Jacobs School faculty, alumni featured in Forbes 30 Under 30

Five UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering affiliates were recognized in the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for their contributions to the fields of science, energy and healthcare. The faculty and alumni were recognized as up-and-coming stars in their respective fields for their efforts to develop more sustainable iron and steel manufacturing, study the origins of COVID-19, use wearable ultrasound tech to monitor changes in our bodies, and harness data from the microbiome to detect cancer. 

Niema Moshiri, an assistant teaching professor of computer science and engineering, was selected in the Healthcare category for a set of bioinformatics tools he helped develop to allow researchers to process SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data in rapid time. These tools enabled scientists to study the origins and spread of COVID-19.

Andy Zhao and Olivia Dippo, recent materials science and engineering PhD alumni, were recognized in the Energy category for their company Limelight Steel, which uses a laser furnace technology they developed to rapidly heat iron ore using zero-emissions energy sources, enabling more sustainable iron and steel manufacturing.

Gregory Sephic-Poore, a recent bioengineering PhD alumnus, was selected for the Healthcare category as a cofounder of Micronoma. The company developed Oncobiota, a patent pending microbiome-based test that detects cancer early. Contrary to prevailing theories at the time, Sepich-Poore's research found that no type of human cancer is sterile and their microbes can reveal the type and presence of cancer, making it easily detectable in early stages.

And Chonghe Wang, who earned a master’s degree in nanoengineering at UC San Diego, was recognized in the Science category for his work to develop a wearable ultrasound technology that could monitor deep tissue vital signs in the human body. The wearable ultrasound device provides 48 hours of continuous imaging to enable diagnostic and monitoring tools for various diseases.

UC San Diego students lead autonomous race car team to 2nd place at IAC

Team AI Racing Tech posing with their autonomous
car and second place winnings at Texas Motor Speedway.

Little more than a year after the inaugural Indy Autonomous Challenge full-scale autonomous car race, Team AI Racing Tech, which includes engineering, computer science and data science students from UC San Diego, took second place at a follow-on race held at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Of the nine teams from around the world competing in the challenge, only six qualified for the head-to-head race in Texas on Nov. 11. AI Racing Tech clenched second place on race day. The team is comprised of students from the University of Hawaii, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon. The two student technical leads this season were Haoru Xue, a recent UC San Diego electrical and computer engineering graduate, and Siddharth Saha, a computer science and engineering master’s student at UC San Diego who earned his bachelor’s degree here in data science. Computer engineering student Jose Jimenez-Olivas and recent electrical engineering undergraduate alumnus Frank Garcia were also part of the team this season. UC San Diego Contextual Robotics Institute lecturer Jack Silberman is one of the team's advisors. 

UC San Diego team members Siddharth Saha,
Frank Garcia, Haoru Xue and Jose Jimenez-Olivas. 

UC San Diego, through its Contextual Robotics Institute, is an associate institution partner with the University of Hawaii’s AI Racing Tech Team. Each of the nine IAC teams has transformed a Dallara AV-21 race car into an autonomous vehicle, developing perception, navigation, and control systems with support from IAC sponsor companies, in order for the car to function completely autonomously.

In addition to the inaugural race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and this race at Texas Motor Speedway, the students also participated in a race during the famed Consumer Electronics Showcase (CES) at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and are now gearing up for their second CES race in Las Vegas in January 2023.

The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) is a collaborative effort that brings together public, private and academic institutions to challenge university students around the world to imagine, invent and prove a new generation of automated vehicle software and inspire the next generation of STEM talent.

Learn more about the Indy Autonomous Challenge: https://www.indyautonomouschallenge.com/