College of Engineering's Torgersen Award winners announced

The Virginia Tech College of Engineering Graduate Student Committee held the 2010 Paul E. Torgersen Graduate Student Research Excellence Awards March 17 at the ICTAS (Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science) building.

In its 20th year, the annual competition showcases the top research performed by graduating master’s and doctoral students from the College of Engineering. Winners were as follows:

Master of Science Oral Presentations

• First: Daniel Cooper of Pittsylvania County, Va., biomedical engineering and sciences, “Noninvasive Acoustic Detection of Coronary Artery Disease.” Adviser:Pavlos Vlachos .
• Second: Liguang Xie of Chaozhou, China, computer science , “Realistic Motion Estimation Using Accelerometers.” Adviser: Yong Cao .
• Third: Fadel Megahed of Cairo, Egypt, industrial and systems engineering , “Toward the Utilization of Machine Vision Systems as an Integral Component of Industrial Quality Monitoring Systems.” Adviser: Jaime Camelio .

Ph.D. Oral Presentations

• First: Paulo Garcia of Cali, Colombia, biomedical engineering and science, “Treatment of Intracranial Disorders Using Electrical Pulses.” Adviser: Rafael Davalos.
• Second: Andrew Kemper of Germantown, Tenn., biomedical engineering and sciences, “The Influence of Arm Position on Thoracic Response in Side Impacts.” Adviser: Warren Hardy .
• Third: Hadi Shafiee of Abadeh, Iran, engineering science and mechanics (http://www.esm.vt.edu/), “Cancer Cells Detection Using Their Electrical Signatures.” Adviser: Rafael Davalos.

Master of Science Poster Presentations

• First: Vignesh Vivekraja of Chennai, India, electrical and computer engineering
• Second: Ismail Zohdy of Cairo, Egypt, civil and environmental engineering
• Third: Sarah Lapp of Marietta, Ga., biomedical engineering and sciences

Ph.D. Poster Presentations

• First: Robyn Shaffer of Oak Ridge, Tenn., biomedical engineering and sciences
• Second: Arnold Boedihardjo of Fairfax, Va., computer science
• Third: Sai Shrinivas Sreedharan of Pune City, India, mechanical engineering

The awards program was named after Paul Torgersen, dean of the College of Engineering from 1970 to 1990, and president of Virginia Tech from 1993 until 2000.

The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is internationally recognized for its excellence in 14 engineering disciplines and computer science. The college’s 6,000 undergraduates benefit from an innovative curriculum that provides a “hands-on, minds-on” approach to engineering education, complementing classroom instruction with two unique design-and-build facilities and a strong Cooperative Education Program. With more than 50 research centers and numerous laboratories, the college offers its 2,000 graduate students opportunities in advanced fields of study such as biomedical engineering, state-of-the-art microelectronics, and nanotechnology. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

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