU?
I joined the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as an Assistant Professor right after my graduation, and currently I am still working here.
What about your experience at Parks prepared you for your current position?
The research that I worked on in Dr. Riyadh Hindi’s team prepared me very well for my current position at ULL. Throughout my time at SLU, I gained many research experiences on bridge instrumentation, structural analysis, and monitoring, which provided me a solid background in teaching classes in the area of structural engineering. Besides, with the help of Dr. Hindi, I learned how to conduct research independently and publish research results in prestigious journals, which prepared me to conduct research projects independently in the future. I feel that everyone at SLU is always willing to help students to achieve their academic goals. SLU also provides great program resources and facilities compared with other universities.
Are you currently conducting any research or special projects?
Currently, I am working on multiple projects, including an undergraduate research project and a project regarding the numerical modeling of structural systems. The undergraduate research project focuses on the early age properties of concrete material with different mixes and different types of fibers. In this project, I am the supervisor for two undergraduate students to ensure the project can be appropriately conducted. Right now, the two undergraduate students are working on publishing their research results in some journals. Another of my current projects focuses on the numerical modeling of concrete structures under natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. The purpose of this project is to advance the knowledge of damage mechanisms for concrete structures under multi-hazards conditions and develop a powerful tool to mitigate the damage caused by natural hazards.
What are your future plans?
I am satisfied with my current position, and I hope to continue my career in academia in the future. Currently I am trying to get more research projects through the National Science Foundation and Louisiana Department of Transportation.
Do you have any advice for current Parks College students?
Ask questions. The university has many resources in place to support you. It is very likely that many students are experiencing the same challenge you are. Also take advantages of your professor’s office hours.
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2021 OUTSTANDING GRADUATE AWARDS The outstanding graduate faculty award honors an individual Parks College faculty member whose dedication to our graduate students and demonstrated commitment to excellence in graduate education and mentoring have made a significant contribution to the professional development of graduate students at Parks College. The Parks Outstanding Graduate Faculty for 2021 is Dr. Flavio Esposito. According to his students, Dr. Esposito is an excellent instructor and mentor who communicates complicated materials very clearly. Dr. Esposito started the SLU Research Initiation workshop where graduate students discuss research methods, receive feedback on their presentation style, and discuss research papers. Dr. Esposito is also the co-director of two Big Ideas at SLU—”AI@SLU” and “People And Technology Horizon”—both of which are on track to become institutes. He has secured $2.86M in extramural funding since Fall 2016, $783K since March 2020. Dr. Esposito is a PI and co-PI on many projects, including “Evaluation and Support of the COVID-19 Public Health Efforts.” He also released an app called ‘MyCOVID-19 Tracking App (For iOS and Android).’ He has published 10 papers and has been referenced in 11 conference publications since 2020. With exemplary research, superior mentorship, and excellent teaching skills, we are proud to award the 2021 Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award to Dr. Flavio Esposito. The outstanding graduate student award recognizes one Parks College PhD student and one MS student who exemplify academic excellence, research distinction and a commitment to the mission of Parks College and Saint Louis University. Our Parks’ PhD Outstanding Graduate Student for 2021 is Susheera Sesha Pochiraju. Susheera has been working in the field of environmental engineering and water research since her Masters’ degree at University of Colorado Boulder in Environmental Engineering. She is a member of various professional organizations such as American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE), Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) and American Water Works Association (AWWA). Susheera has presented her work at one of the most important water conferences, Water Quality Technology Conference, in November 2019, at the annual Mid-American Environmental Engineering Conference (MAEEC) in October 2020 and presented at the American Council on Education (ACE) annual conference in June 2021. Besides her ample contribution to scientific literature, Susheera’s work perfectly aligns with SLU Mission of “the pursuit of truth for the greater glory of God and for the service of humanity”. Her goal of working towards providing safe drinking water and thus ensuring public health is guided by her principles of community service which she had been doing since she started in higher education. Congratulations to Susheera Sesha Pochiraju as Parks’ 2021 Ph.D. Outstanding Graduate Student. 6
