We are the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA), a representative body created to engage graduate students in the department within and outside of research. MEGA also serves as a direct liaison between graduate students and faculty. As such, it provides a platform for identifying and addressing graduate student concerns and grievances and acts as a liaison between the graduate student body and the department faculty. You can read the MEGA constitution here
MEGA Executive Committee for 2023-2024
President: Annie Porter | annie@udel.edu
Degree: 3rd year PhD
Research Interests: Cartilage bioengineering and biomechanics
Bio: Annie grew up in Maryland right next to UD’s campus, eating lots of seafood and spending time boating with her family. She got her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering here at UD, and decided to stay for her PhD. One of her favorite parts of grad school has been getting to travel more, both in the US and internationally. Outside of school, she spends a lot of time with her horse Watson, and she still tries to eat as much seafood as she can.
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Vice President: Parker Grobe | ptgrobe@udel.edu
Degree: 2nd year PhD
Research Interests: Design of bio-inspired underwater uncrewed vehicles
Bio: Parker grew up in Western New York and came to UD to do a 4+1 bachelors and masters in mechanical engineering and switched in the spring of his master’s year to pursue a PhD instead. His interests include competing at regattas in single sculls races, oil painting, and reading about history.
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Social Event Coordinator: Stergios Bachoumas | stevbach@udel.edu
Degree: 2nd year PhD
Research Interests: Intelligence and autonomy of robotic systems
Bio: Stergios is a Ph.D. student in the Mechanical Engineering Department, concentrating on exploring the intelligence and autonomy of robotic systems. His current research focuses on applying deep learning techniques to identify hierarchical structures in swarm robotic systems. His final goal is to provide explanation and interpretable strategies that will help humans understand how multiagent systems collaborate to achieve a group task. During his free time, Stergios engages in various activities such as playing chess, reading, and avidly pursuing running.
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Secretary: Masoud Ansari | mansari@udel.edu
Degree: 1st year PhD
Research Interests: Cartilage Bioengineering
Bio: Masoud joined UD in Fall 2023 to pursue his studies. His interests include reading, strolling, and hanging out with friends.
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Treasurer: Frank Tricouros | franktri@udel.edu
Degree: 4th year PhD
Research Interests: Vortex structure mitigation and destruction using unsteady jets
Bio: Frank graduated from Hofstra University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. He has been award for his TA work with undergraduates and recently received the SMART Scholarship.
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Intramural Sports Coordinator: Annamalai Muthupalaniappan | annamala@udel.edu
Degree: 1st year Masters in Robotics
Research Interests: Mobile and Aerial Robots.
Bio: Annamalai is from India. He did his 4 year Bachelor’s in Mechatronics and came to UD after 2 years to Pursue Masters in Robotics. He is currently involved in the CARS lab and wants to work on Agriculture – Robotics.
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Graduate Student Advocate (1st Year Rep): Rosalind Bendell | rbendell@udel.edu
Degree: 1st year PhD
Research Interests: Biomechanics, Prosthetics Advancement, Rehabilitation
Bio: Rosalind grew up in Upstate New York and went to college even further north which was perfect for her favorite hobbies of hiking, camping, and exploring. During college, she built a broad work and research engineering portfolio in aerospace, biomedical, chemical, and environmental. Trying lots of fields helped her determine that biomechanics was her favorite, and now she studies biomechanics for rehabilitation advancement in the Neuromuscular Biomechanics Lab. Outside of school and outdoor adventures, she also likes to weightlift, play rugby, and run track and field!
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Mechanical Engineering Lead EmPower Mentor: Kristin Schmidt | schmidtk@udel.edu
Degree: 4th year PhD
Research Interests: Neural control of wrist movements
Bio: Kristin is originally from Long Island, NY, and completed her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at the University of Virginia. She enjoys listening to music and discovering new songs and artists.
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Mechanical Engineering Graduate Senator (MEGS): N/A
Student and Faculty Profiles
Graduate Student Directory: http://www.me.udel.edu/people/graduate-students/
Faculty Research Matrix: http://www.me.udel.edu/research/research-matrix/
