Nailed It! USU Students Take Podium-Positions at Their First Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering Competition
Competing against 17 other teams, Utah State University students took top placements in their first-ever showing at the 2026 Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering Conference and Exhibition in Seattle, April 27-30.
"This is one of the largest and most recognized conferences in advanced materials and process engineering, bringing together researchers, students and industry professionals from across the world," said Dae Han Sung, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Dae Han Sung, Garrett Lawton, Ryan Bond, Jonathan Wiggins, Anick Kumar Dey and Gavin Stoker.
Awards:
- Anick Dey – Poster Session: 2nd place - "Machine Learning (ML)-Driven Analysis of Fiber-Matrix Interface in Single Fiber Pullout (SFPO) Test"
- Gavin Stoker – Poster Session: 3rd place – "Development of Novel Computational Approach to Modeling Particle Infused Resin Transfer and Permeability"
- Jonathan Wiggins - University Research Symposium, master's student category: 3rd place - "Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of DGEBF-DETDA Epoxy Systems During Late-Stage Cure"
- Ryan Bond and Garret Lawton - 3rd place, Additive Manufacturing Contest, category A
The competition was competitive, with Dey and Stoker competing against more than 40 poster submissions to win their second and third placements.
Kumar and his second-place poster project.
Stoker and his third-place poster project.
Wiggins and his third-place poster project.
Sung said this event is particularly valuable because students are presenting their work to academic researchers, engineers and leaders from industry who are developing next-generation aerospace, automotive, energy and manufacturing technologies.
"I was incredibly proud to see USU students recognized across several student competitions, including additive manufacturing, graduate research and poster presentations," said Sung. "Their success reflects not only their technical ability and hard work, but also the collaborative and hands-on learning environment we strive to provide at Utah State University."
Students' travel was partially supported by the Office of Research, College of Engineering and MAE department travel award.
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Writer: Libbie Anderson, libbie.anderson@usu.edu, 435-797-8361
Contact: Dae Han Sung, daehan.sung@usu.edu, 435-797-2952