2021 Tagliatela College of Engineering Student Awards

Presented to an outstanding senior in each program in recognition of high academic achievement and active participation in department, college or university activities.

• Chemical Engineering - Nathan Reed

  

  Nathan is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an M.S. in Chemistry. He’s been devoted to the renewable energy field from a young age and intends to take what he learned from his education into that field. He chose the University of New Haven for the small class sizes and community feel, but stayed for the incredible teaching staff and opportunities available. Nathan currently is conducting undergraduate research into biofuel production from cellulosic waste and intends to pursue graduate studies with research in catalyst design under two brilliant mentors. He is honored to receive this award, although the credit should go to the wonderful professors who assisted him in his achievement.

• Chemistry - Allison Bruno

  

  During college, Allison pursued a forensic science and chemistry degree with a minor in biology. She was a member of organizations such as the American Chemical Society, and she worked as a tutor and lab assistant. After graduating, she is pursuing a career in forensic science, specifically toxicology or a chemistry-related field. Her ultimate goal is to one day work for an organization or law firm that specializes in innocence work, and is considering a law degree in the near future to make that happen.

  
  
• Civil Engineering - Joseph Chrobak

  

  Joseph Chrobak, is a Civil Engineering major, from Linden, NJ. He currently serves as President of the Bowling Club and is the Lead Peer Assistant for the Introduction Engineering courses at the University. While at the University, he interned with the Linden Engineering Department, Wakefern Food Corporation, and Dynamic Engineering. In January 2021, he passed the FE Exam and is currently in the process of obtaining his Engineer in Training Certification; to later obtain his Professional Engineers License. He has accepted a position as a Design Engineer with Dynamic Engineering.

• Computer Engineering - Shyam Patel

  

  Shyam Patel is a senior, majoring in Computer Engineering at the University of New Haven. Over the past few summers, he has participated in multiple software engineering internships at Yale University. His interests of study include software development, digital systems design, and embedded systems. Currently, Shyam is on a senior capstone team that is developing an ultrasonic drone guidance system and an acoustic modem for wireless communication, both of which are sponsored by General Dynamics Electric Boat. He will further his education and pursue a master's degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of New Haven.

• Cyber Security and Networks - Meghan Cichon

  

  Meghan is majoring in Cyber Security and Networks and minoring in Mathematics and General Psychology. She worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant on campus for the Artifact Genome Project (AGP). AGP is a platform where digital artifacts are uploaded to help forensic investigators globally. Meghan was a part of the team that published the research paper "Zooming into the Pandemic: A Forensic Analysis of the Zoom Application". She worked on the Cyber Security Awareness team as an intern at Raytheon Technologies. After graduation, she will continue working at Raytheon Technologies as part of their Digital Leadership Development Program (DLDP).

• Computer Science - Jordan Zimmitti

  

  Jordan is major in computer science. He is a descendent of Italian immigrants and has a twin sister who will graduate in May. As a freshman, he studied at the Prato, Italy campus where he was able to experience his Italian heritage traveling to Florence, Rome, Venice and the Amalfi Coast. He loved being immersed in the culture and enjoyed the Italian cuisine.

  While in Italy, he had an opportunity to travel to Interlaken Switzerland where he hiked to the top of Harder Kulm. Jordan became a member of the university's programming team where he and his fellow team members competed in competitions against other universities. Jordan was also inducted into the university’s computer science national honors society, Upsilon Pi Epsilon, where he was nominated as secretary, and later nominated as president the year after. In his junior year, Jordan was also accepted into the Honors Society for Experiential Education. For two summers he interned with the development team at Optum, a technology development company that is a part of United Health Group in Hartford, Connecticut. Upon graduation, Jordan looks forward to working at Optum.

