News & Achievements

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Dr. Asante-Asamani has been an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Clarkson University since 2020 . His research group is focused on the development, analysis, and numerical simulation of multiscale models of biological processes  and the application of machine learning methods to quantify biological patterns. He received his PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2016. Before joining Clarkson, he was postdoctoral researcher at the Hunter College campus of the City University of New York and a visiting professor at Drake University. Dr. Asante-Asamani's research group, in collaboration with Dr. Ginger Hunter's developmental biology lab at Howard University, was recently awarded a joint NSF DMS/NIGMS/NIH grant of $589,000 over three years to study the formation of complex biological tissue patterns through long-range cell-cell signaling. The project combines the quantitative precision of mathematical modeling and experimental biology to uncover new rules that govern how active cell processes contribute to the distribution and activation of biochemical signals. 

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Warmest congratulations, Dr. Daniel T. Fuller.

Many people see the outcomes, but not the chilly, restless, and nervous nights you had to earn this Ph.D. I want to sincerely congratulate you on receiving your doctorate. I do not doubt that your publications, research, and ideas will serve as a lighthouse for the followers in our group. We all hope that your upcoming endeavors and professional routes result in tremendous success.

Here is a group high-five from the entire team! Your motivation and hard work are an inspiration to all of us! Dr. Nabendu Pal, Shantanu, I, and the entire Clarkson University Mathematics Department are extremely proud of you!
 

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Clarkson Mathematics faculty member, Prof. Prashant Athavale, delivered an invited talk in the Image Processing Seminar at University of California, Los Angeles on November 17, 2025 titled: “Restoration of Noisy Grain Orientation Maps.” In this seminar talk, Dr. Athavale presented his recent work on restoring grain orientation maps obtained from Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), a key tool for characterizing the microstructure of polycrystalline materials such as metals and alloys. Because EBSD measurements often suffer from noise and missing regions, the talk focused on both denoising and inpainting of orientation data.
Dr. Athavale first discussed a weighted vectorized total variation (TV) flow method tailored to EBSD data for denoising noisy grain orientations while respecting grain geometry and crystallographic structure. He then introduced a novel hybrid inpainting algorithm for filling in missing orientation values. This hybrid approach combines a deep-learning model, which provides an initial estimate in occluded or corrupted regions, with an adapted exemplar-based inpainting method that refines these estimates and better preserves grain boundaries and structural integrity. Using synthetically generated EBSD maps, the hybrid approach was shown to achieve improved accuracy and visual coherence compared with traditional image-processing or standalone machine-learning techniques.
This invited talk highlights ongoing interdisciplinary research at the Clarkson Mathematics Department, at the intersection of applied mathematics, image processing, and materials science. The talk was based on the following published papers, in collaboration with Dr. Günay Doğan from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, graduate student Emmanuel Atindama, and undergraduate students Peter Lef, Conor Miller-Lynch, Huston Wilhite, and Cody Mattice. This work was partially supported by grants from the Department of Commerce and the National Security Agency.
 

References:
1. E. Atindama, P. Lef, G. Doğan, and P. Athavale, Restoration of Noisy Orientation Maps from Electron Backscatter Diffraction Imaging, Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation 12 (2023), 251–266. doi: 

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40192-023-00304-8

2. E. Atindama, C. Miller-Lynch, H. Wilhite, C. Mattice, G. Doğan, and P. Athavale, Hybrid Algorithm for Filling in Missing Data in Electron Backscatter Diffraction Maps, Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation 14 (2025), 284–302. doi: 

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40192-025-00402-9

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Prof. Athavale and his collaborators published a paper in June 2025 entitled, “Hybrid Algorithm for Filling in Missing Data in Electron Backscatter Diffraction Maps” in the Springer-Nature journal Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation. This work was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Günay Doğan from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, his graduate student Emmanuel Atindama, and undergraduate students Peter Lef, Conor Miller-Lynch, Huston Wilhite, and Cody Mattice. The paper was selected for the editor's video summary which is available here:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40192-025-00402-9#Abs2

