2021 ECE Day: Seminars and Student Research Competition

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology held its annual ECE Day event. It hosted research panels, a research seminar, a student research competition, and the ECE faculty met with the ECE Board of Advisors to discuss department updates and strategic planning.
Earlier in the week, 70 students competed in various research presentation categories over two days. They were judged by a panel of ECE faculty and members of the ECE Board of Advisors, and there were a total of 30 student finalists.
âThe day was a huge success,â says Jafar Saniie, chair of the ECE department and Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering. âThe projects were all so impressive, and we are very proud of all the studentsâ hard work and efforts. We look forward to seeing what research next yearâs competition will bring.â
Following faculty-led research panels, the event ended with a research seminar presented to more than 90 attendees by Harris Perlstein Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Yongyi Yang, a recent Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers fellow, entitled âSignal and Image Processing in Tomographic ImagingâA Tutorialâ and an award ceremony announcing the winners of the student competition.
Congratulations to the following winners:
UNDERGRADUATE TEAM CATEGORY
First PlaceâCameron Haley (CPE 4th Year), Anthony Banuelos (CCSE, M.A.S. CYSE 4th Year), Colin Prochnow (CCSE 4th Year), Kamil Kaczmarczyk (CPE 4th Year)ââDecibel Display: A Smart, Alexa Built-in Bluetooth Speaker with a Detailed, Music-Centric GUI for a Richer Listening Experienceâ
First PlaceâMelanie Acelor NâDambani (M.Eng. Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, and Control), Irvin Delgado-Ramirez (CPE 4th Year), Peter Fitzpatrick (CPE 4th Year)ââSmart Lock Home Securityâ
Second PlaceâNeil Dhote (CPE 4th Year), Deep Trapasia (CPE 4th Year), Dominik Chraca (EE 4th Year), Saurabh Saluja (M.S. CPE)ââNeuro+Sleepâ
MASTERâS CATEGORY
First PlaceâXirang Zhang (M.S. EE)ââMotion Compensation in Cardiac SPECT Using Deep Learningâ
First PlaceâMadhusree Mondal (M.S. EE)ââVideo Object Detection Using CenterNet
Second PlaceâJohn Ford (CCSE 4th Year, M.S. CPE)ââPlant Species Image Recognition Using Artificial Intelligence on Jetson Nano Computational Platformâ
PH.D. CATEGORY: Computer Systems, VLSI and Electronics
First PlaceâMuyu Yang (Ph.D. CPE Candidate)ââSecure SRAM Design and Layout in 7nm FinFET Technologyâ
Second PlaceâZi Wang (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââInterparticle Polarization Coupling and Hotspot Dynamics in an Asymmetrical Semiconductor Nanodimerâ
Third PlaceâXin Huang (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââSoftware-Defined Encrypted Video Monitoring Using OFDM Ultrasonic Communication Systemâ
PH.D. CATEGORY: Signal and Image Processing
First PlaceâJunchi Liu (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââDeep Learning with Noise-to-Noise Training for Denoising in SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imagingâ
Second PlaceâZhengyu Xia (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââImproving Semantic Segmentation for Still Images Using Contextual Informationâ
Third PlaceâXinrui Yu (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââRecognizing English Cursive Using Generative Adversarial Networksâ
PH.D. CATEGORY: Networks and Communications
First PlaceâZiru Chen (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââOptimizing Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access in Random Access Networksâ
First PlaceâShuai Zhang (Ph.D. CPE Candidate)ââAccelerating Wireless Network Optimization with Deep Learningâ
Second PlaceâMehri Mehrnia (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââResource Allocation for NOMA-Based mm-Wave Networks with SWIPTâ
PH.D. CATEGORY: Power Systems
First PlaceâSheng Lei (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââEfficient Power System Transient Simulation for Stability Studies Based on Frequency Response Optimized Approximationâ
Second PlaceâJiayu Han (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââLfEdNet: A Task-Based Load Forecasting Modelâ
Third PlaceâBikiran Guha (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââExploring Real-Time Control Strategies to Avoid Transient Cascading Failure in Power Gridsâ
Third PlaceâMingyu Yan (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââBlockchain for Peer-to-Peer Transactive Energy Market in Multi-Microgridsâ
PH.D. CATEGORY: Power Electronics
First PlaceâZiyan Zhang (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââTime-Efficient Modeling of Acoustic Noise in Switched Reluctance Motors: An Analytical Approachâ
Second PlaceâAritra Kundu (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââWBG Fractional Power Processing: A New Design of Hybrid SI-SiC Voltage Source Inverterâ
Third PlaceâZhixi Deng (Ph.D. EE Candidate)ââSmart Plug 2.0: Solid State Smart Plugs Preventing Fire and Shock Hazardsâ
Image: Smart lock home security demo (NâDambani, Delgado-Ramirez, Fitzpatrick)