• Electrical Engineering - Keegan Schmitt

  

  Keegan is graduating with high honors and will start grad school this fall. He is currently leading two Capstone Design projects, sponsored by a submarine company, involving a drone guidance and communication system. He is a CLR peer tutor with his expertise on STEM courses. Last summer, Keegan did research with his professor to design an audio equalizer algorithm using digital signal processing techniques as well as led a team to complete three engineering projects. Despite Covid restrictions, they constructed a PID temperature control system, a spectrum analyzer, and ultrasonic radar system.

• Mechanical Engineering - Anyssa Poirier

  

  Anyssa Poirier is a senior mechanical engineering student. Her favorite engineering classes have been thermodynamics, heat transfer, and solar energy. Anyssa also participates in Army ROTC where she has learned how to lead people with a variety of learning styles and personalities. In her free time, she likes to workout, hike, go to the beach, and spend time with her cats. She will commission in May as a Second Lieutenant in the South Carolina National Guard where she will lead an Armor unit. Her dream is to find a job where she can help make a positive impact on the environment.

Outstanding Graduate Student Awards

Presented to an outstanding master’s student in each program in recognition of high academic achievement and performance in research/scholarship, teaching or service.

• Biomedical Engineering - Anthony Iovene

  

  Anthony Iovene is an M.S. Candidate in the Biomedical Engineering Program. A Connecticut native, he grew up in Cheshire and attended Notre Dame West Haven High School, where he currently coaches ice hockey. His research focuses on drug delivery with platforms using nanovesicle liposomes. He has first authored a peer-reviewed research paper and presented at BMES, NESS, and the University of New Haven grad showcase. Anthony has also worked on a 3D printed ventilator splitter for use during the COVID-19 pandemic so that one ventilator could support up to 4 patients. He hopes his career leads to working with developing implantable surgical blood contacting devices.

• Chemistry - Michael Orsini

  

  During his time in the master's program, Michael has conducted research at the Center for Integrative Materials Discovery on campus under Dr. Xiao’s leadership. The experience of working in this laboratory has provided Michael with skills and connections outside the university that will be useful upon graduation. After graduation, Michael plans to continue working at MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions in their North American group, analyzing and finding solutions to customer problems regarding chemistry.

  
  
• Civil Engineering - Raj Ghanshyambhai Patel

  

  Raj Ghanshyambhai Patel is a Civil Engineering student from Gujarat, India who joined the MSCE program in Fall 2019. Seeing Raj’s penchant for learning, his family encouraged him to pursue his Masters abroad. He is passionate about Construction Management, and has focused on a survey of sustainable and green building implementation in construction. Raj has volunteered his time on campus for initiatives like the Buddy Program and the Global Student Leaders program. Raj is appreciative of the support he received from his family, faculty, and friends. He dedicates his graduation to his family.

• Computer Science - Katrina Curro

  

  After graduating from UConn with a B.S. in Physiology and Neurobiology, Katrina began working in Data Management at a biotech company in New Haven. Through this job she was able to find her passion in programming and wanted to gain more knowledge in the field to continue to grow. When she learned the University of New Haven offered a master’s degree in computer science, she knew this would give her the foundation for a career. This past year, she has worked as an Application Developer Intern through Cigna's Technology Early Career Development Program. She looks forward to rejoining Cigna this summer and completing her degree in the fall.

• Cybersecurity and Networks - Bhavik Ashok Nahar

  

  During his first semester, he received an opportunity to work as a Research Assistant on the Artifact Genome Project. Bhavik successfully submitted a research paper on USB attack platforms. Apart from that, he was fortunate enough to attend the Interpol Conference and placed 2nd in the TryHackCIT hacking competition. He is Treasurer of the Indian Student Council and an active member of the running club. He has enjoyed his time at the University of New Haven and is excited to start a new chapter in his life. He thanks his family and friends for their support.

