Monday, June 17, 2024
UNT Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, Sarang Goel and Ramya Motati named 2024 Goldwater Scholars
DENTON (UNT), Texas 鈥� Sarang Goel and Ramya Motati, two students from the (TAMS) at the , have been named as 2024 Goldwater Scholars in recognition of their work in the fields of artificial intelligence and solvation chemistry.
The is a nationally competitive award for students pursuing careers in STEM fields. Including this year鈥檚 winners, UNT has had a total number of 73 Goldwater Scholars over the years.
Sarang Goel
Sarang Goel has been using AI to detect freezing of gait in patients with Parkinson鈥檚 disease. Patients wear a device that monitors any changes in movement, which can assist patients suffering from freezing of gait through vibrating specific parts of the body.
Sarang, a senior at TAMS, got the idea while attending the MIT Research Summer Institute program, where he was only one of 63 students across the country to get an invitation.
鈥淭he principal investigator of the lab was discussing different ideas and different problems that they had encountered,鈥� Sarang said. 鈥淚t was a project that I took over as part of that lab.鈥�
Additionally, Sarang has independently developed low cost, AI-based eyeglasses for
patients with visual impairments. Using a combination of custom hardware and AI, the
eyeglasses are designed to lead users from one location to another while avoiding
any obstacles in their path.
鈥淚 have a visually impaired family friend, and I鈥檝e watched her struggle with visual impairment over the last five years,鈥� Sarang said. 鈥淚 wanted to help, so I decided to create a device that could assist her with navigation.鈥�
Guiding Sarang along his scientific journey is his mentor Saraju Mohanty, professor of computer science and engineering. They met when Sarang was attending the TAMS Early Summer Research program, where he was assigned to Mohanty鈥檚 Smart Electronics Systems Lab.
鈥淪arang is the best undergraduate student whom I have mentored in last 20 years,鈥� Mohanty said. 鈥淪arang uses his ingenuity and determination to develop creative solutions to challenges, always outperforming my expectations.鈥�
Once he graduates from TAMS, Sarang plans to attend Stanford University to earn bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in computer science. With his status as a Goldwater Scholar, he鈥檚 confident he can succeed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really inspiring to see how the work I did was recognized and it definitely motivates me to keep going forward with research in the future,鈥� Sarang said.
Ramya Motati
Ramya Motati, a TAMS senior, aims to improve the dosage precision of drugs containing pseudocyclic compounds, such as amino acids, using a solvation parameter she developed.
Ramya has received the guidance of chemistry professor William Acree, Jr. as well as Amir Jafari, associate professor of biomedical engineering.
鈥淩amya is one of the top undergraduate students that I have mentored in my 42 years of academia,鈥� Acree said. 鈥淪he is a very intelligent and creative individual who has the ability to work both independently and as a member of a research team.鈥�
Ramya鈥檚 ultimate goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering so she can study in the field of rehabilitative orthopedic technology. Inspired by her time in track and field, she hopes to improve the quality of care for others like her.
鈥淚 actually tore my ACL while in athletics, and I began to be exposed to the world of biotech when I personally was going through rehabilitation,鈥� Ramya said. 鈥淲hile I was looking at these innovations, I began to be inspired and lean toward doing research in biotech.鈥�
Ramya has been published as a co-author in 10 research publications. One such article was even published in Liquids, an international journal focusing on all aspects of liquid material research.
Equipped with the tools that TAMS gave her, as well as the honors that being a Goldwater Scholar brings, Ramya is hopeful for the journey ahead.
鈥淚鈥檓 really honored to have this award,鈥� Ramya said. 鈥淚t means a lot because it not only represents the work that I have done, but also my mentors who have helped me come all this way.鈥�
At UNT, Goldwater nominees emerge from a competitive process overseen by James Duban, associate dean for research and national scholarships in TAMS and the Honors College, and a multidisciplinary committee of faculty members. These members are: Tom Cundari, professor of chemistry; Jannon Fuchs, professor of biology; Chris Littler, professor of physics and Thomas Scharf, professor of materials science and engineering.
UNT News Service
News_Service@unt.edu
(940) 565-2108
From 鈥� TAMS