Valens Nteziyaremye was born in Kigali, Rwanda. In 2008 he was selected among the top students in science in Rwanda and received the Rwandan Presidential scholarship to study at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA. In 2012, he received his bachelors of science degree in Systems Engineering, Mechanical from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR).

Also, in 2012 Valens received a fellowship to pursue his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida where he is working on his dissertation in Dr. Greenslet’s non-traditional manufacturing lab. His current research is on “Surface Finishing of Needles for High-Performance Biopsy”. He passed his written Ph.D. qualifying exam in January 2014 and he is expecting to graduate in 2016. Football (soccer) is his favorite sport to watch and play in his free time. He loves to travel, spend time with family and make new friends. After he graduates, his ambition is to work in an area where he will apply his knowledge to help people in need across the globe.

VALENS NTEZIYAREMYE, Ph.D. CANDIDATE

RESEARCH STUDENTS

Graduate Students

Undergraduate Alumni

Taylor Boggs*

Alexandors Bouliakis

Whittaker Bullard

Brandon Crone

Brian Flatley

Andrew Gabrang

Arnold J. Garcia*

Andrew George

Deanna Gierzak

Patrick Hendershot

Scott Hinton

Peter Hoffman

Daniel Imaizumi

Jovany Jimenez

Micheal Kelley

Paul Loschak

Matthew Mo

Matthew Moore*

Nicholas Natale

Kruz Oliver

Adrian Piedra*

Hadyan Sani Ramadan

Max Stein

Micheal Tan

James Wilkes

Monica Wilson

Anna Woods*

Steven Zehnders

Daniel Ross was born in Merritt Island, Florida. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida with a minor in Electrical Engineering. During this time he worked as an undergraduate research assistant within the Nanomanufacturing and Mechanics of Materials lab assisting in the creation of an automated nanoscale tool changing system. He was also heavily involved with the universities Human Powered Vehicle Competition team, with which he held several leadership positions. Daniel went on to receive a master's degree from the University of Florida in Mechanical Engineering and is now pursuing a Ph.D. He is conducting his research in Dr. Greenslet's non-traditional manufacturing lab towards a "Science-Based Understanding of Polycrystalline Laser Ceramic Polishing." In his free time Daniel likes to travel, go hiking, or work on one of his building projects such as making furniture or refurbishing vintage bikes.

DANIEL ROSS, Ph.D. CANDIDATE

Geovanna E. Ruiz was born in Quito, Ecuador. In 2011, she received her Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at National Polytechnic School in Ecuador. She worked for the oil industry for four years. In her most recent job in that industry, she was the first female field engineer hired in her department. Her outstanding work there opened new opportunities for more female engineers. In 2014, she and her husband decided to move to Gainesville, Florida to pursue her master’s degree.  Geovanna is currently performing research in Laser Glass Polishing. In her free time, she likes to cook Ecuadorian food and travel.

GEOVANNA RUIZ, MASTER’S STUDENT

Max Stein is currently a Ph.D. student studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida. He received Bachelor of Science degrees in both Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the spring of 2014 from the University of Florida, and has been working in the non-traditional manufacturing laboratory since the fall of 2013. His current research is on the topic of Automation of Magnetic Field-Assisted Finishing of Free-Form Surfaces. In his spare time, Max enjoys PC gaming; Warhammer 40,000; Magic the Gathering; and oil painting.

MAX STEIN, Ph.D. CANDIDATE

Graduate Alumni

Ph.D.

Raul Riveros

Junmo Kang

Arthur Graziano

M.S.

Taylor Boggs

Robin Carroll

Xueyu Du

Patrick Hendershot

Hamit Kahraman

Timothy Pham

Zuoben Tang

Yanming Wang

Zongyi Yang

Tianyu Yin

VISITING PROFESSORS AND POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS

Prof. Ikko Ihara (Kobe University, Japan), April 2011-October 2011

Prof. Özlem Salman (Süleyman Demirel University, Turkey), April 2012-March 2013

Dr. Raul Riveros, August 2012-December 2012

Undergraduate Students

Xingyu You

Yi Zhao

Richard Barrington was born in Destin, Florida. He is currently  a senior pursuing a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Upon receiving his B.S., Richard plans to attend graduate school at the University of Florida. This coming Fall semester, Richard will be pursuing a Master’s Degree.

RICHARD BARRINGTON

Sean was born in Gainesville, Florida and has remained here for most of his life.  After high school he attended the University of Florida, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in 2011.  From there he took a job in industry and discovered his fascination for manufacturing and production.  He soon returned to school, pursuing a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on manufacturing.  Sean’s research focuses on a metal-polishing technique used to create structural color on the surface of metals that otherwise have no natural pigmentation. He plans to graduate in 2016. In his free time, Sean is the head baseball coach of the Eastside High School Rams.

SEAN DOBBS, MASTER’S STUDENT

BLAKE KRUEGER

Blake Krueger was born in Houston, Texas and is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Florida studying Mechanical Engineering; he is expected to graduate end of Summer 2016.  He is currently working on Polishing Characteristics of Poly-crystalline Surfaces. In his free time, Blake spends his time doing exercise, playing video games, and enjoys D&D.

EDUARDO MORENO

Eduardo was born in Homestead, Florida and moved to Live Oak, Florida at the age of 15. He is a junior studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida. His research aims to modify surfaces to minimize bio-film adhesion on food processing equipment. When he’s not studying or in the laboratory he enjoys spending time with friends playing video games and watching sports. Upon completing  his undergraduate degree, Eduardo plans on either entering industry or pursuing a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.

KYLE TALKO

Kyle Talko was born in New York but moved to Naples, Florida at the age of ten. He is a senior studying Mechanical Engineering. His research project consists of the design and construction of a reflective spectrophotometer to observe structural colors on metal surfaces. In his free time, Kyle enjoys playing videos games with his friends and watching sports. Upon graduating, Kyle plans to work in industry with the possibility of returning to school for a Master’s Degree in the future.

ANDREW LI

Andrew Li was born in St. Augustine, Florida and currently attends the University of Florida pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He plans to graduate in the Fall of 2016. From there he plans on starting his career in industry being a manufacturing or process engineer. His research project involves manufacturing assistance in  investigating the effects on magnetic abrasive finishing in the tool life of titanium cutting inserts. In his free time, Andrew enjoys the outdoors, traveling and learning new things.

* Honors Thesis

Pei-Ying Wu was born in Taiwan and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in 2013. She is currently pursuing Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on needle insertion tests. She is expecting to graduate in spring 2016.

PEI-YING WU, MASTER STUDENT