• Data Science - Adrian Ambrose

  

  Adrian has always had a desire to solve problems and work with data, so to start his career he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in mechanical engineering. Aerospace in particular was a field that he found of great interest, so he took his first job as a tooling engineer, designing tools for composite aerospace parts. He stayed in this role for several years, and from there moved into a manufacturing engineer position. As a manufacturing engineer, he began to get more involved with the processes of part fabrication. Tied in closely with fabrication is quality assurance, and the role that data played in managing processes and quality quickly became apparent. This position provided the opportunity to practice statistical process control and use data to diagnose and solve problems. This was when his appreciation for data really started to grow.

  This growing appreciation of the power of data along with the increasing amount of data being generated every day inspired Adrian to learn more about new opportunities this created. After researching different ways to develop his understanding of data, Adrian chose to attend the University of New Haven in pursuit of a master's of science in Data Science. Here, he was offered the tremendous opportunity to work as a research assistant, publishing a paper on the use of neural networks to reconstruct wavefronts used when measuring optical aberrations.

  While pursuing this degree, he also had the opportunity to intern at Lockheed Martin as a Data Scientist intern. This was a great chance to bring two of his interests (data and aerospace) together in one place. During the internship, he was given a project focused on natural language processing (programmatically analyzing text data). This position helped him to not only gain experience, but also get an understanding for what opportunities are available at Lockheed Martin in the field of data science. At the end of the internship, there was an opening available in the group, and he was offered a full-time position. He is now continuing in this role performing advanced fleet analytics as he finishes his degree.

• Electrical Engineering - Cooper Biancur

  

  Cooper received a bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Connecticut in 2018. After graduating, he decided to pursue a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering to further his knowledge in Embedded Systems. Currently working on his thesis to develop an accessibility device for people with impaired vision to help them play collectible card games. He is excited for his summer internship with Lockheed Martin working in the Rotary and Mission Systems department. After some time in the private sector, he plans to further his education in Physics and become a Professor at a University. Cooper has his black belt in Kempo and enjoys reading.

• Engineering and Operations Management - Mohamed Saadat Kamal Batcha

  

  Mohamed Saadat is from Chennai, India. He has a bachelor’s in Computer Science and worked as a Software Engineer and Business Analyst for five years before he decided to pursue a master’s at the University of New Haven (one of the best decisions he made). He enjoys developing websites. On-campus activities helped him build and expand his networks in the U.S., especially after he won the Annual Case competition and Charger Startup weekend. Dr Montazer has been very kind and helpful in guiding him both academically as well as assisting him to obtain two internships. His goal is to be a successful product owner in IT. He dedicates the award and graduation to his loved ones.

• Environmental Engineering - Joseph Grandelski

  

  Joseph joined the University in the fall of 2019 as part of the Enviornmental Engineering graduate program, from a previous career as a secondary mathematics teacher. In his time at the University of New Haven, he took advantage of a research opportunity under Dr. Hadnagy's guidance to study stream water quality issues in the northeast. He appreciated learning from the rich professional expertise of the faculty at UNewHaven and engaging with his fellow students and their diverse educational backgrounds. In his free time, Joseph enjoys kayaking and taking his two sons hiking and biking.

• Industrial Engineering - Sami Khalafallah

  

  Sami’s journey at the University of New Haven has been a fun and fruitful experience. He is grateful to be part of the University and thanks his professors for the invaluable experience as well as the support he has received from the entire University community. He offers a special thanks to TCOE committee for this award. This award means a lot to him, and he is gratified to see his “hard work pays off.” Currently, Sami is a research assistant at ASOS Research Lab. Upon graduation, he will start his engineering career with the hopes of pursuing a PhD in the coming years.

• Mechanical Engineering - Diego Mamede Oliveira

  

  Diego was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, where he earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of São Paulo. During the course of his bachelor’s degree, he worked on developing a project for the National Petroleum agency of Brazil, investigating the effects of different geometries of fairings in reducing Vortex Induced Vibration (VIV) in long petroleum raisers.

