2024 CEPS Student Research and Grad Preview Day

On Wednesday, October 30th, the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences hosted Student Research Day alongside Grad Preview Day in Peter Clark Hall. The events showcased the innovative research of CEPS graduate and undergraduate students and provided prospective students with the opportunity to explore CEPS graduate programs, and network with faculty and staff.

Both events were attended by students, staff, and faculty from all departments, including Dr. Moncef Nehdi, Dean of CEPS, and Dr. Monica Cojocaru, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, who gave welcoming remarks.

Grad Preview Day welcomed 85-100 prospective students who visited CEPS graduate program booths hosted by program faculty and staff in key disciplines of Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics and Statistics.

“Attending the Grad Preview Day was an enriching experience for me. Before the fair, I wasn’t entirely sure what my options were for graduate studies, but my conversations with the representatives from the Data Science master’s program really opened my eyes,” said Natalie Kowalyshyn, a fourth-year student in neuroscience. “They explained how data science intersects with research, which helped me see how I could apply my background to this exciting field and shaped my thoughts on potential career paths.” 

Nearly 30 students competed in poster presentations, with three graduate students and one undergraduate student winning the competition.

• Negar Sabouhanian, pursuing a PhD in Chemistry, advisors Dr. Jacek Lipkowski and Dr. Aicheng Chen, won 1st place $500. Her research on Electrochemical and in situ FTIR Studies of CO2 Reduction at Bismuth-based Catalysts demonstrates potential for industrial applications as it can integrate renewable energies as power sources. They create bimetallic bismuth (Bi) catalysts using a simple, cost-effective method for electrochemical CO2 reduction. 
• Jonathan Quintal, pursuing a PhD in Chemistry, advisor Dr. Aicheng Chen, won 2nd place $250. His research is on the Substrate-Assisted Atomic Dispersion of Cobalt for Alkaline Water Electrolysis, in collaboration with Dr. De-tong Jiang in the Department of Physics. This project, related to renewable energy storage, uses high intensity X-rays generated at the Canadian Light Source to map the cobalt atom site. In doing so, they pioneered a technique to distinguish between similarly scattering atoms that has not been done before in this field.
• Malvika Sharma and Kyle Robertson, pursuing a PhD in Biological Engineering and MASc in Biological Engineering respectively, advisor Dr. Guneet Kaur, won 3rd place $100. Their research is on the Valorization of Agri-Food Residues into Vegan Leather and Packaging Material Using Fungi. This material has the capability to be used as an animal-based, petroleum-based leather, as well as food packaging alternatives. This provides a versatile manufacturing platform with potential as biomaterials.
• William Berecz, pursuing a BSc in Chemistry, advisor Dr. Jennifer Murphy, won the undergraduate certificate for his research on Amine Coordinated Cyanometallates for Carbon Capture. The research uses amine functionalized cyanometallate coordination complexes to selectively capture CO2 from the atmosphere and release it for storage underground. The materials are reusable, inexpensive, and easy to synthesize while also demonstrating good thermal stability and CO2 affinity.

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all participants for showcasing cutting-edge research!