In this paper, Prof. Athavale introduced a novel hybrid inpainting algorithm to recover missing orientation values in EBSD data. The method couples a deep-learning model, which generates an initial estimate in occluded or corrupted regions, with a tailored exemplar-based inpainting procedure that refines these predictions and more faithfully preserves grain boundaries and overall microstructural features. Experiments on synthetically generated EBSD maps demonstrate that this hybrid strategy yields higher accuracy than traditional image-processing approaches or standalone machine-learning methods.
 

Reference for Image:
E. Atindama, C. Miller-Lynch, H. Wilhite, C. Mattice, G. Doğan, and P. Athavale, Hybrid Algorithm for Filling in Missing Data in Electron Backscatter Diffraction Maps, Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation 14 (2025), 284–302. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40192-025-00402-9

Prof. Athavale and his collaborators published a paper in June 2025 entitled, “Hybrid Algorithm for Filling in Missing Data in Electron Backscatter Diffraction Maps” in the Springer-Nature journal Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation. This work was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Günay Doğan from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, his graduate student Emmanuel Atindama, and undergraduate students Peter Lef, Conor Miller-Lynch, Huston Wilhite, and Cody Mattice. The paper was selected for the editor's video summary which is available here: 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40192-025-00402-9#Abs2

In this paper, Prof. Athavale introduced a novel hybrid inpainting algorithm to recover missing orientation values in EBSD data. The method couples a deep-learning model, which generates an initial estimate in occluded or corrupted regions, with a tailored exemplar-based inpainting procedure that refines these predictions and more faithfully preserves grain boundaries and overall microstructural features. Experiments on synthetically generated EBSD maps demonstrate that this hybrid strategy yields higher accuracy than traditional image-processing approaches or standalone machine-learning methods.
 

Reference for Image:
E. Atindama, C. Miller-Lynch, H. Wilhite, C. Mattice, G. Doğan, and P. Athavale, Hybrid Algorithm for Filling in Missing Data in Electron Backscatter Diffraction Maps, Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation 14 (2025), 284–302. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40192-025-00402-9

Sucharitha Dodamgodage, Tea Farkas, and Nitul Singha, students pursuing doctorates in mathematics at Clarkson, recently presented their work at the 16th Annual Probability and Statistics Day at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dodamgodage and Farkas received first and third place for their poster presentations, respectively.

It was a proud advisor moment, and Dr. Shantanu Sur and Dr. Sumona Mondal  were ecstatic! Congratulations, team.

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Date of publication 22 August 2025; date of current version 12 December 2025.

Publisher: IEEE

Tyler Yankee; Naveen Ramachandra Reddy; Charles Thorpe; Sumona Mondal

Abstract:

Acceptance of robotics in customer service is complex as modern robots have brought about increasingly natural dialogue with users. Prior research has established significant relationships with respect to usefulness and ease of use in modeling acceptance of robots. However, a systematic understanding of the causal relationships between the design and behavior of robots and their acceptance is lacking. In this paper, we use questionnaire responses from 146 participants as part of a publicly available dataset in affective computing in HRI to analyze acceptance of service robots. After validating the framework used in the study, we observe significant relationships with respect to anthropomorphism, transparency, liability, and morality. We find no differences in acceptance based on anthropomorphism. We find that neither transparent communication nor failures resulting in liability issues cause significant changes in acceptance. We find that overtly immoral behavior by robots is more harmful to acceptance than moral behavior is beneficial. Our results are surprising, and crucial for understanding user perceptions of robots based on design and behavioral factors.
 

Date: October 29, 2025

A new study from Clarkson University is uncovering surprising clues about how simple, everyday actions — like talking or singing — may influence how diseases spread through the air in indoor environments.

