The Council of Engineering Graduate Students (CEGS) hosted its second annual Graduate Engineering Research Showcase (GERS) in October. The event, held in the Shelby Center’s courtyards, promoted engineering scholarship, professionalism and interdisciplinary research, and provided an opportunity to introduce new graduate students to the culture of engineering graduate programs.

Nearly 120 students from all engineering disciplines presented their work to 50 faculty judges, and the first place prize of $1,000 was awarded to Hamed Ghaednia in mechanical engineering for his research entitled, “The Effect of Nanoparticle Additives in the Elasto-hydrodynamic Lubrication Regime.” Second and third place prizes were awarded to chemical engineering student Shaima Nahreen and aerospace engineering student Timothy Fahringer, respectively. Departmental awards were also presented to 10 other students for their research.

Jennifer Duggan, a chemical engineering doctoral candidate and one of six graduate engineering leaders for CEGS, has been involved with several other graduate engineering initiatives across campus, but says the GERS is important because it helps students work on their communication skills.

“We’ve built this program to be professional and to foster the importance of engineering and communication,” says Duggan. “It also gives students and faculty the opportunity to learn about what is happening in other departments.”

Student’s participating in the showcase were asked to produce a poster representing their personal research. During the event, presenters answered questions and received comments from attendees and judges. Each poster was evaluated on a set of criteria by three judges, and scores were compiled and normalized.

Duggan and her fellow engineering leaders were pleased with this year’s attendance and hope to continue growing the program in years to come.

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