Robotics Revolution
Ready or not, robots are preparing to take more active roles in our everyday lives.
Since arriving at Watson College, I’ve had the honor of working closely with our exceptional faculty and staff to enhance the student experience and maintain our growth in enrollment and research.
We are so proud that Forbes magazine named Binghamton University as a top “Public Ivy” (and the #1 SUNY school), along with similar accolades from U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal. The reputation of Binghamton and Watson is growing.
Two longtime faculty members have assumed additional duties to meet our ambitious goals.
Last fall, Professor Kartik Gopalan (School of Computing) was named the interim associate dean for research, corporate engagement and entrepreneurship. He is driving new initiatives for research programs with corporate partners, including the MITRE Corporation, BAE Systems and General Electric.
Also, Distinguished Professor Hiroki Sayama (School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering) is executive assistant dean for graduate studies, forging new pathways to Binghamton with other universities and strengthening existing ties, especially in India. We want students who come to Watson to feel welcome and supported, with opportunities for high-impact internships and hands-on research.
Because learning should be a lifelong process, another Watson initiative will make it easier for working professionals to attain graduate degrees, both in-person and virtually. We also want to transition our certificate programs into microcredentials, offering more in-depth curricula and increased value in the workplace.
In this issue of the Watson Review, find out about our robotics research and the artificial intelligence behind those innovations. We also highlight undergraduate research and just a few projects under faculty mentorship.
Additionally, we look at how students are reshaping the Binghamton region by volunteering at nonprofits, organizing donations for those less fortunate and teaching youths about STEM topics.
Two entrepreneurial alumni share their stories. Balki Iyer, MS ’00, SD ’19, has a new venture called Bridge Green Upcycle that extracts critical minerals from old lithium-ion batteries. Jacob Kumpon ’22 and his partners founded KLAW Industries while he was still an undergraduate. KLAW’s process turns recycled glass into a powder that makes concrete stronger.
I have enjoyed meeting with students, faculty, staff and alumni to hear ideas about how to make Watson College stronger, and I look forward to continuing those discussions in the months and years ahead.
Atul Kelkar Dean, Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science
THOMAS J. WATSON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE
DEAN
Atul Kelkar
SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND ADMINISTRATION
Peter J. Partell, MA ’97, PhD ’99
INTERIM ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH, CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Kartik Gopalan
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT DEAN FOR GRADUATE STUDIES
Hiroki Sayama
SENIOR ASSISTANT DEAN FOR FINANCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES
Lisa Gallagher ’89, MBA ’92
SENIOR ASSISTANT DEAN FOR STRATEGY AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Elizabeth Kradjian
ASSISTANT DEAN OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Deborah Howell
ASSISTANT DEAN, ACADEMIC DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE
Carmen Jones
WATSON ANNUAL REPORT
EDITOR
Chris Kocher
ART DIRECTOR
Burt Myers
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jonathan Cohen
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
Greg Delviscio
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES
Gerald Hovancik Jr.
COPY EDITORS
Natalie Blando-George Eric Coker
Scott Sasina
ON THE COVER
PhD students Zainab Altaweel, left, and Yohei Hayamizu work in Associate Professor Shiqi Zhang's lab at Watson College's School of Computing, where they are learning how to control two new humanoid robots.
Volume 16 Spring 2025
Underwater robots are just one aspect of the robotics research at Watson College.
2 Robot revolution
Watson professors explore ways to improve our lives on land, in the sea and in the air
8 Being the change
Students give back through volunteering and teaching the next generation of STEM
12
Inquiring minds
Watson undergraduates aren’t waiting to take part in important research
17
Year one
Dean Atul Kelkar reflects on his first year at Watson College and what he sees ahead
20 New life for batteries
Bridge Green Upcycle is the latest business venture from Balki Iyer, MS ’00, SD ’19
22 Crushing It
KLAW Industries, co-founded by Jacob Kumpon ’22, turns discarded glass into a concrete additive
ROBOT
Assistant Professor Monika Roznere conducts experiments with underwater robots during trips to a research center in Barbados.
REVOLUTION
Researchers develop new helpmates and the AI that shapes their behavior
By Chris Kocher
ver since The Jetsons and similar futuristic visions, we’ve imagined working side by side with robots to help with everyday tasks. Thanks to advances in technology and artificial intelligence, that day is closer than ever — and Watson College researchers are at the forefront of those innovations. Here are just a few examples of what they’re working on.
‘Cobots’ for manufacturing
As the manufacturing sector is upgrading to Industry 4.0 — which utilizes advances such as artificial intelligence, smart systems, virtualization, machine learning and the internet of things — Associate Professor Christopher Greene, MS ’98, PhD ’01, from the School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering researches collaborative robotics, or “cobots,” as part of his larger goal of continual process improvement.
“In layman’s terms,” he says, “it’s about trying to make everybody’s life easier.”
Most automated robots on assembly lines are programmed to perform just a few repetitive tasks, with no sensors intended for working side by side with humans. Some functions require pressure pads or light curtains for limited interactivity, but those are added separately.
Through the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE), Greene has led projects for factories that make electronic modules using surface-mount technology, as well as done research for automated pharmacies that sort and ship medications for patients who fill their prescriptions by mail. He also works on cloud robotics, which allows users to control robots from anywhere in the world.
Human workers are prone to human errors, but robots can perform tasks thousands of times in the exact same way, such as gluing a piece onto a product with the precise amount of pressure required to make it stick firmly without breaking it. They also can be more accurate when it matters most.
Humans are required to program and maintain the automated equipment.
“Assembling pill vials with the right quantities is done in an automated factory,” Greene says. “Cobots are separating the pills, they’re putting them in bottles, they’re attaching labels and putting the caps on them. They’re putting it into whatever packaging there is, and it’s going straight to the mail. All these steps have to be correct, or people die. A human being can get distracted, pick up the wrong pill vial or put it in the wrong package. If you correctly program a cobot to pick up that pill bottle, scan it and put it in a package, that cobot will never make a mistake.”
The rise in robots’ abilities and usefulness, he adds, will lead to shifts in the labor force.
“Everybody’s always asking, ‘Is it going to put people out of a job?’ I tell my students, ‘Not if you learn how to be the one who programs or maintains the cobot,’” he says. “The cobot is going to break down because, over time, that’s just what happens to machinery, and it can’t fix itself.”
Helping humans and robots work together
If humans and robots are going to get along well, they need a common language, or they must at least share common ground about problem-solving.
