Four Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) faculty members have been recognized this year by the Institute with teaching and research awards.
ECE Professor Christopher Rozell, research assistant Sankaraleengam Alagapan, Assistant Professor Daniel Molzahn, and Professor Emmanouil (Manos) M. Tentzeris were each honored for their achievements at the Faculty and Staff Honors Luncheon on April 26, 2024.
Rozell and Alagapan won the Georgia Tech Chapter Sigma Xi Awards Best Faculty Paper Award , along with Biomedical Engineering associate professor Shu Jia, for their research that identified a crucial biomarker that helps tracks recovery from the most severe forms of depression.
The study, published in the journal Nature, is a crucial step toward using objective data collected directly from the brain via a deep brain stimulation (DBS) device to inform clinicians about the patient’s response to treatment. This information can help guide adjustments to DBS therapy, tailoring it to each patient’s unique response and optimizing their treatment outcomes.
Christopher Rozell
Sankaraleengam Alagapan
Tentzeris won the Outstanding Achievement in Research Innovation Award for his numerous research projects, many dealing with the sustainability of computing.
These include but are not limited to:
- A proposal for the first wireless network (5G)-enabled “Wireless Power Grid,” which would eliminate the need for disposable batteries in high-powered wireless modules.
- The implementation of a truly biodegradable 3D-printed wireless Internet of Things modules, is a big step in eliminating e-waste.
- The creation of the first ever fully printed low-cost insect pheromone wireless sensor for early detection of crop infestations and saving millions of dollars in lost crops.
The Wireless Power Gird was one of the Nature Scientific Reports’ top performing papers this year, amassing over 124,000 views in under a year, and was highlighted by a number of mainstream media outlets, including The Economist and Yahoo.
Tentzeris with Chaouki Abdallah, Executive Vice President for Research
Molzahn won multiple awards, taking home the Junior Faculty Teaching Award and the Class of 1940 W. Roane Beard Outstanding Teacher Award, given to a faculty member that displays extraordinary efforts in teaching, inspiration transmitted to students, and impact on post graduate success of students.
He’s been instrumental in providing practical, hands-on education to ECE students on the transition to clean, efficient, and resilient energy systems, helping to prepare the next generation of electric power engineers. Recently, his students presented a project that optimally locates missile defenses to protect the Ukrainian power grid to staffers from Georgia's congressional delegation.
It’s a philosophy that has been well-received by his students, having gotten either perfect or nearly perfect scores on the Course Instructor Opinion Survey in all the courses he’s taught.
Click here for the full list of this year’s award winners.
Molzahn with Laurence Jacobs, Senior Vice Provost for Education and Learning
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