Faculty News
Awards & Honors:
Dr. Igor Efimov (BME) has been selected to receive the 2021 Distinguished Scientist Award from the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). He will be honored in July, during the HRS annual sessions in Boston. This prestigious award represents recognition from the world's leading authority in the field of heart rhythm disorders and therapy. Only one basic scientist is selected worldwide for the award each year.
Dr. James Lee (MAE) has been invited to give a plenary lecture on his multiscale modeling research at the International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Science. The conference will be held in Dubai in January 2022, and at the conference banquet Dr. Lee will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Research:
Dr. Kausik Sarkar (MAE) has been awarded a $100,000 grant through the National Science Foundation/US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Scholar in Residence program. The grant is for his project “Focused ultrasound and microbubbles for transport of therapeutics across blood brain barrier: A cellular model.” The grant proposes to support his recently graduated student Dr. Jenna Osborn (MAE) for collaborative research between FDA and GW.
Dr. Danmeng Shuai (CEE), along with collaborators at Virginia Tech, has received a grant from the US Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop light-responsive antimicrobial food packaging materials. Specifically, Dr. Shuai and his student will develop dye-sensitized materials. Dr. Shuai is a co-principal investigator on the project. His team received $94,500 in funding for the project.
Publications:
Dr. Amir Aslani (ECE) and his colleague and GW graduate Dr. Mohammadreza Ghahremani have published the following article in the IEEE Transactions on Magnetics: A. Aslani, M. Ghahremani, and L. Bennett, “Martensitic Transformation and Magnetocaloric Effect in Co-Doped Ni–Mn–In Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloy,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 57, No. 2, February 2021.
Dr. David Broniatowski (EMSE), his PhD student Zhenglin Wei, and their co-authors have published the following paper: L. Fraenkel, Z. Wei, C. Ramsey, C. Wiedmeyer, K. Michaud, T. Neogi, W.B. Nowell, S. Venkatachalam, and D.A. Broniatowski, “OPEX: Development of a novel overall patient experience measure to facilitate interpretation of comparison effectiveness studies,” PLoS ONE 16(1): e0245598
Researchers at GW Smart Grid Lab have published a book chapter. The authors are Dr. Payman Dehghanian (ECE), the former visiting scholar Dr. Yunhui Zhang, and PhD student Dr. Shiyuan Wang. The citation is: Y. Zhang, S. Wang, and P. Dehghanian, “Big Data and Machine Learning Analytics for Robust PV Power Forecast in Smart Grids,” in Advanced Technologies for SolarPhotovoltaics Energy Systems, Springer Nature Publishing, 2021, ISBN: 978-3-030-64565-6.
Dr. Michael Keidar (MAE) has published a paper in the high-impact journal Applied Physics Reviews. The paper has also been selected to be featured in the journal. The citation is: L. Lin and M. Keidar, “A Map of Control for Cold Atmospheric Plasma Jets: From Physical Mechanisms to Optimizations,” Applied Physics Reviews, Vol. 8, Issue.
Conferences & Presentations:
Dr. Ekundayo Shittu (EMSE) presented the talk “Examining Black Diaspora Participation in Engineering Using Narrative Inquiry” at ASEE’s Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity (CONECD) conference, which was held virtually, January 25-28. The research, funded by the National Science Foundation, employed a narrative inquiry process to explore the intersectionality of meta-cognition, academic self-efficacy, scholarly reasoning, and identity. Motivated by how the extant literature focuses on social support models with a limited examination of meta-cognition, this research highlights the influence of other social stratifiers on how Black Diaspora graduate students process engineering models. A paper on the topic has also been accepted by the ASEE.
Dr. Jason Zara (BME) and Ms. Annamaria Konya Tannon (GWIC founder and chief evangelist) will present “Incorporating a Global Perspective in the KEEN Mindset” at the KEEN National Conference, which will be held virtually, February 3-5. Their session (3g: KEEN Insights: Unleashing Student Motivation) will take place 12:15 – 1:45 pm.
Other News:
Dr. Lorena Barba (MAE) co-chaired a working group of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), which published its report, “Recommended Practice, RP-31-2021, Reproducibility Badging and Definitions,” on January 28. The NISO Taxonomy, Definitions, and Recognition Badging Scheme Working Group, which began its work more than two years ago, was tasked with developing a standardized badging scheme that can be applied in the publishing process across the computational and computing sciences. Read more in the NISO press release.
Student News
ECE PhD student and member of the GW Smart Grid Lab Mostafa Nazemi is one of eight people worldwide to be selected to receive the 2021 IEEE Industry Application Society (IAS) Award on Electrical Safety through Design Student Initiative. His submission was titled “Powering through Wildfires: An Integrated Solution for Enhanced Safety and Resilience in Power Grids.” Mostafa will present his proposal at the 2021 IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Workshop, which will be held virtually, March 8-11. Being accepted as a recipient is an honor and will provide him with a unique opportunity to participate in the workings that shape the future of our electrical safety culture.
Entrepreneurship News & Events
GW Innovation Center Events
GWIC Spring 2021—We’re OPEN!
Bring your ideas and questions to the Innovation Center. We are here to help you with a range of expertise, from 3D modeling to equitable venture plans and human-centered design.
M06 Virtual Hours
Mondays 6:00 – 7:00 pm (ET) and Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 pm (ET)
GWIC student fellows, Phoenix Price, Isabelle Carney, and Jamie Horowitz, will host virtual office hours to assist in making, design, and social impact project development.
