Electrical engineering students gain research communications skills in Washington, D.C.

Mar 26, 2025

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State electrical engineering majors Jasmine Khalil, Annabelle Johnson and Evan Marcinkevage recently took part in the Scholars Transforming Through Research Advocacy Program in Washington, D.C., which coaches students on communicating their undergraduate research to their communities. The students were selected by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) due to their participation in undergraduate research opportunities at Penn State. Tim Kane, professor of electrical engineering, accompanied the students as a campus representative.

CUR promotes high-quality, mentored undergraduate research opportunities to its student and faculty members around the U.S., according to its mission statement. Student members have access to funding support, career advancement opportunities, networking events, research partnerships and more.

Some members, such as Khalil, Johnson and Marcinkevage, receive an invitation to the Scholars Transforming Through Research Advocacy Program, which further develops students' ability to communicate the importance of undergraduate research to their communities through a multi-month program, according to a press release. This year, over 140 students and 60 faculty representatives gathered in Washington, D.C. to meet with governmental leadership and network at the 2024-25 cohort’s final meeting.

Khalil is a third-year electrical engineering major who uses mathematics and simulations to model computational data and medical information. Prior to her involvement in the program, Khalil participated in a U.S. National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates project at Rutgers University’s Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, where she developed statistical mechanics models using computational techniques.

Khalil currently works in Penn State’s Precision Medical Instrument Design Lab under Jason Moore, professor of mechanical engineering, researching novel ways to approach medical simulation training. This summer, she plans to complete the Moncrief Summer Internship at the Oden Institute’s Computational Visualization Center at the University of Texas at Austin, where she will develop technologies for comprehensive computational modeling, simulation, analysis and visualization.

Johnson is a second-year electrical engineering major working on implying properties of optical propagation to model the movement of artificial super-cavities, a phenomenon utilized by militarized vehicles to enable extremely high speeds underwater. She is a member of the inaugural cohort of the electrical engineering undergraduate research program, an initiative that connects Penn State students with mentored research opportunities. Over the summer, Johnson will intern with Lockheed Martin’s space division, where she will work with a team of researchers developing radio frequency products like GPS satellites.

Marcinkevage is a third-year electrical engineering major researching the application of lasers and digital image alteration to bypass AI image recognition software. Marcinkevage has spent the semester working with the Office of Navy Research’s PIPELINE program, alongside researchers from Penn State’s Applied Research Lab to innovate mine detection through the use of SONAR imagery. Marcinkevage is an incoming intern at the Panama City Division Naval Warfare Center, where he will apply his current knowledge of image classification AI and SONAR imagery to innovate mine countermeasures and unmanned surface vehicles. After college, he plans to pursue a graduate program in acoustics or electrical engineering.

Four people standing in front of sign inside

From left to right, Jasmine Khalil, Annabelle Johnson, Evan Marcinkevage and Tim Kane represented Penn State at the final meeting of the 2024-25 program, which was organized by the Council on Undergraduate Research. Credit: Provided by Jasmine Khalil/Penn State