Shiqi Zhang, an associate professor at the School of Computing, studies the intersection of AI and robotics, and he especially wants to ensure that service robots work smoothly alongside humans in collaborative environments.
There’s just one problem — and it’s a big one: “Robots and humans don’t work well with each other right now,” he says. “They don’t trust each other.
Humans don’t know what robots can do, and robots have no idea about the role of humans.”
In his research group, Zhang and his students focus on everyday scenarios — such as homes, hospitals, airports and shopping centers — with three primary themes: robot decisionmaking, human/robot interaction and robot task-motion planning. Zhang uses language and graphics to show how the AI makes decisions and why humans should trust those decisions.
“AI’s robot system is not transparent,” he says. “When the robot is trying to do something, humans have no idea how it makes the decision. Sometimes humans are too optimistic
about robots, and sometimes it’s the other way round — so one way or the other, it’s not a good ecosystem for a human/robot team.”
One question for software and hardware designers improving AI/ human collaborations is how much information needs to be shared to optimize productivity. There should be enough so humans can make informed decisions, but not so much they are overwhelmed with unnecessary information.
Zhang is experimenting with augmented reality (AR), which allows users to perceive the real world overlaid with computer-generated information. Unlike the entirely computer-generated
“ Because these robots are closely working with people, safety becomes a huge issue. How do we make sure the robot is close enough to provide services but keeping its distance to follow social norms and be safe?”
—Shiqi Zhang
Among the projects at Associate Professor Shiqi Zhang’s lab is programming a robot guide dog to assist the visually impaired. Here, PhD student David DeFazio and undergraduate Eisuke Hirota test a robot responding to tugs on its leash.
“Because these robots are closely working with people, safety becomes a huge issue,” Zhang says. “How do we make sure the robot is close enough to provide services but keep ing its distance to follow social norms and be safe? There is no standard way to enable this kind of communication. Humans talk to each other in natural language, and we use gestures and nonverbal cues, but how do we get robots to understand?”
‘Bugs’ on the ocean
Diving under the sea
For Assistant Professor Monika Roznere ’18, developing robots for underwater environments brings unique challenges. Seeing beneath the surface is different than above it — GPS and Bluetooth don’t work and transmitting any signal to exchange information can be tricky.
The good news, she says, is that many avenues to possible solutions are unexplored, offering the potential for truly groundbreaking research.
Futurists predict that more than 1 trillion autonomous nodes will be integrated into all human activities by 2035 as part of the “internet of things.” Soon, pretty much any object — big or small — will feed information to a central database without the need for human involvement.
Making this idea tricky is that 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, and aquatic environments pose critical environmental and logistical issues. To consider these challenges, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has started a program called the Ocean of Things.
As part of that initiative, Professor Seokheun “Sean” Choi, Assistant Professor Anwar Elhadad, PhD ’24, and PhD student Yang “Lexi” Gao from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering developed a self-powered “bug” that can skim across the water, and they hope it will revolutionize aquatic robotics.
Over the past decade, Choi has received research funding from the Office of Naval Research to develop bacteria-powered biobatteries that have a possible 100-year shelf life.
Professor Seokheun “Sean” Choi and his students designed a robotic “bug” that can skim across the ocean.
The new aquatic robots use similar technology because it is more reliable than solar, kinetic or thermal energy systems under adverse conditions.
“When the environment is favorable for the bacteria, they become vegetative cells and generate power,” Choi says, “but when the conditions are not favorable — for example, it’s really cold or the nutrients are not available — they go back to spores. In that way, we can extend the operational life.”
The research showed power generation close to 1 milliwatt, which is enough to operate the robot’s mechanical movement and any sensors that could track environmental data such as water temperature, pollution levels, the movements of commercial vessels and aircraft, and the behaviors of aquatic animals.
The next step in refining these aquatic robots is testing which bacteria will be best for producing energy under stressful ocean conditions.
“We used very common bacterial cells, but we need to study further to know what is actually living in those areas of the ocean,” Choi says.
While a computer science undergraduate at Watson, Roznere worked on computer vision with Distinguished Professor Lijun Yin. At the same time, her older sister was earning a PhD in ecology at a university in Ohio and needed to get scuba certified as part of her research on mussels. Roznere decided that sounded like fun and took a scuba class at Binghamton.
Her career path took a turn when pursuing her PhD at Dartmouth College: A professor asked her if she wanted to join his underwater robotics lab.
“He said, ‘Are you scuba certified? Do you want to dive with robots?’ I was like, ‘Yeah!’” Roznere says with a laugh. “That’s when I changed my focus from computer graphics — I’m going to swim with robots!”
A few tools can help robots get around under the sea. Thanks to war films set on military submarines, most of us know about sonar, which sends out audible “pings” and listens for echoes to calculate the distance and direction of objects around it. However, a high-end sonar system can cost up to $30,000, won’t give a full image of what it detects, doesn’t render colors and can be noisy because of the mechanics required. Cameras work, of course — but the deeper underwater a robot goes, the less sunlight reaches down there.
An eye in the sky
Thanks to improved technology and reduced cost, more robots have taken to the skies over the past 20 years — and drones are more than just a fun hobby.
Assistant Professor Jayson Boubin from the School of Computing uses that bird’s-eye view to find and analyze issues on the ground, including invasive species and landmines. To aid his research, he develops AI software that integrates the latest advances in edge computing.
is essential to keep onboard the drone and what can be transmitted elsewhere for processing and storage. Other complicating factors are latency (how long it takes for a signal to transmit to “base” and return with further instructions) and what to do in rural areas without adequate cell coverage.
“That’s the thesis of my research area — making UAVs as smart as possible within those very real and complicated constraints,” he says.
Also, because light wavelengths degrade differently when they hit the water, everything looks blue and green.
“My research is about being creative with the lower-cost options that we have — a simple camera and a simple sonar,” Roznere says. “How good can we get compared to high-end sensors? Can we create an algorithm that helps the robot figure out something is 5 meters away? What does it look like in my camera view?”
Her underwater focus has its perks — including trips to tropical Barbados to field-test the latest innovations — and she enjoys working with colleagues from multidisciplinary backgrounds as they try to solve problems from a variety of angles.
“A researcher once told me that if you are trying to hire a roboticist for a very challenging problem, get a marine roboticist, because they’ve already overcome all these difficult challenges,” Roznere says. “How do you make a car autonomous in a snowy environment where you can’t see the road and there are snowflakes everywhere? That’s me! I get sediment floating around and fish flying in front of the cameras because I have lights, and they love lights.”
