2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

1. Alana Teresa Smith University of Massachusetts Lowell [biography]

   Alana Smith is a first-year PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell studying Mechanical Engineering and a research assistant in the BUilding REsilience through Knowledge (BUREK) Lab. Her research is focused on resilient systems in the renewable energy and agri-food sector. Using life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and process modeling, Alana is working on finding environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable solutions to energy and food security problems facing the world today. She uses handprint methodology to measure the effectiveness of positive changes to the business-as-usual case and encourage positive change in individuals, communities, and organizations

2. Emi Aoki University of Massachusetts Lowell [biography]

   Emi Aoki is a PhD student in Electrical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her past research experience has been in data analysis and augmented reality application. Her research interests include stochastic modeling and machine learning.

3. Mrs. Mahsa Ghandi University of Massachusetts Lowell [biography]

   Mahsa Ghandi (she/her/hers) is PhD student of Industrial Engineering at University of Massachusetts Lowell. She is working on developing an early design environmental and cost assessment decision support tools to increase the affordability and implementation of resilient buildings in BUilding REsilience through Knowledge (BUREK) Lab. Additionally, part of her research focuses on mitigating impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and economic risks during natural hazards such as flooding and hurricanes by enhancing sustainability, resilience of commercial and residential constructures.

4. Prof. Jasmina Burek http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0186-9149 University of Massachusetts Lowell [biography]

   Dr. Jasmina Burek (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and Principal Investigator at BUilding REsilience through Knowledge (BUREK) Lab. Her research focuses on sustainability and resilience engineering. She develops decision-making models to measure and minimize environmental, social, and economic impacts (footprint assessment) of products, materials, buildings using life cycle assessment (LCA). She has over 15 years of LCA method application in areas of buildings, energy, and product supply chains. At UML, she is moving towards the research in resilient buildings and developing LCA method to account for it.

5. Prof. Charles Thompson Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Lowell [biography]

   Charles Thompson is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Director of the Center for Advanced Computation and Telecommunications and formerly Associate to the Dean for Research and Graduate Study at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from New York University, a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of NewYork, and a Ph.D. in Acoustics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

   Upon graduation he became an Assistant Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 1987 he joined the Department Electrical and Computer Engineering at UMASS Lowell as its Analog Devices Career Development Professor. Dr. Thompson has served on the executive boards of the Cooperative Research Fellowship program of Bell Laboratories (1991-1999) and the AT&T Labs Fellowship Program (1996-2006).

   At Bell Laboratories Dr. Thompson created with the Vice President of Research and Nobel laureate, Arno Penizas, the W. Lincoln Hawkins Mentoring Excellence Award (1994). This award is given to a member of the research staff for fostering the career growth of Bell Labs students and associates. This award is Research’s highest honor for mentoring contributions. In 1998, AT&T Labs instituted a similar award named for Dr. Thompson.

   Charles Thompson is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Director of the Center for Advanced Computation and Telecommunications and formerly Associate to the Dean for Research and Graduate Study at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from New York University, a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of NewYork, and a Ph.D. in Acoustics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

   Upon graduation he became an Assistant Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 1987 he joined the Department Electrical and Computer Engineering at UMASS Lowell as its Analog Devices Career Development Professor. Dr. Thompson has served on the executive boards of the Cooperative Research Fellowship program of Bell Laboratories (1991-1999) and the AT&T Labs Fellowship Program (1996-2006).

   At Bell Laboratories Dr. Thompson created with the Vice President of Research and Nobel laureate, Arno Penizas, the W. Lincoln Hawkins Mentoring Excellence Award (1994). This award is given to a member of the research staff for fostering the career growth of Bell Labs students and associates. This award is Research’s highest honor for mentoring contributions. In 1998, AT&T Labs instituted a similar award named for Dr. Thompson.

   His awards include the US Presidential Award for Excellence in Mentoring; Tau Beta Pi Eminent Engineer; James E. Blackwell Scholar; AT&T Bell Laboratories Cooperative Research Fellowship. He is cited in Who’s Who among African Americans, Education, and Technology Today; American Men and Women of Science, West Babylon Alumni Hall of Fame; He is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and cited for his fundamental contributions to theoretical and computational acoustics. He is senior member of IEEE, and a member of the American Physical Society and Sigma Xi. He has published reesearch in acoustics, control theory, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, linear and nonlinear systems, and telecommunications.

6. Prof. Kavitha Chandra University of Massachusetts Lowell [biography]

   Kavitha Chandra is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Francis College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She directs the Research, Academics and Mentoring Pathways (RAMP) to Success summer bridge and academic program for new engineering students, preparing them with research, communication and leadership skills. Her research interests are in computational and data-driven modeling of physical systems in acoustics and communication networks, model-based systems engineering, user-centric design of emerging technology and engineering education.

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