Congratulations to the EMI 2026 Student Competition Winners. Students received their certificates at the Student Awards Ceremony, held at EMI 2026 on Thursday, June 4 in Boulder, CO.
Computational Mechanics Student Paper Competition
1st Place
Development of Surrogate Models for Predicting Thermal and Mechanical Responses in Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Plates
Surendra Bhatta, University of Connecticut
2nd Place
Damage Mechanics of Hafnia-Silica Nanolaminate Coatings Under Extreme Conditions
Fariha Haque, The Ohio State University
3rd Place
Extended Finite Element Method for Buckling Analysis of Folded Plate Structures
Athanasios Zisimos, Columbia University
Distinguished Finalist
Beyond Scalar Surrogates: High-Dimensional and Spatially Explicit Reliability Assessment of Transmission Towers via Graph Neural Networks
Mazin Al-Mahrouqi, The Ohio State University
Distinguished Finalist
A Nonlinear Finite Element Framework for Dynamic Thin-Film Lubrication Modeling
Spencer Otero, Brigham Young University
Dynamics Student Paper Competition
1st Place
Fall Risk Estimation through Footstep-Induced Floor Vibrations
Adem Taiyr, Stanford University
2nd Place
Residual Basis Unscented Kalman Filter (RB-UKF): Hybrid Residual Learning for Unscented Kalman Filters
Shayan Mazloom, The Ohio State University
3rd Place
Enhanced Matrix Interpolation for Dynamic Analysis of Metamaterials
Jesús Pereira, Univ. of Michigan–Dearborn
Experimental Analysis and Instrumentation Paper Competition
1st Place
Hybrid Experimental-Computational Framework for Modeling Deployable Ground Anchors
Khuzaima Hummad, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2nd Place
Real-time Adaptive Control for Robotic Construction 3D Printing
Muhammad Arslan, University of Houston
3rd Place
Phase-Minimized Adaptive Filtering Framework for Real-Time Hybrid Simulations
Minyeop Kim, Seoul National University
Fluid Dynamics Committee Student Paper Competition
1st Place
Experimental Study of Compact Debris Flight Under Varying Turbulence Characteristics and Building Configurations
Kimia Yousefi Anarak, Colorado State University
2nd Place
LES-Based Modeling of a 15-MW Floating Wind Turbine Exposed to Non-Stationary Hurricane Winds
Hossein Babaei, Louisiana State University
3rd Place
Modeling the Influence of Real-World Upstream Morphometry on Site-Specific Wind Gust Structures
Muhammad Ammar Hussain Siddiqi, Florida State University
Finalist
Baoheng Li, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo
Finalist
Arezoo Bakhshizadeh, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Granular Materials Student Video Competition
Computational - 1st Place
High-performance, high-precision Ray-Tracing Immersed Moving Boundary Method for Arbitrarily-Shaped Particles in LBM-DEM
Yecheng Qian, Tsinghua University
Experimental - 1st Place
Highly stretchable and tough Pantograph-inspired Lattice metamaterials
Mohammad Hodeai, Tennessee State University
Theoretical - 1st Place
A Micromechanics-based Hyperelastic Framework for Adaptive Elastic Anisotropy of Granular Materials with General Particle Shapes
Hongwei Wu, Northwestern University
Machine Learning in Mechanics Student Paper Competition
Winner
ϕ−DeepONet: A Discontinuity Capturing Neural Operator
Sumanta Roy, Johns Hopkins University
Winner
Microstructure informed data-driven damage model for ductile materials under dynamic loading conditions
Indrashish Saha, Johns Hopkins University
Modeling Inelasticity and Multiscale Behavior Committee Student Competition
1st Place
Homogenization of 2D networks
Angelina Shen, Columbia University
2nd Place
Habiba Eldababy, NYU Tandon School of Engineering
3rd Place
Hooman Dadras, University of Colorado Boulder
Objective Resilience Student Paper/Presentation Competition
1st Place
Scalable and Physics-Aware Graph-Based Surrogate Modeling for Regional Storm Surge Hazard Estimation
Parisa Toofani Movaghar, University of Notre Dame
2nd Place
Topology-Aware Power Flow Prediction for Grid Resilience Under N-1 Contingencies
Wenwen Han, University of Southern California
3rd Place
Field-Calibrated Reliability and Resilience Framework for Tornado Design of Residential Buildings
Pramodit Adhikari, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Poromechanics Student Paper Competition
Winner
I-FENN: An Integrated Finite Element Neural Network Framework with DeepONets for Large-Scale Coupled Multiphysics Simulations
Fouad M. Amin, New York University
Runner-Up
Multiscale analysis of volumetric deformation behaviour of plastic clays in the context of geological disposal of radioactive waste
Vidushi Toshniwal, Delft University of Technology
Runner-Up
Origin, General Definition, and Implications of Cryosuction in Frozen Soil
Lingyun Gou, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Probabilistic Methods Committee Student Paper Competition
Winner
Operatorial Stochastic Dynamics for Efficient Time-Dependent Uncertainty Propagation and Reliability Analysis in Nonlinear Systems
João Gabriel C. S. Duarte, University of Minnesota
Properties of Materials Student Paper Competition
Winner
Effective mechanical properties of foam concrete transitioning from continuous matrix to cellular microstructure
Xinhuan Deng, Columbia University
Runner-Up
Computational Investigation of Pull-Out Behavior of Steel Fibers Embedded in UltraHigh-Performance Concrete
Seda Mursel, University of Texas at Austin
Structural Health Monitoring and Control Committee Student Paper Competition
1st Place
Observing Shock Waves generated by the High-Speed Rail passing Tunnel through Telecommunication Optical Fiber Cables
Jatin Aggarwal, Stanford University
2nd Place
Monitoring Method for a Spread Footing Foundation Using Embedded Crossed Long-Gauge Sensors
Yitian Liang, Princeton University
3rd Place
Complexity-Aware Curriculum Learning with Iterative Annotation and Refinement for Damage Segmentation
Vahidreza Gharehbaghi, University of Kansas
Structural Stability Student Paper Competition
1st Place
Nonlinear analysis of steel deck diaphragms using the instantaneous center method and geometry specific fasterner models
Firaol Fekadu, Washington State University
2nd Place
Structural stability considerations of a tensegrity structure with shape morphing capabilities from an octahedron to a tetrahedron
Lukas Lehmann, OTH Regensburg, Department of Mechanical Engineering