“What is intelligence? What makes a machine smart?” he asks. “For me, intelligence is all about perception, understanding and decision-making. The smartest people we know are the ones who can understand their environments, understand the problems they’re trying to solve and then solve them with incisive decision-making. I try to make my drones do that.”
The challenge is accomplishing this level of autonomy given the limited weight, processing power and battery life of drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs. Boubin’s solution is to determine where tasks fit on the edge/cloud continuum — in other words, figuring out what data
With funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Boubin explores two main areas where drones can make a difference. One is ecology and agriculture, with UAVs providing overall views of forests or farmers’ fields. By looking for anomalies, drones can spot insidious insect pests such as the spotted lanternfly (which harms trees and vineyards), the brown marmorated stink bug (which attacks various fruits and vegetables) and the Japanese beetle (which strips leaves on soybean plants).
He also focuses on locating landmines and other unexploded ordnance in former war zones, which also could find the remains of combatants who are missing in action. Later this year, he hopes to conduct experiments with replica (nonexplosive) landmines at one of the University’s soccer fields.
Projects like these are more appealing to him than programming drones for leisure activities or warfare: “I like to have drones solve problems that I think have significance and that fulfill me when I attempt to solve them.”
But do we really need that robot?
SSIE Assistant Professor Stephanie Tulk Jesso researches the interactions between humans and technology as well as more general ideas of humancentered design — in short, asking people what they want from a product, rather than just forcing them to use something unsuitable for the task.
Assistant Professor Stephanie Tulk Jesso (with Pepper) thinks we need to think through what we expect from robots.
researches how to solve the problems unique to underwater robots.
“ I like to have drones solve problems that I think have significance and that fulfill me when I attempt to solve them.”
—Jayson Boubin
As an example, she points to one of her past projects to mitigate fall risks in hospital settings. Could robots take patients to the bathroom and free up time for human staff? Research showed that nurses — who are primarily the ones who escort patients to the bathroom — didn’t want that because of the nuanced human needs during that particular care.
“A roboticist wants to build a robot. An AI scientist wants to build AI,” she says. “I can say, ‘Oh, that’s a bad idea — let’s not.’”
One big problem: We project human qualities onto robots that look like us, even though they perceive and evaluate the world very differently. Then when they do something we don’t predict or fail to meet our expectations, we are disappointed — or, worse, companies continue to
use them despite their inadequacies because of the money already spent to purchase them.
Another thing holding back robotics, Tulk Jesso believes, is Moravec’s paradox, an AI theory proposed in the 1980s by computer scientist Hans Moravec. He observed that mimicking higher-level thinking — playing chess, doing math or writing essays — is inherently easier for AI than innate skills like perception and motor functions that have been finely honed through evolutionary natural selection over millions of years.
In everyday environments outside of a highly controlled lab, “a 3-yearold child can navigate, pick up objects and arrange things on a table much better than the most sophisticated robot in the world right now,” she says.
Circling back to healthcare, Tulk Jesso thinks there are tasks that robots could do successfully. They could fetch items for their human coworkers or help patients in isolation rooms, allowing nurses to focus on patient care without spending extra time and energy to put on personal protective equipment every time someone has a low-level needs such as an extra pillow or blanket.
“I do think there are opportunities where robots really could do something helpful,” she says. “But we as a society need to temper all of this unchecked enthusiasm and methodically evaluate what this technology is even capable of. Otherwise, in five years we’re not going to use robots — or when we see them, everybody’s going to groan and be like, ‘Great, there’s another stupid robot.’”
Beingthechange
Beingthechange
Watson students give back through volunteering
By Katelyn Pothakul ’26
By volunteering outside of the classroom, Watson College students are learning lessons far beyond their curriculum — and leaving a lasting impact in their communities.
Through academic programs like the Watson College Scholars (WCSP) and mission-driven campus organizations like Girls Who Code (GWC) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), students spend their evenings and weekends volunteering at nearby nonprofits, animal shelters and elementary schools.
“I have always enjoyed doing volunteer work, but coming to college, it can sometimes be hard to dedicate time to volunteering,” says Katherine Peters, a senior in the Watson College Scholars Program majoring in biomedical engineering. “So when the WCSP emphasized the importance of giving back to the community, I took this opportunity to find local organizations to work with.”
Founded to support students from historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities to pursue opportunities in engineering and computer science, the WCSP is
built upon pillars like mentorship and community service. Throughout their time at Binghamton, scholars are encouraged to engage in outreach projects that have personal significance.
After moving downtown for her junior year, Peters wanted to incorporate the nearby Broome County Public Library into her work. Peters frequently visited the library to study, where she noted the installation of a grab-and-go “period pantry” distributing free feminine hygiene products on a no-questions-asked basis.
“The library was initiating a diaper drive, too, and was very grateful for any help,” she says.
Peters
“I was happy to bring these drives to the Binghamton campus with my Watson Scholars team members to support an organization that aids so many in the community. It was rewarding to encourage Binghamton students and staff to support a meaningful cause that directly benefits the local area.”
For Gianni Zaccarelli, a first-year student studying computer science, getting involved with the local branch of Habitat for Humanity through Binghamton University’s Center for Civic Engagement allowed him to test his abilities. In addition to helping provide housing for families in need, working at sites around Broome County and learning construction skills from more experienced volunteers have given Zaccarelli a literal hands-on challenge.
“Although there were a lot of smaller reasons why I started volunteering, such as a résumébuilder and it being fulfilling work, the main reason was just that it felt wrong for me not to,” Zaccarelli says. “I didn’t like the idea that anything I did at college had to directly benefit me, and I definitely felt a responsibility to just be doing something. I picked Habitat purely because it looked like the most difficult one.”
Building the future of STEM
Students like Laura Cunningham ’24, a graduate student studying electrical engineering through the 4+1 program, leverage their own proficiency in STEM to help others.
As a chapter of the national organization, Binghamton’s GWC club bridges the gender gap in technology and engineering fields by teaching basic programming skills to middle and high school girls from the Binghamton area. As a lead instructor, Cunningham works behind the scenes alongside GWC’s leadership team to prepare lessons each week — covering everything from coding languages to web design and development.