  After starting his graduate studies at UNewHaven, he began to work in a different research area under the supervision of Dr. Eric Dieckman. Currently, Diego’s research involves non-destructive evaluation applied to composite materials. As for his thesis, he is working on the development of a compact and autonomous method of performing Ultrasonic Inspection (UT) in this kind of material. In summary, this project uses a robotic arm, coupled with a UT transducer, to collect data that will be analyzed through a Convolutional Neural Network and point out where the material faults are. After completing his M.S., Diego plans to start working in the energy or airspace industry and eventually, his goal is to obtain a Ph.D.

Honors Program Recipients

Presented by the University of New Haven Honors College to graduates with University Honors (Honors Program students who have completed four Honors courses, participated in Honors Program activities, maintained at least a 3.3 GPA, and completed an Honors Thesis in their major during their senior year).

• 2021 Honors Program Recipients
  • Forensic Science with a Chemistry Emphasis: Samantha Annunziata
Other Undergraduate Student Awards

• 2021 Clarence Dunham Scholarship for Civil Engineering – Juan Felipe Tobon Rua

  

  Established through the generosity of Professor Clarence W. Dunham and presented to a worthy student in civil engineering.

  Juan Felipe Tobon Rua is a first generation college student with an American-Colombian nationality who grew up in New Rochelle, NY. He plays soccer at the University and has been apart of the program for three years now. Along with soccer, enginnering has became his passion in life and he is exited to grow and develop his skills. Civil Engineering has given him the oportunity to unlock a new appreciation for our environment and the infrastructure world. He is leaning towards a specialization in structures but has yet to make a final decision. However, he does plan on continuing his education by getting a master's degree in Civil Engineering.

• Buckman Scholarship – Trinh Ngo

  

  Established in 1981, the Clarice Buckman Scholarships are awarded to juniors majoring in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry.

  Trinh is currently a junior at the Tagliatela College of Engineering, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.  Trinh previously graduated Housatonic Community College Summa Cum Laude with an associate's degree in Engineering Sciences. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commercial Law from the Ho Chi Minh University of Law in Viet Nam. She worked as an intern prosecutor in Viet Nam for 2.5 years after graduating.  She came to the United States in 2014 and received her U.S. citizenship in 2020.  Trinh transferred to the University of New Haven in the Spring 2020 semester. Her parents grew up during the Viet Nam War and during that time her mother was unable to attend school, while her father attended through the eleventh grade. Her parents always placed a high value on education and by being the first person in her family to attend college, she feels as though she is carrying out her family’s educational dream.

  In her first year in the US, she worked during the day while attending school at night, learning English as a second language. A couple of years later, after helping her family stay on their feet, she started taking engineering classes at Housatonic Community College. She likes problem solving and science subjects. While at HCC, Trinh found she was especially interested in thermodynamic subjects. Since thermodynamics is an essential part of chemical engineering, she chose to pursue a Chemical Engineering degree. Trinh plans to find a chemical engineering related job after she graduates to collect experiences before coming back to school for her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.

• Buckman Scholarship – Rachel Demayo

  

  Established in 1981, the Clarice Buckman Scholarships are awarded to juniors majoring in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry.

  Rachel is currently a junior at the Tagliatela College of Engineering. They plan on completing their bachelor’s in Chemistry. Chemistry fascinates them because it helps gather a deeper understanding of the world surrounding us. After graduation, Rachel hopes to gain hands-on experience before going to grad school. They are glad to have the support of their peers and faculty at the university and cannot wait to see what the future has in store.

• Daniel C. O’Keefe Award – Damion Francis

  

  Established by friends and family of the late Daniel C. O’Keefe, Professor of Electrical Engineering, this award is presented to an outstanding non-traditional student in electrical engineering for perseverance and hard work while balancing the challenges of academic and professional life.

