Graduate Student of the Month

Silvestre-Castillo’s research focuses on self-healing and self-sensing concrete. She is producing an extensive overview of current research on various types of smart concrete and their applications. Silvestre-Castillo is from Kansas City, Kansas, and her hobbies include watercolor, reading and recreational soccer. Her favorite food is flautas, and her top bucket list item is to make mole from scratch.

Dua’s research focuses on developing automated tools for rapid analysis of remotely sensed data in phenotyping and precision agriculture. These tools aim to replace manual processes, analyses, reduce decision-making time and provide accessible automated solutions for breeders, farmers and stakeholders, integrating GIS, remote sensing and data science expertise. Dua is from Ludhiana, India, and her hobbies include reading and writing, singing and exploring new places. Her favorite foods are naan, butter chicken and pasta, and her bucket list includes traveling the world, especially Paris, and buying her own house.

Legg’s research focuses on formal methods while working out of the Specification, Analysis and Transformation of Software Laboratory. He is creating tools for high-assurance systems like vehicles and medical devices. Legg is from Lenexa, Kansas, and his hobbies include hiking and music. His favorite food is caramel, and his top bucket list item is to visit Denali National Park.

Thompson’s research focuses on embedded firmware design and signal processing techniques for radar systems used in height measurement for agricultural applications. Additionally, he designs hardware and firmware for low-power, wireless sensors to be deployed in greenhouses and fields that measure various environmental quantities such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 and VOC content. Thompson is from north-central Kansas, and his hobbies include film photography and amateur radio. His favorite food is pizza, and his top bucket list item is to see the Northern Lights.

During his internships at Michelin/Camso and Goodyear, Pershall applied engineering management techniques and critical path analyses while collaborating with cross-functional teams to upgrade maintenance systems. Pershall is from Topeka, Kansas, and his hobbies include road tripping, hiking and reading. His favorite food is red cabbage, and his top bucket list item is to visit all 50 states before the age of 35.