GRADUATE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
NEWSLETTER Volume 10, Issue 1
Summer 2020
ALUMNI UPDATE Every summer newsletter we feature one of our outstanding Parks alumni, but we thought this summer we would do something different. At Parks College, we understand that innovation and creativity are strongly rooted in diversity—diversity of ideas and diversity of people. That is why we are so proud to say that Parks’ graduate programs attract international students from around the world. We caught up with two international alumni—Ruud Schrijver and Mozhdeh Imaninezhad—to hear about their experience at Parks, and what they have been up to since graduating. Ruud Schrijver started his program Fall 2017 and graduated in December 2018, advised by Dr. Sridhar Condoor, with a Master of Science in Engineering. Ruud accomplished in a year and a half what most students take 2-3 years to do. His master thesis title was “3d printing technology and prosthetic heart valves – opportunities and challenges”. The research was focused on how to use 3D printing in creating better prosthetic heart valves. In collaboration with Cardinal Glennon hospital, it was what Ruud describes as a very challenging and interesting experience. Ruud says, “I have dissected a heart of a pig and basically put a hose in there to make 3d picture of the heart valve using a rotational angiograph while wearing a lead shirt. We discovered some very promising leads during our research and have presented it at a conference of the American College of Cardiology.” See page 5 for more about Ruud.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Mozhdeh Imaninezhad started her program Fall 2014 and graduated December 2017, advised by Dr. Silviya Zustiak, with a PhD in Engineering, concentrating in biomedical engineering. Her research was in biomaterials and tissue engineering and her dissertation was titled “Development of Hydrogel-carbon Nanotube Composites for Neural Growth and Regeneration: An in-vitro Study.” Mozhdeh’s dissertation involved incorporating knowledge in physics, inorganic chemistry, fluid dynamics, and microfluidics. Dr. Zustiak says that Mozhdeh’s ability to figure things out independently, trouble shoot, and find help when needed really ‘raised the bar for the rest of my lab.’ During her time at Parks, she earned 2 patents, was nominated for the Outstanding Graduate Award twice, and was the primary author on at least 7 publications. She was active in the lab, often spending 9+ hours every day, including some holidays and weekends, according to her advisor. Mozhdeh currently resides in California with her husband and son. See page 4 for more about Mozhdeh.
Alumni Features Message from the Associate Dean Awards News Graduates
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