PhD candidate Mahender Singh Rawat, working with Professor Andrea Ferro’s research team in Clarkson’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is studying exposure to indoor respiratory bioaerosols — the particles people release when they breathe, talk, sing or cough. These microscopic particles may carry viruses that can lead to illnesses such as COVID-19 and influenza. 

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The team’s goal is to make schools, offices, and other indoor spaces safer by learning what factors cause people to emit more or fewer of these airborne particles and how to mitigate them.

“Our research helps explain more about the mechanisms of particle formation in the respiratory system and why some people or situations may lead to more airborne particles than others,” Rawat said. “This knowledge can guide how we design classrooms, ventilation systems, and health policies to better protect people in indoor environments.”

The team has already shown that speaking louder or at higher pitches increases the number of airborne particles a person emits. Their research also found that older adults tend to release more particles than children and teens. 

Now, Ferro is leading another study at Clarkson examining how hydration can influence respiratory aerosol emission. Early results show that people emit more particles when they are well-hydrated compared to when they are dehydrated.

Recently, the team received a grant from the National Science Foundation to support their work. Along with Rawat and Ferro, the Clarkson research team includes Associate Professor Shantanu Sur in the Department of Biology and Professor Sumona Mondal in the Department of Mathematics. Byron Erath, Professor and Department Head of Mechanical Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, is the principal investigator for the associated lead collaborative project. The Clarkson team also includes researchers from the State University of New York at Oswego, Rochester Institute of Technology, and SUNY Potsdam.

“The collaboration with Professor Erath, formerly at Clarkson, and several other Clarkson faculty started more than six years ago. We pulled together a team to study airborne disease transmission in response to the Clarkson Ignite Graduate Fellowship program,” said Ferro. “When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were ready with our team and materials, and we secured funding from the National Science Foundation early on. We have helped answer important scientific questions on respiratory aerosols over the past several years and will continue to make progress with our newest project.”

These findings will help improve models that predict how respiratory droplets transmit  and remain suspended in the air, especially in shared environments such as classrooms and workplaces. This research could lead to more accurate public health guidelines on ventilation, masking, and disease prevention.

Rawat presented findings from this work at the Joint Annual Meeting of the International Society of Exposure Science and the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISES–ISEE 2025) in Atlanta, Georgia, where he earned an award in the Student and New Researcher Poster Competition. 
 

We had the opportunity to discuss our MSADS program on November 15, 2025, (courses and research opportunities) with everyone who values data science, thanks to the Clarkson University Graduate Student Organization (CUGSA). It's always thrilling to speak in front of these bright, young minds. Above all, the conversation both before and during was satisfying. CUGSA, thank you. Clarkson University, Clarkson Ignite.

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Thank you, Kwadwo Osei Appiah-Kubi, PT, MSPT, PhD, for including Dinushani Senarathna, Ph.D., and me in this exciting study.

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Teaching Assistant in Ms Applied Data Science Student at Clarkson University

Yesterday’s potluck reminded me why learning feels a little lighter, a little warmer, and a lot more human here in our Data Science program.

In this picture is someone who has made so many of us feel at home far away from home. She brings people together, checks on us, and creates spaces like this potluck where we can pause, breathe, laugh, and recharge from the intensity of grad school.

Her kindness is not loud, but it is powerful. She pushes us to reach our highest potential, but always with love. She celebrates our wins, guides us when we’re stuck, and reminds us that community matters just as much as coursework.

Because of her, learning has become easier. Because of her, our journey feels supported. Because of her, we feel seen.

