By Abe Danaher | May 7, 2019

Fariha Mir, a doctoral student in the College of Engineering and Computing, received the University of South Carolina’s 2019 Outstanding Thesis Award for her master’s thesis on acoustic noise filtering and energy harvesting using acousto-elastic metamaterials.

“This award is inspirational and will actually encourage me to work even better,” Mir said. “We always try to do things that will affect other people, right? If I can do something that helps others and people are recognizing my work, that is a great thing for me.”

She was given the award by South Carolina’s Graduate School during Discover USC for her thesis’ originality, clarity of style and presentation, scholarship, research methodology, and contribution to the field.

Mir first became interested in acoustics and ultra-sonics when she began her master’s in the fall of 2016. She did not have a background in the field of acoustics, but after reading her advisor Sourav Banerjee’s work, she instantly recognized the field’s importance and potential. Throughout the next two years of Mir’s master’s studies, Banerjee taught her the basics of the field and provided mentorship and guidance as she developed her thesis.

Now, Mir is continuing her research at South Carolina as she works towards her doctorate, which she hopes to complete by the fall of 2020. She says that currently, the noise barrier design that she is researching has some limitations. But in the future, she sees this design being more developed and powering sensors and low power electronics which will help with the world’s growing energy demands.

“It’s a bit different, it’s developing, and it’s very useful in day-to-day life,” she says of the field.

After completing her mechanical engineering doctorate, Mir hopes to continue her research and eventually become an expert in the noise filtering and energy harvesting field.