Three undergrads earn awards at college’s annual research forum

More than two dozen students presented their research at the ninth annual Undergraduate Research Forum for Engineering and Architecture on March 28 in Thompson Library.

Hosted by Ohio State’s College of Engineering, Knowlton School of Architecture and Tau Beta Pi, the event welcomed students from all engineering and architecture disciplines to share their research, regardless of the stage of progress. Projects ranging from the early planning phases to nearly completed senior theses were on display.

Faculty members, graduate students and industry partners judged the forum, providing feedback on the undergraduates’ posters and presentations. The judges recognized three students for their exemplary research and presentation skills.

First place went to electrical and computer engineering student John Brothers for his project, “A High Efficiency High Power Density Bidirectional DC-DC Converter for Battery Energy Storage.” His advisor is Jin Wang.

Tied for second place was chemical engineering student Benjamin Rudzinski for his work on “Synergistic Heteroatom Doping of Carbon-based Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acidic Medium” and mechanical engineering student Cameron Spicer for his research, “Development of an Augmented Reality Testing Platform for Collaborative Robots.” Their advisors are Umit Ozkan and Haijun Su, respectively.

In addition to showcasing the work of undergraduate researchers from across the college, the forum provides engineering and architecture students an opportunity to practice their research presentation skills ahead of the university’s annual Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Forum. These undergraduate experiences give students the opportunity to specialize in a specific area of interest, connect with faculty, and prepare for graduate school or a career in research and development.