Summer 2021 News Celebrating student success
Motivated
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Dean’s Message Moving Forward I hope that this newsletter finds you having a great summer. While summer is typically a quiet time of year at UMass Dartmouth, we currently are in the middle of one of the largest renovations to our very own Science and Engineering (SENG) building. These renovations follow several prior ones, including new classrooms to support freshman engineering design; computer and teaching laboratories; and new research laboratories such as the one that supported student winners of the Department of Energy’s Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. These investments ensure our students are learning in spaces that support teamwork and active learning, and our students and faculty have access to state-ofthe-art research labs that contribute to the economy of our region.
Contents Facts & Figures
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Blue Economy
2
Winning Ideas
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Alumni Spotlight
4
AI Project
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Student Succes
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Scholarships & Awards
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PHOTOS COURTESY Mary Avery Kindra Clineff Karl Dominey Cachelle Johnson-Lewis
WRITER
In just a few weeks our campus will be fully open for the first time since March of 2020 when we adapted to the pandemic. The health and safety of our campus community is our top priority. Getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has shown to be the most effective way to maintain your own health and protect others. UMass Dartmouth announced its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all students who are returning to campus. Resources for members of our community can be found on our campus website: umassd.edu/covid. I am excited for us to move forward and to return to campus with students. Connecting with others and feeling like you belong are vital for student success. The successful outcomes of our graduating seniors highlighted in this newsletter are evidence of the importance of engaging in all UMass Dartmouth has to offer, such as division III sports, undergraduate research, student clubs, internships, and education abroad. Our experiences these past 16 months of rapid vaccine development, and its manufacturing and deployment by scientists and engineers has reaffirmed that our mission to academically prepare the future science and engineering workforce is vital to our nation and the world. My best wishes for a healthy summer.
Adrienne Wartts Jean VanderGheynst
Designer Kevin DeAquair
Facts & Figures
#3
in the nation for the percentage of female tenured tenure track faculty in colleges of engineering with a nationally ranked graduate program – 2020 US News & World Report, ASEE (2020)
Top 4%
in engineering of institutions nationwide awarding doctoral degrees to women – ASEE (2020)
84%
of full-time undergraduates who apply for financial aid receive it
97%
of 2019 graduates from the College of Engineering are either employed or attending graduate school
>$67,000 average entry-level salary for 2019 graduates with a bachelor’s degree in engineering
183 #1
internships completed by 2020 graduating engineers at companies such as Titleist, Bose Corporation, eBay, Hewlett-Packard, National Grid, and Pratt & Whitney
for social mobility among universities in New England with a nationally ranked college of engineering - 2020 U.S. News & World Report
$106M
UMass Dartmouth students receive approximately $106 million total in scholarships, grants, part-time employment, and loans
15 Ranked in the top 15 schools nationwide for master’s degrees in physics among institutions granting the MS – American Physical Society
#4
as a best value Massachusetts college for in-state students – Payscale
170+
student organizations, including numerous engineering-specific clubs that connect students with science and engineering professionals umassd.edu/engineering
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Innovating ways to power the blue economy Capstone student teams win “Best Build,” “Best Pitch,” and “Best Poster” categories at the 2021 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. UMassD’s engineering capstone student teams won in the “Best Build,” “Best Pitch,” and “Best Poster” categories at the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition (MECC), which took place on April 28, 2021. Dr. Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh who is an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of Laboratory for Fluid-Structure Interactions Studies at UMass Dartmouth mentored the team, Green Lobstahs. “Our multi-disciplinary team of students were asked to design a device that optimizes technology, reduces costs, and explores new opportunities for marine energy with the goal of powering the blue economy,” Dr. Seyed-Aghazadeh says. “Our team competed in this national competition against some of the best schools in the country and came away with two awards.” The Green Lobstahs’ team members include mechanical engineering students Sarah Dulac, Andrea Elloian, Ross Jacques, Chandler Jardin, Kevin Raggiani, and Joseph
Silveira; electrical engineering students Dylan Souza and Tyler Viera; and business students Darion Gregory and Alec Peinkofer of St. Bonaventure University. Dr. Konrad Jamro, an associate professor of Management & Marketing and co-founder of the Leadership Certificate Program at St. Bonaventure University, served as the collegiate team co-advisor. The team received additional mentorship from capstone course instructor at UMass Dartmouth, Dr. Hamed Samandari. UMass Dartmouth and St. Bonaventure University came together to contribute to an original design idea of a “Vertical Axis Wind Turbine and an Underwater Current Turbine” housed on a stable offshore floating platform. The team developed a business plan for their proposed solution to power the blue economy and pitched their market assessment and detailed technology design to a team of judges during the two-day competition event, which earned the team the award of the Best Pitch in this competition. “This design aims to fulfill the need that aquaculture farms have for sustainable and eco-friendly energy sources,” says Seyed-Aghazadeh. “By utilizing the copious supply of offshore energy that resides in the form of wind and current energy, our design aims to produce a consistent and reliable energy source that will help to grow and expand the blue economy.”
