Great semester! Student wins Goldwater, Cozad

5/11/2015

MechSE junior Patrick SladeMechSE junior Patrick Slade has recently received two prestigious honors. He has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater scholarship for the 2015-16 academic year for demonstrating leadership and academic promise in science or engineering. And together with neuroscience PhD student Aadeel Akhtar, Slade won the university-funded track in the 15th annual Cozad New Venture Competition.   The Barry M.

Written by

MechSE junior Patrick Slade
MechSE junior Patrick Slade
MechSE junior Patrick Slade
MechSE junior Patrick Slade has recently received two prestigious honors. He has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater scholarship for the 2015-16 academic year for demonstrating leadership and academic promise in science or engineering. And together with neuroscience PhD student Aadeel Akhtar, Slade won the university-funded track in the 15th annual Cozad New Venture Competition.
 
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Barry M. Goldwater, who served 30 years in the U.S. Senate. The program provides a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to U.S. sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue doctorates in these fields.
 
The 260 Goldwater Scholars for 2015-16 were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,206 mathematics, science, and engineering students nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. The one- and two-year scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. 
 
Slade is majoring in mechanical engineering and participating in the James Scholar honor program. Within the first two months of his freshman year, Slade started working in a robotics and neuro-mechanics lab. In the lab, Slade created a 3-D printed, low-cost ($100) prosthetic hand that uses electrical impulses generated by forearm muscles to perform multiple grasping movements. His work has been tested by amputees in Ecuador and recently was recognized for entrepreneurial promise by winning the University of Illinois Cozad New Venture Competition. Slade plans to graduate in three years before pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.  His ultimate goal is to continue as a university professor in his investigations in robotics and prosthetics.
 
PSYONIC, the name of Slade and Akhtar’s Cozad-winning company, is creating highly advanced prosthetic hands at 10 times less cost to improve the lives of people with amputations worldwide. 
 
For more on Slade’s accomplishments, please visit the I-STEM website
 

Share this story

This story was published May 11, 2015.