Our Parks’ MS Outstanding Graduate Student for 2021 is Haneen Alfauri. Haneen is an extremely dedicated MS Computer Engineering student, with her advisor saying, “her impeccable academic performance comes second only to her extreme dedication and stamina in working towards achieving her goals.” Haneen is the first author of a publication that has been accepted for the on-coming IEEE Netsoft 2021 conference on the novel topic of energy efficient algorithms for federated learning. In addition, she is working as a teaching assistant at Washington University of Saint Louis, and she has been admitted to their Computer Engineering Ph.D program with full scholarship. Haneen has taken many additional graduate level courses to expand her knowledge in her field, as well as completing Saint Louis University’s Principals teaching certificate program. Haneen is also a member of Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Honor Society, and is passionate about helping women interested in STEM in underdeveloped countries. She plans to create an online mentoring program targeting young female scientists to help guide them on the pathway to success. Congratulations to Haneen Alfauri as Parks’ 2021 M.S. Outstanding Graduate Student.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR RECENT AND PROPOSED GRADUATES
FALL 2020
MASTERS CANDIDATES Triston B. Cooper - Electrical & Computer Engineering Alec C. Derks - Civil Engineering Chionye Okwuashi - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Adam Pearce - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Sohaan Vinayaka Swaminathan - Biomedical Engineering Faizan Ahmed Syed - Electrical & Computer Engineering DOCTORAL CANDIDATES Abdul Ateiza Alliu - Aviation Donald Eugene Lyle - Aviation Sana Mehetaab Syed - Biomedical Engineering
SUMMER 2021
MASTERS CANDIDATES Lavanya Aryan - Biomedical Engineering Crystal Kay Bell - Civil Engineering Michael Borovik - Biomedical Engineering Andrew Edward Bryan - Biomedical Engineering Eric Joseph Davies - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Zeyi Ding - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Andrew Fanselow - Biomedical Engineering Faten Ali Mohammed - Electrical & Computer Engineering Kelsey Zahira Musa - Civil Engineering Oscar Pachon - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Nicholas Joseph Schaper - Engineering Physics Monica Ann Shuler - Biomedical Engineering Brian Thomas - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Andrew Wagner - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Constance Kasmira Wall - Biomedical Engineering
SPRING 2021
MASTERS CANDIDATES Nnaoma Onyedikachi Agwu - Biomedical Engineering Haneen Alfauri - Electrical & Computer Engineering Thomas (Alex) Ambro - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Gabriel Wyatt Armani - Biomedical Engineering Renuka Rajendra Bandekar - Biomedical Engineering Yun-Tsz Chen - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Eric Joseph Davies - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Ethan Cletus Erusha - Biomedical Engineering Benjamin T. Frieden - Civil Engineering Akhil Gandhasiri - Electrical & Computer Engineering Peter Charles Genovese - Biomedical Engineering Brandon Tyler Gillis - Civil Engineering Jeffrey Kelley - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Gabrielle Lawson - Biomedical Engineering Kyle R Masek - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Matthew Patrick O’Brien - Biomedical Engineering Rassam M. Rassam - Biomedical Engineering Roberto E. Reynolds Palau - Civil Engineering Anthony Rizzuti - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Taulant Rudi - Civil Engineering Oguzhan Sarigun - Civil Engineering Keaton Andrew Schieffer - Civil Engineering Charles David Sheehan - Civil Engineering Arbaaz Syed - Electrical & Computer Engineering Margaret Elizabeth Zuercher - Civil Engineering DOCTORAL CANDIDATE John Kennedy - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering
DOCTORAL CANDIDATES Houston Robert Linder - Biomedical Engineering Jennifer Tennison - Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering 2021 Parks Precommencement Ceremony
SCOUR ANALYSIS AT MISSOURI BRIDGES Since last year, Civil Engineering faculty Dr. Amanda Cox and Dr. Ronaldo Luna have been engaged in research to evaluate the feasibility of 2D hydraulic modeling to assess the scour under MoDOT bridges. Bridge scour is the loss of ground due to the hydraulic current caused by a river passing under a bridge. A combination of high-water flow (shear and velocity) and the ground conditions may cause the loss of ground around the bridge foundations. Often the bridge foundations are deep into the ground and they may lose lateral support or axial capacity. For a bridge supported on shallow foundations, this may be more critical. The field data collection consists of topographic and LiDAR surveys, bathymetric surveys, water velocity measurements, and soil sampling. In the 1990s, a consultant conducted a scour analysis study for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) which included about 200 bridges with high potential to be defined as “scour critical”. The focus of the proposed study is to evaluate scour analysis results from varying methods, such as, multiple soil sample collections versus one sample, 1-D modeling versus 2-D modeling, and results from the 1990s study to new analytical results. 7
OFFICE OF GRADUATE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH ADDRESS: 3450 Lindell Blvd. McDonnell Douglas Hall St. Louis, MO 63103 PHONE: 314-977-8306 EMAIL: parksgraduateprograms@slu.edu WEBSITE: slu.edu/parks