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Summer 2021 news
Engineering students pitch winning ideas Students win first- & second-place for presenting innovative sustainable energy pitches during the 2021 Techstars’ Startup Weekend. Mechanical engineering majors Sarah Dulac, Andrea Elloian, and Christina McManus were among the first- and secondplace winners for their innovative pitches that were presented and judged during Techstars’ Startup Weekend, which took place virtually from February 19-21. The competition encompassed a one-minute pitch on Friday evening. Small teams formed around the best ideas and these teams workshopped on Saturday. The event culminated with a five-minute pitch to a panel of judges at the end of Sunday. This year marks the sixth consecutive year UMass Dartmouth served as host for Techstars’ global Startup Weekend.
“Sarah and Andrea teamed up with Greg Browne, a graduate student of ours, and with two St. Bonaventure University students, Alec Peinkofer and Darion Gregory,” said Hamed Samandari who is an advisor, lecturer, and capstone instructor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the College of Engineering. The team branded themselves Green Lobstah. Green Lobstah presented the idea of providing sustainable energy to the offshore aquaculture farms by substituting old-fashioned diesel generators with floating vertical axis wind turbines. The team continued to compete in the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition where they pitched their idea to a panel of judges from the U.S. Department of Energy.
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Lauren Underwood, P.E. ’13
ALUMNI spotlight Lauren, a local project manager in civil engineering, says earning her degree from UMassD was key in her success.
“I would not be where I am today had I not attended UMass Dartmouth,” said Lauren Underwood, who earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UMassD in 2013. Lauren is now a project manager and associate at Environmental Partners where she specializes in municipal drinking water. Her day-to-day activities include planning, design, permitting, construction cost estimation, bidding assistance, construction contract administration, resident project representative management, hydraulic modeling, and drinking water master planning. “UMass Dartmouth’s ABET-accredited civil engineering program provided me with the resources that I needed to begin a career in water resources engineering right after graduation.” Lauren participates on various committees with the New England Water Works Association, serves on the Massachusetts Water Works Association Board
of Directors, and is actively involved in other various field-related associations. She stays connected to her alma mater by serving as a mentor for the civil capstone design class required in the major. “To me, the most impressive aspect of the UMassD civil engineering program is the newly revitalized capstone design class. The class gives students the opportunity to work on real-life projects alongside practicing professional engineers, from the initial proposal stages all the way through full project design. I have judged the final presentations for this class for the last few years and am consistently impressed with the students’ demonstrated capabilities and professionalism even before they begin their careers,” she said. Lauren has also participated on several career panels hosted by the UMassD Society of Women Engineers and College of Engineering. Additionally, Lauren is the recipient of multiple awards, including the New England Water Works Association’s Younger Member of the Year Award, the Environmental Business Council New England’s Ascending Leader Award, the Massachusetts Water Works Association’s Special Achievement Award, and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s 29 Who Shine Award. She enjoys traveling during her spare time.
I would not be where I am today had I not attended UMass Dartmouth,” Lauren Underwood, P.E. ‘13
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Summer 2021 news
Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained significant attention in recent years as an enabler of technologies such as autonomous cyberphysical systems and cybersecurity. However, engineering principles to support the rigorous design and quantitative test of systems incorporating AI components are needed to ensure properties such as security, robustness, and resilience.
Professors awarded $404K for artificial intelligence project 10 undergraduate students will engage in a 10-week program, which will intertwine AI research with cybersecurity & systems engineering in a portfolio of synergistic projects.
Dr. Ming Shao and Dr. Jiawei Yuan, assistant professors of computer and information science, are the recipients of a $404,620 award from the National Science Foundation for their Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site “Secure, Robust, and Resilient AI-enabled System Engineering.” This REU Site will intertwine AI research with cybersecurity and systems engineering in a portfolio of synergistic projects. “Ten undergraduate students will be engaged in a 10-week summer research program to conduct research at UMass Dartmouth, with six faculty affiliated with the Cybersecurity Center,” says Shao. The proposed REU Site will focus on AI and cybersecurity research, and their mutual effect on system engineering applications. These research themes will create opportunities for multidisciplinary knowledge sharing between AI and cybersecurity
Dr. Ming Shao
Dr. Jiawei Yuan
from software, hardware, and system engineering perspectives, including topics in biometrics, unmanned aerial vehicles, brain-computer interaction, and signal processing. “The REU will prepare talented young researchers to take a systems perspective while maintaining technical excellence in order to enhance the robustness of AI-enabled systems in commercial and societal contexts,” says Yuan.
