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Meet the 2022 Undergraduate Research Fellows

More than 30 undergraduate students participated in the Dean’s Undergraduate Engineering Research Fellowship Program this summer. Learn more about these undergraduate researchers' projects and the labs where they were gaining valuable experience.

Research Fellow: Lauren Askew

Research Fellow: Lauren Askew

Rising fourth-year materials science and engineering student

Lauren Askew spent the summer working in associate professor Jon Ihlefeld’s Multifunctional Thin Film Research Group. Askew used a chemical solution deposition to create tantalum zirconia thin films.

Multifunctional Thin Film Research Group
Research Fellow: Edward Wei

Research Fellow: Edward Wei

Rising second-year computer science student

Edward Wei spent the summer working with computer science associate professor Hongning Wang to secure large data set releases - so sensitive attributes in the data remain private - without compromising the usefulness of the data.

Human-Centric Data Mining Group
Research Fellow: Layth Popp

Research Fellow: Layth Popp

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Layth Popp spent the summer doing research with biomedical engineering professor Kevin Janes to form a better understanding of how signaling mechanisms are modified in breast cancer progression - to inform new treatments.

Janes Lab
Research Fellow: Malcolm O'Malley

Research Fellow: Malcolm O'Malley

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Malcolm O'Malley spent the summer doing research with biomedical engineering professor Jeffrey Saucerman. O’Malley’s research focused on the inflammation response after a heart attack and how it contributes to disease progression including heart failure.

Cardiac Systems Biology Group
Research Fellow: Hudson Burke

Research Fellow: Hudson Burke

Rising fourth-year computer engineering student

Hudson Burke spent the summer doing research with mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Tomonari Furukawa developing a collaborative team of autonomous robots that can perform mapping, disinfection, and repair tasks on Navy ships.

Virginia Cooperative Autonomous Robotics (VICTOR) Lab
Research Fellow: Abbie Frost

Research Fellow: Abbie Frost

Rising second-year chemical engineering student

Abbie Frost spent the summer doing research with associate professor Bryan Berger. Frost’s work aimed to improve solubility and stability of silicatein so the effectiveness, rate of synthesis, and concentration of the silica nanoparticles created in biomineralization increase.

The Berger Lab
Research Fellow: Kangyi Peng

Research Fellow: Kangyi Peng

Rising fourth-year mechanical and aerospace engineering student

Kangyi Peng spent the summer doing research with assistant professor Roger Fittro in the Rotating Machinery and Controls Laboratory. Peng’s research investigated the impact of inertia on squeeze film dampers, the component used in aircraft engines to control vibrations.

Roger Fittro's Faculty Page
Research Fellow: Anna Workman

Research Fellow: Anna Workman

Rising third-year biomedical engineering student

Anna Workman spent the summer doing research with assistant professor Shawn Russell. Workman’s research used motion capture methods to evaluate the gait of rats for informing a model that helps to understand changes in muscle function before and after injury.

The Motion Analysis and Motor Performance Lab
Research Fellow: Zexian He

Research Fellow: Zexian He

Rising fourth-year chemical engineering student

Zexian He spent the summer doing research with William Epling, department chair and Alice M. and Guy A. Wilson Professor of Chemical Engineering. He researched the interaction between sulfur and cerium compounds to improve the effectiveness of three-way catalytic converters.

Environmental Catalysis Lab
Research Fellow: Fady Attia

Research Fellow: Fady Attia

Rising second-year biomedical engineering student

Fady Attia spent the summer doing research with professor Brent A. French. Attia was developing novel and enhanced methods of tissue clearing to create models of the heart that permit detailed microscopy of the structure of the heart muscle.

Brent A. French Faculty Page
Research Fellow: Anna Kittel

Research Fellow: Anna Kittel

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Anna Kittel spent the summer doing research with associate professor of chemical engineering Kyle Lampe. Kittel was researching hydrogels' potential as a method to culture and deliver neural stem cells that would mature into new myelin sheaths after a stroke.