Thank you Professor Sumona Mondal for being a lovely soul and for everything you do for your students. We appreciate you more than words can capture. 🩶
 

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Clarkson University held its Pi Mu Epsilon Induction Ceremony on November 21, 2025, celebrating outstanding achievement in mathematics and welcoming a new cohort of students into the national mathematics honor society. This year’s inductees are Michael Feltman, Harsh Balasubramanian, Zachary Diefendorf, Marcus Paderon, Jesse Dykes, Rosalia McLaughlin, Riley Outlaw, Ethan Bartiromo, Aaliyah Bailey-Sidles, Ethan Harmon, Max Wang, Natalie Hooper, Cynthia Onyekwere, and Elena Goldman. Each of these students exemplifies strong academic performance, curiosity, and dedication to the mathematical sciences. The ceremony recognized their accomplishments and welcomed them into a community that values excellence, scholarship, and the advancement of mathematics.
 

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PhD candidate Nneka Karen Enumah (Mathematics) earned an Excellence in Poster Presentation award at the 2025 Society for Mathematical Biology meeting. Her work models how filopodia-driven signaling helps generate spot patterns during tissue development—linking subcellular mechanics to visible, tissue-scale organization. In collaboration with Prof. Emmanuel Asante-Asamani and Dr. Ginger Hunter (Howard University), the project is supported by the NSF/NIGMS Mathematical Biology Program (R01GM152810) and showcases Clarkson’s strength in interdisciplinary biomathematics.

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We are pleased to share that Minh Ngoc Huynh, an undergraduate student double majoring in Mathematics and Data Science, has been selected for a Co-op position with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), working with the Energy Security team.

Minh’s co-op builds on her strong academic background and applied skills in MATLAB, Python, data analysis, and visualization, as well as her interest in power systems and energy-related applications. In addition to excelling in advanced coursework, Minh has served as an undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Calculus III and Elementary Differential Equations, where she independently led discussion sections and was highly regarded by students.

This opportunity reflects Minh’s motivation, technical preparation, and commitment to applying mathematics and data science to real-world challenges in the energy sector. We congratulate Minh on this outstanding achievement and look forward to seeing the impact of her work at NYISO.
Please join us in congratulating Minh!

Thanks to the Argonne National Lab (ANL) and IMSI for the support of the BRING MATH conference! Dr. Guangming Yao traveled with two of our amazing undergraduate students Mark Santa Clara Munro and Minh-Ngoc Huynh during Oct 2 – Oct 5, visited by Chemical Engineering alumni Melissa Rose, we toured the Rapid Prototyping Lab, Aurora Exascale Supercomputer, Advanced Photon Source, and the Center for Nanoscale Materials. An eye opening experience! Be sure to check out ANL’s SULI Internship program to see if it is a good fit for you: https://www.anl.gov/education/science-undergraduate-laboratory-internship 
 

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Emmanuel Asante-Asamani, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Ginger Hunter, Assistant Professor of Biology have been awarded a $589,000 grant from the Joint National Science Foundation (NSF)/ National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Mathematical Biology Program to support their collaborative research efforts over the next three years to understand the formation of complex biological tissue patterns through long-range cell-cell signaling. A major challenge for the organized development and homeostasis of tissues and organs is the correct spatial and temporal distribution of signaling molecules. Achieving a correct tissue organization is critical as defects in patterning can lead to human disorders and disease. This project will take both multiscale mathematical modeling and experimental approaches to investigate how the signaling receptor Notch is distributed and activated by active cell processes during lateral inhibition-mediated tissue patterning events.
The project will result in a foundational understanding of the mechanisms that drive long-range lateral inhibition during tissue patterning. We will introduce the first multiscale mechanical model of the fly dorsal thorax that allows for cell-driven dynamics of filopodia, real-time activation of Notch and tissue level patterning. The experimental work will address a major gap in our understanding of tissue development and homeostasis: how active cell processes contribute to the distribution and activation of
signals. The award will provide support for both graduate and undergraduate students from mathematics and biology to be trained in multiscale modeling, numerical simulation, quantitative developmental biology and genetics in both Asante-Asamani’s research group and Hunter’s Lab.

