What
The finals of two annual graduate research competitions at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI): the Graduate Research Innovation Exchange (GRIE) and i3: Investing in Ideas with Impact.
GRIE is a poster event that showcases the work of graduate students engaged in research. On Dec. 10, more than 210 master's and PhD candidates displayed posters about their research for the WPI community at an all-day celebration; judges selected 63 students working in business and social science, engineering, life sciences and bioengineering, and science as finalists. Those students will present updated posters for a team of judges and compete for cash awards.
i3 is a pitch competition that encourages graduate researchers to think like entrepreneurs. Students competed in elimination rounds organized by WPI's academic departments and programs and the winners moved on to semifinal competitions run by the deans of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Business. The contest will conclude with presentations by 11 finalists before a panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders who will serve as judges. The finalists will make three-minutes pitches about their innovations without the aid of visuals. Two cash prizes will be awarded: for best concept and best presentation.
Who
The afternoon will begin with the finalists from the GRIE competition, who will be available with their posters to talk about their research and answer questions. Afterward, these i3 finalists will make their pitches:
Arts and Sciences
Adrian Boteanu, PhD candidate, Computer Science: "Similarity Reasoning Using Semantic Networks"
Lindsay Lozeau, PhD candidate, Biology and Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering: "Collagen-Tethered Peptides: The Proactive Fight against Wound Infection"
Mingrui Wie, PhD candidate, Computer Science: "From Outlier to Insight: Interactive Big Data Analytic"
Business
Todd Alexander, PhD candidate, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Biomolecular Engineering: "Improving Patient Outcomes Using Antimicrobial Peptides"
Yun Lin, MS candidate: “Exploring Provider Effects in Patient Portal Use Data”
Engineering
Inigo Anza, PhD candidate, Materials Science and Engineering: "Aluminum Nanocomposites for Automotive Applications"
Aaron Birt, PhD candidate, Materials Science and Engineering: "Laser-Assisted Cold Spray: A Million Dollar Proposition"
Heather Cirka, PhD candidate, Biomedical Engineering: "Controlled in Vitro Models for Calcific Aortic Valve Disease"
Hajar Jafferji, PhD candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering: "Mitigating Corrosion in Concrete Structures Using Bioactive Agents and Lightweight Aggregate"
Morteza Khaleghi Meybodi, PhD candidate, Mechanical Engineering: "Toward the Development of Quantitative Diagnostic Tools for In-vivo Imaging of the Human Ear"
Sam Neu, PhD candidate, Mechanical Engineering: "Enhancing Heat Transfer with Dielectrophoresis"
When
Monday, April 13, 2015:
• 1-3 p.m.: GRIE final poster presentation and judging
• 3-5 p.m.: i3 final presentations and judging
• 5 p.m.: Awards ceremony and reception
Where
Rubin Campus Center, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, Mass.