  Damion Francis is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. As an active father of two, he is often balancing work, school, and supporting his children. He currently works full-time as a biomedical engineer technician for the Veterans Health Administration. He started attending classes in 2011, and while he has been going to college for over ten years to get a degree that many other students have been able to obtain in only 4 years, he is proud to set an example of pursuing higher education as a first-generation college student, immigrant, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and father.

• Peter J. Desio Award for Organic Chemistry – Shayna Kasher

  

  Established in 2003 in honor of Professor Emeritus Peter J. Desio, this award is presented to a chemistry major for outstanding academic performance in the area of organic chemistry.

  Shayna Kasher is majoring in Forensic Science with a focus in Chemistry. Since taking an organic chemistry elective in high school, Shayna has enjoyed studying organic chemistry. In the past year, she has had the opportunity to take several interesting chemistry courses, such as medicinal chemistry, advanced organic chemistry, and toxicology. These courses gave her the opportunity to explore thought-provoking areas of each subject, and she enjoyed the challenge they presented.

  Shayna has been an undergraduate peer tutor with the CLR since 2019 and a Learning Assistant for the past year, roles that allow her to share her understanding of chemistry with her peers. As a forensic science peer tutor, she assists fellow students with material for classes such as general chemistry, organic chemistry, and more. As a Learning Assistant for organic chemistry with Professor Rob Harvey, she helps answer questions on material during lectures. Additionally, she provides office hours for students to help with homework problems and review of the lecture material. Shayna is also a member of the 5678 Dance Team and enjoys performing with her friends on the team. After the fall 2021 semester, Shayna is looking forward to graduating and gaining experience in a laboratory before going to graduate school in the fall of 2022 for forensic chemistry with a focus in toxicology.

Entrepreneurial Engineering Certificates
The Tagliatela College of Engineering has provided students with opportunities both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. The following students have embraced these opportunities and we are recognizing them for their efforts with the Entrepreneurial Engineering Certificate. The EE Certificate recognizes those students who have exemplified the characteristics of an engineer with an entrepreneurial mindset; namely, curiosity, connections, and creating value.
• Entrepreneurial Engineering Certificate (Silver Level)

  Awarded to the following students for efforts toward acquiring an entrepreneurial mindset.

  • Daniel Buda - Mechanical Engineering
  • Annie Dengler - Civil Engineering
  • Chris Dinnis - Mechanical Engineering
  • Rebecca Giedraitis - Civil Engineering
  • Connor Maher - Mechanical Engineering
  • Cam Niemiec - Civil Engineering
  • Skyler Szerszen - Mechanical Engineering
  • Sam Zurowski - Computer Science
TCoE Outstanding Service Awards - Undergraduate Recipients

• Chemical Engineering - Kiarra Richardson

  

  Kiarra is from Long Island, New York and attended Westbury High School. Currently, she is a Peer Assistant in the Engineering Department. Following graduation, she will be pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University. Her hobbies are playing volleyball, traveling, and reading. She enjoys participating in outreach events that promote STEM or STEAM activities and involvement for younger students of color in marginalized communities. Her goal is to conduct research in developing inexpensive stem cell therapies for injuries or diseases that are prevalent in communities of color.

• Chemistry - Tyler Vecchio

  

  Tyler is passionate about chemistry. During his time at the University of New Haven he was eager to continue to learn more about chemistry from his professors and classmates. He will continue to educate himself on new information in the field of chemistry and share his knowledge with his colleagues.

  
  
  
• Civil Engineering - Annie Dengler

  

  Annie is a senior civil engineering major from Breezy Point, New York. Throughout her time at the university, she had the opportunity to be a Peer Assistant and a Student Ambassador for the Tagliatela College of Engineering, a member of Engineers Without Borders and the American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapters, and a Resident Assistant for the Engineering Living Learning Community. In all these roles, she gained a lot of valuable leadership skills. After graduation, Annie will enter the workforce to gain more experience in civil engineering so she can attain her PE license.