The award abstract can be found at
https://reporter.nih.gov/search/JhR4pUeo9EKPOMrXO6IBmA/project-details/10797357

In the past year, I have graduated three Ph.D. students who are either employed as faculty members or are pursuing postdoctoral research at several prestigious universities in the United States. Furthermore, we have concentrated primarily on strategically developing the MS-Applied Data Science program at Clarkson, which aims to give students the analytical and technical skills they need to succeed in the highly competitive field of data science. We have effectively expanded the program from 20 to 162 students during the past two years. India's largest festival, Diwali, brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate, share meals, and exchange goodwill and happiness. As the faculty advisor for Friends of India, the largest international student organization at Clarkson University, I actively participated in a cultural extravaganza that brought students, faculty, and staff from the Potsdam area together to promote unity in diversity.

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As a Mathematical Biologist, I am interested in research problems that are at the interface between Mathematics and Biology.  Much of the work I do involves solving problems that directly impact human and community health, a goal which is foundational to the research projects I seek out. One of my main areas of focus involves using differential equations to explore problems in intracellular dynamics.  In addition to understanding normal intracellular behavior, I also look at applications related to cancer treatment, by looking at how cellular dynamics are altered by the addition of various cancer drugs.

More recently, I've started modeling biological invasions in my own backyard (literally!). In particular, I'm developing a model to study the growth, spread and biological control of invasive watermilfoil in Upstate New York, an invasive aquatic plant that's spread through much of the US. Recently, myself and team of Colleagues (Prof. James Greene from Clarkson Math and Prof. Stefanie Kring from Biology) was awarded a $69,904 grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservations to work on a “Milfoil Monitoring and Control Project.” The main goal of the project will be to monitor milfoil growth and use math models to understand its growth, spread, and control.

In general, I love community outreach and working students. I am passionate about doing research with students in the summer on math bio related projects, and many of those projects turn into work that is published in peer reviewed journals. In Spring 2022, I was highlighted as 1 of 5 trailblazing women in mathematics, by the Canadian Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology (WISEST). This was a great honor for me to be listed amongst some of Canada’s best female mathematicians.

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During the summer, following my second year of my PhD in the math department, I completed a 10-week internship in the modeling and simulation department at Genentech. This experience deepened my understanding of the drug development process and underscored the vital role that mathematical modeling can play in the medical field. Now in my fifth year of my PhD, I am entering my second year as a part-time contractor for Genentech, where I continue to contribute to impactful solutions for those affected by various diseases. Overall, I am passionate about applying what I have learned at Clarkson to advance medical research. 

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I am a senior, majoring in Mathematics and Physics. Over the summer, I stayed on campus to work on a research problem in mathematical biology. We used techniques from the mathematical subject of topology to identify differences in bristle patterns among several types of genetically mutated fruit flies. Topology tends to be highly abstract, and methods of applying it to real-world problems are relatively new. This made the project exciting, because I had to develop my own interpretation of how the math related to the biological data.

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I’m a sophomore majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science. Currently, I'm conducting research with Dr. Yao and Dr. Lynch on using Lean, a programming language for formal theorem proving, to verify the correctness of fundamental linear algebra concepts like Gaussian Elimination. Over the summer, I interned with STEM Ed, where I combined my research efforts with hands-on outreach by organizing a Roller Coaster camp for students in rural areas around Potsdam. I also had the opportunity to present my research at the Research and Project Showcase (RAPS), highlighting the innovative use of Lean in mathematical verification.

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This summer I did an internship as a PhD Data Scientist at IBM. During this time, I collaborated with talented and personable individuals, researching cutting-edge technologies. Specifically, I worked with IBM's Quantum Computing group, where I developed a robust user clustering model using hardware usage and event participation data. This model identified key user segments such as "Power Users," "At-risk Users," and "To Engage Users," and provided operational recommendations and actionable business insights.

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This summer I was an engineering intern with The Wesson Group in their headquarters in Johnstown, NY. I worked under the estimating team on a number of projects in the pre construction phase. I got to use calculus in the real world for estimating quantities for wind turbines and solar projects! I will be returning to the same department after graduation in May 2025, and look forward to bringing what I have learned from my two majors into the field of engineering and construction.