“Coming off of my high school computer science experiences and remembering how male-dominated my classes and projects were, I was really inspired by the GWC mission,” says Cunningham, who first joined GWC as a sophomore. “I wanted to be a part of something bigger and have a direct impact on the Binghamton community I was now a part of, and helping girls and nonbinary students be more confident and ambitious in STEM fields that I had come to love so much really seemed like a special way to do that.”
“ I wanted to be a part of something bigger and have a direct impact on the Binghamton community..."
—Laura Cunningham
Girls Who Code instructor Laura Cunningham ’24, right, helps 12-year-old student Laney Bubel from Apalachin, N.Y., during a GWC class.
Building a thriving community of women in STEM from the ground up has accomplished exactly that. Last semester, the GWC team celebrated its largest graduating class with about 70 students.
“The very best thing about GWC is definitely the young students themselves,” Cunningham says. “They are so bright, so motivated to learn, and it is so special to work with them on a concept up until that moment when they finally ‘get it.’ Seeing them get to express their interests and creativity through code in their final projects is always so much fun.”
Similar to GWC, NSBE also looks to diversify industry and academia by empowering the next generation of Black engineers to excel — especially at predominantly white institutions like Binghamton. The organization even looks to spark conversations about STEM careers through early outreach efforts to elementary school students of color.
This year, NSBE partnered with the Binghamton City School District to coordinate in-person physics demonstrations that stimulate excitement about engineering in the classroom.
“I genuinely love giving back to my community,” says Natalia Budhoo ’25,
Angel Okoro
“ When working with children, it really makes my day to inspire them and reminds me of the people who shaped my journey."
—Natalia Budhoo
NSBE’s president and mechanical engineering major. “When working with children, it really makes my day to inspire them and reminds me of the people who shaped my journey. They are super-sweet and always want to know when we are coming back. Working with younger students is very fulfilling because they get to have fun and experience how engineers problem-solve.”
Helping those less fortunate
But NSBE’s purpose extends beyond increasing access to education. By helping provide free meals and serving the homeless with charitable organizations like Salvation Army, First Presbyterian Church and Trinity Memorial Church, Budhoo has participated in a mission that hits close to home.
“I grew up in poverty, so I know what it’s like to need donated clothes, hygiene and food,” she says. “That experience shaped my perspective and fuels my passion for giving back. I understand firsthand how much even the smallest acts of kindness can mean to someone who is struggling. Volunteering is more than just an activity for me — it’s a way to give others the
Members of the National Society of Black Engineers visited Horace Mann Elementary School in Binghamton in fall 2024 to talk about STEM careers and more.
kind of opportunities and inspiration that I once needed. Seeing their excitement and knowing that I played a small part in their journey makes every effort worthwhile.”
Bryan Perez ’25, a Watson College Scholars Program participant who majored in computer science, finds the same gratification seeing the impact he can have on others. Over the past four years, Perez cared for a variety of animals at the Broome County Humane Society and assisted immigrants in passing their citizenship exams through the American Civic Association (ACA) — experiences that have made him appreciate his own privilege.
While growing up, his mother would say: “There are other people who are going through harder things than you are, so it’s always a good thing to lend a hand” — so to him, volunteering is much more than just giving back.
“Volunteering with ACA, you kind of see different perspectives of immigrants. They all have unique stories, and some are a little sadder than others,” Perez says. “That makes you stronger and more appreciative of the things that you have, and it also encourages you to do more because it’ll help out. It’s easy to say, ‘I wish things could change.’ But it’s also really fitting and really nice to be the change that you want to see around the community.”
After graduation, Perez hopes to become a full-time software engineer. However, now that he’s logged so many hours behind the counters of soup kitchens and animal shelters since high school, there’s an important caveat to his ongoing job search.
“I would really like it if my future employer was more open to volunteering or having some philanthropic side of the company,” he says. “I’d like to be with a company that also adheres to my values.”
Similar to Perez, Peters intends to find the same alignment between her natural enthusiasm to give back while growing professionally. As a biomedical engineer, she wants to join the medical field to innovate new technologies that help patients heal.
“Volunteering has shown me the importance of empathy and understanding the needs of others, which I believe is essential for designing effective biomedical solutions,” she says. “I hope that whatever specific career path I go into after leaving Binghamton University, I remain committed to my passion for helping those around me.”
Bryan Perez ’25 volunteered his time to care for cats at the Broome County Humane Society in Binghamton.
UNDERGRADUATES WORK ALONGSIDE PROFESSORS ON RESEARCH THAT COULD CHANGE THE WORLD
By Anthony Borrelli
Industrial and systems engineering majors, from left, Gerardo Dutan, Nicholas Ingraselino, Justin Mintz, Lilly Guizatoullina and Ben Deibler have done research on an algorithm to help reschedule airline flights based on weather conditions.
At Watson College, undergraduates don’t have to wait to work with faculty running experiments and gathering results that could lead to tomorrow’s technology breakthroughs. Here’s a look at how some of those projects have shaped the students’ experience at Binghamton.
SCHOOL OF SYSTEMS SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
It’s the bane of every airport traveler: Weather problems ground your plane or, worse, storms delay the connecting flight and upend your whole trip. But working with Professor Sangwon Yoon, five students — Justin Mintz, Benjamin Deibler, Gerardo Dutan, Lilly Guizatoullina and Nicholas Ingraselino — have researched an algorithm to reschedule flights based on weather conditions.
The algorithm begins with a year-long data set of weather conditions and predicts conditions for each day. That information and flight operations data are put into a neural network, which is a machine learning model inspired by the human brain. The algorithm then reviews the forecast and reschedules flights to create an optimal path.
“The research we do with
Professor Yoon all revolves around decision trees, so we wanted to find a unique way of incorporating that into our project,” Deibler says. “Flight prediction is something anyone can benefit from.”
For Mintz, the project also tested his skills in an area he never considered before.
“Not many students do research as sophomores, so feeling the motivation
to overachieve where we can while having high expectations helped push us,” he says. “This opened up data analytics that I hadn’t been able to fully explore yet in my classes, and it’s fascinating to see how valuable it can be.”
The group’s project was among the finalists for Phase I of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 2024 Data Challenge, making them one of seven groups to give presentations in front of senior FAA officials. But perhaps the more exciting outcome has been the discovery of new potential career paths.
“My goal was to become a rollercoaster engineer, but after doing this type of research, I’ve learned how much I enjoy the optimization aspect of what we’re doing,” Ingraselino says. “This research has so many more applications, so it’s helped adjust my sights for the future, and now I want to work in a field similar to what we’ve been doing with this project.”