• Computer Science - Ehiremen Ekore

  

  Ehiremen worked as a computer science tutor at the CLR for about three years. He was a summer intern with Barclays in New Jersey where he will be working full-time after graduating. In his senior year at the University he got into hackathons most recently winning (with a team) the 2021 Bison Hacks event organized by Howard University. After college he plans to spend a few years working in the fintech industry which he is interested in.

  
  
• Cybersecurity & Networks - Amber Marrero

  

  Amber is a first generation Afro-Latina from the Bronx, New York. Her major is in Cyber Systems (Cybersecurity & Networks) with minors in Behavioral Economics and Sociology. Her experiences include becoming a sister of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha Inc., working for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as a tour guide and Charger Ambassador, working for the Center for Student Engagement, Leadership, and Orientation, becoming a member of the NAACP, and Interning for Professor Liberty Page. I am one of the originating co-creators of the Centennial Robot and have volunteered for the VEX Robotics Competition. Amber’s next step is to get a job/begin working!

• Electrical Engineering - Thomas Cozzarelli

  

  During Thomas’s freshman year at the University, he was able to get an internship working at wireless telecom, where he spent his sophomore summer working as well. As a sophomore, he also worked as a student ambassador for the engineering program giving tours, which led him to work as a Charger Day host. Further into his college career, he was able to land an internship working as a Network Engineering Intern at Verizon wireless. Based on his performance, he was offered a full time position in the Verizon Leadership Program where he will be traveling around the U.S. for three years learning from different engineering leaders at Verizon.

• Mechanical Engineering - April Bowen

  

  April Taracena Bowen is a senior undergraduate student at the University of New Haven, where she will be graduating with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. She received the Harnett Endowed Scholarship and SURF Fellowship, which allowed her to engage in research on additive manufacturing. During April’s time at UNewHaven, she has served as a member of the Model United Nations program and  the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Ms. Bowen interned at Sikorsky (A Lockheed Martin Company) during  2020 and has secured a  full-time position as an Aeronautical Engineer. She is excited  to continue her knowledge of aerospace and sustainable practices to advance toward a career in outer space.

TCoE Outstanding Service Awards - Graduate Recipients
The Tagliatela College of Engineering Service Awards recognize the contributions of undergraduate and graduate students as tutors, peer assistants, lab assistants and volunteers. Recipients of these awards were selected by their academic program.
• Biomedical Engineering - Yuwen Zhao

  

  Yuwen Zhao is currently a master's candidate in the Biomedical Engineering Program, and has worked as a Graduate Research Assistant in Dr. Shue Wang's lab (Integrated Bioengineering Lab) since 2019. After he joined UNewHaven, he started to work with cancer cell migration and stem cell fate studies based on customized nanoprobe.

  He has published one conference proceeding in IEEE NEMS 2020. He also gave an oral presentation and poster presentation in IEEE NEMS and Biomedical Engineering Annual Meeting 2020, respectively. He is currently working on his thesis: "Engineered Microenvironment for Stem Cell Differentiation for Bone Tissue Engineering".

• Chemistry - Thomas Hong

  

  Thomas is a graduate student studying chemistry. As an undergraduate, Thomas performed research with Dr's Arthur Gow and Chong Qiu, and presented his findings at the 2018 AIChE annual conference. The following year, Thomas was the recipient of the NASA Space Grant Scholarship, leading him to intern as an organic chemist at Synovel Laboratories where he later began working as a contract chemist. Thomas was also an undergraduate peer tutor and a chemistry teaching/lab assistant. As a grad student, Thomas has devoted his time to natural products research under the guidance of Dr. Pier F. Cirillo and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in organic synthesis.

• Civil Engineering - Thippesh Bethur Hanumanthareddy

  

  Thippesh is an F1 International Student, having a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. In 2019 he joined the University of New Haven, where he served as a Graduate Research Assistant from January 2020-July 2020. During this time, he worked with Dr. Chang and published a couple of research papers on "CFD for Wind Component.” Currently, he is working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and working on a thesis: "Structural Analysis of Concrete Cut-out for Safety Niche on Bridge Abutment, Validating Using Ansys Workbench". In addition, he also has the opportunity to assist professors in class and in labs for both MSCE and BSCE.

