Undergraduate Research Cording Ceremony
The Island University held its Fall 2023 College of Engineering and Computer Science (COECS) Undergraduate Research Cording Ceremony on Friday, Dec. 15. To receive an undergraduate research honor cord, students had to satisfy two criteria. The first requirement for the gold cord was a minimum of one year of undergraduate research experience with a faculty mentor or completion of a structured TAMU-CC undergraduate research program, such as LSAMP, BUENO, BPC, or McNair. The second requirement was to publicly have shared the results or outcomes of the research through a paper/article, poster, or oral presentation.
The ceremony started with a welcome and introductory presentation given by Dr. David Ma, COECS Dean, and Dr. LD Chen, Associate Dean for Research. Two exemplary students received their undergraduate honor cords in this event, Bright Chinemerem Nnadi '23 and Julie Romano '23 — both have obtained their Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Romano and Nnadi had similar research topics, as they were both mentored by Dr. Ruby Mehrubeoglu, a TAMU-CC Electrical Engineering Professor.
"The research focused on using 3D structured light scanning to find different characteristics in oyster shells," Romano said. "Since oyster shells are hard to measure by hand, this tool collects the STL files — the surface geometry of a three-dimensional object — and the characteristics of the oysters to compare them. This process is easier on marine biology companies because it makes oyster measurement more time efficient and accurate."
Nnadi provided his thoughts on how TAMU-CC has impacted his academic career.
"TAMU-CC has set the foundation for my career as an engineer," Nnadi said. "Everything about the college is excellent, especially the engineering community. The faculty prioritizes the students by ensuring that all resources are available so each student can receive equal opportunities and treatment. The supportive environment the university provided for myself and my colleagues has propelled us in our future as successful engineers."