Graduate Student of the Month

Kabenge’s research focuses on precision irrigation, specifically, Bayesian distributional evaluation of irrigation management strategies for optimizing multi-metric performance and development of an AI-assisted dashboard for TAPS farmer competitors. Kabenge is from Kampala, Uganda, and his hobbies include soccer and skiing. His favorite food is barbecue chicken, and his top bucket list item is to travel to every continent and try out their foods.

Rodny’s research applies density functional theory to model CrSBr’s electronic and magnetic properties for use as a pinning layer in field-free Spin Orbit Torque MRAM systems. He explores the effect of dopants to identify both contamination risks and bandgap engineering opportunities, supporting the development of scalable, non-volatile, low-energy memory systems. Rodny is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and his hobbies include skiing, running, biking and hiking. His favorite foods are sushi and tacos, and his top bucket list items are to ski Arlberg and travel to Japan.

Swope’s research focuses on arrested anaerobic digestion of swine wastewater and fats, oils and greases (FOG) for the production of volatile fatty acids. Volatile fatty acids have a variety of uses in pharmaceuticals, food, chemicals and cosmetics. Swope is from Olathe, Kansas, and their hobbies include music, video games, trivia and skateboarding. Their favorite food is Mexican food, and their top bucket list item is to visit Ireland with family.

Ghorbani’s research focuses on trustworthy AI, with an emphasis on understanding and improving the reliability of deep learning models. Her work studies how models make decisions and how their internal representations respond to unexpected or challenging inputs. Ultimately, her goal is to design robust and transparent AI systems that can be trusted in real-world applications. Ghorbani is from Iran, and her hobbies include hiking, traveling and camping. Her favorite food is kebab, and her top bucket list items are to go skydiving and experience space travel.

Liu’s research focuses on cyber-physical security in power systems, with an emphasis on false data injection attacks against state estimation. He develops data-driven methods to generate and analyze stealthy attacks and evaluate their impact under both traditional and machine-learning-based detection frameworks. Liu is from China, and his top hobby is playing video games. His favorite food is sandwiches, and his top bucket list item is to enjoy delicious food.

Jamaati’s research centers on understanding laser-induced phase change in semiconductor materials through high-fidelity numerical modeling. He uses these physics-based insights to inform advanced laser manufacturing strategies for photovoltaic and photonic devices. His work addresses applications such as laser scribing and waveguide writing in silicon, linking simulation predictions to experimental observables and device performance. Jamaati is from Iran, and his hobbies include hiking, going on trips and cooking. His favorite food is ghormeh sabzi, and his top bucket list item is to write his own book someday.

Bourman’s research focuses on developing novel simulation capabilities and a physical high temperature test bed for Micro-Pocket Fission detectors bound for high-temp Gen IV nuclear reactors. Bourman is from Bonner Springs, Kansas, and his hobbies include choral music, mountain biking and cooking. His favorite foods are red beans and Daifuku mochi, and his top bucket list item is to become a beekeeper.