Lampe Biomaterials Group
Research Fellow: Alexi Gladstone

Research Fellow: Alexi Gladstone

Rising third-year computer science student

Alexi Gladstone spent the summer doing research with assistant professor Tariq Iqbal. Gladstone’s research focused on creating large datasets - using a simulator - to develop a model to teach robotic systems how to understand human instructions in real-world settings.

Collaborative Robotics Lab
Research Fellow: Tara Tavakol

Research Fellow: Tara Tavakol

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Tara Tavakol spent the summer doing research with professor Shayn Peirce-Cottler. Tavakol researched idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and specifically cellular interactions to see how their dysfunction – created by scarred lung tissue – correlates with disease progression.

Microvascular Engineering Lab
Research Fellow: Alexandra Cresci

Research Fellow: Alexandra Cresci

Rising fourth-year chemical engineering student

Alexandra Cresci spent the summer doing research with professor of chemical engineering Roseanne Ford. Cresci’s research measured rates at which the Vibrio fischeri microorganism breaks down microplastics in groundwater - in correlation to surface weathering in the discarded plastic.

Ford Group
Research Fellow: Justin Vinh

Research Fellow: Justin Vinh

Rising second-year biomedical engineering student

Justin Vinh spent the summer doing research with assistant professor of biomedical engineering Natasha D. Sheybani. Vinh was researching focused ultrasound, or the use of sound waves to modulate tissues, for noninvasive cancer treatments.

Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center
Research Fellow: Kaitlyn Hixson

Research Fellow: Kaitlyn Hixson

Rising third-year biomedical engineering student

Kaitlyn Hixson spent the summer doing research with Silvia Blemker. Hixson’s research contributed to a better understanding of fibrosis that occurs in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, or DMD, by learning more about collagen’s influence on diaphragm tissue mechanics.

Multiscale Muscle Mechanophysiology Lab
Research Fellow: Esha Tulsian

Research Fellow: Esha Tulsian

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Esha Tulsian spent the summer doing research with assistant professor Sepideh Dolatshahi. Tulsian’s work identified key glycosylation genes - that control post-translational modification of cell proteins through a process called glycosylation - to better understand vaginal infections.

Dolatshahi Systems Immunology Lab
Research Fellow: Andrew Thede

Research Fellow: Andrew Thede

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Andrew Thede spent the summer doing research with associate professor Kyle Lampe. Thede used computer simulations to model folding, bonding, and assembly of peptides to understand how they could be used to create customizable hydrogels.

Lampe Biomaterials Group
Research Fellow: Peyton Johnston

Research Fellow: Peyton Johnston

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Peyton Johnston spent the summer doing research in the laboratory of associate professor Steven Caliari. Johnston’s research used hydrogel biomaterials that mimic normal and fibrotic – or stiff and inflexible – lung tissue to study the environmental influences on fibroblast cell behavior.

The Caliari Lab
Research Fellow: Mary-Jean “MJ” Rowson

Research Fellow: Mary-Jean “MJ” Rowson

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Mary-Jean “MJ” Rowson spent the summer doing research with associate professor of chemical engineering Bryan Berger to build knowledge about the genetic makeup of silicatein that manufactures the nanoparticle silica through a process called biomineralization.

The Berger Lab
Research Fellow: Owen Petito

Research Fellow: Owen Petito

Rising fourth-year mechanical engineering major

Owen Petito spent the summer doing research with assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Chloe Dedic. Petito’s research used high-intensity, ultrashort lasers to study the supersonic combustion environment present in a high-speed airplane engine.

UVA Reacting Flow Laboratory
Research Fellow: Emma Laubengayer

Research Fellow: Emma Laubengayer

Rising third-year materials science and engineering student

Emma Laubengayer spent the summer doing research with AT&T Professor of Engineering Robert G. Kelly to advance computer models that can predict the start of localized corrosion in aluminum – or holes called pitting – from exposure to seawater.

