On Aug. 24 classes began at UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. It was the first opportunity for face-to-face collaboration in over a year. Faculty and students got together in the Link Lab to catch-up and share progress on cyber-physical systems research. From humorous robots, to climate resilience through crowdsourced data, to robotic surgery and even self-powering hardware for IoT, peers and faculty were excited to share ideas while contemplating the important work that will happen in the upcoming year.

"It was very refreshing to see the students in person and learn about their research during the poster session," said Tariq Iqbal, assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Systems and Environment. "It was also an excellent opportunity for the students to present their work in front of their peers, particularly for the new graduate students who joined their programs during the pandemic."

“During the pandemic we were all challenged to grow and adapt under difficult circumstances and it was extremely rewarding to see and share the culmination of that persistence during the poster presentations," said computer engineering Ph.D. student Haley Green. “This was the first time that I was able to meet several of my Link Lab peers in person and present my research to Dean West.”

“It has been great being able to see friends, fellow students, and faculty again in person. Even though it's been a long time, seeing each other again feels like we haven't missed a beat,” said Jacob Nelson, civil engineering Ph.D. student and researcher in Jonathan L. Goodall’s Hydroinformatics Group. “It's also motivating to be surrounded by such fun and talented people, and reminds me that we are in this together - whether it be in our research or schooling pursuits, or in our efforts to combat the virus.”

Here are a few pictures taken during the session:

  • Robot in Link Lab - poster presentation

    Kiran, a robot that wants to help in medical settings, says hello to Dean West. Kiran is featured in “Designing Adaptive Humanoid Robots for Pain Management in Children,” a poster by student researchers Sudhir Shenoy, Yusheng Jiang, Lauren Manuel, Anjalie Chauhan and Tyler Lynch. All are members of the Human-AI Technology Lab which is headed up by Afsaneh Doryab, assistant professor of engineering systems and environment and computer science.

  • Aidong Zhang and Kay Hutchinson - Link Lab Poster Presentations

    Aidong Zhang, William Wulf Faculty Fellow and interim chair of the Department of Computer Science with joint appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Data Science, attended the poster session. Zhang talks with electrical engineering Ph.D. student Kay Hutchinson who presented “Analysis of Executional and Procedural Errors in Dry-lab Robotic Surgery Experiments.” 

  • Link Lab Poster Session

    Electrical engineering Ph.D. student Xinjian Liu speaks with Benton Calhoun, professor of electrical and computer engineering.

  • Mohammad Samin Yasar and Brian Park - Posters Link Lab presentation

    Computer engineering Ph.D. student Mohammad Samin Yasar presents his research on human-robot collaborations to Brian Park, professor of engineering systems and environment.

  • Haley Green and Dean West - Link Lab Poster Presentations

    Dean West discusses “iSpy a Humorous Robot: Evaluating the Perceptions of Humor Types in a Robot Partner” with presenter Haley Green, a computer engineering Ph.D. student.

  • Tushar Routh - Link Lab Poster Presentations

    Tushar Routh, electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. student, presents his research in low power sensors.