Graduate Student of the Month
The Carl R. Ice College of Engineering recognizes one outstanding graduate student from each department during the academic year. This program was established to enhance graduate student recognition and development. Students are nominated each month by their department heads.
January 2023 recognitions
Byron Arnold, M.S., architectural engineering
Arnold’s research is focused on analyzing common designs in structures to reduce excess material use and lower the embodied carbon. His work centers on breaking down common designs that are the typical solve-all for a set of criteria. Confirming whether this is an unnecessary overdesign and removing the excess would reduce costs, construction material lead times, labor and the overall embodied carbon the building. Arnold is from Liberty, Missouri, and his hobbies include watching sports, spending time with family and friends, and exploring places of interest. His favorite food is pizza, and his bucket list includes moving to another city.
Laura Krueger, Ph.D., biological and agricultural engineering
Krueger’s research focuses on monitoring, mechanistic modeling and prediction of harmful algal blooms, or HABs, and their associated cyanotoxins at Marion Reservoir. Water quality data is collected onsite at Marion Reservoir using continuous in-lake monitoring sensors and laboratory water analysis. Through collaborations with project team members, this project will aim to integrate modeling approaches to characterize and provide a prediction framework for cyanobacterial HABs in reservoir systems. Krueger is from Lebo, Kansas, and her hobbies include exploring nature, landscape photography, crafting and baking. Her favorite food is freshly baked cookies with ice cream, and her bucket list includes a road trip in Iceland to see the northern lights, chasing waterfalls and exploring ice caves.
Mohamad Mahmoud, Ph.D., chemical engineering
Mahmoud’s research focuses on protein nanoengineering, turning self-assembling proteins into highly ordered functional biomaterials. Specifically, ordered amphiphilic protein self-assembly on surfaces and interfaces for biomedical coatings applications and self-assembled (2D/3D) functional protein lattices for nano-catalysis applications. Mahmoud is from Lebanon, and his hobbies include cooking and choral music performance. His favorite foods are Indian and southeast Asian cuisine, and his top bucket list item is to visit and experience the cultures of India, Thailand and Indonesia.
Seongmin Yang, Ph.D., civil engineering
Yang’s research focuses on environmental microbiology and biotechnology, specifically, examining mechanisms and control of greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. He is from South Korea, and his top hobby is tennis. His favorite things to eat are spicy foods and fried chicken, and his top bucket list item is to travel the entire world.
Yousef Alghamdi, Ph.D., computer science
Alghamdi’s research focuses on image encryption, cyber-physical systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and security. Traditional encryption algorithms are not suitable and computationally efficient for encrypting multimedia data due to the large size and high redundancy inherent in multimedia data. His research aims to develop lightweight image encryption algorithms without compromising the security, quality and efficiency metrics. Alghamdi is from Saudi Arabia, and his hobbies include motorcycle riding, fishing and hunting. His favorite food is kabsa, and his top bucket list item is to visit ancient Greece and Rome.
Mohammad Abujubbeh, Ph.D., electrical engineering
Abujubbeh’s research focuses on smart grid optimization and control. His research focuses on developing novel stochastic geometry frameworks that help utilities in monitoring applications like quantifying the impact of consumer technologies on system parameters such as voltage and power loss. The computational efficiency of these approaches can be leveraged to quickly determine the maximum allowable penetration level of distributed energy resources and electric vehicles after which system efficiency decays. Abujubbeh is from Amman, Jordan, and his favorite hobbies include fitness, pool/snooker and cooking. His favorite food is sushi, and his top bucket list item is to see the northern lights.
Shiseido Robinson, M.S., industrial and manufacturing systems engineering
Robinson’s research focuses on additive manufacturing of two-dimensional-based materials and devices for various application. Her work explores this field and its potential in manufacturing and fabricating devices. Robinson is from New York, and her hobbies include listening to music, watching sports and hanging out at Coney Island and Fire Island with her family during the summer. Her favorite cuisines are Caribbean and Italian, and her top bucket list items are to take a hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia and attend the Monaco Grand Prix.
Luke Stegeman, Ph.D., mechanical and nuclear engineering
Stegeman’s research focuses on high-energy charged particle transport and radiation protection for astronauts. His research aims to develop a radiation transport code to simultaneously account for couple active (electromagnetic) and passive (traditional) shielding distributions. He’s interested in applications that advance human space travel and optimize astronaut mission risk profiles. Stegeman is from Manhattan, Kansas, and his favorite hobbies include football, exercise, chess and quality time with friends. His favorite food is chicken risotto, and his top bucket list item is to send something into space.