Twenty Students Inducted into the 2024-2025 Excellence in ECE Honor Roll

Sergei Akhmatdinob

Service: Participated in graduate recruitment efforts including the ECE Graduate Student Council and BudEEs, organized events and tours, built a community for PhD students specializing in Embedded Systems, and supported the MI-G chapter of Tau Beta Pi.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Robert Dick
Research Specialization: Embedded Systems

Sydney Assalita

Service: Participated in recruitment efforts, supported the Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering group, and engaged with the ECE Graduate Student Council to foster a supportive community for students.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Raj Nadakuditi
Research Specialization: Signal and Image Processing and Machine Learning

Hanyu Bai

Service: Contributed to the weekly snack hour by assisting with shopping, setup, and cleanup, and volunteered to meet incoming Ph.D. students to share experiences and insights.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Ziyou Song
Research Specialization: Power & Energy

Veronica Contreras

Service: Led community-building efforts within the Women in ECE (WECE) student organization by organizing inclusive events; fostered meaningful connections and support networks among undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD students in ECE.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Louise Willingale
Research Specialization: Laser-Plasma Interactions

Peter Crary

Service: Contributed to both the engineering graduate gala’s planning and the ECE visit day by welcoming applicants and aiding in creating a successful outreach event.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: David Wentzloff
Research Specialization: Integrated Circuits and VLSI

Julia Gersey

Service: Fostered an inclusive and welcoming environment for prospective ECE graduate students at the University of Michigan by participating in panels, leading tours, engaging with prospective students, volunteering at workshops, and regularly attending department events.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Pei Zhang
Research Specialization: Embedded Systems

Kellen Kanarios

Service: Established and hosted the Reinforcement Learning Seminar, featuring speakers from various universities
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Lei Ying
Research Specialization: Reinforcement Learning

Joyce Lai

Service: Led the BuddEEs peer mentoring program, co-organized community-building and informative events, and initiated ECE Town Halls to foster dialogue between students and department leadership about new policies.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Peter Seiler
Research Specialization: Control Systems

Katja Law

Service: Fostered an inclusive and welcoming environment for current and prospective ECE undergraduate students at the University of Michigan by participating on panels ranging from ENGR 100 to ECE Campus Days
Degree Program: Bachelor’s (Electrical Engineering)

John Le

Service: Organized and hosted the RADLAB Graduate Student Seminars to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Anthony Grbic
Research Specialization: Applied Electromagnetics

Amaya Murguia

Service: Organized and hosted events for the Women in ECE (WECE) group to build community among undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students in the department.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Jeff Fessler and Jon-Fredrik Nielsen
Research Specialization: Signal and Image Processing and Machine Learning

Sharath Nagella

Service: Organized the weekly ECE GSC coffee hour, supporting PhD orientation activities, and helping to plan and execute GSC-led events to foster an inclusive and supportive graduate student community.
Degree Program: Master’s
Research Specialization: Power & Energy

Satyam Patel

Service: Led ECE GSC events, assisted with the PhD visit weekend, and served as Co-President of the ECE Graduate Student Council, helping to foster an inclusive and supportive environment.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Becky Peterson
Research Specialization: Solid State Devices and Nanotechnologies: UWBG devices

Andre Quimper Osores

Service: Led ECE’s inaugural participation in MITRE’s Embedded Systems Security Competition by organizing and managing a large independent study group, securing faculty sponsorship, and guiding students to create a supportive community for all participants.
Degree Program: Bachelor’s (Computer Engineering)

Kimberly Rice

Service: Organized events and initiatives to foster community among the LNF User Committee, including giving lab tours to new cleanroom users and participating on the 2024 LNF Grad Student Panel.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Khalil Najafi
Research Specialization: MEMS and Microsystems

Bradley Schultz

Service: Engaged with numerous students and visiting speakers and contributed to the department by serving as a student representative on the search committee for the new ECE department chair.
Degree Program: Master’s
Research Specialization: Embedded Systems

Akash Shetty

Service: Organized ECE Grad Coffee/Snack hours to foster an inclusive and supportive graduate student community.
Degree Program: Master’s

Somya Valecha

Service: Organized and hosted the Women in Leadership Conference to promote inclusivity and leadership among over 60 participants, and by advocating for women in STEM during SWE’s Congressional Outreach Trip to Washington, DC

Degree Program: Bachelor’s (Computer Engineering)

Madelyn Veurink

Service: Served as the BuddEEs Chair for the 2024–2025 academic year; supported incoming PhD students by pairing them with senior mentors and organizing monthly BuddEEs events; served on the ECE Graduate Student Committee planning snack hours and social events.
Degree Program: PhD
Advisor: Jeffrey Scruggs and Heath Hofmann
Research Specialization: Control Systems / Power & Energy

Priyasini Vilayan

Service: Supported the ECE community as a peer mentor by leading small-group sessions and individual meetings to assist students with study strategies, course planning, and more; worked to make the ECE experience more welcoming.

Degree Program: Bachelor’s (dual Computer Engineering + Electrical Engineering)