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Wouldn’t it be great if you could detect potential cavities at home before you go to the dentist?
Ron Alweiss, a junior electrical engineering major, thinks so. He’s become an integral member of Professor Seokheun “Sean” Choi’s research team by contributing to the development of biosensors for detecting pathogens in oral environments.
“Streptococcus mutans are a type of bacteria that inhabits the biofilm on your teeth called dental plaque,” Alweiss says. “In high concentrations, it’s the primary agent in the development of cavities. The idea behind this project is to develop a biosensor that’s able to sense these bacteria. We want it to be like a swab system, like a COVID test that will detect whether there is an increased concentration of this bacteria. If there is, you likely have a cavity and should get it checked out.”
Alweiss’ research adapts the processes for pinpointing concentrations of toxins in wastewater. He’s collaborated with Choi for five semesters, beginning with his first year at Binghamton. This project taps into Alweiss’ dislike of dental appointments.
Juggling research alongside a half-dozen classes is a challenge, he says, but it’s provided him with opportunities he urges future students to take advantage of.
“I came to Binghamton with a desire to get involved in some research project,” he says, ”but I had no idea I could discover something this new and exciting along the way.”
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
John Mehalak’s love of building almost anything left him with little doubt that he would become a mechanical engineer. Lately, he’s had eyes on renewable energy or automotive manufacturing. But thanks to his collaboration with Assistant Professor Robert Wagner, he’s discovered the scope of mechanical engineering is wider than he imagined.
To build a plastic food storage container with the lid attached by a hinge, the lid should be harder than the more flexible hinge, and that requires two different materials. Mehalak is helping to research ways of constructing something like that more effectively.
“Most traditional manufacturing takes a solid chunk of material, then carves out the shape. Instead, we’re creating individual layers to build up the shape, which produces less waste,” says Mehalak, a junior. “We’re interested in soft plastics, which start out as a liquid (resin), and the type of printer used to create a product is a limited technology, so we’re trying to make a system that can print in multiple different types of materials while still using that resin.”
Mehalak is fascinated by the chance to work beyond the hypothetical. He’s also learned how other skills, such as coding, can aid a complex project.
“I’m a hands-on learner, so participating in this research has helped me learn a lot more about how to apply everything I’m touching on in class,” he says. “If you’re genuinely interested in the topic, projects like this can be a great opportunity for you to grow.”
From left, Nicholas Ingraselino, Justin Mintz, Ben Deibler, Lilly Guizatoullina and Gerardo Dutan checked out an airplane hangar at the Greater Binghamton Airport.
SCHOOL OF COMPUTING
If Rowan Devereux-Smith, a junior computer science major, has learned anything while collaborating with Associate Professor Patrick Madden to optimize transistor routing in computer chips, it’s that even a wrong answer can help you solve a problem.
Devereux-Smith began working with Madden on the project, which they describe as “one huge math problem,” as a first-year student. It involves close analysis of data structures, working through algorithms and coding.
“Modern computer chips have an absurd number of transistors to get wires from and to, so you need to figure out how to save money and make it the most compact. It’s an incredibly hard problem,” Devereux-Smith says. “What we’re working toward has some practical benefits, mainly for power efficiency. Since data centers are increasingly concerned about power usage, the methods we’re using could help them spend less power on this process and be far more effective in the long run.”
Madden and his team have put their work to the test in two national competitions. Devereux-Smith’s contributions also have earned him a Computing Research Association
“This project has taught me it’s OK not to expect everything to be perfect or beat myself up if I make a mistake."
—Rowan Devereux-Smith
Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award nomination. Although the researchers came up short in their first competition, they used it as an opportunity to further optimize their data structure.
Devereux-Smith says this project has been an opportunity to perform advanced work and gain a deeper appreciation of the scientific process and the importance of avoiding being discouraged by setbacks.
“I always knew I wanted to do research, and I really want to help discover something,” Devereux-Smith says. “This project has taught me it’s OK not to expect everything to be perfect or beat myself up if I make a mistake. Whenever that happens, it’s just something to avoid next time.”
Rowan Devereux-Smith has helped Associate Professor Patrick Madden with research into optimizing computer chips.
DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Dana Manashirov and Serena Patel feel perfectly at home in a biomedical engineering lab.
Through a collaboration with Associate Professor Ahyeon Koh, their work with electrospun fibers made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) — a silicone-based and biologically inert material used for flexible and stretchable electronics — has shown them how research can extend beyond traditional medical sciences.
Manashirov and Patel hope to find a way for PDMS, which is hydrophobic because it repels water like a raincoat, to become more water-absorbent.
“Almost every portion of my education as an undergraduate student has proven useful to me as a researcher,” Manashirov says. “What I wound up working on was a fluidic device, and the goal is to create a microfluidic device to print wax onto the fiber mat.”
Patel’s share of the project focuses on developing its practical application, using
the material to create a “wearable circuit” that’s stretchable, breathable and conforms to the skin so it can be compatible with daily activities.
In addition to contributing to a PhD student’s dissertation project, which has been published in a peer-reviewed journal, Manashirov and Patel presented at a Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) conference in November. Both students received funding from the Geraldine MacDonald Engineering and Computer Science Student Professional Development Grant to attend the conference.
“When you’re an undergraduate student learning basic concepts of engineering, it’s easy to think you can’t make a difference in the field because you don’t have the qualifications,” Patel says. “Diving into hands-on research takes you beyond the classroom and gives you an even bigger sense of how those concepts can be used to make a difference.”
“Having the opportunity to dive into hands-on research takes you beyond the classroom and gives you an even bigger sense of how those concepts can be used to make a difference in real life.”
—Serena Patel
Dana Manashirov, left and Serena Patel contribute to Associate Professor Ahyeon Koh’s research into stretchable electronics.
Dean Kelkar reflects on what he’s learned at Watson so far and where the college goes next
Year One
By Chris Kocher
Dean Atul Kelkar believes the future of Watson College is built on three pillars: the student experience, research and societal impact.
“The student experience is number one,” he says. “We exist because of students.”
Since arriving at Binghamton University last summer, Kelkar has hit the ground running with various initiatives to enhance undergraduate programs, expand graduate programs and research, and foster more interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty researchers. He also wants to boost Binghamton and Watson’s visibility nationally and globally.
Q: What attracted you to Binghamton University and Watson College?