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Celebrating student success Our high-achieving students know the value of their education is beneficial toward professional growth and toward uplifting our community, our region, and our world. This understanding keeps them motivated and helps UMass Dartmouth remain the “#7 best hidden gem public university for learning outcomes and student opportunities.” Several Class of 2021 graduates discuss how their academic journeys are guiding their career paths. From New Hampshire to New York, here are their stories.
arah Dulac, Tiverton, RI | Mechanical Engineering S “A big part of my motivation for continuing my academic focus is the female faculty in the department,” says Sarah Dulac. She says Dr. Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, became a major part of her growth experience. “In fall 2019, Sarah developed an interest in a fluid mechanics course. She and Dr. Aghazadeh met to discuss her research and by the end of the semester, Sarah received an invitation to join Aghazadeh’s research team. “She kept me motivated by reminding me that I show strong skills and I have proven myself capable of anything I put my mind to.” Stephen Gacioch, Tiverton, RI | Civil Engineering Stephen Gacioch, who served as captain of the UMassD football team, said the cohesive college community helped him define his career path. “The culture of the Civil Engineering Department as a whole makes for an experience that is one of a kind. The students and faculty all work closely together, and for personal relationships that makes for a better educational experience,” he said. He also worked at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) as a project management intern. “This internship influenced me to pursue a future in transportation engineering and opened the doors to many other opportunities. I was able to use my experience and network through the connections I made at RIDOT.” William Holman, Wakefield, MA | Physics “My story would not be complete without discussing my time studying abroad before I became a student at UMass Dartmouth,” said William Holman. “I spent the fall 2019 semester at the University of Limerick in Ireland, and this experience helped me to grow as an individual in many ways.” He said the challenge of integrating into a different culture, university, and style of teaching helped to keep him on track. “Also working as a tutor in the Physics Department has proven beneficial. In my leadership roles, there has been a clear directive to collaborate, and this real-world experience is invaluable in a professional setting.” rianna Johnson, Plymouth, MA | Data Science and Honors College B “When I came to UMass Dartmouth, I knew that I wanted to be able to use my skill set to help others and improve my local community. I feel that I have been able to do just that,” said Brianna Johnson. In 2020, she worked as a technical projects intern at Lumaxia Consulting LLC. The company focuses specifically on robotic process automation. “While at Lumaxia, I became a certified Advanced RPA Professional in Automation Anywhere, earned many badges, and attended numerous webinars on implementing automation into various industries.” Brianna said the UMassD community helped her to grow and become an influential leader, a more insightful academic, and overall better individual.
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Summer 2021 news
Cachelle Johnson-Lewis, Dorchester, MA | Data Science Cachelle Johnson-Lewis chose to complete two field-related internships and served in various leadership roles on campus, including as a College Now Peer mentor, an IT classroom service technician, and an academic chair for the UMassD chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. She completed internships with Quantopian and Dell EMC, where she recently accepted a full-time position in a project/program management analyst position. “Both internships increased my opportunity for employment, built my network, sharpened my problem-solving abilities, and equipped me with skills that I am able to bring to any position.” Melanie Luperon, New Bedford, MA | Computer Engineering Melanie Luperon has participated in research projects since she entered UMassD. One of her first projects, sponsored by NASA, involved assisting graduate students with an in-depth analysis of data to help draw connections between growth models and the processes in which software can track defects. The following year, she had the opportunity to conduct subject matter research under Dr. Lance Fiondella. “Dr. Fiondella’s lab taught me to study more and to always try to see the bigger picture,” she said. Melanie recently landed a full-time