Two Mississippi State graduate students in electrical and computer engineering were among nine finalists selected worldwide to make oral presentations this summer during an international paper competition.
Abhinav Mathur and Vinod Ramnath, both from India, recently shared the results of their research projects in the final round of the International Student Prize Paper Competition. Mathur is a doctoral student, while Ramnath is seeking a master’s degree.
Ramnath said he was surprised at first by his selection.
He said, “It’s really an honor to represent MSU in an international competition. IGARSS is considered to be a prestigious meeting for remote-sensing technologies.”
He continued, “By presenting the research work done at MSU at IGARSS, it certainly would draw attention from numerous researchers, industrial and government institutions. IGARSS 2003 particularly saw a significant contribution from MSU. I am sure these small but significant contributions would certainly be made of use in programs of global interests.”
Ramnath’s research involved detecting soil moisture using space-based radar to improve the prediction of weather patterns, management of water reservoirs and providing irrigation schedules, while Mathur’s research involved the development of a Graphic User Interfrace software for the analysis for the advanced analysis of Hyperspectral data.
Roger King, a professor of electrical and computer engineering said that MSU’s involvement in the competition gave the university more prestige.
King commented on the students’ involvement in the competition, saying, “It helps people within the international community notice that MSU is a place capable of developing high technology. It makes our community and university stand out and gain attention in the global community, which then reflects positively on us.”
Ramnath and Mathur were two of four students from the United States at the competition. Two other U.S. finalists represented the universities of Michigan and Massachusetts. Italy had two in the select group; England, Australia and China had one each.
Held this year in Toulouse, France, the student challenge is an annual event of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society. Each finalist received a travel grant to the gathering. Nearly 1,500 professionals, students, and others attended. The competition began July 22 and lasted five days.
The IGARSS ( International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium) is one of the fastest growing IEEE societies. Each year, IGARSS selects around 10 students for the student prize paper competition during a two-stage selection process. During the first round, students write and submit their research for review. If selected, the students are sent to the IGARSS to present and share their work at an international level.
Mathur and Ramnath were advised by Lori Mann Bruce and Roger King, of Mississippi State’s department of electrical and computer engineering. Their graduate projects were funded through the help of NASA and the MSU’s GeoResources Institute.
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