The Graduate School has named the doctoral finishing fellows for the spring 2018 semester. The winners of the fellowship are Gemechis D. Degaga (Chemistry), Aref Majdara (Electrical Engineering), Chaofeng Wang (Electrical Engineering), Gorkem Asilioglu (Computer Science), Meng Tang (Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics), John “Moose” Henderson (Forest Science), Zhaoxiang Jin (Computer Science) and Kishan Bellur (Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics).
Degaga’s research concerns coordinative polymers as part of researches ongoing in Dr. Loredana Valenzano’s research group. He has published three papers from his research and has given both oral and poster presentations at local and international conferences. For Degaga, the finishing fellowship will help him “to focus on writing my dissertation and complete it in a timely manner.”
Majdara’s research concerns the development of computationally efficient algorithms for non-parametric high-dimensional density estimation, which can be useful for data mining and machine learning methods. Commenting on the importance of the award, he said the “fellowship has made it possible for me to put my entire focus on publishing my research and completing my thesis, towards completion of my PhD degree this semester.”
For Wang, who works in the area of statistical learning for underwater acoustic communications, Michigan Tech provided him the chance to “learn how to solve problems and overcome challenges, which can benefit both my personal development and future career.”
Asilioglu works in the area of computer architecture with recent focus on dynamic dependency collapsing. Speaking about studies at Michigan Tech, Asilioglu said, “At Tech, I had the opportunity to work on many interesting research problems in defining and exploiting dependent parallelism in code as well as publish my design and results in the top conference in my field [ISCA].”
Tang’s research forms part of the ongoing work in the Combustion Vessel Laboratory with focus on “conducting experimental research on the spray and combustion of alternative fuels using automotive injectors.” He also remarked, “During my studies at Tech, I was able to connect to Aramco Research Center-Detroit through their summer program for research opportunities on numerical model development based on the experimental studies conducted at the Combustion Vessel Laboratory.”
Returning to school after 27 years as a laboratory scientist, Henderson saw himself as the oldest among his cohorts. Education, for him, must be linked to practical social problems. When he finishes his graduate studies, he expects to “use my degree in conjunction with my wildlife photography to help educate about the plight of animals, conservation, and the environment through presentations, teaching at nature centers, and books. I plan to head to Yellowstone to work on my fifth book and then back to Russia in 2019 to complete my sixth book.”
Jin left his industrial career as an ASIC engineer for an academic life because “I prefer a life with new adventures and learning new technologies” and the fellowship will help him finish in time. For Bellur, who researches rocket fuel management in space, “There is no doubt that the support provided will someday result in ‘a giant leap for mankind.’”
According to Michigan Tech’s Graduate School, the Finishing Fellowships aims at assisting PhD candidates nearing the completion of their studies usually during the final semesters of research. Funding for the fellowship comes from donation by some alumni and friends of the University as a recognition of outstanding PhD candidates in need of financial assistance in order to complete their degrees in reasonable time. Each year, the Graduate School funds up to ten fellowships with awards between $2,000 and full support (stipend + tuition). Award winners may relinquish other job commitments such as Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Graduate Research Assistantship during their tenure as fellows.
