Pendse, Emdadi Take 2nd and 3rd Place at ResearchFest 2010

ResearchFest

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) graduate students Pushkar Pendse and Laleh Emdadi took second and third place, respectively, at the 2010 ReserchFest.

Pendse, advised by Assistant Professor Jeffery Klauda (ChBE), was awarded second place for his poster and presentation, "Probing Sugar Transport through Lactose Permease of E. coli using Molecular Simulations," which described the use of a hybrid simulation approach used to create a model for the outward-facing state of LacY. Pendse conducts his research in Klauda's Laboratory of Molecular & Thermodynamic Modeling.

Emdadi, advised by Professor Kyu Yong Choi (ChBE), won third place for "Dispersion Polymerization at Low Temperature: A Route to Encapsulate Biologically-Active Materials," which described the use of Redox-initiated dispersion polymerization, SEM, Gel Permeation Chromatography (MW characterization) for the Synthesis of monodisperse polymer particles at room temperature. Emdadi conducts her research in Choi's Polymer Reaction Engineering Laboratory.

First place was awarded to Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) graduate student Jane Cornett, advised by Assistant Professor Oded Rabin, for "Thermoelectric Figure of Merit Calculations for Nanowires–Moderate Confinement Regime."

ResearchFest is an annual event that highlights the best undergraduate and graduate-level research from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE). It allows students to share their work in a fun, casual setting with faculty, staff and students from their own and other departments. The event is sponsored by all three departments, and features guest judges, prizes, and a reception.

ResearchFest 2010 was organized by graduate students Neville Fernandes (BioE), Shilpa Nargund (ChBE), and Richard Suchoski (MSE). This year's judges were Dr. Ivan Lee (Army Research Laboratory) and Dr. F. Joseph Schork (Professor and Chair, ChBE).

Participants are judged on the quality of their oral presentations, quality and clarity of their hypothesis; originality; methods and analysis; presentation of data, supporting material and conclusions; and the significance or potential impact of their work.

For more information and photos from the event, visit the ResearchFest homepage »

Published February 22, 2010