Salman Bin Inayat, a student who has almost completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering (pictured below with Prof. Suzana Nunes and Associate Provost Brain Moran), took first prize in the 2012 Dow Sustainability and Innovation Student Challenge last week. A total of 28 graduate students from eight programs competed for the US$10,000 prize, which can be used entirely at the student’s discretion. The US$2,500 runner up award went to Mahmoud Ouda who is also pursuing his doctorate in Electrical Engineering, although the winning ideas were quite different.
These awards recognize and reward students for their research in developing sustainable solutions to pressing global economic, social, and environmental issues. The award encourages innovative thinking, economic and social responsibility, academic excellence, and interdisciplinary collaboration and seeks to acknowledge the commitment and enthusiasm of the dedicated students and universities that support such efforts.
Inayat’s winning entry was entitled, “Thermoelectricity from windows for energy efficient buildings” and Ouda’s, “RF energy harvesting chip for biomedical implantable wireless sensor.”
“This award has strengthened my belief in ‘daring to dream,’” said Inayat. “The unexplored frontiers in science can be conquered if you focus on the big picture, confident that your idea can make a contribution to the world, and not allowing intermediate failures to distract you.”
Further details of the awardees and their winning research can be read in the November issue of The Beacon.