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I’m Sucharitha Dodamgodage, a fourth-year PhD student in the Department of Mathematics at Clarkson University. My research focuses on statistical modeling for analyzing compositional data, with a special emphasis on microbiome data analysis. 
I’m honored to have received the Best Oral Presentation award in the Math, Modeling, & Mathematical Modeling session at RAPS 2025! I presented my research on "Proving the Existence and Uniqueness of the Maximum Likelihood Estimator for the Dirichlet Distribution." It was such a privilege to share my work with the Clarkson community. 
Special thanks to Dr. Sumona Mondal, Dr. Shantanu Sur, Dr. Nabendu Pal, Dr. Thevasha Sathiyakumar, and Dr. Daniel Fuller for their invaluable support and guidance.

 

We, Uresha Dias and Harsha Iduruwage, are graduate students in the Department of Mathematics. We received the Best Graduate Poster Presentation Award at the 2025 RAPS Conference for our work on an optimization project. Our poster, presented in the Applied Optimization category, highlighted innovative approaches to solving real-world problems through mathematical modeling and optimization techniques. The title of our poster was "Optimizing Waiting Time of Patients for Online Consultation System in Primary Care." Special thanks and acknowledgement go to Dr. Kathleen Kavanagh for her valuable guidance and support throughout the project.

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I am a senior double majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics (on the Statistics track). During the summer of 2024, I was a Data Science Intern with HP Inc. (in Spring, Texas). Throughout the summer, I got to working on a predictive model to help make the business more effici

ent! I learned a lot about machine learning and AI, and how we can use it in ethical and exciting ways.

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During my summer 2024 internship at the Air Force Research Laboratory, I contributed to groundbreaking research aimed at enhancing Variational Auto-Encoders (VAEs) with topological awareness. This work is impactful because it addresses a significant technical gap: the inability of standard VAEs to preserve the topological features of input data. By developing innovative methods like InvMap-VAE and Witness Simplicial VAE, we aimed to improve data visualization, machine learning, and vision-centric autonomy applications. These enhancements promise to unlock new potentials in understanding complex datasets by preserving their intrinsic geometric and topological structures, thereby offering improved data reconstruction and predictive performance. The experience was exciting as it placed me at the forefront of integrating topological data analysis (TDA) into machine learning models, a rapidly evolving field with vast implications.

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The Math Department at Clarkson University co-hosted The Mathematical Biology Team Science (MBioTS) REU program (NSF #2244020, 2022-2025, PI James Greene, Co-PI Susan Bailey) with the biology department. This is a 10-week interdisciplinary research summer experience, introducing eight undergraduate students per year to collaborative research at the intersection of biology and mathematics. Students will work in pairs on mentored research, with one focused on data collection in a laboratory setting and the other focused on computational and mathematical analysis. Each team was mentored by faculty from both the Biology and Mathematics Departments at Clarkson. A key component of the MBioTS REU was the close interaction between student team members across disciplines, as they collaboratively design both experiments and models to address important biological questions. The program served a grand total of 24 students selected from 170 applicants. Among all participants, there were 3 underrepresented students. As of July 2024, participants and research advisors published 2 peer-reviewed journal papers.

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Dr. Emmanuel Atindama, who completed his Ph.D. in 2024 under the supervision of Prof. Prashant Athavale, has been recruited by SOCOL GxP Services, a consulting firm serving pharmaceutical companies. His doctoral dissertation is titled “Crystallographic Data Reconstruction Using Weighted Total Variation Flow and a Hybrid Deep Learning Method.”
 

The Pi Mu Epsilon (PME) New York Omicron Chapter at Clarkson University recently held a successful induction ceremony and officer election meeting! Congratulations to all new members and newly elected officers.

Read More about the Pi Mu Epsilon Induction Ceremony

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