Wenli Yang has been awarded the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Outstanding Dissertation Award for her doctoral thesis on Low Temperature Synthesis Sapphire or Ruby and their Applications. Her materials engineering research proposes to find a cost-effective way to produce industry applicable sapphires and rubies. Sapphires can become anti-reflective coating in a solar cell or a thin lens coating, while rubies can be applied as a stress sensor for electronics.
Kamyar Ahmadi, also a doctoral student, won first place in the 2019 Spring Poster Competition on March 29. Hosted by the UH Electrochemical Society student chapter, the competition was held in the Cullen College of Engineering building, and welcomed undergraduate and graduate engineering students from University of Houston and Rice University to showcase their research to industry experts, faculty, and students. The judging panel was made up of industry members from the Electrochemical Society. Both Wenli Yang and Kamyar Ahmadi are supervised by Dr. Francisco Robles, associate professor of mechanical engineering in the UH College of Technology, and Dr. Brankovic, professor of electrical engineering in the UH Cullen College of Engineering.