• Computer Science - Tyler J. Balon

  

  Tyler is a first generation college student from Meriden, Connecticut. He has been interested in computers all his life obtaining his undergraduate degree in computer science from the University of New Haven. He completed his master's in Computer Science as well while being advised and mentored by Ibrahim (Abe) Baggili, Ph.D. At UNewHaven he accomplished many things including: helping build the hacking team, assisting in the development of cutting-edge classes, hosting a cybersecurity boot-camp and much more! UNewHaven has provided him the tools and opportunities to refine his skills which will provide better experiences.

• Cybersecurity and Networks - Mark Morton

  

  Mark Morton is a Connecticut native. He holds a ham radio extra license W1MEM. He is a Monroe CERT member. In high school he became involved with WMNR Fine Arts Radio in Monroe, CT as a Board Operator and later moved on to broadcast engineering and IT. In 2011 he setup an emergency communications center at WMNR during Huricane Irene and kept the station going while on emergency generator power. He received a B.S. from UNewHaven in 2003 and his first Master's from UNewHaven in 2006. He has been working in the ECECS department since 2008 as the Lab Supervisor and has been involved with numerous student clubs and student projects outside the classroom over the last 20+ years. He is very much an animal person and lives with his cats.

• Data Science - Asmita Dhage

  

  Asmita Dhage is a native of India pursuing her master’s in Data Science. She developed an interest in Machine Learning and Data Science while working as a Software Engineer after completing her bachelor’s in Engineering. Currently she is working as a Research Assistant under Prof. Muhammad Aminul Islam, where she is enhancing a deep learning algorithm for image processing.

  Asmita looks forward to starting a career as a full-time Data Scientist after graduation. She is thankful for the supportive faculty and staff who helped her gain invaluable skills and experiences at the University of New Haven, and prepared her for real-world challenges.

• Electrical Engineering - Sai Supraj Vemuganti

  

  Sai Supraj Vemuganti, is a full-time student at the University of New Haven, pursuing his master's in Electrical Engineering. He has a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from IIITK, India. While pursuing his bachelor’s degree, he was involved in various projects under IIITKernel. Now, he is a Provost Assistant under Dr. Zhao and is very grateful for this opportunity as it's helped him in many ways. After graduating, he hopes to work in Telecom or the Networking Industry. Thanks to his parents, and everyone who helped him achieve these accomplishments.

• Industrial Engineering - Sushma Puligilla

  

  Sushma is from India. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and has experience working as an Assistant Manufacturing Engineer. Sushma never thought she would come to United States to pursue higher education. She is passionate towards her field of study, Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing in particular. Her long term goal is to earn a Ph.D. in the field of Industrial Engineering and her short term goal is to gain industry experience as Quality Analyst.

  
  
Capstone Design Pitch Competition Winners

• First Place: Electrical & Computer Engineering

  Sponsored by General Dynamics Electric Boat

  Ultrasound Wireless UXV Guidance System:

  Robert Chenkus, Stephanie Lewis, Johnny Rebellon, Keegan Schmitt, & Shyam Patel

  View this project - and all of the other 2021 capstone projects - by clicking here.

• Second Place: Civil Engineering

  Sponsored by STV Incorporated

  Redesign of Bridge No. 1881:

  Joseph Chrobak, Matthew deCourcey, Alejandra Grisales Arboleda, & Cameron Niemiec

  View this project - and all of the other 2021 capstone projects - by clicking here.

• Third Place: Civil Engineering

  Sponsored by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin. Inc.

  Design of West Haven Roundabout:

  Nathanael Benoit, Christopher Hansford, & Cole Modestow

  View this project - and all of the other 2021 capstone projects - by clicking here.