job with Dell EMC after completing an internship with the company. “The internship resulted in much more than a full-time job. I built lifelong connections with people that I look forward to cooperating with for years to come.” Alexander Moulton, Wolfeboro, NH | Computer Science Alexander Moulton says when it came to the rigor of earning his degree, his peers and faculty advisor kept him driven. “One of the keys to success is surrounding yourself with successful people and sometimes that means you’re not the smartest person in the room. It does, however, usually mean you can learn from the people around you,” says the Wolfeboro, NH native. Prior to enrolling at UMass Dartmouth, Alexander became familiar with the importance of leadership while serving in the US Navy, and continued to foster his abilities while serving on various teams and within organizations at UMassD. “Being a part of the Student Government Association, Pandemic Emergency Response Team, and serving as the Veteran Assistant at UMassD taught me to manage my time wisely. It also taught me to be the change you wish to see.” Nick Paternostro, Mineola, NY | Mechanical Engineering and Honors College Nick Paternostro says supplementing his studies with other activities made his rigorous program more manageable and enriched his time at UMassD. “I challenged myself to not only be an engineer, but to be a student who is a part of the campus community–whether it was lacrosse practice, going to conferences/ seminars for my own interest, attending classes, or participating in research,” he said. During the summer of 2020, Nick worked at Curtiss-Wright. “This internship followed a course in which I learned how basic systems operate. I collaborated with senior engineers on the first article builds of hydraulic and electronic actuators and offered insight for troubleshooting arising issues. Through collaboration, we were able to develop new procedures for implementing these actuators.” ylan Tocci, Townsend, MA | Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering D As part of the College of Engineering’s Accelerated BS/MS (4+1) program, Dylan Tocci pursued a concentration in cybersecurity and supplemented his studies by serving as webmaster of the UMassD Cybersecurity Club. The club helps to increase interest in the cybersecurity field and promote internet safety among the students. “Through this club I found my passion in the field, and gained the drive to pursue it,” he says. Over the summer, Dylan worked with Professor Paul Fortier on the Wet Aircraft Sensor Project. This experience taught him many things. “I became more familiar with test plan development and execution. I also gained a much better understanding of audio and acoustics engineering. I was able to run tests and experiments that familiarized me with things I had learned conceptually in class.” Taylor Walsh, Groveland, MA | Bioengineering “My leadership experiences have prepared me for future career opportunities by showing me how to keep my eye on the bigger picture,” said Taylor Walsh. Taylor pursued her degree in bioengineering, a world she discovered after speaking with some of her track teammates and faculty advisors. While at UMassD, she also served as captain of the Cross Country and Track teams. Taylor said leading her team helped to build an environment that strives for reaching new limits no matter the circumstances. “Leading and running as a collegiate athlete has given me a new perspective on what it takes to make a strong team. My coaches taught me, through their intensive training and active involvement, that I am capable of more than I could have ever thought.”
Read more at umassd.edu/engineering/features
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2021 Scholarship & Award Recipients Congratulations to all of our 2021 scholarship and award recipients. Special thanks to all of our generous donors for their continued support of our students, and to the scholarship committees as well as faculty and staff who helped plan and facilitate student success. The college of Engineering generously awards scholarships to students based on need and merit. Visit our website to learn more about the various scholarships and eligibility.
College of Engineering | Dr. Jean VanderGheynst, Dean John I. Babbitt Scholarship Guy Caseneuve (CIS) Thomas Dawicki (MNE) Cygan, Henry F. Scholarship Tabitha Breault (MNE) John A. Freeman Scholarship Madison Beaulieu (BNG) Scott Cory Faulkner Memorial Scholarship Okan Canaran (BNG) Jacqueline Horgan (BNG) Breana Thibodeaux (BNG)
Nicholas L. & Ada A. Scarpitti Scholarship Fund Christopher Stangarone (MNE) Robert W. Thompson Memorial Scholarship Baudelaire Joseph (ELE) Jonathan Rivas Rodriguez (MNE)
