Highlights
Our students at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at Stony Brook University are often recognized for scholarly achievements, their work on research projects, and their involvement in organizations, competitions, and other community-oriented activities.
Their accomplishments are featured in Stony Brook University News, as well as on all of our CEAS social media venues.
Here we share recent highlights of student life on the Stony Brook University campus and beyond, and the ways in which are students are making a difference.
Three Doctoral Students Receive Catacosinos Fellowship for Excellence in Computer Science
In May 2025, three doctoral students in the Department of Computer Science received the Catacosinos Fellowship for Excellence in Computer Science. After a rigorous selection process, students Maryam Rostamipoor, Prerna Khanna, and Weimin Lyu were awarded the fellowships in recognition of their contributions to the field of computer science.
2025 Northeast Biomedical Engineering Conference
Stony Brook University's Biomedical Engineering students attended the 2025 Northeast Biomedical Engineering Conference (NEBEC 2025). This years 51st conference of NEBEC was held at NYU School of Engineering in NYC. The program featured a diverse lineup of keynotes, multiple sessions of cutting edge research topics in BME areas, and excellent posters including senior design competitions.
Edwin Tan and His Team Win $10,000 Grant from L’SPACE
Congratulations to Edwin Tan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, on receiving a $10,000 grant to support his team's project proposal for NASA’s L’SPACE training program. This year-long program, which began in August 2024, tasks Edwin and his team with developing a fully operational prototype for evaluation by NASA, with the potential of it being used in the future.
Computing Society Wins at HackHarvard 2024 with Healthcare Innovation
The Stony Brook Computing Society (SBCS) developed an innovative app at HackHarvard 2024: Hack 4 Impact Unlocking the Potential of Tech, a hackathon held from October 11-13 at Harvard University. The team of four SBCS members and computer science majors — sophomore Jamie Calub, senior Ritesh Chavan, junior Sean Erfan and senior Amir Hamza — competed against more than 600 students from around the world and claimed the “Best Healthcare” award for their groundbreaking app, Flexy (and I Know It).
CIEES Helped Launch Cade Thompson’s Career in Advanced Materials Research
Cade Thompson, a graduating master’s student in materials science at Stony Brook University, first joined the Center for Integrated Electric Energy Systems (CIEES) as an undergraduate research aide through a Vertically Integrated Project team, gaining hands-on experience with advanced tools like Electron Microscopy. His continued work with CIEES through graduate school not only honed his technical skills and professional network, but also secured him a prestigious position at Knolls Atomic Power Lab/Naval Nuclear Lab. Thompson credits the mentorship, professional connections, and unique opportunities provided by CIEES, including overcoming project challenges and nearing his first publication, as pivotal to his academic and career success.
IEEE Attends 2025 Long Island Micromouse Competition
Students from IEEE represented Stony Brook University at the 2025 Long Island Micromouse Competition. Micromouse is an event where students design and build miniature autonomous robots that race to the center of the maze. Teams also had the opportunity to show off the design of their robots through presentations made to the judges. These students placed 2nd in the Micromouse competition, 1st and 3rd for Best Presentation, and 1st in the Mouse Track. Lead organizer, Sass, granted IEEE $250 for their success in the Mouse Track event and for future Micromouse ventures.
SBU Brings Home Third Gold Medal at iGEM Competition
Congratulations to Stony Brook University’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team for bringing home their third gold medal from the iGEM Giant Jamboree. They were one of 16 U.S. collegiate teams to earn a gold medal. The team was made up of students with a wide range of majors including computer science and electrical and computer engineering. They were co-advised by Professor Gabor Balazsi in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
SoMAS, CBC Celebrate Student Mural Artist Norah Allam
Norah Allam completed her lifelike octopus mural painting in the Endeavor Hall lobby. Allam had first expressed an interest in creating art to help and inspire others, all in between tackling a challenging double major as an sophomore studying BME and applied mathematics and statistics (AMS), with a minor in art. Professor Chan explained that this type of endeavor fits in perfectly with the types of ‘STEAM’ (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) initiatives she is continuously promoting and collaborating on. Be sure to stop by to see this masterpiece.
Rachel Leong Achieves at Eindhoven Semiconductor Summer School
We are thrilled to congratulate Rachel Leong, a master's student in our Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for her impresive achievement at the Eindhoven Semiconductor Summeer School (ESSS), hosted by the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e) in the Netherlands. She was awarded 2nd Best Student Project.
Ciara Woellhof Shares Thoughts About BMES Conference in Baltimore
In October, students and faculty from Stony Brook University attended the Biomedical Engineering Society’s (BMES) conference at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland to present their research. Ciara Woellhof presented her research on chest protection devices to prevent commotio cordis, a condition which occurs when an adolescent experiences an impact to the chest. This potentially fatal condition can occur in situations like little league baseball hockey, and similar sports. Ciara said, “I hope that my research may eventually help to improve chest protection devices for a decreased risk of commotio cordis.” In addition to Ciara who represented Professor Qin's lab, students represented Professor Bluestein's and Professor Chan's lab, along with BME faculty. “We had a great time learning about new research in various fields of Biomedical Engineering. It was truly a pleasure to attend,” she said.