Virtual Mentor Hours with Innovation Center Co-directors
Fridays 12:00 – 1:30 pm (ET): GWIC Founder and SEAS Chief Evangelist, Annamaria Konya Tannon
Thursdays, 1:00 – 2:00 pm (ET): GWIC Co-director, Erica Cusi Wortham
For details and links, please visit the GWIC Events Page and Instagram @gwinnovationcenter.
Deadline to enter GW New Venture Competition: The 2021 GW New Venture Competition (NVC) application is open for any GW student (enrolled in a full degree program) to apply. Applications are due on February 3, at 1:00 pm ET. Watch the NVC video.
GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Events:
New Venture Competition Round 2: Develop & Improve Your Feasibility Analysis
Tuesday, February 9
5:00 – 6:00 pm
Register (A virtual room link will be sent to you later.)
A feasibility analysis is a comprehensive document that contains a startup’s financials, business model canvas, descriptions of the venture and descriptions of the team. The feasibility analysis is a critical part of the New Venture Competition Round 2 submission. This workshop will help teams develop this document based on the track they are competing in.
Easy Financials for Startups Workshop
Guest Speaker: Andrew Levy
Tuesday, February 16
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Register (A virtual room link will be sent to you later.)
Entrepreneurs need to understand that financial projections are important for raising capital and gauging the timing of when follow-on investment may be needed, and also to acknowledge the founder’s responsibility to be accountable to that plan. Join us for an engaging workshop that will help student entrepreneurs and other innovators learn how to not only understand what it means to put together a startup's financial projections but also how to present this data in a way that will help you land more investments and teach you the value of running your company by the numbers!
Introduction to Lean Innovation Session
Friday, February 19
1:00 – 3:30 pm
Register (A virtual room link will be sent to you later.)
Do you hope to solve a global problem, start a new business, develop a new product, or simply have an idea? We’re inviting the entire GW community to attend a half-day introductory workshop to learn how savvy innovators start the process. This workshop is offered the third Friday of each month.
Business Model Canvas Workshop
Monday, February 22
5:00 – 6:00 pm
Register (A virtual room link will be sent to you later.)
Originally created by Alex Osterwalder, the Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a strategic management and entrepreneurial tool. Join us for an interactive, virtual workshop that will help students through a brief overview of the BMC, along with details about the nine key elements of a startup venture.
External Events
GW Undergraduate Series: “The First Moon Landing: A History in Artifacts”
Tuesday, February 2
2:30 – 3:30 pm
Register (Students must register in advance using their GW email address. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.)
The material legacy of the Apollo program is immense. Thousands of artifacts from rocket engines to spacesuits to the ephemera of life aboard a spacecraft are represented in the Smithsonian’s collections. In this presentation, Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony, curator of the Apollo collection at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, reassesses the history of the Moon landing through the most evocative objects of the Space Age. Dr. Rachel Riedner, associate dean of undergraduate studies, will moderate the discussion. This session is part of the GW Undergraduate Series, “Can't Get to DC Museums, Historical Sites, and Political Institutions? We will bring them to you!”
WOWTALKS:
The WOWTALK (What’s Our Work) Series brings together colleagues and students from disciplines associated with GW's Science and Engineering Hall—and related fields—to present new research and share ideas. These short talks (15 minutes each) are designed to introduce members of the GW community to current and exciting research projects, to initiate discussion, collaborate, share expertise, and promote research performed in the SEH and at GW. Students are welcome to attend. All WOWTALK sessions will be held via Zoom.
WOWTALK XX
Wednesday, February 3
4:00 pm
Join on Zoom
Speakers:
David Costanza, Organizational Sciences - Almost everything you think you know about generations is wrong
Tianshu Li, Civil and Environmental Engineering - Modeling-driven discovery: From ice nucleation to quantum materials
Joe Meisel, Chemistry - Synthesis of Molecular Pockets for Applications in Biology and Medicine
WOWTALK XXI
Wednesday, March 3
4:00 pm
Zoom link will be made available later
Speakers:
Zhenyu Li - Biomedical Engineering
Dale Lupu - The End of the Story Matters: Implementing supportive (palliative) care for people with kidney disease
Mark Reeves - Physics
WOWTALK XXII
Wednesday, April 7
4:00 pm
Zoom link will be made available later
Speakers:
Dwight Kravitz - Psychological and Brain Sciences
David Nagel - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Diana Pardo Pedraza - Anthropology
GW Career Center Events & Services:
Virtual coaching appointments available: Make your appointment with Dr. Merrill, the STEM industry coach. If you need tips on the virtual job search or virtual Interviewing or would like to work on your career strategy, spruce up your resume, or land an internship, make a virtual coaching appointment with her in Handshake or email her for more information.
Technical interview preparation: If you have a technical interview coming up, sign-up for the new technical interview slots in Handshake! See tips for technical interviews in Handshake Article # 18641, Technical Interview Tips.
Conference and Career Fair Prep Boot Camp I
Tuesday, February 9 | 12:00 – 1:30 pm | RSVP
Conference and Career Fair Prep Boot Camp II
Thursday, February 11 | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | RSVP
At this interactive event, students can have their resumes reviewed, as well as their Handshake, LinkedIn and GW Career Connect profiles. You will also have an opportunity to develop and practice your “pitches,” and there will be a brief overview of professional branding, networking, and employment prospects.