A: I’d finished roughly six years at Clemson, and I realized a lot of what I did as a department chair would benefit a college, too. Before that, I was not entertaining the idea of becoming a dean, but it got me thinking that I should explore opportunities to have a bigger impact.
To tell you the truth, Binghamton wasn't on my radar. A colleague who knew people from Binghamton said, “Oh, that's a younger SUNY institution, but you should seriously look into it, because they have a lot going on there right now.” That prompted me to dig deeper, and I realized that Binghamton has made great strides in academic excellence and research. Watson College also is the size where many new initiatives can be implemented, which can further push this institution to the next level. I always use an analogy to the stock market: You want to bet on something that is on the rise.
And timing-wise, the NSF Engines award was not out yet, but I heard that they were applying. I knew Stan [Whittingham, distinguished professor and Nobel Prize winner for inventing lithium-ion batteries] was here, and the University received federal Build Back Better funding and the Regional Tech Hub designation. Gov. [Kathy] Hochul also announced the New Energy New York initiative.
Just looking at the energy sector, this institution is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for somebody running the engineering programs to take advantage of all these federal and state investments. I said, “It looks like the stars are aligned for Binghamton to really take off, and I want to be part of that progress.”
When I visited here, I got a very warm vibe from everybody I met in the Watson dean's office. During my lunch interview with [President] Harvey [Stenger], he was extremely open — I could talk to him like a colleague. My dinner with the provost [Donald Hall] was also very collegial, and both were extremely receptive to my ideas.
I’m thrilled to find that Watson already has reached great heights, and I’m excited for what’s next.
Q: Now that you're here, what do you see as Watson College’s strengths?
A: All departments and schools have a critical mass in certain research areas that is not really recognized, including cybersecurity, electronics packaging, manufacturing, materials science, health science research and SSIE [systems science and industrial engineering]. We need to get our brand out more. We need to have an awards committee to promote our researchers through national-level awards.
The second thing I realized is that people are very collaborative. Because I am a cooperative type of person, with my entrepreneurship
“The student experience is number one. We exist because of students.”
experience and my previous roles, I like to put teams together for better success. Sometimes two plus two is not four — two plus two is five. I see four research areas of national importance where clusters might form at Watson and the University as a whole. One is green energy and sustainability. Second is artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity and robotics. The third one is manufacturing, including battery and semiconductor manufacturing. Fourth is health technology. We have big health systems in this region, and we recently signed an agreement with Guthrie. Our Biomedical Engineering Department does a lot of very good research, and we have a partnership with Upstate Medical University. SSIE was at the forefront of implementing industrial and systems engineering in the healthcare field, it has its exceptional Manhattan executive program in health systems and partners with over 15 hospitals on sponsored research. None of these areas is going away anytime soon, and we can build on the strengths we already have.
Dean Atul Kelkar watches as kids take part in STEM activities at Community Day, organized by Watson College as part of Engineers Week.
Q: How can Binghamton and Watson College enhance the student experience?
A: From the many interactions I have had with students at different schools over the years, I am always interested in finding out: Why did you choose to come here, and did you have any options at a better-ranked school? Ninety percent of the time, the students come to a specific school because they had somebody — seniors from the school or family members or alumni — tell them they will have the best student experience in that place.
Getting a degree is important, but it’s a crucial four years for somebody coming out of high school. They're also coming out of parental shelter. After these four years, they go into an independent lifestyle and probably start a family. So these years are critical as a holistic experience, not just educationally but also as a good citizen. They learn how to be stewards of technology that impacts society, they do networking, and they become accustomed to different cultures and customs to get a global outlook.
That’s why I think the student experience is key, and that means having a proper support system — not just educational support, but also social support. We need to remove the barriers for academic progress. That does not mean a less stringent curriculum — you maintain the vigor, but you remove the other barriers.
Q: Where do you think Watson College goes in five to 10 years?
A: I would like to see Watson have the maximum impact at the national level for technology, innovation and educating future successful engineers and entrepreneurs. Watson should be in the top 10 with whatever metrics you want to use.
Q: What are your favorite experiences at Binghamton so far?
A: I really enjoy interacting with students and seeing how energetic they are. You can see they're hungry for experiences on campus, and they’re hungry to see what their future will be. Another thing is celebrating the achievements of our faculty and staff, those who are award-winners — that is very fulfilling for me.
About the dean
Education
● PhD in mechanical engineering from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., in 1993 while a research scientist at NASA Langley Research Center
Previous experience
● D.W. Reynolds Distinguished Professor and Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University
● Program director for the Dynamics Control and System Diagnostics program in the CMMI Division at the National Science Foundation
● Associate chair for research and technology transfer in mechanical engineering and professor-in-charge for industry research and entrepreneurship for the College of Engineering at Iowa State University
● Co-founder of five technology startups
About his research
● Modeling and control of aerospace systems, control theory, active control of vibrations and noise, and energy technologies
● Six patents and more than 160 academic publications
Professional organizations
● American Society of Mechanical Engineers fellow
● American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics associate fellow
● Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers senior member
Alum leads ‘upcycle’ company with clean-energy mission
By Katie Liu
NEW LIFE FOR BATTERIES W
hen discussing his nearly 20 years spent riding the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, Balki Iyer, MS ’00, SD ’19, likes to joke that each one of them has been 300 days of agony and 60 days of mediocrity. Then, after all that, five days of euphoria.
“Of course, those five days of euphoria are so wonderful that it’s worth going through those 300 days of agony and 60 days of mediocrity,” he says.
Iyer has led multiple businesses from conception to exit with the goal to speed up the world’s transition to clean energy. His latest venture is Bridge Green Upcycle, which specializes in “Cleaning Up Clean Energy” by extracting critical minerals from batteries and reducing the need for additional mining or carbon emissions.
Iyer came to Binghamton University from India in 1998, graduating with a master’s degree in industrial
and systems engineering. He was later awarded an honorary Doctor of Science in 2019. Binghamton’s leadership in battery research is why he chose to keep Bridge Green Upcycle in upstate New York’s “battery valley,” which offers a ready ecosystem of technology companies, researchers and workforce talent.
The startup is a member of the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator as well as an active participant in New Energy New York (NENY) programs like the Student Startup Experience, which pairs students to work with clean-energy companies. The NENY coalition, with support from 50 industry partners as well as the National Science Foundation and other funding sources, received federal designation as a Regional Tech Hub for lithium-ion battery production in 2023.
