AdvanceVT Ph.D. Fellowship Recipients 2004-2005
Megan Elwood Madden (pictured center), Geosciences, Dr. Robert Bodnar
Megan will be a 4th year Ph.D. student, developing new isotopic methods to measure the nature of aqueous environments in the solar system, the impact of meteorites on fluid-bearing materials, and examining chemical weathering patterns on Mars. She has 1 peer-reviewed journal article and 6 international/national conference papers/presentations, has been a TA, and is an active member of the GSA and graduate representative to a number of university commissions.
Olga Pierrakos (pictured right), Mechanical Engineering/Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Pavlos Vlachos
Olga will be a 4th year Ph.D. student. Her research involves characterizing the flow past mechanical heart valve prostheses and the left ventricle of the heart. She hopes the modeling effort will lead to a better understanding of prosthetic hardware and to help doctors improve their clinical procedures associated with these prosthetic devices. She has 1 peer-reviewed journal article and 9 national/international conference papers/presentations, has been a TA in math and mechanical engineering, and is a representative for the graduate honor system.
Miriam Stewart (pictured left), Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr. George Filz
Miriam will be a 4th year Ph.D. student. Her research involves looking at a new technology called columnar reinforcement practices for stabilizing roadway embankments. Use of columnar reinforcement speeds up the roadway construction process, and minimizes impact on society and the environment. She is using existing data sets from field applications to model these elements, and hopes the outcome of her research will result in the development of new and improved practical methods for designing these systems. Miriam has 5 professional engineering reports and 2 international/national conference presentations/papers. She has taught courses at Virginia Tech as part of the Dept. of Education GAANN program and was adjunct instructor at Montana State University, teaching engineering courses. Through the GAANN program, she has been involved with programs that integrate engineering concepts to high school kids.