The ECE Graduate Student Association at NC State organized the annual research symposium on March 21st, 2016. Around 25 ECE graduate students from different specializations presented their research. The symposium was well attended by graduate and undergraduate students. Top three presenters selected by the judges were awarded prizes at the end of the symposium. Islam Sayed won the first place, Samir Hazra won the second place and Binbin Yang was awarded the third place. Awards and certificates were handed to the winners by the DGP Dr. Michael Devetsikiotis.
Sayed’s winning presentation, titled “Challenges and NCSU Progress Towards Achieving 50% Solar Cell Efficiency” discusses how “multi-junction solar cells are the most efficient solar cells ever developed with demonstrated efficiencies above 45%. This work describes several potential paths towards next-generation solar cell devices.” Sayed’s work was advised on by Dr. Salah Bedair.
Hazra, in second place and advised by Dr. Subhashish Bhattacharya, presentated on “Wave Energy Conversion with Induction Generator and Small Power Converter”, focusing on ocean waves and tidal currents as sources of energy with a squirrel-cage induction generator.
In third place, Yang presented on the “Systematic Design of Optimal Planar MIMO Antennas using Characteristic Mode Theory,” designed to solve the problem of ever-decreasing sizes of devices with MIMO antennas, requiring a more efficient method of antenna design. Yang was advised by Dr. Jacob J. Adams in this project.