“I wanted to find a way to give back to the community, be part of the ‘Battery Renaissance’ and create American green-collar jobs while strengthening the domestic supply chain for critical minerals,” he says.
“What better place to do it than where I started my journey here in the U.S.?”
With a unique process using artificial intelligence, Bridge Green Upcycle gives end-of-life batteries a second lease. In the company’s Infinity Lab, batteries undergo a 24-hour salt bath to fully discharge. Shredders and hammer mills progressively force them into smaller pieces, down to 2 millimeters, before machines resembling ovens and giant steam pots separate any remaining impurities.
The interim product is black powder from which chemical processes extract valuable minerals for batteries and other industrial applications.
Iyer’s company is procuring more equipment and feedstock to ramp up production. He also works with three Binghamton faculty members —
Distinguished Professor Mark Poliks and Assistant Professor Xiaotu Ma from Watson’s School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, and Professor Nikolay Dimitrov from Harpur College’s Department of Chemistry — to improve the process.
Bridge Green’s Infinity Lab & Prototype Facility launch event included industry leaders, innovators and University staff marking the opening of the cutting-edge facility.
“At Bridge Green, we don’t just wish for things, we create them.”
—Balki Iyer
“At Bridge Green, we don’t just wish for things,” Iyer said on Dec. 5 to commemorate its first lab opening in Endicott, N.Y. “We create them.”
Iyer began his career drilling oil for Schlumberger in Europe, moving between regions and markets globally. He later held leadership positions at GE steering the renewable energy transition. Through this experience, he began to see gaps between technology and its implementation.
“Large companies create the best technology,” he says, “but what the world needed was to take this great technology and package it into a solution that you can offer in practical, bite-sized pieces.”
His answer was entrepreneurship. When he crunched the numbers in 2010, Iyer determined he could make the greatest impact in India, where the lack of access even to fossil
fuels heightened the demand for clean energy. Finding success was a skin-thickening and humbling process.
“Most of the time you’re staring into the abyss, with a lot of uncertainty, setbacks, rejections,” Iyer says. “The only thing that keeps you going is your own personal conviction, self-motivation and passion.”
Throughout his time as a business leader in India and the U.S., Iyer has built everything from wind to solar to battery projects. However, that revealed another gap: Few companies considered what would happen when these projects ended.
Even with the ballooning supply of lithium-ion batteries cutting down on fossil-fuel usage, manufacturing new materials requires critical minerals, whose mining processes are resource-depleting, carbon-heavy and often in conflicted regions.
To Iyer, the question of achieving clean energy is also a personal one, having lost his father to a power failure in his home country. But the answer, he says, must solve the problem without creating a new one. Bridge Green Upcycle’s mission addresses that global challenge by helping complete the full circle.
“It’s not enough to build renewable projects and equipment,” Iyer says. “It’s even more important to make sure that these resources are returned appropriately or upcycled in the right way.”
If Iyer’s greatest passion is to foster a circular economy of clean energy, he similarly returns the favor at his alma mater, recruiting Binghamton students to intern at his company and offering them jobs once they graduate.
“When you reach your floor,” he says, “you’ve just got to send the elevator back.”
By Ethan Knox ’20
T Crushing it
he wine bottle you had with dinner might one day become part of your local sidewalk, thanks to an innovative process created and implemented by a Binghamton University graduate.
“The bigger the city, the more concrete poured and the more glass waste. We’re able to connect those two things,” says Jacob Kumpon ’22, the chief operating officer of KLAW Industries. “We knew that to ensure the glass we’re taking in is recycled sustainably, you must be connected to an industry that can use that volume consistently, year after year, while solving a problem for them, too.”
The U.S. produces 7.2 million tons of glass waste every year, and it ends up in landfills. Glass contaminated with other materials like paper or metal are not usually recyclable, and this translates to a massive cost for the recycling industry.
Here’s where KLAW steps in — by processing out contamination, it turns the glass into a very fine powder they named Pantheon. Unlike sand, it doesn’t just sit in the concrete — it reacts with cement to make it stronger.
The real kicker: By using alternative materials, this process has the added benefit of reducing carbon emissions by approximately 20% while using a previously wasted resource and maintaining the same price. Uniquely, KLAW developed the entire process, growing its production capabilities on the East Side of Binghamton, all without investors.
“We have two patents on our process now, which we’re proud of,” Kumpon says. “When we started, we were able to take what we were learning in school, what we had learned growing up, and apply that to make a rough prototype of a process and develop it further to what we have today. We’ve always wanted to grow and scale the company in a way that doesn’t align with typical venture capital.”
Kumpon graduated from Binghamton with a degree in mechanical engineering after completing an associate degree in engineering science from SUNY Broome Community College. Many Binghamton graduates make a difference on an individual scale post-graduation, but Kumpon and his business partners went big locally while still undergraduates by connecting to the Koffman Incubator and nearby companies like Barney & Dickenson Inc., which Kumpon says is a huge part of KLAW’s story.
“We were very interested in the recycling industry. We called some of our local recyclers and said, ‘We’re a couple of college students — can we tour your facility?’ And they showed us around,” he recalls.
On the concrete side, Barney & Dickenson gave a couple of kids with an idea a shot.
“They were thinking ahead,” Kumpon says. “They knew that a lot of the materials in the industry have been very hard to source. They saw the writing on the wall and realized that this product could help them and the industry. They helped bring it all the way forward.”
The New York State Department of Transportation hired KLAW Industries for a project in Whitney Point. Representatives from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy flew to Binghamton to support the project.
It was a good choice for everyone, and the company quickly grew. Early KLAW projects included outdoor pathways for residential homes; in 2022, the City of Binghamton approached the company for curbs and sidewalks. In 2024, the
How a Watson grad is turning glass waste into concrete solutions
New York State Department of Transportation contracted Kumpon and his partners for KLAW’s first state project, allowing them to break into the wider industry and conduct some of the largest and most successful low-carbon projects in the Northeast.
KLAW has since won several Environmental Protection Agency grants and awards. It has been recognized by several state agencies, and its additive helps to remove one ton of carbon dioxide from the environment for every ton of product manufactured.
Mike Jagielski, director of the Clean Energy Program at the Koffman Incubator, has mentored and worked with KLAW since its founding. Kumpon met with Jagielski bimonthly to review the company’s strategy, grant/awards pipelines and execution risk associated with revenue-generating opportunities.