Bioengineering | Dr. Tracie Ferreira, Chairperson Harold Bannister Scholarship Madison Beaulieu Ava Marks Angus Riley Cranston Print Works Scholarship Lizette Fontes Jacqueline Horgan Prof. Edmund J. Dupre Scholarship Madison Beaulieu
Smith, Robert C. and Barbara Franconi Scholarship Davidson Joseph (MNE) Gabriella Monico (MNE) Mohammed Shonar (MNE)
Faulkner, Scott C. Scholarship Agency Okan Canaran Grace Pelletier Yousuf Shehadi
Turbak Family Scholarship Jack McDonald (PHY) Turbak Family Scholarship Agency Jack McDonald (PHY)
Charles W. Fifield, Jr. Co., Inc. Scholarship Lizette Fontes Shannon Kennedy Yousuf Shehadi
Donald Watson Scholarship Okan Canaran (BNG) Kyle Furtado (CIS) Grace Pelletier (BNG)
Joseph W. Houth Scholarship Breana Thibodeaux Hansol Tice Makena Wolfe
College of Engineering Student Academic Excellence Award William Holman (PHY)
Michael and Lisa Joyce Scholarship Fund Breana Thibodeaux
Rego Family Scholarship Agency Moyosore Oluwaseun (CEN)
College of Engineering Transfer Student Academic Excellence Award Jade Cabral (CIS)
Albert Malick Scholarship Breana Thibodeaux
Andreassen, Alexander T. & Jan K. Endowed Scholarship Maximus Piscani-Daugherty (CEN)
Dean’s Scholarship Salvador Balkus (DSC) Christopher Gravelle (CPE/ELE)
Howard, Dr. W. John Engineering Scholarship Shane Almeida (CEN) Everett S. Johnson Scholarship Yahya Khan (CIS) Brenda Karnasiewicz-Freese Scholarship Breana Thibodeaux (BNG) Keigher, Gertrude Scholarship Brandon Keefe (CPE/ELE) Moglinicki, Gene and Ruth Scholarship Jack McDonald (PHY)
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Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation Scholarship Isabella Di Bona (ELE) Melvin Livramento (ELE)
Summer 2021 news
McCoy Family Endowed Scholarship Shannon Kennedy Yousuf Shehadi
Learn more at umassd.edu/engineering/student-success
John Foster Academic Excellence Award Eric Beaudry Computer & Information Science | Dr. Haiping Xu, Chairperson Boleslaw Mikolajczak Memorial Scholarship Endowment Yahya Khan Gerhard Neumann-L. Chang Scholarship Nathan LeBlanc Howard, Dr. W. John Computer Science Scholarship Kyle Furtado Regina Rheault Scholarship Jasmine Davidson Brian Franconi Smith Memorial Prize Kyle Furtado William F. Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Brooke DeSimone Makena Wolfe Textile Veterans Association Arune Vickneswaran Student Leadership Award Ian Sullivan Outstanding Researcher Award Jaqueline Horgan
CIS Faculty Award Jade Cabral CIS Graduate Faculty Award Richard Daniello Tyler Pereira CIS Graduate Research Award Chidera Biringa Joshua Rumbut CIS Departmental Service Award Elizabeth Blom Josue Rivera Valdez
ECE Departmental Service Award Matthew Bavelock Timothy Chase Melanie Luperon Julia Sorrentino Joshua Steakelum Mechanical Engineering | Dr. Wenzhen Huang, Chairperson Ronald DiPippo Excellence in Thermodynamics Prize Nicholas Paternostro John W. Hansberry, John Memorial Scholarship Griffin Wiencek Catlow Family Scholarship Joseph Frattalone Catlow Family Scholarship Agency Joseph Frattalone Academic Excellence Award in Mechanical Engineering Matthew Grota Taylor Lyford Nicholas Paternostro MNE Departmental Service Award Ross Jacques Physics | Dr. Jianyi Jay Wang, Chairperson The John Dowd Scholarship Daniel Pierce Prof. George Leung and Alumni Scholarship Jack McDonald
Outstanding Academic Performance Award for Freshman Claire Petersen Janicemar Rullan
Electrical & Computer Engineering | Dr. Antonio H. Costa, Chairperson
Outstanding Academic Performance Award for Senior Haley Dupre
Guimond Family Scholarship in Computer Engineering Christopher Gravelle
BNG Departmental Service Award Haley Dupre
Mata Sugni Devi Scholarship Isabella Di Bona
PHY Departmental Service Award Ian Gifford Mckenzie Ferrari
Civil & Environmental Engineering | Dr. Daniel G. MacDonald, Chairperson
Regina Rheault Scholarship Erika Caushi
Outstanding Senior Award William Holman
Bertram Berger Memorial Scholarship Shane Almeida Prof. Allan L. Campbell Civil Engineering Award Katherine McCombs Donald & Sandra Wood Scholarship Shane Almeida Curtis Melo Melody Veldorale Sean Duarte Scholarship Shane Almeida
Professor Lester W. Cory Scholarship Baudelaire Joseph
Robert A. Melendes Memorial Merit Scholarship Oliver Guijarro-Sines Jack McDonald
Academic Excellence Award in Computer Engineering / Electrical Engineering David Lewis (Transfer Student) Julia Sorrentino (Transfer Student) Joshua Steakelum Academic Achievement Award in Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering Alex Amorim Jameson Brightman (Transfer Student) Dylan Tocci Andrew Vigil (Transfer Student) Jay Votta (Transfer Student)
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