KINGSTON, R.I. – October 28, 2019 – University of Rhode Island mechanical engineering doctoral candidates Koray Senol and Shyamal Kishore won first and second place respectively for their poster presentations at the 10th Annual New England Workshop on the Mechanics of Materials and Structures.

The event took place at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Oct. 5.

The goal of the one-day workshop is to bring together researchers who have a common interest in the mechanics of materials and structures and provide an opportunity for them to share their latest advancements in the field.

Senol’s poster was on the underwater mechanical response of closed cell foams with different densities and materials under various loading conditions.

“I was shocked when I heard that I won first place,” said Senol, who is from Ordu, Turkey. “I felt proud to have my project receive this kind of attention from such an important community.”

Kishore’s poster was based on his research study of the implosion of composite structures with potential applications for the Navy and marine infrastructure.

“Although Koray and I expected a good performance, we weren’t expecting to win first and second place,” said Kishore, a native of Vizag, India. “This was a prestigious conference and competition because all the big-name schools from New England participated, including MIT, Harvard, Brown, UMass Amherst and many others.”