Fourteen graduate students presented their research during the 19th annual Intelligent Systems Center (ISC) Graduate Research Symposium, held Monday, April 14.
   
The top three presentations were recognized with awards:

• First place: Nathan Roberts, a doctoral student in aerospace engineering and a Kummer I&E Fellow, presented his paper titled “Physically Constrained Generative Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Engineering Design Optimization.” His advisor is Dr. Xiaosong Du, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
• Second place: Usman Tariq, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, presented his paper titled “Numerical Study of Pre- and Post-Heating Effects of Residual Stresses in Laser Directed Energy Deposition.” His advisor is Dr. Frank Liou, Michael and Joyce Bytnar Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
• Third place: Ronit Das, a doctoral student in computer engineering, presented his paper titled “An Explainable Probabilistic Framework to Forecast Energy Futures Prices.” His advisor is Dr. Donald Wunsch II, Mary K. Finley Missouri Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Award recipients received certificates signed by Dr. Frank Liou, ISC director, and Dr. Sajal Das, symposium chair, Curators’ Distinguished Professor and Daniel St. Clair Endowed Chair of computer science. In addition, $1,000 was awarded for first place, $500 for second and $350 for third.
   
The symposium featured a keynote address by Dr. Simon Silvestri, associate professor and director of graduate studies at the University of Kentucky. His presentation, titled “Climbing the Doctoral Mountain: Essential Strategies for a Successful Ph.D.,” offered insights into navigating the challenges of doctoral research.
   
Read more about the symposium on the ISC website.