“Jacob is a very talented and resourceful entrepreneur who works hard to leverage advantages that might benefit KLAW Industries’ path to commercialization,” Jagielski says. “He and his team are open to learning from seasoned executives both at Koffman and in the industry, and they do not assume they know anything. This is a very refreshing attitude — it’s 90% of the solution toward making a company successful.”
In the future, Kumpon hopes to grow in larger cities, such as Syracuse and Buffalo. He credits local support for enabling KLAW to fund and renovate a facility just two years after starting the project. Without the companies willing to work with a small, up-and-coming organization and the mentors who helped secure funding, it may never have been possible.
“Throughout the history of KLAW Industries, local organizations are why we’ve been able to make progress,” Kumpon says. “If you’re in a big city, you don’t have the opportunity to meet people like Mayor [Jared] Kraham and the City Engineering Team, who gave us the opportunity to build KLAW here in our hometown. Binghamton is big enough where our work can be very impactful, but a small enough community where you can build great relationships.”
“The bigger the city, the more concrete poured and the more glass waste. We’re able to connect those two things.” —Jacob Kumpon
Guo joins computing faculty as EIP professor
Nancy Guo, a leader in bioinformatics research, joined the School of Computing faculty in fall 2024 as part of the SUNY Empire Innovation Program.
EIP supports the recruitment and retention of faculty who are leaders in their fields with strong track records of research accomplishments.
Most recently a faculty member at West Virginia University, Guo has received more than $46.3 million in federal grants and led multidisciplinary research into artificial intelligence through funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and corporate partners.
Her goal is to establish a nationally recognized, multidisciplinary AI research institute for precision medicine that taps into the talented faculty, students and staff at Binghamton.
Two Watson departments become schools
Two departments at Watson College were elevated to schools starting with the fall 2024 semester.
Renaming to the School of Computing and the School of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering (SSIE) reflects exceptional growth in student enrollment, faculty and research funding over the past decade.
Together, the two schools represent almost 10% of Binghamton University’s enrollment, and SSIE’s PhD program is the largest on campus.
“Congratulations to the faculty and staff whose dedication and hard work have driven this evolution,”
Dean Atul Kelkar says. “It is a testament to your excellence that the quality of education that we offer our students has remained the top priority.”
WATSON SCHOLARS GET GLOBAL VIEW IN INDIA
Over the winter break, three students from the Watson College Scholars Program traveled to India as part of the PSGIM-India Study Abroad 2025 Program, hosted by the PSG Institute of Management and PSG College of Technology.
Seniors Sandrique Knight (CoE) and Katherine Peters (BME) and junior Bryan Cabrera (SSIE) traveled with Assistant Dean for Academic Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Carmen Jones and Watson Advising Director
Jennifer Drake-Deese to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
In addition to meeting with fellow college students, the scholars celebrated Pongal with the local community and participated in other activities for a deeper understanding of India’s rich culture.
Watson Scholars Sandrique Knight ’25, Bryan Cabrera ’26 and Katherine Peters ’25 traveled to India over the winter break.
4 faculty named fellows
SUNY Distinguished Professor
Lijun Yin (SoC) was named an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) fellow for his 20-plus years studying human/computer interactions and computer vision. A trailblazer in the fields of 3D and 4D facial modeling, his research has more than 11,000 citations.
Professor Zhongfei “Mark” Zhang (SoC) was appointed a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Zhang researches information indexing and retrieval, computer vision and image understanding. He has more than 10 patents and has published over 100 academic papers.
AWARD WINNERS
The 2024 State University of New York Chancellor Awards for Excellence (which recognize consistently superior professional achievement) included an Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities recognition for Professor Shahrzad “Sherry” Towfighian (ME). Senior Assistant Dean Elizabeth Kradjian also won a University Award for Excellence in International Education
Assistant Professor Kimberly Harry (SSIE) received the 2024 American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) Best Dissertation Award. “An Empirical Investigation on the Critical Success Factors for Kaizen Events in Hospitals” has been chosen as the winner of this prestigious award for making a noteworthy research contribution and extending engineering management (EM) concepts.
Distinguished Professor and SSIE Director Mohammad T. Khasawneh was named a fellow of the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Society (IEOM) Khasawneh — who is also the director of the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE) — is a leader in healthcare systems research.
Empire Innovation Professor Carlos Gershenson-Garcia (SSIE) started a threeyear term as president of the Complex Systems Society in fall 2024. The group promotes the development of all aspects of complex systems science among the international scientific community.
Seven Watson College students won Graduate Student Excellence Awards for 2024–25. The Graduate School honored Eli Dworetzky (ECE), Abdelrahman Farrag (SSIE), Sizhe Huang (BME), Maryam Rezaie (ECE), Jinming Wan (SSIE) and Chi Wang (SSIE) for research, and Haleema Qamar (BME) for service and outreach.
The Binghamton University Office of Alumni Engagement recognized four Watson alumni with BOLD (Bearcats of the Last Decade) 10 Under 10 Awards for 2025: Ryon Batson ’21, Katherine Frey ’20, Jann Gao ’15 and Sahil Nyati ’16. In addition, James Bankoski ’91 was named the Glenn G. Bartle Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
Distinguished Professor Guangwen Zhou was appointed a fellow of the Microscopy Society of America. The organization hailed his research using in-situ environmental transmission electron microscopy that advances the understanding of surface and interface reactions in harsh conditions.
The 2024–25 Watson College Recognition Awards were announced at a staff luncheon in April.
Early-Stage Distinguished Research: Siyuan Rao (BME)
Outstanding Research Achievement: Changhong Ke (ME)
Distinguished Educator: Kaiyan Yu (ME) and Melissa Simonik, PhD ’20 (Engineering Design Division)
Outstanding Faculty Service: Michael Lewis (SoC)
Outstanding Staff Service: Bob Pulz (Watson Labs), JR Beckford (Watson DEI) and Marie Lawrence (SoC)
Outstanding Commitment to Inclusive Excellence Award: Koen Gieskes '04, MS '10 (EDD)
Distinguished Alumni: Subhachandra Chandra, MS '95 (SoC) and Michael Finkelstein '96 (BME)
STRIKE FORCE
Mechanical engineering seniors, from left, Kyle Blair, Matthew Kershaw, Liam Heanue and Dan Ahern test their senior project — a bowling robot — at the bowling alley in the Union Undergrounds. Six robots competed at the end of the semester as part of the Mechanical Engineering Senior Capstone Expo, and this team came in first place with a score of 135.