Robert Kelly Research Group
Research Fellow: Mrinaal Lorengo

Research Fellow: Mrinaal Lorengo

Rising fourth-year mechanical engineering student

Mrinaal Lorengo spent the summer doing research with assistant professor of materials science and engineering Ji Ma. Using finite element analysis, Lorengo analyzed lattice structures to explore what features make certain lattice structures more robust.

Ji Ma Faculty Page
Research Fellow: Cole Blackman

Research Fellow: Cole Blackman

Rising third-year computer engineering student

Cole Blackman spent the summer doing research with professor Mircea Stan to work on an application-specific integrated circuit accelerator for neural networks, or computing systems inspired and designed to mimic the human brain.

High-Performance Low-Power Lab
Research Fellow: Maia Jenckes

Research Fellow: Maia Jenckes

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Maia Jenckes spent the summer doing research with associate professor of biomedical engineering Brian Helmke to investigate disruptions in the signals between cells that contribute to cerebral cavernous malformations, or CCM, which causes neurological dysfunction.

Brian Helmke's Faculty Page
Research Fellow: Sejal Ahluwalia

Research Fellow: Sejal Ahluwalia

Rising third-year biomedical engineering student

Sejal Ahluwalia spent the summer doing research with professor Matthew J. Lazzara. Ahluwalia researched a novel treatment for glioblastoma, the most common and lethal brain cancer in adults. The approach is made possible by engineering “suicide genes."

Cell Signaling Engineering Lab
Research Fellow: Saffiata Kamara

Research Fellow: Saffiata Kamara

Rising fourth-year systems engineering student

Saffiata Kamara spent the summer doing research with assistant professor Majid Shafiee-Jood. Kamara developed digital communication and informational tools to assist underserved localities in Virginia get better prepared for flooding events.

About this UVA Initiative
Research Fellow: Rachel Rosner

Research Fellow: Rachel Rosner

Rising third-year chemical engineering major

Rachel Rosner spent the summer doing research with Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Professor in Engineering Elizabeth J. Opila investigating the oxidation resistance of ultra-high temperature ceramics that might be used for the leading edges of hypersonic vehicles.

Opila Research Group
Research Fellow: Matthew Quiram

Research Fellow: Matthew Quiram

Rising third-year mechanical and aerospace engineering student

Matthew Quiram spent the summer doing research with professor Harsha Chelliah in the Reacting Flow Lab. Quiram researched methods to reduce the formation of soot, or carbonaceous nano particulates, in gas-turbine engines.

Reacting Flow Lab
Research Fellow: Harry Li

Research Fellow: Harry Li

Rising third-year computer science student

Harry Li researched computational game theory models to study how machine-learned decisions act in response to various competitor moves and scenarios for more robust solutions – algorithms that more seamlessly adjust to different types of adversaries, some not entirely rational, and still work.

January 26 BME Seminar - Brian Aguado, PhD, UC San Diego
February 9 BME Seminar - Elizabeth Proctor, PhD, Penn State University
February 16 BME Seminar - Chris Highly, PhD, University of Virginia
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Meet the 2022 Undergraduate Research Fellows

Rising fourth-year materials science and engineering student

Rising second-year computer science student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year computer engineering student

Rising second-year chemical engineering student

Rising fourth-year mechanical and aerospace engineering student

Rising third-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year chemical engineering student

Rising second-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising third-year computer science student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year chemical engineering student

Rising second-year biomedical engineering student

Rising third-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year mechanical engineering major

Rising third-year materials science and engineering student

Rising fourth-year mechanical engineering student

Rising third-year computer engineering student

Rising fourth-year biomedical engineering student

Rising third-year biomedical engineering student

Rising fourth-year systems engineering student

Rising third-year chemical engineering major

Rising third-year mechanical and aerospace engineering student

Research Fellow: Harry Li

Rising third-year computer science student

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